W Books

This book is very thorough and gives you the foundation to really market your consulting business and maintain that competitive edge over your competition. It is definitely worth reading.

This fabulous book is akin to my own book "The Expert's Edge" in terms of the advice it gives. It lays out what consultants need to do to get ahead of their competitors and to attain a "go-to" visibility: publish their ideas, speak to groups, pay attention to marketing, and so on. It is accurate and smart. Buy and devour this book.

If you're a consultant/business owner, you need this book. Real life examples of how to market your company,make it more professional, and to make yourself feel more established in your field. Along with "Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits...", written in 1998, you will get into the proper mindset for self-promotion. Be brutally honest, put in some brainstorming hours and commit yourself to succeed. I will refer to both these books yearly to refresh my marketing campaign. (Written in 2005, the Internet and email marketing methods here are more contemporary than in the 1998 Guerrilla book).
I also bought a couple of proposal-writing books when I purchased this book, and wish I hadn't. The proposal-writing axioms in this book were more inline with the attitude of guerrilla marketing; after all, proposals are another way to solidify your company's identity. The other books' proposals were very stuffy.

Consulting is considered one of the most profitable professions, and is one of the last to remain unregulated. As a result, it attracts a variety of firms and people who often exaggerate their capabilities in an effort to gain attention and attract business. Authors Jay Conrad Levinson and Michael W. McLaughlin succumb to the same problem as consultants who promise their clients too much. The "breakthrough tactics" they advertise on the book's front cover never quite materialize and the promise deflates the sound advice they do provide. The first two-thirds of the book addresses "guerrilla marketing," a term used to sell other books, but not particularly apt for the familiar tactics here. However, the authors provide a good rundown on some solid, well-accepted components of marketing, such as public relations, advertising, surveys, books, speeches, Web sites and 'pro bono' work. They teach good management, which can transform and re-energize these tactics. Things pick up a little in the final third of the book as the authors discuss sales techniques, including pricing, dealing with competition and preparing a proposal. We suggest this useful (if not warrior-like) book to beginning marketers and consultants, and to the owners of small consulting firms.

Guidelines for consultants and professional service providers. The book offers marketing strategy and tactics for getting clients as well as for selling your services and creating profitable relationships once you've been hired. Chapters cover: thirteen guerrilla marketing secrets; a marketing plan and road map; creating a client-centered web presence; free publicity; when it pays to advertise; five steps to a winning speech; publishing articles and books; proposal writing; project pricing; after-sales marketing. Provides lots of highlights and checklists. Gobs of great advice. Consultants will find a lot of nuggests in this book. Highly recommended.

I found this book to be so helpful. It provides a world of knowledge, along with helpful hints on aspects of buying and selling merchandise on ebay. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to take the next step towards becoming a power seller on ebay.

This was the fourth book I've read on selling on ebay and it easily outshines the other three. It actually delivers what the title says and is very well written.

I bought several books when I was first starting my ebay store, but this one proved the most helpful. It is just packed with actual websites, actual seller testamonials, actual examples of everything. It covers everything I could have asked for, and then alot more!

If you are contemplating on starting an eBay business or are looking at expanding an existing one, this book is for you. After reading this book, you will never have to wonder where to find things to sell on eBay. You will still need to do your homework, but this book points you in the right direction.

The authors cover almost all possible areas in which to locate merchandise to sell, from local to international. (I say almost, because they don't mention about shopping local clearance sales, off-price stores, or merchandise outlets, which is where a lot of eBay sellers I know get their items). I thought I had heard it all, but even I learned a lot about product sourcing. Who knew about the Chatujak Market in Bangkok, Thailand, where you can find the most unusual items you can think of for real cheap?

Not only do the authors reveal where to purchase merchandise, but just as importantly, they give you the strategies on how to get the most out of your product sources. Another great thing is that they help put your eBay business in the proper perspective, by emphasizing how you can compete, even with the big box merchandisers, like WalMart, with great customer service and/or by finding your niche and specializing in it. Every seller, no matter how small, can find a place in the marketplace. It just takes a little more creativity.

My only quibble with this book is the authors' suggestion to save on shipping costs by forgoing purchasing delivery confirmation when shipping via the US postal service. As an eBay seller myself, I know how important it is to keep your costs down, but not shipping with any type of tracking is actually against eBay rules, and some buyers will insist on getting a tracking number of some sort. The only bad advice in an otherwise fantastic, informative book.

If you are starting an eBay store and don't know what to sell or how to do it, this book is a must. It is well-written and gives you many helpful hints. Your mind will race with possibilities as you read each chapter. With all the sellers on eBay, this gives you realistic information on how to compete in the huge marketplace.

I love the concept of this book & helping kids to really graspy how much is a million, billion, etc. It is a fun, easy read that will captivate your kids 3 1/2 up.

Great Book! Teaches kids to understand the concept of very large numbers.
It's fun to read and the pictures are very well done. A must have for any children's library.

The beautiful artwork and kid-freindly examples captivated my 5-year old daughter. Genuinely helped her better understand how big a million is - and, how much bigger a billion and a trillion are. A lovely addition to a classroom, but also perfect for your home library as well!

Kids will love this book which helps kids and adults picture the amount a million something might look like. How big would your goldfish bowl have to be if you had a million goldfish, or a million kids in a stadium? Kids will be in awe of this book.

I got this book with my five-year-old in mind, but all of my two-year-olds and three-year-old also found it engaging. The illustrations are colorful and whimsical without being overwhelming or chaotic.

I think this book is probably best suited for slightly older children as some of the examples were not familiar to my children. For example, my children have never been in a stadium, so that example was a little abstract for them.

Overall a good book and an excellent way to introduce the concept a million.

These tales evoke a poetical kind of realism. "Hunters in the Snow" is a tragic but comic portrayal of three bumbling hunters acting dumb but believable: so in character with themselves yet slightly bizarre. Everything in these tales is real. There is no trumped up language or superfluous prose. The narratives sweep along with a good balance of dialogue, description and action, and are never boring. "Face to Face" is another good one--tragic again and emotional; you come away with a real sense of pathos. And none of it is asked for. The author doesn't beg our emotions. It's very real and very human. "Worldly Goods" is a hilarious tale but again with sober touch. "Maiden Voyage" is spot on in its portrayal of the bondage and meaning of marriage, and the allure of new love. "Passengers" is a terrific tale about a road warrior girl picked up by a straight-laced guy, the adventures they have and the effect she has on him--it makes you think, and it's all our doing. We never get pandered to or have our feelings played with. And it seems so effortless!

I would absolutely recommend this book. I don't usually give full-throttle approvals, but with this book I can find no fault. Read and enjoy!

I am amazed with everything Tobias Wolff writes.


His fiction is as strong and deep as his non-fiction. In Pharoa's Army is the most profoundly human book I've read on the subject of soldiering in Viet nam.

This short story collection from Tobias Wolff is truly just that. Each story gives you enough of the bare essentials to keep you informed and invested, but they never cross the line into anything remotely superfluous. Each story feels very much like you've entered right into the middle of things and you are there for the climax, but not necessarily the introduction or the conclusion.

While I found this book to be an effective exercise in the art of the short story, I was even more moved by the flaws each character in every story displayed. Wolff had grand success in getting down to the heart of who and what people are, and that is, in essence, good people that usually display less than admirable traits. We all have those idiosyncrasies that make us unique and often troubling to our friends and family, and Wolff captures perfectly normal, though certainly troublesome, eccentricities amongst his characters that give us all we need to know about their particular story.

This is a very fast and interesting read, and if you ever wanted to engage in a deep character study in the genre of the short story, this is the collection for you.

~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume II: A Collection of Short Stories

Tobias Wolff writes short stories pertaining to issues such as spousal abuse, envy, and lying. Wolff understands the conflicts his fiction characters face because he has addressed about those personal situations in his memoirs. His fiction is so real, it reads as nonfiction. Buy this book, buy them all. Wolff is an adventuresome author with adventuresome characters, himself included.

The characters in Tobias Wolff's short stories are typically ordinary people in relatively ordinary circumstances yet he creates through them such vivd glimpses of humanity that we recognize our friends ,relatives,neighbors and ourselves in them.
Powerful writing that is subtle and yet somehow unforgettable.

All of his short fiction collections are equally enjoyable and I would have a hard time recommending one as opposed to any other. This particular book contains several stories that will pull you in and cause you to want to explore more. This is a book that can be opened at random to any of the selections and read with great enjoyment.

Unlike many books written for people in the world of business, this book really ties it all together. It not only talks about leadership, core values, and applying them, but also shows us why we don't and most importantly how we can, and why we must.

I recommend this book, as a strong must read for anyone working with or managing people.

With all the corruption being exposed in the business world it is refreshing to read a book that offers solutions that are both practical and easily applied. Every CEO should read this book. It will change your perspective about how we operate both consciously and unconsciously in our work, our world, and how intuition can be our best ally...

This book is a must read for all business people interested in really transforming the soul of the workplace.

As a business consultant, I couldn't agree more with the authors' insights and ideas.

The Inner Edge presents a common sense framework for improved personal and organizational effectiveness. The book is especially relevant in an era of intense scrutiny of corporate behavior and heightened expectations of ethical personal and professional behavior.

The book has an easy to use format with helpful tools such as self assessment exercises, guidelines and charts.

I have been working with individuals and small business for over 30 years in the Financial Services Industry. I have read many books and attended many workshops in an effort to expand my spiritually in both my personal and business life. This book and the concepts and exercises it provides is unquestionably one of the very best I have experienced.
I have ordered the audio CD's to assist me in implementing these concepts in my life. This book and it's concepts will provide wonderful benefits for everyone who puts it to work in their lives.

The title, preface and initial chapters excited me towards this book which i happen to browse in a local book store. I was quite excited and sometimes amazed by the clarity of presentation by the authors in the initial chapters which talks about life and its purpose, understanding and having your own "identity" and also about the side-effects of deep-rooted negative childhood habbits (unfinished business) which some people tend to carry along in their life unknowingly. The techniques to identify your strengths and small steps to be carried out to overcome the negative qualities are somewhat old but polished with new terminologies and jargons.
But I noticed a strange discontinuity in the authors presentation, when they jump into a new concept, so called "Quantum Decision Making (QDM)". The authors does not give good insight into QDM nor establish the relationship between the initial chapters and QDM. Hence overall we are introduced in lots new terms but without clear purpose and reasoning. The case studies of their approach has been clearly separated from the actual text, which was helpful to maintain the continuity in the discussion.
I would been happy or atleast understood the QDM concept better if a limited version of a CD or small visual guide was accompanied with this book. Because of this most of the latter part of the book goes over the head, when the authors talk about "icons", "multicolored 3D visualization" .. etc. Interesting/Useful initial chapters but poor second part.

"The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement," does an exhaustive job of describing the basic concepts further quantified in the full 4 volume series. Forrest Breyfogle describes the hows to execute IEE E-DMAIC as a step-by-step sequenced roadmap in Volume II. The how's to execute IEE P-DMAIC has a step-by-step sequenced roadmap in Volume III that truly integrates the tools of Lean and Six Sigma.

I am impressed at how Forrest weaves all the terms, definitions and labels together for the reader. Since I have worked so long with these terms and approaches, it seems like the book is a dictionary with all the words put together in sentences. I suspect it is a welcome integration of complex concepts into a "unified" whole for the reader new to these concepts.

The Lean Six Sigma roadmap of DMAIC that many organizations use has so much variability in how it is described that effectiveness and good communication is lost. Many authors are writing about how to implement Balanced Scorecard measurement systems without tying the conceptual level to the tools that connect concept to reality of the business outcomes and processes specific to the reader. The DMAIC roadmap or Balanced Scorecard models generally implemented by industry are victim to many inconsistencies, leading to much confusion and watering down of the concepts.

The IEE E-DMAIC and P-DMAIC systems avoid this high level of variation by explicitly defining scope and operating characteristics of each element within the improvement system. Unlike some previous Lean and Six Sigma authors who keep their detailed methodology secret until they are called onsite with a client, Breyfogle publicly shares his intricate methodology up front. The author puts everything out there for the reader to see right away. The subsequent volumes provide the drill down roadmaps for tactical and operational integration of the full IEE Enhanced Unified Approach; i.e., Volume II for E-DMAIC and Volume III for P-DMAIC.

The author describes his construct in such reliable detail that the reader will realize a higher level of performance outcome than from models with less rigor of definition. Page xvi of the IEE introductory paperback clearly describes proprietary nomenclature and service marks expectation. Breyfogle is confident that his systemic integration of Lean Six Sigma and Balance Scorecard concepts at both the enterprise and process level is specific enough to empower any organization to succeed in reducing variation and eliminating waste. E-DMAIC is very different to how businesses are generally run and the author does not want references casually made to water down E-DMAIC as some texts have watered down the intended structure of Lean, Six Sigma and Balanced Scorecard previously.

IEE describes, among other things, a system for how you look at metrics so that the right behavior results. To quote the author: "I truly believe that if we don't do something now to the way businesses are run, our grandchildren are not going to have the lifestyle that we have grown accustomed to. In my belief, IEE provides the framework for this transition."

I recommend reading "The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement." This introductory book does exactly what it is supposed to do. The reader will have the information they need to assess the appropriateness of fully implementing the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System approach within their organization.

Forrest Breyfogle's "Implementing Six Sigma" is one of the best Six Sigma books ever written. The "IEE System" focus teaches one how to successfully apply Continuous Improvements techniques with solid Enterprise orientation. Six Sigma, Lean, Balanced score card or Toyota Production systems can provide one with improvement philosophies which are both methodical, and technical. Even if blindly pursued, these techniques will provide one with excitement, as well as many years of sustainability, but very often also ending with the questions of: "What we do now?" and "Why our efforts are not more delivering the same results?".
Forrest's focus is not fashion-oriented, he knows how to implement the right techniques and ask the right questions.
I sincerely congratulate Forrest for another classic installment in his lifetime's commitment of pursuing excellence.

This book, gave me the lesson of the year (so far). ... that we can turn firefighting to fire-prevention mode.

It explains how we can make the right desicions by making sense of the entire organisation. It tells how to distinguish Common cause from special cause events and its connection to firefights.

It would be good to speak whether IEE can be implemented with the EFQM model (the European equivalent to Malcolm Baldrige).

This book provides a good overview of how businesses can align employees' efforts and focus with the goals of the organization. Helps you to prioritize projects and improvement efforts. A good introduction that will compel you to purchase and read the other books in this series that go into great detail covering the "how to" make it happen...

Forrest has written yet another thought provoking book. With his original book Implementing Six Sigma he set the stage at which the Six Sigma world would baseline "How it is done". Now he has set off with a series of new books which will open the door to looking at our businesses differently - in a new light.

With the book `Integrated Enterprise Excellence' Forrest uncovers some of weaknesses of corporations through identifying the impact of Short Term vs Long Term change. Attention is brought to day to day Firefighting situations, that too many of us know intimately at our jobs.

Ironically when I met with Forrest earlier this year, he spent time specifically speaking about the (Red Light / Green Light) syndrome. I had first seen this at Harley Davidson Motor Company, when Erik Buell rolled it out a new tool that all motorcycle platforms would use. There were rumblings within the launch teams about this new tool. It had stoplight colors, and our direction was to never have a red light. Little did I realize that the measurement system we were launching was establishing what we delivered to, as employees. That hopefully the metrics were well aligned with the 30,000 foot needs of the corporation and that which led to Long Term change.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system that is taught in this book shows management techniques that followed can effectively charter good change for a corporation. That change which is measurable, predictable, and drives bottom line results.

There is a lot of information on the market today about 6 Sigma, and change movements. Take time to look at Forrest Breyfogle's work. I have personally spent time with him, and been through his MBB program. In contrast to the many people who do this type of stuff for pure financial benefit; I believe that Forrest's work is about setting the record straight - and letting the truth be told. The new series of books show a no nonsense approach to doing 6 Sigma in a less complex methodology, that delivers big results. With today's workplace putting more pressure on belts to produce with less time, these methodologies will lead to solutions better than ever before.

I read this book and thought, yes this Frenchman makes many derogatory and embarassingly insensitive remarks about the Inuit. However, contrary to what one reviewer said below in "Good descriptions, bad insights, July 27, 2005", the author slowly develops a great respect for the intelligence, culture and abilities of these people so much so that he begins to emulate them. It is a subtle conversion story wrapped in a fabulous adventure; thoroughly enjoyable and well worth reading.

My good friend and I were talking a while back after I had watched the movie The Fast Runner, which he had recommended. Talk got around to my deciding to send him my old childhood copy (out of print, I believe) of Peter Freuchen's Book of the Eskimos, and his deciding to send me his old childhood copy of Kabloona. Neither of us had ever heard of the other's book. I must say, as much as I've always liked Freuchen, I got the better of the deal!

What a wonderful book. So well written, such nice storytelling, so enjoyable, refreshingly honest, and unexpectedly insightful. It is haunting. It really is in a class by itself, although I have trouble putting my finger on exactly why this is so. All I know is that I did not want it to end, as I'm sure the author did not want his time in the North to end. And, like him, I don't think it will be the same if I go back and try it again. And I know I also had a strange feeling throughout which only later I identified as a form of envy, envy for the experiences this man had and for his ability to experience them so deeply. I've seldom felt envy mixed with awe and admiration like this before.

Of all the book, I was most deeply moved by his account of the priest out in the middle of nowhere who had survived and kept warm in incredible cold merely through the power of faith and prayer. Humbling.

A man comes out of nowhere, lives these experiences, writes this incredible book, and disappears back into nowhere. Amazing. Read it.

The audio CD is outstanding...indeed the best I have ever listened to. For one thing, the narrator is marvelous in recreating both the 1930's world of France and Frozen Canada. I can't think of any other book or audio that so successfully transported me into an alien culture. Considering that there are quite a few films and books about Eskimos, why buy this one written 70 years ago? Answer: the literary quality of this work surpasses the prose of the last quarter century. When you listen to the narrator weave his tale, it mirrors the experience of hearing a tobacco chewing explorer slowly recounting his adventures in the wild. The story dives deep into the interior life of the author as much as it details an ethnographic examination of (primitive) Inuit life. The myths and values of the Eskimos contrast sharply with the borgeouis morals of a gentleman of Paris. For example, in Eskimo culture, there is little concept of private property...that's why an Eskimo man will let you borrow his wife or a snow knife. Language in the arctic is far more concrete. A polar bear is HE WHO HAS NO SHADOW. Far away, in the cold Arctic, author Grontran De Poncins learns what it means to be human, a man preeminently. This is a romance, a classic reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. If you buy the audio CD, you will not be disappointed.

This is a magical book which I first read when I was young. It inspired in me dreams of adventure which I did not follow, but which became a part of my inner life. Now that I am old, I am reading Kabloona again so that I can remember that I once was young.

I looked up at the bookshelf over my computer and spotted the battered 1941 edition of Kabloona that has been in my family for 40 years since I first read it in the village of Coppermine (now Kugluktuk) when I was a 12 year old boy in 1961. I decided to do an AMAZON.com search to see if anyone else knew of this marvel that had so enchanted me as a child, and found the site you are now visiting.

We were much more civilized in the Coppermine of 1961 than the same village the author had visited 20 years earlier. We had electricity, and communication with the outside world by a Morse code key at the Department of Transport office, plus we had a scheduled visit by a single-engine Otter every two weeks. It was a magical time for me (adults found it a difficult time, but they simply did not understand things)

The book Kabloona gave me insight into the minds of the people around me. We were a community of 200 Inuit (Eskimos) and 35 whites. The whites had as many of the amenities of civilization as they could garner, but the Inuit lived much as described in De Poncin's book.

I was enthralled by the awesome hunters with their dog sleds and their magnificent huskies, not show dogs or racing dogs, but working dogs that made the difference between life and death. The men would bring back the carcasses of seal and caribou, and the furs they had trapped. The women sewed the furs into beautiful garments that kept man, woman and child warm in intolerably hard winters. It was also the women's job to butcher the carcasses, which they did with incredible speed and skill using only the ulu, or woman's knife. I regularly witnessed the activities of this way of life. De Poncin described all this in his book, but he also gave me insight into the underlying culture I was immersed in.

You can't live the life I led 40 years ago as a boy in the high Canadian arctic, but you can vicariously journey there to an even more primitive time, and enter into the incredible peace and stillness of an arctic winter night in an igloo, or the warmth and safety of a house made of snow as an unbelievable storm rages outside around you.

I recently spoke by satellite telephone to a man in Coppermine from my home in Missouri where I now live, and found that the village I once knew is now a very different place. But you can go back to an earlier era with De Poncin. I assure you, you won't regret your wonderful voyage with him.

I don't know if I'm permitted to speak of it here, but I have described my life in those years in the Arctic in a book, The Boy Who Fell To Earth. It is available at Amazon.com for those would like to buy a hard copy, or can be read for free on my warmbooks.com web site.

The complete story of a legend: Canned Heat. When you read this book, you are with the band year after year. Great itme for anyboby like the music.

I thought this book was really well written and all the stories told throughout were very interesting. Love Canned Heat and it is kind of sad in a way, but it's good to know what happened. Fito rocks!

Being a serious blues player and fan I've never been partial to Canned Heat's music though I'm pretty familiar with it. I did buy the LP Hooker and Heat, which I like. Alan Wilson was a fine harp player for sure and John Lee Hooker was in good form. I'm not going to run out to buy any Canned Heat CDs now, but after having read this book I'm sorry that I never heard Canned Heat live. I once read a comment about Son House to the effect that he doesn't play the blues, he IS the blues. Canned Heat, more than any act in history, based on Fito's account, lived the blues. These poor devils went through a seemingly never ending litany of tragedy, death, injustice and suffering in their incredibly long existence (which continues to this day) and yet they survived. That, after all, is what the blues is all about. Surviving tragedy with strength, humor, love, and often drugs and/or alcohol IS the blues. Few blues performers (and no bands) have paid the dues that Canned Heat has paid. This makes Canned Heat pretty special in my opinion.
Fito's account of the band's journey through the ups and downs of life and show biz is heartfelt, wise, funny and very well written. The book is the best rock biography I've read in a long time, maybe ever. I found myself really caring about the members of the band including the many who only briefly joined and left. The accounts of self-destructive core members Bob Hite, Alan Wilson and Henry Vestine are tragic and inspiring at the same time. Fito doesn't pull any punches when discussing any aspect of the band, it's members or the many managers, wives, girlfriends, bar owners and fans that the band came in contact with. He's a wise soul who understands human nature very well and it comes out in every page of this informative and entertaining book.

I usually don't like biographies too much, but with Fito De La Para, it's different! It's about one third biography, and two thirds the saga of Canned Heat and it's members, and their ill fates. It tells about the life and death of Alan Willson, one THE greatest harmonica players of his time, and fleshes him out in a way that just listening to the old albums can't do. The same thing happens with "the Bear," Bob Hite, and Harvey Mandel, and each of the later members that replace them. Many, Many great pictures! It's drugs and chicks and death, just like the title says, but Fito retains hope throughout, and is a bouyant narator who takes you on his personal ride from illegal alien to superstar to heir to the "World's Premeir Boogie Band!" I read it all, then handed it off to my Dad, with my brother waiting in the wings to grab it next! Get it while you can!

Written by Canned Heat drummer Fito De La Parra, this book is a tell-all tale of rock and roll excess. Only a Latino could pour his heart out the way Fito does here. His love of the blues, love of his fellow band members, his anguish at the deaths of Hite, Wilson and Vestine are expressed here vividly and emotionally. Of particular interest are some great stories about their most loyal fans; bikers, as well as the usual alcohol abuse, over-the-top drug use, and dalliances with females, some of them groupies, including the Plastercasters, The Butter Queen and sweet, sweet Connie. A must-read for all fans of rock and roll, blues and " the road ".

The effect of Christian missionaries on indigenous cultures is a very controversial subject, and I'm not really sure where I stand. I was hoping this book would help me make a decision, but I think now I'm even more uncertain. Throughout the story I could not decide if what Stan and his team were doing was a good thing or a bad thing. Near the beginning I perceived him rather negatively, but as the story went along, I began to feel greater sympathy for him and his cause and near the end felt like, though they may have had some negative effects, the ultimate effect was good, especially the apparent liberation from an "oppressive, deadly religion".

And then I read the epilogue. I really wonder why Richardson put this here in the manner presented. It pretty much tells just another tale of a way of life destroyed forever and forced into the modern world that it isn't made to be a part of, causing supreme detriment. This basically destroys every prior notion I held of Stan and his team having a positive effect despite the damage done in the story. However, Richardson does all this in two pages and doesn't make the connection to Stan, basically telling the reader that Stan's effect was good so that these people can face the modern world with the goodness of Christianity, etc. But I wonder, did Richardson neglect the details of someone else interfering, or is it Stan and his team who cause this destruction?

If you believe the tribes have gained eternal life, then I suppose the issue is settled. But if you're not so sure and/or you think any damage done could be justified by the "hope of eternal life", then it's not so clear. And I know Richardson's position of: someone's going into these tribes, isn't it best that good people go in first? That's a respectable position, I suppose, but there is enough controversy that I can't decide where to stand on the issue.

As a side note on the book, one thing I wonder is how exactly Richardson reads peoples minds like only God or a novel writer could do. This also really brings into question for me just how legitimate this account is, or whether he tried his best to convey what he thought they would be thinking, or if he was inspired by the holy spirit to write something otherwise unknowable to his mind, or if maybe some of this is pure fabrication serving as a piece of propaganda (surely some of it is true, no doubt) meant to inspire Christians to engage in missionary endeavors "that will make your life like a good novel".

Whatever the case, Lords of the Earth is an interesting story and a worth-while read, but is the effect of the missionaries detailed good or bad? Some of both for sure, but ultimately (and regardless of this accounts reliability), who knows?

I bought this book for my mom. She's a big fan of missionary stories and she loved this one! I recently bought her Peace Child by the same author. She enjoyed it as well.

This book is incredible. Sad and at the same time so incredibly uplifting. It shows how God's plans are so much bigger than ours, and His hand works in ways we cannot comprehend.

Lords of the Earth (International Adventures) (International Adventures)

My boss recommended this book to me, and I'm so glad he did. It was not an easy read as many of the things in it are difficult to hear. It is an incredible story though, and worth reading.

"Lords of the Earth" is the term the Yali warriors use to describe themselves. They live in the Heluk valley in Irian Jaya, and the only knowledge of them to reach the outside world are the dark rumors of the cannibals beyond the mountains. The first section of the book is about them, their customs, and the awful fear and darkness they lived in. Don Richardson does a great job portraying a people bound by chains of sin, and longing for release. The horror of their pain is graphic, and not suitable to be read to younger children.

The second part of the book describes the early life of Stan Dale, his conversion, and his burden for those in darkness. He is drawn as a determined man, physically strong and fit, with firm convictions.

The book goes on to tell of Stan's coming to the Yali people. How a strange story begins over his identity, protecting his life. How the first few Yali Christians were killed, and later Stan and a fellow missionary were brutally murdered. How another missionary family died in a plane crash, except for the nine-year-old son, whose friendship with the Yali paves the way for them to turn to Christ.

The book reminded me Christ's words in John 12:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." On earth, Stan Dale never saw the fruit his life and death brought forth, but he will rejoice in heaven with the Yali that are there through his witness.

Bush and his administration has been doing precisely what I would expect them to do. This is why I didn't vote for him TWICE. The riddle I have been chewing on for these years is that a bunch of people DID VOTE FOR HIM TWICE!

WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING!!!?

Paul Levy in this book explores this riddle as the collective psychosis that it is. In a country founded on the system "...of, for, and by the people" there are risks. These risks are well worth taking as there has not emerged a better political system. For this brilliant system of democracy to work it DOES require an awareness of the complexities of the individual and collective nature of our fellow citizens. This book beautifully holds a mirror up to the collective soul of America and in essence says, "We have met the disease, and it is us".

The first step to curing a disease is to know the disease. This book provides the microscope to view the germ and possibly the needed vaccine.

My only regret is with the COVER the publisher chose to give this book. The sophistication and intelligence of this book deserves better.

Paul Levy nails the issue here, violence begets violence, revenge solves nothing but exposes our hyprocrisy in letting people like Bush rule with ignorance.

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Actually, this is not radically new if you have studied Jung. However, within the last 30 years, quantum theory and the proof of a non-local physical universe certainly adds a new twist to Jung's writings.

As stated in the foreward, this is not a Bush-bashing book, it simply uses Bush and his administration to describe the 'shared psychosis' that permeates humankind, more or less it seems since the beginning of time. Mr. Levy's writing will jump right off the page and directly into your soul if you have ever studied quantum physics. For me, the jump from classical to quantum physics was fairly easy 25 years ago. However, until I read 'Madness' I had never applied the concept of non-local forces to consciousness itself, or as it were collective consicousness.

This book is well written, and is very understandable regardless of the reader's background. It is essentially a collection of articles, and although there is some repetition throughout chapters, this actually helps enforce some of the key points in regards to collective psychosis. Also, the sections and chapters are well labeled, so that readers can easily choose topics of interest.

I would recommend the book to anyone who has every studied Jung (or who wants to). Also, for any fans of the writings of Ken Wilbur and similar authors seeking to determine the intersection between science and religion, this is a must read.

There are many reasons for Americans to be in denial about the truth of this day. It is so ugly, so extensive, that witnessing it will lead an individual through a dark channel of hopelessness. But ignoring the truth is choosing a path of slavery. There are a lot of brave truth-seekers out there, using this resource to connect with each other, and to new-comers brave enough to ask tough questions. Please visit [...]to see a deeper spiritual perspective of this man, this day, and this spiritual battle raging around us. If you want to contact me, do so through [...]