S Books

The Four Quartets by TS Eliot is a classic and should not be missed. It is of the type of poetry that evokes meanings from their hidden places in us through the use of word trails that are only partially logical. Our own emotions connect things, so when it is read, don't approach it with the usual straining to decipher the meaning. The ring of a gong lingers after it is struck, something of a parallel to how the poem works. Fascinating, too, is its approach to understanding the elusive sense of time, but it is couched more in the sensibilities of the East than the West.

Among all these reviews, not one comes to terms with the very title of this opus: Four Quartets. When was Eliot anything but precise in his choice of word?

The inspiration for these poems -- or reflections -- are the late string quartets of Beethoven, those numbered from 12 through 16. It is the 5-movement No.15 in A Minor,Op.132, that seems to have exerted the strongest influence, with it's famous adagio movement, which Beethoven inscribed as the thanksgiving song of a convalescent.

Actually, No.15 was the 13th in order, but the Quartets were published out of sequence, which was not uncommon in Beethoven's time. The Late Quartets progress from the classic 4-movement No.12 and add a movement to each work up to the 7-movement Op.131 in C-sharp Minor. The 16th and final quartet returns to the classic 4-movement form. There is an expansion of form concluding with a contraction and return over the course of 5 works.

Like Eliot's Four Quartets, Beethoven's Late Quartets reflect upon time and faith -- and the 'speech' is often plain: repeated phrases that appear stuck in a groove, hammered chords, cheap tunes that seem to be lifted from a band in a local inn; from long-breathed melodies that look beyond what Wagner and Mahler will eventually bring to music, to cell-like motivs not heard again till Bartok and Webern.

The 'learned' aspect of Eliot's verse can lead us astray, so that we are forever parsing the meaning of the lines. I am taken with the sounds he makes as I read the poems aloud, and the sounds he chose to convey what the poems mean are, in a sense, the essence of meaning. From the first I was struck by the sheer sound of 'time' in the context of these Quartets, which are Eliot's swan song.

I am a deeply religious Sikh living in America. The Four Quartets is to me a shining example of a man of deep understanding of God and reality. I have read this poem many times since I first read it back in college. It speaks directly to my soul. There is no passage, no phrase, which does not work for me.

I read some sections to my wife when we were first married, and she thought that it was an English translation of the Sikh holy texts.

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time"

There is no better explanation of Eastern religion than this. I am eternally grateful for this work.

There is a line in Section III of "The Dry Salvages" that has bothered people: "I sometimes wonder if that is what Krishna meant--" as perhaps being too overdone, or even unnecessary to the poem...but, the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna does give some insight into Eliot's comments on time and reality...when Arjuna is faced with the possibility of killing his own relatives in the opposing army, he can't handle it...Krishna then tells him that it doesn't matter....because of the immortal aspect of The Atman (man's inner spirit) which is not touched by our reality....no one really dies and so, only the doing is important:"Realize that pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, are all one and the same." And so, in relation to the poem, Time is looked at in much the same way...We have the illusion of leaving and arriving: "You are not the same people who left that station Or who will arrive at any Terminus"...it doesn't matter what you think or your regard for the fruits of your actions...the only important duty is to make the trip: "Not fare well,/but fare forward, voyagers." Being in the flow of time, living moment to moment, doing what is necessary is all....perhaps, at the quantum level, as another reviewer has suggested: normal perceptions are topsy-turvey, we're in the rabbit hole and if we can see that, then:"...the way up is the way down, the way forward is the/way back./You cannot face it steadlly, but this thing is sure,/That time is no healer:the patient is no longer here." When the insight is achieved, time disappears, all duality vanished and you are left with that still point of consciousness only seeming to act...so, what the hell?: "Fare forward." or as Krishna would put it: "That which is non-existent can never come into being and that which is can never cease to be."----Don Hildenbrand/Eugene, OR., USA

This is a tiny book, more like a pamphlet, only 58 pages long with large print and some blank pages as part of the design. But it is mighty in its impact. These "four quartets" are four of T. S. Eliot's poems meditating (among other things) on the nature of time - time past, time present, time future...If you are of my generation and have read the poems before, you might love carrying this little book around just to dip into it for a line or two, and maybe understand something you never understood before. (T. S. Eliot is not always an easy read.) If you have never read them before, I envy you!

The writers share the belief that people of different cultures can come together in mutual appreciation and respect for their differences, though the experiences they describe are at times wrenching. A superb collection, the book captures the Peace Corps spirit insightfully

"Pretty exotic" will be many a reader's conclusion, but so will "thoroughly human," i.e., funny, raffish, tragic, cruel, . . this is a powerful, engrossing collection

While this book did allow me a glimse into a far away world (Mainly Africa)only some of the stories were truely worth reading. Most of them seemed to drag on and have no particular point. Even so, the environment and the dialogue were exceptional, and i truely learned about other cultures. There were only two stories in there i thought actually deserved four stars. One was "My First Lion Hunt." This story had plot, characters, humor, and a great ending. I would recommend just reading this story! I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of depth and plot in a few of the stories, and the terrible endings (they didn't seem very well thought out). However, for the most part this was an enjoyable and educational book. FOR FURTHER READING go the PEACE CORPS web site and read some of the stories there! Enjoy!

Geraldine Kennedy's choices cannot be faulted. I don't know of any other volume that has captured the Peace Corps spirit as insightfully as "From the Center of the Earth."

The collection contains a surprising amount of humor for a book grounded in cultrual turmoil, global poverty, linguistic confusion, and a decent amount of tragedy. . .a crash course in cultural relativism while capturing the pecular sights, struggles, and smells of distant places

Although this book was written in the middle 1990s, the information is just as accurate today as it was then. Network marketing is on the move. In fact, since the stock market bubble burst, more people are coming back into network marketing than ever before.

This book make a great tool to build your belief in this industry. Great prospecting tool as well. If your prospects read this book and still have no interest, then they are not prospects.

I also recommend Who Stole The American Dream and Wave 4.

This is a great book to help build your belief in the network marketing industry. If that is the reason that you are buying it, this book does a great job. However, if you are buying this as a training manual, try somewhere else...

For anyone wanting to realize the power of the Networking industry. Millions of people are turning to Network Marketing now and into the future. Find out why you may consider being one of them. I don't normally enjoy reading a book straight through from beginning to end. Future Choice caught my interest and I couldn't put it down until I was done.

I received this book in the mail today and within 2 hours I learned more about network marketing than I have in the last three years. This book was wonderfully informative. I got some great ideas that I can't wait to put to work for my business.

Anyone considering a career in network marketing, should read this book first, it really put the industry in a clear perspective.

Michael has done what many people have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to deliver a statement about what Network Marketing can do for you in your life. This easy and fun to read book portrays what life can be like if one is willing to take advantage of that little positive slight edge philosophy that is available to all of us.

It is a must have for anyone who is wondering about a career in Network Marketing or some one who is already experiencing the benefits and joys of the industry.

Once you start reading it you will not want to put it down and you will be wanting to go back and read it more than once.

Thanks Michael, you have made a difference in my career and life.

This book is excellent. Easy to read and full of great gems. It is in a story fashion that is very entertaining with lots of reminders about being successful and generous.

You can read this book on a two-hour flight, even if you stop to mark up the pages and underline key quotes --- which you will! This well-told tale by Ken Blanchard and Truett Cathy is one of the most inspiring books you'll read this year or any future year. A fictional parallel to the recent "Why Good Things Happen to Good People" this book shows you why giving matters --- and then motivates you to become a giver --- for life. Extremely well done!

Dr. David & Lisa Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

This book has the potential to change the world as we know it by changing how we treat each other. I loved it, and my entire company is now dedicated to changing the world by doing the right thing.

This book is a delightful tale that can easily be read in one sitting. It is written by Ken Blanchard and takes the format of a parable, though it is based on the life of S. Truett Cathy who founded Chick-Fil-A. It is written in a similar style to many of Patrick Lencioni's leadership books, and I have found this format to be quite engaging.

The basic premise revolves around the imagined life of a young, driven, materialistic broker and a relationship that he develops with an older, successful, generous executive. Throughout the story, the executive takes great pains to teach the general life principle to the broker that significance is infitely more worthwhile than success, and he suggests that the only way to truly achieve significance is to generously give away time, talent, treasure, and touch. It is hard to argue with this notion, especially when presented so effectively.

One aspect of the book that was particularly appealing to me is its insistence on giving God priority and primary ownership over all of our things. Both Blanchard and Cathy are committed Christians, and this reality bleeds right into the text of the book. However, they were not overbearing with this theme, to the extent that some key principles would probably ring true to those outside the Christian community. Still, I appreciated their reference to God as the creator and owner of all, and they seem to suggest, quite compellingly, that it is ultimately impossible to embrace the generosity factor without an appropriate view and reference of God.

Ultimately, the "conversion" of the broker by the end of the story was a bit contrived and saccharine, but such can easily be the nature of parables. This book isn't particularly profound or earthshattering, but it is certainly accessible and helpful. Blanchard and Cathy offer some great ideas, a few that will probably shake some readers who come to the book without a heart of generosity. I have certainly been impacted, and I would recommend this book to anyone with a willingness to more fully understand the generous lives to which God has called us.

This book inspired me so much I did my commencement speech for our local Catholic school on this book. It can change your whole attitude on life. I bought one for each graduating senior & asked S. Truett Cathy to sign each one, which he graciously did. A great present for any occasion.

This is the second in the trilogy of the Army of the Potomac and I enjoyed it even more. I had been reading Gone with the Wind, stuck in bed with a terrible chest cold. I was planning on finishing it, but my Auntie's Beagle Pepper decided GWTW was good eating...so I pick up Mr. Lincoln's army and was hooked.

Bruce Catton writes like no other about the American Civil War. His insight makes you believe he was there, that he lived through it, coming from his years of listening to the veterans in his hometown. And though he is a Yankee, he strives very hard to be impartial. He tries, but surprisingly I sense an admiration for the colourful soldiers of the South slipping through the prose.

Mr. Lincoln's Army, centred around the opening of the war, the trouble's Lincoln had with find a general to run his army that wanted to fight. The "On to Virginia" cry, meaning march about 50 miles down the road and capture the Capitol of the Confederacy, was something Lincoln could not seem to rid from the mind of his commanders...he knew you had to cut off the head of the Army of Northern Virgina, not capture their capitol to end the conflict. Was surprising, Lincoln understood this so clearly, yet the trained Generals never could until Grant.

His struggles to find the perfect commander continues in GLORY ROAD. This book, quite possibly is Catton's best work, following Lincoln's army and the changes in Generals from the battles of Fredericksburg to Gettysburg. He gives you insight into each General, whiskered Burnsides inheriting command from "Little Mac" McClellan, to the rough-edged Hooker at Chancellorsville, and then the slow but steady Meade at Gettysburg. He was not flashy, but he would fight.

Catton brings these battles alive, but more than that, he gives you to the ability to see the war through the eyes of the common soldiers, showing you everyday life, the small touches that transcends just being another history book. Like Capt. James Hall of the 2nd Maine Battery. Catton's description of dashing Hall having a discussion under cannon fire, with Southern blasting away, yet he acts if nothing is happening. When one shell bursts too close, he dismounts, goes to one of his guns, and fires at that the ONE particular Southern gun that DARED disturbed his conversations, remounts and returns to the talk like nothing had happened!! These snippets are just too marvellous!!

His prose reads more like fiction; it's so enjoyable. I know it has been fashionable for many of the newer voices in the field to garner attention. However, if you really want a view of the War Between the States that is more like a visit with a time machine, then you must read the genius of Catton.

Glory Road is the second installment of the 3-part series written by Bruce Catton on the Army of the Potomac and covers the period from the Battle of Fredericksburg to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Written in the style that only Catton could write, the book is enjoyable to read the narrative is smooth. Catton seems to be fair and objective in his analysis of the Army of the Potomac's leaders and common soldier.

Personally, if I were living back in the Civil War period and was fighting for the Union, I think, I'd much rather fight for General Sherman!!! Yes, Sherman's Army traveled and conquered many territories, but at least his army seemed to have better leaders! Catton's assessment of the Army of the Potomac's leadership seems to be sound as I have read much newer Civil War books and they seem to arrive at similar conclusions.

The only reason I did not give the book 5 stars was because of the lack of maps. However, this is understandable since the book was originally written in 1952 and Civil War books back then typically did not have a lot of maps.

Complaint aside, this is still a highly enjoyable and entertaining read. Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!

This book by Bruce Catton follows Volume 1 in his famous Civil War Trilogy covering the Army of the Potomac. In this well written text, Catton covers the footsteps of the army dealing with the loss at Fredericksburg, following Burnside, then Hooker, Chancellorsville and then finally Gettysburg. Catton isn't truly descriptive of the battles and quickly covers the basics, though Catton loves to present the politics involving Union leadership and basically the war itself. While covering the end of 1862 and a majority of 1863, Catton's coverage brings the readers insight to popular sentiment, northern industrialization, the struggles facing the Lincoln administration, the perils of war and much more. Catton never dwells too long a subject and keeps things moving while bringing a bit of humor to uncommon situations or oddities of the war. Catton's books are never boring and either is this one. This is must read for any fan of the Civil War!

Bruce Catton's "Glory Road" was published in 1952 as the second volume of a trilogy on the Army of the Potomac. Unhappily, the book is now out-of-print, but it remains an outstanding, accessible study of the Civil War and of the Union's largest army.

"Glory Road" covers the period from the Battle of Fredericksburg in late 1862 through the Battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863 and concludes with President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in November, 1863. The primary battles during this period were Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The Army of the Potomac had a different commander in each battle, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade, to face Confederate general Robert E. Lee, who had already assumed almost legendary stature. Catton captures these battles well, in a rhythmic and readable prose without getting bogged in the detail of many more minute battle accounts. He also does well in tying the courses of the battles together, something more specialized accounts frequently fail to do. The reader wanting a basic understanding of the battles will find it here.

But there is much more to this book than a description of combat. For me, Catton made the Army of the Potomac come alive. He tells the story of how the Army survived its many defeats and came through as a strong, tough fighting force lacking illusions. The Army survived a series of weak commanders and took control of itself.

Catton also does an excellent job of weaving the military course of the War with political and social history. He discusses the politics within the Lincoln administration and the activities of the Copperheads -- Northerners sympathetic to the Confederate War effort. He also gives a fine account of the origins of the United States Sanitary Commission -- a private organization which played a great role in improving medical care for the wounded of the Civil War. Catton's history shows how the United States kept growing almost in spite of itself during the war years, and he captures the transition from a government based on the states, in both North and South, to a strong national government.

The book is well-written, easy to follow, and has moments of real eloquence. I was moved by the discussion of Pickett's charge on the third day of Gettysburg and by the discussion of Lincoln's famous address. There is real feeling in this book for the war and for the troops that fought it, with a focus on the Union side of the line. Virtually everything covered in this book has been written about with more detail by others. But for a basic account of the Civil War and of the ebb and flow of its course, Catton's account remains a gem. I learned a great deal from it. I also enjoyed reading the comments of the other Amazon reviewers who have discussed this book.

I started Catton's trilogy of the Army of the Potomac with Vol. II, "Glory Road". I did so because my vacation was taking me through Fredricksburg and Gettysburg and I planned to visit the three battlefields talked about in this book. While I had hoped for an historical background of the battles, I received so much more. I had not realized that Bruce Catton was such an excellent writer. I just assumed that he was another Civil War buff who was a bit more successful than his peers. How wrong I was! What comes through most clearly from Catton's writing in his respect and admiration of the foot soldiers of the Army of the Potomac. What comes through nearly as well is his ability to explain the circumstances of the times; what was happening in Washington, what was happening in the homefront, who were these men in charge. Finally, what is also very appreciated by the reader is the detailed overview of the three main battles in the book; Fredricksburg, Chancellorsille, and Gettysburg. What I mean by detailed overview is not the minute by minute account that so many battle histories have. Rather it is an overview that allows the reader a clear understanding of how the battle proceeded with focal points throughout the event to better bring it to life. Mr. Catton seasons all of this with some much appreciated philosophy of the meaning of the events that take place.

I am aware that I have just finished reading a masterpiece. What is embarassing for me to consider is that it sat on my bookshelf for several years. I will see to it that Vols I and III shall be attended to promptly.

A superb look a the Greene Brother's masterpiece ultimate bungalows. It includes some of the best Greene and Greene photography I've ever seen, and has a very good look at the details of the architecture, and the internals of the Greene and Greene houses. This book focuses more on the houses themselves, and the fixed appointments therein, rather than the furniture itself. Influences on the Greenes are coupled with a well laid out timeline give you a real view into the evolution of their style.

Excellent! The best book on this subject I've ever seen...

Superb photoraphic illustration depicts the design genius of the Greene brothers. A comprehensive study of leading architects of the Arts & Crafts movement...a high compliment to the monumental craftsmanship of those who executed their designs.

The book is beautiful, filled with both architectural ideas and furnishing ideas for items done in the craftsman style. I purchased the book for these ideas and was delighted with all the pictures. Some of the stonework illustrated is breathtaking in its beauty.

We were very disappointed at the quality of printing, inferior paper stock, and lack of clarity in the photographs. At the "coffee table" price we were expecting much higher resolution in the color photographs and better quality paper.

Earth shaking. Booty shaking. Think Archie for the Manga Generation and then some - that represents just one facet of this mindbending series. I picked this up on a whim but never expected how it would unfold. GTO # 1 is unassuming for the most part and as a series, truly twists and turns and reaches higher and higher - while maintaining its characters. Tohru Fujisawa is a master storyteller, who isn't afraid to use self referential, toilet humor, schoolgirl cliches, panty jokes, you name it - but keeps it relevant. Each volume is a cliffhanger which is what Manga is all about...Tohru, I salute you.

I've already watched the complete Anime TV series. I loved it so much that I did not expect that the Mange could have bin any better however the manga is much better then the TV series. It's about a punk biker who decides to become a teacher. There's comedy, action, love, brief nudity, mindless violence and everyone likes mindless violence... Just buy the damn thing.

This is the best manga ever written. The premice may sound questionable to you manga lovers out there,I know it does not have any magic but you will survive. Trust me buy it. Even if you have never read a manga before it may change your life. With its amazingly funny toilet humor and awsome well rounded characters. So just buy it, its a very quick read and very funny.

Tokyo Pop are know for quality, but GTO just blows every thing else away. The story is good, the art work is top class and it makes you laugh, but remains semi-believable. Tohru Fujisawa deserves so much respeck for both this and the rest of the GTO series. I would recommend this to everyone,I picked Vol. 1 up on a hunch and soon became a huge fan. If you like any manga and haven't read this you really have to. You will be left at the point you have to get (The 4-star rated by me and that's the worst!) Vol. 2. Get it now!

Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO, for short, is one of the most popular mangas going, with over 37 million copies sold worldwide. I wouldn't really expect that, seeing as how it focuses on the life of a teacher. If you can imagine a cross between Marlon Brando as the Wild One and the beatnik attitude of Jack Kerouac along with the cool hipness of Japanese youth as a teacher. While being brillantly subversive, GTO succeeds as both entertainment and satire of the teaching establishment, much as Chaucer lampooned the Church in his Canterbury Tales.

Eikichi Onizuka is the 22 year old ex-leader of a biker gang who has found out that he's not going to be able to goof off his whole life. He has to find a job. Having a fetish for young girls in uniform, he decides to become a teacher. He finds out that his impulsive decision is going to take a lot more courage than he thought. This first volume is basically his origin story as he is disappointed by his dreams of becoming something great and having to reevaluate his life as he begins his teacher training. It also begins a pattern that will continue in the following books, namely that he has to use his wits to escape the plots of hateful students and a vice-principal who would like nothing more than to fire him.

This book was great. What can I say? If you are a teacher, you'll really get a kick out of seeing a cartoon character fulfill your wishes. Who doesn't want to karate kick their bonehead students sometimes? While Onizuka's attraction to high school girls seems lurid, we find out that he becomes overwhelmed with trying to help his students rather than wanting to seduce them in the end. I think it's just a Japanese thing to be attracted to girls in school uniforms. I think anyone with a sense of humor and semi-lewdness would find these manga entertaining and funny. I would especially recommend it to teachers.

I have a virtual calculator called the DIY Calculator that accompanies my own book "How Computers Do Math" The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math : Featuring the Virtual DIY Calculator.

I recently added a "Conundrums, Puzzles, and Posers" section to the "Programs and Subroutines" page on my DIY Calculator website ([...]) and I've started to build a collection of simple puzzles for people to play with.

One of the first problems I posed was to count the number of ones in the 8-bit accumulator and to present the result as a binary value. I thought I had discovered the best-possible solution, until someone pointed me in the direction of the "Hacker's Delight". (In this context, "Hacker" refers to a hero who is manipulating code; not a nefarious rapscallion who breaks into other people's computer systems.)

I immediately ordered a copy from Amazon, and took delivery just yesterday as I pen these words. This book is fantastic - I kid you not - on the first page of Chapter 2, for example, I discovered at least five or six capriciously clever tricks that blew my solutions out of the water!

I highly recommend this book.

My first introduction to binary operators wizardry was in a 1st year, 1st semester course in Digital Systems at the Technion, IIT. I thought it was fun. While I was trying to write a computer program to compute Karnaugh Maps for me, I run into performance problems, and then some binary hackery helped me get back on the horse.

Since then, whenever I come across some binary trick I write it down with a few examples of usage and sometimes with some reasoning why it works.

Then came "Hacker's Delight" and I felt compelled to buy it.

I wasn't disappointed at all! Not only it contained all of the tricks that I have collected, but also it contains a lot more in depth examples of how these tricks can come in handy when trying to squeeze performance from an implementation or save a few more bytes and bits.

The book also gave me a fresh perspective on the implementation of some well known algorithms with the twist of binary arithmetic. This was very enlightening.

I read the "BASICS" chapter (chapter 2) with a single breath of air, and just couldn't leave it down. Not only it was nice to have all these tricks summarized in one book, but also I liked some of the reasoning and the "so-called" proofs.

Remaining chapters were, as I mentioned before, a fresh look for me on known algorithms. This fresh look was through the glasses of binary arithmetic.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who feels comfortable with binary arithmetic and/or computer organization -- even just for the fun of it!

I'd recommend the book to developers who don't necessarily have a sympathy to this topic, but would like a Copy&Paste solution to some problems they have to tackle.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I will probably reference it from time to time.

The term "hacker" in this book means someone who enjoys making computers do interesting tricks regardless of whether it turns out to be useful, not someone who is intent on circumventing computer security. Plus, how relevant would those kind of tips be coming from a book that was written in 2002? Don't let the author's definition of a hacker fool you, though - the tricks in this book are very useful.

This book is a collection of small programming tricks on various subjects. The presentation is very informal, and the methods use very basic computer math. You should know your binary number system backwards and forwards before you start this book. Either C or assembly language is used to demonstrate the hacks in code form. When assembly language is used, it is that of a fictitious machine that is representative of RISC computers. That is because the tricks are meant to be platform independent.

After disposing of basic arithmetic operations early in the book, the author turns his attention to more complex math problems such as calculating square roots. His discussion of the subject is both complex and simple. First, he explains Newton's method of computing square roots through a page full of equations that require some effort to follow. Then he gives an implementation that requires fewer than twenty lines of C code. This is followed by another method that is longer and more cryptic but executes faster, by using a binary search algorithm. Whether you are interested in the equations or merely need the C code to do your job, these solutions are efficient and elegant.

Other topics addressed include Gray codes, the Hilbert curve, and prime numbers. Gray codes are a method of arranging the integers from 1 to N in a list so that each number can be visited exactly once by flipping only one bit at a time. The Hilbert curve is a similar idea expressed geometrically: a single continuous curve which, given a space divided into a grid of squares, touches every square exactly once and does not cross itself. In each case, both the mathematical discussion and the code to solve the problem are provided.

The chapter on prime numbers is the most challenging mathematically but also one of the most interesting. It starts with a concise overview of various mathematicians' efforts to devise ways of finding prime numbers. The author is one of those people who periodically become fascinated by some problem and devote themselves to learning more about it and searching for a solution. The chapter ends not with the usual code sample, but instead with an invitation to continue the search for interesting solutions to the problem.

Clearly, the author views this book not as a finished collection, but rather as a snapshot of work in progress. After decades of interest-driven research, the author has amassed a collection of studies big enough to fill a book, and it is fortunate for the rest of us that he has written one.

They don't make them like this anymore. Amid the "Learning XXX in 21 days" and various other computer book for which depth is almost non existent (and are read like eating peanuts), this is a refreshing book that talks about solutions to sometimes common (IMHO) coding problems.
If you enjoy programming gems, or remember that beyond your C code there is a machine that executes your program, this is the book for you. For example, think how would you count the 1 bits in a 32 bit integer - the book has an elegant solution in log(n). Aside from this, the book has about 50 or so problems, with their solutions (and proof).
Bottom line: fine book, worthy to be near my Knoth, R&K and Stroustrup books.

This book is an absolute essential to the right reader. That right reader is either a low-level coder, a high-level logic designer, or someone who builds tools and libraries for same. In other words, not a lot of people. This is hacking at its bit-level finest, though. If you're among those few, or think you might be, or want a good laugh at the people who are, dig in.

It's good for things like counting the number of 1 bits in a word-length integer (hint: if you count the bits, you're doing it the hard way). It's good for things like fast division by an integer constant, or mod to a constant integer modulus (hint: if you perform division by dividing, you're barking up the wrong tree). If you can look into a 32x32 bit multiplication and see a convolution going on, you're way ahead of the game. The only tricks I know that didn't appear here are A) for purposes that almost no one has or B) for machines that almost no one has.

Warren presents the coolest collection of slimy coding tricks ever collected, with full attention to the number of machine cycles and the compiler-writer's unique needs. I've seen a lot, and this is by far the biggest and coolest collection around. I have two complaints, though, a small one and a really big one. The small one is that the author didn't score a direct bullseye on my somewhat offbeat needs. Well, he never tried to - that's just me griping that he didn't write a different book. The big complaint is that pages, lots of them, just fluttered out of this pricey book and onto the floor. GRRR. This takes nothing away from the content of the book, until some critical page flutters off never to be seen again. Still, if you can keep a rubber band around it, this will be one of the deepest mines of coolness in your uber-geek library.

//wiredweird

This book was mindblowing to read. The ideas presented in this book feel like logic that should be taught in schools, but sadly its not.

I dare you to read this book and disagree with its philosophy.

First of all, I'll concede that it's tough to find someone who argues better for libertarianism in practical, understandable terms than Mary Ruark. Moreover, her book's a very simple read and paints vivid examples of what a libertarian world *might* look like.

But this brings me to my first minor critique. Ruark provides examples of the way a free nation might run, but she elaborates on them in such detail that one begins to get the impression that she's arguing for the examples themselves. When she discusses a system of free-market private schooling, she describes the schools she envisions in intricate detail, and they don't remotely resemble what I think schooling in a libertarian country would look like. Now - Presuming I weren't a libertarian and even slightly objected to the school system she describes, I might simply reject all her ideas based on my objections to her illustrations of them.

Secondly, I just disagree with Ruark's anarcho-capitalistic version of libertarianism. I really am - as some libertarians would say - myopic enough to believe that we need government to provide public goods (I'm talking about the real ones like defense, police protection, and criminal justice). And call me a statist, but I think we'd have to fund these government activities with taxes. Of some kind. Somehow. Of the unvoluntary sort. With - yes - government force to ensure compliance.

Otherwise, though, this book should make an interesting read for libertarians and non.

I love this book. Really.

Dr. Ruwart's political philosophy's foundation is about non-aggression. This is nothing new in the libertarian creed, and the difference is that instead of concentrating on arguments of property rights, she really drives home with the non-aggression principle. She avers that by using aggression (i.e. force) to solve our problems, we end up only worsening our lives. We create a world of zero-sum games instead of a system that respects individual choices so long as they do not harm our person or property.

What also makes this book a pleasure to read is that it its tone is very friendly and accommodating. Many people (rightly) expect books on political philosophy to be badgering or aggressively written, so I like that Dr. Ruwart ditched the popular approach. Plus, her compassionate way of writing makes it difficult to call her a bloodthirsty free-market fan -- she does care about matters like helping the poor and making healthcare accessible.

Every issue she looks at shows the failures of aggression (i.e. government) to be effective, and conversely non-aggression (i.e. voluntary, private cooperation) has been more successful. Healthcare intervention? It's aggression, and it's bad for our health (and our wallet). The Federal Reserve? Central banking is aggression that monopolizes the money supply and creates the "boom & bust" cycle. The public school system? It might be obvious that the Department of Education doesn't actually educate anyone, but the whole setup is aggressive too, and children suffer because of it.

The principle of non-aggression is also applied to pollution, crime & punishment, the FDA, gun ownership, and -- the one especially important these days -- foreign policy. Non-aggression wins every time, and very few issues go untouched.

A cool touch to Dr. Ruwart's book is that she puts tons of great, great quotes in the margins, which work wonderfully with the topic at hand. One of my favorites comes from the first chapter (about the basis of non-aggression): "...we are living in a sick Society filled with people who would not directly steal from their neighbor but who are willing to demand that the government do it for them," says William L. Comer. That's classic! There's a lot of great ones, many of which I didn't recognize.

Please, read this book. This is a world where governments keep getting bigger, and that will always mean more aggression as the State invades more aspects of our lives. Know what's scary? In Chapter 19, "The Communist Threat Is All In Our Minds", Ruwart shows that the United States has implemented eight of ten policies The Communist Manifesto declared necessary for a transition into socialism. Darn. So, getting the word out on liberty is always a good thing. Please see Scott Ryan's excellent review of this book too.

There are two books I recommend as introductions to libertarian thought. One of them is Murray Rothbard's _For A New Liberty_. This is the other.

Dr. Mary Ruwart's _Healing Our World_ is in some ways a better general introduction suitable for a broader audience, in large measure because it appeals to the better nature of everybody from conservative Christians to hippie mystics: she really _does_ mean, and quite rightly, that libertarian principles are the means for healing our world. Her essential point is that, _whatever_ our goals and beliefs, we can best serve them by honoring our neighbors' choices so long as they aren't threatening our lives or property. For when we do so, everybody wins; my gains aren't your losses, and there really is a common good at which we can both aim.

Moreover, Ruwart carefully and compassionately explains why the libertarian approach is a better way to bring about the (entirely legitimate) goals of the more modern sort of liberal: for example, improving the quality and availability of medical care (including alternative medicines), reducing pollution, saving the environment, and so forth. Readers of, say, the Objectivist/Randian literature might come away with the impression that concern for the well-being of persons other than oneself (let alone the "environment"!) is just incompatible with libertarianism. Ruwart argues that in fact libertarianism offers not only the best way to _promote_ such concern but the only viable way to put it into practice. (On this ground alone, there are probably lots of _libertarians_ who could profit from a close reading of Ruwart's book just to pick up its tone and tenor. Her example of tolerant understanding could lead more "brittle" thinkers to enter empathically into values that haven't exactly been common among libertarians.)

Lurking in the background of Ruwart's exposition is her clear sense of the "market" as simply voluntary human interaction within a framework of obligatory respect for others' well-being. This view should appeal even to readers who don't care for the term "market"; it might, for example, be attractive to various sorts of communitarian and others who worry about the reduction of social life to economic exchange. The essential point is that human society, community, is an organic network of interacting centers of voluntary activity, not a bureaucratic order that imposes mechanical top-down rules via statute or regulatory agency -- and that trying to turn it from the former into the latter is just a fancy way to destroy it.

Ruwart's outlook should delight everybody from Calvinists to Hayekians to Taoists. And there has never been a time at which it's been more important to get the word out on liberty. Get this book at once and pass out copies to your friends; Ruwart's libertarianism has something to say to people of every political and/or religious persuasion or none.

By the way, you can pre-read it online if you know where to look. Amazon doesn't permit URLs in reviews, but write me if you want to know.

Well, maybe just the young idealistic legislators. The career legislators will probably pooh pooh the idea that we might be alright making our own decisions.

Great book for early teens, even pre-teens. Kids at risk identify with the main charactor, love the animals, wish for someone like the old man to be there for them.

Imagine having a mother who doesn't seem to know you exist. Unless she needs money or someone to take her frustrations out on. Imagine having a father who hasn't had contact with you in two years, even though he lives only a couple of hours away. A father who kept taking you back to an abusive mother until he became too busy to even come see you at all.

Sean just plain doesn't care anymore. So he's been suspended yet again for fighting - big deal. It'll be just another vacation. That is, until he's assigned community service at a local ranch. Starting immediately.

Mr. Hassler, the old geezer ranch owner, puts Sean to work cleaning out stalls, spreading manure, and unloading feed. Things change when he helps deliver a colt that imprints Sean, instead of its mother. Their bond helps him explore his tangle of emotions about his parents and Mr. Hassler.

HERO is a heartwarming story about a young man in search of someone to love and respect, including himself. Rottman leaves the reader wanting more as Sean faces a new future with his dad and the ranch.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

Now here's a book that clearly defines the meaning of "hero". Rottman's books always have a good message for us. They often deal with mature subjects, drugs and alcohol, but never glorified. His books are great for mature readers. A clear look into what life is like for many young adults today.

S.L. Rottman reveals young children's lives by covering child abuse and abandonment that has been affecting our world for centuries. Sean copes with his parent's divorce he also has to face his alcoholic mother abusing him. On top of that Sean tangles with the law. He gets sent to a horse ranch were he meets a man named Mr. Hassler who tries to give Sean some Moral support. Sean faces the fact that there are good people in the world that he can call his hero.
Rottman has written a fantastic book that many people should read. Hero has a remarkable plot to the story. For example it shows a young boy trying to overcome all the obstacles in his life. This book keeps the reader thinking through the whole story. S.L. Rottman gives readers a chance to see what problems young children face every day.

I think this is a good book. I like all the characters and I like how this book is setup. This book is good for all ages. Good classroom book for teachers. I read this book in my reading class. I got into the book really fast and I couldn't put the book down. My favorite character in this book was Sean. He was a nice kid inside and it shows you in the book. At first he seemed like a trouble maker and later he shows you the real him. With a farmers help (Mr. Hassler). I really don't read books. It's not my thing but when I read this one it had me going for another one.