T Books

Simon's saga is an okay tool to study for the SAT. I know, I used it myself. Some words are helpful but others are painfully simplistic.

SPOILER ALERT:
The story gets really weird later on in the book. Nothing I've found mentions the weird 'twist' the story has.

Basically, the world is infested by aliens and Simon has to murder 'the controller.' It's really, really odd. For a book about the SAT, it doesn't really make sense to have such a weird plot. It's not a novel, it's a freaking study guide! Besides, it advertises itself as a story about college life and mentions nothing about cracking open heads on sidewalks.
END SPOILERS.

Frankly, the tone of the author got annoying to me, fast. Simon's banter and Axel's stereotypical nerdiness just turned me off.

I guess the book is okay if you're fine with dealing with a terrible story. It's not bad at first, but later it gets really odd.

fun to read easy to read
easy to remember
very good

This book offers an engaging way for students as well as proficient, but non-native speakers of English to grasp the subtle meaning of new words by putting them into context. It is a big plus for the non-native speaker or 8-12 year old if they can read along with an adult or native-speaker so they do not always have to refer to the dictionary. A very good teaching resource for parents and teachers alike.

My son is a high school senior and needed to raise his SAT verbal score by 20 points to get into the college of his choice. After buying countless expensive SAT study guides I came across Simon's Saga and thought it was a unique, interesting way of writing a study guide. I purchased it, and it was the first SAT book that my son actually read and used. After using this book my son raised his verbal SAT's by 60 points and has been accepted to his first choice college. Thank you, Phillip Geer, for finally writing a worthwhile, affordable study guide!

Obviously written by a talented educator who knows how to maximize students' potential, this book truly deserves five stars - it's original, educational, and very effective as an SAT vocabulary-building tool. The approach is unusual, to say the least. On one level it's a fun story, but on another level it's a hilarious spoof on some interesting topics such as boy-girl relationships, the arts, creative writing, and education. Simon, the narrator, draws students in with his easy and open tone and students enjoy the witty repartee between the characters. Before they know it, they're thinking about political and other issues from new perspectives. A book that does this and boosts word power? Yes, indeed.

Simon's Saga engenders lively class discussions on important topics that today's intelligent students are thinking about -America's role in the world, the effects of globalization, the role of the media, stereotyping of people, changing values, and cultural identity. This is the type of thinking students need to do to get a good score on the critical reading section of the new SAT.

The book is packed with first-rate exercises that educate as they reinforce the SAT words. Cleverly, the author has made the exercises part of the story. My students look forward to answering the questions for Simply Simon and Axel Speaks that come at the end of each funny episode. I strongly recommend this book for all high school students preparing for the SAT and for classroom use by high school English teachers. Thank you, Philip Geer, for this creative learning tool!

I enjoyed the character development of the story, and how the people are not all as they seem, and don't all believe in "the game" but have to do it anyway. However, the plot is a little weak and the verbage that the characters use grows old after a while, even though it's true to life.

I find it hard to believe that people, kids, live like they are portrayed in this book. I appreciated the descriptive nature of the book and it gave me a phenomenal view into a troubled lifestyle but in a humanizing and sad way. It's a good book, just a little slow in the beginning and, in parts, not very well written.

This was a great find & I highly recommend it if you like reading about hardships, addicition, real characters, poverty, and hope. Enjoy!

In Six Out Seven, Jess Mowry has crafted a deeply poignant, graphic and utterly gripping depiction of life as a black youth in America today. Gifted with a real sense for dialogue (you can almost hear the characters speak) and an amazing ability to capture the settings he describes - be it the steamy deep south or the numbing squalor of the ghetto. His characters are real and human, and the reader cannot help but be caught up in their struggle for survival.

Six Out Seven is a spectacular, powerful and emotive piece of literature, that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

First off, I want to say that this is an excellent book. The beginning of the book was very slow, but once you merged into the nover further, the better the book got, and the harder the book was to put down. Its a basic black coming of age novel about a 13 yr old who leaves Mississppi and travels because of circumstances to Oakland, California. Ive reccommended the book to all my friends, and I suggest you do to. It uncovers alot of myths that float around about the black community that needs to be brought to light, and Mr. Mowry does just that![.] GO GET THE BOOK!...

I am writing from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. I finished reading this book last night (May 4, 2000) and, like Corbitt, had a real dream about it! Few books have been written about the incredible courage and strength of children living in the worst of times and the baddest of places. This is one of the best! And I agree with Corbitt - we (young Africans and African-Americans) have our destinies in our own hands.

Excellent account of one soldier's story. I knew someone who served with Colonel Herbert in Viet Nam. He was very respected by his men.

I saw Herbert interviewed years ago and always wanted this book. Just found it used. He was a decorated veteran from Korea. He was one of a few survivors from his company in Korea. He felt he deserved to die in 1952 and considered his life after that a bonus.

Being in Iraq and having worked for the military for many years now, Soldier was recommended to me by a friend equally frustrated with the way the military operates.

Written by LTC Anthony Herbert (ret), the book details his life from a kid in West Virginia coal country, to enlisting in the Army, service in Korea, returning to the Army as an officer, and rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a battalion commander in Vietnam.

The book became extremely controversial upon publication in the early 1970's. Anti-war activists used it as "evidence" of massacres that were covered up and unreported.

This is definitely a "tell-all" vengeance book in every sense of the word. The book was written by a fuming Herbert who thought he was unfairly drummed out of the military to protect senior leaders from having to face the truth and to undermine his accusations. He goes into great detail about his success in combat, and in making his unit one of the most productive during his tour.

He had an ax to grind, but the reader is left wondering if the anti-war zealots who co-authored and promoted the book didn't help take literary license to a new low. According to other sources, the book is now "thoroughly discredited."

After reading Burkett's Stolen Valor, you can see there is almost certainly some creative writing woven into the story. The "red-flags" of exaggerated war stories pop up everywhere.

Herbert claims to be the sole survivor of several different super secret black operations. He is whisked around the world to be inserted into Vietnam (early 60's) on a mission for which he has never trained and with which he has no experience. The book boasts he is the most decorated American soldier (no such centralized records are kept). AFTER being forced out of the military, somebody tries to rig his car to explode (why, he was no longer a threat?) - a patently absurd farce.

In fact, some of the accusations he makes regarding his combat experience in Korea and early experience in Vietnam, prior to becoming the Inspector General (IG) during his official tour, smell and sound like kooky conspiracy theories.

While you might choose leave it at that - discredited - there is something of value in the book. Sandwiched between the fiction seems to be a very good account of a top-notch battalion commander. How much is true and how much is fiction is pure speculation, but I suspect it is very accurate - and possibly the only part he wrote.

His experiences as an IG and battalion commander are eerily similar to today. Except for the references to the jungle, you could swear he was describing the military in Iraq. That needs to be qualified - the conflicts, justification, and situation are completely different - the way the military operates though has not changed; not in a hundred years!

Reading a World War I account of Major Biddle (Fighting Airman) you first see the similarity - the gross inefficiency, the malicious effort to keep senior leadership uniformed (and therefore not liable), and the obsession with completing a task regardless of the quality of results or impact.

LTC Herbert details the same inefficiency, willful ignorance, and indifference to quality that is seen today in Iraq. The same unstable characters that sling wildly unsubstantiated accusations almost violently, and then, upon learning the facts, acts as if nothing happened are here. The same "O-4 blackhole layer" (modern term) whose sole function is to ensure no bad news reaches O-6s or above is functioning in Iraq today. This part is too close to home to be fiction.

The reports on the efficiency of his command and success of his battalion, particularly in combat, actually go a long way to proving that if other battalion commanders had equally been concerned about results (as opposed to just feigning task completion) the war in Vietnam would have been very different. Herbert was probably a very effective combat commander who understood the importance of being on the ground, in the thick of it with his soldiers. That goes a long way to explaining why he was respected by them.

All sorts of sociology studies show how non-performers are quick to bring down high-performers as a way of masking their own poor record. That and his insistence on briefing bad news to the brigade commander probably had much more to do with his reassignment and dismissal than a cover-up of any atrocity.

Did the atrocities he witness really take place? Again, with his credibility squandered in other areas, who knows? They could easily be embellished stories. That is, perhaps the unarmed combatants shot were shot by South Vietnamese on their own, not under the direction of American advisers. The same is possibly the case of the interrogations about which he complained. In any case, the incidents he describes are not in the same league as My Lai, but in fact standard operating procedures of the communists. Without condoning the actions, once can easily see why the South Vietnamese would be quick to act accordingly, and why many Americans would willingly turn a blind eye.

Unfortunately, he appears to have chosen to become a tool for the domestic anti-war propaganda machine as a way of getting even with his former commanders. Enough of the book is clearly fiction though; that there is great difficulty in determining what is not. Read Stolen Valor first, and then read Soldier. Both are good reads, and the former will help you come to your own decision on the veracity of Soldier.

The 1973 bestseller "Soldier" reveals a part of our nation's history during the Vietnam War, which should be mandatory reading in our Political Science and History classes today. It is the true account of the rise of a brilliant young soldier, Anthony B. Herbert, who achieved great fame as the most decorated soldier of the Korean War; who later dared to take on the Military Brass and expose the corruption and war atrocities occurring in Vietnam.

"Soldier" is not about a man who was unpatriotic or who sought fame or who had grand delusions of "conspiracy theories." This elite soldier completed Rangers, Special Forces, and over 20 other military schools. He served as an intelligence officer and was selected for outstanding promotion at every rank. He was on the fast track to becoming one of our youngest generals. Yet at the same time that he was cited as the Outstanding Combat Battalion Commander in Vietnam - he was being relieved of his duties.

This was not a soldier who was afraid to fight. Herbert felt that any man, woman, or child who was firing at him was "the enemy." But he drew the line at senseless torture and slaughter based on whims. Ultimately, this second-generation American felt stronger about the ethics and principles that our country was founded on, rather than about his military career. He blew the whistle regarding the atrocities and corruption in Vietnam when no one else had the courage to come forward.

At the time that "Soldier" was written, our government was not telling the American people the facts about so many issues concerning the Vietnam War. Thirty years later, these truths have long been substantiated. America now knows about our less than stellar past in Vietnam primarily due to the efforts and courage of this author. In part, our media now covers the war in Iraq - flaws and all, due to the precedent set by Anthony Herbert.

Each account found in "Soldier" was later substantiated beyond a doubt. Yet no public apologies have ever been made to Lt. Col. Herbert by our government, our media, or the military. In my opinion, this soldier deserved a medal most for exposing the corruption when no one else would come forward. The actions that he dared to take by writing this book have had such a profound influence on how America, our media and our government now view the military and conduct themselves during times of war.

No one wants to go to war and no one wants to trash our military or government. But unless someone takes the initiative to expose corruption, history only repeats itself. War crimes and atrocities only serve to do a great disservice to every veteran who has ever fought bravely for America and the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the world.

We are now fighting a different war over in Iraq. I am glad to know that many of our soldiers will be reading this book. For I can think of no better "manual" to show a new generation of soldiers that ethics and high principles are conducive both in times of war and in times of peace. And I can think of no better instructor than Anthony Herbert. For anyone who truly wants to know what the Vietnam War was about and the unique contribution made by a true hero in the deepest sense, "Soldier" is the book to read. "Soldier" - both the book and the man are truly in a league of their own.

In a review of this book Brian Carter writes, "part fiction, part farce, part sober truth." I need to set the record straight about any suspicion about Lt. Col. Anthony B. Herbert's story not being factual. The whole truth was finally exposed last summer. Writing in the Los Angeles Times 20 Aug 06, Deborah Nelson and Nick Turse reported in a feature article, "In Vietnam, Army Worked to Discredit Torture Record" that detainee abuses were more extensive than the public knew. An internal inquiry had confirmed Herbert's widely publicized charge that members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade had tortured detainees in Vietnam. But rather than make this information public, the Army compiled a 53-page catalog of alleged discrepancies against Herbert, should he try to expose the torture incidents. Finally, after 33 years, declassified records showed that while the Army was working energetically to discredit Herbert, military investigators were uncovering torture and mistreatment that went well beyond what even Herbert had described. The abuses were not made public, and few of the wrongdoers were punished. The Army internal investigation in 1973 found that military interrogators in the 173rd Airborne repeatedly beat prisoners, tortured them with electricity and forced water down their throats to simulate a drowning sensation.

The accounts of torture and the Army's effort to discredit Herbert emerged from a review of a once-secret Pentagon archive. The collection, about 9,000 pages, was compiled in the early 1970s by an Army task force that monitored war crimes investigations. The files, examined last summer by the Los Angeles Times, included memos, case summaries, investigative reports and sworn witness statements. The Army task force was created after journalist Seymour Hersh exposed the 1968 My Lai massacre, and served to give military brass and the White House early warning about potentially damaging revelations. The war crimes records were declassified in 1994 and moved to the National Archives in College Park, Md., where they went largely unnoticed. The Times examined most of the files before officials removed them from public view, saying they contained personal information that was exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Other records, taken by Col. Henry H. Tufts, commander of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division in 1973, were donated after his death to the University of Michigan. Retired Brig. Gen. John H. Johns, a Vietnam veteran who served on the task force, said the files provided important lessons for dealing with the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. He stated, "If we rationalize it as isolated acts, as we did in Vietnam and as we're doing with Abu Ghraib and similar atrocities, we'll never correct the problem."

The public discrediting of Herbert all began on Feb. 4, 1973, when his reputation was dealt a shattering blow when CBS's 60 Minutes aired a segment titled "The Selling of Colonel Herbert." CBS correspondent Mike Wallace and producer Barry Lando challenged his credibility, implying that the book "Soldier" was fictitious and, most surprising of all, that Herbert himself was guilty of war crimes. Considering that the smear efforts of the Pentagon had failed to discredit any of Herbert's statements, this was baffling indeed. Supporting the CBS allegations against Herbert on the show was Herbert's old nemesis, Lt. Col. J. Ross Franklin who had been relieved of his command for throwing a Vietnamese body out of chopper (and later went to prison in 1991 to serve a five-year sentence for his role in a securities scam). During this time CBS was under a lot of heat from the Nixon administration for an earlier broadcast called "The Selling of the Pentagon." CBS president Frank Stanton was under subpoena. Ultimately, a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in Herbert v. Lando (1979) ruled in Herbert's favor, and he won what had come to be called the "state of mind case." By that time Herbert had earned a doctorate in psychology, and become a police and clinical psychologist.

Herbert is one of America's best war heros and this vilifying of his record must be corrected. Of equal dishonor is the fact that the military continues to sanction torture, and anyone who blows the whistle gets vilified. Joe Darby turned in the pictures of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. This time the military could not discredit him as they did Herbert. He had pictures! But as things turned out, the military did nothing to reward or support him, and they let the public vilify him. He was not even able to return to his hometown, Cumberland, MD, so bad was public reaction to his reporting of Abu Ghraib. Cumberland even held a vigil for the accused at Abu Ghraib while Joe Darby received death threats.

You need to read this book! Since Viet Nam the U.S. has allowed a military bureaucracy of pencil pushers to rifle our military heritage with cover-up lies about real heroes and, most disparagingly, to lose wars. Herbert knew how to win, and how to conduct himself in the face of bad superiors. His book should be studied, and re-studied, by West Point students.

This review first appeared in the April 2002 issue of DR AHEAD, the newsletter of the Air Force Navigators Observers Assoication.

There is a saying, "Join the Navy and see the world. Join the Air Force and see Texas." In these two books Tom Alexander takes readers on a tour of Texas to visit 19 of the 65 Army Air Force bases which operated there during World War II.

Volume I covers the bases which were at Amarillo, Pyote, Pecos, Sweetwater, Greenville, Waco, Harlingen, and San Antonio (which alone of these still survives as an active facility). Volume II adds to the tour the bases at Pampa, Hondo, Del Rio, Midland, Marfa, El Paso, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Austin, Big Spring, and Houston. Alexander tells how and when each base came into existence, what missions were fulfilled, who some of the people associated with the base were, how the thousands of Air Force men and women, mostly from outside of Texas, interacted with the nearby community, and what became of the facility. In addition the author looks at the nearby Texas communities before and after the bases were established and the impact that the bases had on the state as a whoe.

Information about the bases is carefully researched and documented with endnotes. There are scores of histrical and contemporary photographs. The books are rich with ancedotal material. Alexander writes with skill

The heart of these books is Alexander's powerful descriptions of the opening, operation, and disposition of the bases and the resulting impacts on Texas. Those who spent Air Force time in Texas will enjoy these books. Libraries in communities which have or had a military base nearby should acquire them. This goes for communities across the country, not just in Texas, because the lessons they teach are about how war and peach change America.

I really enjoyed reading "The Stars Were Big and Bright." There was so much informative and humorous information in a well written format. It was very interesting learning about the diversity in the locations of the air bases and I loved the old pictures. It was a book I didn't want to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the life and times of Sweetwater as well as what it was like to be a WASP in a small Texas town!

This book provides a worthwhile survey of the role of military aviation...anecdotal details keep the text lively...vintage and contemporary photographs make the book valuable for anyone interested in the military buildup that affected Texas communities...

I am a native Texan and history buff, but I was never aware of the important role many small Texas towns played in the aerial war efforts of the United States. What a revelation this book provided.

Very well written, interesting, informative, humorous and sometimes tragic, The Stars Were Big and Bright is one book that will remain in my personal library for years to come. It is sure to be reread whenever the urge to revisit the history of Texas' contribution to the U.S. Army Air Force's efforts during WWI and WWII.

I was impressed also with the numerous vintage photograps, maps, descriptions of the relevant airfields, aircraft photos and specifications, as well as the high level of documentation from primary source documents.

This book absolutely has to be the best book on this topic yet written. Perhaps the author, Thomas E. Alexander, will treat us to another great book in the future.

This book was recently given to my son who is learning to drive. He read through it and kept coming to me and showing me many of the chapters. When we'd go out for driving lessons, he'd relate that he applied much of what he read in the book. I decided to read this myself and simply love this book. I'm going to buy it for friends with young drivers and recommend the parents read it too. This book is so much better than the driving manuals kids are forced to read in drivers ed classes. The schools should be using this book.

This was not only an easy read, but I feel something every new driver should study. I wish I had a resource such as this when I was a teen, it addresses everything a teenage driver must understand befor taking to the road.

This is a great book & a must read for new drivers. I definitely recommend that you read this book if you have early drivers in your household. It gives good practical advice in a humerous and easy reading manner. Parents learn to communicate better with their teens after reading this book. You won't be disappointed. I'm going to buy these as gifts for my nieces and nephews.

I am currently teaching my son to drive and this book brought to my attention the fears some novice drivers experience. I was so busy concentrating on the official rules of the road; I forgot to address some very practical circumstances that cause anxiety. Without this book, they never would have been discussed. Thank you Teenage Roadhogs, for helping me make him a better driver!

As a parent of teenage drivers, this book was excellent!! Written in a way kids can relate! Wonderful tool for new drivers and should be a part of every drivers education class!

I read the book telling the story of Sam in 1980, straight after it was published in my language. I thought it was a very interesting book of a young boy or better a very young man which was very courageous.
I also bought the book long ago and have read it many times. Just yesterday I began to read it once again and wondered if I could get more information of Sam in the Internet. I was very sorry to learn, he really is dead, although it was not a big surprise. I would like to know more of him, as how it all was after the transplantation.
I recommendate the book for everybody, it really is worth to be read.
God bless Sam's family.

Help! How can I make those voting buttons!

I only just read this book recently after seeing the movie. I found the movie good, but had the feeling there were a lot of holes and unanswered questions. So I started to search the internet for information on Sam Alden, coming up with absolutely nothing, until I finally found a book of the same name by a Victoria POOLE. Realizing it must be the same person, but that they'd changed the name in the movie, I clicked on it and read the reviews. I immediately ordered the book, and was totally wrapped up in it. Sam's strength and courage is an inspiration to me, as I'm sure it was and will be to a lot of people. When Sam says the stronger the pain gets, the more you learn to handle it, you just adjust, it makes me feel that I can take anything coming to me, if I just think of these words. I had cancer 4 years ago, and I'm glad I got through it. I agree with Sam, there's a lot one can take if one has to.
I was really sad when I read the reviews and found out that Sam had eventually died. I don't know when it happened, how long he survived after the transplant, but I want the Poole family to know that he won my heart in retrospect and that, in inspiring all of us to just deal with things and live, he will always live on.

I'll never forget reading a paperback copy of this book while on vacation as a teenager. It made such an impact on me then, and now, as a parent myself. I distinctly remember so much of this book and of Victoria's photos. For a little paperback I read one summer so many years ago to still be able to make me cry upon its memory is a sign of a powerful book. Highly recommended reading!

I remember picking up a paperback version of Thursday's Child in the Portland Jetport while on a layover from a business trip in 1981. And I remember being overwhelmed by the story and by the love, strength and dedication of the Poole family. Mostly, I remember being in awe of Sam's courage. Victoria Poole made us laugh with her sometimes wry observations, she touched all of our hearts and she communicated a powerful message about the importance of family. Actually, her writing made us feel as if we were right there with the family, whether at the "Sunday picnics" or in the waiting room at Stanford University Medical Center. I still have that faded, tattered paperback and I must admit I re read it occasionally - usually when I need to be reminded that my daily problems are miniscule compared to what Sam and his family faced. And, yes, I think all of our hearts broke a little when we heard that Sam died. He was a hero for all of us and it would have been grand to see him remain at the top of the glass mountain forever. I have often thought of writng Mrs. Poole to tell her the impact her story had on how I view life and its challenges. For now, however, I will simply say a public thank you to "Aunt Vic" and the rest of the Poole family for sharing their lives with us.

Sam Poole was my uncle. I never got to meet him because he died before I was born. However, from what I know of him he was a great person. I have heard stories and I feel like I know him through the rest of my family. Thursday's Child tells a remarkable story that is really a page turner. It hit home for me because it was written by my grandmother and talked about all the members of my family. My grandmother doesn't talk about writing the book all that much but I have read it and I know about it from my other family members. I recommend this book to anyone, it tells a story of any normal family and one incident that changes their whole lives.

Why hasn't America heard about this man? He's written one of the most powerful books on the accomplishments of prayer in our life time. It has sold more copies than "60 Minutes" Andy Rooney's book. College and professional football players (some of them All-Americans) have it. Tattered and wore copies of it are circulated by hand on Lagos Island, Nigeria, where one of the greatest revivals and Holy Ghost outpourings in the world today is occurring. I'd say all these people have found something valuable in a book God dealt with a man to write for three years before he gave in to the His will. I'm glad he did.

"Know how to make a lion nervous? Put him in a den of Daniels."--Dr. Martin Prine. The lions of life come in every shape, form and fashion, and many Christians struggle every day to overcome them. Fort Smith native, Dr. Martin Prine had a calling a few years ago to help others with that struggle, by teaching a way to beat the lions that attack characters, relationships, health and finances.

"God wants everyone to know this, to use it. He wants everyone to have a real, true communion with Him and to know how to keep the glory of God in their lives," he said during a visit where he brought me a copy of his recently published book, "The Treasury of Daniel: Victory Over the Lions of Life." In the book, Dr.Prine, who grew up in Fort Smith, began his ministry in the Navy in 1972 and together with his wife, Dr. Barbara Lange Prine, founded King's Treasury Ministries in Houston, sets forth a prayer plan to teach anyone how to slay lions and succeed in their life.

"Every man, woman and child has the same privilege in prayer before God. This becomes exciting to those who come to Him with their petitions and learn He really hears them and grants their desires," he states in Chapter One. But the book clearly points out that success is not obtained by merely praying. First, you must learn exactly what prayer is. "Prayer then, is one thing...asking. It is seeking and asking for something from God, knocking on the door of His treasure house until it opens...no matter how long it takes, or how many times the petition is asked. It's as simple as that. Asking, and asking alone is prayer." He continues throughout the book to set forth criteria for prayer and explains historical and biblical accounts of it.

Dr. Prine shares how to be informed about the power of prayer. He lays out how large to ask of God, how to pray in His will, what to ask for, the difference between current and memorial prayer and why that principle is important in the success of prayer. He also explains why prayer must be asked in Jesus name and that, at times prayer is not answered merely because God will in his time and in his way.

The book also offers alternative reasons for some unanswered prayers. "Many Christians do not receive what they petition God for because they fail to ask for definite answers when they pray. They ask ordinary prayers He cannot answer, and since they do not ask specifically, they become discouraged and cease to ask at all," Dr. Prine states.

The author also makes it personal. He talks about friends and acquaintances touched by prayer, about learning to pray, being a young Christian and the blessings in his life due to prayer. He gives an interesting account of how he found time to pray in his prayer closet while aboard ship in the Navy, and how many others on the ship came to Christ as well. He tells of learning many years later when he least expected it, how lives were still being touched by the prayers he prayed aboard that ship. He also opens the book with a story of a farmer who came across George Washington deep in prayer in the winter of 1778 in Valley forge. It sets a powerful tone to the book.

"God asked me to write this book. Every chapter, every sentence, every word of this book was given to me by Him," Dr. Prine said during the interview. "The Lord did it. He made it possible. As you can see, it's our heartbeat. We hope it touches the live of others as well." With passion like that, it's hard not to find the book intriguing.

I simply could not put "The Treasury of Daniel" down. Dr. Prine has a wonderful way of explaining scriptural truths from the Bible which I found to be very inspiring. This is a very valuable book--money well spent! I'm telling my friends about it so they may also share in what I've learned. There really are secrets in God's word, and the author must have spent years in learning them. I also throughly enjoyed the life experiences he shares with his readers as he covers each chapter topic. Each one is different, awesome, and a jewel. This is great reading for every Christian. It is a privilege to recommend this exceptional work for God.

This author has touched the essence of the entire Christian experience--Prayer. Without it in the daily life of the Child of God, nothing but a shell is left. With it they can do great exploits. This is why we encounter so much spiritual oppostion when we become devoted to it. With so many addictions in the world today, wouldn't it be splendid if the Church became addicted to the one thing that really matters in life--calling on the one who loves us the most, and having the right relationship with Him?

Bro. Prine has rendered a great Christian service by also including in his book, valuable information concerning the Catholic Church; which I have long been concerned about. His has used solid research material, and makes a compelling case which should be throughly examined by anyone with a sincere desire for truth. I feel it is a worthy topic due to the media exposure given the problems within the Catholic faith at this time.

This book will give strength and understanding to anyone with a hunger for a closer walk with God. Without reservation, I recommend this extraordinary book.

The Treasury of Daniel is a profound and powerful tool that I find myself returning to again and again to get that special gold nugget of inspiration. It truly has been an enormous strength and insight for me both personally and professionally as a minister. Dr. Martin Prine will quickly move to the top as one of the great influencers of this generation.

I love this cookbook. I never knew you could do so much with pickled eggs! The stories about Ultra-Violet were entertaining and heartwarming. I also enjoyed all the litte tidbits about the state of Missouri

I love the names of the recipes. I've never much cared for pickled eggs but I'm going to try some of these recipes. If Ultra-Violet's family enjoyed them all those years - they must be good!

I thought the recipes contained in here were very good. There are all sorts of recipes that will suit everyones tastes, from Super Hot to Very Mild. Things that you never thought would go into a pickled egg recipe, such as chili pepper, ginger root, cinnamon, hot pepper sauce, jalapeno peppers, and Old Bay seasoning are in a lot of these tasty recipes.

This book also has amusing tidbits of information about the author and her family interspersed with the State of Missouri facts. I highly recommend this book if you or your family enjoys pickled eggs and "something different".

Here's a treasury of pickled egg recipes (more than 40),plus a mostly humorous collection of biographical highlights of author Violet May Steele/Clayton's very unusual life. There are also many , probably little-known facts about the state of Missouri, all in one convenient, spiral-bound book. Three different jars of eggs are pickling in our refrigerator right now, with Annie Campbell's Picnic Eggs (pg. 40) just test/tasted after 7 days in brine. They are outstanding and very mild! Divided between hot & spicy and sweet, there's a pickled egg here for everyone's taste, with added information on how to boil,peel and care for eggs. As a bonus, this must be the only book ever to be dedicated to a White Leghorn hen. Named Lady Macduff, this busy chicken holds the one-year egg-laying record of 303 eggs produced in 1913,according to the Oregon State Agricultural Experimental Station. This is egg-zactly (sorry!)the right gift for a cookbook collector, a true egg lover, or just a real fun read for anyone.

Beside having great recipes for pickled eggs, this book would make a great gift for anyone living in Missouri or from Missouri. It has many historical facts, along with some funny stories. Happy pickling.

Ultra-Violet's Pickled Egg Cookbook. Just another cookbook? Ha! At first glance this book reveals itself to be both shocking and practical. Shocking in that one does not expect to see a purple chicken in apron and high heels -- the nature of which is revealed once you get into the book -- and practical because it has stain resistant glossy covers and is spiral bound, thus allowing it to lay flat, making it ideal for the kitchen. Open the covers and you will find a cookbook like no other. The topic, pickled eggs, is perhaps a little unusual. I had no idea there were so many ways to pickle eggs. The recipes are excellent and they are guaranteed to change your taste for pickled eggs, but it is the presentation which is absolutely delightful. It makes this book worth having if you never pickle a single egg. The anecdotes, historical references and trivia, and the wonderful style in which their story is told that makes this book a winner. You won't be able to keep a smile off your face, perhaps not a tear from your eye and certainly not a giggle from invading your heart, as you read this one.

The basic version, by Ambrose Bierce, is a classic. The annotated version expands on both the content and the usefulness of the volume. A copy should be on everyone's bookshelf.

If poetry and sarcasm had a wild affair, and the more feminine of the two (poetry, I suppose) had a love child nine months later, it would take form in this book. Bitter Bierce defines everything from Saints ("a dead sinner revised and edited") to Egotists("a person of low taste, more interested in himself than me") with a snarl of disgust, appreciating only the flaws in our pitiful species.
*(this is where the disclaimer should go) Not recommended for anyone of the Judeo-Christian religion, Politicians, or anyone with an ounce of optimism left in their lives.

Also known as "The Cynic's Workbook" this collection is classic and belongs in any library. Ambrose Bierce, like Mark Twain and few other of his contempories, had a biting wit that always left a mark.
Here is just a taste of his humor.

Philosophy: A route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing.

Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead.

Good good stuff.

Still haven't found any real competitor for the Devils Dictionary.

Sheer honesty abounds. The insurance agent that came by my place rapidly deflated when I showed him the entry for "insurance" while (to his credit) acknowledged its veracity...

"an ingenious modern game of chance in which the player is permitted to enjoy the comfortable conviction that he is beating the man who keeps the table."

(followed by a vicious, fictitious and brilliant dialogue between an agent and perspective mark wherein said agent tries to overcome the mark's observation that by the agent's own actuarial tables a home owner without insurance would most likely save the full value of the house in premiums well before any loss... )

And that's just one of hundreds of essays. One of my intellectual heroes.

This is a great book. The sarcasm and the definitions are the best. If you know someone who is a book lover or just enjoys quick wit-this book is for them. I bought two more just for gifts. It's one of those books that you can always pick up and find a smile...

This book helps both the parent of a bipolar child as well as the trained professional. It is an insight into the illness written in a way that is easy to follow, yet full of extremely valuable information. I have purchased many copies of this book in order to pass this information on to those parents I know who are struggling with their bipolar children. The idea of being a "good enough" parent has really helped me with my own daughter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in search of information, or purely curiosity. It is an excellent read.

I am a psychologist who works with bipolar adolescents and adults and I think this book is the best I have read on this topic.
This is a kind and gentle book that shows great understanding of the problems and strengths of the bipolar child. This is a wonderfully written book without jargon, which accurately describes the good, the hard and the complicated of being a child or raising a child with this disease. This book also deals with the secondary problems children face such as drug and alcohol use and other risk taking behaviors.
The author describes in detail how such children function from preschool through young adulthood. There is an important section of the difference between bipolar disorder and ADD. And, there are clear recommendations as to how to deal with the difficulties bipolar children have in ways that don't punish the child or the parent.
Actually, his suggestions are great for parents with children who are not bipolar.
What comes across is this is a caring book written by a caring doctor.

I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist and just recently sat down to read the book cover to cover. Dr. Lombardo is a gifted teacher who presents ideas and concepts in such a fashion that the recommendations he gives to parents make sense. I especially was glad that he acknowledges that parents need to be good enough, not perfect. As Dr. Lombardo phrased it: "perfect is the enemy of good" (pg 62). I think this is very validating to parents of bipolar children who all too often get unspoken messages from others that defective parenting skills are the cause of the bipolar's child's behaviors. As if in a "hats off" to parents of bipolar children, Dr. Lombardo states: "It takes courage to acknowledge the presence of bipolar disorder, in ourselves and in our children....Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to do the right thing in the presence of fear" (pg 276).

I am a psychotherapist with some 20 years of experience, but I do not deal directly with children. I was drawn to this book in an effort to learn more about a field that is outside my own. I found it to be an amazing work. In the first place,it makes a major contribution to the problems raised in understanding and parenting a bipolar child. It presents the very latest knowledge in the field,in clear and lucid language, beautifully organized and wholly understandable to the lay person. I found it particulary useful because it also deals with the positive aspects of this illness, such as the extraordinary sensitivity and creativity that many of these children manifest. Its coverage is complete, extending from infancy into adolescence. But beyond that, it successfully places those problems in the much broader context of human psychological and personality development in general. For example, the chapter dealing with saying "No" to young children contains a brilliant analysis applicable to all children or even,for that matter, to adults. At the end of the book there is a thorough discussion of the many different types of treatment available, together with a reference guide to the latest medications. I can recommend it without hesitation both to parents and professionals. Indeed, I will be recommending this book to those of my own patients who have problems with their children, even though they may not necessarily be diagnosed as bipolar.

I?m a parent that tackles family problems with books, support groups, therapy, whatever it takes. I read Dr. Lombardo?s book only 6 months or so into the diagnosis of bipolar disorder for my 13 year old son, after the nightmarish depressions, poor and nasty psychiatrists, after reading 4 books -- The Bipolar Child (twice), Acquainted with the Night, Jamison?s book (can?t remember the name), and some other book on alternative therapies for bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses, and after spending countless hours talking to parents online and learning about meds, side effects, behavioral issues.

As a single parent, with an MA and a PhD in fields of psychology and education, I can honestly tell you that I learned quite a bit from Dr. Lombardo?s book. Here?s what I found?.

The perspective Dr. Lombardo has on child development as a teacher, psychiatrist, and one who has suffered from bipolar disorder greatly enhances, and lends credibility to his ability to differentially diagnose typical and atypical behaviors in children. Furthermore, the information on the differential diagnosis of ADHD versus BP from the neurological and behavioral perspective was very clearly presented, highly informative, and points to the need for expert care for children with these disorders.

The overall developmental approach is extremely valuable because, behaviors and life issues change through development, and is helpful to look ahead to see what might be coming along. Additionallly, some of the more subtle behavioral and cognitive issues that children with BP face is discussed and NOT COVERED in the other books I?ve read ? including a discussion of the concomitant disorders that some kids face along with bipolar disorder.

The review of the meds was excellent, partitioned clearly, and will be a helpful resource guide. As for the structure, I overall liked the format, where some of the critical issues are set out from the rest of the text. Only boring part for me was some of the case studies ? written more for a psychiatric textbook than for a parent.

All in all, I found the book to be an excellent companion to the Bipolar Child and highly recommend it ?. For the novice parent and the ?experienced parent?. I also think this book should be required reading for school psychologists and social workers! At least one of these 2 books, please.