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O Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

O
Silver Chief Dog of the North
Published in School & Library Binding by Henry Holth & Co (J) (1965-06)
Author: Jack O'Brien
List price: $3.97
Used price: $12.00
Collectible price: $36.00

Average review score:

My Favorite Book from My Youth
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-14
I read this book several times when I was young. I loved it then and my son has read this a couple times in recent years. I have all four books in the series. The description of his life on the trail, taking care of the sled dogs, and even the food he ate while on the trail were all exciting to me. The book starts out about Silver Chief's mother, before the Chief was born. I had forgotten about that part. This is a great book. Another book I liked regarding the outdoors, which also had great detail, was My Side of the Mountain.

Review of Silver Chief
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-16
I read this book as a young girl and now at the age of 60 I enjoyed it just as much. I read it to my four kids when they were in the 5th grade and they loved it as well. Now my daughter who is a high school teacher is using a copy of the book in her classroom for her students to read.

A family Tradition
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-19
My dad read this book as a boy in the 1950s. He introduced the Silver Chief books to me and I read and reread them as a young preteen. I have since read them to several children who also couldn't get enough of them. Silver Chief is a beautiful silver animal part dog and part wolf. A Royal Candian Mounted Policeman named Sar. Thornton heads north to track a murderer. While waiting to track down the murderer, Thornton captures and tames Silver Chief training him into a loving companion and loyal friend. When the Murderer wounds Thornton in the leg, it is up to Silver Chief to see that they arrive safely back to civilization.

Great Children's Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-13
I read this book in elementary school, after stumbling across it while browsing through the school library. It's such a great story and even though it's for youngsters, I wouldn't mind re-reading it now as an adult, just for the memories of the brave wild dog's adventures.

Silver Chief, Dog of the North
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-28
I read the Silver Chief stories as a grade school kid back in the 50's and even today just hearing the name conjurs up memories and pictures in my head of "the Great White North," the Canadian Mounties and the moving story of the bond between a man and a wild dog. I had a heck of a time finding a copy to read to my three boys -- the [Local] Public Library had relegated it to storage in a warehouse. How unfortunate that so many wonderful children's titles have been lost or forgotten. I'm glad to see this one is still available to another generation of readers -- the romance, adventure and genuine feeling of this story remain timeless!

O
Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent, Member Book
Published in Paperback by LifeWay Christian Resources (2007-11-01)
Author: Beth Moore
List price: $12.95
New price: $10.18
Used price: $9.95

Average review score:

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-19
Another great study by Beth Moore. the shorter 7 week legnth was perfect for us to do over the summer and many in our group are new to Beth Moore so 7 weeks was a great intro.

STEPPING UP BY BETH MOORE
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-22
Beth Moore Studies are absolutely wonderful. Our all-women Bible Study Group are almost Beth Moore junkies. We have done several of her studies and have never been disappointed. Amazon.com was really quick to send it to me as well. I received mine before others that ordered else where but on the same day. Thank you Amazon.com for the great transaction. I will only order from Amazon from now on and Thank you Beth Moore....keep them coming. The Daniel Study was fabulous too!

Psalms Study
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-16
Another great Beth Moore study. Not as long as the rest of her studies.

One of the BEST Beth Moore Studies EVER.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-02
I got so much from this study of the feasts of the Lord as told in the Psalms of Assent. I also loved writing the Psalms in my own words. As always Beth was so on fire in the videos. You cannot help but grow in your love of God thru this study.

Want to grow in your faith? This is a great way!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-30
Excellent study. Very easy to follow. No matter where you are in your faith, you will grow as a result of it. Touches on every emotion you could have. Especially great if dealing with difficult people in your life.

O
Sushi
Published in Hardcover by Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd (2002-09-26)
Authors: Kimiko Barber and Hiroki Takemura
List price: $25.96
New price: $18.65
Used price: $21.56

Average review score:

A Grand Sushi Book for Amateurs and beyond
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-27
I am a semi-professional chéf. I saw this book in a friend's library and fell in love with it. I bought one myself recently and found it even better as I read it. I highly recommend it.

I have 2 more sushi (at home) books in my library. They are also quite good but this one is superior. Detailed descriptions, beautiful pictures and perfect knowledge. There's no need for another sushi book.

Also, congratulations to DK publishing and authors Kimiko Barber & Hiroki Takemura on such a masterpiece.

Good one. I recomend it.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13
Excelent book with lot of pictures to show the final result.

Great book for the beginner and connoiseur!!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-20
Absolutely loved this book. I like to make my own sushi and this book is simply amazing. Excellent photos with very detailed instructions.

I especially like the section with all the different types of fish and how to cut each one.

Great sushi book!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-14
This book is really good for beginner, very simple to learn too.

Buy it!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-05
The photos in this book are beautiful and inspiring. I cannot read it without wanting to make sushi.

Contents include under these major categories:
-Basics
-Making
-Eating

The best part is the simple and clean photography, especially of the fish which the show what they look like both whole (scales and all) to cut up.

The "pressed sushi" section is my favorite, very impressive!

O
The Swan: Tales of the Sacramento Valley
Published in Hardcover by AuthorHouse (2004-03-24)
Author: Andrew F. O'Hara
List price: $22.95
New price: $22.29
Used price: $23.30

Average review score:

Magical
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-29
I believe that a well written short story is easy to imagine but difficult to capture. Mr. O'Hara, however, seems to capture different moments and ideas in his short stories with effortless flair. His writing is both sparse and ornate--which is just the way I like my stories. His words took me to places that were magical and raw. Reading The Swan also made me want to visit the Sacremento Valley immediately.

Mr. O'Hara has given us such a gift with this book. I will read it again and again. I am honored to have it in my collection.

lavish Lines/luscious Lies

This is how you write a collection of short stories
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-09
The Swan: Tales of the Sacramento Valley is the debut book of Andrew F. O'Hara, a former patrolman and current editor of the online magazine, The Jimston Journal www.jimstonjournal.com. Mr. O' Hara's book is a collection of short stories and from past experiences, any collection of short stories that I've read with the exception of Carol Riley Cain's Ghosts, Spooks and Spirits of South Texas, have been rather dismal or uninspiring to say the least. But this little 140-paged book was a welcomed change.
The Swan, as mentioned before, is a diverse range of short stories. From humorous yarns about a nagging wife to a patrolman who's losing his sanity and resorting to alcohol for some solace, there is something here that caters to everyone's taste.
There's a mantra that has been around for many years now and that is, "never judge a book by its cover." Well when one glances upon the cover of The Swan, they are greeted with an image of a swan with its wings poised in the air as it glides along the shimmering waters of some anonymous pond or lake. This image of pleasantry does somehow go hand-in-hand with the stories of this book as they are beautifully written. Every tale was unique and written in a fresh approach but what was really distinctive was the method in which the author was able to breathe new life into each character. From start to finish, one has a vivid picture in their mind of the character's actions in all the compositions. My favourites are "A Poet's Song" and "An Act of Cowardice" because these contain, in my opinion, the strongest characters of the entire collection. In "A Poet's Song", an old husband and poet, has to listen to the nagging of his wife as she no longer likes to see him writing poetry. Her biting words or comments ring in the ears of the reader and you cannot help but feel pity for the old man. The main character in, "An Act of Cowardice", is a World War II vet who feels guilty about a deed he did in his past and although anyone in his position would've done the same if they were in his position, his feeling of guilt resonates with the reader. Another talent that O'Hara possesses is a certain richness in his descriptions. For those of you who may never get a chance to visit the Sacramento Valley or indeed the US, Andrew paints a scenic picture of the location in which each tale is set in. It's these attributes that make Tales of The Sacramento Valley a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf.
If you're remotely interested in compiling a book of short stories, then The Swan is a must read as O'Hara expertly displays how it's done. With splendid characterisation, picturesque descriptions, and excellent stories, this should be on everyone's "to buy" list and would make a great gift at Christmas to pass away the winter blues.

Aidan Lucid
www.iol.ie/~thelucidreview

Good stories, well told
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-29
Andy O'Hara is a storyteller who understands the value of a good story, well told. And that is what you'll find in The Swan - a collection of very good stories, very well told by a writer who understands that a whispered word can pack more punch than a raised voice. These are stories of love and death (and really what else is there worth writing about?). They are not easy stories and they are, perhaps, uneven (which is just another way of saying you'll have your favorites). They are written with a gentleness of spirit that some might call old-fashioned. So be it. I just call it good writing.

A Valley of Many Tales
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-28
This 2007 revised edition is a collection of wonderful provoking short stories. Each as engaging as the one before. The descriptions of the small towns made me feel that I was in each place; seeing and feeling the scenery, people and even the stars.
I could not put it down. My only disappointment was that there was not another story and I had to close the book with its beautiful cover.

Best of Show Second Time Around...
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-18
This is the new Swan, the 2007 Edition with feathers all bright white, fluffed and ready to lull and captivate you at the same time. Andy O'Hara has improved on the un-improvable this time around. The weave is tight, but so smoothly done the stories blend into each other, carrying two common themes to fruition by the turn of the last page. The fun is how Andy has taken the reader on a swing through his beloved Sacramento Valley. He describes obscure towns giving us a mental picture along with the smell of the dust, the fields, the eucalyptus groves and more. The stories, Andy claims, are fiction, but I would bet most have been drawn from his own experiences. A great read and a great buy, one I will enjoy over and over again...J.B. Bergstad

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The Switching Hour: Kids of Divorce Say Good-bye Again
Published in Hardcover by Abingdon Press (2008-01-01)
Author: Evon O. Flesberg
List price: $14.00
New price: $8.37
Used price: $9.15

Average review score:

The Switching Hour
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-02
Absolutely superb. This is on the true cutting edge of the effects of custody exchanges on children.

A Valuable Perspective on a Painful Time
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-23
As a marriage and family therapist for forty years I have heard the switching hour event described over and over from the point of view of divorced or divorcing parents. Flesberg's book describes it from the child's point of view. This allowed me to feel and understand the pain of divorce from a different and more striking perspective--one that both therapists and toubled families need to know more about. Flesberg's section on what can be done to reduce the child's stress during the switching hour is particularly helpful.

long overdue
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
Dr. Flesberg has produced a book which meets the needs of working professionals, parents, and parents who are working professionals! It is well written and researched. I have already begun using this in the parish. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves kids, loves parents, or both.

The Rev. Lewis A. Groce
Trinity Church
Tullahoma TN

An important and accessible contribution
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-04
Dr Flesberg has condensed many years of pastoral experience and academic research into this small, practical, accessibly written book which can be confidently placed in the hands of busy parents, pastors, and anyone else who cares about children. A skilled teacher, she guides the reader into empathetic understanding of the experience of children of divorced parents, and provides clear, wise suggestions for how to help. I have already recommended The Switching Hour to a number of friends and relatives, and will continue to do so.

The Switching Hour
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-29
I found The Switching Hour to be very informative concerning the different issues that children face after their parents divorce. I particularly liked the blessings for the children on page 100 and 101. We have begun using them as we see our grandchildren go with their biological father for visits. I would recommend this book to anyone needing advise in dealing with divorce.
Rick Otey

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Through the Eyes of Aliens: A Book About Autistic People
Published in Paperback by Jessica Kingsley Publishers (1999-01)
Author: Jasmine Lee O'Neill
List price: $21.95
New price: $19.90
Used price: $12.89

Average review score:

Celebrate Neurodiversity!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-05
This book teaches us what everyone should know about Autism and I can't thank Miss O'Neill enough for her insight. And her poetry is lovely!
Autism is a different way of being and should be respected and appreciated.

My 7 year old son is autistic and has opened doors in my mind and in my heart to things that I never knew existed. He changed how I view the world entirely. I've never ounce wished for him to be like other children, nor would I ever teach him that something is 'wrong' with him.
He is unique person, an interesting person. He is different and that's okay, differences is what makes our world beautiful. I am so glad that I found this book and I not only recommend it as a 'must read' but as a 'need to read' for anyone on the spectrum or for anyone who's life has been IMPROVED by an autistic person :)

Accurate information from the source.
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-22
I am Autistic, and I love this book. Autism is not a condition, it is a personality type. This book succeeds in making that point. This book is all about acceptance of the Autistic individual, a refreshing change from books about eradicating Autism from the face of the earth. I would also recommend "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. I believe that it is another book about how an Autistic person views the world. It is of my own opinion that I think he was Asperger's Syndrome.

A view into my sons world
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-14
Ms. O'Neill gave me a chance to see and feel some of the things my beautiful 6 year old son does. He is Autistic and truly a gift. The words to thank Ms. O'Neill for this opportunity of letting this "big worlder" inside my sons private world, escape me. I had highlighter ready and used it often. I will refer back to many passages for years to come.
I was unable though, to give this the highest rating due to the very personal experiences and generalization of them for all autistics the author gave. I felt the authors pain from past discriminations and crule treatment especially in a public school setting. My son is now in 1st grade and fully mainstreamed. He is obviously different to the other children. The kids in his kindergarten class last year and now in 1st grade are nothing but affectionate, kind, patient and understanding. I do not feel it is wrong to mainstream some Autistics. They are individuals and each situation is unique. What is good for one may not be for another.
I also believe this book may not be for the parent of a newly diagnoised child especially if the child is very young. There are portions of the book that are hard to handle for even the experienced parent like myself. What I mean by "handle" is Ms. O'Neills statements that lead me to think she is totally against any intervention at all. While some parents might be looking for the "cure", which in my opinion is pointless and also is denying your childs special gifts , others want to help their child learn to deal with the big world around them. Our goal should be to find a balance. We should give them all chances of being able to cope with life, possibly become independent and to rejoice in who they are and what a gift they are to us and the world.
I encourage you to read this book, though I caution any reader who might not understand this is one persons experiences and may not reflect all Autistics lives.

Perfect
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-11
I will struggle to find words to describe this book, though I can say I think it is beautiful and it is one of my favourites. This is such a lovely, strong, positive look at the autistic experience. It is practical and well informed, realistic, and yet inspirational. I don't know what else to say other than read it, and perhaps a warning... as a person on the spectrum myself, during and after reading this book I felt so much more relaxed and comfortable about being me that I felt even more disconnected than ever from the neurotypical people with whom I must share my life. This book is not just a book for autistic people though... it will give invaluable insight and advice to anyone who wants to see 'through the eyes of aliens'.

Delicate writing covers a revolutionary attitude
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-27
This author, while she writes with crystalline and seemingly fragile prose, is absolutely uncompromising in her view that autistic people are a unique form of human being who should not be forced to conform to the standards of other people.

By this, she does not mean that autistic people should not learn, or that there are no difficulties associated with autism -- critics often read it as if she says this, but she clearly discusses autism's unpleasant side. She also clearly demonstrates ways to teach autistic people, although, like much of her book, she seems to base her details on a combination of her personal experience and some dubious but well-accepted research. There are more factual errors than it would be possible to list in a review, but this ends up not mattering much to me in the end. Most autistic authors overgeneralize about what the experience of autism is like; O'Neill is no exception to that rule.

What bothers me most about this book, however, is the view that autistic people are fragile creatures that must be shielded at all costs from the "big world". One would think, reading this, that we were all special little dolls made of porcelain. It makes me suspect that the author has experienced the horrors of being abandoned to the clutches of an uncaring and hostile world, but has not experienced the at-least-equal horrors of being overprotected to the point of imprisonment. As such, she unflinchingly advocates residential homes for autistic adolescents, and naively believes that it is possible to tell a good one from a bad one by visiting. Having been placed in a beautiful, abusive residential home as a teen, I'm forced to disagree. You can't judge a book by its cover -- as surely the delicate face on the cover of this book full of tough ideas shows -- and you can't judge a residential home by its appearance on visiting day. Thinking we could led my whole family into grief that none of us have recovered from. After experiences like that, I'm quite willing to take my chances with the abuse the "big world" could dish out -- at least in the outside world you can pack up and move on if you don't like a place.

The only other noteworthy potentially dangerous advice in the book is the author's equally naive belief that herbal remedies are automatically safer than traditional medicines. Plants can be just as poisonous as extracted chemicals, and while I have used a few herbal remedies, I used them with that knowledge in mind.

The author, who has a gentle writing style that belies the strength of her plea for acceptance, never once wavers and says, "Well, in this case autism should be cured." She doesn't believe in prolonging suffering. She believes that unusual-but-harmless things about autism -- like augmentative communication techniques and stimming -- should not be stopped in a person just because more neurotypical movements and communication styles are the social norm. She does not believe in social norms that exclude certain kinds of people, and she explains why very well.

Even among the other books that urge acceptance of autism, a person is unlikely to run across a book with such a pervasive and unswerving attitude of this kind, even in the years since its publication. This is an important book, a historic book, and a book which, if read properly, can translate to an attitude of accepting *all* autistic people as real and valid human beings as we are, and learning to teach us and learn along with us rather than force us into a mold we can never fit. It is a rare book that can cause me to discard nearly all of my misgivings about the details, but this is one of them. I would recommend reading it along with William Stillman's _Demystifying the Autistic Experience_. I would prefer to give this a 9 out of 10 stars, or 4.5 out of 5, but since there are only 5, rounding up can't hurt.

O
The Unofficial Guide to Investing
Published in Paperback by Wiley (1998-12-16)
Author: Lynn O'Shaughnessy
List price: $15.95
New price: $7.99
Used price: $0.39

Average review score:

This book is a page turner and a profit maker!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-24
In the past, I've approached all investment primers with the same enthusiasm I reserve for visits to the dentist. But after my first half-hour with this one, I was happily hooked! Not only is the investment advice top-notch, but the method of delivery outstanding. O'Shaughnessy exhibits an amazing ability to make sophisticated concepts digestible. Her breezy writing style makes the advice seem like it's coming from a trusted friend, and her sense of humor keeps you smiling while you learn how to make that first -- or second -- million.

The Unofficial Guide to Investing is wonderful.
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-03
The Unofficial Guide to Investing is wonderful. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be dragging this fat book around in my brief case as I travel around the world on business. I'm too busy to spend a lot of time reading or even thinking about my own finances, which is why I especially like this book. It covers all the bases and the author writes in a style that is fun to read.

Best book on investing we've seen.
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-22
This book is engagingly written with wit & humor as well as lots of factual material and sound advice that you can actually use. Clear and straightforward for the novice, there is also lots of information and advice on on-line investing information and tools for the web-accessing sophisticated and savvy investor. Whether you are a novice or an experienced investor, Ms. O'Shaughnessy serves you up lots of good advice and information with respect and gentle humor. A good read, and a keeper for later reference with wonderful resource and reference material as a supplement at the back. - A San Diego cardiologist

A guide for investment-challenged and knowlegeable readers
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 1999-07-02
This book has everything for those of us who are timid about investing. Ms. O'Shaughnessy shares insights and information which help both the novice and experienced investor navigate the world of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. She uses anecdotal and even personal stories to inform and amuse throughout the book. There is an incredible amount of valuable information and tons of resources for the reader, and Ms. O'Shaughnessy covers the pros and cons of many investment topics. This user-friendly guide is a winner!

Excellent!
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-03
Over the years, I've concluded that most financial books are unrealistic in the marching orders they give us, their poor readers. I'm a long-term investor (not a day trader!), so I don't appreciate a lot of fancy financial formulas that require a great deal of thought or time. Thank goodness the author of The Unofficial Guide to Investing understands that. She provides solid advice that makes an awful lot of sense to me. I also appreciate all the tips she sprinkles into the book's margins. For instance, I discovered how I could very easily determine how much my savings bonds are worth. I also learned the phone number to call to find out how much my Social Security benefits will be worth someday.

O
Welcome to the North Pole: Santa's Village in Applique
Published in Paperback by That Patchwork Place (1997-07)
Authors: Piece O'Cake Designs Inc., Linda Jenkins, and Becky Goldsmith
List price: $16.95
New price: $9.67
Used price: $9.50

Average review score:

great for christmas
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-01
i love this book very simple to follow very easy yet the outcome so fantastic. This is good book for quilters of all ages and all levels of skill.

Delightful and Inspiring Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-19
Excellent book of Christmas applique designs! I did take my book to a copy shop and enlarged the designs, but this is easily and inexpensively done. Beautiful and colorful use of fabrics. Applique designs are simple to make. This books inspires fun and creativity. Definitely, one of my very favorite quilt books.

North Pole Welcome - Review
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-18
This purchase was made for my wife who states:-

Having had the book for a few weeks now, I find the contents very informative, and the instructions easey to follow. I can recommend this product to any would-be enthusiast.

Welcome to the North Pole
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-14
I found this to be a charming project. Very versatile for making one block or many. Also, the possibilities were endless for decorating and using materials, buttons etc on hand. Instructions were clear and it could be easy (iron on ) or more experienced (hand appliqued completely.) I will be making several for next year. (Not enough time for this year)!

Cutest Christmas ever!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-10
I can't wait to make this quilt. I saw one made up at a quilt show or something very similar and couldn't wait to find the pattern. It is just so clever and fun. My quilt group is planning on making it as a block of the month. I am so happy I bought this book, it makes me smile every time I look through it.
Sincerely, LPotts

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Worlds of a Maasai Warrior: An Autobiography
Published in Paperback by Univ of California Pr (1988)
Author: Tepilit O. Saitoti
List price:

Average review score:

Bridging two worlds.
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-29
There couldn't be two more different places than New York City and the lands of the Maasai in Tanzania. Tepilit Ole Saitoti's story of his journey in and between these two worlds is fascinating. I am looking forward to the update he is writing now that he is a Maasai Elder. This insight into another land and culture is a gift.

The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior: An Autobiography
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-04
Excellent book, very accurate and really worth the money. It gives the picture of a boy growing up as a real Maasai and the new life in civilized world of Germany and USA - a man between two cultures and the difficult question to decide which way to go along. Makes yourself wondering about the way we Western people are living and gives a chance to see our world with other eyers.

After having visited the Maasai area some months ago a good opportunity to compare facts with my own experience and found it even more interesting. Go for it!

sitting here with the author
Helpful Votes: 29 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-21
I read this book 12 years ago and was so moved that I wrote a letter to to the author - something I have never done before or since. I was so struck by his ability to navigate between two cultures that seemingly had little in common. His book is a testimonial to the flexibility of the human spirit and the power of education. Last week, out of the blue, I received a telephone call from the author. Apparently, he had saved my address all these years. Saitoti is currently in the US as a visiting scholar. He will be speaking in various institutions and he has just started writing a follow up to The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior (The Worlds of a Maasai Elder). I have just shown him these amazon reviews. He is sitting here beside me and
would like to take this opportunity to say: "Thank you to the reviewers of my book for such beautiful reviews and to amazon.com for posting such a wonderful display of my work."

The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior: An Autobiography
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-07
Very interesting first person account of a Maasai man who becomes western educationed and gives insight to what growing up in a Maasai village was like. Quick read - powerful story. You must read this book if you plan on going to Kenya or Tanzania.

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-23
After having just visited Africa, I wanted to get a better feel for what it's really like to be Maasai. This book is very real, and gives interesting insights from the "inside". I enjoyed it thoroughly.

O
Back to the Truth: 5000 years of Advaita
Published in Paperback by O Books (2007-02-25)
Author: Dennis Waite
List price: $49.95
New price: $26.16
Used price: $34.29

Average review score:

A Balanced Approach
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-13
This book, while almost encyclopedic in its coverage, is still very readable, especially for the person who has at least some background in non-dual thought. As I read it, I bit off a good chunk at a sitting and found I could chew it for a long time.

I especially appreciated the author's fair approach to the various ways of understanding Advaita, which like so many other spiritual viewpoints is like the proverbial blind men trying to describe an elephant by touching it's various body parts.

There are many references in the comprehensive appendices that are truly useful for the person who wants to do more study.

At first I was a bit turned off by the author's use of the Sanskrit transliteration method known as ITRANS, designed to help properly pronounce Sanskrit words, which usually come into play whenever the historical aspects of non-dualism are discussed. However, he includes a helpful explanation of how to use this technique in an appendix, if you're interested.

Most of the historical references are from Indian sources with very little acknowledgment of the Chinese (Ch'an) and Japanese (Zen) contributions to non-dual expressions. However, if these had been included it would have required multiple volumes.

This is the best and most readable book I've seen covering the full range of thought on this topic from many different perspectives, filled with quotations from a wide variety of writers, both ancient and contemporary.

A Masterful Guide to Advaita
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-02
A profoundly astute and masterful guide to the field of Self-discovery. An authoritative scholar, Dennis writes with supreme clarity as he skillfully expounds, logically analyzes and insightfully integrates the wisdom of classical and contemporary teachers with the principles of Advaita.
- Katie Davis, Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment

The Ken Wilber of Advaita
Helpful Votes: 19 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-10
The most refreshing thing about Dennis Waite's books is the fact that he makes no claims for himself as to whether he is `self realised' or not during his forays into the great nondual teachings. (Indeed, it has always been a mystery to me that as soon as anyone `gets it', they can't wait to tell everyone that this is the case.) So here, for the first time to my knowledge, is someone who has spent a great deal of time researching and documenting the Advaita tradition from both ancient and modern sources, without the obligatory first chapter on how he `became one with the universe'. Essential reading for serious students of the mystical path.

A Landmark Achievement
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-23
What can I possibly say, that hasn't already been said, and said with better style, by all the wonderful reviews of this Landmark book?
It's an incredible, awe inspiring work. Dennis Waite is truly a gift to the World. His web-site, Advaita.org.uk, has been my lifeline since I discovered it.
It is an bottomless source of Wisdom, knowledge and resources, and a truly enormous amount of work goes into maintaining it--to do this, write books, especially a Masterwork like "Back To the Truth", while still responding to emails with hapless questions from, I'm sure, many `miserable seekers' like myself, in his quiet, totally accessible way, in incomprehensible to me.

The style of Back To The Truth--his ability to draw from so many varied sources, from the most traditional of ancient Vedic Scriptures, to the most current (so called) `neo' Advaitin writings, What a skill! Then factor in his knowledge of Sanskrit.
The appendixes are nearly overwhelming--offering more resources and reviews, plus a glossary of Sanskrit terms. OK. I'm done; this review could go on and on...but I must end it.
I have to say this, however, before I do. To me, it is not the many quotes, and words of wisdom, past and current, that make this book so powerful, but Dennis's own words...his writing has a simplicity and clarity that is deceptive; like the gentle surface of a lake, there is great depth there.
Don't be put off by the size or the scholarship of this book. The best thing about Dennis, his web-site, and his writing, is his generosity and his Integrity. It shines through everything he touches.

Stellar Comprehensive Compendium of all Things Advaita
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-14
Being a student of Advaita (non-duality) Vedante (the culmination of The Vedas),can be a daunting task for the western student. There are a myriad of resources, many in apparent contradiction to each other: traditional Indian texts, promoted by many different splinters of religious thought within and without the Hindu community, a highly self published group of western contemporary teachers espousing hybrid interpretations of "The Direct Path" as well as interdisciplinary sects laying claim to teachings which result in "enlightenment".
"
Additionally,traditional Advaita teachings are encumbered with prolific use of Hindu and Sankrit terms which make the task of comprehending them even more daunting.

Emerging from this choatic assemblage of information comes Dennis Waite, a highly educated and prolific author, who has spent a career inventorying and attempting to survey the entire arena. "Back to The Truth" is a continuation of the effort he began with the publication of "The Book of One", considered by many to be an essential reading on Advaita.

The effort required to traverse Waite's new book is well worth the effort. In addition to explaining the many paths available to the student, Waite has painstakingly referenced hundreds of resources available for further study. The book assembles an abundance of quotes of both contemporary teachers and the original texts, complete with appendices which detail how to locate the source material. Waite has compiled website links, bibliographies,a glossary of common Sanskrit terms, even teaching lineages to assist in the readers search.

The great irony is that Waite offers this road map to enlightenment while repeatedly noting the obvious:"enlightenment" can not be achieved by the conceptual mind. As Jim Swartz [...] so aptly put it: "In spiritual circles it has become an article of faith that a the quest for spiritual knowledge is an 'intellectual' and therefore misguided pursuit."

Thus, as some neo-advaitins love to point out, some may decide that the effort of study is unnecessary.

Ultimately, this conclusion is a fallacy. More by Swartz: "...it should be noted that anyone seeking enlightenment through the 'heart' or other paths would necessarily be motivated by the intellectual belief that he or she was limited, inadequate and incomplete i.e. unelightened. To pursue experience is natural but to pursue it at the expense of understanding is foolish because it is only misunderstandings about our true nature that make us think we are unenlightened in the first place. The Self realized beings who went before left a vast body of information to help us purge erroneous concepts that stand in the way of appreciating who we really are."

Dennis Waite has provided the penultimate resource to assist readers in this pursuit. It is first and foremost a service to humanity. If you have a serious interest in discovering your true self and uncovering the nature of reality, this is as close to an road map and instruction guide to the apparently confusing world of Advaita as you will find. I strongly recommend it.


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