Thomas Books

Relating to others is always easier w/the correct tools.
This book helps give you those tools & understand other personalities better. She adds a sense of humor to your learning, making it more delightful.

I first read this book at least 15 years ago at the recommendation of a friend who loaned it to me, and I found it revolutionary. It was out of print then, and I'm glad to see it's back.

By identifying four basic personality types, Littauer lays out a very common sense foundation for understanding those around you, why they behave as they do, and why they relate to us the way they do, for good or ill, and vice versa.

Far from pigeonholing people, Littauer offers the freedom to be who you truly are, and thus challenges you to offer that same grace to others, as well as to have reasonable and realistic expectations of them. She also shows you how to recognize when someone is wearing a "mask", i.e., being who they are "supposed" to be, via peer or family influence, rather than their true self, which pretty much never benefits anyone. And she identifies key strengths and weaknesses borne by each personality type: armed with this knowledge, you can work to build your strengths and minimize your weaknesses, and encourage others to do the same.

This book introduced me to the personalities. The exercises at the ends of the chapters helped me discover my personality type and pinpointed a mask that I had been wearing. It also gave me a new appreciation for my parents and grandparents and the influence they have been on my life. It has really expanded my understanding of others. I've found myself getting along better with people, even those "irregular" people in my life.

I can not say enough wonderful things about this book. Littauer's Personality Plus, the predecessor to this book was informative, but this one really dives into the personalities in depth as they relate to our tempermental make-up and family history. She also adds a deeper spiritual element to her work, which challenges the reader even further. I can't imagine a better tool for finding out why you are the way you are, who and what influenced your personality, and why we all should accept ourselves and each other the way God created us.

Excellent book, easy to read, concepts are very enlightening. The four personality groups make more sense to me than any other self-help books I've ever read. Recommended reading!

the book that we ordered 123 magic is exactly what we needed ,actually my grand daughter is in counseling and it was recommended by the therapist ..After checking it out I found a lot of great information that is applicable to situations that we see every day. Thank you so much for being there for our family...

This is a great book. Easy to read and understand. Seems easy to implement. The only hard part is getting other family members / caretakers to comply. :-) A friend of mine bought the DVD's so we are passing them around the Bible Study group so the families can all become familiar with the discipline strategy. So far my very outgoing son responds really great to the 1-2-3, now mom (me) just needs to stop being emotional!

I am not all the way through the book yet, but I'm already using some of their ideas for behavior in public. So far, so good. I think I have a pretty good test child! I have yet to see long term results at home since we haven't actually started, but I think they are on to something here.

Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (12/07)

There are certainly enough parenting books on the market today with a variety of topics to choose from. Still parents are looking for the magic that can help them discipline their children in a less painful and more effective manner. These authors, one a clinical psychologist and the other a certified counselor and associate pastor, offer practical tips for parents and other caregivers to manage the behavior of young children. The book introduces its concepts within the framework of the teachings of the Bible. The authors admit that "The Bible gives many great principles for raising children. The difficulty comes in application." Therefore, the need for the book.

We've all been in a check-out line and wondered why the parents didn't discipline the child in the next aisle screaming for a candy bar. Most of us have probably witnessed a child being disciplined inappropriately too. It is not an easy task to do it right, but so worthwhile.

The book is divided into three steps. First you learn how to control obnoxious behavior. Second you learn seven methods for encouraging appropriate and positive behavior. Finally you lean how to maintain healthy relationships. Despite the title, there is really no magic, but instead precise tools that are simple and effective in helping parents to resolve their children's discipline issues.

The organization of the book makes it easy-to-follow. I appreciate the Points to Remember at the end of each chapter as they summarize the main ideas. The Questions for Christian Practice give readers the opportunity to reflect on what they've read and even refer to specific chapters in the Bible. The authors make the introduced concepts seem so simple that you can start using them immediately.

The Little Adult Assumption was a new way of thinking for me. Of course children aren't adults, but we do sometimes try to deal with them as if they were. The book talks about the two biggest mistakes parents make: too much talking and too much emotion. This chapter will always have a bookmark in it so I can refer back to it frequently to help me with some of my top issues too. The authors prescribe positive self-talk, reciting appropriate Bible verses, praying and finally seeking counseling if needed to deal with these issues.

It is particularly useful that there are exact scenarios included with scripts of how events may play out based on how parents react. It also addresses other caregivers and how they can follow the same system as the parents. The authors even include a chapter on the Kickoff Conversation, or how to introduce the new program to your children. The book sticks to its Bible base with frequent quotes. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" sums up the program (Proverbs 22:6).

We can all use more training on childrearing. It is a never-ending job, but one of the most important ones we will ever do. "1-2-3 Magic for Christian Parents: Effective Discipline for Children 2 - 12" is a book worth picking up and actually reading before your child grows up.

This is an incredible book and a very useful tool, especially for first time parents like myself. My daughter is not quite 2 yet and we already using some of the methods with her and it is working great! I recommend this book to all parents or anyone who works with children.

The 50 States Fandex cards were in excellent condition and arrived quickly. I have a 4 year old who is learning so much from them.

We bought this as a gift for our soon-to-be first grader. We have been traveling a lot this summer and the fandex is a fun, easy way for our daughter to look at the states we have been through. Concise and easily manipulable for little people.

This was the perfect start-of-school present for my 5th grader. her teacher loved it too and everyone wanted to borrow it. The state reports were a snap.

My kids find the Fandex format easy to use, and the information on them accessible. We have several, and they're fun for all of us to use together.

I like the fact that each state has a map, as well as pertinent info: Admitted to the Union; if and when Seceded from the Union; if and when Readmitted to the Union; Nickname; Motto; Capital; Bird; and Flower. There are also several paragraphs of pertinent information about each state, with some history and a description of the character and things, which make it unique.

The only quibble I have about these decks is that sometimes when they're completely fanned out, the edges of the illustrations get caught up in each other, making it hard to close them properly. But other than that, they're cute, informative, and a nice format for kids.

As a curriculum developer, I am constantly on the lookout for educational products that will enhance textbook study. I must say that the Fandex Family Field Guide 50 States far exceeded my expectations! Having enjoyed history and geography in school, I was surprised by how much I learned while reviewing this guide. It is full of interesting facts and tidbits about each state while also presenting important information that students should know.

Each card has a topographical map of the state and lists when it was admitted into the union, nickname, capital, motto, bird, flower, and has a small picture of the flag. The topographical maps are detailed enough to be able to get a grasp on how far it is from San Francisco to Los Angeles, CA, for example, and important national parks and monuments are also included. A small outline map on the back of each card shows the state in relation to the continental U.S. Information on each state's industry is included in the text.

Overall, I was impressed by the amount of information presented in such an interesting format. Students who enjoy history and geography will find 50 States particularly interesting, but the unique format will engage even more reluctant students.

"Adam, Adam, What Do You See?" was written by the writing team of Bill Martin J. and Michael Sampson, who co-authored the popular children's book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" This book uses the same rhythmic verse as the original. The difference between the two books is
"Adam, Adam, What Do You See?" has a Biblical theme, the original does not.

The books starts out like this: "Adam, Adam, what do you see? I see creation all around me?" The text continues in this manner using different people from the Bible, like Noah, Moses, Ruth, Peter and Paul (among others). Each rhyme is referenced with corresponding text from the Bible. For instance, the first one cites Genesis 2:4-25.

The illustrations by Cathie Felstead are bright, colorful and kid-friendly. They cover full-page spreads throughout the book.

What I Like: Everything! I like the idea of a book about the Bible that is also a book for early readers. What a great way to encourage young readers to read about the Bible. I also like the Bible references given at the end of each verse.

Overall Rating: Excellent.

Age Appeal: None is given, so I'll just list it as being appropriate for early readers of any age.

Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review

I have always loved Brown Bear but this takes it to a whole new level adding the God touch just makes it wonderful to own, share at Sunday School, etc. Its catchy just like Brown Bear and you find yourself repeating it over and over.

I love this book- especially the hardback edition! My son reads it every night as his "night-night" book and he has it memorized! I also gave it to my best friend as a gift for her daughter and it is the book they read together every night. My son can tell you many answers to Bible questions because this book help to introduce some key characters, and gave us an opportunity to elaborate on the stories and also sing the songs that he knows about some of these characters! (I must admit- David is his favorite!) This hardback one is out of print- so if you ever find it- get it quick! It is a treasure!
****Sherry Everett******

"Adam, Adam, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin is a beginning reader book of Bible stories.

Each two-page spread starts with the title question, only the name is replace with another name. Adam's response is "I see creation all around me." Genesis 2:4-25 is listed as the reference to learn more about Adam.

Other major Bible characters are asked the same question, and they answer uniquely: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samson, Ruth, David, Esther, Mary, John, Peter, Paul, a little child, and of course, Jesus, all with corresponding Bible references.

I fully recommend "Adam, Adam, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin as a fun way to introduce your children to your faith.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

As a preschool teacher, of course I'm a huge fan, but this book warmed my soul. I'm so thankful to have this religious book to share with the kids. They will learn the words just like my weekday kids recite Brown Bear... this will make the flannelboard story for Sunday School I have been waiting for! Excellent story by a dedicated Christian! Every young child's class should have this book.

In light of 9-11, this book reasonates more than ever. In many ways, the authors predicted the events of that tragic day. Lax and almost nonexistent aviation security was way too often overlooked by our government officials. A great read for anybody in the aviation industry. Sure to be a benchmark!

How could we allow air rage to continue as it did before 9-11? Someone on the Independent Commission investigating 9-11 should read this book. That is the real outrage!!!

This is one scary book.

If you have any intention of flying anywhere in the next few years, you owe it to yourself to read this book first. It won't increase your comfort level at all, but it will leave you with a sense of being forewarned, just in case . . . I wouldn't recommend reading it just before bedtime, however, as it might prompt unhappy dreams.

As an American, I found the most astonishing discovery of this book to be that air rage is not an American monopoly. We may have invented this malaise, but we are by no means the only perpetrators. It's little comfort that none of the other countries seem to have a handle on the situation, either. The skies are not only becoming more crowded, they're also becoming downright unfriendly.

The authors have clearly done their homework, and the research is very evident. The facts are lavishly interspersed with anecdotes. Something must be done, and be done quickly to prevent future episodes of air rage and/or air terrorism. As well as illuminating the problems connected with this fairly recent development, the authors also outline several possible remedies, which, if enacted on a global basis, could do much to make the skies at least reasonably safe once again.

Just as the appearance of Sky Marshals and global penalties for hijacking helped to reduce that threat, a good case is made for such actions to reduce this new one. People everywhere have to realize that the day of the 'cheap' flight to anywhere may well be in the past; added costs to implement these safety measures should be shared by passengers and airlines alike. Their concerns are mutually shared regardless of the nationalities involved. Tough laws need to be implemented by every country and rigidly enforced with serious penalties for infringement: penalties that are not eligible for appeal or compromise. Perpetrators are not the victims here, after all; we, the passengers are. Until this fact is recognized and dealt with universally, we're all at risk whenever we decide to board an airplane.

Approximately one-third of the book is in the Appendix category, and should not be ignored by the reader. It's really too bad, however, that such rules and laws have to be in legalese rather than ordinary language. Unless one is an attorney, many of these pages may be at least partly incomprehensible, even to the frequent flier.

As a not-so-frequent flier, I'm not convinced that deregulation was such a good thing for the passengers of the airlines who were given a reprieve from standards that made flying an exciting adventure. The authors liken today's coach section to the 'cattle class' or steerage sections of the ocean liners of yesteryear. I'm not so sure I wouldn't rather be on the sea rather than in the air, if one of my fellow passengers went beserk.

This book should be required reading for everyone, everywhere--from corporate presidents to air crews to the person who flies--nervously--once every five years. I can't imagine, however, that the airline executives would happily embrace the book. But if they're honest with themselves and their employees and their customers, they'll admire it, regardless of how much they might also loathe it! It is unfortunate that a bit more attention wasn't paid to the editing and proof-reading of this book. But that's a minor quibble, compared to the valuable information imparted in its pages. It's a real eye-opener, believe me.

Air Rage: Crisis in the skies is a comprehensive, informative book written about a real and true danger confronting the Airline Industry on a daily basis. As a semi frequent flier, I found it amazing that Air Rage is a problem that often goes unreported and the culprits are not prosecuted. With the recent attacks on the World Trade Centers forever etched in our minds, it is obvious that the anxiety level of flying has dramatically increased. With this increase in anxiety, there is most certainly going to be an increase in Air Rage Incidents. This book is an absolue MUST for anyone who travels by air, works in the airline industry, or is working in the law enforcement/security industry that has within their jurisdiction, an airport. The authors provide you with solid statistics and documented incidents that will truly open your eyes to a real problem in air travel today.

These two men cover the spectrum! This is an unbelievably timely and well-positioned book, especially considering events of 9/11. This is high level expertise on a critically important subject. Read it. Your eyes will be opened.

This review refers to "The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook"(vol 1) by Kitty and Lucian Maynard....

St Chuck Poolside Jambalaya to North Carolina Applsauce Muffins, Aunt Ruth's Baked Eggs and Cheese to Dorothy's Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Guacamole to Lobster Pie to Salt Lake City Taffy, you'll find the biggest and best collection of regional homestyle cooking from all over this great food lovin country in this fabulous cookbook!

Whatever type of fare you have in mind you'll find something good in these pages. The Manyard's have done all the work. State to State(including Alaska and Hawaii) they have found us some great recipes from Country Inns and Bed and Breakfast's from all over the country. With more than 1700 homestyle recipes you really get your money's worth.

You can go state to state(without leaving home) and try something new and different, or find some of your old favorites that you've been longing for.
There are two indexes to check through. You can check by city, or by food. For a good look at what's inside, the book, click on the 'Look Inside" link to several pages to browse through.The recipes range from meals as simple as Biscuits and Eggs to the more exotic tastes like Veal Scallops with Gorgonzola Sauce. You'll find several different ways of making the most everyday things, like French Toast, depending on what State or Regional taste you're in the mood for that day!

There's an additional perk to this cookbook as well. If you want to get out of your own kitchen and do a little traveling, you will find a little description as well as the addresses and phone numbers for all the Inn's used here, on the pages with their own recipes.In some cases there are nice little sketches of the lodgings as well.

I use this cookbook more than any other in my kitchen. My copy is stained and sticky with the remnants of some terrific recipes(some of my favorite pages are in worse shape than others!). Everytime I look through it for a new idea I find one. I love it! You will too.

So have fun, eat hardy and try to get someone else to do the dishes.....enjoy...Laurie

This is a great cookbook. I own many, many cookbooks and can always count on finding a wonderful recipe in this book. I actually bought it as a gift because I already own volumes I and II. It is also fun to read about the various B&B's around the country. One minor issue--when you find a recipe you love, you need to remember the name or mark it because the recipes are listed by name and are sometimes difficult to find. For instance, I made some cheese blintzes and couldn't find them the next time I wanted to make them because they are listed under "Eva's Cheese Blintzes". I didn't occur to me to look under "E". I find this somewhat illogical. However, I highly recommend this book! Every recipe I have tried has been marvelous!

This is the BEST cookbook ever. I have soooo many cookbooks and it seems like this is the only one I ever actually use. Unique recipes, most easy to prepare. My guess is that one of the reasons bed and breakfast inns are so popular is the food... now make it at home too. Buy this book it's great!

I have a collection of over 200 cookbooks, if I had to get rid of them all but one this book would be the one I kept. Volume two would be my next choice.

I have had this cookbook for years it seems ..and give it as gifts.it is falling apartas I always revert back to it.. even though I have over 75 cook books...is'nt it time to do another one?????NANCY.

This book is wonderful. I know, I am a bit biased as I do have a small story in published in it, but really, it is wonderful!
To read how some of the famous people in the quilting industry got started, or what has touched them, helps bring to light what TRUE quilter's are all about! Giving, sharing, learning, and loving!

Denise of Pizzazz Studios's story is hilarious. Her comment about the stores with more than one location really made me smile.

Short happy stories about family and friends, this book is about families with the common thread of quilts.

I love this book and have given it to several friends. Every one has a different favorite. A great book to read and share.

This book reads like a devotional for quilters and other people who find that working with their hands is very spiritual. Each story adds something more to the wonderful patchwork world of quilting -- humor, sadness, joy, frustration, peace, creativity, surprise, fun, and so on. I truly have enjoyed reading each story and feel that I now have 67 new friends!

As one of the contributors to this book, I have anticipated the release of this book for some time now. As a quilter, I love to hear about other quilters and their experiences and what flames their passion for this art. To me, it is amazing how the same craft can touch such a variety of people in so many ways. I loved reading this book. It makes me appreciate even more how quilting goes beyond the physical quilt and into personal lives.

birth == death. Heidegger is wading into eastern philosophical waters here. The impossibility of Being through the possibility of death of Being or as Being.

Dasein is not being towards death if death is non-relational and unrepresentable, and about those two points we seem to agree. Rather, dasein is death, it is not related to death. How else can one understand the equivalence birth=death? If that is the case, then the problem of the as such is not a problem, because dasein is not related to death, it is related to the nothing, and the nothing as such, the nihil absolutum, which opens up another big can of worms.Derrida does so much dancing around that he avoids the real problem.

The question of Dasein, for Heidegger always, questioning is a "way"... Heidegger does pronounce Dasein as being-towards-death, but Derrida's tiff is not with Dasein's non-relational to death; in fact he recognizes as such (not 'as such')-- the negativity of Dasein, its dying- or being-towards-death is always already before and beyond that which can be represented. So Derrida is revealing a problem with Heidegger's speaking of Dasein at all in this context (he is not objecting to 'as such' on the basis that Dasein is towards an end, rather the possibility -which is then, right then, an impossibility- that Heidegger can ever say 'as such' about that which can never be represented.

Is "death" a limit? For Derrida "death" is that which `involves a certain step / not ... pace' (il y va d'un certain pas) (p. 6). It is not a telos or a terma, a limit beyond which there is none, but rather a `step', a peras, a passage one traverses by penetrating. At the same time, it is the moment of a `not', of an impossibility. What is more, it is certain that one reaches this step as impossibility, as non-path at a certain pace.

And in bringing forth Heidegger and the Aristotelian notion of aporia in the sense of being stuck in-between, Derrida is wondering whether "death" can be conceptualized in non-vulgar terms without being stuck in an impasse.

To achieve this, he remarks that aporia is the border as limit, as oros, and at the same time as tracing, as gramme. Hence an `aporetology' (p. 15) as has been his key concern in numerous instances, when, what is at stake, is not the crossing of the border, but rather, the double concept of the border from which aporia comes to be determined. Thus the word "death" whose concept is `unassignable or unassigning' (p. 22). And to expand on this, Derrida explores two issues.

First the idea of aporia as the impossible (in § 1: Finis) along with Heidegger's definition of "death" as `the possibility of the pure and simple impossibility for Dasein' (p. 23). In using the Heideggerian distinction between "properly dying" (tod - eigentlich sterben) and "perishing" (verenden), Derrida emphasizes that the problem of "death" concerns Dasein or the mortal, `not man (sic), the human subject, but it is that in terms of which the humanity of man must be rethought' (p. 35). A possible answer lies in "demise" (ableben) in the sense of walking away from life, thus placing an emphasis on the "arrivant" with no name or identity i.e. Dasein proper - death proper. Such delimitations institute a three-pronged inquiry for Derrida in one single braid: the problematic closure (conceptualisation of limit), anthropological border (discourse on limit), and conceptual demarcation (logical redefinition).

Second the idea of aporia as the crossing of borders (in §2: Awaiting (at) the Arrival). To this purpose, to wonder what there is after death makes methodological sense if the ontological essence of death has been elaborated and existential analysis of death has been carried out. More importantly such decisions occur here, over this side (i.e. not after death): they concern Dasein in its essence of `the being-possible' (p. 63). With an emphasis on the possible, Derrida remarks that `death is the most proper possibility of this possibility' (i.e. being-possibility of Dasein): with death Dasein awaits itself, standing before the impending anachronism (contretemps) of death.

To conclude I want to go to the beginning where Derrida dedicates this text to Koitchi Toyosaki, apparently for two reasons: Toyosaki's death and his father's (p. x). It seems to me that in citing `Toyosaki' and given that `names matter' (p. 21), Derrida is echoing what Toyosaki says. Namely, `citing is a manner of translating since it is obliged to leave its milieu of origin to find another where it takes more or less a new meaning et more importantly that it enters with the words that surround it in a relation of reciprocal translation' (Les fins de l'homme p.246). Citing then is about crossing a limit between that which is original and another, this side and the other. And if death for Derrida is this limit, it is an aporia - that which prompts anyone to wonder, to interrogate ... death as a figure of difference.

A book you must have read - but keep Heidegger close by!

Derrida has Heidegger wrong. Supposedly Heidegger understands death as the possibility of impossibility as such, and hence Dasein is the sein-zum-TOd, or the being towards the possibility of impossibility as such. Derrida denies the as such and asks, how can dasein be towards such an 'as such'? Heidegger says no such thing however. Dasein is not sein zum Ende, rather Dasein, correctly understood, is Ende zu sein. It is not toward an end, it is an end. Notice the even humorous inversion of Aristotle. Death is non-relational, it is unbezuglich. One cannot adopt a relation to death because death is impossibility, and Dasein is possibility: Dasein is the possibility of impossibility. Death is not ahead of Dasein, rather death can occur at any moment, hence death never "stands before" (bevorstehende), it is rather "unbezuglich," non-relational. Derrida fails to understand, once again, that he misunderstands Heidegger by trying to jump ahead of him.

Have tried to read Aquinas in the past, bur medieval scholasticism is not a light afternoon's reading, so, why not a book -about- Aquinas. This is clear and readable, and a good, understandable intro to Aquinas' complex thought. I will have better luck going on from here after reading this book.

What a wonderful, readable introduction to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. In only 200 short pages, Selman is able to discuss many of the main theological ideas of Aquinas including creation, angels, virtues, and the nature of God. Yet each sentence is packed with so much information and ideas worth contemplating. Selman is also careful to define many terms including the will, emotion, virtue, and the appetite which is always quite important when discussing theology and philosophy. All in all, I think many people will learn a LOT of solid theology from this book.

If you, like me, had very little to no Thomistic Philosophy in high school or college, and would love to know more, this book is for you. What a pleasure for me it has been to read Aquinas 101 in preparation for this review. The book brings forth a surprisingly readable and sometimes funny Saint Thomas!

To begin, I quote from the publisher's site, Ave Maria Press:

A brief, engaging, and readable summary of the influential thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the Catholic Church's greatest minds. In this clear, thoughtful and immensely readable book, Francis Selman offers summaries on some of the most complex topics in the writing of St. Thomas Aquinas. Selman deftly draws on the work of contemporary scholars while situating Aquinas in relation to the thinkers and schools of thought he was both confronting and drawing upon. The result provides an overview that places the thought of Aquinas both in his time and in our own.


The author succeeds indeed in both bringing the thought and philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas to students (or the interested reader) and in making it contemporary by referring to recent writings on St. Thomas.

The Prologue is a very nice biography of the saint's life, leaving the reader with admiration for him and interest for his thought. The language is light, down-to-earth, using quotidian anecdotes to shed clarity. Saint Thomas Aquinas comes through the book as a friendly, practical counselor. For instance, on page 114 we read:

For sorrow, St. Thomas Aquinas recommends four remedies: weeping, the company of friends, pleasure, and warm baths.


The paragraph that follows goes into the reasons St. Thomas believes these four remedies will help anyone in sorrow. So true, and so practical! Of course, the book also goes into more meaty philosophy, but it refrains from being too dense for the lay reader.

I also like the fact that Saint Thomas is referred to as Saint Thomas throughout the book.

In the homeschool, this book would make a very good choice for a High School introductory course on the philosophy of Saint Thomas.

Very few theologians can be as daunting as St. Thomas Aquinas. As one who has studied his work for years, I have often longed for a brief text that clearly expounded the thought of St. Thomas and in this volume I have found it. Written for the general audience and presuming no great knowledge of either theology or philosophy, this book is a real gem. It could even be used as a source book for a small group discussion or as an introduction to the larger works of this Saint, whose writings have guided Christian thought for over seven centuries.

St. Thomas Aquinas composed more than sixty works in less than fifty years of life. Few of us have the time or inclination to read even a portion of these but some, like this reader, nevertheless nurse a desire to be exposed to the Angelic Doctor's thought. Francis Selman's AQUINAS 101 presents a worthy, accessible introduction to key subjects.

As Selman notes in his Preface, "The books falls into three parts of nearly equal length: chapters one to five on God and creation, six to eight on human nature and action, and nine to twelve on the economy of salvation." Then a final chapter, "Charity and Friendship," melds the enduring themes of the book: "unity and love." I found the first third of the book most engrossing, the second part somewhat tedious, and the last section again piquing my intellectual curiosity.

Yet even in the fascinating discussion about God and creation, certain postulates are simply stated without support and can demand leaps of logic or circular logic. For example, on page 20 Selman notes, "By the light of reason, St. Thomas says, we can know that God exists as the cause of the world, because effects resemble their cause and bear a likeness to their cause." I've no doubt this is an accurate summation of Aquinas' theology, but it leaves the reader (at least it did me) concerned that important connective arguments must be left for the source materials. Later, the following conclusion appears: "Anyone who thinks that the world is due to necessity must also think it is eternal." Aquinas, who lived in the midst of the thirteenth century, believed this, but we twenty-first century readers could use further grounding as to why it should be a valid premise.

Those reservations aside, Selman does a commendable job of surveying some of Aquinas' most influential and vital writings. An introduction is just that, and AQUINAS 101 not only provides a far-reaching overview but also nudges the reader to dig a little deeper into selections of the saint's; this reader suggests the ever durable INTRODUCTION TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, edited by Anton C. Pegis.

On an aesthetic level, AQUINAS 101 is a quality paperbound volume. The cover painting of the saint gazing heavenward with a longing, searching expression is beautifully, spiritually alluring. The prologue (outlining Aquinas' life), glossary, notes, and index are all indispensable. And the type is clear and comfortable to view.

Readers with a budding or general interest in St. Thomas' philosophy and theology should find AQUINAS 101 a valuable resource.

The IHS Director continues to allow and tolerate inter-office romantic affairs especially those between married staff. I can name names of Headquarters and Area staff who have had affairs still ongoing or within the past 4 years that include: Area Directors, Executive Officers, and Division Directors (all males). My next review will contain the names and this time it is not fiction.

The mission of IHS to promote and ensure that the Native Americans/Alaska Natives receive the best possible health care available. The network of SOME Commission Corp and higher up management officials have at their disposal the IHS to abuse their positions and inflict harm on faithful IHS employees. Ii commend you Mr. Burns on your book. I as an Indian female IHS employee have felt the RATH of IHS and have filed EEO's MSPB,Whistleblow, Office of Special Counsel complaints and no protection is offered to complantants for reprisal. This insanity, misappropriation of funds, abuse of positions and harassment of any form needs to stop. Short of a congressional hearing no one, not even Donna Shalala, seem to care about the abuse within IHS. When all administrative channels are followed, and still nothing is done, What is next? If you want a best-seller write about the complantants who suffer and lose their livelihood and years of dedicated service to managers directors who abuse their positions. People are willing to give you their stories. The only Mission these directors/managers have at heart is their own, a mission of illegal tactics.

I am calling all American Indians especially women to come forward and contact Amazon Books to tell their stories of EEO violations and management's abuse of power. Without Amazon, Indian women would continue to suffer in silence. The book is real! How can the Indian Health Service mistreat Indian women. Shame on you Indian Health Service.

When I consider how the Public Health Service has treated Native women, I am so disgusted and outraged by the white male agenda of hatred that I could scream. To think that Native women were FORCED into sterilization! It is just so typical of the white male government. As a radical feminist woman of european descent, I am OUTRAGED by the way the Native population has been treated. Apparently our government thinks that their suffering is just some sort of big joke. Let's remember, then, that someday white males will need affirmative action!

This book needs much wider exposure. Finally the Native people and especially Native women have an advocate.

There are others, for example, the elderly Native population and young Native people who are also suffering, unfortunately, from IHS's inability to meet the health needs of the Native People.