Smith Books

This wonderful book's authorized publisher in the US is only Charles Scribner's Sons--not Peter Smith. What's the story with this?

Excellent reading for those connected with the Earth. Food for the soul. One of the best gifts I have ever recieved.

"I live in a rain forest in western Oregon, on the banks of a mountain river in relatively undisturbed country, surrounded by 150-foot-tall Douglas firs, delicate deer-head orchids, and clearings where wild berries grow" (p. 148), Barry Lopez writes in this collection of his 1978 to 1986 essays. Lopez allows each essay to tell a story leaving its reader with "an inexplicable renewal of enthusiasm." "It does not matter greatly what the subject is," he writes about storytelling, "as long as the context is intimate and the story is told for its own sake" (p. 63). Subjects of these essays include a stone horse intaglio, white geese at Tule Lake, boating the Colorado River with jazz musician, Paul Winter, bull riders, beached whales, searching for Anasazi remains, and "the passing wisdom of birds."

Readers will cross open ground in these essays and enter the natural world, becoming immersed in its much larger meanings. "Wildlands preserve complex biological relationships that we are only dimly, or sometimes not at all, aware of" (p. 80). These essays are rich in wilderness wisdom, enough wisdom to please any fan of Ed Abbey or Wendell Berry. "We grasp what is beautiful in a flight of snow geese rising against an overcast sky as easily as we grasp the beauty of a cello suite," Lopez writes; "and intuit, I believe, that if we allow these things to be destroyed or degraded for economic reasons we will become deeply and strangely impoverished" (p. 38). He quietly observes, "wilderness can revitalize someone who has spent too long in the highly manipulative, perversely efficient atmosphere of modern life" (p. 82).

Whether I'm reading his stories or essays, Barry Lopez is among my favorite writers. He will bring you to the edge of your senses: "Everything found at the edge of one's senses--the high note of the winter wren, the thick perfume of propolis that drifts downwind from spring willows, the brightness of woodchips scattered by beaver . . .all this fits together" (pp. 149-50).

G. Merritt

Lopez is concerned with our collective understanding of nature. From studying a 3000-year-old horse intaglio to looking for Anasazi granaries he seeks our ancestral relationships. The essays work best when he mixes his reflection with keen observations. Where the essays have a heavier philosophical hand they aren't as effective. As he says "The door that leads to the cathedral is marked by a hesitancy to speak at all, rather to encourage by example, a sharpness of the senses". Lopez 's narratives sharpen many senses from the sudden assault of the sound of snow geese to "two snails small as pinheads chewing a leaf".

There are reflections on the role of biologists, from communicating between scientists and shipmates in the arctic to their role in a whale stranding. Perhaps he thinks biologists have greater insight, but he also understands the need for mystery and direct experience.

For Paul Winter fans there is a description of the raft down the Grand Canyon that produced the album "Canyon". As a current update, the snow geese written about in one essay are continuing to boom and damage their arctic breeding grounds.

This collection of essays is glorious and sad. The writing lets the reader see what Barry Lopez is seeing with so few precise words. The gifts of wilderness are felt while reading sentences like, "You could feel the creek vibrating in the silt and sand.". The saddness comes from knowing these essays were written in the 1980's and so much more has been destroyed since then.

Due to when this book was written, there are a couple of references to former President Reagan's "environmental record" written in real time.

There were so many essays that I loved, including the one speaking of traveling the river with Paul Winter. I am going to quote a passage from "Children in the Woods".

"The quickest door to open in the woods for a child is the one that leads to the smallest room, by knowing the name each thing is called. The door that leads to the cathedral is marked by a hesitancy to speak at all, rather to encourage by example a sharpness of the senses. If one speaks it should only be to say, as well as one can, how wonderfully all this fits together, to indicate what a long, fierce peace can derive from this knowledge."

I have almost finished this book and so far it is quite a compelling, interesting,with unusually fresh and insightful glimpses into many psychological facets of the characters portrayed. Her insight and portrayal of their psyche's is one that will be forever memorable to me. I particularly liked The Ball. I can readily see a teenage girl feeling and wanting to act the way that Antoinette did to avenge her mother's cruel treatment of her. The Snow In Autumn evokes feelings of sad longing for home and the past for a refugee.All in all, a remarkable and unforgettable book.

There are many reasons for loving a book ... of course content, the manner in which the author has painted a picture for the reader, a love for the time period in which a story is set, perhaps a specific character - heaven knows - I have fallen in love with a protagonist in my younger days. With this book, aside from all the talent that the words spread on the pages, I love the book.

The paper is heavy weight - not glossy - not harsh. The ribbon bookmark reminds me of days when books were made this way ... I enjoyed reading this book because of the quality of the construction .... now on to the inside.

Nemirovsky has a way of developing the ghosts of one's past. Regardless of how well her characters do in life there seem to be parts of their beginnings that they cannot shed ... a genetic tattoo, a social ingraining that continues to come through regardless of how they change over the years.

I felt the pain of David Golder; I wanted to throw Mrs. Kampf to the dogs and delighted in the vision of little pieces of paper floating down the river; I could feel the heat of the wood burning stove and the cold of the chilling Russian wind in Snow in Autumn. Brilliantly written in simple language, if you are looking for paperback literature - this is NOT the book to read.

I am hypnotized by Nemirovsky's work and hope that you are too!

You get immersed right away into Nemirovskys' world. Right away with "The Ball" you get the discomfort rapport the mother and daughter have. "The Ball" is an absolute terrible tale and well rendered. Opening sentences are crucial, with "David Golder" you want to know what happens to this fellow, he is firm and refuses yet has remorse and is weak at the same time he manipulates and is manipulated. Once you let go the story about the author, we all know Irenes' terrible fate how she perished in the concentration camps, you are able to isolate and focus on her ability to write, she was not just an author, yes she published, she was a writer with a capital W. Words seem to land perfectly. A few sentences are absolutely beautiful. I stop and read again, several times over and over the same sentence to decorticate and learn to read again. How she describes lovers in bed, the intertwined legs and bodies, their shadow shown on the ceiling reveals the image of a bouquet of flowers. There is more, four short stories in this volume, but much more in her complete oeuvre, I urge any curious and avid prose lover to read and discover Irène Némirovsky.

While not as consistently good as "Suite Francais," this volume has as its best selections David Golder and The Courilof Affair. "Golder" is intriguing in that it was used by her husband in an attempt to free her from the concentration camp. An unflattering portrait of its title character, it begins with a scene that reminded me of the opening of "Citizen Cane." The closing story will please those fond of Kafka. It is rife with issues of ethics and government. The Everyman edition is also a very handsome volume.

Némirovsky was a convert to Catholicism who died in Auschwitz. The Nazis managed to cause the deaths of many Judaic converts (Edith Stein was another). The Nazi movement seemed to be serving a hidden god; many would be shocked to learn the identity of that false god. It's a death penalty offense in Orthodox Judaism to convert to Christianity. Did Hitler's movement serve the agenda of the Orthodox rabbis? You don't be believe it? Read the statements of Ovadia Yosef and other Israeli rabbonim on Hitler as their "divine instrument of punishment." Némirovsky's writing was of a high order. "David Golder" displays tremendous psychological insight. May her memory be honored.

There are several fantastic points about Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon. Instead of whining about waiting for Daisy to get better, Peter does something proactive: he sends his animal friends on missions to cheer her up. So the plot is charming and useful.
The details in the pictures really make the story come to life. The squirrel's reactions to different scenes are funny, and I liked seeing Daisy's mom pushing a reel mower with Daisy's little sibling strapped to her! So even supporting characters have their own personalities.
I even learned something about chicken pox from this book. Since I was a newborn when I had chicken pox, I don't remember it, and I thought it was contagious for two weeks. When it only took a week for Daisy to get better, I did research and found that, indeed, it's contagious for about a week (although Peter was lucky not to get it before anyone knew Daisy was sick).
So, overall, the book is great for its creativity and warmth. Good for kids, parents, and people who just enjoy children's literature.

Peter wants to play with his best friend Daisy, but is upset to find out that she's come down with the chicken pox. He decides to help make her feel better by sending things to cheer her up. Everything he does really helps and she's better before the week is out!

Daisy is likely cheered up by both the sweet presents Peter sends her (including a get well card and flowers) and the unusual delivery method --- Peter seems to have a fleet of animals (such as hippos and zebras) at his command, magically transformed from his stuffed toys.

The illustrations are soft and pleasing and full of visual detail to read and spot. This is also a counting story, which kids just learning to count will very much appreciate and have fun counting along with.

This is a lovely counting book. It has animals and great pictures to look at. It is about a little boy who misses his freind when she is sick. He send her different thing every day of the week in hopes of making her recover faster. It also would help a child learn the days of the week. It would be nice for a child who is missing a friend or family member or some one moves away. It has lots of ideas and creative things they can do to keep them busy and also please the reciever of all those things. Very lovely book to give to a sick friend. The most adorable book.

The book Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon is a charming story. It is about Two close friends and neighbors named Daisy and Peter. Daisy gets ill with the chicken pox and cant not com out and play with him for about a week. To make her not so lonely and in hopes of helping her get better faster he sends diffrent thigns to her eachday. This book also is a counting book, and helps them learn the days of the week.For example on monday he sends her a get well card and sends it over ot her house by giving it to an elephant. There are also lots of wonderful drawings and visuals for them to see.

My 18-month-old, Sara Rose, has been obsessed with this book since we first read it to her last month. We recently visited a tourist attraction where she saw zebras, flamingos and monkeys -- all of which are featured in the book -- and she screams as we turn each page and she spots those animals. She calls it "Zee-Zaa," as in the Zebra Book, and she carries it around the house with her and asks us to read it 10 times a day.

In general, I approach most of the "self-help" literature with a heavy dose of skepticism. Dear Dinah requires no such remedy. It is a very well reasoned manual for dual working couples living in the new millennium. My wife and I are both professionals and typically let household chores get done on a desultory basis -- more often than not (I can admit) my better half picks up the slack. Finally, we agreed that it was ludicrous not to have a more organized household. The detailed, yet straight forward, quizzes provided in the book were extremely useful in dividing up responsibilities. Given the amount of time we spending planning our workdays, it is amazing how little time we devote to planning our homework. Dear Dinah helped us alleviate that problem.

Dear Dinah really helped me identify and articulate what was bothering me about the unfair balance of work in my household without sounding like a nag or whiner. I was able to talk to my husband about having a more balanced share of the workload in our home and was able to do it in a way that didn't put either of us on the defensive-which until now was impossible! Her household personality quiz is like a "how to" guide in understanding how your spouse ticks-and what ticks him off! This book can actually wipe out the resentments we hold against our spouses and create a brand new partnership where everybody wins!

I loved this book. Nothing is more important than household harmony. Take the time to read this with your mate and you will not be disappointed. A fun, warm and positive way to approach the equity of household duties. My husband and I broke through some long standing resentments and worked together to create a better, stronger, well oiled household machine!

Many things about our society and the roles that men and women play within that society have changed over the last several decades. Included in this social change has been the return of so many mothers to the workforce in an attempt to make ends meet. Unfortunately, many of the social norms of the past have not adapted to these changes. "Dear Dinah" author Jeannie Selley-Smith points out that household roles have been some of the slowest to change and the traditional male and female roles are in the greatest need of change. This is nothing new, as many writers, women's groups, psychologists, and others have pointed out the inequity of the man coming home to relax after work and the woman continuing to come home only to face the chores of running the household.

Ms. Seeley-Smith does address basic personality types and how to use them to create more of a partnership in your marriage. While she really addresses nothing new, her writing style is humorous and witty and makes the book a joy to read. If you are looking for a book to help resolve the inequity of this situation there are many available, but few are both helpful and as entertaining a read as "Dear Dinah". Hopefully we will see more works from the pen of Ms. Seeley-Smith, but in an area that has been less thoroughly covered already as this one has been.

Dear Dinah really helped me identify and articulate what was bothering me about the unfair balance of work in my household without sounding like a nag or whiner. I was able to talk to my husband about having a more balanced share of the workload in our home and was able to do it in a way that didn't put either of us on the defensive-which until now was impossible! Her household personality quiz is like a "how to" guide in understanding how your spouse ticks-and what ticks him off! This book can actually wipe out the resentments we hold against our spouses and create a brand new partnership where everybody wins!

Buy this book! Sumptuously illustrated with some really mouthwatering recipes - try the Strawberry Granita for instance. Very good all round.

Delia, oh Delia. The woman who taught me how to make toast! (I was actually making it wrong all these years...) Delia is one of those television personalities who you really would like to have as a friend. Her books are extremely personable and can literally be read aloud - gives you that "Delia is in the house" feeling. The Summer and Winter Collections are Superb books. Also check out How to Cook One and Two. Excellent. Now, where can I buy the How to Cook video collection?

I've been using this cookbook for a few years and checked to see if she'd written anything new. The recipes are delicious. The cooking instruction is clear. She adds a special touch with her comments that make me feel that I have an expert guiding me in the kitchen. This American cook loves Delia Smith! My family, guests and neighbors love the recipes I prepare with this book and Delia's Winter Cookbook.

If you are frustated by reading colourful and glossy recipes that turn out disasterous the delicious Delia is for you. Her recipes always work. Her UK television programme back room staff ensure that, as most if not all are demonstrated on TV, and even the most acknowledged cooks in the UK will tell you that it will, yes will, work the first time. My wife, a proffesional cook, makes no excuse for always having her volumes at hand for that sudden emergancy. Typical of the main stream of modern British cuisine in the mid 1990s, full of the feeling and flavours of that oh so elusive English Summer.

You have to try the Roasted Peppers recipe - it's easy and I continually impress all dinner guests with the simple dish. The Chicken Basque is delicious and although the fresh fruit terrine needs 24 hours to finish, it tastes great, looks delicious and impresses everyone. It is my favourite cookbook!

I have always been a Delia fan. This book maintains the typical high standards.

Very pleased with the book and extrenely pleased with Amazon and the service they offered in replacing a damaged copy.

This certainly not the be all and end all of vegetarian cooking (I am an omnivore) - indeed many things Delia sees as suitable for vegetarians apparently must all contain cheese of some sort; that can get a little tedious at times I must admit! And what about vegans?

That said, for dealing with basic vegetables and some interesting accompaniments for meats or for enjoying alone, I think nobody should be without this book in their library. Wonderfully illustrated with clear, concise instructions. Highly recommended, as are all of Delia Smith's cookery books.

This is the one that you should really own above all others. Being of English stock, I was brought up with Delia all my life. to be short and sweet, the recipes are inspiring easy and very tatsty. I am not a vegetarian but would be more than happy to make most of these recipes for myself.
If you really want to cook something that is different from your average American recipes, this is the one to buy.

Well worth paying the extra money for.

While this was not my first vegetarian cookbook, it does rate among my favourites - for those nights when I have a bit of spare time on my hands.

The book itself is beautiful, with a solid hardbound cover, thick smooth pages, and absolutely gorgeous photography. The pages are crisp and vibrant, and the design is elegant and reader-friendly. The makers of this edition had an eye for quality and for readability.

The food is in keeping with the care put into designing this book. I've prepared quite a few of the recipes therein and have had fantastic results - and I'm no gourmet chef. The food is incredible. The only cautions I would give are as follows: (a) it's not an everyday cookbook... some recipes are complex, and some take quite a bit of time and patience to prepare; (b) some of the ingredients are a bit rare, or don't translate well from UK to Canadian terms; and (c) there is no nutritional information accompanying the recipes - but looking at the ingredients suggests an overall moderate to high fat content.

That said, the recipes are more than worth the time and effort. And we all need a little sweet in our diets. You do, however, have to enjoy cooking to fully appreciate this book.

A final disclaimer: this book is ovo-lacto-vegetarian, and uses eggs, milk and cheese in a good number of its recipes.

It only took one day to digest this slice of gourmet goodness, concocted with writerly mastery, fun plotting and interesting characters--and some laugh-out-loud moments. I hate to make comparisons, but it reminded me a bit of Carl Hiaasen (with Hawaii substituting for Florida, of course). The madcap characters, crazy plot-twists, matter-of-fact debauchery and jaw-dropping madness equals FUN. Also, without pedantics, the writer manages to sneak in a bit of info about how the tourist trade has affected authentic Hawaiian culture.

I first heard Mark Haskell Smith mentioned on NPR's book recommendations segment. His other books (Moist and Salty) are definitely going on my "to-read" list.

Mark Haskell Smith is like Elmore Leonard on speed, only funnier. Both "Moist" and "Delicious" are immensively creative, hysterical (in the comic sense) romps. I can't wait for his next one.

My husband and I both loved this book. Couldn't put it down. His other book, Moist is a good read too. Mark Haskell Smith is an excellent story teller with quite a wild imagination. Fun stuff!

This book was really fine. Which real person was the inspiration for the character Joseph? I want to eat at the restaurant where he is now working. I couldn't put this book down.

This odd exhilarating book is as well-paced and plotted as a P.G. Wodehouse novel but it is studded with incidents and bizarre moments that are as disgusting as a book by William Burroughs.

And it's all set in Hawaii of all places so you get bizarre insights into that culture. If you liked Moist, you will like Delicious. The author is a screenwriter who was hired to make a postmodernist version of Hawaii 5-0 but although that season was cancelled this book gives an indication of the author's viewpoint and why such a bizarre series could never have made it to television except on the furthest out cable channel.

Hit men, prostitutes, sleazebags, opportunistic Hawaiians, Spam, sushi, cooking. I read it in one sitting and felt like I had taken two hits of Ecstacy. Wonderful, dangerous book.

This is an intensely practical, very valuable guide to spiritual warfare. The Lord Jesus Christ has given us the power to overcome all the attacks of the enemy! Demolishing strongholds means you have to repent of your sins (or overcome the curse against you) which allowed access to your life and then go after the strongman. But many make the mistake of not recognizing that there are other spirits of bondage connected with the strongman which make him even stronger. (This book gives detailed lists of these associated with common strongmen.) The author directs the reader to bind the strongman, cast out the other spirts, THEN cast out the strongman. She includes prayers to use, stories of victorious battles, and her own personal experience. Even if you don't believe in demon deliverance, think of this book as a way of using truth encounters to confront strongholds and what kinds of strongholds tend to happen together.

The book came very quickly and was in excellent condition. And to top it off the book was great.

The book is the ultimate handbook for deliverance ministry. The keys to identifying and breaking off demonic strongholds are identified clearly. As this life is a battlefield, then this book is a war room strategy guide. This book brought me immense help in identifying how demons work to intimidate and harass people, and how to fight on their behalf. As usual, this author has taken a complex subject and put it into simple, concrete terms. Indispensible reference book for anyone serious about setting others free.

If you are like most Christians, you have times when you may feel "hemmed in" by something that isn't readily explainable.Other times you may lack the freedom in Christ that you have had in times past. Delivering the Captives is a well written practical guide to deal with issues before they get a foothold in your life. This is a book every library needs to have, and hopefully the reader will review from time to time. It is a very compatible book with the author's Beyond the Lie. Though the specific issues may be differerent, both of these books deal with life isssues that affect our functioning ability. Make no mistake about it, the strongman will do his best to defeat you quickly or with a slow burn. With God's help we can be victorious.

This is a great "how to" book with amazing stories about everyday people who experience relief and freedom from fears, tormenting thoughts, addictions and overpowering sinful habits by resisting sin and evil through drawing near to God. Salvation, personal freedom and deliverance from demonic spirits, is the work of Jesus in and through our lives.

Alice Smith in "Delivering The Captives" shares how we can obtain personal freedom and effectively help others with their greatest struggles and pain. "Delivering The Captives" renews our faith that the love and power of God is more than enough to live changed lives and experience God's peace.

Debbie Walker, Houston, TX.

This book does an excellent job on how an engine works and all the theories behind them. I have never read a book like this. It explains things in plain English which a person can understand without an engineering degree but it goes enough into detail to allow how to extract more power from engines. In the last section of the book it gives examples of engines, although some of these engines out of date, they were kings at their time and still apply to today engines.

I am a NC State student, and I cheeked this book out from the library here at school. I just have to say this is the best book I have ever read. I have had it only a few days now and I have already read around 150 pages. I can't put it down. I wish I had to read this in school instead of something like Withering Heights (It was a good book too, no car stuff though). But hey, what am I doing this for I need to get back to reading... So my suggestion is that you buy this book, or at least check it out like me. Who ever said that a library was not a cool place? I would also recommend buying and MGB.

Absolutely awesome book! A book that is a must, for the library of every mechanic or racer. Even if you are just a enthusiast, the book is incredibly informing, whether you are a certified mechanic or just an everyday driver, that wants to know what's going on inside the engine. I've owned the book for years, and I plan on buying a new copy, to give to my son, when he hits the driving age. This book is a must, for any engine builder, from the weekeng warrior to Nascar or the IRL. This book is a must!

It's a book necessary to any racing engineer- it's kind of a "Bible" for racing engine related technicians

I bought this book back in 1979, a year after I got my driver's license, 4 months after I bought my 396 Chevy, and about a month after a buddy of mine dropped a Car Craft Magazine on my desk in open class in High School, thus starting a life-long passion with cars and motorsports.

At that time I was thirsty for "true" knowledge about engines, especially high-performance engines, and quickly came to the conclusion I wasn't going to get that from my buddies who inanely swore that their 2-barrel 350 Novas were turning 10-second 1/4-miles ("I'm certain of it man, I clocked it myself"). This book was reviewed in a Road & Track issue, I picked it up, and became truly educated about all facets of basic engine design and the physics and principles behind true horsepower production.

I found the text easy to read and understand, and the delivery of information, although technical, certainly not above anyone's understanding. This is not a "get out your slide rule" type of book; but it does lay things out in a clear, direct manner, making it easy to absorb and understand, even as a newby 17 year-old gearhead.

Even though we've seen a tremendous advance in engineering regarding the internal combustion engine since 1979, to this day the principles delivered in this book ring true. You cannot go wrong, nor do I think you can do better, than starting here on your quest for horsepower knowledge--learn the basics first, and go from there. (For real slide-rule stuff, consult the book Scientific Design of Exhaust and Intake Systems, to learn where the heart of any internal combustion engine resides.)

I still have guys my age swearing that they're doing truly unbelievable things with a certain engine and car; the crazy stories never fade, but you'll do better than tell stories after learning what this book has to say.

Adler thought all human motivation was based on the will to power, manifesting itself in men's desires to get rich and to exercise dominion and women's desire to marry such men. Freud thought all human motivation was based on the will to sex, that is to say the will to procreate the manifestations of which we see in our sex obsessed society. Frankl shows that the misplacement of these desires in the center of human life causes all of the psychological turmoil under which our society suffers. He shows that by putting (dare I say) God, and the purpose for which He created each individual at the center of human existence (the will to meaning), love (misunderstood as the will to sex) and creativity (misunderstood as the will to power)are put into a proper perspective. Frankl's treatise makes the insights of Adler and Freud useful to the religious individual who consider either of these great psychologists secular humanist riff-raff. More over it renders the endless the tangled web weaved by psychoanalysis unnecessary as it shows how understanding oneself as a purposeful being one can alleviate all the binding ties of compulsion, addiction, and irrational fear. INCREDIBLE.

Frankl's logotherapy enables people to once again discover the quality of life. Frankl believes that the first two schools of Viennese psychotherapy (Freud and Adler), which he calls the depth psychology, must be complimented the logotherapy - the height psychology. His therapy explores man's future instead of his past. Summarizing the Freudian concept as the will to pleasure and the Adlerian concept as the will to power, Frankl points out that man's basic motivation in life is neither pleasure nor power. Each person lives to discover the meaning of life and thereby to fulfill it - the will to meaning. Life is too meaningful for man to comprehend: it is essentially incomprehensible because it lies on a higher realm than that of man's. During the World War 2, Frankl survived four concentration camps including Auschwitz. In the camps, most of the inmates despaired that if they did not survive the camp, there was no meaning in suffering. Frankl, on the other hand, believed that if there was no meaning in suffering, there was no point in surviving the camp. In other words, the meaning of life was either unconditional regardless of the situation one was facing, or it was none at all. In the camps, Frankl would console his inmates telling them, "Someone looks down on each of us in difficult hours ?a friend, a wife, somebody alive or dead ?and he would not expect us to disappoint him. He would hope to find us suffering proudly ?not miserably ?knowing how to die.? He would explain to them that it was not them asking the meaning of life. It was life asking them the meaning, and they had to answer to it. What Frankl witnessed in the camps contradicted Freud's theory that if people were left without food for few days, their wants would be reduced to the common desire for food. While some inmates behaved according to their instincts, as Freud predicted, there were also others who lived up to this challenge. Frankl witnessed people who gave away their last piece of bread and others who organized religious activities, which resulted in execution if they were caught. One of logotherapy's techniques to help people discover values is to have them imagine their lives from their deathbeds and look back on them. During such exercises people often find that their current definition of success differs significantly from that on their deathbeds. They realize that they do not wish they had made more money, had more sex. It is interesting to note that virtually everyone points to relationship as their most cherished value. They wish that they had spent more time with people they care about. Logotherapy bases its therapy on the fact that man is a self-transcendent being. Psychotherapy which views man as a self-contained being is bound to fail. Frankl's favourite analogy regarding this matter is the eye. The function of the eye is to transcend itself: healthy eye does not see itself. The more it self-transcends, the more it actualizes itself. Only when there is a problem, such as glaucoma, does it notice itself. Man actualizes himself in the same way. Self-actualization is possible only as a side-effect of self-transcendent. Man is most human when he is occupied with something other than himself - when he is serving others?needs. The best time to take a picture of man is when he is least conscious of himself. How unnatural the picture looks when he is told to say cheese, to notice himself. Man neither lives by himself nor for himself. Man who views himself as a self-contained being is bound to live in despair. If he were to weigh the suffering and joy in life, he will find that the suffering outweighs by far. Every approach to suicide prevention needs to be grounded on the irreducibility of the unique human phenomenons and the self-transcendent nature of man. Only then can he find the meaning in suffering and thereby meet the challenge. He then realizes that life expects something from him in every situation. This "mere?realization in itself may even put an end to suicidal thoughts. Painting green the leaves of a dying tree lasts only so long, while watering its roots naturally turns them green. Frankl warns us of the serious consequences of reductionism. And his logotherapy thoroughly deestablishes the reductionism in psychotherapy and reinstitutes the human realm in psychotherapy. Logotherapy has a significant contribution to make in our world where more and more people are seeking psychotherapy to address this human realm. Logotherapy, then, is a psychotherapy for the man in the street ?all of us.

This is a wonderful book that describes the existentialist process and
thoughts of a brilliant man. It is a very different school of thought
than more recent schools of thought such as cognitive-behavioral psychology. Dr. Frankl discusses meaning of life, suffering, and how one
choose one's attitude toward suffering to alleviate it. Of course, who
could be a more experienced speaker of this message than Dr. Frankl who endured being in a concentration camp during World War II and was able to survive
it through his choices of attitude towards his suffering. Dr. Frankl is
clearly an existentialist who sees choice and personal responsibility as
the center of the soul.

Existential frustration results in neurotic symptoms. Logotherapy is a specific therapy. Life is a task. Logotherapy is education toward responsibility. Psychoanalysis regards neurosis as limitation.

Individual psychology fits only a particular kind of human being. We postulate a psychotherapy to include the spiritual element. Logotherapy is intended to supplement psychotherapy. Responsibility implies a sense of obligation. An affirmative attitude toward life is crucial.

The pleasure principle is an artificual creation of psychology. Human volition has any of a number of human ends. Value is transcendent to the act that intends it. Existential analysis and logotherapy aim at bringing the patient to the highest point of concentration and dedication.

No man is justified in insisting on his own inadequacies. The meaning of individuality comes to fulfillment in the community. Man's reality is a potentiality. Freedom of the will is opposed to destiny.

Human existence underwent deformation in the concentration camps. First there is regression to primitiveness. Most people were tormented by a sense of inferiority. It was a provisional existence. Life was futureless and monotonous. Psychic degeneration might lead to total apathy. During the week between Christmas and New Year 1944 there was unprecedented mass mortality. The liberated prisoner was still in need of care.

Human life can be fulfilled in suffering. The patient as sufferer may be superior to the doctor. The chief symptom of unemployment neurosis is apathy. Where love is lacking, work becomes a substitute. Love is not only grace, it is enchantment. Human existence is fundamentally grounded in responsibility.

Logotherapy sets out to transform the neurotic's view of his neurosis. The obsessional neurotic has excessive consciousness and conscientiousness. The striving for security in anxiety neurosis and obsessional neurosis is deflected. The melancholic devalues himself and the whole world. The application of paradoxical intention has been useful in many cases of phobic neurosis.

Some of the most important principles in my life can be found in Dr. Viktor Frankl's The Doctor and the Soul. Without them, I along with my efforts to do good in the world would be lost in cynicism and depression. The book is an answer to Ecclesiastes' refrain, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." The book is an answer of hope.

I have pitied certain people to the point of questioning how they could endure life. I think of the boy whose alcoholic father had poured gasoline over him while he was sleeping. His face and over 90% of his body had been burned and melted. He no longer has ears, lips, or a nose. This nine year old boy has 50 or 60 more years to live among us.

In this depressing context, Dr. Frankl's mission in life was to help others realize meaning in their lives no matter their condition. The fundamental premise behind Frankl's life work is that "whoever has a reason for living endures almost any mode of life - Nietzche" (p.54). One scene from Frankl's autobiography, Man's Search for Meaning, encapsulates this thought well.

One night when his fellow prisoners of a concentration camp had received word that they would all be gassed the next day, the people looked to the Viennese psychiatrist for solace. He in turn was able to help each person discover personal reasons to endure which carried them through that dark night with hope and dignity. For example, Frankl helped one person overcome despair by reaffirming the man's fleeting hope that his suffering and death would somehow mean that his wife and family would be saved from such a fate. Instead of perceiving his situation as mere waste and tragedy, this man was enabled to convert his inescapable plight into a noble, heroic deed.

To be human, says Frankl, is to be conscious of one's responsibility no matter the situation. What makes human existence always meaningful, even in a concentration camp or in a severely wrecked body from an accident, is at every moment in a person's life he or she is being asked to fulfill a task. "It is life itself that asks questions of man. It is not up to man to question; rather, he should recognize that he is questioned, questioned by life." (p. 62)

Frankl emphasizes two primary and related guides for hearing the questions that life puts to us: conscience and regret. Frankl offers the leading maxim, "Live as you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now" (p.64). Frankl goes on, "Once an individual really puts himself into this imagined situation, he will instantaneously become conscious of the full gravity of the responsibility that every man bears throughout every moment of his life: the responsibility for what he will make of the next hour, for how he will shape the next day." (p.64-5)

But isn't there some who simply cannot respond favorably to life's questions due to great catastrophe or suffering like the boy who was burned? This is where the implications of Frankl's thought reach their peak, and from such extreme heights we see that no one with far lesser struggles can have valid excuses. Even the inability to create something valuable or to experience beauty, the usual means of obtaining meaning in life, does not condemn a person to a tragically meaningless existence. One thing (the most important thing, according to Frankl) is always still left in tact, that is, the capacity to answer with attitudinal values. How one bears one's cross can give meaning to life. Frankl offers one particularly poignant example (the book is filled with dozens of real life cases to prove his points).

"A young man lay in the hospital, suffering from an inoperable spinal tumor. Paralysis had handicapped his ability to work. There was for him therefore no longer any chance to realize creative values. But even in this state the realm of experiential values remained open to him. He devoted himself to reading good books, and especially to listening to good music on the radio. One day, however, he could no longer bear the pressure of the earphones, and his hands had become so paralyzed that he could no longer hold a book. He was forced to make the further retreat to attitudinal values. He now set himself the role of adviser to his fellow sufferers, and in every way strove to be an exemplar to them. He bore his own suffering bravely. The day before his death - which he foresaw - he knew that the doctor on duty had been ordered to give him an injection of morphine at night. What did the sick man do? When the doctor came to see him on his afternoon round, the patient asked him to give him the injection in the evening - so that the doctor would not have to interrupt his night's rest just on his account." (p.46)
In the same vain, Dostoevsky said that he only feared one thing: that he might not be worthy of his torment (p.114). Goethe said, "There is no predicament that we cannot ennoble either by doing or enduring" (p. 112). Thus a person faced with great suffering must not ask in futility and despair, "Why me?" or "Why God?", but rather must understand that life itself, God Himself, has given him a task, has put the question to him, "Why you?". The sufferer is expected to discover the reason for his current plight. God cannot take the sufferer's test for him or her.

For one that may be to encourage other patients through one's own brave suffering. Frankl tells the case of an 18 year old girl who was shot in a robbery and can only accomplish tasks by use of a mouthstick. "She feels the purpose of her life is quite clear. She watches the newspapers and television for stories of people in trouble and writes to them (typing with her mouthstick) to give them words of comfort and encouragement" (p. 300). For another the task of dying naked on a tree may be to demonstrate God's love for sinners.

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that looking into the mouth of the abyss of possibilities in how to answer life's questions can by itself be paralyzing. Thus Frankl rejects the general question "What is the meaning of life?" as a meaningless question. "It reminds us of the question a reporter asked a grand master in chess. 'And now tell me, maestro - what is the best move in chess?' Neither question can be answered in a general fashion, but only in regard to a particular situation and person" (p.61). Otherwise we "would be tormented by eternal doubts and endless self-criticism, and would at best overstep the time limit and forfeit the game."

Thus what one decides is not as significant as that one decides to respond to a given situation. Indecision - to sulk in a wheelchair in the face of "no good choices" - is to overstep one's time limit and forfeit the game. At the other extreme, to commit suicide is to simply sweep the pieces off the chess board; it is forsaking the value of moving a piece regardless of how it may or may not affect the outcome of the game. For meaning derives from the opportunity and decision to make a move, and not from society's conception of winning.

There are so many practical, applicable at this very minute insights in Frankl's book. His chapter on the meaning of love by itself is worth the price of the book. His chapter on the meaning of work, how "our task is not our calling" (p. 124), equips one with a healthy perspective for the twists and turns in the real world. For example, Frankl relates:

"Several years ago a garbage collector received the order of merit from the German government. This man did his job to everyone's satisfaction, but the special effort that gained him the award was this: He looks in the garbage cans for discarded toys, spends his evening hours repairing them, and gives them to poor children as presents. He adds magnificent meaning to his clean-up job." (p.298)
Frankl's other chapters on dealing with anxiety and obsessive behavior are priceless. For instance, if you are afraid of public speaking, you can apply Frankl's ingenius method of paradoxical intention. That is, wish your fear. The moment you feel nervous and anxious, and your fear of sounding like a fool begins to rise, at that moment, think to yourself, "I'm going to try and make my voice quiver. I want to appear as the most nervous, incomprehensible person these people have ever heard." And as you're thinking this to yourself, actually try and intend to make this true. Instead of trying to suppress or resist your fears, wish, intend, make it your ambition to realize your worst fears the moment they begin to arise. And then, paradoxically, you'll discover great relief from your fears.