Ross Books

We live in a life-care community. I shall try to give this book to our health care center activities person, and to anyone I know who is having difficulties with dementia in a loved one, as well as to the active clergy of our acquaintance. The point Hill makes--requesting equal rights for the demented dying as for those who are in full possession of their mental faculties--is one that had never occurred to me before I read this book. I kept thinking (naturally) of my own mother, who for at least six months, and perhaps longer, didn't know anyone, and who seemed not to have anything at all to "get off her chest." Hill's entertaining (yes, it is) story of her wonderfully eccentric and charming parent made it clear that no matter what is happening, the person it's happening to is still somehow the same as in years past, at least enough so that it is cruel to ignore his or her need for expression. Whether there are old wounds to heal or bridges to mend is really secondary. Read this lovely essay and learn!

This is the most moving memoir I have ever read. The intimacy Sheridan Hill shares with her readers and close attention to details is breath taking. I could not put it down. Astonishing and simply beautiful.

This is a must read for the hospice community and the families they serve.

I could not put this book down, so real, taking us to that uncharted territory, the death of our mother. How do we stay present, how do we understand our relationship, how do we face death and find life?
Sheridan Hill tells her story with such detail and honesty. I am no longer afraid of death, for my parents or myself after reading this book.

Refreshing for the heart -- as eternal family values wait til the end of one's life to come to light. I want my siblings to read this. How I wish I had had time with my own mother before her passing!

I'm one of the "baby boom" generation, we who once shouted "never trust anyone over twenty-five!" And now we are in our forties, fifties, and sixties, often facing alone the crisis of the death of a parent or loved one. Our culture has ill prepared us for this passage, a society that dwells on youth and so carefully hides away death. I lost both of my parents several years back and only wish I had first read Ms. Hill's book, it would have served as a guide, and reaffirmed as well the rightness of decisions I made for the sake of my mother and father. It is not a book about death, it is a book about living and sharing to the fullest one's final journey with a parent.

I will freely admit I wept repeatedly as I read Ms. Hill's beautifully crafted tome which honors and celebrates her mother's final months. Reading it made me realize that so much of what I experienced was valid, that I was not alone in my feelings and gave me new and hopeful insights into my own life and the spiritual journey of my mother and father.

If you just read these reviews and do not buy the book, please heed her advice from this reviewer. Listen to your parents now, talk with them, share and recall all the moments, good and bad, and fight with all your passion to insure their time of passage is a time that is respectful of their dignity. Though I do hope you purchase this work even though the subject might be the last one on your mind at this moment. For someday it will occupy your life front and center and Ms. Hill is a guide you can turn to and trust.

Ross has done a masterful job in bringing together concepts that affect all areas of our lives. You can apply the ideas contained in these pages to improve your home life, work or occupation, social and above all your spiritual growth. Manipulation and control currently breed resentment in those it is being perpetrated upon. Most people don't realize they are doing it. To analyze your own behavior and stop the manipulation will not only improve your own quality of life, but it will also affect those around and close to you. I highly recommend this book!

Ross has done a masterful job in bringing together concepts that affect all areas of our lives. You can apply the ideas contained in these pages to improve your home life, work or occupation, social and above all your spiritual growth. Manipulation and control currently breed resentment in those it is being perpetrated upon. Most people don't realize they are doing it. To analyze your own behavior and stop the manipulation will not only improve your own quality of life, but it will also affect those around and close to you. I highly recommend this book!

The author defines 'Authentic Power' as "the power to consistently obtain what we truly desire" (which is in itself a somewhat question begging definition, but strongly reminiscent of what Senge and others call 'personal mastery'). The book falls most closely into the growing field of books concerned with personal development, with a business audience in mind. It provides a useful review of mental models of power and how they shape our reality and a guide to building power and exercising power through self-empowerment.
Though useful, it does not in my opinion replace Hillman: Kinds of Power: Guides to its Intelligent Uses. (1995)

Authentic power comes from within, but such power is best demonstrated as personal strength and not a desire to impose one's will on others. The Quest For Authentic Power by G. Ross Lawford adroitly blends psychology, theology and business theory to outline a new view of power and how to achieve it - without manipulation.

When I first read this book in the Soring of 2002, I likened it to opening a window and filling my lungs with fresh air. I saw patterns, limits, stumbling blocks I had known and experienced as old style power and could detach from those power sources, even if they came from others.

New possibilities, strengths and creative solutions followed with a new found intentionality for choices made. In 2003 I am convinced the book is invaluable for leadership in volunteerism, and work, and for personal life changes. Now I am pulling the book's ideas forward again to help do some difficult staff training and development.

This is not a long book, but an important read for new perspectives.

M.J. Franklin, Volunteer Leader, Adult Educator, Grandparent and Spouse.

When I checked this out at my local library and read this to my kids, I knew I had to have this in my home! This book was so fun to read with my kids and they LOVED it so much. I loved because it reminded me of them so much! Even wrote the author to let her know and found out we grew up in neighboring towns! Your kids will enjoy this fun day with this little girl as she deals with her three grumpies. ENJOY!!

i am a preschool teacher from witchita and feel i have to share how enchanting this adorable book is. my kids love it, ask for it by name, and have me read it multiple times before they feel they can move on to their snacks. when my kids love something, they really love something, and they LOVE this book!

This is one of those books that kids ask for again and again, and refer to all the time.

Everyone wakes with a case of the Grumpies on occasion. And when it happens to the narrator, she tries to get rid of them. The adults in her world offer reasonable advice but she figures this one out for herself.

Your kids will wonder when the Grumpies are coming to their house--it doesn't seem like such a bad thing after all.

This book is an excellent way of explaining to children why some days they just don't feel so happy. The illustrations couldn't be better. This book is written in a way that any child could understand. This book is a must have and a must read for every parent! I hope to see more books from this first time author.

I took this book to school and it has become an instant HIT! My class loves it!! The librarian loves it! The school counselor and attendance staff love it as well! What a delightful, FUN, warm and charming story. We love how The Three Grumpies shares that Grumpy Days just sometimes happen and ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING. The story is not preachy nor is it sappy - it is witty and well, just WONDERFUL. Our copy is already well loved and it has only been a week or so. We may need to order another copy soon! My kindergarten students want me to share that they think that the story is funny and that the pictures are "awesome" and that they would like another story from this author VERY SOON!

I have been dealing with anxiety since 2002, and Panic attacks for the last two years. Since I've been ready this book it has help me in so many ways! For people that are dealing with Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias I would get this book and fast. Thanks to Jerilyn Ross!

This is a good book. It was referred to me by my psychiatrist for OCD. Although it did not address my issues and help me much with my needs, it did make me realize that my problems compare little to some of the issues and difficulties other people have! I liked the book very much and found it very encouraging and informative.

Having "been there, done that" (anxiety), I've read a lot of books about the subject and I can highly recommend Triumph Over Fear. It's an inspiring, motivating book that covers all the bases.

I'd been a professional speaker for many years, traveling throughout the country giving presentations and teaching classes, then I was in a car accident and became agoraphobic. I told myself that I'd give myself all the time that I needed to heal; I'd concentrate on my writing and not travel for a while. Giving myself time to heal was a great start--I had another book published during those years (and even had a "brush" with an Oprah producer who pitched the idea of having me on the show)--but it had become easier and easier to stay home. I needed to do more. I had to "work" the ideas in Jerilyn's book so I could get back in my car and drive to the mall and go to the movies and, finally, travel again.

Jerilyn shares her own experience with having had anxiety and having recovered from it, then addresses the various anxiety disorders-agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive, panic, post-traumatic stress, social phobia, and generalized anxiety-and gives case studies that illustrate each of them. She also discusses treatment options and shares good solid expertise, common sense, and proven exercises.

Being a writer myself, I loved her suggestion to keep a diary. I also liked the idea of labeling the anxiety and paying careful attention to the thoughts and behaviors that trigger it. I worked the program myself rather than with a therapist, although I did attend a peer support group for a while. And yes, it was a challenge to drive to those meetings, but they were so helpful and necessary! At one time my anxiety had become so pervasive that I found myself wondering who I'd be without it. Jerilyn even addresses that issue in the chapter, "Becoming Acquainted with the New You."

Today I'm feeling better than I have in years. Read Triumph Over Fear for a clearer understanding of anxiety and for the proven, practical guidelines for getting on with your life. - Kathleen Hawkins, president of winningspirit.com and author of Spirit Incorporated: How to Follow Your Spiritual Path from 9 to 5

Having suffered from panic disorder and phobias on and off for about 15 years,I have seen lots of therapists and read lots of books, none of which touched me like Triumph Over Fear. The author, Jerilyn Ross, is the first person I've encountered who combines both the knowledge of someone who has successfully worked with patients for over 20 years with the empathy and compassion of someone who has been there herself. As I read through Jerilyn's personal story and the various case studies of patients whom she has treated I realized that in spite of what well meaning therapists or authors can teach me about panic attacks, only someone who has experienced the irrational, seemingly out-of control spiralling of an attack can give me the assurance and confidence I needed to move forward. In addition, the self-help portion of the book gave me specific, practical things to work on by myself and with my therapist - which ultimately lead me to making wonderful personal progress. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from panic attacks as well as to family members trying to understand their loved ones' condition.

I've been dealing with an anxiety problem for about 10 years now, only I have been doing it the wrong way with countless drugs given to me by my doctor. There comes a crossroads when you just can't do it like that anymore. I spent the past 3 years getting off the drugs that have done more harm than good and am now learning what I should have learned in the beginning. I have read a ton of books on this disorder and to be honest, some of them you feel the need to have a dictionary beside you they are so complex. The writers forget they are writing the book for people who are not familiar with medical terminology in their everyday lives. Triumph Over Fear is different from the rest in many ways. First, it is easy to understand for just about anyone and is clearly written. Most importantly, it isn't written by someone who has merely studied the problem but has never actually felt what it's like to go through it. It makes no difference how many medical books you have read, how many people you have met, how many letters you have added to the end of your professional name. Unless you've been through this problem you really cannot fully understand it. This author has and that makes her words that much more powerful. This book should be in everyone's home whether you are suffering currently with anxiety or deal with someone you are trying to help but just can't seem to understand why they feel the way they do. Don't wait as long as I did, your life is waiting but the freedom is in you.

In addition to this book, I recommend "Don't panic"-R. Reid Wilson/ and also "the anxiety and phobia workbook" those are more technical and extremely complete in every detail.

While the loss of both legs gets your attention, the way Allen has chosen to live his life since is the real story, making him a true American Hero. This book illistrates his courage and struggles openly as he shares the unabashed truth of his entire life with no holds barred.
I had the rare privledge of introducing Allen to a group of 200 stout hearted men where he highlighted his book "Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior". He was an inspiration for all in attendance who learned he is indeed a healing warrior and patriot.
You are in for a real treat... an inspiring, must read.

I've had the privilege of knowing Allen and his family for some years. While I knew the stories behind his long and fruitful journey, in reading this book, I was still moved by the intensity of the pain that he met head on with steady determination. His testiment to Christ is clear. For those who will come to know him through this wondrerful book, his capacity to place himself in others' thoughts, sentiments and needs is also clear. So too is his wit throughout it all. Read this book for the journey to the sure, certain peace that we all seek. While his journey is unique, as is all of ours, his approach and commitment to the journey through his embrace of God and fellow man is universal. Allen's story is for the ages.

I read this book at a very important time in my life, when I needed to learn from a man of courage, faith, and selflessness. Allen Clark is all that, and this book moved me greatly. His open heart, quick wit, and trust in the Lord will inspire all who read it. It's not a book about Vietnam. It's a book about a man's journey through life under extraordinary circumstances who is lifted up by his faith and becomes a disciple we should all emulate.

Allen's book tells the story of a remarkable journey taken by an even more remarkable man. In the face of adversity, he summons the courage to face each situation head on, learns from it, strengthens his faith, and moves on to the next challenge. I highly recommend this book.

Allen Clark's book is a very poignant and compelling recounting of an American patriot's answering his country's call to arms. Set during the timultuous 60's when America was mired in those unpopular and far-off jungles and ricepaddies known as Vietnam, "Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior" tells the story of a scrapy Texas kid who yearned to get into the Military Academy at West Point, how he graduated and became an elite Combat Special Forces Officer and then volunteered to go into battle overseas; how he was wounded and knocked down by the enemy and then how he was picked back up and learned to walk yet once again via the Guiding Hand of GOD. This is indeed a timeless story of one soldier's ability to triumph and overcome some of the most haunting and hurtful exeriences of war; A war fought first against the enemy without and then fought again against the enemy within. As a Vietnam veteran who knows both Allen Clark and some of the soldiers mentioned herein, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who may need to encounter firsthand the very essence of HOPE, COURAGE, FAITH and LOVE.

I love reading Amber Brown to the family, I started to read about Amber Brown when I was in the 2nd grade & I have loved it ever since, So now I pass it on to my younger Brothers and Sister!!
Its Great reading fun with a sense of humor!!! Its perfect for kids and anyone else reading it!!! Really Funny too = )

This was a very good book, great for kids in the third or fourth grade. Ambers best friend moves away, because his father gets a new job. Amber has alot to deal with now. Her parents are not together and she has lost her best friend. This book shows how Amber copes with all these things. It also is helpful in showing you how to make new friends. Great book, would recommend it to everyone who has ever felt a little left out or just lonely at times.

I picked Amber Brown is not a Crayon because I like the book very much and I like reading something that is funny. And like Amber brown she is a teenage girl like I am.She talk about things that I would talk about.She goes through things that most girls and families goes through.There was one book that she wrote was Amber Brown goes to fourth grade and her mom tries so herd to get her up for school and she makes up the most stupid lies that I have ever heard .But in the end her mom makes go to school anyways .And I will rate this book to 5 stars because that is a very good book. I reccomend all people out there read this book.

Amber Brown is not a Crayon is a 5 stars book! I suggest you read this because in the book Amber's friend Justin moves away!! If you've ever had a best friend move away, you would love this book! Amber has had a very tough life because her mom and dad are divoriced. She bairly ever gets to see her dad. She really loves her mom and dad both and wishes that they would get back together again! If your parents are divoriced then you would know how Amber feels. When I read this book I said to myself this is the best book I've ever read and then when I told my class they agreed! So that is how good it is!! If you don't read this you'll be very sorry. So just put down that gameboy and nintendo and get reading!! As I said before I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down!! Other books that are in the Amber Brown series are Amber Brown Forever, Amber Brown You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, and Amber Brown goes Fourth!!

I have read all the Amber Brown books, and I LOVE all of them! Amber Brown is in fourth grade. Her life is falling apart. Her parents got divorced, her best friend moved away, and her mom isn't too nice. Plus her mom is getting remarried, she found a new best friend , and her dad is moving back. Amber is real funny and is always getting detention at school. I LOVE the books, and highly recommend them.

Over the years I have bought two text books on this difficult subject, and never could get past more than two chapters. In contrast, this book is both readable and extremely well organized with a summary of the main points at the end of each chapter. For any formulas used in the text, he defines the symbols along with the formula. No looking back to early chapters.

Highly recommended.

Even after having collected and read quite a few of the modern textbooks on architectural acoustics, Egan's Architectural Acoustics (1988 hardback edition in my case) still stands as the most accessible first foray into the subject. I frequently use this book in my consulting practice when I need to illustrate a fundamental concept, such as sound isolation, auditorium shaping, or the basic acoustical conditions necessary to support various styles of music. Even though the binding has mechanically failed, I have not yet been able to bring myself to part with the book long enough to have it rebound. Perhaps the new softcover binding will actually hold up better to repeated reading, as this book will surely receive and deserve!

Since first encountering Egan's text a little more than 20 years ago, I've continued to return to it for solid information. Complex material is presented in a way that allows me to apply it to unique conditions at hand. Some of the world-class acoustics consultants with which we've had the privilege to work rely on Egan to help communicate complex ideas. Without compromising too much real technical nuance, the ideas are so clearly communicated that I was able to offer the book to members of a church in eastern Europe working to improve the condition of their worship space.

I'm a architecture student and I think this book is like a bible of acoustics in architecture. It brings detailed info for designing places with good acoustic performance whit various technics and for the most different type of places like a simple residential to auditoriums and concert rooms. I have other acoustics books (like William Cavanaugh's) and they always make mention to David Egan's book. If you're in search on books about architectural acoustics, I think that must be the first one to buy. It's a must have in any architect biblioteque.

I am an acoustical consultant... I have read a lot of books onarchitectural acoustics. I found this book unique of its kind. The concepts are introduced by plenty of figures and illustrations with informative text that make the discussed subject easy to read and comprehend especially by the architects. Writing on the figures and using checklists added a lot of understandibility. Also the text itself is informative and directly address the subject. In other words, the book is excellent and comprehensive.

There are a lot of similarities here between Barney's story and Jake La Motta's story and they both could have been RAGING BULL the movie. This book is concise and written very smoothly--an even-flow to read thru.
A good boxing and Jewish lifestyle book at the same time.

Every few years I stumble across a short, breezy biography that far better treats its subject than it would have at ten times the length. "Barney Ross" is one of these delights.

Douglas Century's story of Jewish boxer Barney Ross renders an evocative portrait of the forgotten, dangerous world inhabited by the ancestors of today's American Jews a century ago.

Ross's father was a Talmudic scholar, chased from the old country by pogroms, and murdered in the new one during an armed robbery. The family was scattered. Ross boxed for money to get the youngest brothers out of an orphanage, which he did.

The book illuminates two colorful groups of yore: Jewish boxers and gangsters. Both groups - the one aboveboard, the other not - speak to a Jewish yearning for strength, as well as an ambivalence about it, after centuries of weakness. Judaism disparaged athletics, let alone criminal violence, from the time of the Greeks and Maccabees.

Tough guys - shtarkers, in Yiddish - weren't what their mothers wanted them to be, but had credibility on the Lower East Side and Chicago's Maxwell Street, where Ross grew up. Both gangsters and boxers stood up for their people when no one else would, defending their neighborhoods against interlopers.

Ross, who simultaneously held three titles in the 1930s, was definitely one tough boychik. In 81 pro fights, he was never knocked out. That includes the last one in which, over the hill, he was savagely beaten by Henry Armstrong. Virtually helpless, he took an estimated 1200 punches, but refused to go down and kept answering the bell. He never said "no mas" in any language.

He was just as tough at Guadalcanal, enlisting in the Marines at the advanced age of 33. He fought alone through a harrowing night to defend several wounded and cutoff men, firing hundreds of rounds and throwing dozens of grenades. They were finally relieved the next day. Around Ross's foxhole lay two dozen dead Japanese soldiers.

Hospitalized for three months, Ross began a morphine addiction which nearly killed him. He fought it just as courageously, turning himself in for arrest so that he could be sent to a prison specializing in drug addiction treatment. His drug addiction tainted his celebrity; a planned biopic was quashed and turned instead into a fictional story loosely based on his life. This is why most people today have never heard of him.

Ross worked to raise money and Holocaust awareness even as the Warsaw ghetto uprising raged. He smuggled guns to the Irgun for battles leading to Israel's independence. And he may have been one of the Jewish tough guys who terrorized Nazi sympathizers in Chicago in the 1930s. Another was Jack Ruby, a friend of Ross's; Ross last entered the public eye when he was questioned by the Warren Commission about Ruby's early entanglements with Chicago gangsters.

As Century notes, Ross was special. He retained religious ties throughout his life. He didn't have much of a mean streak, apologizing to his sparring partners for hurting them and showing little taste for putting away a weakened opponent. To Jews, boxing was a means to an end, a way out of poverty. When times changed, twenty years later, there were no more Jewish boxers. This little book is a reminder of what life was like for American Jews before they succeeded.

I KNEW BARNEY ROSS WHEN I WAS A YOUNG LAD GROWING UP IN THE SUBURS OF NEWARK NEW JERSEY. BARNEY SUGERMAN Z'L, MY FATHER AND BARNEY ROSS WERE CLOSE CLOSE FRIENDS. SUGIE AS MY FATHER WAS ALSO KNOWN WAS IN THE JUKE BOX AND GAME BUSINESS. HE CAME OUT OF THAT VERY SPECIAL WORLD OF PROHIBITION, ROARING 20'S, PROUD JEWS INCLUDING MOBSTERS AND PRIZE FIGHTERS. POP HAD HIS OFFICES AND BUSINESS ON JUKE BOX ROW, TENTH AVENUE AND 43RD STREET IN MANHATTAN. BARNEY ROSS WAS AT THE OFFICE TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK AND AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, THE TWO BARNEYS WOULD MAKE THE ROUNDS IN THE CITY. DOUGLAS CENTURY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF CONVEYING THE TRUE PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER OF BARNEY ROSS. THE BOOK IS OUTSTANDING. IT CAPTURES THE TRUE SPIRIT OF BARNEY ROSS. I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN BARNEY ROSS WOULD SAY HELLO TO YOU, IT MADE YOU FEEL YOU WERE SPECIAL. HE HUGGED YOU, KISSED YOU, AND HE BLESSED YOU IN PERFECT HEBREW AND IN PERFECT YIDDISHE. HE WAS A REAL PROUD JEW AND HE KNEW THAT HE CARRIED ON HIS SHOULDERS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF JEWISH PRIDE TO A NATION THAT HAD NOT YET FULLY ACCEPTED THE JEWISH PEOPLE. IN FACT GROWING UP, ANTI SEMITISM WAS NOT A RARE OCCURENCE. BARNEY CARRIED THE CROWN OF JEWISH PRIDE WHEREVER HE WENT. I WILL TELL ONE STORY. IN THE MID 50'S I WAS A STUDENT AT BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY WHICH WAS A SCHOOL ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAPTISTS. IN THOSE DAYS, THERE WAS A LIMIT ON JEWS GOING TO BUCKNELL, WE HAD A 5% QUOTA. SO WE HAD ONE JEWISH FRATERNITY HOUSE. IN MY JUNION YEAR, 1958, WE HAD AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR THE ANNUAL SPORTS EVENING. ALL THE ATHLETES OF THE SCHOOL WENT TO THE ANNUAL DINNER. SOMEBODY KNEW THAT MY FATHER AND BARNEY ROSS WERE CLOSE FRIENDS, AND THE SCHOOL BOXING COMMITTEE ASKED ME IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO INVITE BARNEY ROSS TO COME UP TO THE SCHOOL TO GIVE A SPEECH. I CALLED POP. HE SPOKE TO BARNEY ROSS. BARNEY RIGHT AWAY SAID OF COURSE HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO IT. THAT WAS BARNEY ROSS. THE WORD "NO" DIDN'T EXIST IN HIS VOCABULARY. I TOLD POP TO MAKE SURE HE WAS UP BY 4 OR 4.30 BECAUSE THE DINNER WAS SCHEDULED FOR 6 PM. POP PICKED BARNEY UP EARLY IN THE MORNING. IT WAS NO MORE THAN A 4 HOUR DRIVE UP THROUGH ROUTE 22 TO MAKE IT TO LEWISBURG PENNSYLVANIA. BUT NO SIGN OF THE TWO BARNEYS AND BY 5 PM. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE SCHOOL. FINALLY AT SIX PM ON THE DOT THE BIG BLUE FOUR DOOR CADILLAC PULLED UP AND OUT CAME BARNEY ROSS WITH BARNEY SUGERMAN. BARNEY ROSS SMELLED LIKE HE FELL INTO A BATH TUB OF WHISKEY. I ASKED POP WHAT THE HELL TOOK HIM SO LONG. POP EXPLAINED THAT BETWEEN NEW YORK CITY AND LEWISBURG PENNSYLVANIA BARNEY ROSS INSISTED ON STOPPING IN EACH TOWN AND HAVE A DRINK. AS SOON AS HE WALKED INTO A BAR IN THOSE LITTLE BLUE COLLAR TOWNS IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, GUYS IMMEIDATELY RECOGNIZED HIM AND BEFORE LONG, "BARNEY HAVE ANOTHER DRINK ON THE HOUSE, AND TELL US ABOUT THE FIGHT WITH TONY CANZONERI, WITH JIMMY MC LARNIN, ETC."

WE BROUGHT BARNEY INTO OUR SAMMY HOUSE FRATERNITY. HE WAS SURROUNDED BY ALL THE GUYS IN THE FRATERNITY WHO WANTED TO SAY HELLO TO BARNEY ROSS AND SHAKE HIS HAND, ETC. BARNEY ROSS HOWEVER WAS THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND. I WAS WONDERING HOW THE HELL HE WAS GOING TO GIVE A SPEECH AT THE SPORTS NIGHT EVENT.

WE WENT TO THE DINNER. THE PLACE WAS MOBBED WITH ALL THE JOCKS AT BUCKNELL. NATURALLY, THE VAST MAJORITY WERE NOT JEWISH. BARNEY GOT UP TO SPEAK. HE HUGGED THE MICROPHONE AND HE STARTED TO SPEAK. HE SPOKE SO QUIETLY, BUT SO ELOQUENTLY AND SO PASSIONATELY ABOUT HIS LIFE GROWING UP AS A JEWISH BOY IN CHICAGO, HIS FATHER'S TRAGIC MURDER, HIS ENTRY INTO BOXING, HIS CAREER, HIS FIGHTS, HIS WAR TIME EXPERIENCE, HIS DRUG ADDICTION AS A RESULT OF THE WOUNDS HE SUFFERED DURING THE BATTLE AT GUADACANAL AND HIS STUGGLE TO BEAT THE HABIT. THAT EVENT TOOK PLACE NEARLY FIFTY YEARS AGO. I REMEMBER IT LIKE IT HAPPENED TONIGHT. BARNEY ROSS WAS A CHAMPION AS A FIGHTER, BOTH IN THE RING AND IN THE BATTLEFIELD BUT THAT NIGHT HE WAS A CHAMPION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. KOLHAKAVOD TO DOUGLAS CENTURY. HIS BOOK IS A TRIBUTE TO THE TRUE CHARACTER OF BARNEY ROSS

I highly recommend this book. I read for entertainment and was
thoroughly entertained. You do not have to be an admirer of the
great pugilists of the past to enjoy this book. God bless Barney
and what he left us.

...and it's a right pity so few Jewish youngsters have never even heard of the former champ Barney Ross -- the "Pride of the Ghetto."

I'd first heard about Century's book over at the always insightful website, www.nextbook.org, where he was interviewed over a seven minute stretch about the life and times of the second- (of two) most famous Jewish pugilist of all-time, other than Benny Leonard.

Century demonstrates a deft skill with the pen and a remarkable savvy for the entire era and the relevant subject material. It clearly shines through in his compact historial narrative of the period.

I'd wanted to read over the reviews of this book before devlving into my own -- figuring that if you're really keen on knowing what the book's about, you don't need me to tell you that....the editorial reviews do more than an adequate job.

Within Barney Ross' pages, expect a raft of feelgood as you stream through fellow-Canadian Century's well-crafted prose. He collates what -- to this scribe at least -- seems to be a wealth of source material in order to carve out a delectable read. In what might otherwise be a biography of the late fighter, Century eschews the traditional format of "he was born in 1909..." and opts for a more 'filmic' approach -- I swear a camera could've been trained on any one of these scenes.

You'll breeze through the initial pages figetedly, reading of the shooting murder of Ross' Talmudic-scholar father in his tiny Maxwell Street fruit shop by a pair of Chicago street thugs, then you'll root for Barney -- ne Beryl Rasofsky -- as he vows to regain his family's fallen honour -- having lost his mother to a wellness sanitorium in Connecticut and his siblings to a local Chi-Town orphanage.

You'll pump your fists silently, as you sip your preferred beverage, reading about Ross' earliest victories on the canvas and in the ring, then rallying to the fighter's side as he continues to rise through the amateur -- then professional -- ranks, on his way to boxing lightweight and welterweight stardom.

When Armstrong clobbers Ross in their to the wire slugfest, ending Ross' illustrious career, it'll tug at your heartstrings, while it continues to thump on that same spot uncomfortably as you read about Ross' subsequent enlistment in the US Marine Corps then of his injuries sustained at Guadalcanal.

When you learn of his resultant addiction to morpheine, and then Ross' subsequent long battle to trump it, you're bound to be affected.

Thanks to Barney Ross, I'm super keen on having a look at Century's other stuff. I'm sure it's moving all the same.

One of the most famous - and infamous - letters in all of literature, De Profundis is a strange little piece of work: either much more than it appears on the surface, or much less. It is something I think everyone should read, if only for its insight into the human character, particularly that of one under great personal suffering. Wilde wrote this extraordinarily long letter from prison to Lord Alfred Douglas, his friend, lover, and the man who - by all accounts - was the reason Wilde was in jail in the first place. Despite repeated assertions in the first few pages alone to the contrary, Wilde seems reluctant to blame himself. He clearly blames Douglas to the hilt, and harbors a certain bitter resentment towards him. And yet... he clearly still hold much dear affection toward - and even loves - Douglas. He still seems to be asking for forgiveness - despite the fact that, by all accounts hardly excluding his own, he was the man wronged. It is quite clear from reading this letter that, desite the view history holds of him, Wilde was clearly a man of very high moral character. Certainly, one would not put Wilde atop a pedastal as the zenith of ethics - he himself says that morals contain "absolutely nothing" for him, and clearly admits - and is proud of - his having lived the high life to the hilt during his youth - but Wilde was a man of principles, and he stuck to those principles to the tragic, bitter end. Perhaps you might say he carried them too far. One gets the sense in reading this letter - or a biography of Wilde - that, not only could he have stopped his immiment imprisonment, but could have severed his ties with Douglas completely - had he wanted to. Apparently, he had his own utterly compelling reasons for not doing so. Whatever the case, Oscar Wilde is one of the most fundamentally and perpetually interesting characters in the whole of history. A self-described man of paradoxes - Wilde was subsequently the true essence of his time, while also being far ahead of his time - De Profundis makes for required reading by one of the most endlessly fascinating individuals you'll ever read about, and also provides a startling - indeed, perhaps too much so - insight into human nature.

De Profundis, though long for a letter, is not a long work in the conventional sense. Consequently, as many editions of Wilde's collected works are available, buying this on its own may be deemed questionable. I highly reccommend purchasing a Collected Works of Oscar if you have not done so already - it's well worth the price - but, should you desire to have more compact editions of specific works, an edition such as this will be privy to your needs.

This is a very moving account of a heartbroken man who was betrayed by a person he loved dearly. The pain, the trauma, the love, the anger, the frustration is evident in every single well-written sentence. This book is not only a window into the mind of one of the best British writers of the late 19th century. It is also a timeless lesson on what can happen when one falls in love with someone who doesn't truly appreciate what they have before them. Of course there are other lessons to be learned in this book but rather than point them out here, I'd much prefer you pick up a copy of "De Profundis" as soon as you can.

Not actually a "letter," though it had to be originally presented as such for him to be allowed to write it while in prison, *De Profundis* is Wilde's masterpiece--one has to have really lived and really, really suffered to have written it and it's amazing that he achieved it.

I only very recently read it--and "got" it. It rings true to me, and is very, very moving and "profound." It ain't summer beach reading.

Wilde is still and will probably always be best known as a "Personality"--that and the author of a couple of decent period plays, a short novel, a few stories, and lots of forgettable poems and such. But THIS--THIS is IT.

He really WAS a great writer, it turns out, after all.

So many people concentrate on De Profundis' accusations cast towards Alfred Douglas. Yes, it's true that the letter was written to him and that Wilde is ruthless in letting Douglas know exactly what he thinks of him but that's not why De Profundis is a great piece of work. It is great for three reasons. Number one - It contains the best account of the life of Christ. Christ as the romantic artist is the only account that has moved me to tears and the only account I can personally embrace. Number two - it is chock full of the Oscar Wilde voice and wit and as a result it reverbates as a true work of art and number three - It is ultimately a work that celebrates the things in life worth feeling - failure, love, injustice, strength and forgiveness.

Don't waste your time with the accusations towards Douglas. He is unimportant. Oscar Wilde is what's important and De Profundis is Oscar Wilde bare.

Ah, me...one doesn't know which to be more irritated
and exasperated with: whether it be Walt Whitman doing
his dissembling shuck-and-shuffle about the children
he had sired (to throw off a probing, serious John
Addington Symonds) -- or Oscar, in this "j'accuse," which
he should have spoken while looking in a mirror, rather
than writing it on paper to Lord Alfred.
This is without doubt a fascinating, horrifying,
and yet in places humorous, "piece de Miserere mei"
(to combine a bit of French with Latin).
If one chooses to believe Oscar, his only fault
was weakness in "giving in" to Lord Alfred. Oh,
come now. Blinded by Eros, reason flies out the
door...if ever reason was in control. There are
some sentences which are devastatingly revealing,
but Oscar doesn't seem to see it. "The trivial in
thought and action is charming. I had made it
the keystone of a very brilliant philosophy expressed
in plays and paradoxes." Ye gods, and little fishes!

And this man dared to call himself a "Classicist?!"
Yikes!!!
The best exercise for the reader is to just take
many of the things which Oscar accuses Lord Alfred
of, and turn them toward the self-blind, self-
justifying Oscar, to see their devastating hitting
of the mark. Never having met the young man, but
only having the "benefit" of hearsay (mostly from
Oscar's literary defenders) Lord Alfred seems to have
been calculating, temperamental (using anger to get
his way), manipulative, etc., etc., etc. The best
description of him may be Wilde's referring to him
with the lines from Aeschylus' play AGAMEMNON,
about the lion cub being raised in a house and
being let loose to wreak havoc and ruin.
But Oscar bears his share of blame -- more than just
that of the "sin" of weakness which he constantly falls
back upon in his own justification. Even in the midst
of what purports to be some sort of penitent cry from
the depths of hell...Oscar still is ever the poseur:
"And I remember that afternoon, as I was in the railway
carriage whirling up to Paris, thinking what an impossible,
terrible, utterly wrong state my life had got into, when
I, a man of world-wide reputation, was actually forced
to run away from England, in order to try and get rid
of a friendship that was entirely destructive of everything
fine in me either from the intellectual or ethical point
of view...." Er, when was the last time that the
"everything fine" had last seen the light of day?
Was Oscar an "Artist," as he consistently claims?
Was he the wronged, harmed Artist? Perhaps only the
reader can decide that for himself. Without doubt
he was witty, acerbic, funny, cute, clever, perhaps
even charming (to some -- sort of like a Pillsbury
Dough Boy with flair and a clever tongue), perhaps
stylish (in a frumpy, velveteen sort of way). Was
he wronged by a predatory clinger and manipulator,
and a hypocritical social prudery and class power
play (Oscar is no Socrates--that's for sure!)? He
hardly seems worthy, in some ways, of being a poster-boy
for Gay Pride parades. More likely, he is a better
warning poster boy for the self-excusing, and never
take-responsibility-for-your-own-actions crowd.
But this is an incredible piece to read and think
about. There is some of it that is mordantly hilarious.

This is a great book to help children celebrate the uniqueness and the special individuals they are.

I love this book. I think every household should have a copy. Great moral to the story.

I stumbled across this book working at a local library and INSTANTLY fell in love with Eggbert. As stated, the illustrations in this book are FANTASTIC. It's detailed as if it were true to life. Many people have mentioned the message of this book, which is accepting things or people that may be different, and realizing the good in everything. I agree with this, but also think it helps develop children's imaginations. It is DEFINITELY one of the personal library.

I can't say enough about Eggbert. When my daughter was two, we checked this out from the library and for four weeks we had a new friend, Eggbert. The peppers and tomatoes and milk and other eggs became a part of our home also. Then one day the book had to be returned. For months we drove past the library and each time my daughter would wail for Eggbert. Then one day she stopped. I did find Eggbert available again, brought it home and for the second time we fell in love with Eggbert. Now I am on Amazon to buy our own copy because we can't bear the separation anxiety once more.

This is an enjoyable book for kids of all ages to enjoy. The art work is hilarious! Celery stands with arms akimbo along with the other angry vegetables who throw Eggbert out of his home in the refrigerator, into the world. It is a message of hope and acceptance of yourself that spans the ages. I bought it because I fanned through the book and loved the art work, but the story that goes with Eggbert's tale of self-acceptance makes this book a classic for children. I want to see more of artist Rex Barron's work and hope he pairs up with the author, Tom Ross, again.