Sherman Books

Easy to use in wiring a boat or any 12 volt DC wiring. All the things you will need to know to safely wire any 12 volt system

This book is useless. It has no helpful information on how to wire up any 12 volt device. All this book does is explain the different parts of an electrical system and nothing else besides that. If your looking for a book that at least has wiring diagrams for 12 volt systems then I would suggest that look for a better book.

Very good basic guide for 12-volt systems. I'm not an expert and needed a little help doing some wiring on our cruiser. This fits the bill.

Good as advertised - a basic book. Turned out it wasn't really what I was looking for. As another reviewer wrote, if you already know how to use a multi-meter it's probably too basic.
Well done for its advertised purpose.

Even if you've never worked with electricity, but now need to because you have a boat, "The 12-Volt Bible for Boats" is a great introduction that covers more than just the basics. The early part of the book covers all of the beginner introduction to batteries and electricity. It also explains the differences between 12-Volt car systems and boat systems. This book helps you determine what gauge wire you need for what current demand of your new piece of equipment and length of the wire run. The later chapters cover specifics of how to hook up particular equipment such as solar panels and wind generators. The final section covers test equipment you can build yourself. This book is definitely worth the price.

Am I ever glad to have found this book. In spite of being slow and very careful reading requiring much pondering and afterthought, it is worth every second of hard concentration. The reader needs to be in love with classical music and with piano-playing, be a true artist as well as having a deep understanding of vibrant colors, painting and the visual arts. 'Piano Pieces' brings the reader closer to a new understanding that taps into new creativity.
Thank you, Russell Sherman!

I think it was Lincoln who made the wise comment that "you can please some of the people some of the time but never all of the people all of the time." True enough but to the reviewer who allegedly gave it up "after two pages" and another who rendered the book as "pretentious [...] cerebral flatus" , I must do an ad hoc Sir Wilfrid Robarts [Charles Laughton] for the defense here and offer some reverse coin considerations. True enough that the book uses a play on words [as does Charles Rosen's tome, et al] but then too, it 'does' say "pieces" and hence the normal paragraph to paragraph flow and cohesion is missing seemingly more by design versus that of author fault.

So too, there is much comment on Mr. Sherman's students [NEC or otherwise] in a general collective sense anyway and the mixed bag types he has taught over the long haul where musical ability per se is not the 'only' hurdle that has to be worked on [or extracted therein] although there are quite serious piano students who feel that they have an absolute right to their 'complete interpretive freedom' while relegating the composer to a mere after-thought! You know, the old Bach syndrome, no tempi nor dynamic indications so, goes the argument, "anything goes" or others where directives 'are' given becoming mere 'recommended guidelines' as opposed to 'mandates' yet when the "my own thing" interpretation is not embraced by the masses as being both 'daring' and 'unique', much less by the pianistic master/mentor, ahhh, the fault must be in the level of instruction, yes? Certainly not the student, no-no, it must be the mentor who is allegedly 'doggedly mired' on the war-horse pieces or hopelessly bound up with the romantic [or whatever] era century itself. And manner of thinking and mind-set therein.

I found the book to be well done and well presented albeit in a form that may give the appearance of being disjointed but then the word 'pieces' as distinct and separate entities within themselves can work various ways. Finally this, Russell Sherman, much like Charles Rosen, has been the road in kind and thus becomes duly qualified by default to comment on that road. This is not to suggest that reader agreement is forced or mandated by any means but it is to say that the collective findings are at least experience borne and rendered therein as opposed to mere armchair pontificating based on the findings or assumptions of others. Those kinds of tomes exist too. As do opinions of the more inherited or, shall we say, paraphrased from others variety versus that of having said experience and expertise. There 'is' a difference! A rather meaningful one.

Doc Tony

I like Sherman's approach to music and agree with him on much of his critique of modern music-making and culture. It is a pity, then, that his good points are lost in a seemingly endless series of brief remarks without structure. I'm sure this book would rate 5 stars if it was rewritten into a series of essays; the current format lacks the framework needed to make his observations cogent.

I recently discovered this little book in the public library and in the first few pages realized I must own it. Mr. Sherman is a brilliant thinker and writer. I am inspired and enlightened by his pianistic and artistic wisdom. I look forward to each and every page and can't wait to own what will become a cherished and important addition to my personal library.

I picked up this book hoping it would be similar to Charles Rosen's page turner Piano Notes. Both are books written by pianists about playing the piano, and both have titles that are plays on words (Piano Roles is a third one of that type). Why oh why did I not look it over more carefully when I saw it in the bookstore? This book says nothing and the writing is completely pretentious and impossible to enjoy. It is my understanding that the author thinks he's being poetic by using various rhetorical devices such as metaphor. But the reality is he's just being tedious. I gave up on it after only TWO PAGES! I just couldn't stand it anymore and I flipped through the book and realized the entire thing was written in the exact same way: a bad attempt at being poetic without actually imparting any interesting or useful information. I have just ordered another book by Charles Rosen and am looking forward to reading it.
The only redeeming thing I have to say is that I suppose that if you're seriously right brained, you might enjoy the non-linear presentation, but personally, I think I'm more left-brained and need some order, logic, structure, not just a bunch of unfulfilling metaphors.

I'm giving this title a five-star rating thanks to Kennett's insight into Sherman's mind. I was more than familiar with Sherman's life before opening this book, but I still managed to find it an entertaining read. Sherman was a complex man with a variety of motivations in his life and career, and Kennett does a strong job of focusing on WHY he did what he did rather than just regurgitating the events in his life.

While the focus if the book is on the military career of Sherman, there is enough information on his early life and his time between military stints to provide a well-rounded biography.

When I first got this book and started reading it I made the mistake of thinking this as a plain old Biography. As I read it I learned that wasn't the case and the second half of the title "A Soldier's Life" made a whole lot more sense. This is a Military Biography on Sherman, not a life Biography.

This book was my first step into the world of reading about America's Civil War. Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated by it and after reading this my old fascination was ignited ten fold. I would call this a must for anyone interested in Sherman.

If you want a good solid exciting biography of Sherman - this is your book. I'm tired of reading bloated biographies of
say 1000 pages. This book has a nice quick pace. Sherman would have liked that. It gives adequate coverage to Sherman's military and personal life as well as a nice perspective on his historical legacy.

Lee Kennett has accomplished the impossible: he's taken one of America's most celebrated and brilliant generals and made him seem like nothing more than an average commander and a less-than-average human being. After reading Kennett's biography, I'm left wondering why President Lincoln and General Grant, to name but a few, were so impressed with Sherman's capabilities as a soldier, and why the Confederate generals feared him as much as they did. Rather than portraying Sherman and his accomplishments in a fair light, Kennett seeks at every turn to diminish those accomplishments and the man who achieved him. Sherman, we are told, was at best a competent general, not the great strategist that his contemporaries and subsequent students of military history recognized him to be. Trouble is, Kennett doesn't back up his dismissive assessment of Sherman with any kind of analysis, impartial or otherwise. Instead, he gives short shrift to Sherman's accomplishments in the field, including the famed "March to the Sea" -- all topics that Kennett glides over with astonishing little detail. Instead, Kennett is content to engage in psychobabble of the worst kind: Sherman's behavior in America's greatest conflict, and indeed throughout his life, was nothing more, in Kennett's eyes, than repeated manifestations of a "narcissistic" personality disorder. I bought the book expecting a serious treatment of one of America's greatest generals and instead got a hatchet job (and an unconvincing one at that). Unless you are a Sherman hater, save your money for one of the other good biographies of Sherman or, better yet, his own memoirs. This book, I regret to say, is worthless.

William T. Sherman seems to have a biography written of him every three years or so. There are currently four bios available, not to mention his own memoirs and more venerable books such as the volumes by Liddell Hart and Lloyd Lewis. He's an endlessly fascinating character, multi-faceted, complex, and as amazingly verbose. He had an opinion on most everything, and to use my wife's phrase, "never had an unuttered thought." Because of this he's great biography material, and historians have been interested in him a great deal as a result.

Those recent bios vary greatly in their treatment of their subject. John Marszalek's Sherman: A Soldier's Passion For Order is the culmination of that man's life, seemingly. Marszalek lived with Sherman for a great while, to the extent of naming a dog Cumpy (Sherman's childhood nickname), and it showed in that the book is still the longest and most exhaustive biography. He sees Sherman as a twisted soul, tormented by his inability to control the world around him, but able to deal with things once he gets in command of an army and is able to influence events to an extent. Michael Fellman's Citizen Sherman is more harsh and unforgiving. Fellman is a Canadian historian who looks at the American Civil War through relentlessly modern lenses, and sees racism, misogyny, elitism, and various other ills pretty much everywhere in 19th century America. He doesn't think much of Sherman. Stanley Hirshson's The White Tecumseh, on the other hand, is apparently a very forgiving portrait of what the author considers a great soldier (this is the one Sherman bio I haven't read). The author of the present book, Lee Kennett, falls somewhere between Marszalek and Hirshson. He handles Sherman pretty mildly, though he does make note of his foibles and prejudices (as expressed in things he wrote) in passing.

Most biographers of Sherman note that he wanted to be judged as a soldier, and then dutifully tell you that they will abide by his wishes. Kennett follows suit, but only sort of succeeds. Instead his book is largely a study of Sherman's personality, with a whole chapter devoted to this subject on the eve of the Civil War. The book is remarkably spare in terms of narratives of the actual battles themselves: instead there's a great deal of space devoted to the politics of the army 1861-1865. So the Meridian raid gets about a paragraph, and the battles around Atlanta are disposed of in a page or so.

The author also leaves things out, things that make it into some Sherman biographies. Perhaps the best-known anecdote is Joe Johnston killing himself by standing bareheaded at Sherman's funeral, and catching pneumonia. It's not here, and there are a number of other things that didn't make the book either. I know this is a short biography, but somehow I expected some of these things to make the book.

Several previous reviewers put this forward as an introductory biography of Sherman. One thing the book definitely is is neutral on the subject. Until now, the one neutral book was Marszalek, the longest, so I suppose this one, at half the length, is better. I don't consider a 352 page book an introduction to anything, however, and I can't say I agree here. Introductory books are 200 pages or so.

That being said, this isn't a bad book, and I can't come up with any reason to review it negatively. It's just not a particularly good one either.

The product was as advertised, meaning it was received in the described condition and well in advance of the anticipated date. I ordered this item for my brother and once he got into it, he saw that it was a 2001 version, not "current" as described, unless current meant in respect to 2001. The forms and other information is outdated and cannot be used except for being out on a bookshelf somewhere. Next time, I make an order, I will definitely make sure that I read enough of the particulars. I may order from this seller again but I will make sure that I read EVERY description.

Although this book alone doesn't cover all of my issues, it and its companion book on contested divorces contain all of the current family law forms and provide excellent descriptions and discussions of how to use the forms. The process is complex however and I do have to read sections over and over to figure out what to do and how to do it. I also I have used many other resources including the California statutes, rules of court and case law.

I don't quite understand the difficulties other users have experienced with the forms provided on cd-rom. The forms are all .pdf files and can be opened in Adobe Acrobat 5.0 (full version), data can be entered, and I have had no trouble saving the forms. I suspect those using just Acrobat Reader are unable to save the forms and have to print them out immediately, which would be an inconvenience. The California Courts site also allows forms to be downloaded, filled out, printed out, but not saved. Those wishing to save forms may want to purchase Adobe Acrobat (full version) which is kind of expensive but a great program or one of the cheaper third-party programs that create, open, and save .pdf files.

The forms software, which is necessary if you want to generate your own court forms, comes on a CD entitled "BONUS PAC", a legal harbinger of the disappointment to come. I can just imagine them saying to the judge, "Well, what did plaintiff expect from a free BONUS PAC?" Anyway, the software only works with the Ancient Acrobat 4.05, and most computer professional folks like me have to install the latest version (5.x) of Acrobat in order to function. Unfortunately, it initially *appears* to work with Acrobat 5.x. Consequently, and WITHOUT WARNING, the software proceeded to lose hours and hours of painful work I did not particularly want to repeat. To my surprise, tech support responded that they have known about the bug for a long time, and somehow implied it was my fault to have not checked the website. [Which I had checked, by the way, and was somehow not astute enough to read through all the technical bulletins to find this one.] Too bad they couldn't see fit to put some kind of sticker or label on this book or 'BONUS PAC' to warn me before I invested and lost a lot of time, particularly since the book is dated 1/2003 and Acrobat 4.x went off the market more than 2 years ago. How much could it possibly cost them to correct the bug and make it available for download? Apparently, too much for them to consider spending. No plans to repair the problem have been reported. And don't think about using the forms standalone in Acrobat; they are secured and automatically DELETE ALL OF THEIR OWN DATA when you try to reopen them, a particularly noxious security measure that prevents anyone from working around the bug.

This book proports to walk you through the process step by step, but provides only one badly done overview/decision tree. This means, at any given step, you are sent off to other chapters to hunt down yet another required form or set of instructions. The writer seems to have spent more time on glib commentary than on crafting a cogent, step-by-step guide through the labyrinth of forms, if/then instruction sets, and filing processes. I should have been alerted by the cover blurb that "Divorce Helpline Services" are avaialble. Use this book and you'll surely be ponying up extra cash to their phone support service, as wading through this "guide" will require, surprise, their expert help. I guess book sales don't pay well enough. After spending months with this book I have two ideas for the author's next edition:
1)A REAL decision tree that walks the reader through his/her uniqiue situation, and,
2)Junk the vast majority of the text in favor of consise bullet points and or checklists.
The forms are worthwhile, though none of the data is savable. Print it out and close the doc, and it's gone--Ouch! I can't imagine why this book is such a big seller.

Gentle reader,

Five stars for the book, provided it is in the LATEST edition.

Why does this outmoded edition come up when I enter the title here, 2-04-2003?

You need the latest edition, with the latest forms! 2003 was the beginning of new form listings for all California Dissolution of Marriage forms! So the forms used since 1997, are no longer used as of the first day of 2003.

I bought this 25th edition in mid January, 2003, at a local bookstore, paying list price, because I thought I was in a hurry, then called for the free updates, as mentioned inside. I was not informed by that bookseller that all the California forms have been changed; some a little, some quite substantially, as of 1/1/2003! Also, I didn't know then that the new changes would be coming out in the new *26th * edition, coming available at the end of January, 2003.

Every one of the forms has been changed in some way, and so the old ones are obsolete. The author asks us to make sure the edition is the latest, and be sure to call NOLO Press for free updates, if the edition is more than 6 months old.
I returned this edition, as it is more historical than informative. I am about to get the latest one as soon as I finish this review.

If the forms are all being changed again, NOLO may refer you to the (California Courts: forms) online, which are available through browsers, on the net.

I would Strongly recommend you be sure you are getting the latest edition of this work. The 26th is discounted here and now, so get that one, or whichever updated version is available when you read this, and I wish for you the in life, and the best possible results with your divorce.

Great book, part of a great series. I've read them all and loved them.

KINDOM'S SWORDS(5/2002) is the 7th book in the STARFIST series of Military SciFi stories, which follow the exploits in the 25th century of a company of Space-faring Marines.

This book has a couple of intertwining story lines... the main one involving hard fighting on the religious outpost planet "Kingdon", where the Marines meet up with the "skinks" again... the second and third story lines are somewhat lame, and involve Captain Coronado's court martial, and his wife's exploits while he is gone... this is really "part I" of two books, and you will need to read Book VIII in the series to finish what this book starts.

The technology in this first "post 9/11" offering from the STARFIST series is only slightly better than in the first books in the series, but there still is a lot to be desired in a book that supposedly takes place 400+ years in the future. I find these books enjoyable... but, I notice that nobody else has reviewed this particular book since 2002 (this review is written in 5/2008)... so, the idea that the technology in these books has gone somewhat "stale" appears to be a new concept in these reviews.

More of a 2 1/2

I enjoyed this book, but did not think it was up to the previous in the series. The main problem was that it was disjointed in its plotting and pace. It felt like they had the basic book together and then created a separate plot line (or two) and wedged it in there. It broke up the main story and created a lack of cohesion that was bothersome. Sherman and Cragg have pulled off parallel plots before with great success, so I know they can do it. They just seemed all over the place in this one.

(Minor spoiler alert)This is also the first book where the major campaign was not completed. I'm not adverse to cliffhangers per se, but there wasn't really any true build up and the termination seemed arbitrary.

I still loved the characters and the writing itself is as exciting as usual. I hope these fine authors can get back on a more cohesive track with the next volume.

In the previous volume of this series, HANGFIRE, readers were set up for some nastiness by the "skinks" without ever finding out just what they were up too. All we knew was that it would not be good for humanity or the marines. We learn more in this book and it is not good for either.

Once again, Sherman and Cragg demonstrate a liking for pursing widely variant plotlines simultaneously. They did an adequate job of this before but their skills are improving in this one.

The main plot involves the committal of the 34th FIST to action on the world of Kingdom. They think they are headed in to suppress a peasant revolt but it turns out that it is the skinks who are the cause of the problems and they are major problems. To make matters worse, Kingdom is a theocracy and the marines must face a local government that is as potentially dangerous as the real enemy. Just to keep the pot stirred up, there are also dissident elements at work within Kingdom that have a strong desire to hurt the marines, the Kingdom government, the confederacy and anyone one else who disagrees with them. To make matters worse, many do not believe in the aliens the marines are fighting and believe it all to be some sort of convoluted plot.

The second plotline concerns Captain Coronado, CO of L Company. A few volumes back he was involved in a hush-hush operation dealing with another alien sentient species. In that book, he did the right thing, against the cruel and inhumane orders of the scientific leader of the post, and is returning to earth to face court martial. This puts strains on his family situations in ways recognizable to anyone who has ever tried to serve both a family and the military. Needless to say, the gallant captain has his own adventures along the way and improvises, adapts and overcomes....just the way a good jarhead is expected to do.

This is actually probably the best book in the series so far. There are a few surprises and new twists. Its going to take at least one more book and some significant reinforcements to get the marines out of this mess.

I really enjoyed the book. Although, I will have to wait for the next book to conclude my opinion on this book. The cliffhanger is kind of weird since the whole story of the book doesn't seem to end.

Also, for the first time, the authors tried to do more than one storyline and it feels kind of weird. One of the storyline brings nothing to the actual story or the 34th FIST Marine. This could explain on why they did not conclude the story since they had already too much.

Overall, it is still a good StarFist book. Different from the previous one but this is what bring the joy in reading :o)

Joe Arpaio is a blow hard, self-aggrandizing, ingoramus who has cost Maricopa County, Arizona tons of money pursuing his idiotic vision of "tough jails" and ham fisted policing. The problem with this system is that it is a proven failure. It punishes people who are presumed innocent and doesn't reduce recidivism. His book is what you would expect from a narcissistic moron. It toughts what a great guy he is and how smart he is while ignorring the preponderance of evidence which contradicts the claims.
I am a lawyer who sues Arpaio. I have used this book to cross examine him at trial and although it was useful for me, it is a self-serving myopic that is pretty dull.

Joe Arpaio has secured his place in law enforcement history as an innovator & a worthy public servant. August Vollmer, Sir Robert Peel, & Clarence Kelley now have a new member to their club. All cops & politicians should read & learn from Sheriff Arpaio's book & so should all business managers & executives. Sheriff Arpaio exemplifies unorthodox simplicity in the pursuit of public safety & budget effectiveness. It's no wonder that the liberals hate him!

and you will end up without a civilized society, which is basically what we have now. I am a criminal trial attorney with 25 years experience and 15,000 cases. Atty Robbins, who writes a review also, seems upset that criminals are being treated like criminals. What a novel idea the sheriff has !!! Obviously, the problem is that a lot of folks do not like to see criminals actually punished. And therein lies our problem. The problem is not with criminals as much as it is our unbelievable tolerance for them. The book is a great read for anyone who wishes to see criminal offenders pay for their crimes. People like Atty Robbins are outraged at the treatment the sheriff metes out to the offenders but is strangely and disturbingly silent about their victims.

We need more men like Mr. Arpaio. Today the government seems to go out of its way to define and protect "prisoner's rights," while lacking any hesitation to trample over the rights of us law-abiding citizens. Arpaio dispenses justice much like a dispassioned referee does at a football game - if you commit the offense, you recieve a penalty, and your sob stories don't buy you so much as a pillow mint.

His most vocal critic on this forum is someone who professes to be an attorney, but cannot spell properly or use words in their proper context. If you're thinking about buying this book, don't look to those of us who gave it 5 stars. Look to its staunchest critics. A bitterly angry critique that is not well-written - when floating alone in a population of praise - usually indicates that you've found a good read.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is one of a kind. The best lawman in the United States. He has two goals: (1)lock up the thugs and do it as inexpensively as possible, and (2) make sure the losers don't want to come back to his jail. Every sheriff and police chief in the country should be required to takes lessons from Arpaio. In this book he explains, in very plain English, how he reaches his goals. Give 'em hell, Joe!!

NOT WHAT i EXPECTED AT ALL. It was all about taping unheard voices.

An "after life" book for those who are not sure what happens when we die, and the book is written so everyone..believers or not will find pleasure in reading it.
BB

Harold Sherman's book, 'The Dead Are Alive: They Can and Do Communicate With You', was published a year before he died in 1987. It is therefore surprising that for a 'can-do' sort of dead guy, Mr Sherman's post-mortem communications seem somewhat less than prodigious.

If you have any interest in life after death, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. Sherman continues in the tradition of other researchers like F. W. H. Myers and provides highly convincing evidence that humans survive their physical death. Sherman covers the topic from many different points of view, from ghost hauntings and dreams to electronic voice phenomena (EVP). I differ with some of the other reviews on this page that question credulity of technological contact with the "other side." Mark Macy in Miracles in the Storm also documents other-worldly communications through phones, radios, and televisions. Just because something seems "far out" doesn't mean it isn't real. After all, Scientific American and the scientific establishment once considered the Wright Brothers a hoax also. The history of science is full of examples of ridiculed ideas that later became the foundations of everyday life. Perhaps one day, after-life communications will seem as commonplace as Internet radio is today. (Dr. Simeon Hein is the author of Opening Minds: A Journey of Extraordinary Encounters, Crop Circles, and Resonance.)

I didn't enjoy this book. The writing was very dry and drawn out. It seemed to go in circles in many places. And, though I believe in life after death, some of what the author suggested stretched beyond believability, especially when he delved into some of the supposed "communications."

While the book can be quite enjoyable in its own right, the authors don't seem to be familiar with the much better series of books written by Diane Duane. Her history of the Sundering and the creation of the Romulan (Rihannsu) culture is better established in five previous books, and quite frankly makes better sense considering the way the Vulcan people turned out in the canon shows.

Books are never completely canon when the shows and movies can change details at any moment, but the books could at least be a part of the time line. Based on [...] information Chekov would be 132 and Uhura 138 years old in this trilogy. And I've never seen a hint of Saavik being married to Spock in the shows- that is sort of incestuous considering their early history. It seems a little too pat to have some of these details in the book and feels more like fannish wish fulfillment than good story-telling.

Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz have crafted one of the finest examples of "Star Trek" fiction that I've come across in "Star Trek Vulcan's Soul Book 1 Exodus", which is a thoroughly engaging look at Vulcan at the time of "The Sundering" coupled with the mysterious appearance of the Watraii, an alien race dedicated to the total destruction of the Romulan Star Empire's homeworlds of Romulus and Remus. I am surprised that Admiral Pavel Chekhov can be as spry as he is, given his advanced age, but nonetheless, I did welcome his appearance as well as Admiral Uhura's, in this well conceived story involving Star Trek: The Original Series characters set a year after the Dominion War. However, the most engaging characters are those from "The Sundering", most notably the engineer Karatek, who eventually becomes a disciple of Surak's, and flees Vulcan in one of the Exodus starships leaving a nuclear war-ravaged planet. The literary quality of the authors' prose is much better than what I have read from virtually most of the recent Star Trek fiction I've come across. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, which will be the second book in a trilogy devoted to Spock and Vulcan's history circa "The Sundering" and its repercussions for the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire and especially, Romulan Star Empire.

Major chronology/continuity issues with this one. Dissappointing, as I liked Shwartz & Sherman's other work.

1. Saavik had to wait 75 years to make Captain? Heck, if that were me, I would've resigned long before...

2. Uhura and Chekov are still alive?? Excuse me?

3. Authors treat the Dominion War as if it happened what, a year, after the movies, forgetting there is a 75 year period of time in between.

This novel just doesn't live up to the excellence of the authors' previous work. Star Trek authors should really watch all of the shows before attempting to write anything.

Apart from the plot of the book, I'm curious as to how Uhura and Chekhov can still be active Starfleet officers at well over 140 years old. They're only human! Dr. McCoy showed up on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 2363 or so, and he was obviously not in any shape to be on active duty. I find it hard to believe that Uhura and Chekhov are in much better shape, being only a few years younger. Obviously, there would be medical advances in the almost 400 years between now and then, but if medicine has advanced so much that humans are living a couple hundred years, why was Dr. McCoy in such decrepit condition? In "Generations", Picard remarks that there are more days behind him than before him, and I've never heard anything indicating he is over 100. It's nice to have the old characters around, I know, but it just doesn't make sense. Of course, none of the books are "canon", so I suppose that allows for some leeway, but some sort of rationality would be nice.

The idea behind this book is quite interesting and could be catchy for many readers. With it's style of 'one chapter in present times, one chapter in the past etc.' it resembles a little "Spock's World", which is a really good book.

BUT...

The authors's style itself is rather clumsy and seems forced.

Some examples:

1) Admiral Chekov? Admiral Uhura?

Using those ST:Classic characters who might still be available, however old they may be, to nourish a story about Vulcans and Romulans is dull at best.
Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz are most likely satisfying their own sentimentalities in unnecessarily "reviving" these characters for their book...or is it just a desperate attempt to attract more ST:Classic fans?!

2) Vulcanoids have green blood - common knowledge among Star Trek fans.

Nonetheless we are being informed about this fact almost every other page. Something/one has always a blood-green tone, shines in the brightest blood-green, resembles the green of healthy blood, has a streak of green blood upon his face etc...
After about 50 pages it made me wanna scream: "YES, I GOT IT! PLEASE STOP, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!"
I highly doubt, that Vulcanoids are running around constantly judging the tone of everything green and reminding themselves, and thus also the reader, that THIS is the color of their blood, not red. Fascinating, that these Vulcanoids almost never see any other color worth mentioning in this book, just green.
Did Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz try to underline the exoticism/alienism of Vulcanoids this way? If so, it's a primitive and seriously unnerving attempt.

3) Vulcans are a very intelligent, precise species and know how to calculate without a computer. Nothing new!

Nonetheless Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz feel the need to remind the reader of this fact almost every other page (again!). Their Vulcans make comments about the PRECISE chances for whatever situation (however ridiculously uncalculable it may be) all the time.
Here just ONE example out of SO MANY: "Wouldn't it be wonderful, if the moment could last?" Saavik asked. "If we could all stay so amazingly unified. Of course," she added, "that is logically not possible." There was less than a .00035563 chance of such an intense feeling of unity lasting any longer...(Spock's thinking)
Where did he get all the necessary data to calculate such an amazingly precise number...for something as variable as humanoid behaviour? And why does he do it every other page, whether it's necessary/useful or not? Is it logical to constantly waste part of your concentration on something absolutely useless (and impossible)? Does that properly support the image of an intelligent and logical man/race?

4) Surprise, surprise - did you know, that Vulcans follow a philosophy that revolves around logic? If not, this book makes sure you will notice and never ever forget it!!!

Perhaps Vulcans (or just the authors?) don't have such good a memory and don't exactly know what logic actually is, cause it seems they have to remind themselves and others of the logic in this and that every now and then. If the situation, action, case has something to do with logic or not is rather irrelevant.


If you're just looking for a story and further background information about Vulcans and Romulans, this book will be quite interesting for you. Should you be the kind who likes good writing too, your money would be wasted.

PS: Please forgive my grammar and spelling, but english is not my mother tongue.

A great read!!! I was facinated by this couple's journey. Based on their descriptions, I now know of at least ten places I need to visit soon. It was also very enlightening to read about the pros/cons of RV travel. I, too, share the dream of ditching the fast-paced life and taking a huge adventure. This book let me live that adventure without taking the risk.

Thankfully, finally a book written for all ages. With this book, young people can see an alternative life style, even if they can't afford to do the same thing; middle aged people can either dream of chucking it all or be very happy they have a large home, no puppy and no RV repairs; and finally, seniors who can actually try such a trip may be encouraged to do so. The writing style, the humor and the struggles all make for a delightful read.

For anyone who has ever gone camping (in a tent OR an RV), or is thinking about going for the first time, this book should be on your reading list. It brings out all the little nuances that make this outdoor activity so enjoyable - the togetherness of travelling companions, the variety of people met on the adventure, the beauty of our country, and the not so great locales and predicaments that can sometimes accompany these types of trips.

This couple has captured the romance of outdoor recreation in its' true light. They are candid enough to provide a realistic account of both the highlights and lowlights of their trip. This book isn't a sugar coated travel guide but rather a funny and entertaining story that, as an added perk, offers an insiders view of where to go and where not to go! What a fun book to read. It makes me want to plan my next camping trip - NOW!

This is a good book - an enjoyable and easy read. It did give me the bug to try something similar - and that's why I read the book in the first place. Only thing is, this book is all B.C. (Before Children). I need the sequel to this book which will teach me how to make this trip After Chidren ( a bit more of a challenge). I recommend it if you are interested in making such a trip or life style change. Oh BTW, George W. Bush sucks and it's a total travisty that he won the 2000 election, Rush Limbaugh is a total idiot, and I really like Canadians - (Guess I didn't have to include that in the review -but I did and I feel much better now!)

I agree with some readers that this could provide some inspiration to make a change in your life. It certainly is a cool adventure, and I am envious. But they did it at an easy time in their lives. It was early in their careers, they didn't have any children - obviously an easy time to save money for an adventure like this.

The poor writing and grammatical mechanics certainly detract from the story. I can't help but wonder what their MSU professors would think of their writing skills.

I would suggest that Theresa leave Bert's comments completely out of their next book - the guy is so negative and can't seem to say much of anything pleasant about anything. In fact, by the end of the book, I felt sorry for this seemingly chipper, cheerful gal stuck with this gloomy Gus. Couldn't he find anything pleasant to write about?!?

I also gagged every time I read about their love for Bush, Rush and their conservative political views. Those ideas are certainly best left out of a book of this sort! It is amusing that they think they've done something so novel and daring (quitting their jobs, rv camping, bra-less, oh my!) - I guess that is pretty daring for staunch republicans.

I met Cates at the Native American Music Awards in 2001 and many of the artists photographed for her book were there. All of them were beaming at the how beautiful the book is, and Cates was even getting autographs! She captures a lot of the truth - good and bad- about modern Native America.

When I opened the first page of this book I was totally mesermized with it and did not put it down until I looked through the whole thing. I have been all over the Southwest and have many Native friends and this book brought such warm feelings to me. I like the way it shows the different ways the people live, and diminishes the sterotype that so many think about when they think of "Indians".

After looking at the book and reading the reviews I agree most with the reader who said you must have interest in the subject matter. In the last review the reader rated the book as very good but in his own words he had stayed on a reservation and had a great interest in and a super knowledge of the subject. I can see how someone with interest would enjoy it but for me,as someone without the above after 30 or so pages this book became a chore to get through.

This book was a gift. There are a few very nice pictures but I think to really enjoy it you need to have an interest in the subject of Indians. If not it just seems to go on and on. As a gift or for yourself I would not buy it unless you or your friend has a real interest in the subject matter.

Being an individual who has travelled from England and been most fortunate and privileged to be hosted by and reside within Anishinaabe Reservation Communities in Wisconsin, I found this book, both, extremely exciting and enthralling. Its vivid content evoked many happy memories for me. I particularly like the synopsis, by Gwendolen, that appears directly on the inside front cover pages. This summary is written in a pace and style that amply encapsulates her journey, recollections and experiences as she travelled through Indian Country and with which I can so readily and personally identify. I, also, thoroughly enjoyed, indeed valued the contributions by Native writers, such as Sherman Alexie, feeling they served to reinforce the integrity of the book; one which I am delighted to include within my collection.

I am not usually, particularly enamoured with black and white photgraphs but strangely it was these very images, throughout the book, that made the greatest impact upon myself, finding them to be most compelling, poignant, haunting and thought provoking. The black and white pictures are adequately balanced by a selection of color plates that include some rather beautiful scenic shots, allowing Gwendolen the opportunity to demonstrate her abundant and skilful photographic work executed with professionalism.

This is an exceptional book containing wonderful photographs of diverse peoples, in many geographic locations, highlighting different events, occasions and moods. It is compiled by an individual who obviously has a fond regard, deep respect and a well-deserved admiration for Native People and their Cultures, while extending a high degree of sensitivity towards her subjects. The emotions portrayed throughout this work are sad, happy, tragic, painful, inspiring, friendly and humorous. Overall, I believe this is an important and significant book inasmuch as it portrays 'The People' as REAL human beings with different cultures, lifestyles, values and attitudes, subsequently dispensing with numerous misconceptions and the inevitable stereotypes.

Although American Indian People have been heinously wronged in the past and continue to endure gross injustices against them, today, they always have, currently do and will continue to make a valuable and unique contribution to the dominant society. I, also, believe this volume serves to illustrate Native People are in the unenviable position of having to balance and blend two starkly contrasting paradigms while endeavoring to, quite rightly, retain their Treaty Rights, Land Base, Traditional Cultures, Languages, Education methods, Customs, Spiritual Ceremonies, Arts and Crafts, now and for future generations. This ongoing process is accomplished through a tremendous resolve that is evident within these pages, while upholding their dignity, pride, honor and Cultural identity. This book portrays resolute peoples possessing a selfless courage and I express my sincere gratitude to them for allowing us, the readers, to share their lives, homes, heartache, joy, hopes, aspirations, thoughts, insights, values and principles in this manner, through their own words and captivating camera lens of Gwendolen Cates.