Thomas Books

My Grandson had checked out a couple of the Look-Alike books from the Library. He really liked them, so I decided to get him one for his 5TH birthday. He really enjoys finding the look alike objects in the pictures, and spends a long time for a five year old doing so.

My twin 5 yr old boys love these books. It has become a night time ritual with them. There are so many cool things to spot. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for something to do during quiet time.

My 3yo son and 37yo husband both love this book (as do I). We can easily spend half an hour or more every evening playing a modified I-spy game - and it's no easy feat keeping a 3 yo entertained that long. I would highly recommend it for travel, except that it's a large size book which makes it a bit unweildy to carry.

This is a another book filled with fascinating ways the author puts together pictures using common everyday items. You'll never look at ordinary items the same way again once you see how she creatively puts together her pictures. Children and adults alike will be fascinated by this book. If you want to give a child a book he or she will look at over and over again, this is a good choice.

My kids love these books. My son checked one out at the school library. My husband and I were amazed at the detail these pictures have. It puts I spy to shame. My kids look at these books all the time. Great for the car, or restaurants, they keep my seven and four year old happy, and I also enjoy looking at all of the cool pictures. They use everyday items and combine them into ordinary things. For example a chair might be made up of pretzel sticks for the legs, a ritz cracker for the seat, and something else for the back. There are hundreds on each page! Amazing!

This book was so refreshing, inspirational, and moving. I absolutely Loved it and would reccommend it to All. This was my first time reading your work Mrs. Thomas but it will certainly not be the last. Thank You for enlightening me. This book has really helped me with a lot of things going on in my life.

I ordered this book after reading Jezebel (by Jacquelin Thomas) and seeing all the glowing reviews for this book. This book was slow. The first 150 pages were just about Marin and her husband going to dinner parties and their children. The next half of the book was about Marin's use of drugs and her husband being upset with her. This book had no excitement whatsoever. I can't fathom all these 5* reviews.

**Summary**
Marin, an actress, meets Warner, a pastor, at a religious conference. Warner was 30 something and previously engaged to a woman who died of ovarian cancer. Warner stated that God told him that he and Marin were meant to be together. Marin felt the same way.

After a few months, the two married. Initially, Marin wanted to focus on her career, but when she got pregnant by mistake, Marin was so happy that she decided to put her career on hold. After 4 years and 2 children (Rylan and Gabriel), Marin decided to return to her career.

Marin had a hard time getting acting jobs. She was finally offered a Lifetime job playing a drug addict. Marin decided to try cocaine to get ready for the role. Marin got hooked immediately because she always was told she was a screw up by her mother, felt abandoned by her mother and father, and didn't feel like she was good enough to be a preacher's wife.

Warner found out about Marin's drug use and convinced her to go into rehab. Marin stayed clean for a few months, but then started her drug use again. When Marin left the house to do drugs, Warner cut off all her credit cards, bank accounts, and so forth. Marin ended up prostituting herself and was raped.

After a while, Marin moved to NY (she was originally living in California) with Tisha and another drug buddy. When Tisha and the guy got arrested, Marin went to rehab. While in Rehab, Marin found out she was pregnant.

Eventually, Marin turned to Warner and the two reconciled.

Pros: EXCELLENT writing! easy to read
Cons: Boring, nothing exciting happened in the story; the names in the storyline were pretty bad (Dru, Warner, Marin, Shirley, Garfield)--what kind of names are those for black people??

My main issue was Geneva though. She, being a single woman, pushes up on the pastor and this is Christian behavior? Whatever! Also, it appears that all Jacquelin Thomas' characters suffer the same fate. It kind of makes it pointless to read her books now.

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend you read this book. It is definetly a tear jerker and is an item that belongs in every married African American woman's bookshelf.

I love Jacquelin Thomas books and this one by far is one of the most moving stories. The personification of redemption! Be prepared to stay up until 3am and pull the Kleenex out because you will need it! This book was truly a blessing to me and all my friends that I've passed it along too! I even bought a second copy as a gift for a friend =)

The book brings the stories in the bible to life...reading the book made the story of gomer and hosea make so much since. The one thing I do like is after you read the book you can turn in your bible to that story and see the similaries. God has truely given you a wonderful gift. Keep using it to gorify God

[[ASIN:084991311X The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While K
Keeping Your Clothes On]]
There is so much true enlightenment and wisdom packed into this little book, that could only come from experience. I want to thank Dawn Eden for
her candor and genuine concern for others that she expresses so nicely in this book. I think all singles should read this book. I am a mother of 11 children and I plan on buying several more copies for my older kids. Her personal stories are charming and her rubber-band ball theory is hysterical. READ IT!

Dawn Eden's book is a breath of fresh air, for men and women alike. While she writes from a female perspective, guys have plenty to learn from this book as well.

Dawn shows how chastity is a better path to happiness and sexual fulfillment for women, but guys who read the book can gain an additional insight: they can learn something about the feminine heart and what the (right kind of) girl is looking for in a relationship.

Now I don't mean to sound self-serving - Dawn's book is most definitely not a "dating tips" compendium. In fact, one of her best points is that chastity teaches guys and girls how to treat one another not as objects to be used, but as mysteries to truly love.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has done the dating thing and found it frustrating (which is probably most of us), and is looking for something more. Whether you're a guy or girl, Dawn has something important and beautiful to say to you!

In an age where anything goes - especially when it comes to sex, serial dating and mating has become the standard M.O. among young singles... In "The Thrill of the Chaste...) Dawn Eden exposes the "Sex in the City" lifestyle, beyond any morality issues, for what it really is...an exercise in futility guaranteed to leave those who embrace it lonely, emotionally empty/numb, and moving away, rather than closer, to any hopes of marriage. And that's the upside...the downside is contracting an incurable and/or fatal STD!
This book is "must read" for anyone who has ever questioned whether "sleeping around" in pursuit of physical pleasure will lead to happiness! This is also a good read for parents who were sexually active before marriage/children. These parents tend to teach their kids about the dangers of alcohol, drugs, tobacco but not sex! Many feel that since they survived their own sexual exploits that there's no need to encourage abstinence before marriage (i.e. chastity)... Hmmm... Well think again! When teens experiment with sex they are risking their health and possibly their lives.
Kudos to Dawn Eden for promoting the virtue of chastity, a practice that is guaranteed to lead to an increase in the number of successful marriages, a reduction in the number of unwanted pregnacies and containment of the spread of STDs. Now who's not for that!!!

Love it! A book for women who can finally see through all the false theories the media and popular culture feed to us.

Remarkably well written. Dawn Eden's The Thrill of the Chaste is a breath of fresh air that is much needed in today's world of smothering sexuality. For anyone who has been in an unsatisfying relationship, called a prude, a tease, or has been ridiculed for being a good girl; this book shines light on the beauty and grace of women who respect themselves enough to resist the temporary ecstasy of a few moments of fleeting sexual pleasure in order to empower themselves to see beyond the superficial exterior of the typical dating world and enable them to attract the kind of man that is worthy of one day being their husband. Beautifully written, mature and honest, Eden doesn't force anything on the reader. She will make you smile, sigh, and shake your head as she shares her own experiences. This book makes the reader take a look at their own past and offers some tools in being proactive about the way they approach meeting, dating, and carrying on potential future relationships. Loses a little momentum near the very end, but finishes beautifully. For both virgins and the not-so-virgin, this book is guaranteed to make you think.

My daughter and I have LOVED sharing Betsy-Tacy as a read-aloud. The way that the author weaves the girls' fantasies right into the chapter is a perfect illustration of just how real imaginary play is to children (or at least used to be when kids were allowed to imagine). Beware, parents: Have a hankie on hand for the Easter Eggs chapter. I had tears running in rivulets down my cheeks. The only sad thing about Betsy-Tacy is that my daughter wishes that she had a kindred spirit of her own as they do. Highly recommended!

I was introduced to Betsy and Tacy at 5 or 6 by my mom. She adored the series growing in the 50/60s. I grew up in the 70s/80s and fell in love with Betsy, Tacy and Tib. I have 3 daughters that now love these books also. If I had to name the best gift I ever received, I would name my Betsy books. I read the books at just the right time in my life. I would look forward to receiving my Besty/Tacy book at Christmas. When I had my 1st child, my mother gave me the final book in the series when Betsy also has a baby. I was overjoyed yet sad because I knew it was the end of the books.
These books were so important to me growing up that I still think of the characters often. They are wonderful classic stories of a simple time and true friendships.

B-T fans rejoice! Sutton Foster acquits herself well, and brings the characters and Maud's distinctive writerly voice alive in her reading of B-T.

Tired of reading the book over and over and over to your children? This audiobook can take over the chore. Or guarantee that you arrive at work in a good mood, by listening during your commute.

Don't hesitate, just get it before it goes out of print. Let's hope they issue more of the books on CD too.

I was recently reminded of the Betsy-Tacy books I loved so much when I was a young girl. You can not imagine my horror at seeing the current editions' illustrations of the girls, though. Part of the original books' charm was the simple illustrations. Whoever decided to change them should be ashamed. Ashamed and fired. Seriously.

Contact me if you want to join a campaign to have the real drawings returned to future editions of these timeless classics so many of us loved so much.

What a delightful book! I cannot believe I missed these books as a child; I picked them up to read with my daughters on a friend's recommendation, and they are a treasure. They remind me of so many other classic children's books -- Lois Lenski, Carolyn Haywood, Beverly Cleary, Eleanor Estes. Not only are the stories sweet and captivating, they take me back to a place where life was so much simpler. It's a return to innocence, and I loved the journey. I would highly recommend these books for little girls; they'll make new friends that they'll cherish for a lifetime.

This is the Best Bible I have ever had because it makes me want to read it everyday!

It is put together very well and easy reading. References are made on just about every page to Life Lessons. There are Answers to Life's Questions throughout. The Life-Changing Principles are incredible. I recordmend this book to anyone who wants to learn about living in todays world.

Although I don't like the NKJV translation at all, this is a very good study Bible. Pastor Stanley's numerous notes, articles and life lessons are very pastoral and insightful. They add more to the text than the usual study notes you find in most study Bibles. This is a fun and informative study bible and I recommend it wholeheartedly. A keeper.

After trying out several other personal study Bibles, I settled on this one as my everyday, go-to Bible. I purchased the leather bound, burgundy one with index. It really has a quality look, feel, and the indexes are a wonderful help in studying The Word. There is so much USEFUL information and marvelous study helps. The Life Principles and Answers to Life's Questions always seem to pop up at just the moment I need them or the Holy Spirit wants me to read them. It is one of the most blessed and blessing editions of the Bible I have ever read. Dr. Stanley can be proud of this legacy work. It will continue comforting/helping people for generations to come. It is that good of a resource for the Believer. I have also used the Life Principles Daily Bible for about 6 months as my morning quiet time/devotional. It is too is awesome.

I enjoy reading this version of the Bible. It offers so much comentary. I am using it for school work so I appreciate the speedy service and delivery.

My dad flew as a navigator (on some missions lead navigator) of B-24s in the last 5 months of WWII. But all the fellows he trained most closely with, the guys he became personally closest with, died in a mid-air explosion before my dad flew a single combat mission (my dad opted out of what was supposed to be a pleasant free day-trip from England to Ireland). This book helped me to understand my father's never-ending sense of loss and regret.

There has probably never been a more masterful account of what these young men went through, and the risks they took, in the combat mode of the massive campaign to cripple the Nazi war infrastructure from lumbering, unpressurized bomb-ships 30,000 feet in the sky. The comradeship among the crews is what comes through most clearly in Childer's remarkably poignant book. That, plus the randomness of the winnowing-out process that took so many of these brave airmen. The loss of Childer's uncle and several of his crew mates was especially pathetic, and not only because of the proximity of the end of the war.

WWII, the greatest conflict in U.S. history. The B-24 Liberator, one of the greatest bombers ever built. But those two in a book, and what comes out of the oven is Wings of Morning. Howard Goodner was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1943. He set off from his home state of Tennesee to prepare for combat in Europe. He trained as a radio operator and finished in the top of class. Howard recieved a job as an instructor, but instead of "sitting out the war" Howard instead, accepts combat duty, and is sent off to train with his new flight crew. Soon, Howard arrives in England, awaiting his first bombing mission. After many bombing runs, Howards crew is appointed leader of his flight squadron. On April 21, 1945, Howard's crew sets off on a dangerous mission over Germany which runs straight into enemy flak, and crashes.
Fifty years later Thomas Childers, author, and nephew of Howard Goodner beautifully recreates what happened during the few years Howard was in Europe using the countless number of letters Howard wrote, eyewitnesses of the crash, squadron members, government documents, and the only surviving member of Howard's crew. This book was written beautifully, but a bit too dry for my liking. This is the reason for my 4 out of 5 review of Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II, by Thomas Childers.

A fascinating but tragic story of a US bomber crew that almost made it home safely. The war in Europe was in its closing days and they were assigned to make one of the last bombing raids over Germany and were shot down, only two survived. The author is a wonderful and gifted writer who describes the story of his uncle, the radio opeator on the B24, his enlistment in the Air Corp, the training, the close bond that develops with the other crew members, the terror of flying through enemy flak and fighting off German Fighters. It is a heart rending story wonderfully written.

John Brennan

There are very few books written, and even fewer read, that will motivate or so move a reader to go to unusual lengths to want to know or try and understand who the protagonist of the story really was;who he must have been. This is just such a book, and this is no ordinary story. First, and foremost, it is a true personal account of one of thousands of American young men from a typical all American small town of the 1940's, who had everything going for him in his small southern town, with a bright future before him. Sports, a steady girl, maybe college. But the war in Europe and Pearl Harbor interrupted that future for Howard Goodner and the many like him. He stood on a train platform one morning and,like so many others, kissed his mother goodbye, assured her he'd be alright and went off to the army to become an aviator. But not everyone who trained could sit in that pilot or co-pilot's seat of the new B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. This amazing story is taken from the letters of SGT. Howard Goodner to his mother, and found, quite by accident, by Professor Thomas Childers locked in a desk, that Howard's mother, Childers' grandmother, had left for him upon her death. The letters, stuck in a drawer that must have been much too painful to open, describes in vivid detail the complete stateside training of a typical B-24 aircrew...the selection process,the daily routines, the nuances of the B-24, the incredible training accident rates and the midair accidents that Howard witnesses, that kill 10-20 men at a time, before even leaving the United States. The narrative is compelling and written so well that you feel that you are getting to know Howard Goodner as he operates the radio on board his plane and interacts with his crew. Goodner describes what a B-24 aircrew was like, personally, on the ground and in the air. The men in his crew...the quiet ones, the screwballs and the crewmember they even vote off the airplane. He describes the terror of the missions and the relief of seeing that home base runway. This is perhaps the best description of the training, deployment, combat and daily life in wartime England of an average WW2 American bomber aircrew ever written. The story is also a family one. Goodner's brother in law, also an airman, is within bike riding distance of his airfield in England and they often meet after either one returns from a mission over Germany or Holland. They write letters home telling of seeing each other and that all is okay, until the day that Howard's ship, The Black Cat, does not return from a mission. The entire crew but one is lost and the family's share an anguish for years afterward that Childer's describes in one of the few "Gold Star" families accounts you will read. Childer's writes movingly of the families of the crew as they desperately attempt to learn something from the War Department. Childer's narrative is such that you can feel the fear as though the fateful telegram is arriving at your own door. Victor Davis Hanson describes in his "Ripples of Battle" the ramifications of lives lost in wartime and the ripple effects, we almost never consider, on the surviving families. His theory is spot on in "Wings of Morning." It is a moving story of a nephew,Childers,who, decades later and against astronomical odds finds the lone survivor of the Black Cat and persuades him to return to England to a quiet deserted, unused airfield, where machines of war once roared and hundreds of men lived and worked. You will thrill as they find the cement pad where the Black Cat crew hut once stood and where Childer's uncle may have even had his bunk. You will become emotional when the surviving crewmember, now a senior citizen, while on the commercial flight into Germany to find the crash site of the Black Cat,tells Childers, "The last time I flew here was that day, with your uncle." The fatal flight was only two weeks before the war in Europe ended. This is a human history, a detailed incisive aviation history and a truly American family story. After reading this book I was so moved, unlike any book I have read of this period, that I drove to Cleveland, Tennessee with a colleague who also had read the book. We went to "Find" Howard Goodner. We saw all the surprisingly surviving places that Howard knew and that Prof. Childers describes in the book. The old hotel, the soda shop and even the old train platform where he said good-bye. Finally, we found Sgt. Howard Goodner. Or rather, he found us. Why we turned into that particular cemetery of the three that serviced the area we didn't know, and although we searched for his grave, after three hours searching in the hot sun we were ready to give up and drive the three hours home. We had ranged far from where we parked our car on the top of a hill and were heading back up to retrieve it, when just five feet from the car, we "accidentally" found the grave of SGT. Howard Goodner. Or, did we? We thanked him for his service and his sacrifice and we thanked Prof. Childers for writing such a vivid, moving and accurately engaging account of the short life of an average American hero.

Through the years, I've read a number of histories and memoirs on the Eighth Air Force in World War II. Many of those volumes, published over 6 decades, were more authoritative, complete, wide-ranging, and fact-filled than this volume.

Yet if I had to recommend a SINGLE book to give someone the flavor of all of those experiences represented by all those many books, this would be the one.

WINGS OF MORNING is an exceptional effort. The writing is wonderful; the information and tales presented colorful and telling. The author has a level of talent given only to a handful of non-fiction writers - the ability of a poet, to flash insights of feeling while describing facts. It's in the class of Bruce Catton and David McCullough.

In a plain and straight-forward manner, and without resorting to any plot gimmicks or other devices, this book wrings the reader through an emotional journey that doesn't start or stop around VE-Day. It is a *wise* book; informed by age and living.

I recommend it to everyone.

Culture Clash is one of the most helpful books I've ever read, but it is also an easy book to read. It is helpful if you manage any kind of team, even if you're not working in another country. But if you work outside of your native country, you should definitely read this book.

The 21st century has witnessed the shrinking of the world into one global village. Today, businesses and financial markets are irrevocably interlinked. The internet has spawned a remarkable revolution which enables people from around the world to communicate for free with one another through email and online messengers.

As national boundaries become less important, people from all over the world have to interact with each other. Cultural clashes can be inevitable unless people learn to understand how other cultures think and behave.

Thomas Zweifel's book is a must read for today's global managers, diplomats, students, world travellers - infact just about anyone who wants to be a part of the globalized free world.

I have just finished reading Thomas Zweifel's book on culture clash and high performance. Each and everyday curtural clashes take place in public schools,and this very good leadership book should be used by public school administrators to assist them in dealing with their diverse student bodies. I especially like the lab sections because they were built on thinking and questions and not a simple listing of the commonplace activities. Walk down any public school hallway and you will see a great deal of diversity and it was refreshing to see a book that contained ideas school administrators could use to help these students in their daily ives.

You cannot truly talk about multinational business issues much less work in a international professional space without understanding the cultures in question and the many pitfalls associated with "diving right in" with possible good intentions but little cultural knowledge. This small yet information heavy book is essential in understanding and navigating Culture Clash.

This book is a must read. For anyone in business looking to climb the corporate ladder this book offers very valuable insight. The author shares his broad and fascinating experiences working with different cultures. I couldn't put this book down. It was a real eye opener.

Before approaching the text of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, I had little realization as to the proper content of his prophetic work. To my former understanding, the text was merely a collection of adulation and reflections upon the American way of life by a French observer in the nineteenth century. Upon reading this abridged version of Democracy in America, I found a much more prophetic text which reflected more upon the cultural impact of democratic institutions than upon the praise which should be attributed thereto. While one may fault de Tocqueville for approaching the democratic world with the cutting eye of a small aristocracy, it is quite evident that he accepted the fact that the human spirit was led to greater democratic tendencies and that such was to be taken almost a priori as the state of the world in his era.

The truly important reflection of the work as a whole comes in the considerations which he places upon the consequences of equality which follows from democratic revolutions. The phenomena of hardy individualism and its potential devolvement into individualism were not lost in his reflections. From this hardy individualism, de Tocqueville feared that humanity in democratic times may tend more toward equality and stability than toward liberty. In this, he not only foresaw the simple tendencies of utilitarian artwork and literature but also the potential destruction of civil associations and the devaluation of individual accomplishment and differentiation. It is this latter point, which seems somewhat paradoxical at first glance, which is perhaps the most prophetic of his reflections. In the process of cultural homogenization and individuation, de Tocqueville foresees that centralization of power will become much more likely as the populace views itself to be nothing more than an accumulation of nearly-identical citizens. Beyond this, his fears of the tyranny which could result by the abandonment of liberties by the people are well founded, for a society which wholly forgets the fact that some human beings can stand out is one which can easily allow itself to be subjected to the capricious desires of a powerful state as liberty is wholly forgotten.

These prophetic words should be read by all reflective Americans as we continue to move toward a larger centralized state and clamor with greater intensity for security in all forms (be it physical or social), for such equalizing security can only come at the cost of the liberties which allow the individual to actually have the worth which we intellectually affirm that he or she has.

As an American living in Europe, I read with great interest Alexis de Tocqueville's book about a European experiencing America.

Like most people, Mr. de Tocqueville started out with a characterization of the United States, believing that the country's early 19th century prosperity was a function of its distance from rivals in Europe. But after his famous trip, he concludes that the real difference comes from each side's view of risk taking. It's an insight as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Mr. de Tocqueville predicted that the growing issue of state's rights would lead to bloodshed (it led to the Civil War -- though he wrongly predicted it would eventually lead to a breakup of the union, he was very nearly right on that point as well); he predicts the fledgling country's industrial rise and its emergence as a true world power; he recognized the symbiotic role between industry and democracy at a time when they were believed to be unrelated. His insights into the American psyche, optimism, and ambition at times seem timelier than most op-ed pieces.

More than a century and a half after it was written, I am hard pressed to conjure the name of a better commentary about America and Americans. It is an astonishing feat considering the brevity of Mr. de Tocqueville's four-month visit, his youth (he was in his early 20s), and early stage of development the country was in. But the result is something that shouldn't be skipped by any serious student of the political and social essence of the United States.

Praising this book is a bit like saying Huckleberry Finn was one of the great American novels - it's a profound statement of the obvious. Even so, it must be said: Alexis de Tocqueville's magnum opus is a brilliant sociological analysis of America, with his genius made all the more evident by how applicable his observations about 1830s America are to its twenty-first century counterpart. Everything from the solidity of America's political infrastructure to the disquieting trend toward anti-intellectualism are explored in this massive work, and his gift of analysis is matched only by his gift for prophecy (can you believe that he predicted a conflict between America and Russia before the rise of Communism?). An amazing book, and necessary reading for anyone who wishes to understand America, rather than merely talk about it.

I have three complaints about this edition of Tocqueville:
1) Nowhere in the book is the translator credited. This violates basic principles of publication and scholarship.
2) This is in fact an abridged version of the original English-language translation by Henry Reeve, dating from sometime before 1862. Unless you want to re-create the experience of a modern Frenchman confronted with de Tocqueville's somewhat archaic French by reading the text in somewhat archaic English, I would seek out any of the more recent translations: there are at least three.
3) The ellipses, that is, the abridgements, have sometimes been made to conceal some of the author's less flattering views America. In fact I suspect this is a "patriotic" abridgement. For example, in the second chapter of part one, Heffner has omitted references to some of the excesses of Puritan law in New England which the notoriously even-handed Tocqueville had cited.

As a former reviewer has stated this edition takes quite a bit of liberty in excising the less flattering aspects of Tocqueville's views of America. In fact the entire section on race-relations has been excised --perhaps it was deemed too controversial? This kind of editing is even more unacceptable in our age of open communications and hopefully open minds. Find another edition.

I haven't had time to read for fun since graduating from high school. Nor was I about to, until I was assigned to read LBM for a Lit class in college. I was only assigned to read a small section.

But damn if I couldn't put the book down once I reached that assigned point. Berger created an absorbing novel with many good points. The most obvious is the narrator, Jack Crabb. By the time I finished reading LBM, Crabb had got my sympathy whether he wanted it or not. His cynicism from being surrounded by people during the first thirty-four years of his life, yet never quite connected to them, seemed tangible at times. The ending is especially moving, when he literally becomes alone in the world.

I can't speak of the ending without mentioning another fine feature: the settings. Berger describes places in a vivid manner, which is all the more impressive when considering he likely did not visit all of those places before writing LBM. Some of my favorites include Crabb's sighting of the so-called millions of buffalo (probably an exaggeration but a nice image nonetheless) on the plains, the description of the Little Bighorn valley and, of course, the aforementioned final scene at the mountaintop.

Although my class read LBM because of its historical references to the American Indians, I must admit I was more drawn to the theme of alienation that Berger crafted.

The last thing of note is the epilogue. Says Ralph: "A pity that we will never get the account of his later years, which he led me to believe were no less remarkable than his first thirty-four" (439). Well, Berger did provide that account with The Return of Little Big Man (which I will find and read this summer). And, assuming he divided Crabb's life about even in both novels, that means some more years of Crabb's life remains untold. So hopefully a third novel featuring Jack will be made in the future.

(Just an aside if the author ever reads this: is that a typo on p.360? "I was thirty-six..." Yet on p.432 Crabb is "only thirty-four years of age." I'm aware that Crabb interjects future events to Ralph, like when he says he reads about Amelia's bigshot husband in the papers, but at the point where he says he's thirty-six, it seems like he's in the moment so to speak. Thus since his story is in sequential order, for the most part, the contradiction is obvious)

Many reviews have been written about this book, so you already know that it is a great read. I just wanted to add that this is one of those books that you keep and pick up again many years later and then loving share with your son or daughter on a boring rainy afternoon.

What a wonderful literary adventure is Little Big Man. This is a genuine American saga as told by a genuine historical novelist, Thomas Burger. While this is a work of fiction, Burger allows the reader the impression that it is a true story. The source of this story is one lovable, sagely old man, Jack Crabb. Crabb, interviewed by the author in his wheelchair in a nursing home, at age 111; delivers a recollection worthy of a raconteur of royal proportions. Each of Jack's adventures and misadventures, childhood through manhood, are told with uncanny wit and wisdom; in the unrefined nuances of a wise old geezer who has literally seen it all.

Jack's story begins at age 10 when heading west with his family in a wagon train. Jack's dad is fascinated with the Mormon faith's concept of multiple wives. So, it is for Salt Lake City they are headed. Furthermore, Dad believes, as do the Mormons, that American natives are a lost tribe of Israel and therefore speak Hebrew! When the wagon train is stopped by a band of Cheyenne, a failure to communicate of titanic proportions ensues, directly resulting in Jack and his sister being kidnapped by the Cheyenne. Thus begins Jack's life as a Cheyenne Indian, "Little Big Man". Six years later, during a losing battle with the 12th Calvary, Jack abandons the tribe, deciding it is better to be white than dead.

Jack specialized in the art and craft of coincidence. At age 17, he was taught the quick-draw by none other than Wild Bill Hickok. Later, he had the distinction of facing down Wyatt Earp, yelling, "Draw, you belch you". Jack called Wyatt "belch" because he said his name sounded like one.

At age 18, he joined the Calvary, serving under General Custer at the fateful battle of Little Big Horn. Owing to his acumen as an erstwhile redskin, Crabb was the only survivor.

Aside from the plethora of twists of fate and fancy, this heartwarming story is replete with trivial, yet fascinating facts of the lives of American Indians during the most tumultuous era of their history. These facts will paint the "redskins" for you, as for me, in a very sympathetic light.

The lives, loves and lore of Jack Crabb, Little Big Man; deserves a conspicuous place in every one's library of classic American literature.

I was pretty much hooked by the narrator's first words: "I'm a white man and never forget it" (followed by "but I was brought up by Cheyenne from the age of ten"). A few paragraphs later: "I never suspected it at the time, being just a young boy, but I realize now that my Pa was a lunatic," and I was a complete goner.

Little Big Man is an extremely humorous novel of the American west, wonderfully narrated in a breezy, informal style, peppered with humorous colloquialisms and directness, reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, by the 111 year old Jack Crabb, a (so he claims) surviver (and the sole survivor) of Custer's last stand.

But it's also touching and heartbreaking at times, and with tension as he rides with Custer to the Little Big Horn.

As Crabb recounts his life, moving between the white man's world and that of the Indians, stopping at many stations along the way in the kaleidescopic West, we are often given a detailed pictured of what various aspects of life were like back then. From what it's like eating dog in the tepee to Hickcock's advice on gunfighting, to the traveling snake oil salesman and his occupational risks.

In this way also it's much like the Last of the Mohicans, giving an inside view, hopefully a researched, accurate one, of the frontier to those of us safely and comfortably ensconced at home in greater civilization.

Definitely high in the echelon of American novels I've read.

I got this book as an Easter present from my parents when I was [...], back in the late 1970's, so the book was at least 15 years old then. I think I had not long before seen the film with Dustin Hoffman. I'd always had a fascination with American Indians as they were known then and at that time was just about beginning to read/ see more than what I had been exposed to through John Wayne style westerns - about the same time one of my uncles bought me 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'.

The book is - as usual- far more broader in its scope than the film, although the film is excellent too. It begins with an amateur researcher tracking down a survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The 111 year old survivor begins the story in 1852 when as a ten year old boy he (Jack Crabb)and his elder sister end up living with a small group of Cheyenne who have killed his father and the other men on their wagon train during a drunken mistake. The elder sister runs away the first night leaving the young Jack with in his own words "newly joined a pack of barbarians".

The book takes the reader through Jacks life up to the age of 34 in 1876 when indeed he survives the Battle of the Little Big Horn (Custers Last Stand) - saved by a complex relationship to a Cheyenne playmate from his youth. Throughout the intervening years between 1852 and 1876 Jack oscillates between living with the Cheyenne and frontier society. Often feeling fundamentally 'white' when among the Cheyenne, and feeling fundamentally 'Cheyenne' when among the whites.

The book is laced with great humour, great characterisations (Caroline Crabb, Old Lodge Skins, Little Horse, Younger Bear, Lavender, Reverend Pendrake, Sunshine, Allardyce. T. Meriweather and Botts for example) and moments of pure reflections upon the great and most mundane things all of us encounter within our lives. I especially liked the fact that the whole book is written in the vernacular of the American frontier. That and the historical accuracy of the book are testament to the research Thomas Berger put into the work.

Read it and hopefully you'll love it as much as I did.

I give the Merck Manual 5 stars in general but I wouldn't buy this edition because is was written in 1999. Everything in this book is obsolete. It's very important to buy up-to-date medical books for the proper information. If you're looking for a newer Merck, I would buy The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Second Edition: The World's Most Widely Used Medical Reference - Now In Everyday Language which was written in 2004 but is the most up-to-date Home Edition of Merck. However The Merck Manual 18th Edition was written in 2006 but is intended for doctors. I wouldn't recommend The Merck 18th Edition unless you have a good knowledge of medicine.

This is the most comprehensive guide to health related issues available on the market. There is a more authorative edition of the Merck Manual, but at 1700 pages this edition will keep you occupied. It covers the broad range of illnesses with handy diagnoses. But, what I like most is the children's section, which not only fills you on all the ailments that plague little ones, but the vast array of problems that can occur during pregnancy. While much of this information may provide more anxiety than assurance, it is worth knowing, especially if going through the experience of child birth for the first time. The children's section also has good information on health and nutrition. It quite literally covers the gamut of health related issues and no home should be without it. But, don't get carried away with self-diagnoses It can be frightening!

This is a wonderful summary of general medical information written in simple terms so this is a great addition to the family. It is very current in describing medical understanding of a variety of illnesses, and it provides a solid foundation upon which you can start doing more research on the Internet for the condition that you may be interested in finding about. It even suggests temporary remedies and puts you in charge of how you are treated by the medical profession. This is a must have book to keep around!

This book is cheaper [on] AMAZON than the one I bought at my warehouse club. I'd buy it for twice list price if I did not already have a copy.

The text is marvelously complete, yet devoid of fluff and fillers despite its 1500+ pages. The illustrations are very helpful, as is its exhaustive index.

If I have a medical problem in the house, this is what I grab first, even before logging onto the net. It's that good.

All that being said, it is not a complete medical library, you can get more detailed info by visiting a medical library, buying more specific books on the condition that interests you, and be spending hours researching a subject on the net.

If you want to understand something medical in a hurry, reach for this first.

This Merk Edition is perfect for patients with limited medical background. The explanations are more in laymen's terms but it would be good to have a medical dictionary to help when needed. Most term are explained in the book and it is full of diagrams to help with understanding. Merk recognizes the need for patients to become educated and have confidence that this is not a difficult thing to do. Some doctors have led patients to believe for too long that the knowledge was beyond their comprehension, so nothing that they do is ever questioned. I have met other doctors that explain in great detail and even draw on a bed sheet what they are going to do and why, giving the patient the respect that they deserve. I have a Degree in Early Childhood Education, and one crucial thing that was drilled into us that everybody can be taught anything if you start on the level of knowledge of the subject that you wish to teach. I believe this about children, and I certainly feel the same about every age level. Doctors are just people who went to school to learn. You never know what quality of the knowledge is that they learned or if they have kept up with an ever changing field with updates from research all of the time. If you are particular about who watches your pet, you should be even more concerned about your health care. Whatever depends on you to stay alive and for you to take care of, need for you to be healthy, and the health care of your loved ones should be a serious concern. It is easy to understand. Mrs. Symmington