a49b99aa-7ba8-4c86-854a-a62a79011e27TrueNewShipStraussAmazonLargeBooksreviewrank9247925156474275Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Rise-Desert-Man-Ron-Strauss/dp/156474275X%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D156474275X2284367http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GW3FESP1L._SL75_.jpg7548http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GW3FESP1L._SL160_.jpg160103http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GW3FESP1L.jpg475306Ron StraussPaperback813.549781564742759100156474275XFithian PressEnglishEnglishEnglish8801595USD$15.95Fithian Press1320Book1999-06Fithian PressFithian Press1005902746USD$27.46971USD$9.712748USD$27.4851120005.0225156474275X5112006-01-02

Rise Again Mr. Strauss

This book is remarkably well written; specifically Strauss' use of words, sentence structure and useful detail. It's rich in plot which drives the reader to consider the virtues of peace versus vengence. <br /> <br />Tensions at the personal, national, and international level are artfully described. Yet, nothing is predictable and readers are cautioned not to get caught up in the trap of thinking they can guess what will happen next. How many tensions can a writer develop in a 318 page novel? Read the book and count 'em! <br /> <br />Rapidly developing plot complications give rise to necessary on-the-spot resolutions by the various characters; the resolutions lend authenticity and believability to the professionalism of the main characters Pasha and Nayeff and are a credit to Strauss'creativity and imagination. <br /> <br />A few references to Chairman Arafat while the other characters remain totally fictional put a psychological "shelf life" limit to the book which could have been avoided. The historic summary of the mid-east conflicts make the book a worthwhile read in their own right. <br /> <br />No book since "Shibumi" (Trevanian)has captured my imagination as well as "Rise, Desert Man". It's a shame it has not been marketed more actively. 156474275X5002001-01-02

Captivating

Having spent the past 9 years flying a private 727 for a royal family in the Middle East, this intriguing and well thought out novel by Ron Strauss captured all of my attention. He makes the reader see and smell as if they were there in person.156474275X5222000-11-15

Fast-Paced Action and Clever Anticipation

Rise, Desert Man rises above most international thrillers in the intelligence of its plot. As a result, it is much more rewarding than the standard "shoot-em up." People who like the kind of fast-moving novel that never lets up on the tension will find this book hard to put down. Particularly to be praised are the plot complications that keep the story from being a predictable evolution of a formula plot. <p>The thing that I liked most about the book was its insistence on assuming that most people will look out for their own self-interest first. The book is enriched by examining the kind of bureaucratic paper shuffling and excuse-making that annoy each of us daily. Making that interesting is a hard thing to do. Think about that the next time you are standing in a long line being ignored. <p>The book comes awfully close to being a great novel. Its only flaws versus that standard are inadequate development of the story in the opening scene and a slow development of the story line (about how we let small differences divide us) throughout the book. If the story line was as well developed and compelling as the plot is, this book would have been a masterpiece. Given that this is the author's first published novel, the result is a remarkably fine one and better than any other first novel I can remember reading recently. <p>Reading this book will also be rewarding to those who are interested in Arab-Israeli-Palestinian relations. The author obviously has a deep background and interest in the subject and will inform you in ways that will make you a better student of Middle East affairs in the future. <p>Above all, the book has a wonderful optimism of the sort that would be helpful to anyone in finding opportunities in the midst of peril. <p>After you have finished enjoying this book, I suggest that you consider those who oppose you. What are their probable motives? Then see if you can check your assumptions about those motives. You will probably find they are wrong. Then ask yourself how you change change your behavior in ways that will cause your opponents to support you instead. Following Sun Tzu's strategic advice to set the stage so that conflict is unnecessary to achieve your objective may serve you well.<p>Seize opportunity from the midst of others' self-interest!156474275X5332000-11-14

Exciting thriller

In Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome, Italy, Arab terrorists attack the El-Al counter, but undercover Israeli agents strike back. When the air settles, many innocent bystanders have died along with most of the attackers. The daughter and grandson of Israel's most deadly undercover agent, Colonel Pasha Ed-Al, are among the dead. The Italian police manage to arrest a few of the surviving terrorists, but the leader, the renowned assassin Nayeff escapes. <p> Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Ben Kadar lost his son at the Munich Games due to Nayeff's actions there. When Pasha demands a shot at Nayeff, Moshe willingly agrees. However, Nayeff raises the stakes with an abduction of a key military official. As war instead of peace seems imminent, Moshe's widowed daughter-in-law, Shoshona, who loves Pasha, makes a last ditch effort to obtain peace between these long time enemies. <p> RISE DESERT MAN is a powerful thriller that focuses on the daily life of living in the shadows of terrorism. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action that starts form the opening page. The characters seem genuine as Nayeff and Pasha share passion for their causes even if they are on opposite sides of the Israeli-Arab question. Ron Strauss writes an exciting tale that seems so appropriate with what is happening to the peace process in the Middle East today. <p>Harriet Klausner156474275X5002000-11-10

A GREAT NOVEL

This book starts out with a very interesting scene and the reader becomes immediately interested in the story (like a John Grisham novel). It is a very fast paced well written book that takes you on an exciting journey. It is the kind of book that is so exciting you hope that it will never end. When it does end, you look back and realize that you have just completed a book that is a True Novel in the classic sense of the term. You have learned something important and are a better person for having read the book. I highly recommend it.Another Miami lawyer is trying to crack the book biz as a novelist. Ron Strauss, 59, who has represented Murph the Surf, singer Kenny Rogers and former Miami Dolphin Eugene Mercury Morris, just finished his first book, <I>Rise, Desert Man</I>. Story line: two assassins, one working for the Israelis, and the other working for the Arabs, face off after terrorists attack an Israel-bound passenger jet at the Rome airport, killing dozens and kidnapping an American general. (from the Miami Herald)0965450708713411011General AAS9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books713365011General AAS17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10487Legal10484Thrillers18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books10493Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue10484Thrillers18Mystery & Thrillers1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0879682019http://www.amazon.com/Human-Complete-Works-Friedrich-Nietzsche/dp/0879682019%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D08796820195556961Friedrich Wilhelm NietzscheLibrary BindingAnthony M. Ludovici97808796820190879682019Gordon Press PublishersEnglish60000USD$600.00Gordon Press Publishers1Book1974-08Gordon Press PublishersGordon Press Publishers2800USD$28.000400005.019408796820195112008-08-02

Human All Too Human: Apollo vol. 1 (Dawn: Artemis vol. 2)

Human All Too Human and Daybreak can be considered as volumes one and two of the same work. As Nietzsche said in Ecce Homo, a careful reading predicates a full understanding of his later polemics. Here, the bombast is not yet as evident but the seismic rumblings of the will to power, the eternal return, the death of god, the over and last-men all are all foreshadowed in Nietzsche's grand, classical deftness and precision of thought. Nietzsche's largest printed work, HAtH has perhaps the broadest and best sustained discussions of nearly every topic of importance to thoughtful and reflective thinkers. This, together with Dawn is a great place to begin reading Nietzsche.08796820195332008-06-09

Start here

In response to some of the prattlings below-only those who do not know the first thing about Nietzsche think that he was at all anti-Semitic. He wrote clearly, very clearly, against that and against nationalism. In one of his books he stated that Germany should not admit any more Jews inside of her borders. Why? Because he felt that the German people lacked an identity, and knew that Jewish people had a very strong identity. He did not think that Germany, weak and unrealized as it was, could stand an influx of a people that he repeatedly characterized as remarkable. <br /> <br />I am somewhat obsessed with Nietzsche, and this book started it all. Do not dive into his later, more well known masterpieces (Beyond Good and Evil, the Genealogy of Morals, The Gay Science) without acquainting yourself with this book. It is an introduction to his style, and there is no better example of his mastery of psychological observations. In this book he comments on all elements of social reality ("no one thinks to thank the clever man for restraining his wit when in the company of those who cannot practice wit" for example), going into love, friendship, the tenor of social gatherings, absolutely everything that is psychologically investigatable. He brings this method to his later books, in which he tackles larger issues, like the history of religion, philosophy, morality, and other things. But it all starts here-his later critiques of Christianity and everything else are far more understandable after a thorough acquaintance with his psychological method, first and best presented here. If you are at all sensitive and introspective, this book will move you to tears more than a few times.0879682019510132006-07-20

Nietzsche at his Aphoristic Best

If you like aphorisms and philosophy, this book will become one of your bibles. If nothing else, it's just plain fun to read for his incredible wit. Of course you have to put his ideas in the context of the period in which he wrote and understand that he has his own odd prejudices, but the brilliance of his understanding of the human condition really shines through. The biggest mistake any reader could make is to think Nietzsche was an anti-semite---far from it. He was anti-neanderthal. In this book especially the reader sees his low tolerance for received wisdom. This book is nothing less than part of the origin of Western psychology as practiced today. It also represents the demolition of science and philosophy polluted by the received Western theological framework. Some of the best parts are when he skewers religion. You have to love his style even if you do not agree with his pessimistic disgust for piety. This is the kind of philosophy book you need not fret over, unless you harbor wishful thinking about a supremely benevolent deity. Instead of making an elaborate argument about the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, as preceeding systematic philosophers did literally and figuratively, Nietzsche bends the pin and throws it in the trash. I wish I had read this before his Genealogy of Morals, as knowing his thoughts here would have made that book far more interetsing and understandable. I highly recommend philosophy students first approaching Nietzsche pick up Human, All Too Human to start their study. And if you are religious and want to bolster your faith, well, you should stay far away from this book.087968201942312006-05-28

Is He Legit?

O.k. So I have a minor in philosophy and Nietzsche was one of my inspirations to pursue this as a degree in college. Nietzsche deals with androgony. In more modern terms, men and women are crossing over the line of androgeny with their jock image. They are getting more and more androgynous you can't distunguish between even basic differences between the sexes anymore. While my philosophy professor and classmates dismissed Nietzsche as "not being a first rate philosopher," he does have his points about god and androgeny. This is part of our changing world and in philosophy class I did make my points. 08796820195882005-12-14

Breath of fresh air

if you want to have your moral foundations knocked out from under you, read this book - and then build upon the ruins - Nietzsche's, in my opinion, most accessible work, as his aphoristic style floats over many different topics - don't stop here however, i recommend Kauffman's "Nietzsche, Philosopher, Psychologist, AntiChrist" as a starter if you find the complexity and diversity of Nietzsche's thought to be overwhelming or incomprehensible - he's frequently ambiguous and contradictory but it's more a positive trademark of his works and shouldn't dissuade one from further readings. Written after Nietzsche had ended his friendship with Richard Wagner and had been forced to leave academic life through ill health, Human, All Too Human (1878) can be read as a monument to his personal crisis. It also marks the point when he matured as a philosopher, rejecting the German romanticism espoused by Wagner and Schopenhauer and instead returning to sources in the French Enlightenment. Here he sets out his unsettling views in a series of 638 stunning aphorisms - assessing subjects ranging from art to arrogance, boredom to passion, science to vanity and women to youth. This work also contains the seeds of concepts crucial to Nietzsche's later philosophy, such as the will to power and the need to transcend conventional Christian morality. The result is one of the cornerstones of his life's work.014044923X05215996360394704371014004748405215858481593Wagner, Richard1539Composers1537Classical4512Musical Genres4507Music86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books11057Modern11019Philosophy53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11039Existentialism886134Movements11019Philosophy53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11043General11019Philosophy53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books713486011General AAS11019Philosophy53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksB000VYJYA2http://www.amazon.com/Patient-True-Story-Rare-Illness/dp/B000VYJYA2%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000VYJYA22048555Ben WattHardcover362.19613Bargain Price75Grove PrEnglish8502100USD$21.00Grove Pr1177Book1997-04Grove PrGrove Pr756002045USD$20.45644USD$6.444600005.0164B000VYJYA25002007-11-12

Compelling

Sad, but not hopeless, biographical account of a young musician stricken with a horrifying illness. Heartfelt & honest without being overly sentimental. Written in a captivating & sometimes humorous tone, not witholding any details. I have been reading this as a physician, and will recommend the book to any young patients I have with grave illnesses. B000VYJYA25222006-01-10

Fascinating Read from an Unexpected Source

I'd been a fan of EBTG for quite awhile before this book came out. Their soothing music has always been a favorite so I was really interested to see what this book was all about. <br /> <br />It turned out to be a very disturbing account of Ben Watt's freak-show illness, blow by blow. His commentary is riveting and one gets the feeling that he does not feel sorry for himself in the least, but instead follows his own story as if he is an observer who also happens to be its main character. <br /> <br />I was heartened to read toward the end of the book Watt's own musings on what may have brought all his health problems about. Though he left it vague, his illness seems to be among those new "diseases of civilization" caused by many factors in our surroundings that lead to hard-to-define ailments where environmental toxicity and the overuse of pharmaceutical medicines are certainly not to be discounted. <br /> <br />In any case it seems that his passion for music transcended all, and was at least in part a contributor to his recovery. Most of all he deserves a thanks for telling his story, unadulterated. For sure it has made this reader not feel so isolated.B000VYJYA25002005-04-23

Lyrical and spiritual in its unique perspective

I purchase this book many years ago simply because I was a big ebtg fan. I casually knew what he had been thorugh and felt terrible for him, but was going through the process of losing and then grieving for a loved one. <br />When I read the book, it offered me a perspective on what life may have been like for my loved one as he suffered illness. What a wonderful gift Ben Watt has given. He writes without self-pity, in his lyrical style without being flowery or glossing over the ugliness of illness. I am so glad that he survived for selfish reasons-the music he (&Tracey) has(have) produced (before and after the illness) has been a diverse gift to the world. <br />And I am so greatful that he wrote this book. Experiencing the death of a loved one through being a spectator to horrible illness, was, in a strange way one of life's best gifts to me. No I didn't learn to be greatful for my health and all that crap-I learned that true joy comes from giving to another and expecting nothing in return. Ben Watt's Patient, gave me an extra perspective on that experience, and sometimes helps me to remember the life-lesson from it all. <br />In summation, read Patient for more of Watt's lyrical writing, read it to find a surprisingly good story with plot twists and turns, read it to learn what severe illness truly is. Fascinating. A gift-thank you.B000VYJYA25232003-09-26

Everything But The Hype.

The fact that Watt's story lacks a significant plot (outside of the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of his rare condition) is largely forgivable. For those of us who know Watt primarily as a musician/songwriter, the somewhat static storyline here is acceptable. All that's missing from "Patient" is Everything But The Girl's enlightening bed of music to be heard under Ben's delicately articulated prose. Typical of many great songs, Watt occasionally blurs the line between the first- and third-person narration, and "Patient" is better off for it. Perhaps even better than the great writing, though, is the genuine and intimate portal into the lives of Ben and Tracey rarely afforded to EBTG fans. It's a relatively short read, but each page gives plenty to be absorbed as the result of Ben's crafty alliteration and his uncensored, yet careful, approach to the fog of medical lexicon. Not for the weak of heart--or stomach--Watt's book exacts distinct feelings of sobriety and contemplation...with an ending portrait that expertly convey's his trademark understated hope.B000VYJYA25332003-08-08

Memorable, insightful

I'll admit I picked this up mostly out of curiosity as a longtime fan of Everything But the Girl. What kept me reading, however, was Ben Watt's skill as a writer. His story is gripping and harrowing, but told with a dry wit and wonderful observations. This book is not just about one man coming to terms with serious illness, but how that experience affected his relationships with his loved ones and his view of himself. This would be a great book for anyone in the health care field to read; it gives you a sense of the patient as a full human being, not just a "problem" to be fixed. Ben Watt's writing skills are as strong as his ample skills as a musician/songwriter. This book has my highest recommendation.Half of the popular music duo Everything But the Girl shares the compelling story of developing a rare, life-threatening disease at the age of twenty-nine, reflecting on illness, childhood, family, life with bandmember and partner Tracey Thorn, and survival. Tour."Ben Watt's <I>Patient</I> is not the memoir one might expect from half of the pop duo Everything But The Girl. This is no star diary, no ordinary account of songwriting or performances, but a harrowing tale of Watt's battle with a rare life- threatening disease that ravaged his innards and left him with only three feet of intestine. This brush with death compelled Watt to write--the first thing he's "done apart from making records," and <I>Patient</I>chronicles the months of intense pain and idleness he spent in hospitals. Watt's prose, in a simple lyrical style that recall his songs, pulls the reader to his bedside as he alternates between drug-induced hazes and excruciatingly clear visions of his life. The disorientation and fear grow more palpable as his story unfolds. He likens his first major illness to a trip up a mountain: bearings are lost as vestiges of individuality and pride fall away in the fight for survival. Day and night become indistinguishable, and the line between awareness and unconsciousness blurs. Despite the nightmarish nature of his ordeal, Watt manages tender reflections on his family life and his relationship with fellow bandmember and girlfriend, Tracey Thorn. B00008AJCD04522658860781770874078177195103745256412485General2484Health, Mind & Body45Bargain Books251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books1000Subjects1Arts & Photography2Biographies & Memoirs3Business & Investing4Children's Books4366Comics & Graphic Novels5Computers & Internet6Cooking, Food & Wine86Entertainment301889Gay & Lesbian10Health, Mind & Body9History48Home & Garden10777Law17Literature & Fiction13996Medicine18Mystery & Thrillers53Nonfiction290060Outdoors & Nature20Parenting & Families173507Professional & Technical21Reference22Religion & Spirituality23Romance75Science25Science Fiction & Fantasy26Sports28Teens27Travel283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books394172011Bargain Books394171011Promotion (special_merchandising_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0140512950http://www.amazon.com/Birthright-Reunion-Adoptees-Birthparents-Adoptive/dp/0140512950%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0140512950431475http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M1TAV9Z7L._SL75_.jpg7548http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M1TAV9Z7L._SL160_.jpg160102http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M1TAV9Z7L.jpg500318Jean A. S. StraussPaperback362.82989780140512953900140512950Penguin (Non-Classics)EnglishEnglishEnglish7702100USD$21.00Penguin (Non-Classics)1363Book1994-06-01Penguin (Non-Classics)Penguin (Non-Classics)80510995USD$9.95190USD$1.902100USD$21.0020311011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnew2PPqy0zZpkxYosVox9VCC%2FSdZy5gcEzBSibfIAPY277ofXGD1p5U0L3zkBOGS6PPknntigKEEB3Z1RK8CwcMeA%3D%3D1428USD$14.28Usually ships in 24 hours5.014301405129505662006-10-13

A great book for any adoptee looking for the truth.

I bought this book after reading "The Girls Who Went Away" by Ann Fessler and I'm glad I did. It really brings the subject of adoption full circle by telling the stories from all sides of the coin. But it also gives A Lot of starting points and next steps for people to use while doing their own search. My brother and I are both adoptees. I found my birth mother over 16 years ago but she had died in a car accident 6 months after I was born. Took me 15 more years to find my birth father. Both finding my birth mother and birth father were purely the grace of God because I had absolutely nothing to go on. My brother recently asked me to help him locate his birth parents and I'm so glad I purchased this book. Not only for the large quantity of resources it lists, but so I can also prepare him for the many different outcomes he may experience. I can also add, that by reading this book, it has been an emotional rollercoaster. Being able to relate to so many feelings, stories, dreams has really been healing in a lot of ways. Knowing there are so many people out there with similar emotions due to being adopted has been comforting in some strange way. I'd have to say one of my favorite parts of the book is when it talks about how society continues to view the adopted child as just that, a child. Society never took into account that we, as adopted children, would grow up to become contributing adults who have every right to know about ourselves, where we came from and everything pertaining to our lives. I guess if I had to pick one word to explain how this book made me feel it would be EMPOWERED.01405129505552006-04-11

Very relevant and informative...

I found this book incredibly helpful in helping me deal with searching for and eventually reuniting with my birthmother. I bought it a year and a half ago, and I've referred back to it so many times that it looks like I've had it much longer. It gives very helpful advice for everyone involved in adoption and allows you to see all sides of the issue. Also, the testimonials and Jean Strauss's search and reunion story give the book a very personal feel. Overall, a great book for anyone connected to adoption.01405129505772006-01-02

This book is a wealth of information and guidance . . . .

Being adopted, my interest in finding books relating to my own thoughts and journey was quite a challenge. Interestingly, I found this book after finding my birthmother and two siblings. The book was a confirmation of every step and emotion I felt. I can't reccomend this book enough. It is written in a non-threatning and caring tone. Every adoptee or a parent that has relinguished a child should read it if for no other reason than to educate oneself.0140512950410102004-06-21

"Birthright" was very helpful to our family

Our daughter used this book as a resource when she did her own Search. I read it and was amazed at what a 'complete' book it is. It focuses on every aspect of an adoptee's search. There are chapters for the birthparents, the adoptee, the adoptive parents, etc. There are many, many 'testimonials' included, positive, neutral and negative, from adoptees, adoptive parents, birthparents, regarding searches.<br>I highly recommend this book to any adoptee who is considering doing their own Search, to any adoptive parent whose child is searching, to any adoptive parent whose child has already done their search, and to any birthparent in that situation.<br>There truly is something for everyone.<br>(I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because nothing's perfect.)014051295059102004-05-18

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT!

To help someone not only understand why they are searching, but help in getting started in the search. This was a God send for me! I am now sharing my copy with my neighbor who is an adoptive mom. It's just wonderful. Everyone should read it.In 1983, the author--herself an adoptee--began her search for her birth mother. In this inspiring new handbook, she shares her experiences and helps searchers map out their own step-by-step journeys that will help empower and support them throughout this trying and significant time.0963648004B000NA1XTO038541426915768330700967414504B0009MFUZE713285011General AAS4729Relationships10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books10580Social Services & Welfare10576Poverty10546Current Events53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books713503011General AAS11288Sociology11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11350Adoption20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books11383General11370Family Relationships20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books713530011General AAS11370Family Relationships20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books172722General20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books713528011General AAS20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books408268General21Reference1000Subjects283155Books713587011General AAS21Reference1000Subjects283155Books524200General13354Contemporary23Romance1000Subjects283155Books713672011General AAS13354Contemporary23Romance1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR32D5NUQJZPMSDExtremely Validating Non-fiction for AdopteesR131PD8XQ7ADBIAdoptee BooklistJQ4L95LCNMEUAdoption/Reunion Books3MOJN17861SA7Adoption United60EO2P330HWVFavorite Adoption Books..the beginning0470190825http://www.amazon.com/Radically-Transparent-Monitoring-Managing-Reputations/dp/0470190825%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D047019082514633http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fnjusteCL._SL75_.jpg7560http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fnjusteCL._SL160_.jpg160128http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fnjusteCL.jpg500399Andy BealJudy StraussPaperback659.20285467897804701908211100470190825SybexEnglishEnglishEnglish9132999USD$29.99Sybex1378Book2008-03-04SybexSybex132740785USD$7.85700USD$7.0042150011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewcQF7jS9UUTCEJfu46bB7WRz56rxOs0utiI9xqpdts4k54Ir3ttsls3jv4AMWlwBov4KD%2Fb716IZhP3Xis0mv5Q%3D%3D1979USD$19.79Usually ships in 24 hours5.013304701908255002008-11-02

It is what it says it is

The book is a nice introductory field guide to online reputation management. Good solid primer. 04701908255002008-09-29

A User Friendly Guide to Online Reputation Management

Radically Transparent is a well written, entertaining, well researched guide with many real life examples. This is a book that provides you with the tools, and specific guidance on how to use these tools. Every professional and business should have knowledge of these tools, although many may not fully recognise the importance or impact the new world of Web 2.0 may be having on their business. This guide should be read a number of times, although, it is written in such a way that you can easily skip to specific areas of interest. There is a lot in it but you can pick off one strategy at a time, explore it, implement it and of course, monitor it. Definitely provides the rationale for strategic business involvement in the social networking world. <br /> 04701908255112008-07-31

A must-read for individuals and companies' online reputation management

A triumph. With an agile and engaging prose, Andy Beal and Judy Strauss reveal how to promote, maintain and (if necessary) repair individuals and companies' online reputations based upon the principles of transparency and honesty. <br /> <br />Choke-full with practical advice and relevant case studies, this book achieves its self-imposed objectives with flair. The referent in search engine reputation management (SERM) and online reputation management (ORM).04701908255122008-06-19

Great Primer for Government Communicators

It's been my experience that while politicians have been quick to capitalize on the power of online reputation management, most of the governments that they lead have failed to grasp the possibilities. Concerned about negative comments, the potential for embarrassment, and media scrutiny, many local governments have avoided social media altogether. <br /> <br />Strauss and Beal make the case for why no one can afford to ignore the potential for engagement and the real dialog afforded by social media. And for those who can't fully implement their suggestions organizationally, the book is rich in advice for managing your personal reputation online.04701908255222008-05-15

Corporate Handbook for Social Media Optimization and Reputation Management

The book was written by Andy Beal from Marketing Pilgrim and Judy Strauss. <br /> <br />Andy Beal is a SEO and fellow blogger who specialized in social media optimization, reputation management and public relations. He is like Kris Jones a frequent speaker at search marketing conference, such as Search Marketing Expo, Search Engine Strategies and WebmasterWorld's PubCon. <br /> <br />As the subtitle states, his book is primarily about monitoring and managing of your personal, your professional or your company's reputation online where it focuses heavily on using search engine optimization and marketing techniques as tools to accomplish your goals. <br /> <br />It also provides advice and recommendations for how to approach the social media space as a business in order to reduce the risks and possible problems that will arise, if you jump into this area of marketing without being prepared and ready for it. <br /> <br />The power of social media and the benefits your customers and your company can get out from it are a reward that is worth the risks. Yes, it has risks and it is impossible to eliminate all of them, but that does not mean that it cannot be done. Just eliminate the risks that you can eliminate and be prepared for the things that can happen and impossible to prevent for sure. <br />The explosion of social media blogs, social networking sites, and video sharing sites has ushered in a new era of digital transparency that puts the power to enhance or destroy a reputation in the hands of the consumer. This timely and practical book shows you how to harness the power of social media with crucial, proven tactics and strategies for every phase of online reputation management. Using step-by-step instruction and tested techniques, the expert authors unveil a detailed blueprint for building, managing, monitoring, and repairing your reputation.1422125009047011345604701746251884956653047013065204702383640470197390491314Programming Languages468204Computer Science465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712985011General AAS468204Computer Science465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712982011General AAS465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713014011General AAS319654011Qualifying Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books16266351All Deals13706741Blowout Books44258011Specialty Stores283155Books16266381Business & Investing13706741Blowout Books44258011Specialty Stores283155Books16266411Computers & Internet13706741Blowout Books44258011Specialty Stores283155Books2711Public Relations2698Marketing & Sales3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books2612General3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books713049011General AAS3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books713178011General AAS69766Internet69765Home Computing5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books3563Web Marketing549726Business & Culture5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books171114General3839Programming5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books713187011General AAS3839Programming5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books657762General5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books713164011General AAS5Computers & Internet1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books394172011Bargain Books394171011Promotion (special_merchandising_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR3F0T2ROWM9577Internet Reputation ManagementR299XUKMKAU4I1Online Reputation Management BasicsR790XKN3TQEPNDigital Marketing GemsR17TN4A9CSDZJCBest Books for Engaging CustomersR1PYN70K6QRL41BlogHer 2008RENHI25H4Q65Affiliate Managers Must ReadsR3DIV4DY0G5WU4Make Your Online Marketing Efforts Pay Off0139793291http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Marketing-Philip-Kotler/dp/0139793291%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D01397932915393115http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419V8RM9KBL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419V8RM9KBL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419V8RM9KBL.jpg475314Philip KotlerRaymond D. FrostJudy StraussHardcover38097801397932951750139793291Prentice Hall College DivEnglishEnglishEnglish115010533USD$105.33Prentice Hall College DivBook1999-06Prentice Hall College DivPrentice Hall College Div4159005200USD$52.003000USD$30.002600005.011301397932915002001-12-14

BEST I'VE READ

Books like these are used for reference and do there job well but this book is different. Its fun to read for somebody who is into business. Why? Well because it is so up-to date, features ad campaigns that are still in magazines, refers to interesting real life examples and case studies from large multinational businesses to small family firms. <p> Its written well, it highlights the main points on the sides of the page for quick reference but the only criticism is the index isn't very well laid out but you get used to it.<p> I honestly find my self reading the case studies when i'm bored, so this is like a fiction/ reference book.<p> On the reference front it contains pretty much everything you need to know for an introduction to undergraduate marketing but be warned it doesn't go that much further. If you are studying for a course which goes into great depth about marketing this isn't for you, it just covers all the basic aspects. Layout is great and the book itself is quite bulky, so its best not to carry around. <p> I have also got the European edition which is very good, the case studies are different and its slightly smaller and much much cheaper. The cost of this book is astronomical, but it could be the difference between getting a good grade or a mediocre one.01397932915222000-10-03

Great Source in Marketing Science

This book is one of the best marketing books. The content of book is very comprehensive and embellished with cases that help you better understand the marketing theory. Especially, the most fascinating aspect of the book is its chapters about INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY and its impacts on the marketing concepts.<p>You can buy this book even for its excellent cases. I strongly recommend this book to all MBA students whose interested field is marketing.0139793291513132000-05-12

Complete, Credible, Readable Marketing Masterguide

Despite being nearly 1000 pages long, this is one book that I often travel with on business, due to the completeness and accessibility of the content.<p>This encyclopedic, incredible resource includes chapters and many case studies on: <p>* the marketing process: marketing in a changing world- satisfying human needs; marketing and society- social responsibility and ethics; strategic marketing planning.<p>* the marketing setting: the marketing environment; the global marketplace; market information and research.<p>* buyer behaviour- consumer markets; business markets; and buyer behaviour.<p>* core strategy- market segmentation and targeting; positioning; building customer satisfaction through quality, value and service; creating competitive advantage: competitor analysis; and marketing strategies.<p>* product- designing products- new product development and lifecycle strategies; designing products- products, brands, packaging and services; marketing services.<p>* price- pricing policies- considerations and approaches; pricing products- strategies.<p>*promotions- promoting products- communications & promotion strategy; promoting products- advertising, sales promotion and PR; promoting products- personal selling and sales management;<p>* place- placing products- distribution channels & logistics management; placing products- retailing and wholesaling,.<p>It's well written, well supported with references, attractively illustrated, and easy to read at chapter level down to sidebar level (I've never read from end to end in one sitting!). The only complaint, is that because of the broad and deep coverage beyond traditional marketing, newer breaking ideas are not covered. <p>Overall highly recommended, particularly with a slimmer latest "fad" business/ technology/ marketing book to confirm that you are not missing anything that may add value to your organisation or clients.<p>[Refers to European Edition ISBN 0131659030 by Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders, Wong 1996 ]013979329152191999-08-06

just i need this book urgently

i borrowed it from a liberary to make my search but i lost it before i finish my search and i need it very much01397932915771999-06-12

A "Must"

A very detailed but not a confusing book. Suitable for a foreign student at a level of intermediate english. Especially the cases motivates you to the Marketing area.I offer you to study with the CD...Widely hailed for its practical and enjoyable style, this comprehensive introduction to modern marketing shows students how to apply the basic concepts and practices of modern marketing as they are used in a wide variety of settings--in product and service firms, consumer and business markets, profit and nonprofit organizations, and small and large businesses.0618607722013187152803215368511405163097713051011General AAS2581Economics3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books2704General2702Marketing2698Marketing & Sales3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books713062011General AAS2702Marketing2698Marketing & Sales3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books2612General3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books713049011General AAS3Business & Investing1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksB0007GPPZWhttp://www.amazon.com/Tristes-tropiques-Atheneum-paperbacks-Le%C3%8C%C2%81vi-Strauss/dp/B0007GPPZW%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0007GPPZW3089347Claude Lévi-StraussUnknown BindingAtheneumEnglishEnglishAtheneum404Book1967AtheneumAtheneum299USD$2.990700005.0102B0007GPPZW5112007-08-27

Into the remote parts of South America

I like to travel and to observe the cities, landscapes, the plants and animals and the human inhabitants of the countries I go to. So does Levy-Strauss, and he is a fantastic observer, much more sharp-eyed than I could ever hope to be, and a highly entertaining writer. In this classic he talks about a wide range of observations from a number of corners of the world, but mainly about South America. <br />The book deals with Levi-Strauss' time as a teacher in Brazil and his trips into the South American hinterland; his escape from Nazi-occupied France; His later expeditions to visit remote tribes in the Amazon; and an assortment of observations about such diverse topics as the frustration of the traveler to never encounter the true, pristine state of a culture, the Indian caste system and the division of public and private space in different parts of the world. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes: My favorite one is how a native chief from observing Levy-Strauss grasped the social importance of writing, but not its role in information storage and transmission. He bluffed to impress his underlings and drew freshly invented line configurations on a paper. This leads Levy-Strauss to observe that from the invention of writing to its universal knowledge a few millennia passed, during which it did not serve to liberate the masses, but to control them. Such wide-ranging philosophical associations are frequent and were very enjoyable to me. The book is, however, definitely not only a collection of anecdotes, but in parts a very detailed description of the life of some of the native tribes he visited in the Amazon. Drawings of artifacts, patterns used in body-painting and photographs supplement the text. We are given both anthropological descriptions of the lifes of these peoples, their social organization, attitudes and material culture, as well as Levy-Strauss' personal experiences when living among them, sometimes his friendships with members of these tribes. Of course these people were strongly affected by the contact with European civilization, often to the worse. We also learn about these developments. There isn't really much direct explanation about his theoretical approaches to anthropology. This is the kind of book which made me wish that I could have been an expedition member of Levy-Strauss' team. Highly recommended.B0007GPPZW5002005-06-28

A journey down the savage river of mind and memory

I often review works which I have read long ago. Upon beginning to write about them I invariably discover how much time I gave to something which seemed so worthwhile at the time, and which I have almost completely forgotten. I then ordinarily do some catch- up learning about the book. And my review becomes an amalgalm of distant past and most recent present impression. And meanwhile the heart of the book is forever unknown to me and lost. And my review is only a minor tracing an impression both of the book itself and what of my mind knew when reading through it. <br />This certainly applies to my reading of this particular work, ,the one work of Levi- Strauss which I remember reading with any degree of real understanding and pleasure. His making of a life and career as an anthropologist which are a good part of the first part of the work interested me then. <br />The long travelogue and explorations into Amerindian society and mind, interested me less. <br />I understand though that the real voyage is into and along with the mind of Levi- Strauss itself, a mind much more complicated than I was ordinarily used to meeting and ingesting . <br />I do remember however the somewhat majestic tone, the tone of restrained sadness of quiet mourning which seemed to go through the work as Levi- Strauss met with worlds being lost and deterorating , in part through their meetings with the very kind of Western mind he himself exemplified. It is the mind destroying the object in the process of knowing it , as the Western explorers of these tribal societies transformed them out of their own natural state by meeting with them. <br />For Levi- Strauss and this I remember, the ' primitive mind' is not ' primitive at all' and may be in its linguistic complexity and social structure far more intricate than the ' civilized ' as it were sophisticated worlds we believe we live in. <br />I read this work as a way of being acquainted with a great mind, a mind which to my mind proved to be quite elusive and even distant. <br />But clearly the exploration made by Levi- Strauss of his own inner and external worlds is one which calls to the curious human mind and heart in its quest for understanding ' of the other' <br />Montaigne took a trip in the Brazilian jungle in the twentieth <br /> century, looked in the mirror and saw the face of Levi- Strauss.B0007GPPZW5882005-05-24

Idea overload and totally interesting

Tristes Tropiques, surely one of the great books of the twentieth century, is Levi-Strauss at his intoxicating, idea-overloaded best and an elegy for a world that colonialism and then globalisation have doen their rational best to annihilate. <br /> <br />Levi-Strauss, like most thinkers who come up with new ways of describing the world-- those who Richard Rorty calls "inventors of philosophical vocabularies"-- has of course been mis-read and his ideas mis-applied, as we see with the much-hyped "creation" and then "demise" of "structural anthropology." The real pleasure of this book, which mixes fascinating accounts of Levi-Strauss' travels in Brazil in the '30s with autobiography, and adds chapters on the Maya and ancient Hindu (Indian) civilisations, is in its sheer mass of artfully arranged detail and its endless, provocative play of ideas. <br /> <br />Levi-Strauss stays conversational, descriptive and straightforward, avoiding academic jargon and obscure references. He assumes you know the basics about people like Freud, Marx, Darwin and the Buddha, and then shows you a trip through largely non-industrial societies which unfolds from anthropological description into deep philosophical speculation on the meaning of society and life. <br /> <br />In Brazil, Levi-Strauss watches an illiterate but canny chieftain use his anthropological fieldnotes to intimidate his illiterate tribesmen subordinates, and speculates on the parallel origins of writing and slavery. In Matto Grosso, he meets a butcher fascinated with elephants, since "he could not imagine so much meat in one place." On the banks of the Amazon, a non-industrial tribe is dying, hypnotically lost in the symbolic intricacies of an ancient social system that makes its citizens inbreed. In India, Levi-Strauss watches Islam and Hinduism-- the "locker room" and "mother" religions-- wage symbolic and then real war post-Independence. <br /> <br />The book starts as anthropology, turns into philosophy, and ultimately becomes a critique of the West, driven by "reason" and technology to shake off what Levi-Strauss calls the "thick blanket of dreams" with which non-industrial civilisation arranges the Universe into Meaning, which remains for the industrialised world the greatest and unanswered question. <br /> <br />But Levi-Strauss does not idealise the primitive. His point is that through the study of those and that which are different, a kind of "ideal model" of society-- one which will never exist-- can be built in the imagination, and people can evaluate their world by reference to this community of mind. <br /> <br />This is a remarkable book-- easy to read, engrossing, and endlessly thought-provoking.B0007GPPZW5452004-01-21

Grounding Levi-Strauss's Structuralism

This is Levi-Strauss most readable book, and it is a fantastic introduction to the "why" behind his interest in structuralism. There are hints of the various methods and approaches that he uses in later works, but this book shows why he was to develop structuralism in later works. The writing is clever and eloquent, and various conclusions he made about cultural diversity address contemporary concerns in a highly articulate and responsible manner. Read this book before delving into the other writings of one of the 20th Century's most important anthropologists.B0007GPPZW419222003-12-29

Parrot Flambee

One way to gauge who's in among fashionable academics is to read the catalog for the "Writers and Readers' Documentary Comic Book" series. Sartre has an entry, and so does Derrida, and Lacan. Thirty years ago, you would have expected to find an entry in this index for Claude Levi-Strauss. No more. Translations of his principal works appear to persist in print, but the sales numbers are look low, and he seems almost to have disappeared from the trendy book reviews and such. This is perhaps a matter for at least idle curiosity: Levi-Strauss is surely no more abstruse than his magisterial contemporaries - but no less so; one is perfectly willing to be relieved the obligation of ever picking him up again.<p>With one exception. In style and temperament, Tristes Tropiques is so different from almost everything else Levi-Strauss wrote that it is hard to believe it is written by the same man. Oh, the primitive tribes are there, and a brief personal intellectual history, that offers a bow to Freud, and Bergeson, and Saussure. In my own copy, which I first read about 1980, I even have a pencilled notation "structuralism" - this at page 375 (Pocket Books edition, 1977). But there is almost none of the portentous vacuity that you had to cope with in the so-called "serious" works.<p>What you get instead is Levi Strauss the raconteur, full of travelers' tales. He dines on roasted parrot, flamed with whisky. The termites make the earth rumble. Virgins are made to spit in pots of corn, to provoke fermentation - but "as the delicious drink, at once nutritious and refreshing, was consumed that very evening, the process of fermentation was not very advanced." You almost expect the anthropophagi and the men whose heads grow beneath their shoulders, that you meet in the Voyages of Sir John Mandeville, Knight. <p>Laced through it all, you get a kind of austere sadness which is either (a) a tragic view of life; or (b) a kind of self-indulgent posturing, depending on your temperament for skepticism. "Every effort to understand," he says, "destroys the object studied in favor of another object of a different nature." Or: "Anthropology could with advantage be changed into 'entropology', as the name of the discipline concerned with the study of the highest manifestations of [a] process of disintegration."<p>Well, call me anything the like, they say, as long as you call me for dinner. It might even be an elaborate con. But so, for that matter, might the stories of Herodotus were you get the same mix of the eclectic and the tolerant, the surreal and the sly. Herodotus, we may note, is one of the first great works of Western literature. Let's hope that Levi-Strauss is not one of the last.First published in 1955, Claude Levi-Strauss's accounts of his researches among the peoples of the Amazon is a fascinating study and influential in understanding the organization of human society. He writes of myths and superstitions, modern cities and ancient villages, and each page is packed with anecdotes and observations. Photos & illus."I hate travelling and explorers," famously declared Claude Lévi-Strauss, but how fortunate for readers that he should overcome his loathing to write about his experiences among the indigenous peoples of the Brazilian interior, including the Caduveo, Bororo, and Nambikwara tribes. Those who know Lévi-Strauss and <I>Tristes Tropiques</I> by reputation only will be pleasantly surprised by the intimate tone that colors even its most precise anthropological sections, as well as the autobiographical passages at the beginning, in which the author recounts how he fell into his career and how, shortly after the Nazis occupied Paris, he was forced to flee to America in a grueling sea voyage. Twenty-five black-and-white photographs of tribespeople, as well as numerous line drawings, accompany the text. 039332043X022647484408813308410805210385046509516X11312Native American Studies11298Special Groups11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books67576General17157Brazil17150South America17128Latin America27Travel1000Subjects283155BooksB000F6Z7WUhttp://www.amazon.com/Burning-Land-Victoria-Strauss/dp/B000F6Z7WU%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000F6Z7WU2856327http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B0D7K57ML._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B0D7K57ML._SL160_.jpg160108http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51B0D7K57ML.jpg475321Victoria StraussHardcoverBargain Price1609002495USD$24.951496Book2004-01-20180630508USD$5.08463USD$4.637600005.082B000F6Z7WU5232005-10-21

Important title

I recently came upon this book. It has, of course, all the magical trappings of fantasy, but it reads almost like a historical novel. It describes, in essence, a test of faith--the hero must use his scientific-like powers of perceiving and altering the material molecular nature of matter, or he must, like Galileo, prescribe his powers in accordance with religious system that limits their use. I don't mean to discourage fantasy fans, for this is an absorbing fast-paced and well written tale with a charasmatic hero and a lovely heroiine.B000F6Z7WU5232005-05-24

A Stunning Novel

I first read Victoria Strauss' novels years ago, and I was excited to hear that "The Burning Land" was coming out. Now that I've finally had the chance to read it, I deeply impressed. <br /> <br />Strauss tends to create worlds that not only have a geographical and political history, but a philosophical one as well. Her characters struggle with the belief systems they have inherited and try to find their own places within history. <br /> <br />In "The Burning Land," this conflict centers around Gaylo and Axane, one entirely devoted to the faith of his people, the other distanced and doubting. Events will unite them and transform them and the future of their world. <br /> <br />This novel is an examination of faith in much the same way as Jonathon Swift's narrative of the three brothers in "Tale of a Tub." Unlike Swift, Strauss' intention is not to satarize what she sees, but rather to show how power, tradition, and lack of communication can have disasterous effects. <br /> <br />This was a wonderful novel, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.B000F6Z7WU5342004-09-14

Very real faith and struggle

This is what I call a "hangover" book, because after I read it I spent the next few days thinking about it. I like hangover books. Strauss' has taken her writing to a higher level in this book. Since I consider her previous books to be excellent, I'm saying this is a jewel of a novel. <br />This is a fantasy about religion, demagogues, and power. There are sympathetic and compelling characters. There's a lot of internal and external conflict. Although it is the 1st of two books, it wraps up the main plot so it doesn't have you banging your head till the next book. The religious worldbuilding in this book is extremely well-done. In fact I've not seen better. <br />B000F6Z7WU5682004-03-25

The Hero's Journey, Indeed.

Victoria Strauss draws on her academic expertise, (Comparative Religions) to give us a strange, new world filled with warring theocracies, noble protagonists, politically motivated antagonists, and more subplots than you can stir with a stick. <p>In it's base form, this is a story of a quest, trials, spiritual growth and redemption. A Hero's Journey, indeed. The characters are carefully crafted and three dimensional, the world, a shadowy replicant of the best, and worst of our own. As an added treat, the mechanics of magic in Victoria's world is fresh and original. This fact alone makes The Burning Land worth the read. <br> <br>A day's end, the inhabitants of Victoria's world must decide if the weary Gyalo is Savior or Destroyer, herald of a triumpant future or harbringer of doom. A story filled with themes that challenge our intellect, imagery that gripes the imagination, told in manner that stirs the soul.B000F6Z7WU58102004-02-07

Best fantasy I've read in a very long time

Gyalo Amdo Samchen, along with a pair of dreamers and a group of soldiers is sent into the burning land to rescue refugees sent into the desert by the now-deposed and atheistic Caryaxists. The burning land is more than a desert, though. It is the place where the god Arata laid down after his great battle against evil--the place where the prophet received his prophecy. Gyalo's mission seems to be a straighforward rescue, but as he travels, he begins to learn of high-level political ploys. Although the Caryaxists were overthrown, all is not well in the world and, increasingly, Gyalo finds himself at the center of a storm. <p>To his shock, there is a large group of refugees living in an oasis in the burning land--including dreamer Axane. Some of them believe that he may be the next messenger (prophet) sent to lead them out to the promised land, but others fear he is a demon sent to destroy them. What he finds shakes his faith and forces him to confront his destiny. Because everything he has ever believed is suddenly turned on its head. <p>Author Victoria Strauss delivers a stunningly powerful fantasy. THE BURNING LAND combines fascinating world-building with epic yet fully nuanced characters, and an exciting plot line. Gyalo's travels through the burning land are mirrored in the growth of his powers and insights, and the increase in his own doubts. Axane has always been a doubter, but her faith in humanity shows a hopeful path for the future--if anyone will dare take it. The somewhat ambiguous ending left me anxious for more--for a resolution to the question of what happened to Arata, and what happened to the new messenger. <p>THE BURNING LAND is the best fantasy I've read in a long time. I highly recommend this one. <i><p> From acclaimed author Victoria Strauss comes a sweeping new tale of magic, oppression, danger, love, temptation, and revelation.... </p></i> <p> After long years of oppression, the rightful rulers of Arsace have finally reclaimed the holy city of Baushpar and the First Temple of the God. At last, the desecrated temples can be rebuilt and the people's suffering redressed. But tensions between the secular and sacred worlds abound, and rumors arise of renegade Shapers -- powerful mages who hold no allegiance to either the King or the Brethren, and whose magic knows no restraint. </p> <p> Unbeknownst to the elders of her people, the gifted Axane has dared to dream, to see the outside world beyond the hidden enclave of Refuge -- a world the people of Refuge no longer believe exists -- that has no tolerance for change and will soon break down the walls of their secret sanctuary. But Axane's dreaming is forbidden, and to warn Refuge is to doom herself. </p> <p> Chosen to lead an expedition to reclaim the renegade mages, Gyalo, a young Shaper, must journey across the mystic Burning Land in a deadly adventure of danger and temptation, a journey that will force him to face his innermost demons and possibilities both sacred and profane. For Refuge hides a shocking truth about the very nature of the world itself -- a secret that will start a war without end. </p>B001G8WR56075640474603807975261591026903055358894X1000Subjects1Arts & Photography2Biographies & Memoirs3Business & Investing4Children's Books4366Comics & Graphic Novels5Computers & Internet6Cooking, Food & Wine86Entertainment301889Gay & Lesbian10Health, Mind & Body9History48Home & Garden10777Law17Literature & Fiction13996Medicine18Mystery & Thrillers53Nonfiction290060Outdoors & Nature20Parenting & Families173507Professional & Technical21Reference22Religion & Spirituality23Romance75Science25Science Fiction & Fantasy26Sports28Teens27Travel283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books0595373607http://www.amazon.com/Kalan-Mighty-Warrior-Book-One/dp/0595373607%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D05953736071235988http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wkNoRSbuL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wkNoRSbuL._SL160_.jpg160107http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wkNoRSbuL.jpg500333Kim StraussPaperback9780595373604400595373607iUniverse, Inc.EnglishEnglishEnglish8801395USD$13.95iUniverse, Inc.1163Book2006-07-26iUniverse, Inc.Ages 9-122006-07-26iUniverse, Inc.50600220USD$2.2041USD$0.4117130011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewHvV%2FeZE68pJvCXke8ePaW95dvdaGrohG3xbjx0xv8wKHj0d6QYMT6Xg9QjcC5h%2BDBQPFpJG2O%2FlMytr3PkmByw%3D%3D1395USD$13.95Usually ships in 24 hours5.08205953736075002006-12-09

Kalan ROCKS

I liked Kalan because of the adventure of the story. I can see my dad and I and my best friend in the story. R. Goodfellow is one scary dude. I can't wait until the movie comes out. <br />Zane, Minneapolis05953736075112006-10-03

Kalan, a Fighter and a Lover

No, he's only a kid, but unlike so many youthful protaganists today, Kalan is neither orphaned nor the good apple on an otherwise dysfunctional family tree. What I especially liked about KALAN THE MIGHTY WARRIOR is not only that Strauss has creatively used the elements of fantasy and adventure, but that he has also anchored Kalan in a loving, if slightly unconventional, family. Kalan's friend James also unabashedly cares for his Mom. As a educator, parent, and grandparent, I like having a hero who loves his family and whose family supports his unorthodox adventures. Let's hear more about them and about Braxus....05953736075222006-08-25

A Fun Read!!

What a great book. I loved it!! Anxiously awaiting the next.05953736075332006-08-25

wonderful

A brilliant book bound to inspire everyone's imagination. Set to become a children's classic!05953736075442006-08-24

Great book!

I bought the book for my 14-year-old nephew. Then, I read it. I can't believe how enchanted I was by the story. A must have!<I>What happened next sent both boys springing to their feet. What they saw through their squinting eyes staggered their imagination. A gigantic owl diving through the trees with incredible speed, its enormous head perfectly in line with its target…the devil hound!</I></p> Kalan is an imaginative and adventurous boy who sets out on a long-awaited camping trip with his dad and his best friend, James. This is no ordinary trip, however, for it includes a blood oath rite of passage, which has been handed down through the O’Shel family for centuries. Along the way, the boys are confronted with eerie, foreboding clues about the terrifying and harrowing events to come.</p> On this unforgettable journey, the boys encounter unimaginable things: shapeshifters, a frightening werewolf, and a gigantic, magical owl named Braxus, whose size defies all reason and belief. Braxus shows the boys the passageway to the world of their dreams—a world filled with castles and dragons, swords and shields, and all the medieval things of which young knights dream. But as the boys soon find out, their adventures have just begun.</p> <I>Braxus the Owl: Guardian of the Forest</I> is the first in a series of magical stories about Kalan. His rich fantasies, intertwined with real-life experiences, shape his beliefs and memories, and constantly leave him wondering where reality ends and fantasy begins.</p>0439681162019515326X0142406112043976421103958614032967Action & Adventure2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books3016Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives3013Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books3017Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic3013Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books16254411General2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books713108011General AAS2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books713072011General AAS4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books17416Adventure & Thrillers17443Literature & Fiction28Teens1000Subjects283155Books17468Fantasy17466Science Fiction & Fantasy28Teens1000Subjects283155Books