Turner Books

The story is told in a personal way: in episodes. It both holds your interest and engages you to share in the thoughts and feelings of the professional military who served in Vietnam. The novel introduces historic struggles for power among the Vietnamese people as a backdrop of activity creating an unforgettable perspective of our forces' departure. Its rare to be entertained and also be presented with a perspective to help clarify your thinking of the war. This books shows how integrity was so strongly tested and yet prevailed in the conduct of many Vietnamese and American officers. A quick read-but with lasting images! The fact that the Naval Officer who is the main character displays such total disregard for his personal safety by infinging on a Marine Officer's relationship with a woman is unrealistic.He'd have been harmed!

Hi, well this is strange, i havent read the book as yet , I do know the author , I have a good reason for not reading the book at this time, I have known the author since high school days, I believe that if he wrote it, i must be good, I have spoken many times with him and if the book at all reflects the man who is the writer , then the book will be of great interest and integerity to any reader ,. They say dont judge a book by its cover , ? Well you CAN judge the man and then his writing will surelly reflect the Man , From what i know of Carl,, the book will be concise , the book will be direct , the book will expound truth and there will be valuable leasons to be learned , Thank you, and please read The Book .

The Advisor is not only a fast-paced action novel, it also contains a moving story. I was impressed by the altered views about Vietnam that I had after reading The Advisor. The author clearly knows his history of the country and its people. Overall, I felt that The Advisor was instructive while also an exciting adventure, with memorable characters and action scenes tied to the story--not just thrown in to keep the reader's attention. The book is filled with details that add depth to understanding those tumultuous times,and the clear compassion the author holds for the people who were forced to fight in them. This is fine novel. By all means, read it. You won't feel the same about Vietnam.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Dr. Nelson has certainly contributed a refreshing and enduring perspective to the Vietnam War experience. Starting from his offshore involvement of the Vietnam War to his hands-to-hands combat with the enemy guerrillas deep in the killer forest, Commander Blake Lawrence is a classic American warrior who despite his apathy for the war received and returned the call of duty for democracy with grace and dignity. This book is beautifully written with concrete details of the country, the people, and the thrilling events of Vietnam. After reading the first few pages of the book I found it's difficult to put down as each additional readings lead on to more intrigue and suspense. Even though Blake only served in the war of Vietnam for three years the intensity of characters and the events as told by Dr. Nelson strike a resounding chord in generations of veterans past, present, and future to the conflicting values of society, family, and self that a warrior must endure to survive. I truly recommend this book to all those who want to find out more about the complex struggles for a nation and the sacrifices and ordeals that must be paid for its unending resolution.

Pete Turner has often been called a photographer's photographer--but that doesn't mean his work lacks wide appeal. His latest book, Pete Turner African Journey, a 206-page collection of images from seven trips he made to Africa, amply demonstrates his ability to please everyone's eye. Here, with his friendly introduction serving as a guide, he takes you on a tour of his pictures and tells you some of the many stories behind them.

Few photographers have displayed as graphic an approach to the art as Turner or such a strong color sense. His shots of the people, the land and the animals glow with the intensity of stained glass. Graphis, the publisher, is to be congratulated for bringing Turner's brilliance to us--and Turner for giving us this chance to bask with him the warmth of the African sun.

Anyone familiar with Pete Turner's work over the past years, knows that he is a master magician of color. His new book, Pete Turner African Journey, a collection of color photographs taken over his many years of return travel throughout Africa is magnificent to behold for both its color and content. Pete has a creative passion for color. His connection to color reminds me of a statement by the artist Paul Klee, "Colour possesses me...color and I are one." So it is with Pete who creates his colorful art using a camera and a searching eye. The way he photographs the people, places and culture of Africa is best said in one of the quotes I have by Gordon Parks. " Recording images of serenity and beauty was a matter of devout observance." I can think of no better way to describe the beauty, sensitivity and reverence of Pete Turner's photographs. His photographs are artfully displayed in a beautifully designed book by the prominent designer and friend, Massimo Vignelli. An introduction by another prominent friend, Gordon Parks, pays tribute to Turner for "...an unforgettable gift that urges me to breathe my own roots." African Journey, is a hero's journey, and an invitation to witness the rich and radiant colors and culture of Africa, the second largest continent on our mother earth.

Showcasing 148 full-color photographs, and with an informative introduction by photography, fillmmaker, composer and author Gordon Parks, Pete Turner African Journey captures the exotic glamor of a seven-month journey from Capetown, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt while Pete Turner was on assignment for National Geographic. This is a stunningly visual journal of people, landscapes, wildlife, and visual beauty where the images captured by Turner's camera could easily stand as individual works of high art and hang on any gallery wall. Pete Turner African Journey is a superbly produced and highly recommended addition to any personal, academic, professional, or community library photography collection.

This book is a wonderful trip that takes us though the landscapes of Africa, visiting the people and the incredible wildlife, seen through the lens of one of the world's greatest photographers. Turner is a master of color and light, and he fell in love early in his career with the richness of the African continent. To spend time with this book is to be his travelling-companion, visiting ancient temples, witnessing animals in their world, crossing the Sahara and spending time in villages, getting to know the proud people who live there. One beautiful image is of a dog sleeping in an Ndebele village, its white paw matching the painted architecture. In images like this, Turner shows us again and again scenes that only his eye and lens could capture.

Great read for older folks who followed Glenn Turner from the beginning and curious about just what happened. Expect to have your patriotism tweaked as the government is the villain. It has a bit of a depressing moral--"Do wonderful things for thousands of people, but if you don't grease the right palms, your reward is 4 1/2 years in the pokey--even with F. Lee Bailey at your side."

No motivation speaker has been able to do what Glenn Turner has done. He was born in true proverty and also with a handicap but was able to rise above all of that with the power of positive thinking. I know of no other motivation speaker that has started where Glenn Turner started and actually used what he teaches to get out of life all that it has to give. You will find no other motivational teacher that that has the compassion and love for his fellow man that Glenn Turner has. He truly belives that the more you give to people the more that you will get in return. Glenn W. Turner is without a doubt the best at what he does.

The story of Glenn W. Turner will be a true inspiration to all who read it. When you read this book you will be asking yourself; "If this guy can do all this, what is holding me back?"

His rise to fame and success is inspiring. His fall shows that we are all human. His super attitude after spending 4 1/2 years in federal prison and saying he came out "better, not bitter" is a philisophy we all can emulate.

I really would like to see more books by Turner relating to his actual system and personal development strategies, sort of like the top people in the personal development industry write. People like Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Stephen Covey, Tom Hopkins, John Maxwell, Dr. Denis Waitley, Dr. Wayne Dyer and others.

It would be interesting to see if Turner could produce a book similiar to Ziglar's "See You At The Top" or Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing The Sale."

In any event, I enjoyed this book. But in the end it left me thirsty for more. C'mon Turner, tell us more!

Great Book! Glen Turner is one of the great ones! A Positive Attitude takes you a long way.

I would like to know whether this book has already been translated and publlished in Japan. If it's coming in near future, when and which publisher.Thank you. (I have sent 2 other. I skipped my name then)

I would like to know whether this book has already been translated and publlished in Japan. If it's coming in near future, when and which publisher.Thank you. (I have sent 2 other. I skipped my name then)

I would like to know whether this book has already been translated and publlished in Japan. If it's coming in near future, when and which publisher.Thank you. (I have sent 2 other. I skipped my name then)

I don't usually buy this type of book, but I saw it on a bargain book table a few years ago and picked it up. King Kong is the greatest monster movie of all time, and this illustrated account of the story looked interesting. In 92 pages, the familiar story of Kong's tragedy is told rather well, and the illustrations are quite good. Browne especially did a great job capturing the emotion and sadness of Kong at the end, lending him a much greater sense of humanity than can be found in the true monster of the story, filmmaker Carl Denham. One thing that could not help but strike me was the way in which Browne depicted Ann Darrow-there are definite similarities to Marilyn Monroe, and one early illustration is a perfect likeness of the blonde bombshell. I also noticed that one illustration of Kong on his abode atop Skull Mountain depicted what looks exactly like a bi-plane in the corner beside a basic V-shaped bird; I don't know if this is a mistake (the corner does closely match that of a later illustration of Kong atop the Empire State Building) but it did jump out at me.

Basically, this is a children's book, although I rather enjoyed it myself. This may not be a wise choice for bedtime reading for a small child (Kong's battles with several prehistoric beasts are vividly illustrated along with the horrors of Kong's escape in New York), but older children should enjoy it. The pictures pretty much tell the story themselves, so a child can enjoy the book even without reading the accompanying text. I think both the story and the illustrations convey an important message about the dangers of greed, one which parents can reinforce in their children by discussing Anthony Browne's King Kong with them.

This book raises the issue yet again of a possible conspiracy regarding the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy. The authors, to their credit treat the late Senator with respect; they do a good job of providing information about the Senator's professional and political career. In reading this particular work one comes away with a sense of the man who was killed in 1968; Robert Kennedy was considered by many to be Everyman's Advocate. He certainly was a man of strong convictions who appeared to be quite committed to his visions of a "more gentle" world; he was a man with whom many, particularly the disenfranchised could identify with.

The issue this work is concentrated on is the identity and motives of the assassin or assassins. The authors present a very strong and convincing argument of why they feel Sirhan did not act alone nor did he fire the fatal shot; the mysterious "girl in the polka dot dress" allegedly seen with Sirhan, and later allegedly seen fleeing the hotel minutes after the assassination, shouting "We shot him!" Did such a girl exist? If so, who was she and what was her involvement? As for Sirhan, there appears to be little doubt that he was involved to a certain extent in the death of Robert Kennedy; just how great that extent was and who else was involved remain open questions.

The biggest open question of all never knowing what Robert Kennedy would have accomplished had he not died. His untimely death in 1968 has left a painful void in history.

With all the "JFK Killed by Elvis" books on the market, one might overlook this wonderful book by Christiann and Turner. Like "All The President's Men", the book tells the story of a politician and journalist who dared to search for the truth in a maze of cover-ups and bold-faced lies. The authors provide convincing, simple evidence that RFK could not have been shot by only one man, let alone the feeble Sirhan Sirhan. Anyone interested in the RFK assassination, or in the political turmoil of the late '60's, doesn't know the whole story until they've read this fine book.

I, like many people who grew up as a child of the sixties, knew of the controversy of JFK's assasination. But I knew very little in regards to the assasination of RFK. All I knew was that Sirhan Sirhan was the person's name who killed him. At least that's what I thought before I read this excellant account of events by the authors. If you enjoy American history, the sixties or the Kennedy's, this is a must read. If you're like me, you won't believe what you read. A true patriot, RFK, was murdered and history continues to paint an incorrect picture of one assailant. Sound familiar? You won't be able to put the book down. Oliver Stone, you must make this you're next project, please!

Turner and Christian present a well documented, convincing story of why the RFK assassination needed independent review in 1970s or 80s. This book places a lot of questions at the feet of the LAPD, and perhaps also with the CIA. But the major question is why there was not more public outcry for a review of the investigation back in 1968 and the following ten years.

One wonders, now in 2003, what relevance is left to this book. After reading it, any reader should better understand how too blind a faith in our government and its agencies might lead to a loss of control over these agencies, with disasterous results. Will we allow history to repeat itself? At a time when significant diminishing of our individual freedoms is occurring, the histories of RFK and JFK might make us rethink how far we might want to go to battle terrorism. Even if you don't really buy-in to any of the conspiracy theories, the clumsiness of the investigations should provide plenty of reasons to want _more_ oversight of these agencies, not less.

This book keeps you on edge from start to finish. It's a masterful story that even manages to hook readers into empathizing with the murderer. Joel's character is a great mystery we spend the whole book trying to figure out - and through a series of interesting twists we are led to an excellent ending, where we may get a chance to finally discover what's REALLY going on.

It's a short read, too. You'll get through it in a handful of sessions. Of course, once you get to the climax, you'll want to read it through again - plan accordingly!

One note: Hollon takes a bit of a risk here. Since most of the book is a conversation between two people, the author uses two slightly different fonts to differentiate between who is talking. While it frees the text from a constant stream of "N said" phrases, this can be distracting at first. Readers should quickly adapt to it, though.

This short title (almost a novella really) is a series of prison interview sessions conducted between Joel Stabler, 29, and world-weary Dr. Ellis Andrews. Joel is accused of having killed his younger brother Danny. Joel's defense lawyer has called in psychologist Dr. Andrews to evaluate and report on Joel's dubious mental state. The Q & A sessions between Joel and Dr. Andrews are far-ranging, low-keyed, and multi-layered. Joel comes across articulate, well-read (he quotes lines from Walker Percy's THE LAST GENTLEMAN), and intelligent. Dr. Andrews feels increasing sympathy for Joel's plight, though the reader may suspend any pity. We meet Joel's mother and a younger sister Lisa is mentioned. One fascination with this edgy, somewhat bleak crime novel is its probe of mental illness, crime, and indvidual culpability. I read this one in a couple of hours, squeezed into the middle of a Sunday's hectic schedule. Recommended.

Quietly, Frank Turner Hollon has been building a body of quality work in the suspense genre, stretching and modifying the form of the novel not merely for experimental purposes but as a vehicle to further enhance the telling of the story. Hollon continues this practice in BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE, arguably his darkest and most disturbing tale to date.

Almost the entirety of BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE consists of a dialogue between Joel Stabler and Dr. Ellis Andrews. The context of their relationship is unfortunate and horrific. Stabler is incarcerated following the murder of his brother Danny in what appears to be a mercy killing occasioned by Danny's severe mental illness. Seeking a friendly, professional opinion, Stabler's attorneys retain Andrews for the purpose of performing a psychological evaluation to determine if Stabler is competent to stand trial.

Stabler presents as a near-genius, one who is observant, canny and well-read; he's also, if he is to be believed, the product of a household where he and his family were subjected to unthinkable physical and mental abuse. The transcript of the clinical interview between Stabler and Andrews reveals not only the depth and breadth of Stabler's intellect --- his IQ is off the charts and he quotes Walker Percy and Ralph Waldo Emerson at will --- but also a disturbed (and disturbing) view of the world.

Meanwhile, Andrews finds himself slowly losing control of the interview. Though the reader's perspective of Andrews is acquired almost entirely through this transcript and Stabler's own wry mental observations of him, the picture that is presented is of a man who has issues of his own. Andrews's point of view is not revealed until the novel's conclusion --- and even then, when Andrews learns the (possible) truth about his subject, more questions are raised than are ultimately answered.

What is fascinating about BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE is that, in order to fully appreciate what has occurred between the covers of this disturbing tale, the reader should immediately re-read the entire novel in light of the revelations set forth in the conclusion. This is not an onerous task by any means, given the length of the book (178 pages). The brevity, however, belies the complexity and richness of the narrative, the depth of the enigma and the mystery it presents.

BLOOD AND CIRCUMSTANCE raises questions about divinity, morality, sanity and reality. There are no easy answers, but they will keep you awake long after you finish this memorable, disturbing work. If you're looking for a selection for your book club, make it this one. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Hollon writes his novel on parallel tracks, seducing the reader with a tale that is heartbreaking, a young man raised in abuse who kills his younger brother to save him from the cycling ravages of mental illness. Joel Stabler is clear about his motives, uncharacteristically honest with the appointed forensic psychologist, Dr. Ellis Andrews. Through the course of the interview process, Joel explores the family that has formed him, a crazy abusive father, the brother, Danny, deteriorating rapidly, the youngest sister, Lisa, an innocent vessel of the family's hope. As Joel unravels the violence of his tragic childhood, he appeals to Dr. Ellis for some recognition of his long struggle, the sense of purpose he feels before the act of fratricide.

Joel has a clear-eyed manner of addressing the hypocrisy of the human condition, never flinching from direct conflict or hiding behind facile answers: "You have to find the courage to explore the darkness in your heart." Speaking succinctly, Joel peels away the layers of his persona, from frightened child terrorized by an out-of-control parent to a man who accepts the responsibility for putting an end to his brother's suffering.
For his part, Ellis listens carefully, remaining objective in the face of a dialog that questions the most basic belief systems, the existence or non-existence of God, man's personal responsibility in the greater scheme of things and nature vs. nurture. Joel becomes an ever more sympathetic character, a product of an environment that has shaped his future, Ellis his only link to understanding.

Cutting into the heart of the novel, the author delivers a staggering revelation, altering perceptions in a brilliantly crafted psychological thriller. The lines between truth and fiction are so smoothly blended, it is impossible to distinguish one from another. An incisive mind tunneling deeply into the dynamics of his skillfully constructed characters, this author proves once more to be a writer of substance, a thrilling manipulator of the human psyche. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Blue Moon Rising

Blue Moon Rising is a "must read" for women's studies classes and for anyone interested in how women rise above sexism, poverty, racial prejudice, and poor educational backgrounds to build satisfying lives for themselves and for their children. This compilation of seventeen narratives is subtitled "Kentucky Women in Transition." Jennie Brown, who teaches writing at the Western Kentucky University's Community College gathered theses stories by traveling around Kentucky and listening to women who had "overcome tragedy, misfortune, or seemingly insurmountable odds.... to make a positive transition in their lives." Most of the women have struggled to rise above difficult or impossible backgrounds and have managed to either begin or finish a college education. Any professional interested in helping women leave the welfare rolls or interested in preventing women from ending up on welfare roll will find insights into the factors that made it possible for these women to turn their lives around. Often this difference came in the form of a mentor, a loving grandmother or neighbor, or a caring teacher or fellow worker. If we need any reminders of the sexism, the abuse, or the disdain that many working-class women face, Blue Moon Rising provides exactly that. If we have any questions about the ability of women to rise above impossible circumstances, Blue Moon Rising will answer those questions. If we have doubts that many ordinary women live extraordinary lives, Blue Moon Rising will erase those doubts forever.

--- Angela Tehaan Leone, writer and teacher

After reading Blue Moon Rising: Kentucky Women in Transition, I understood two things that I thought I knew already. All my schooling and life experience have not taught me what this collection of women's stories has-in a way that goes beyond words on a page or statistics in a column. First, that sexual trauma is pervasive and soul-killing, yet healing is possible and a victim is not doomed to perpetuate her abuse on others. Second, that the greatest courage and heroism may not be found on the battlefields of war or the sites of natural catastrophes, but in the homes of everyday people, in the struggles of girls and boys, adolescents, and young mothers.
Jennie Brown used her sabbatical from Bowling Green Community College to travel around Kentucky listening to women's life stories and collecting them in this beautiful, eloquent book. Inspired by her students' writing yet troubled by the absence of published stories about "ordinary women who have achieved-and overcome-obstacles and plain `hard times,'" Brown was determined to "bear witness to their courage, their determination, and the faith that sustained them."
Aside from the introduction, Brown refrains from changing the women's words. This editorial strategy puts the power of telling in their hands, respecting their telling and lending it credence. In language that varies from person to person, so that the collection speaks in many voices, the women trace their journeys, often taking us to low points too grim to contemplate for long, then naming the turning points that allowed them to emerge and to seek emotional and physical health-for themselves and their children or parents. Although sexual trauma is the common experience of many of these women, other forms of discrimination and suffering took their toll, from physical wounding to racism to hunger, despair, and illness.
Brown's second most significant editorial decision was to weave poems by Trish Lindsey Jaggers and one by Patti Lynn Henry between each woman's account. These poems, beautiful in themselves, provide a moving commentary on the inner life of seekers after truth. They were not written expressly for the collection, so it's uncanny at times how the poems reach out to the different narrators. In "Cracks," for instance, Jaggers seems to speak to the others about what they, too, have found: "Water / finds the smallest / crack through which / to seep / in the most dense / of dams." Another poem, "The Trip," speaks to the urge to share and in that sharing to move beyond numbness: "I / want you to know / what it has taken / for me to get / this far-- / much lost / to time, / lonely days / spent sitting / in a hard chair / trying to recall / why / I am / so numb."
One of the contributors describes the path that led her from a relentlessly violent home to her closing resolution: "For my future, I want to help any kid that I can. That's my goal, to make a difference in kids' lives, to change them when they're at the point I was." Ordered by an older brother to take turns beating each other with a plastic bat, her siblings turned on each other. After being beaten and bruised herself she was forced to turn on her younger brother: "I just remember the pain in his face. I thought, I know what you're going through, but I can't stop it. I can't help it. This is what we have to do." How does one undo such messages of hate? For this young woman, a loving couple at Potter Children's Home made the difference: "They had one child of their own, and adopted three others. So when we saw they loved children who didn't belong to them, we could believe they loved us, too."
Her story is followed by "My Turn" a poem that tells us: "Wipe my tears from your eyes; sympathy is not what I want. / . . . / It's my turn / to judge / what size shoes fit my feet, / or whether I'm tough enough to run / barefoot through snow." The message of this difficult, rewarding book affirms that the most painful life experiences need not destroy the self or deny the person a place in the world.

Jane Olmsted, Director of Women's Studies Program
Western Kentucky University

Reading Blue Moon Rising: Kentucky Women in Transition reminded me of a phrase found in a 1998 document, "The President's Commission on Women in American History," which read: heroism should be understood "as extraordinary responses to extraordinary circumstances by ordinary people." Editor Jennie L. Brown (Bowling Green Community College) has collected stories from 17 Kentucky women who, by that definition, are heroes. She lets them tell their stories without editorial interference and thus bears "witness to their courage, their determination, and the faith that sustained them." These women's lives, their stories, detail a tangle of woes and troubles (there is never just one problem!), ranging from sexual trauma to racism to hunger to illness to despair, and tell the reader far more than any sociological study or statistical analysis.

Jennie Brown made two significant editorial decisions. First, she neither edited nor changed in any way the wording of these stories which came to her either in written form or on audio tape. That clearly empowered those telling the stories. Second, Brown chose to insert poems by Trish Lindsey Jaggers (and one by Patti Lynn Henry) between the individual accounts.

While the poems were not written specifically for this volume, they beautifully connect with the prose. Jaggers, a brilliant young poet, wrote "In My Attic," printed on page 132:

In my attic/there is a book/of poems/I have been meaning to write/if only I could find the nerve./There is a page/from a chapter/I have been meaning to/finish/if only I could find the strength./There is a story/I have been meaning to/tell/if only I could find the will./There is a person/I have been meaning to be/behind my attic door/if only I could find the/key.

Jaggers' beautiful words remind us that there are innumerable stories yet to be heard and that we should be thankful that the 17 women in this volume found the courage leave the attic and "find the key." This eloquent book is an affirmation of life, an affirmation of the power to overcome pain and oppression, an affirmation of lifetelling, an affirmation of hope. It is, in other words, redemptive.

charles j. bussey
history professor
western ky. university
bowling green, ky 42101

Having the privilege of editing Jennie's book is one of the best experiences of my life. Working with her was a pleasure and I am thankful that our paths crossed in this way.

The stories in Blue Moon Rising are incredible. These are amazing women who have overcome so much. But they are women just like you and me. It takes courage to share your story. It is my hope that all of these women will continue in the direction of their dreams and find serenity in God. I also hope that abused women who read this book will find strength to make the changes in their lives to take care of themselves and their children and that women who have been through similar trials will realize that they are not alone. --Dayna Spear (Williams), editor

I loved this book. It is very straightforward and gives you new ways of thinking about your life.

I love this book. I bought the paperback in an airport when I was living in the U.K. I was scheduled to start law school at Columbia the following fall. Because of the information in this book, I withdrew from the entering class, found a job in a completely different field and today I am happier with my life than I ever could have imagined. I reread this book from time to time, just to refresh my memory. I think it is great advice written in an intelligent way. It gave me a new perspective on life, one that I wish I had when I was in high school.

In Born To Succeed: How to Release Your Unlimited Potential, Colin Turner says that we all have "self-imposed limitations that have created a barrier to making a success of our lives." Turner, a Scotsman, has more than twenty years experience in the fields of human potential and spiritual growth. He is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, author, and advisor to businesses and individuals. He says that true success is measured by creative accomplishment, rather than material possessions.

Turner says the key to success is believing in yourself. He explains how to determine what is is that you really want from life, and why you don't yet have it. He offers practical advice on goal setting and achieving goals. Setting and achieving goals includes investigating why that particular goal is desirable, what obstacles may keep you from achieving it, and the steps you will take to overcome those obstacles. He then shows you how to commit to your goal and reward yourself for each step taken.

His success blueprint shows you "how to activate your thought processes--mental muscles--and to draw on your own form of genius." He adds that we each "have the ability of perform at exceptional levels in at least one area of your life if you can find it." He teaches you how to find and develop that area. Part of his training is a "30-day mental diet" that emphasizes thinking about your life's purpose and how to best accomplish it.

Turner also discusses the importance of spending quiet time with yourself and learning to listen to your intuition.

"How tall does a tree grow?" Turner asks, then answers: "As tall as it can." He advises us to imitate trees, and grow as much as we can. We all have unlimited potential for growth, and it is only our own way of thinking that keeps us pruned into shrubs instead of tall trees. Born to Succeed will help all readers achieve success in life, regardless of how they define that success.

This book helped me to help myself. I was always into positive, self help books, but when this one came along it grabbed my attention from the moment I first picked it up.

I read it from cover to cover without picking and choosing "whichever chapter I fancied" as with other books of this kind I have read before. I learned to "listen" to my hunches and got motivated to start my own business totally from scratch. Four years on.. I have now started to franchise my business and taught Colin's principals to my team of staff and franchisees. I keep this book on my desk for constant reference and whenever I need a "lift" a couple of chapters work on my attitude every time.

An absolute must for your personal life, or particularly if you are considering starting a business or new venture!

This book is about poems about different difficult problems the author went through she uses these poems to express and heal her pain. I would
recommend this book to every woman.

Carmen Turner's book is both touching and inspiring. It touches on very difficult and often heart wrenching subjects, such as love, loss, family, and abuse, but does so in a way that inspires even the most cynical or damaged among us. The author does a wonderful job conveying her hopes and dreams, and helping the reader to see how s/he can follow their own destinies. THis book brings strength and hope, and is recommended for anyone looking to enrich, or change, their lives.

The smile on her face, like the one on mine, and - I suspect - the one that will be on yours should you wisely choose this deeply thoughtful little gem that I picked up and opened to a random page - and to words that contained the exact wisdom I needed and that I feel certain others, both friends and family, will find just right when they get the books I'm buying to give them. Thinking of their smiles just brought mine back and I just want to thank Carmen for creating and giving me this book that just brought to my mind the "acres of diamonds" story about the man who looked everywhere but in his own property for riches ... only to learn, as I was reminded this morning by Carmen's words, that you have them already. This book will remind you of that and bring the smile that I can say was the best thing about my previous professional association with Carmen - seeing that smile every day ..... something I miss very much and can say that I know personally was, like this book, both very real and very valuable ... like a sparkling gem that constantly reminds you of the very real love someone has for you! Get it for yourself and anyone you love....especially those who need a reminder of the invaluable unconditional love - usually maternal.....which is the beauty this book brings. Mother Nature is both the first two words in each chapter and something that surrounds us ALL eternally! Thanks again for the smiles Carmen....

Mrs. Turner book really touch my heart. I really enjoy reading this book and it gave me a better outlook on my life.

Ms. Turner is a good poet who deals with some of the best and the worst of life.

Her poetry and strength leave a lasting impression.
Even if you aren't dealing with as difficult of issues as many she describes there is great strength and wisdom to be gained in her words.

There is also a profound joy in her work that touches even the most hardened among us.

This book, as does most of her stuff, will turn your world view upside down. Do you feel secure in what you believe? How do you know? Like taking LSD in book form. Read 'Borderline', 'The Last Magician', 'Tiger in the Tiger Pit', for a similar experience. Janette - e-mail me

As is usually the case with Hospital, you start out slow and even a bit bored - but continue on and soon you find yourself saying "wow" at both the plot and the prose. "Spellbinding" is frequently used for alot of fiction in general, - for Hospital it fits. This is one you will sit down and read again as if taking a trip to a private magical place

There seems to be no end to the great stories that Mr. Hospital spins. In this, her fifth book, a young woman named Charade Ryan from the Australian rainforest travels to Canada, then to Boston in search of her English father Nicholas Truman. Her earthy mother, Bea Ryan, mother of ten children by as many men, at first offers little help in this young woman's quest as she advises her daughter to "let sleeping dogs lie." But as we have come to expect by now, in Ms. Hospital's stories things are seldom as they seem.

This writer's trademarks are all here: (1) the many references to other literary works and quotations from other writers: Captain Cook, Robert Oppenheimer, Primo Levi, Jorge Luis Borges, Claudine Vegh's I DIDN'T SAY GOODBYE: INTERVIEWS WITH CHILDREN OF THE HOLOCAUST and finally THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT-- it becomes apparent that Charade is a modern day Scheherazade as she tells parts of her story night after night to the older MIT physics professor Koenig in an effort to make their affair last. (2) As always, Ms. Hospital writes about serious subjects: memory-- that the process of recollection is imperfect at best-- the Holocaust, a child's continuing effort to know her parents. (3) Of course, this author teases us with her prose-- "What quantumleaped me?"-- and (4) makes profound statements about relationships: ". . . a marriage has begun to end long before one partner moves out." "On the other hand. . . a marriage certainly does not end with the final decree of the divorce." And finally: "It is impossible to live with someone who is deeply and dangerously unhappy. And it is even harder to leave. . ."

This novel is at once cerebral but also deeply emotional. You won't be able to put it down.

If you want a trip to where the arcane world of new physics meets the tropical wonderland of northern Australia, Janette Hospital Turner will take you there. Her Australian character is in search of her father at a university in the United States and spins in and out of a professor's life like an electron knocked out of its orbit. The story also takes you into her past, and her family's past, to a dead man in the woods who she befriends, to rural Australia with all its toughness and lushness. A book to be savoured, not least for its kick-in-the-pants twist at the end.