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Maggie's American Dream
Published in Hardcover by Dutton Adult (1988-11-22)
Author: James P. Comer
List price: $18.95
Used price: $0.39
Collectible price: $18.95

Average review score:

The Remarkable Life of a Determined Mother
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-29
Comer tells the story of his family by focusing on the remarkable life of his mother, Maggie Comer, whose determination helped her survive poverty and segregation in the South and discrimination in the North to raise of family of successful children. The first half of the book is told in Maggie's own words. The second half is in Comer's. An excellent example of the broader social migration of black families from the South to the North following Reconstruction.

Awesome true story of determination!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-11
I read this book for a college class this past semester and was truely amazed at how well this book was written. This book is basically broken down into three parts, all equally intersesting. The first part is based in Maggies story, her life, struggles and amazing accomplishments. The second part is all about the author, James, who is also Maggies son. The story of "Maggie's American Dream" is an excellent representation of a family that went through tough times and prevailed through a combination of church, education as well as being "taught and strongly encouraged to develop the needed social skills and personal controls." Maggie raises her family during a time when it was difficult to be a black person in America. Maggie was ridiculed and pushed away from any opportunities simply because of the color of her skin. Maggie became a wonderful mother, which I feel is the most important part of this story. Her son James tells the stories of how he was raised. These are stories of a mother that attended all sporting events, assisting her children in becoming talented at several different activities ranging from playing the piano to playing sports. Maggie was always there for her family. She taught them right from wrong as well as a strong sense of that "never give up" attitude. These children continue to strive to do their best in anything they did, even during a time when they were held back from doing just that. This is an example of how a family can make it through most adversities as long as they all stick together and work towards their goals and dreams.

Wonderful book Mr. Comer and thank you for opening my eyes to a great story.

An 'American Dream' Realised
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-06
I did a research study on American Dream in America during the 20s-30s decade. I've read a lot of books concerning the subject; literary works, forming the main portion of my resources. These ranged from Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatzby' to Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath', from Dreiser's 'An American Tragedy' to Lewis's 'Main Street'. In addition to these quite old literary works, I collected statistical, analytical information about the particular decades, to verify what I've acquired from the novels. It was a hard study, but I managed to write a reasonably concise thesis, with the help of not the sources I listed, but with this book, 'Maggie's American Dream' instead. Why?

Almost all of the books I've read were productions of imagination. Even Dreiser, who was inspired from a real account, did not stick to facts in his book, but altered them to create a fiction. However, 'Maggie's American Dream' is a true story. It is told from James Comer's point of view, in a very poetical fashion. The second part of the book is his mother's story, which is again expressed by James. The book also contains a nice section of pictures of the Comer family, which are quite interesting after reading about the family.

James P. Comer had a very hard childhood, as it could be expected during the years of never-ending racism issues. Comer beautifully expresses how they managed to stand tall, and get their share in the competition of living. Mr. Comer is now working as a psychiatrist in New Haven, after having completed his doctoral work in Yale University. It is a dream that is realised, indeed.

This book will provide you with a lot of insights about the lives of black families, American societal norms, family relations during the 20s and 30s, which you cannot find easily in any other source this clearly and truely.

I didn't want the story to come to an end ....
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-07
What a wonderful book. Very easy to read with lots of short chapters so that even the busiest of us can get through it quickly. And of course Maggie and her family are so real that you find you can't put the book down...you just have to find out what happens to them all next.
It's a great story, and worth reading from that angle alone. But all the way through this book also gives you plenty to ponder - whether you are someone with an interest in education (and doesn't that include all parents?), someone who wishes that all people had an equal opportunity to realise their potential, or someone who really wants to know what life is like for others from different backgrounds and countries. The author also inspires us to think about how we can make a difference, in some small way, wherever and whoever we are.

Maggies American Dream
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-09
This book I have read is the best book I have ever read. It has inspired me by not being mad ever time someone gets in my face and be racis toward me. I really like this aurthor he is a very insperational writter. I would tell everbody who is going through something very hard, reconmemd this book to any and every one

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Mahamudra: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation
Published in Paperback by Motilal Banarsidass, (2000-01-01)
Author: Takpo Tashi Namgyal
List price: $36.95

Average review score:

Most Advanced & Complete MM Text Available in English
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-27
This book, p. xxi: "represents the advanced doctrine and practice as understood and realized by the Kagyupa Order of Tibetan Buddhism." It is a translation of the 16th century "Moonlight: An Excellent Elucidation of the Meditational Stages of the Ultimate Great Seal" abbreviated as Moonlight of Mahamudra (source text for Thrangu Rinpoche's commentary, "Essentials of Mahamudra"). "This extraordinary treatise provides not only a wealth of knowledge but also methods for realizing enlightenment." The translator provides an extensive Introduction including a brief synopsis of the book. The author, Tashi Namgyal (1512-87) was a member of the Takpo Kagyu meditational order or lineage. This book includes tons of quotes from Sutras, Tantras, & Masters, noting conflicting opinions & with explanations thereof, presenting an -"exhaustive elucidation of the metaphysics and the meditation of Mahamudra." His (p. 413) "excellent treatise" and "elegant literary composition" does just that; it explains The 9 Stages of Tranquility (frontispiece)-(I obtained this diagram in Lhasa) & explores existence, dependent arising, relation to Madhyamaka philosophy, types of meditation, Sakya Pandita's criticisms,, condensed & elaborate explanations of Mahamudra (MM) meditation, relation of karma to MM (p. 287), "elevating the mind to the path," the 12 levels of the 4 MM Yogas in the greatest detail I've seen including their relation to Tantric grounds/paths/(bhumis), post-absorption, & non-conceptualization. He calls his approach "The Mahamudra of Ultimate Certainty."

More specifically, Namgyal explains the nature of intrinsic reality such that (p. xlviii): "The deities and mandalas are not external entities but a kind of psychological geograph of our mind" & (p. 218): "Alas, the 6 levels of sentient beings are Emanations of deluded minds" and describes the interrelationship of Mahamudra & Vajrayana/Tantric methods: while Gampopa (Milarepa's #1 disciple & 1st Karmapa's master), p. 112: "considers Mahamudra to be a separate path and independent of the sutras and tantras" & p. 123: "did not make the esoteric empowerment a prerequisite for receiving the Mahamudra teachings," (p. 124): "Lately the followers of this meditative order adapted Mahamudra to the practice of Tantric mysticism...Since these Mahamudra meditations incorporated Tantric elements, practitioners are required at the outset to receive ...initiation."

He provides the best description I've seen (p. 350) of the 3 groups of meditators (and their realizations): great (instantaneous), average (evanescent), and ordinary (gradual) and states that (pp. 123 & 144): "A great medicine for gradual seekers Becomes a poison for instantaneous seekers. A great medicine for instantaneous illumination Becomes a poison for gradual illumination."

He provides excellent descriptions of techniques: (p. 280): Mindfulness "is done in the same way an experienced cowherd watches his cattle. Without rounding them up or following every animal, he keeps them all under his observation, letting them graze freely, even though some may wander,"(pp. 334-5): the 5 practices of self-transformation to sublimate adverse conditions: "To behave--like a wounded deer" (shun companions); "a lion" (not fear internal/external obstacles); "the wind blowing through space" (let thoughts flow freely/openly without any attachment); "space" (unfocussed meditation without any support); "a crazy person" (without objective direction, attachment to anything, or value judgments), and (p. 335): bringing dualistic thoughts to the illuminating path, and even mentions chö [chöd].

The Best Buddhist Text Ever
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-26
Among the 250 or so text that made up my library, this masterpiece bye Takpo Tashi Namgyal, was always my favorite, and most imporant text. Sadly, I lost my library, and this text that I once owned 12 years ago, is out of print! I Highly recommend this book to all who seek to perfect their sitting practice. Anyone new to mahamudra and are without a good understanding of vajrayana, will find this book a struggle and you will no doubt read it again and agian. Takpo Tashi Namgyal's language is a wonderful experince, but can be difficult at times, but he is not lacking any explaintions! My best read ever.

I also recommend Cloudless Sky by Jamgön Kongtrul or Garland of Mahamudra Practices to companion this book and study of Mahamudra.

If your needing a meditation manual, look no farther, Mahamudra: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation by Takpo Tashi Namgyal will last many years to come.

The Real Deal
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-09
It took me 10 years to get past the sutra quotes in this book and start reading the text in between. This is an amazing book because it provides the reader with about as much detail as could be imagined for progressing through a development path in meditation. NOT AT ALL THIS LANGUAGE, but the messages are things like "Here is a meditative state or activity. Here are forty different conceptual explanations for what it is and how it works. Here are two dozen ways that you can exercise to get yourself to experience it. After you experience it, this is the next thing to gain and experience of." And: "The teachings all say that you're supposed to start at the level that's right for you and go as fast as you're comfortable with. Here are twelve Sutra quotes affirming this." And: "Distractions arise from the neuro-physical energies in your body. Here are another eight Sutra quotes on this." And: "Let's not get all confused about emptiness and non-existence of self - that was all transitional teaching anyway; we're into vajrayana here so let's get on with it." And: "If you can't sit full lotus, sit cross legged and straight backed, and (lots more detail), and this is why it improves the energy flow that helps you stabilize your mental state." And: "Don't try to sit for a pre-set length of time. Sit until you have the insight and stabilize the experience, then get up, and come sit again." Perhaps most amazing is that it WORKS! Very fulfilling in terms of progress toward the Goal. Great book. Yes, a real loss that it's out of print. Please write the publisher and ask them to restart it.

Masterpiece
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-04
This is the best, most complete, most beautiful guide to meditation practice that I have ever seen. It is a marvelous, profound work that covers the Sutric paths of meditation from the perspectives of theory and practice. Richly documented with citations from Sutra and Shastra, this magnificent work illuminates the path with clarity and precision. I am extremely pleased to see that it is coming back into print. Highly recommended.

Moonlight on the Rising Sun
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-10
Some very real intelligence went into the translation and preparation of this text for readers of English. Mahamudra is a path in which the student's relationship with his or her teacher is of primary importance; readers should know that some fo the last century's foremost yogins and teachers of Tibetan Buddhism to non-Tibetans participated, including the Sixteenth Karmapa, Deshung Rinpoche (the "Saint in Seattle") and Trungpa Rinpoche. The reader can trust that this priceless text is transmitted in English responsibly and by very able hands in this volume.

Please allow me now to shut up and get out of your way.

(Of interest to Shambhala people: Trungpa Rinpoche would review a Tibetan edition of this text when preparing the lectures now collected in his books of Shambhala Teachings.)

Homage to the Enlightened Ones!

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Managing Contraceptive Pill Patients
Published in Paperback by Emis Inc (1998-08)
Author: Richard P. Dickey
List price: $17.95
New price: $10.77
Used price: $0.61

Average review score:

Must have reference for practice
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-05
I have used this book since 1992, both as a student and as a provider. My past editions have been well thumbed through and open imediately to the charts I used most. It is invaluable in the decision making process of changing pills or starting OCPs. The ability to safely manage side effects and fine tune women's health is found in this book. I highly recommend this to the student and experienced practitioner. Well worth the money, many times over. Not sure I would want it in a PDA format.

Essential tool.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-12
I daily use this handbook in my practice and have bought every edition since the 7th. Every question is answered. Allows sense to be made of oral contraceptive choice and adjustment without relying on big pharma's propaganda.

No more guesswork when managing OBC
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-13
This book has clear guidelines for prescribing oral contraceptive agents. It provides a section on bothersome side effects, causal factors and options. The section on contraceptive activity is good as is the composition and identification section. Very helpful, easy to use and it takes the guesswork out of oral contraception.

Managing Contraceptive Patient
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-08
Consistent in it's format, easy to use,concise and up to date. Recommended to all medical personnel managing patients on oral contraceptives. I have purchased the last three editions over the last 7 years and have not been disappointed.

Managing Contraceptive Pill Patients - 11th ed. (2002)
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-10
An excellent reference guide and teaching text for every clinician who has a personal relationship with patients of reproductive age. The book fits in a lab coat pocket and has a unique design, which enables the user to find critical information quickly and easily. It is strongly recommended to physicians, residents, nurse practitioners and all other medical professionals in an OB/GYN clinic or teaching hospital. The 11th edition includes the new patch, ring and all new pills available 9/02.

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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill Professional (2002-09-26)
Authors: McGraw-Hill and Sybil P. Parker
List price: $150.00
New price: $75.00
Used price: $60.82

Average review score:

Essential for the science writer
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-03
The dictionary that's used by many patent attorneys, and should be used by every science writer/editor.

FAMOUS FOR ITS BROAD-SPECTRUM COVERAGE
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2002-12-31
The "McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms" is famous for its broad-spectrum coverage. Its soul is general science; and its audience is anybody who has any business with any science: biological, chemical, or physical. Whether you are a student, a teacher, or even a consultant, this unabridged lexicon lets you discover scientific terms, methods and applications in a very simple way. It is overflowing with references and definitions.
And, for the mobile professional, who may find it heavy to lug around, it is available on CD-ROM. The prices of both the text and its CD version are not out-of-reach. Either of the two is dependable.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms 6th
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-16
The dictionary, as I expected, is excellent. I can easily and directly grasp the clear concept of meanings without imaging in my mother tongue, Japanese. Each explanation with the technical field is very concise and accurate. I believe that the dictionary helps me to perfectly understand the target words, for translating from English to Japanese, equivalent to those of an educated English speaker. Then, this will automatically make my task much easier.
Hopefully, I will also be able to obtain CD-ROM, which can be installed in my computer, Windows ME/MS-Word, for accelerating my job.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-16
The dictionary, as I expected, is excellent. I can easily and directly grasp the clear concept of meanings without imaging in my mother tongue, Japanese. Each explanation with the technical field is very concise and accurate. I believe that the dictionary helps me to perfectly understand the target words, during translating from English to Japanese, equivalent to that of an educated English speaker. Then, this will automatically make my task much easier. Hopefully, I also will be able to obtain CD-ROM, which can be installed in my computer, Windows ME/MS-Word, for accelerating my job.

Very helpful
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-05
The more I use this dictionary, the more I come to like it. It's handy to have a specific dictionary for scientific and technical terms, and I feel more complete with this by my side. The coverage is comprehensive, the layout is clean and easy to read, and the added illustrations are a nice touch.

I would also recommend the McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science & Technology as a nice supplement.

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The memoirs of an amnesiac
Published in Hardcover by G.P. Putnam's Sons (1965)
Author: Oscar Levant
List price:
Used price: $7.49

Average review score:

More than just a nut case
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-04
In this book, the hypochondriac genius of movies, radio, television, and the concert stage delivers all the neurotic humor expected. But the author, a talented writer as well as one of the great pianists of the 20th century, also succeeds at conveying the ambience of the artistic world of the 1920s through 1950s. His insights about his contemporaries, including celebrated conductors, musicians, composers, and actors, are fascinating.

a must re-read
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-25
Luckily found this among my mother's books, the title caught my eye. When asked about it, my mother laughed softly. I thought, if it can make her laugh it must be funny; well it's the best humor, and I turned to a page and busted out laughing. It's more than that. I read the one I bought from time to time, and there is always a point of feeling I'm in the belly of a beast. Such integrity I'd never known, and never felt I could fit in this world 'til reading "Memoirs of an Amnesiac".

What happened after Marilyn Monroe became Kosher?
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-12
My son had to explain (to my wife) the joke behind the title. An amnesiac can't remember and a memoir is a written record of memories. Hence, a contradiction, but still a great title and an emblematic preview of what's to come when you read this book. And you do want to read this book because Oscar Levant is unique, funny, honest, interesting, and weird. He is the kind of person that you want to read about because he seemed to know everyone who was anyone in American music or in American film and of course he has the inside scoop on those people including Harpo Marx, Louis Mayer, Irving Berlin, Fanny Brice, Aaron Copland, Arnold Schoenberg, Dorothy Parker, Paul Whiteman, Judy Garland, Arturo Toscanini, and Harry Truman. Oscar Levant, as SN Behrman said, is the kind of person that if he had not existed, could not be imagined. Yes, he's that bad. Because he is brutally honest about his life, his loves, his obsessions and compulsions, his drug addictions and his music and friends, we have here a real-life true quill biography that takes no prisoners and lacks the usual apology or gloss or pastiche so common these days. Brutal honesty - that's the ticket. Oscar has to tap eight times to get water from the faucet. He has to tap eight times to shut the water off. He needs to name each street his limo passes and if he misses the name, his driver has to circle back to get the name. He will throw away a pack of cigarettes if someone talks while he is opening the pack. His wife, June, (her title should be Saint June) who picked up the pieces after each nervous breakdown, still must have a separate waste paper pail in each room so that she doesn't contaminate the waste paper in his pail. When Oscar had his heart attack, he had to go through all his night time rituals before he could get into bed for the doctor to check him. In short - a real nut case. And yet, and yet, a world-class pianist, composer, television and film personality who led a life well lived. You wouldn't want him in your home for dinner unless, of course, he kept his mouth shut and just played his marvelous interpretations of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which, incidentally, I am listening to right now. Ah, genius, - it has its problems and it has its pleasures.

Laughing All The Way To The Nuthouse...
Helpful Votes: 52 out of 52 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-26
This has always been one of my favorite books. I recall reading it for the first time as a pre-teen, and chuckling at his OUTRAGEOUS stories. I'm probably among the last generation that remembers this brilliant man, which is a shame. In the days of the great "talk shows", like Jack Paar, etc.., Oscar Levant was always one of the most coveted, and controversial, guests. I remember seeing him on t.v., as a kid, & being fascinated by this odd looking man who, though I quite honestly didn't get 90% of what he was saying, was obviously someone truly unique. This book has all his irreverent humor, the humor even evident in his telling of his long battle with mental illness, and his extreme, then un-named "obsessive-compulsive" disorder. His brutal honesty about his ordeal was unheard of at that time, and was long before the trend of todays celebrities, who do everything but hawk their x-rays on informercials. There's many names in this book that you will recognize, and his telling of his encounters with various celebrities is not always in their favor, and will have you rolling on the floor. He was literally thrown off the air in the 1950's, for a remark he made on a live talk show, pertaining to Marilyn Monroe and her conversion to Judaism, which is recounted in this book, but can't be repeated here. But at the time, the staid 1950's, it must have had the audience awestruck in utter shock at his outrageous (and incredibly humorous) statement. This is just a fabulous book about one of the greatest wits of this century, the man who started out as an incredibly accomplished and respected pianist, he was most known for his rendition of good friend Gershwins "Rhapsody In Blue", and became something more than just a clown. Totally touching, hysterical, and honest, this book will have you falling in love with dear, lost, brilliant Oscar. In todays, for the most part, [dissapointing] "celebrity" climate, we sure could use the likes of him again.

Name Dropping and One-Liners
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-05
This book was a disappointment although it covers the scope of Oscar Levant's life from Tin Pan Alley to Carnegie Hall to Hollywood to mental hospitals.

A major problem with the writing is that it consists of endless name dropping without context. If you aren't familiar with the names (which I wasn't for the most part) then a good deal of the story is lost.

Another feature of the writing is a constant stream of one-liners from Oscar and others. These were undoubtably funny when they were first said, but in the book they seem forced. For example, "I once said cynically of a politician, "He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it."" If you enjoy one-liners then this book showcases them throughout.

As a fan of Oscar Levant from movies like Rhythm on the River and An American In Paris, I was pleased that he was up front about many aspects of his life. However, the famous line, "Beneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character" had a lot more truth to it than I had assumed. Oscar really does exhibit rude behavior, selfishness, cheating and drug addiction. And of course neurosis. He is honest to his faults.

A better (but far briefer) description of Oscar Levant is in Harpo Marx's book "Harpo Speaks". That book also has a lot of name dropping, but the literary style is rich so that it's fascinating even if you are not familiar with the Algonquin Round Table.

With Oscar's book, I was satisfied about the scope of the writing, but disappointed in the terse style although it's an easy read.

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The Memory Program
Published in Paperback by Wiley (2001-03-02)
Author: D. P. Devanand
List price: $15.95
New price: $3.85
Used price: $0.02

Average review score:

Persuasive information
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-23
I am a high school student and I was doing a project / paper on memory. I found this book to be simple, extremly interesting and even humorous in places. I opened the book to just get my paper done but it made me a real believer that I am following his advice to get into " the Memory Program".

Strong recomendation for The Memory Program
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-06
The Memory Program is a concise and straightforward source of information regarding both the causes and treatments for memory loss. Dr. Devanand has taken information from his own research and personal clinical experience and has presented it in such a way that it is easily generalized to the public at large. This book inculdes discussions on the vast majority of causes, treatments, and preventive options for memory impairment. Despite the wide range of material covered, the book is organized in such a way that the reader does not get lost and is able to synthesize all the information. In short, this book is an excellent source of information not only for those people currently struggling with memory problems, but also for those interested in the prevention of such problems.

Developing a personal, scientifically based, promemory plan
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-04
This book succinctly and in everyday language makes complex neuroscientific concepts and cutting-edge developments in memory research easily accessible to the reader. Most importantly, this book makes it possible for the reader to tailor this wealth of information to his/her personal needs in a realistic and easy-to-implement manner. I found this book extremely informative and useful and recommend it as a "must read" for any one who treasures their memory.

Authoritative and helpful
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-25
This is set apart from other memory books by the caliber of its author, who is both a practicing clinician and an eminent researcher in the field. Professionals, as well as the general public,will benefit from his elegant and succinct reviews of the complexities of neuroscience and also from his sage and practical advice.

Get with the Program - the Memory Program
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-07
Hi, I am a sophomore student at Rutgers and I volunteer at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. I have the opportunity to interact with Senior citizens who are troubled by their memory loss. There is also their added worry that they would be a burden to their family. This awareness rekindled my interest in memory and ways to improve it. I found the memory program to be very informative. It's author, Dr.Devanand has used his clinical knowledge, skills and experience to put this book in an orderly manner so that it is easy for the general public to get the information they need without getting lost. It spells out the causes, methods of prevention and treatment in a straightforward style. Dr. Devanand also has a holistic approach towards the program where he stresses the value of a healthy life style combining good nutrition and exercise . This is an easy to follow MANUAL - with plans tailored to individual needs, which should be in every house and everyone should "get with the program". Balaji , New Brunswick, NJ

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MIA Rescue
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Ballantine Books (1996-05-01)
Author: Kregg P. Jorgenson
List price: $6.99
New price: $3.32
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-06
I grew up with the leader of the incursion and I don't think any of this has had "literary license". In High School, Dev was a wrestler and fierce competitor. He was consistantly demonstrating his leadership abilities. It was in his blood. His Dad and Brother were leaders as well. This book does him justice. He has been and will be missed by all that knew him.

Kregg does it again
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-15
I think that this a very god book, a series of short stories about the vietnam war, one or two off them are perhaps " non-confirme-able", but who cares, just as long as it is a good storie.
I very much enjoyed the R-R storie to Thailand; revenge is to be enjoyed cold.
Also the story about marine SGT Henderson, that died and diden't
send chills up and down my spine.
Kregg has a way with frases and words, especialy his funny and self-ironic way of decribing himself and his conversion with all those who contributed stories to his book, he is very much the
Wiseguy he always describes himself as.

I can highly recommend this book to anyone.
Keep up the good work !!

rayjoy@ipa.net
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-24
As in all his books Kregg has done a super job on this book. I have read all the books that Kregg has written, and this one was right up there with the rest.

MIA Rescue FANTASTIC
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-19
This was the 2nd book that I have read written by Mr. Jorgenson. The first was Acceptable loss. One of the best I have ever read. MIA Rescue is just as good but more focused on a particular mission. Mr. Jorgenson's style of writing is very smooth and combines points of view from all soliders involved in this rescue mission. Including his own in a very unique way. From the guys that were wounded, to the troops going in to get them, to the pilots flying through the thick fog, Jorgenson captures the full realm surrounding this very very stressful situation.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Mr. Speilberg or Mr. Stone if you are out there. Please look at this book! This story needs to be told on the big screen!

Kregg, I want my slides back!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-11
I would have given this book 5 stars, but Kregg makes me out to be more heroic than I really was. Fact is, I would have gone looking for the team if I had been told to, but I was happier than hell that I wasn't! There was a huge storm in the area that night and I had a really bad feeling about flying around in it trying to make radio contact with the team. Using my simple logic, if they were okay, they would still be okay in the morning when the storm passed. And if they weren't okay, increasing the body count by 5 wan't going to help either. Kregg, if you read this, please contact me.

P
My Love Is Free, but the Rest of Me Don't Come Cheap
Published in Hardcover by Rutledge Hill Pr (1997-10)
Author: P. S. Wall
List price: $19.95
New price: $0.97
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $19.95

Average review score:

Smiles, chuckles, and belly laughs galore!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-31
Humor can be a serious business and it isn't always pretty. That's why I love this book! P.S. Wall isn't afraid to point out the imperfections of everyday life from a slightly warped perspective. Her stories always make me smile and she reminds me that I'm not the only one that thinks that life is funny! Besides, she doesn't use any big words and she keeps her chapters short. I like that in a woman ...

Hilariously Funny
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-01
This is without a doubt, the funniest female writer since Erma Bombeck. P.S.Wall makes girl talk fun, without the complaining. A must read!

My Love is free.......for secretary's day instead of flowers
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-24
I bought the book at lunch and decided to just thumb through it quickly. Oh,no...I hear the sound of laughter and realize it's me. Quickly, I slap my hand over my mouth and slowly turn around to see if someone heard me. A cube-mate rolls his chair around to my cube and just stares. I blush and stare back. He is waiting for an answer. I giggle and say I just remembered something that happened at lunch. Suddenly, I am telling the story as if it were my own (wishing it to be true). Others join the laughter and I tell another. Then an idea hits me.! My Love is free....for secretary's day instead of flowers...the boss gives everyone a P.S. Wall book. My peers will love me and I might get a promotion or better yet a raise for this suggestion.

P. S. Wall expresses thoughts we've had all along.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-04
P. S. Wall's comfortable humor makes me read and want to read again her experiences from the true, down-a-dirt-road, Sunday-go-to-meetin', chicken and dumplins', rural South. How did she grow up in my neighborhood without my knowing it?

What a hoot!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-21
My mom got me this book for Christmas, and her impeccable taste in humor didn't fail here. "My Love Is Free ..." is one of the funniest books of all time. Her "Sweetie" sounds just like most guys I know ... I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe when I read about their "adventures" in installing outdoor lighting. Even my husband, who can be a bit sensitive about this subject, laughed until his eyes watered. You can't go wrong giving this book as a gift ... and make sure to buy an extra copy for yourself!

P
The New Victory Garden
Published in Paperback by Little Brown & Co (P) (1987-10)
Author: Bob Thomson
List price: $24.95
New price: $69.99
Used price: $21.02
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Not Organic, but Visually Stunning...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07
Even though I'm an organic gardener, I've fallen in love with this book. In fact, now that I've bought my own copy, I've actually paid less than I've paid to the library in overdue fines for this book. It's just a visually stunning masterpiece in the sense that it inspires me to get out into my own garden and to imagine what it could potentially look like. Of course, the author seems to have unlimited time to garden and an almost unlimited budget. I'll never achieve his masterpiece, but it's nice to dream. I especially love to curl up with this book in January when the seed catalogs are just coming out.

It lost a star for me because it is decidedly NOT an organic gardening book. The author relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and black plastic mulch. Although he does mention compost and soil improvement, I don't recall him even mentioning earthworms, which are a definite indicator of soil health. He does, however, try to use less harsh methods of pest and weed control.

Chapters are arranged by month, detailing the author's gardening chores and schedule during that month, from starting seeds to transplanting out, to weeding, watering, fertilizing, caring for tools, and constructing gardening architecture. Since he gardens in the north, I can't go by his schedule, nor can I grow the same veggies or varieties thereof that he does. If you're looking for a how-to book, this probably isn't it, unless you happen to live just where he does and are willing to use chemicals. But if you're looking for inspiration, this book is well worth it.

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-02
This was one of my first gardening books and is still my favorite one. Perfect for the beginning gardener. Why aren't more gardening books organized like this one?

An INVALUABLE tool, particularly for novices!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-08
In my opinion, this book needs to be actively published again! I used this book as a guide to grow my first vegetable garden in Richmond, VT. It thoroughly explained EACH step in the process with text and illustrations/photos. My neighbor, whom I hadn't met yet, left a letter in my mailbox around August of that year. It contained a photo of my garden and a note saying that mine was the most beautiful vegetable garden she'd ever seen and thought I would appreciate the picture of it! I have checked this book out of the library each spring since and this year it was listed as "lost!" That's why I'm here on-line: buying an "acceptable" condition copy used rather than do without! BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU CAN!

Simply the best!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-16
I just want to emphasize the earlier reviews: This is a great, enormously helpful guide to gardening just about anywhere (I live in southern CA and I enjoyed the section on cold weather gardening even if I never use it). The author isn't clearly part of a gardening school of thought (square foot, raised beds, biodynamic), he is just vastly knowledgable about gardening and will meet you wherever you are - a sign of a great teacher. He wrote the best section on homemade garden structures - A frames, cold frames and the like - I have seen. Not a useless or wasted page. Please bring it back!

An all time favorite
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-03
In my periodic attempts to grow vegetables, this book -- and its predecessor, "Crockett's Victory Garden," have been my constant and favorite companions. It's past time for this 1987 book to be updated and republished.

This is Cadillac gardening as Crockett and his successor Bob Thomson apparently had a large budget, a full toolshed, and endless time to produce a perfect garden. My pitiful efforts never yield much in the way of edible products, but I enjoy reading about how I would grow vegetables if I were not such a lazy and shiftless person.

The book is broken down by months with a long list of vegetables for planting, tending, and harvesting for each month as well as other garden tasks. The monthly labors are for Boston. Being further south, I tend to do things a month earlier in the spring and a month later in the fall than Thomson prescribes. "The New Victory Garden" is full of solid gardening advice for an establishmentarian gardener. If you're into organics or (like me) inclined to low-impact, no inputs type cultivation, you might not like Thomson's reliance on chemical fertilizers -- but he makes up for it with good advice on compost, natural fertilizers, and lots of touchy feely stuff. The pictures are beautiful. Someday, in some future world I'll have a garden like this. Yeah, sure. Dream on! But I like reading the book and I occasionally try to follow the advice.

Smallchief

P
Our Ultimate Reality, Life, the Universe and Destiny of Mankind
Published in Paperback by Ultimate Reality Publishing (2007-11-10)
Author: Adrian P. Cooper
List price: $37.00
New price: $37.00
Used price: $44.39

Average review score:

True eye opener
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-29
This is one of the most astounding books i have ever read that really makes sense of what is happening all around us and where humanity is headed in the future.

Our Ultimate Reality
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-09
I'm really enjoying this book anything that helps elevate consciousness is OK with me, the wisdom it evokes will bring forward the Spiritual evolution that is needed at this time.

life changing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-24
One of the most interesting books I have every read next to ,"The Science of Being".A must read for all,but only if your ready."When the student is ready the teacher will come".

our ultimate reality
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-10
The book is very foreward thinking as well as enlightening. I have
recommended this book to several people as I think it is a huge
assest for anyone to have the knowledge that this book exemplifies.

All You Need To Know About Everything...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-15
...well anything worth knowing anyhow. I don't think there's any chapters about "Dog" the bounty hunter here but there are 115 chapters about life,death and everything in between. Sort of a manual for living beyond the 5 senses and 3 dimensions. Really... this book is just filled, almost overflowing with spiritual/metaphysical information. Reminds me of David Icke's work in it's extraordinary thoroughness and detail as well as the sincerity in their desire to share their passion and knowledge. Pick up this and David's latest and you'll be set for reading material for a few days (close to 1200 pages worth} and you'll know just about everything! Pretty cool huh. Well that's my take on all this but if you wanna read about "Dog" and Britney then go get your Enquirer and have at it!


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