Ross Books

This book gives you everything you need to know about measuring supplier performance and driving toward excellence! The tools and methods it contains will provide value whether you're just getting started or you've already been at it a while. It's obvious that Sherry has lots of hands-on experience actually implementing this stuff. You won't get a lot of fluff here. Just good, solid instructions! And even though the title doesn't call this out as a "Lean" book, it fits right in with any Lean supplier development program.

Ms.Gordon has done an excellent job of providing an interesting and readable, step-by-step analysis of what it takes to properly evaluate suppliers and drive them to perform optimally. She has certainly met her goal of providing a book "to help guide firms in this journey." She starts out by telling us how to sell the Supplier Performance Management initiative and then takes us through every step including what a customer company must do to obtain optimum value from this effort. She makes it very clear that this is a process, not a project or an event. One must understand this going in or be destined to fail. I wish I had this book to read years ago, but in reading it I find it validated what I had to learn through years of working the process.
James Tarabori
Director of Purchasing-
North America
Caterpillar Inc.

Very well written, easy to read, practical and comprehensive survey of the art & science of supplier performance management and supplier assessment. If you are just learning about the topic, wanting to figure out how to drive more productive relationships with suppliers, implementing a new supplier performance management program or enhancing / re-architecting an existing program, this is an excellent resource. The author actually has experience in improving relationships between suppliers and customers and developing tools to automate the necessary processes She is very direct about the tradeoffs you must consider and the pitfalls you will face along the way. As we are in the process of designing and piloting a program, this was a very useful guide for validating our design and getting additional ideas to make it better. Highly recommended!

Through the years Supplier Performance Management has been much talked about but in reality few organizations have implemented a program which delivered meaningful reports and sustainable results. I remember in the late 1970's, when I was a young Quality Auditor at The Gates Rubber Co. I responsible for "Raw Material" quality and put in place a manual process and reporting system to look at acceptable material lots, timely delivery and prompt customer service that was marginally effective, not scaleable beyond a single site and only supported production materials. Thirty years later not much has changed albeit the introduction of technology that has potentially accelerated the delivery of meaningless and unactionable data ... until now.

Sherry Gordon has written the first comprehensive guide for organizations to develop and implement a Supplier Evaluation and Performance Excellence program (hence the book title)that really works. She's produced a masterful "recipe" for success.

Some of the practical features of the book includes:

- How to structure a Supplier Performance Management project, including roles and responsibilities and senior management support

- A complete project plan for an SPM implementation, including tasks, key decisions and challenges

- A supplier segmentation model specifically for supplier evaluation, including types of performance information to use by supply base segment

- Sources and types of supplier performance information for evaluating both direct and indirect suppliers

- A process for developing supplier performance expectations

- A hierarchy for developing a business measurement model

- How to choose metrics that are meaningful to your organization

- Pros and cons of different evaluation approaches

- Suggested supplier evaluation processes

- How to create a good supplier survey

- How to conduct a supplier site visit

- Specific tios on the "do's and don'ts" of giving supplier performance feedback

- How to create a process for supply risk planning

- How to develop a good supplier certification process

- How to plan and run a successful supplier conference

- How to conduct a successful supplier development process

So many people love Benny Goodman's music, but know so little about the man himself. Hopefully, all of you Benny aficionados will take a crack at this excellent, well-written biography. Firestone has done copious amounts of research, interviewed many people close to BG and has produced an absolutely definitive look at the King of Swing. From cradle to grave, this provides readers with information on Benny as a musician and also as a(oftentimes difficult) human being. If you want a detailed musical analysis of Goodman, you will find it here, but there is also a gossip-y element which adds considerable spice.

Firestone illuminates Goodman's jazz beginnings, the early sidemen gigs in the 20's and then the genesis of the Swing band in the mid-30's. It was great to have thumbnail portraits of the great musicians Benny's early bands, they're all here: the frenetic, pot-loving Gene Krupa, the arrogant Harry James, the gentle Teddy Wilson and the phenomenal Lionel Hampton. At the core is Goodman himself, an extremely hard task master, perfectionist and driven man. Firestone details how nit-picky Benny could be, demanding take after take on various album cuts until it all sounded "perfect." Goodman's notorious cheapskate ways are also detailed.

If you love Goodman's music, then treat yourself to discovering what Goodman was like behind the scenes: difficult, ambitious and addicted to prescription pain killers in later years. Yet despite it all, who could swing like this man? No one.

If you are interested in the history of Jazz, this is one of the books that is essential to your collection. It's not only a great biography about an unusual but talented man, it's the story of a man who stood at the divide between swing and bop, who was a cruel band leader but who nurtured some of the great talents that followed him, who never really mastered bop but whose vision and band format was the foundation that made bop possible.

Goodman was apparently a hard man to like, and this biography squarely faces his difficult personality. He was also a genius, and incredibly hard working. This book does a good job both of telling the story of Goodman's life and the context of his music. There are many compelling anecdotes, and the story is engrossingly told.

No, not the caped crusader folks. That was the title of a 1940 original composition for the Benny Goodman band composed by Eddie Sauter. But it could also serve as a fitting eulogy for the man who became a clarinet virtuoso in both popular and classical fields of music.

Along the way he managed to be credited with launching the 'Swing Era,' was truly amazed at the fans who came to scream (yes scream) at his band's performances and dance in movie theatre isles (oh you thought it was the Beatles who started all that stuff - think again!!), became an International Ambassador to the USA through his music, playing in Moscow and other Russian cities in 1962 at the height of the cold war, and, oh yes, performed what is generally acknowledged as one of the finest performances of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. Whew! But then, you only have to listen to understand why he was so highly regarded.

As a Goodman enthusiast I have to confess to owning a large collection of his music, and I have read several mini biographies of the man. In Ross Firestone's book I found many details not previously known to me, which when combined with an excellent and well researched narrative style, combine to make outstanding reading.

From 'hot shot' clarinetist too young to wear long pants but old enough and good enough to find a place in the early dance bands of the 1920's, to 'King of Swing,' World Ambassador of popular music and classical supremo, this book manages to convey a lot about Goodman the man, perfectionist, genius and who could be a nightmare to work for.

Through some fine research it is also one of an elite group of writings that manages to bring the period to life.

Highly recommended.

Drew. Drew Savage is a lifelong big band enthusiast, presenter and the author of The Deceivers

Happily there are hundreds of 'BG' recordings still available. Here are a few of my favorites.

50 Tracks in One Day With One Hour for Lunch, Of CourseThe famous 1935 session done in a single day for radio transcription services!
Complete Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert 1938Definitive Goodman and has the distinction of being in the catalog every year since first released in 1951!!
B.G. in Hi-FiBenny was not happy with the soundtrack for the movie 'The benny Goodman Story and so recorded this Hi-Fi (for 1955!) album of his hits. Actually it sounds great.
1941 Vol 2 The 'modern' band that contained Charlie Christian on electric guitar and trumpeter 'Cootie' Williams who Benny stole from Duke Ellington's band, and the modern arrangements of Eddie Sauter and Bill Finnegan
Benny In Brussels, Vol. 1/Benny in Brussels, Vol. 2 In fine form in Europe
Mozart at TanglewoodOne for the classical fans. Benny was proud to be a performer at the first 'Mostly Mozart' festival of music in New York in 1986. Tickets for his concert were the first to sell out but sadly he died before the session and the event became something of a tribute to him.

This is really the only bio to get of BG. Collier's book "BG And The Swing Era" perpetrates many myths and inaccuracies, mainly because he seems to have this fear about going to primary sources and seems to get a lot of his information off album sleeves and from 12th-hand anecdotes. Firestone's book uncovers some interesting facts, about Benny's flirtation and near-marriage to singer Helen Ward, about the recording of the famous Carnegie Hall concert (contrary to popular myth, there was more than one overhead mike turned on that night, and the band knew they were being recorded) and Benny's near emotional breakdowns in the 50s and 60s and his near total dependence on painkillers and other medications (for a chronic bad back) that also may have altered his personality and brought on some of the bizarre behavior Goodman is infamous for. Briskly-written, filled with surprises, a fascinating read, it should be on the shelf of every jazz fan and big band enthusiast.

If you like sailing and physics this book will make you enjoy on a fourth dimension.

While written some 12 years ago this book is as fresh as a daisy. Some of the topics are still breathtaking in their implications for the future of sailing such as sailing dead downwind faster than the wind.

Already practical yachts have sailed straight into the wind, and it just awaits the technology to acheive this down wind trick.

As well there are straight forward guides as to how to handle a yacht in the real world of racing, as well as sobering discussions on the effects of breaking seas.

All in all it has made me a far more aware sailor with the knowledge to plan for exciting sailing and future fun.

Garrett goes all out in describing the real physics behind sailing. A great book for anyone with a serious need or want to understand the intricacies behind a wonderful sport. The book is very technical, especially in the latter parts. Very well written, and much less overwhelming than Marchaj.

good book for the intermediate and expert in yacht design/construction and yachting who wants to check the knowledge.

This is Book #5 of the Wagon's West Series and just as good as the previous ones.

This one deals with the war between Texas and Mexico as well as how Texas becomes a state.

A lot of our favorite characters are back and in this one Danny Taylor and Chet Harris are not only forced to make choices that will affect their lives but they also grow up rather quickly. The Blake's as well as Ginny are again in this one.

Maybe it's because it's the first non-Oregon Trail book in the series, but Texas just does not have the "oomph" of most of the other books. The major characters of the series so far take a backseat to lesser characters in this book, breaking away much of the familiarity with the series. It is still a good book, especially if you want a novel set during the Mexican-American war. However, don't lose any sleep if you are trying to read the entire series and can't find this one in your library.

I am the proud owner of the entire Wagons West Series (all 24 novels). I began reading them in high school some 19 years ago. I have just recently begun re-reading the series and it's like visiting old friends. Texas, picks up two years after the settling of Oregon and we find the United States in the process of annexing Texas into the Union. Soon old characters like Whip Holt and Lee Blake are back in the saddle doing what they do best, helping our country expand, with selfless dedication. We are introduced to new friends who display the same attributes of the earlier settlers in the Oregon series. Overall, the book is quite enjoyable, and it is almost imposssible to put down. The reader is transported to the old West, and can develop a sense of pride and understanding for those brave men and women who were the trailblazers of our American history.

Dana Fuller Ross' novels of America's great expansion into the western territories is some of the most intelligent, well written and well researched historic fiction I have read. "Texas" is Book 5 in a series of 24 novels which truly bring history to life in a panoramic saga of one of the United States' most important and fascinating periods.

By 1844 the pioneers who forged the Oregon Trail were well established in Oregon Territory. Various wagon trains had followed their lead and the American population in the Pacific Northwest began to grow at an amazing rate. The new settlers' farms, ranches, offices, boatyards, orchards and lumber mills were thriving. Men like the aging former President Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, future US President James K. Polk, Majority Leader of the US Senate, Andrew Johnson and President John Tyler planned to fulfill America's "manifest destiny" - the belief that America had a God-given right, or destiny, to expand the country's borders from "sea to shining sea." Their priorities were to settle the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain and admit Texas to the Union.

Rallying to the cause of Texas liberty from Mexico, volunteers from Oregon left their homes and joined the Texas Rangers, built the Texas navy, consented to repeat their arduous journey across the American continent and traveled east to lead wagon trains of new settlers to Texas. The United States sent wagon loads of rifles, guns and ammunition to assist the Texans, and finally the new state of Texas joined the Union as the nation's 28th state. The Mexican American War, which followed, culminated in US victory. The Texas boundary was set at the Rio Grande, and the US also bought New Mexico Province and what was called Upper California from the Mexicans. And the US/Oregon border with Great Britain was finally established at the 49th parallel.

Many of the characters from the first four books appear in "Texas" and new ones, both historical and fictitious, are introduced. Colonel Leland Blake and his wife Cathy leave their home in Oregon temporarily when they are given charge of the huge new wagon train to Texas. Danny Taylor and Chet Harris, who were adolescents on the Oregon Trail, both volunteer for the Texas Rangers to fight under their idol Captain Rick Miller. Harry Canning, another Oregon veteran, goes to Texas to put his boat building skills to use. The author gives these characters tremendous depth and illustrates how settling in the new land, along with new responsibilities, changes them and effects their relationships and lives.

The history, characters, plot and subplots in "Texas" are some of the most exciting and dynamic in the series. I love history, and while I have read and studied this period in America's development, I have learned so much from reading the first five Wagons West" books. I plan to continue until I read them all. A wonderful reading experience.
JANA

An extraordinary story told with well controlled language and subtle understatements. The book chronicles the lives in a previledged, but also marginalized, world where everyone is deeply enshrouded in his or her own loneliness : the western expatriates in China, the mixed-blood children like the author himself, the western women married to Chinese men but unable to summon any love for the country or its people, the well-cultured mem ostracized by the society for their marriages to western women. Each of them, making good-intentioned efforts to connect, failed miserably because of their own deep-rooted prejudice, social barriars imposed by other people, or simply the uncontrollable historical whirlwinds. Outside this walled-in existence, a war is raging on with unimaginable callousness. The wall would eventually crumble down and the fineness of the Legation Quarter be swallowed by the brutal and rancid humanities of that era. Reminding us at times of Proust and Graham Greene, this remembrance of things past documents, in a hushed voice, an extraordinary age and all the human efforts to stay emerged in the midst of sweeping torrents. Warmth and friendship flicker from time to time in this vast emotional void : the author's attachment to his down-to-earth and understanding nanny Shu Ma, his natural bonding with the reticent peasant Xiao Hu, and the unusual and quiet friendship between the boy and the Japanese Admiral. Language in the last couple chapters slips a little bit and becomes less disciplined. But overall this is a wonderfully written memoir. Saddened by the news of the author's death couple weeks ago, I was especially grateful for the gift he left with us in the form of this book.

I was sent a copy of this book by my mum from Australia last year and only recently had the chance to finally read the book.

It's no wonder that this book is an award winner (2000 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize). Kwan keeps you rivetted to his story, told through eyes of a young boy growing up in very turbulent times. In spite of coming from a wealthy family, it cannot save him from the terrors and turmoil brought to Northern China in the 1930s and 1940s, nor from the racial judgement passed on him for being half-Chinese and half-White.

How Kwan manages to survive is quite amazing. He is abandoned by his own mother and faces major abuses at school. Then, war begins and he begins to witness the atrocities committed by the Japanese in China. Finally, after the Japanese are defeated, he nearly loses his father to the KMT government that his father has faithfuly served through the resistance movement. He is not even safe from his own family, who try to use him as a means to extort his father for money that no longer exists.

An absolute must read for anyone interested in China, the Japanese invasion of China, and a boy's coming of age.

I read a review and an excerpt of this book in Toronto last summer, and waited anxiously for it to be published here in the States. I read it in two days, gulping it down excitedly; then I re-read it slowly, informed of the story but savoring the beautiful prose. I wrote Mr. Kwan a "fan letter," only to learn today in this forum that he passed away. I was hoping for a sequel.

I bought Michael David Kwan's "Things That Must Not Be Forgotten" after reading a glowing review in the Washington Post. I was not disappointed. It is a moving, understated memoir about Mr. Kwan's childhood years starting shortly before the outbreak of World War II and ending as the Kuomintang was breathing its last in mainland China. Although young David was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family as a "half-caste" child of a Chinese father and a Swiss mother (who abandoned the family very early in David's life), he was never considered to be a true part of either the white and Chinese communities. The editorial reviews give a good overview of the content of the book and the increasing difficulties that David and his family endured under the Japanese and even more so under the corrupt Nationalist Chinese government. The narrative is brisk and engaging; it is probably the best work of non-fiction that I have read in quite some time.

Sadly, on May 20th of this year Mr. Kwan suffered a fatal heart attack just two weeks before the official U.S.-publication of this book. We are all very fortunate that he was able to give us such a memorable farewell gift.

"Things That Must Not Be Forgotten" won the 2000 Kirayama Prize for non-fiction, beating out such well-received books as Herbert Bix's "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan," Helen Zia's "Asian American Dreams" and Chanrithy Him's "When Broken Glass Floats."

This book has taught me to experience the words that may have never been spoken if I had not of encountered Kubler~Ross through her work with the dying. We have a need to thank her for the journey she took ....

Kubler Ross- got this book right. The many telling photographs intermixed with very personal accounts of the dying and their family and friends makes for a moving and compelling journey into the emotions, experiences, challenges, disappointments of the dying.
The right balance between peronsal narratives, the authors commentary and photographs was achieved in this book- a feat most books on death and dying do not. Couple this book with Donald Heinzs book The Last Passage and as a friend, relative or caretaker of the dying youll have insight and knowledge into the world of the dying and some insights on what to do when someone you care about is dying.

Reading a book about confrontations with death and dying by the terminal ill and by their families and loved ones may not sound like anyone's idea of "escapist fare" or a good rainy day pick-me-up, but this large picture book is first and foremost about the value of life and living. Undoubtedly one of the most "important" books I have read, To Live Until We Say Good-Bye spotlights three personal stories: a New York City poet and model dying of cancer, a young girl suffering with a brain tumor, and an older woman who refuses treatment of her illness to lead the remainder of her life in her own home. The stories are remarkable because there is a touching sense of revelation to each--that none of them had perhaps lived so fully and completely until they learned time was running out. The young girl's story, "Jamie," is especially moving because it not only deals with her concerns and fears about her future, but also those of her single mother and her young brother--and, ultimately, although the process of losing a loved one is unimaginably painful, the family is able to find some peace in their ability to make the final days meaningful--and full of life. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross narrates the stories, and Mal Warshaw provides the photographs; together, they have assembled an unpretentious and dignified lesson about seeking the value in life--surely, a message that is beneficial to and yet overlooked very often by us all

The book, To Live Until We Say Good-Bye, is not your common book on dying and grief or even the medical psychology of it, as is quite internationally acknowledged with many of Kubler-Ross's previous works, i.e. On Death and Dying and On Children and Death, et cetera. Rather, out of all of her works (Kubler-Ross), I would have to say that this one is the most accessible and the most outright, in-your-face emotional, the one that really tugs at the heartstrings. But it is a work that does so in a positive, open and meaningful way. Medical and psychiatric jargon is totally set aside and the four dying patients-for whom this book is about-Beth, Jamie, Louise and Jack, are allowed to come to the forefront, to have their stories and experiences related to those (the readers) who are living or could possible be dying themselves. Accompanied by the well written text of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and the varied contributors are the affecting black and white photographs by Mal Warshaw, photos taken of the very subjects in their assorted states in the dying process. Nothing is held back in respects to the people who are profiled-the good, the bad and the ugly-yet dignity unequivocally pervades. In this book, we meet a former model (Beth), who to the very end, clung to her physical beauty as her paramount asset. However, her written poetry illustrated her articulate and intelligent substance that went way beyond looks: "Voices whispering, Beth, Beth/You can no longer stay/Hand reaching out to grasp/Helping me on my way./I'll no longer ache with sorrow/No longer feel this pain/So adieu and fare thee well now/I shan't see thee again. (P. 37). Also, we meet 71-year-old Jack, a former construction worker and rebounding alcoholic who sadly, lived to see his son die of lung cancer. But he found redemption and purpose by building doll houses for charity while as a patient at St. Rose's Home, run by the Hawthorne Dominicans in New york City. Through the series of photographs, his religious and psychological evolution becomes clearly evident, and it is a humbling and beautiful thing to see. And it is so for all those profiled, especially for Jamie and Louise, the other two patients who become are teachers. And their chapters are equally moving and powerful, if not more so. There too is an in-depth chapter on the fantastic work done by hospice and the heroics of everyday volunteers, people young and old who do not give "all" of themselves in order to give the best of themselves. All in all, To Live Until We Say Good-Bye is another great work that looks at life's final journey.

This book is a newer version of Dr. Reading's "Your Family Tree Connection." Your Family Tree Connection: The Family Tree Way to Better Health
As a recently diagnosed gluten sensitive person, I read "Trace Your Genes" and was amazed at the correlations in my family, including my brother's celiac, my cousin's colon cancer, my father's obvious (but never discussed) gas and indigestion problems and my mothers anemia and heart attack, to mention a few, and not to mention the many tell-tale signs and genetic markers he outlines in his book that reinforce his theories. It all started to make sense and helped clarify past experiences in my health. I wish I had this knowledge 20 years ago when it would have mattered to my parents and cousin.
Fortunately for you, this book was written by a medical doctor (and psychiatrist), so it will be more credible to (and help dismiss doubt from) your doctor. This book can very likely help you and help your doctor help you on your road to health. I hope you will not only read it, but also pass on copies to your loved ones and friends. I know I will.

"Trace Your Genes to Health" is more than anything else an examination of the current state of the study of heredity and medicine. The author, Chris Reading, is a physician in Australia. After graduating from medical school he became qualified in psychiatry and specialized in organic psychiatry. From this point he began to notice the relationships between vitamin-mineral deficiencies, food allergies, and genetics as they affect neuropsychiatric disorders. Soon he was able to compile data to show that there are genetic factors in many, many problems that are not generally thought to be genetic in nature. Dr. Reading has distilled his years of experience and knowledge into this book.

It is not a book designed for self-diagnosis of problems and that is good. The book does an excellent job of explaining the basics of genetics and how the various types of dominant/recessive, autosomal, and X-linked factors work together to create a genetic pattern of inheritance. Throughout the book Dr. Reading builds a persuasive case for examining the family tree as part of a more holistic approach to health than just treating a symptom that occurs in your generation. Looking at the family history may reveal many clues as to how to treat a problem as well as how to avoid it altogether.

After discussing genetics and how it works Dr. Reading goes into the details of how to make a medical family tree. It includes the information you should be looking for, how to get the information, how to diagram it, and even how to approach your doctor with your findings. This is followed with a section on various illnesses and how they might have a genetic factor. The multiple appendices include information on Illnesses, categorized for family trees, symptoms and signs, congenital defects, phenotypes, sociological data, and recommendations to help you deal with problems.

"Trace Your Genes to Health" is a guide to help you take control of your health through investigating avenues that are generally overlooked. This would be a recommended book for anyone who has noticed a pattern of medical problems in their family and wants to know what can be done to help their doctor treat them. If you suspect that your family has had a pattern of medical problems and want to deal with it before it becomes a problem for you then this book will help you build the information necessary to determine if you need to be concerned or not.

This book was recently featured in Dr. David William's newsletter, Alternatives. Dr. Williams finds Dr. Reading's work essential to creating a health plan for ourselves. I think everyone should read this book and get an understanding of how disease is created through the generations, what clues we can find from our family trees, and what we can sanely do about our health futures!

Dr Readings Book is work of a pure genius. Getting patients to track family illness to determine proper treatment is what is lacking in the current medical practice. Not only can the cause of disease be treated and identified but prevented in the newer generations. The book contains excellent case studies of those who have recovered from serious mental/physical sickness from using the knowledge of the family tree. I would recommend it as a must orthomolecular resource book.

Having just read (or more accurately - consumed) Unforgiving Tides I feel compelled to write a review. Ross Pennie has written a book that should be read by anyone who has an interest in medicine, travel, or the wonders of human suffering and triumph.

Another reviewer compared his writing to that of James Herriot and I agree. The short stories draw you in because of their wonderful description of the events with a sharp eye for detail. The stories are written in a way that creates an uncontrollable desire to know how it all turns out. One cannot start a chapter without finishing it at that sitting. And so it is a literary balance of means and ends that I have also felt when reading Herriot's animal stories.

I might offer another comparison; one to that of author/physician William Carlos Williams. Like Williams (who wrote about life as a small town physician in Patterson, New Jersey in the 20s), Pennie feels a bond with his less fortunate patients. He marvels at their place in a sometimes cruel world. He is fascinated and yet does not romanticize their plight. He shows his human side and gets angry when they lack self care or have unhealthy cultural beliefs, but nevertheless he finds an inner strength to continue and overcome.

It is a book of hope for those of us in the medical world and also for those of us not medically oriented who are simply trying to find a way to lead a meaningful life. I read the first chapter out loud to my wife (an obstetrician) and she was moved to tears. We are now in the process of planning a medical missionary overseas.

Pennie's book offers the same sort of epiphany that James Agee had when he wrote in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, that "a Harvard education is by no means an unqualified advantage." The stories reveal that medical school and internship provided basics for Pennie but only by experiencing Papua New Guinea could he really understand the power of cultural influences and being innovative in the presence of adversity.

As a former student of Dr. Pennie at McMaster Medical School, I already had respect for his intelligence and compassion. This book has taken my respect for him to a new level. I had no idea he was indeed such a creative social scribe.

I plan to give this book to the graduating class of residents where I teach in Connecticut to offer them a living example of what medicine can offer us all: a passage into the hearts and minds of those we serve; a chance to be connected to those in need who have so much to teach us; and medical missionaries are by no means easy but they can be extremely rewarding.

This book is a gift. It is a pleasure to read. You will not be disappointed.

Hugh Silk, MD
University of Connecticut, School of Medicine
Department of Family Medicine

Fresh out of medical school, author Dr. Ross Pennie volunteers to serve as a doctor on a remote island in the South Pacific. In short order, he does his first appendectomy during an earthquake, amputates a woman's leg with a hacksaw and turns the makeshift hospital into a tavern to treat alcohol poisoning victims. Through it all, Dr. Pennie performs admirably in the face of much adversity. He also saves the lives of countless children by developing an inexpensive yet nutritious formula for malnourished children. This is an absolutely fascinating read and I recommend it most highly.

Another book well worth a read is Sole Survivor, recounting the exploits of Navy Seals in Afghanistan. Both biographical books relate stories of heroism and of individuals giving so much of themselves to make a difference for other people. I suggest giving both these books a read; you'll be glad you did!

Another reader's review praised Lone Survivor and suggested it should be paired with The Unforgiving Tides by Ross Pennie as both books celebrate the contribution of the individual in the face of great adversity. Based on this review, I decided to pick up both books, and I'm very glad I did.
Both books are astonishingly engaging and interesting true life accounts of individuals making a positive difference in remote regions of our world. Both books relate tales of courage and determination and both are very, very inspiring.
In Sole Survivor, the contribution is chiefly a military one, that of bringing justice and freedom to an impoverished people. In the Unforgiving Tides, the contribution is medical: A young doctor just out of medical school goes to a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean and confronts hostility, indifference, witch doctors and harmful magic while bringing proper health care to a forgotten people. In doing so, Dr. Pennie has to perform his first appendectomy during an earthquake, amputate a patient's leg with a hacksaw and deal with bizarre customs, all with a sense of humor and a writing style that keeps you reading constantly to the end.
My heartfelt thanks to reviewer Sandra Brown for alerting me to both great books, I'm praising them both to everyone and I hope amazon pairs them to save my friends some money. I whole heartedly agree these are two wonderful books and I highly recommend both Sole Survivor and The Unforgiving Tides.

Imagine being plucked out of medical school and dropped on a remote island in the South Pacific. This is the true story of The Unforgiving Tides, of author Ross Pennie's incredible adventures amid jungle conditions and witch doctors and magic. I found I could not put this book down for a second. This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in travel to exotic places, or medicine or the heroic saving of lives in adverse conditions. Highly recommended.

Oh the American celebrities - why does no one take them seriously? They have so many opinions that they want to share with us, so many enlightening thoughts, but every time they open their mouths the common people turn away in disgust. Just what is going on? Well, read this book and find out.

This hilarious book is filled with goofy quotes and silly anecdotes. Hear the words of wisdom of Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone, Britney Spears, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee, among many, and be amazed! Why do we follow their every move? It must be for the comedy value! Get this book and learn the truth about America's glitterati!

I read this book while stuck on a train that was delayed for hours. It was so really ENTERTAINING that the time flew by!

I can tell you that I will never, ever look at any "star" with the same sense of admiration. Sometimes behind the sparkling image there is absolutely nothing of any value. Combine those empty-heads with a super-sized false sense of entitlement and a BIG MOUTH, and you've got the mega-laughs of Kathryn & Ross Petras' wonderful book!

This book was one of the more entertaining ones I've read. I was in suspense most the time and laughed until my stomach hurt. Great writers and great info. I reccomend this book to all who enjoy celebrity gossip and stories.

If you ever wondered what your favorite celebrities are like in "real life", you've GOT to read this book. Mostly, you will find yourself laughing out loud but be warned some of the quotes in Unusually Stupid Celebrities are so shockingly stupid, they may bring you to tears. All in all, this book is great, light-reading fun! I highly recommend it. Kathryn and Ross Petras have once again produced a well-written, hilarious, winner! (Take this one to the beach.)

This is one of the better cd sets available on birds of Central and South America. There are two cds, covering 220 birds- available as of this writing from Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithollgy for $29.95.

CD 1 covers tinamous, raptors, doves, parrots, owls, hummingbirds, trogons, motmots, barbets, woodpeckers, foliage-gleaners, and antbirds.

CD 2 covers antbirds, becards, manakins, wrens, thrushes, warblers, caciques, oropendolas, euphonias, tanagers, grosbeaks and sparrows.

Since there is much variety, songs and calls do not become monotonous as in other Cornell releases featuring only antbirds, or only parrots. The wren family comes across as having the most consistently beautiful voices in this collection.

Here are the (for me) outstanding voices of the set:

Black-breasted Wood-Quail, Gray-breasted Crake, Red-lored Parrot, Common Potoo, Rufous Motmot, Gray-throated Leaftosser, Black-chested Jay, Plain Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren, Bay Wren, Black-throated Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Song Wren, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Chestnut-headed Oropendola - and the piece de resistance, the Montezuma Oropendola.

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, the set is indispensible. For sheer pleasure though, it is a delight to listen in wonder at the variety of voices in this tropical setting. Recommended for ornithologists, travelers and bird lovers in general.

I've been to Costa Rica on several trips. If you are a nature person, or birder that is interested in nature sounds, and knowing what they are, then this tape is indispensible. There is more information available on this title from tinkfrog.com, or any websearch of the title. These CDs cover several vocalization types for many of the over 220 species, call, songs, drumming of woodpeckers. With this and the voice descriptions in the field guide, you've a chance at recognizing, and finding more birds.

For a location that gets a lot of birders there is very little in the way of recordings available for Costa Rica. Don't let the title fool you, a great number of the birds presented on this set are also on the Pacific Slope. The quality of the recordings is very good, and over two-hundred species are resented. I found it very helpful in learning the calls of the birds of Costa Rica

Want to train yourself to recognize the 25% of the Costa Rican birds species by its voices? Then, you have to listen both CD's. I heard them few months ago when my fauna teacher put emphasis in the bird identification (I'm a forestry student --Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica). Sometimes, when you are in a dense forest or thicket you can only hear the birds, so, you need a non-visual way to identify them....and here it is. I bought the "Indicator Birds of the Costa Rican Cloud Forest" (from the same Laboratory of Ornithilogy) and I hear it in my house to train my ears in the identification of non common birds.

Buy it, I'm gonna buy it too.