P Books

Every once and awhile a reader is forturnate to come by a book that might seem uninteresting but upon reading it finds it to be one of the best books ever. Such is HOLDING STONE HANDS which I bought several years back from University of Nebraska as one of their sale books. Turned out to have been one of the wiser buys of my time.

One of the very first things that struck me as I began this book was the flat out courage it would take to do what the author has done. Leave home, leave safety, walk upwards of 1500 miles, live, eat, and sleep out of doors much of the time. Another thing that quickly came to me was the interest people, mostly Cheyenne, still held for this historical happening. And they wanted to aid the author in his quest.

I have read some on this subject but things such as the Northern Cheyenne life coming to an abrupt end in December, 1876, was a surprise. Also that Lone Wolf's name was not that but 'Lone Coyote', or that Dull Knife's name was not that but 'Morning Star'. Also that both of these heroic and historic personages of the Northern Cheyenne, each in his own way, ended life mostly an outcast. Remembered today, yes, but only in a tempered way. Many still find fault with some decisions Dull Knife made. And with Lone Wolf murdering a fellow tribesman, his later life of blindness and isolation had to be very unrewarding.

No matter the reason for reading this wonderful book, a reader has struck a true classic of western history. And the main thrust of the book goes beyond history to be one of mission and people. Great reading as usual from University of Nebraska Press.

Semper Fi.

As my title states, this is a very powerful book. Mr. Boye walked the trail that the Cheyennes travelled in their tragic journey to get back home (from Oklahoma to Montana). Along the way the author meets up with two Cheyenne men who travel with him for the better part of the journey. When they leave he meets a mid-20s Japanese man who travels with him for a while. Why is this Japanese man touring the American West? Read the book to find out. Despite my praise for this book, my rating is a 4.5 out of 5. Why? I will give two examples (not that there are many more):
1 - On p. 225 he states that hundreds of Indians were killed at the Battle of the Blue Water (the number was about 86 and his own source--Utley, Frontiersmen in Blue--states 85).
2 - Following Little Wolf's capture his followers shortly after became scouts for General Miles to fight the Sioux. Boye only mentions his surrender. He should have gone on to include this important detail.

Having said that, the book is still a very good read and I really enjoyed his journey and his dramatic retelling of the Cheyennes' escape from Fort Robinson. I would like to know more about the film made by some Cheyenne's as mentioned in the book. Final verdict: Recommended.

I'm not much for history as it is taught in our schools, but this book is great. It is a perfect blend of history, present day (in the form of the author's trip), and thoughts and stories from the author's personal life.

I recommend this tome to anyone that likes travel stories. Especially if you dont know, or want to know more about, the Cheyenne Exodus. Expensive, but worth the money.

This is a story of heartache and strength, of hope and struggle...it is the story of a man's love of the land and a people's fight to keep their homeland. Boye is a gifted and talented writer whose words flow as he leads us from page to page, back into the past and then gently into the present. He is a writer that truly cares about his story and the people that inhabit it. He opens his heart and the words come tumbling out. A wonderful MUST READ for all nature lovers and history buffs.

This is a magical walk through a dark time in American History...Alan's own experiences are so materfully intertwined with history on this voyage, the past truly comes alive as you feel every step and face every fear. With each step, with every encounter along the way, you can feel the ghosts of the Cheyenne people walking in your own shadow. Make no mistake, HOLDING STONE HANDS is a Masterpiece...you'll feel the pain of endless walking, the anger for what the Cheyenne people were forced to endure, and the sorrow for the pointless death as they tried to make their way to the only land they would ever call home.

I didn't want to read this book. It was attached to a copy of "A Clockwork Orange" and I figured I might as well. The whole time, I felt both compelled and repelled to go on. However, I loved it more than "A clockwork Orange," and am currently trying to find out more about it. Burgess uses an interesting plot that puts full emphasis on causality and contains many twists and turns that were comical and intriguing. I found myself alternately loving and hating Paul, the main character. The thing that I love about it the most is that what appears is a simple plot is really a statement of burgess's personal resentment for the state. If you're a political kind of person, or you want to learn, this is a great, insightful book.

It is true that this book is underappreciated compared to the other great books of the author like Enderby and A ClockWork Orange nonetheless it's a great piece of fiction.No other book has given us a better description about the Soviet union or it's people.Our hero paul is a guy to be admired and pitied all through the novel.The book is funny,touching and fun to read and remember that the winter has come with it's long dark nights if u dont know what I mean read the story and u will find out.

This is by far the best book I've read by Mr. Burgess. It's excellent all the way through--it just doesn't stop. You can tell he thought it out well. Everything he says, he says in a way that is very, very entertaining and funny. It also has a hilarious plot and some great characters. I told my friends about this book, but, being fifteen years old, none of them will read it. So now I'm recommending this to everyone who reads this. This is a great work of fiction and it will please anyone willing to open up their minds for a novel.

Anthony Burgess' "Honey for the Bears," is a fast paced farcical satire set in Cold War period Soviet Russia. Following an antiques dealer and his wife as the two attempt to sell cheep dresses on the black market as a favor to a friend.

Sexual morays and British stereo type stuffiness are thrown out the window as the two find themselves trapped in the Soviet Union with the police on Paul Hussey's trail. On the boat ride over his American wife, Belinda, becomes sick and finds herself hospitalized for a terrible rash.

"Honey for the Bears" satirizes the secret capitalist desires of the Soviet people with a schizophrenic jump between their urges for Western pleasures and at the same time a contempt for the capitalist pigs that cannot even take care of their own people.

Sharp, witty and insightful, Burgess again succeeds in bringing together a dark twisted world that strongly resembles our own. As always, Burgess' mastery of linguistics shines through as he plays games with language and dialects: thus giving his characters a sense of reality.

It is by chance that I read this book. And I don't regret it. I loved Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, and, naturally, I wanted to read more. After looking over the reviews of The Doctor is Sick ,The Complete Mr. Enderby, and The Wanting Seed, I decided I'd look for one of those. I went to the local bookstore, and sadly (or so I thought at the time) they only had one copy of Honey for the Bears, about 7 copies of A Clockwork Orange and a couple of works he did on Shakespeare. I read the summary for Honey for the Bears, and I was uninterested. However, for lack of reading material, I bought it.

It was excellent. Burgess is really talented. Unlike so many other books, this one never gets boring, not even for a second. Taking a journey of self exploration with Paul could not possibly be more entertaining, funny, exciting or meaningful than Burgess makes it. You'll enjoy this book if you like a well constructed plot and interesting story line. This was not in any way Russian babble not worth reading unless Russian yourself. (I'm not Russian, never have been to Russia, and don't know any of the Russian language. I will go even furthur to say that you most certainly don't have to have a great interest in Russia to enjoy this book!) At the risk of sounding cliche, this is just one of those books that entertains you the whole way through.

It's not complete candy though: Burgess used Russian throughout this book, making it a little diffult to understand at times. I had to reread a few parts, but it wasn't a chore at all, and surprisingly, did not bother me. Everything comes together at the end, although is not always what you expect. Delightful. I'm surprised this wasn't made into a movie.

Neil Perkins, a fifteen-year-old prankster from northern England, has few greater pleasures than harassing his eccentric Latin teacher, Miss Klitsa. But when an accident on his four-wheeler uncovers some ancient Latin tablets near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall, Neil is forced to cooperate with her in order to translate the tablets, which were written by a Roman centurion named Rusticus. Due to the mysterious illness of Legate Juius, Rusticus's commanding officer, the scheming Tribune Festus has taken charge of the Roman soldiers stationed at Hadrian's Wall. Festus orders Rusticus to lead his men on a so-called training march into Celt-held territory, and as a result, the entire group, save Rusticus and his staff officer Linus, are wiped out. Rusticus's survival is due to the quick thinking of Calum, an auxiliary officer of Celtic blood. Unofrtunately for Rusticus and Calum, Festus is unhappy with Rusticus's survival and sends them on a mission to gather intelligence about the warring Celtic tribes, taking Calum's close friend Iona as a hostage to see that the job gets done. However, they realize that even if they give Festus the information he desires, Festus will probably kill them because they are both too aware of his underhanded plottings. Rusticus must eventually find a way to save Iona as well as Calum, who puts himself in harm's way to look after her.

The frame story works well with the main one, and, although the transition between the two is a bit awkward, Rusticus's action-packed story more than makes up for it. Ancient times are a rare subject for historical fiction among American writers, but Douglas Bond brings out the humanity of his subjects while keeping true to their historical background. Parents should be aware that "Hostage Lands" is best suited for teenage readers due to limited harsh violence and several extremely vague references to women being abused in a particular way that most children would not catch on to. Bond's writing, while not inappropriate for teenagers, is too deep for most ten-year-olds.

Perhaps most interesting to parents who want to use "Hostage Lands" as a teaching tool is Rusticus's inward struggle. He has been taught to believe firmly in "eternal Rome" as the bastion of civilization and order. However, his misguided patriotism begins to flag due to both Festus's scheming and the influence of Calum, who began following "Christus" after seeing Christians cruely martyred in the Roman Colloseum. About his experience there, Calum says, "For me, the glory of Rome faded that day." And so Rome's glory fades for Rusticus as Calum's questions about true endurance and higher loyalties seem more and more logical in light of Festus's unbridled ambition. Without sounding moralistic, "Hostage Lands" serves as a sound lesson about the dangers of state worship. To his credit, however, Bond never loses sight of his story, which is one of his most engrossing so far.

Hostage Lands is a great read! Its one of those books that once started, you don't want to put down. Full of intrigue and suspense, this is a book that young and young at heart will enjoy. I appreciated Douglas Bond's ability to weave so much history of post Roman Britain into the book. I've read other books that speak to Rome's conquering Brittania, but this was a new era for me and filled in gaps that I wondered about. A definite must for students of world history, the Roman empire, or just "ancient" civilizations.

Officially listed as teen fiction, Hostage Lands has an appeal which reaches a larger audience, from approximately 10 years old through adult. Set in English farmlands near the remains of Hadrian's Wall, this historical adventure can be read for its entertainment value alone; but, the reader will also find out what it can cost to be a follower of our Lord, as well as gaining some fine Christian perspectives for living.

In contemporary England, eccentric, extremely laughable Miss Klitsa's Latin class alternates between soporific trance and wild hilarity at the teacher's expense. The protagonist of this story, Neil Perkins, gets to drive his ATV to school everyday, and it isn't only teenage readers who grow green with envy. He often leads in the hilarity aimed at the redoubtable Miss Klitsa. Then one fateful day, Neil and his ATV hair-raisingly gouge a ditch near Hadrian's Wall and he finds an ancient manuscript. The only one who can help him is Miss Klitsa.

As Neil translates the manuscript, the reader falls headlong into a spine-tingling Roman/Celtic adventure of sword-play, treachery, fearful undertakings, wild men vs. civilized people, undying friendship, and impossible decisions. It's hard to put this book down and just as hard not to assimilate the lessons: true friendship; patriotism gone awry; willingness to die for another; various battle styles and the war equipment for each; uncivilized Christians vs. civilized pagans; some intriguing English archaeological lessons; accepting people as worthwhile even when you think them ridiculous; and a great deal more.

High school history and English teacher as well as author, Douglas Bond knows how to portray people of all ages. He is a rising star in the historical fiction genre for both older and younger people. Not satisfied with his own history background, Bond draws on the research of other historians. With a wide but understandable vocabulary, a talent for keeping the plot under control, a penchant for characterization, and a wonderful imagination, Bond presents a tale sure to engross any reader. A glossary of terms and a Roman timeline help keep the audience on track. As well as being a good read for the individual, Hostage Lands makes a fine read-aloud book. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

I've been learning alot about Roman history, lately, and I must admit I was getting tired of hearing about it. But this book is amazing. When I finished Hostage Lands, I wished there was more of it to read. Great book, from cover to cover.

Fifteen-year-old Neil Perkins lived a reasonably good life. He lived on Hostage Heath, a farm near Hadrian's Wall in northern England, and his parents let him go where he please on his four-wheeler, as long as he accomplished his chores. Yes, he had a good life, except for his Latin classes with the ridiculous Miss Klitsa. Perhaps she would have been better off teaching a drama class.

After wrecking his four-wheeler near the wall, Neil finds a packet of tablets in the hole he made in landing. The tablets were all written upon, and in Latin, no less! He took them to Miss Klitsa and asked what they said, but she was too much of a teacher to tell him.

All of this merely serves as the introduction to the tale which Neil laboriously translated. The epic tale of Celts and Romans scheming, spying, fighting and dying around Hadrian's Wall is reminiscent of the tales spun by Rosemary Sutcliff. We follow the centurion Rusticus, who must decide where his loyalties lay. The story is well told, and readers will hold their breath, instead of easily guessing the way everything will resolve itself. To make this drama even better than Sutcliff's, one of these characters, Calum, is a Christian, although he does not proclaim it to everyone he meets. When the Celts sit around the fire at night, and call on him for a story, he tells them, "My tale is of a great King," and gives the whole gospel. Calum's service to the Prince of Peace does not however, make him any less valiant a soldier.

The book concludes with Rusticas telling a story of "a great King." Neil wonders if the whole story is true, and asks questions. Will Neil, will the reader believe the story? What about the tale of "a great King"?

I have always loved Sutcliff's books, but Hostage Lands ranks even higher on my list. I wish I could give it more stars, and highly recommend it to those 13 and up. Travel back to the misty, dangerous Britain of the Celts, when Romans built their wall, and flaunted their standards. You will learn to think like a Celt, and step quietly behind a tree when you hear footsteps. And maybe you finish this book, and read it again, and give it a place with your favorite Celtic books.

This textbook can serve as a wonderful entry into the realm of higher mathematics, and provides an unsurpassed foundation for in-depth study of the real number field. The first four chapters present a thorough yet accessible introduction to essential topics such as set theory, ordered fields, mathematical induction, and vector algebra. The concept of proof is given a surprisingly detailed treatment, requiring a great deal of thought and consideration by the reader. But the payoff is well worth the effort, as you will be light years ahead of most modern high school math programs by the time you finish working through all the proof related exercises. Following this theoretical introductory material, adequate attention is given to topics such as polynomial equations, probability, trigonometry, and analytic geometry, all viewed within an intuitive and heuristic vector-oriented framework. Functions, sequences, and series as they relate to the concept of limits are defined and explained as well, along with introductions to matrices and complex numbers. Although this work first appeared in 1964, even today there is still no better pre-calculus textbook than Mary Dolciani's "Modern Introductory Analysis".

I had this text (black and blue w/white trim) during my Senior Year in High School in 1967-68, and found it to be a great stepping stone and confidence builder into Calculus. It provides a clear and crisp view into college level material. I wish the book could be made available again.

Miracle! I finally got a copy of Dolciani's "MODERN INTRODUCTORY ANALYSIS", and it is everything I remembered it to be thirty three years ago in my 12th grade College Prep (CP-12) Math course. I still endorse this text as 5-stars! MN

I never had this book for a course in high school, but I found it to be a great reference for the serious high school math student. It is outstanding in its sweeping coverage of subject matter. First, the authors introduce symbolic logic as a foundation for what follows. This is then followed by a variety of topics from sequences and series to matrices. I found it very clear reading and interesting.

This text, along with all the Dolciani books by Houghton Mifflin were the corner stones of any high school math program in the 60's-70's and early 80's. This book particularly was the book that I learned pre-calculus from, and made me become a math major. The books were literate in their context, never watered down, but not so abstract that a high school student couldn't read and follow. The Teacher's Edition's were the best of any series (until Houghton Mifflin changed the format, and made them less teacher friendly). I still have 2 TE's of this book and the solutions key, and still refer to it when I need to...it beats any precalculus book out today. Once Ms. Dociani passed away, the entire Houghton Mifflin series went down the tubes, their current texts DO NOT hold muster to this old classic!!!

I grew up eating pies. My mother is a cracker-jack pie baker and the crust you can bake from this book beats hers hands down! My sisters both bake pies, too, so the competition is stiff at holiday time. I baked a Tar Heel Pie using the crust recipe from this wonderful book for Mother's Day and my sisters threw out Mama's recipe and asked for mine. It's good stuff. I want to try the chocolate pie recipe. The vanilla custard is drop dead good and the apple is a blue ribbon winner. Great book.

Use this book and you will make wonderful pies! Our family loves the apple pie and the chocolate cream and the banana cream. But the best thing is the crust recipe. You'll get a reputation for really knowing how to make pies! This is a succinct little book at a minimal price. My only surprise is that they did not use Clearjel as a thickener. It's Great!

I love the handy size of this book and the ease of the recipes.

I've mostly made cream pies from this and they're delectable. The Chocolate Cream Pie and the Banana Cream Pie were both delightfully tasty; I had to control myself from devouring them in a day!

I also tried the combination of butter and shortening for the crust as well as the nifty tips for preventing soggy crusts. All winners, in my humble opinion.

Altogether, a good buy. Although there are no photos, be assured your efforts will be successful. Just like most of the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, recipes here are foolproof.

I was skeptical that this book was going to produce better pies than the ones I make out of How To Cook Everything or Williams Sonoma's Pies and Tarts but it does. From a thorough but brief discussion of why you use the ratio of fat to flour suggested and why you really use both butter and vegetable shortening (they melt at different temperatures so there is separation in the crust at more then one point in the baking, which makes the crust flakier), to discussions of the best types of apples to use for apple pie, and which spice combinations tested best. These are instructions from people who tested pies every way you can think of, and found out what worked best for each part, offered up with explanations of why it works best.

This is a concise, short book, and the best primer on pies you could ever have. It's going to make all my pie-making better, even when I dig back into the big books. People noticed an improvement from my already great pies with the first one I baked out of this small collection. Worth every penny.

Use this book and you will make wonderful pies! Our family loves the apple pie and the chocolate cream and the banana cream. But the best thing is the crust recipe. You'll get a reputation for really knowing how to make pies! This is a succinct little book at a minimal price. My only surprise is that they did not use Clearjel as a thickener. It's Great!

This book is exactly what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Great service.

Since the movie The Secret came out, there is a renewed interest in what I like to call "Mind Stuff". People want to find out how they can use this Power so that they might experience a better and more fulfilling life. I've been a licensed Religious Science Practitioner for almost a decade and I get a lot of new clients and people attending my classes who want to know how they can start using "Mind Power" to create the life they want.

What I tell them usually shocks them. I tell them that they are already using this Power. And they look at me with a scowl on their face, "No I'm not. My life is a mess. I'm in a bad relationship. I hate my job. I drive a 1973 AMC Gremlin and I have .73 cents in my 401k..."

And I just smile at them, "Wow. You're really powerful. Look at all these things you created. You're amazing. Why don't you create some more garbage while you're at it..."

"Huh?"

What I am trying to tell these people (and you) is that we are always using this thing we call, for lack of a better term, Mind Power. In Truth, all there is, is Mind. What we want to do is to learn how to use this Power consciously and deliberately and this wonderful little book by Ernest Holmes can really cut through a lot of the misconceptions that people have about the Law of Attraction.

It's not about holding thoughts or trying to get this Power to work. It is recognizing that the Law of Mind knows how to create. You don't need to know how, just like you don't need to know how an acorn becomes an oak tree, you just need to know that it works and it works every time.

The thing I really like about Ernest Holmes is that he just throws out these amazing thoughts that almost leave you breathless because they are not only so philosophically sound but they are also quite beautiful. He says,

"One practicing this science (the Law of Attraction) is always endeavoring to conform his thinking to a spiritual ideal. He must train himself to be aware of the Divine Spirit at the center of his life. His arguments, statements, affirmations or denials are arranged to disclose the reality of this Spiritual Presence, to make It real, to feel It. There is a Spiritual logic higher than the intellect. Every person has an intuition about this and unconsciously senses its reality. In practice one consciously guides the intellect to this spiritual perception..."

That just blows me away and that's just one of the many paragraphs that I have underlined four times. Every time I read this book or even look at it briefly before a meditation or before I start my prayerwork, I am blown away by how closely Ernest Holmes listened to Inner Self...his Higher Self...his God Self.

I believe that the Law of Attraction is not to just be used for material things, but for a deeper understanding that we are Spiritual Beings now. It's one thing to manifest an unexpected $100 or get a new car, but it's quite another thing to know that you are an inlet as well as an outlet to all there is in God. And once you know that, feel that, be that you will always attract abundant situations and experiences because you will no longer be praying for abundance, YOU WILL BE ABUNDANCE, which, by the way, is who you already are on a Spiritual Level of things.

This book reminds us that we are never praying to God to change as much as we are praying to change our own minds about who and what we truly are.
We really don't need anything. I know you are saying, "But...but...but..." and believe me, I, too, have at times, a serious case of the "big buts", but when I really am clear and aligned with my Source (God) I can fully appreciate and understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you..."

Not a Kingdom that's in the afterlife, but a Kingdom that is within you now...that place within you that knows Its Eternal Nature now and isn't now the accepted time to live an abundant and joyful life in EVERY aspect of your being?

This is a book full of great reminders that Life is good and the only thing that stands in our way is our thought about it and what thought has done, thought can undo. You have the Power now to change because you are the Power made beautifully manifest.

Peace and Blessings,
john "the Light Coach"

I found the textbook "Science of Mind" to be not so clear in it's concepts, but this little book helps to clarify things, and helps to give a better understanding of practicing Mind Science. The philosophies and practices outlines make for a major improvement in one's life.

I have had and used this book for 30 years. To say it helped change my life would be an understatement. I have given away many of these books over the years, this one is for my granddaughter.
Ken Ingerson

My interest in the pursuit of spiritual knowledge began long ago.
My first taste of the truth or "Good Orderly Direction" came from Emett
fox. Ernest Holmes is his apparent mentor. Knowledge always comes to the seeker and Holmes is simplicity at its best. A simple and direct map to the right road to follow. Ask and you shall recieve.

Herman has written a fascinating book that examines how Americans have thought about hunting over the centuries. He shows that colonial Americans were ambivalent about hunting; that Revolutionary patriots celebrated hunters as defenders of natural rights; and that popular writers made hunter heroes into paragons of both modernity and tradition during the nineteenth-century market revolution. Herman (like historian John Reiger) also shows that hunters loved land and animals long before the word "environmentalism" was ever heard.

As someone who has given some thought to hunting's history, I would add a few things that Herman left out: for one, Herman might have discussed the attitudes of Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln toward hunting. Both men deplored it. I'm not sure that I buy Herman's argument that the nineteenth-century popularity of sport hunting and the eagerness for the Civil War were related, given the attitudes of Davis and Lincoln.

Herman also should have given more information on settlers' tendency to kill off or drive away game from Indian hunting grounds. Thomas Jefferson commented on this, as did Tocqueville, William Henry Harrison, Philip Schuyler, and numerous others. More info on this would have strengthened Herman's arguments.

Those are small flaws. My judgment is: if you are a hunter or a history buff, you should read this book. It's well-researched, nicely written, and philosophical.

Herman is not so much interested in hunting itself as in ideas about hunting. He traces the path by which Americans--especially Theodore Roosevelt and others of the Progressive Era--came to think of themselves as a people who had been made great through hunting. Herman deftly draws on critical theory and on a vast repertoire of secondary literature yet he grounds his story (or, more properly, his series of stories) firmly in history rather than in literary criticism. The result is scholarship at its best.

My wife gave me this book because I was a deer hunter before I retired. I read the book and enjoyed it, although I had to look up a word now and then. This is a scholarly work. Some chapters are more readable than others. Herman certainly knows about the history of gun hunting, but I wish he had discussed the history of archery, which is how I hunted. Regardless, this book was a good addition to my library. The illustrations are great and the writing is accessible.

I liked this book a lot. It's well researched and engaging. I also appreciated Herman's balanced view of hunting. Though the book tilts toward political correctness in places, Herman, unlike the PETA crowd, doesn't posture about the evils of hunting.

There are some problems in Herman's book. For one thing, it's unfortunate that Herman cites Michael Bellesiles' Arming America two or three times. Herman seems to have bought Bellesiles' arguments about how scarce guns were in early American history (maybe Herman sent his book to press before Clayton Cramer shot down Bellesiles' "facts" in American Rifleman).

On the other hand, I was convinced by Herman's arguments that early Americans had mixed attitudes about hunting. Colonists thought that white men who became full-time hunters were too much like Indians, especially since farming, for colonists, justified the acquisition of Indian hunting grounds. Herman's argument that Enlightenment philosophers and statesmen often regarded hunting as uncivilized and/or cruel also has merit (here's a little fact that Herman could have used: Thomas Jefferson kept a deer park but never hunted the deer!).

More importantly, Herman's central theme - that in the nineteenth century hunters became indigenous American heroes, or as Herman says, "American Natives" - is on the mark. The best chapters in the book are about Lewis and Clark and Daniel Boone as "American Natives." The chapter on the first promoter of sport hunting in America, Henry William Herbert, is also fascinating, as is Herman's discussion of women hunters in chapter 16.

If you like history, Hunting and the American Imagination is provocative and well worth reading.

In Hunting And The American Imagination, Daniel Herman (assistant professor of history, Central Washington University) reveals that American hunting traditions are not based colonial or frontier cultures. In fact, the colonists and frontiersmen defined themselves as farmers and bringers of civilization to the wilds. Hunting was an integral part of frontier life, but was primarily viewed as a matter of subsistence rather than identity. It was in a post frontier era that the mythos of hunting was seized upon in the popular imagination and such democratic legends as those of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Meriwether Lewis, and Native American cultures as the basis for America's sports hunters assuming a mantle of hunting oriented stewardships over the land and the wildlife. From John Smith to Theodore Roosevelt, what emerged in the 20th Century was a rich legacy of imagery and lore that gave rise to today's widely held, middle-class ideas about American hunting rights, privileges, and mores.

The country in which I live takes great pride in one little phrase, "freedom of religion." America's founding documents protect her citizens from compulsory worship. The government does not dictate to its citizens what worship is appropriate or inappropriate, when worship occurs, or who (or what) is worthy of our worship. Citizens are free to not attend worship of any kind, if they so choose. Some people even choose to deny the existence of deity at all, and do so without fear of repercussion. We wonder in disbelief as citizens of foreign lands prostrate themselves before golden statues or make offerings to strange-looking goddesses. 'Can't they see it's just a statue?' we wonder. What few understand, however, is that, while we may not bow to a statue, our hearts are taken with insidious idols of all kinds.

It was during a 12-day trip to the Orient that Elyse Fitzpatrick witnessed blatant idolatry. That experience became the impetus for her book, Idols of the Heart, Learning to Long for God Alone. She teaches that idolatry is not so much an outward act, but the root of all sin springing from our hearts. God has commanded that we have no other gods before Him. Our enjoyment of God hinges on how we go about identifying our sins and grinding out our root idols. Fitzpatrick writes, "This book is written for those of you who desire to live a godly life and yet find yourself in a recurrently disappointing struggle against habitual sin. This book is written for you who find yourself constantly tripping over the same bad habit, the same embarrassing weakness, the same sinful slavery that you hoped to be free of years ago. In this book you'll learn that idolatry lies at the heart of every besetting sin that we struggle with."

Fitzpatrick begins each chapter by providing helpful character studies of various people in the Bible, people who either were or were not bound by idolatry: Rachel, Martha, Abraham, Eli, Lot's wife, Eve, Josiah, and Jesus, to name a few. Through these character sketches, she explains what idolatry is, what it isn't, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. No two people will create the same idol for the same reason, so how does one know when she is worshiping an idol? Fitzpatrick offers a helpful principle: "If you're willing to sin to obtain your goal or if you sin when you don't get what you want, then your desire has taken God's place and you're functioning as an idolater." In addition to a few guiding principles, Fitzpatrick assists her readers toward an understanding of the roles our minds, hearts, wills, and emotions play when it comes to sin and its defeat.

While we do have work to do in the tearing down of our idols, Fitzpatrick is faithful to what Scripture teaches regarding the sovereign rule of God over our hearts. Indeed, we would have no hope were it not for the work He has already performed for us. And a knowledge of what He has already done makes us certain that He will be faithful to finish His work in us. Though she doesn't always use the terms, Fitzpatrick gently guides her readers to understand several key doctrines: salvation, repentance, substitutionary atonement, double imputation, and sanctification. The absence of these truths is what is missing in the most popular books for women regarding freedom from sin.

Each chapter ends with questions for further thinking and self-evaluation. The questions are designed to help the reader identify her idols and apply God's word. Each one moves the reader along to practicing the process of sanctification, putting off sinful thoughts, desires, etc., submitting our hearts to God's holy word, and putting on righteousness (following through with a righteous act in opposition to the sinful one). One thing I learned is that my repentance is not complete until I have followed through with a specific "put on" action.

There are many things about this book that I appreciate. It includes three helpful appendices ("Discovering Sinful Patterns and False Gods," "What It Means to be Legalistic," and "How Can You Know If You Are a Christian"), extensive notes, and a scripture index. Obviously, Elyse Fitzpatrick is a woman. She writes like a woman who cares for women. She understands our fears and insecurities, why we hold on to the things we do, how we can be overly emotional about life and children, and what lengths we'll go to achieve happiness. As a woman of God, she understands our even deeper need to find our greatest joy and satisfaction in God alone. She writes, "Learning to take great delight and joy in God is the strongest deterrent to idolatry." I heartily recommend this book to any woman who desires to make God her never-ending joy and great delight!

Elyse Fitzpatrick has written one of the most helpful books in recent years on practical sanctification. In the tradition of the Puritans, "Idols of the Heart" exposes the true nature of the battle for our desires.

Often a book like this can come across as either heavy (too deep to be practical) or hard (so attacking that people are turned off). Fitzpatrick skillfully avoids both extremes. Her writing is relevent and her focus is positive, even when discussing the negatives of sins of the heart.

Her explanation of desires, idols, and heart sins is thoroughly biblical. She also provides the biblical counseling process for helping oneself or others to put off sin and to put on righteousness. Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."

Our women's group embarked on the "Idols of the Heart" study about a year ago. We found within the pages the words of a woman who struggled with the same things we all did. One who was transparent, and who told us there was no reason for us to dwell in the temple of self any longer.

I encourage anyone who picks up this book to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the study, and not merely read the chapters and plug in answers to the questions.(which would be difficult to do the way Mrs. Fitzpatrick designed the study)

Where the author refers to the people mentioned in the Bible, find out all you can about their lives, what their idolatry was about, and how it relates to your own life. One thing we all learned was that we can never "lay our weapons down" we must always be on guard because as John Calvin said our hearts are perpetual idol factories.

Mrs. Fitzpatrick shows us the two prong attack the enemy of our souls uses to prod us along the path of idolatry, and gives us the tools we need to bend those prongs back so that when the prong is jabbed towards us it has no sharp edges.

Self-examination is crucial, we must be willing to look at our lives honestly and to lay aside all those things that come before God. There is victory, peace and hope when we do. While our hearts will continually try (notice I said TRY) to resurrect those shatterd idols from the broken shards, or create new idols to replace those that were destroyed; WE MUST bind ourselves to the throne of grace in humility and cling ever tighter to the mercies of God recognizing His unchanging nature, and finally acknowledging our own inability to do or be anything without Him.

You will learn more about human psychology in this one volume than you will ever learn in years of studying Freud, Skinner, Rogers, or anyone else for that matter. Grounded in scriptural teachings like Ezek. 14:3-5, James 4:1-3 and Jonah 2:8 (among many others), this exposition of the idolatry that is rampant in the hearts of humans of every stripe (including Christians, sadly) will provide invaluable insights into what's REALLY going on inside the head and heart of your counselee.

The doctrines laid out in this book have such broad application in so many areas of life, and to such a wide range of counseling issues, that it has become integrated into the standard counseling curriculum for many nouthetic counselors regardless of the counselee's specific presentation problems. If you want to become an effective Christian counselor, you really need to have a grasp on these issues and incorporate them into your counseling practice. Even if you're not a counselor, these teachings are insightful for understanding your own life, thoughts, actions, family, etc. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

This is an excellent study!!! You need to be wearing steel-toed shoes while reading it, though! It is very convicting and the author tells it 'like it is'
I recommend this book highly if you want a closer walk with God!!

This is one of the best books written by Dr. Igor Ansoff, known worldwide as the "Father of Strategic Management". This book, in addition to its theoritical content, provides managers with a step-by-step guide to pilot their firms through the turbulent environments in the 21st century. This is one of the best books available on the topic of strategic management.

Implanting Strategic Management is a compilation of a life-timework that organizes the major contributions in the field under oneumbrella, as Ansoff ingeniously develops a model that divides the competitive environment into five levels of turbulence: 1) repetitive, 2) expanding, 3) changing, 4) discontinuous and 5) unforeseen. His strategic success theorem states: For optimal success of an organization, the strategic aggressiveness (both technological and marketing) and the components of capability (both managers and organizational climate, competence and capacity) must match the level of environmental turbulence in which the organization competes. Ansoff uses a five-point integral scale to also measure the corresponding five levels of strategy: 1) stable, 2) reactive, 3) anticipatory, 4) entrepreneurial and 5) creative and the corresponding five levels of capability: 1) custodial, 2) production, 3) marketing, 4) strategic and 5) flexible, as he develops a strategic diagnostic questionnaire to obtain the perceptions of the general managers of an any organization. When there is alignment or minimal gap between the average level of competitive environment and each of the components of strategy and capability, then the organization should have optimal success, which has been validated by several doctoral dissertations under Ansoff. This book is a comprehensive integration of several of Ansoff's scholarly articles, enhanced with each edition. Well thought out concepts involving strategic segmentation, resistance to change, optimizing strategic portfolio, strategic dimensions of technology, societal strategy issues, real-time strategic response to managing surprising changes, strategic issue management,and environmental surveillance for strong signals and weak signals in anticipating environmental change. Ansoff's theory says that at levels 1 to 3, a firm can extrapolate the future from the past. However, at level 4 (discontinuous) and level 5 (surpriseful), strategic management must be used by an organization to realistically plan for future successes in a highly turbulent competitive environment. Ansoff's theory applies to all types of organizations, and he explains how industries can have unexpected shifts from one level of turbulence to another, as in the case of Apple Computer Corp. When Apple created the personal computer, it also created a whole new marketplace with new customers at an initial turbulence level of 5, which shifted to a level 3 of marketing mentality, which seemed to be why Steve Jobs, a creative visionary, was replaced by Scully, a marketing guru, as the Board wanted to milk their "cash cow" and not be continuously creating new dimensions. However, when the envirnoment shifted up to level 4, Apple almost went out of business when they did not respond fast enough. Level 4 is discontinuous, where the future is only partially predictable from the past, and it requires 4) entrepreneurial strategy and 4) strategic capability of the firm for optimal success. Steve Jobs was brought back in as interim CEO, and he was able make Apple once again competitive by enhancing the company's technological and marketing strategy, as well as its organizational capability, by bringing the firm's strategy and capability components up to level 4, so as to be successful. (Note: The above scenario is used by the reviewer as a realistic example of Ansoff's theory being applied in the real world.) In summary, Ansoff's work is far beyond anything published in the field, and one of the most comprehensive empirical studies that validates his complete theory is called "The Financial Performance of Technology-Driven Firms Aligning Strategy, Capability and Environment" by Richardson, John F. 1996. (Ann Arbor, MI: UMI No. 9623859), 564 pp. or URL: www.ilarsystems.com. This reviewer recommends Ansoff's book Implanting Strategic Management to any individual who desires to learn from the top scholar in the field, considered by many world authorities as the "Father of Strategic Management." This reviewer has read numerous works by the leading scholars in the field, and nobody has integrated the various contributions under one umbrella or into one paradigm, as Ansoff has done. Scholars come from all corners of the world to study under Ansoff and his disciples at United States International University, San Diego, California, USA. When is America going to wake up and learn from this "latter-day saint" of strategic management, while he is still with us? We ignored Demming, considered the "father of quality management," for years until he became infamous in Japan, teaching the Japanese firms how to dominate world markets with quality management. Some of the best minds in the world come every year to study under Ansoff, but few Americans are in their numbers.

Implanting Strategic Management is a compilation of a life-timework that organizes the major contributions in the field under oneumbrella, as Ansoff ingeniously develops a model that divides the competitive environment into five levels of turbulence: 1) repetitive, 2) expanding, 3) changing, 4) discontinuous and 5) unforeseen. His strategic success theorem states: For optimal success of an organization, the strategic aggressiveness (both technological and marketing) and the components of capability (both managers and organizational climate, competence and capacity) must match the level of environmental turbulence in which the organization competes. Ansoff uses a five-point integral scale to also measure the corresponding five levels of strategy: 1) stable, 2) reactive, 3) anticipatory, 4) entrepreneurial and 5) creative and the corresponding five levels of capability: 1) custodial, 2) production, 3) marketing, 4) strategic and 5) flexible, as he develops a strategic diagnostic questionnaire to obtain the perceptions of the general managers of any organization. When there is alignment or minimal gap between the average level of competitive environment and each of the components of strategy and capability, then the organization should have optimal success, which has been validated by several doctoral dissertations under Ansoff. This book is a comprehensive integration of several of Ansoff's scholarly articles, enhanced with each edition. Well thought out concepts involving strategic segmentation, resistance to change, optimizing strategic portfolio, strategic dimensions of technology, societal strategy issues, real-time strategic response to managing surprising changes, strategic issue management,and environmental surveillance for strong signals and weak signals in anticipating environmental change. Ansoff's theory says that at levels 1 to 3, a firm can extrapolate the future from the past. However, at level 4 (discontinuous) and level 5 (surpriseful), strategic management must be used by an organization to realistically plan for future successes in a highly turbulent competitive environment. Ansoff's theory applies to all types of organizations, and he explains how industries can have unexpected shifts from one level of turbulence to another, as in the case of Apple Computer Corp. When Apple created the personal computer, it also created a whole new marketplace with new customers at an initial turbulence level of 5, which shifted to a level 3 of marketing mentality, which seemed to be why Steve Jobs, a creative visionary, was replaced by Scully, a marketing guru, as the Board wanted to milk their "cash cow" and not be continuously creating new dimensions. However, when the environment shifted up to level 4, Apple almost went out of business when they did not respond fast enough. Level 4 is discontinuous, where the future is only partially predictable from the past, and it requires 4) entrepreneurial strategy and 4) strategic capability of the firm for optimal success. Steve Jobs was brought back in as interim CEO, and he was able make Apple once again competitive by enhancing the company's technological and marketing strategy, as well as its organizational capability, by bringing the firm's strategy and capability components up to level 4, so as to be successful. (Note: The above scenario is used by the reviewer as a realistic example of Ansoff's theory being applied in the real world.) In summary, Ansoff's work is far beyond anything published in the field, and one of the most comprehensive empirical studies that validates his complete theory is called "The Financial Performance of Technology-Driven Firms Aligning Strategy, Capability and Environment" by Richardson, John F. 1996. (Ann Arbor, MI: UMI No. 9623859), 564 pp. This reviewer recommends Ansoff's book Implanting Strategic Management to any individual who desires to learn from the top scholar in the field, considered by many world authorities as the "Father of Strategic Management." This reviewer has read numerous works by the leading scholars in the field, and nobody has integrated the various contributions under one umbrella or into one paradigm, as Ansoff has done. Scholars come from all corners of the world to study under Ansoff and his disciples at United States International University, San Diego, California, USA. When is America going to wake up and learn from this "latter-day saint" of strategic management, while he is still with us? We ignored Demming, considered the "father of quality management," for years until he became infamous in Japan, teaching the Japanese firms how to dominate world markets with quality management. Some of the best minds in the world come every year to study under Ansoff, but few Americans are in their numbers. END

I'm doing my MBA in Strategic Management and I have found this book to have ideas that helps me tremendously. I have also found another book written by Igor titled Corporate Strategy published by Penguin. I think it is equally a must read!

This is one of the best books written by Dr. Igor Ansoff, known worldwide as the "Father of Strategic Management". This book, in addition to its theoritical content, provides managers with a step-by-step guide to pilot their firms through the turbulent environments in the 21st century. This is one of the best books available on the topic of strategic management.

Louise Kehoe is one of the bravest writers I have never met (although we did have plenty of phone conversations back when she was getting this book through production!) On the face of it, it's another coming of age book; but when you consider her history at the hands of her tortured and conscience-stricken father, and how the consequences of his grief cast a long shadow over the lives of his children...Kehoe masterfully organizes events, emotions, and personalities, and the result is an elegant, elegaic jewel of a book.

There is ugliness; abuse at the hands of a German doctor; emotional abuse heaped upon Louise and her siblings, lies cafefully constructed by her father and executed by her otherwise forthright mother, the untimely death of her older brother, and her harrowing experience with anorexia nervosa.

I wish Kehoe had published more; she is a truly astonishing writer.

Louise Kehoe takes the reader through a harrowing and difficult journey with no artifice. She manages to stay honest throughout which is what makes this story so moving. I would highly recommend this book over "After Long Silence" which is in the same genre but lacks the sincerity of this book.

From the opening papragraph of description of the physical geography through the more difficult terrain of the interior geography of family and self, this book is an honest and eloquent account of growing up and going on, of the power of lies and the power of truth, and finally of acceptance and forgiveness. A finely detailed portrait of a damaged and damaging man, and of the author's road of transcendence and re-connection with her true heritage

This is a quirky, memorable story - the author is a brilliant writer. Many people have enjoyed this book, so why is it out of print? That really bugs me about the publishing world - how can they allow such great work to fall between the cracks, when real crap - and I mean crap - gets published. This book is a classic. It needs to be available in bookstores everywhere.

Why did no reviewer mention one of the most shocking, pivotal moments in this book? That in 1966, a 17-year-old English girl named Lubetkin, while visiting a friend in Bavaria, was treated by a German doctor for an accident to her hand - and because he suspected that she was a Jew, he chose to inject the tetanus shot into both her nipples (which later abcessed and broke open)! In 1966! Aside from the story of her father's madness (grief-driven insanity is certainly what his behavior seemed to be), looms another question - how could this sort of sadistic torture have been allowed to pass unmentioned by any other observer and to go unpunished in 1966? And in 2000?

The incident with the Nazi doctor and her parents seeming indifference to it finally lead the teenaged Ms. Kehoe to the realization that she had worth as a person and gave her the strength to break away from her father's "dark house". Unearthing the truth of her father's past buried in literally mountains of lies that comprised the deliberate, sly "shell game" Berthold Lubetkin inflicted on his wife and children is a testimony to the driving force of a tortured child's search for understanding to regain sanity from madness.

These afternoon not quite four years after Dad's death, I appeared before a rabbinical court in Boston and, having satisfied the three presiding rabbis that I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for, was formally pronounced a Jew."