W Books

This book was adopted in my college, but it is out of print in Brazil. Thus, the depth Math solved replace it by Anton's book.
Swokowski's book is an amazing book that equilibrates proofs and intuition very well. It has excellent examples and many exercises
with applications. The review refers the 5th edition.

The Student's Solutions Manual Volume 1 for chapters 1-9 is also worth getting! ISBN 0-534-93628-8

This book is so comprehensive you can use it for any engineering and general purposes. You must also get it`s study guides and instructor`s book for an efficient study... Their study guide 1 ISBN: 0-534-936-261, 2 ISBN: 0-534-936-27X, Instructor`s manual 1 ISBN: 0-534-936-30X and 2 ISBN: 0-534-936-318.

I've taken either Calc 1, 2, or 3 at every Junior College (and Cal State U. Northridge) in the northern Los Angeles area and this is by far the best book I've dealt with. The ONLY problem with it is its really bad construction. Almost everybody's book was falling apart so DON'T BUY USED!!!!! I only have the cover left but I think I'm goning to buy another one or its equivalent for Calc 3(multivariable).

-Tas

If you already own or plan on purchasing Swokowski's "Calculus" (6th edition) or his "Calculus of a Single Variable" (2nd edition), then you will probably want to obtain some of the following ancillaries:

Advanced Placement Study Guide
ISBN: 0-534-93927-9
DERIVE Notebook
ISBN: 0-534-93637-7
Instructor's Solutions Manual
Volume I, ISBN: 0-534-93630-X
Volume II, ISBN: 0-534-93631-8
Mathematica Notebook
IBM ISBN: 0-534-93632-6
Student Solutions Manual
Volume I, ISBN: 0-534-93628-8
Volume II, ISBN: 0-534-93629-6
Study Guide
Volume I, ISBN: 0-534-93626-1
Volume II, ISBN: 0-534-93627-X
Printed Test Bank
ISBN: 0-534-93926-0
Transparencies
ISBN: 0-534-93642-3

Note: Since this book is out-of-print, some of these ancillaries will be difficult to find. I was able to locate copies of the "Student Solutions Manual" and "Study Guide" by doing a "Google" search (I used the ISBN numbers). Volume 1 of the "Student Solutions Manual" and the "Study Guide" are readily available, but volume 2 of both publications are scarce and expensive; for example, a new copy of the "Student Solutions Manual (Vol. II)" costs $83.46 from the UK, and a new copy of the "Study Guide (Vol. II)" costs $57.65. Needless to say, used copies of these ancillaries are considerably cheaper. I did not attempt to find any of the other materials. (Obviously, the quoted prices are meant to be representative and will certainly vary over time.)

"Calculus" (6th edition) contains all the chapters listed below; Swokowski's "Calculus of a Single Variable" (2nd edition) contains Chapters 1 through 9 of the main text plus appendices and index.

Precalculus Review
1. Limits and Continuity
2. The Derivative
3. Applications of the Derivative
4. Integrals
5. Applications of the Definitive Integral
6. Transcendental Functions
7. Techniques of Integration
8. Infinite Series
9. Parametric Equations and Polar Coordinates
10. Vectors and Surfaces
11. Vector-Valued Functions
12. Partial Differentiation
13. Multiple Integrals
14. Vector Calculus
15. Differential Equations
Appendices/Answers to Selected Exercises/Index.

Note: If you purchased Swokowski's "Calculus of a Single Variable" (2nd edition) instead of his "Calculus" (6th edition), then you need purchase only "volume I" of the listed ancillaries.

Gomez-Arcos, Augustin. "The Carnivorous Lamb", Arsenal Pulp Press, 2007.

Haunting and Weirdly Unusual

Amos Lassen

Arsenal Pulp Press of Vancouver, Canada has been resurrecting gay and lesbian literature with Little Sister's Classics series. The newest addition is Augustin Gomez-Arcos' "The Carnivorous Lamb", written in 1975, which was translated into English in 1984 (from the original French). Gomez-Arcos was a Spanish anarchist, a dramatist and a playwright who self-exiled to France where he wrote primarily about Franco's Spain.
This book is an allegory about that period and centers on a young gay male who comes of age within a troubled family--his mother abhors him, his father cannot be bothered with him and ignores him. He does have a brother that loves him deeply.
The young man is the narrator and the carnivorous lamb. He begins his story when he was thirteen and when his innocence is lost. It is the 1950's when he, the younger of two sons is kept in the shelter of his home by his overbearing mother and at 13 he manages to begin to break away. He has a tutor, a strict disciplinarian and a family priest who is intent upon seeing that the boy reach adulthood by the right path. He, however, feels that he must rebel against those that oppress him and as he comes of age, he does so as a reaction to his mother and father and to the authority of church and state.
It is not an easy to reach maturity and as we read the tale of the family, we see that is political satire of the time. Gomez-Arcos not only takes on Spain but the Catholic Church as well. He does so with humor that disguises the true horrors and the tyrannical rule of Federico Franco. Likewise the book deals with the repression of religion and the structure of the family. The concept of authority is blown away and in its place we get identity and liberty as the author defies all in beautiful and provocative ways. This is a book not only to be read for the excitement of reading a masterpiece but it is to be cherished as a document that has returned to us from the dead.

Agustin Gomez-Arcos, The Carnivorous Lamb (David R. Godine, 1975)

I find myself somewhat astonished that a book this explicit was published in 1975. I am quite a bit less surprised that it is long out of print. (However, the fact that my Interlibrary Loan request for this volume was filled by the Ohio Dominican College? Now that floored me.) This tale of a homosexual relationship between a pair of brothers, told mostly in flashback as the younger brother awaits his older brother's return, wife in tow, from South America, never flinches from its sometimes shocking subject matter, but nor does Gomez-Arcos ever exploit his material from gratuitous shock value; it just is, and that, perhaps, is the book's major strength.

The book follows two avenues, for lack of a better way to put it; the first follows the love story between Ignacio, the narrator, and Antonio, his brother, who is five years older. Yep, incest, but I did warn you above, right? The second is a portrait of a once-wealthy family gradually driven to destitution by the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship. I get the feeling most readers will be enchanted with one storyline and want to ignore the other (which is which depends on one's proclivities, no doubt); I tried to pay equal attention to both, and appreciated the way Gomez-Arcos wove them together into one book. It certainly could have been done better; the pacing is atrocious much of the time, and one gets the feeling this could have easily been half the length and still contained everything Gomez-Arcos wanted to say. Still, it's hard to argue with the language, which is never less than gorgeous. (One French reviewer on Amazon excoriates the English translation, saying it loses much of the "purity and clarity" of the original; I can't vouch for it, but I do know the language in the English translation is wonderfully done.) If you are a fan of writing style over plot, this is a must-read, but be warned that some of the subject matter may be too intense for more sensitive types (or too boring for thrillseekers). ****

((I award a Secondary Title for this review: "A One-Of-A-Kind Take on Brotherly Love"))

I can't tell you if this was a beautifully written book.......but I can advise you that it is a beautifully translated tale. Since it was first published in French (I know only a few phrases and a number of individual words), I cannot quarrel the earlier, Paris-residing reviewer who seems to think not so much of this translation. But, to this reader, to me, the translated writing seems near perfect, making this one of those few books to un-shelf from time to time and in which to become quickly engrossed.

It's a love story......but one probably unlike any you've read before (its nature has been described elsewhere in these reviews). And it is also a history lesson--one told from very personal points of view (as so much of history is told). But mostly, it's a tale which tells us that love in any guise can be found between two people, no matter their situation one to the other, and that as the strongest of our emotions it can redeem us from the worst difficulties we may think we face.

****

Of all the many books I've read, this is my favorite.

Its been a while since reading a book that was so profoundly satisfying and well-finished. It is a beautiful book celebrating an exuberant, deep love. It sells the book short to call it simply homo-erotic, just because the main protaganist is a man who loves his brother. The book deals with love and its devastating mutations in a protective confined stultyfying Spanish home in the Franco years. The metaphors for the "chronically dead" fascist regime are so graphic that you find yourself gasping for air...and the characters, as portrayed by Ignacio, the younger brother, are gruesomely real as he tells his story with wit and skill that have you smiling hard as you read. Very sexy too, even for a hetero woman.

Many texts are oblique and indirect, written so the author can be published. However,Mr. Gronbach's book is a fresh, well written guide to accurate market forecasting that gives the reader immediately useful ideas and methods. Application of his well presented, easily understood method enables products to be brought to the market to catch the crest of the selling wave. Product planning and distribution techniques become clear and sensible. I have not seen anything that is this useful. I recommend anyone in consumer marketing to digest this book..

This book is simply written and simply...very insightful! The basic, simple and very practical formula of supply and demand based on population growth is simply explained. This formula is very practical in almost everything and anything. What ever topic it is this common census rule should be apply with the expectation of great results.
In a nut shell....It makes Common Census!

This book hits the nail on the head. It catches you shaking your head thinking "why don't they teach this in college??" A "must read" for anyone in the business world and anyone who just wants to understand simple economics! Ken is as brilliant a writer as he is a public speaker!

This book contains a point of view that many businessmen dismiss, or don't even consider. It teaches business in a simple way and portrays it in a way that IS common sense. It has helped me to think about the big picture of business and consider why corporations fail and succeed. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is understandable and simple, yet thought provoking and complex.

Common Census is curiously simple, yet profound. If you sell anything, goods or services, this is a must read before ramping up. This study of generational populations reveals why the Ipod is a homerun, and the retirement community, as we know it, will fade away. This quick read has helped me define where the money won't be, and the best generation(s) to market to. You'll want to read it over again!
L.L.Bowden

This book was excellent and contained alot of common sense advice. I only deducted a star because it was more applicable to the East Coast, while I live on the West. Really good material, and I liked its balanced approach to the use of "non-Green" methods.

. . . gave its life for a good cause.

This is the most important book on my shelves as I "manage" my 75 Virginia woodland acres.

I like Morsbach's maverick approach to forestry, in particular the emphasis he places on aesthetic and environmental considerations. Once again, the committed, thoughtful individual trumps a whole barrel full of clipboard-carrying "experts."

The book contains multiple grammatical errors that are slightly distracting to me, a former editor, but otherwise entirely trivial.

This is a book for anyone who likes to read about someone's interesting life or observations, for anyone who likes to get a glimpse of a good man's mind and heart, for anyone who enjoys seeing things in a new way, and--of course--for anyone who owns or may buy wooded property. For the latter, it is an indispensable guide. For the rest of us, it is both delightful reading and consciousness-raising.
Hans Morsbach, a Chicago businessman and (for the past 30 years) also a Wisconsin forester, provides all the practical advice to amateur foresters he would have liked to have had 30 years ago. The book is full of practical suggestions and insights; however, it is anything but a dry how-to book. Morsbach is often funny, particularly when he shares his early naivete and many false starts, or, say, when he notes under a picture of a hawk perch that the hawks express their admiration by never perching on it.

He is also deadly serious, offering many insights and suggestions based upon his own intensive research, such as the use of hedgerows to enhance the success of any crop. A new insight for me (with no intention of ever starting a forest or growing any crops) was that lone individuals can do something worthwhile for the environment by buying and cultivating even small wooded properties.

But what is so remarkable is that Morsbach writes with such humility, honesty, and love--of humanity, of nature, and of his own learning experiences. He writes in clear simple candid language with an uncanny ability to let the reader see into the heart and mind of a savvy businessman who loves nature and cares about our environment. He has clearly raised the bar for practical guide books.

Anyone with a desire to manage a small timber parcel would do well to buy this book. I manage a small woodlot and took a 30 hour forestry management class from my state's forestry department. The knowledge gained from reading this book complements that course as well as anything I've come across so far. Both add practical insight into effective silviculture practices. This book gives the reader a practical approach to managing a woodlot or timber parcel profitably. Recommended.

This is a highly readable book. The author generously shares his considerable knowledge in language that makes the text easy to understand. Everything about it is well done: the book is well-organized and well written, with beautiful illustrations.
It's a pleasure to read, even for someone who will never grow a forest.

I'm a relatively new reader of the genre, so admittedly there are probably many other writers who may be acclaimed as the founder. But for my money, Eisner is the master of the graphic novel. This trilogy is a must.

I'm a relative latecomer to the world of the graphic novel, though I did read my share of comic books as a kid. But a year or so ago, I read Will Eisner's "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and have been talking about it ever since. Time, I thought, to see what else Eisner might have written.

"What else Eisner might have written" is answered in part by this wonderful reminiscence of the Bronx of days gone by. The tales revolve around the history and residents of a tenement block on 55 Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. To Eisner, it was always a neighborhood - greater than the sum of its parts and capable of moving callous men to teary nostalgia.

The book starts of with "A Contract with God," a relatively short and focused story about Frimm Hersch, a young Jewish boy who escapes Russian anti-Semitic pogroms, makes a contract with a just God, and loses his faith when his beloved daughter dies. Eisner tells us in the introduction that this story is one of the ways he dealt with his own daughter's death, a blow so severe that he plunged it deep into his psyche. What is so intriguing about Eisner's tale is that the reader never quite finds out what was in the contract. But one finds out a little about God and a bit about humanity's willingness to continue to struggle with this Witness to human misery and loneliness.
"A Contract with God" continues with other New York tales drawn from Eisner's memory - a tale about a lonely former opera diva who befriends a penniless street singer; a bitter tenement "super" infatuated with a young girl; a summer "cookalein" or cook-your-own boarding house at an upstate farm where city moms take their kids for a summer in the out-of-doors. Eisner is at his most frank here, not shying away from the pressures and temptations that entice people living in such close proximity to each other. The tales are sexy, brash, violent and always real.

The second story, "A Life Force," is a meditation on the unseen drive of all living things to remain alive and to reproduce. An out-of-work Depression-era carpenter finds a lesson in a cockroach's struggle to survive. His path crosses that of an ancient "rebbe" needs a room built for whose wife, who suffers from dementia. Soon, the story draws in a ne'er-do-well former playboy boy, young socialists, Sicilians gangsters and a woman from Nazi Germany (an old acquaintance of the carpenter) trying to extract her family from the growing turmoil back home. Eisner's depiction of the ever-triumphant "life force" comes alive in a myriad ways that look surprisingly like ordinary living.

The final section deals with the history of the parcel that became Dropsie Avenue. Eisner takes us on a kaleidoscopic tour from its days as Dutch farmland through its many incarnations as a residential neighborhood, vibrant gathering place for immigrant families, rat hole and locale for single-family homes. His tale is populated with crooked real estate developers, local politicians, druggies, thieves, ethnic priests, ineffectual cops and a variety of local characters. Eisner is at his best as he shows how greed and bad housing laws can strip the poor of housing, enrich the unscrupulous and reduce once-proud neighborhoods to rubble. I learned more about the roots of urban blight from Eisner's pictures than from any "serious" book.

Eisner's work is not disposable, like the comics of my youth. His stories have a depth of humanity that makes them fascinating and re-readable. His art exaggerates enough to telegraph his characters' inner feelings, but subtle enough to keep them rooted in reality. A wonderful experience.

Esta novela gráfica es simplemente sublime, las historias son maravillosas así como la presentación del libro que es de una calidad tan alta, pocas veces vista pero que definitivamente un trabajo tan bien logrado se merece. Cualquier otra cosa que te pueda decir, estaría de mas, si no conoces la maravillosa narrativa, dibujo e inventiva del maestro Will Eisner, este es un claro ejemplo de su maravillosa calidad como artista, ahora que si eres un seguidor, es un libro que debes tener en tu colección. Pero ya sea una razón o la otra, es una compra de la cual definitivamente no te vas a arrepentir.

Will Eisner is like Cervantes, Griffith and John Ford. The Contract With God graphic novel is his masterpiece. This is the Don Quixote of Comics. Truly art. Period.

Comic and cartoon artists are finally getting the respect they have deserved since the Yellow Kid wore his one piece pajama. Artists like Charles Burns and Frank Miller; Seth and Tony Millionaire, all work in a medium whose fan base is basically adult, literate and mainstream. In reading current book reviews of works like "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth" by Chris Ware or "Blankets" by Craig Thompson, it is clear that the Graphic Novel as an art form no longer requires an asterisk.

All these artists and cartoonists owe this new environment of respect in no small part to the work of Will Eisner, specifically the work contained in this volume. While Eisner was not the first artist to tell a story with pictures, he without question hammered out a stylistic language that others could learn and understand. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that he brought the concept of the graphic novel home and gave it a firm structure and a future. Also important was Eisner's unyielding believe in the graphic novel as a form of fine art, as legitimate a tool for storytelling as any of the traditional oral or written forms. All current artists working in comics owe Eisner in the same way that all Afro-American ballplayers owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Robinson. Like Robinson, Eisner completely believed in what he was doing and refused to accept anything less than respect for his work, all done in a day when respect didn't come easily or automatically for them.

Now, about the work itself - what can one say? No one will ever replace or improve on Eisner's innate ability to tell a story with pictures. His work was absolutely gorgeous and fluid, the line and brushwork immaculate and dense without every looking fussy. He forged a unique and instantly recognizable style that is the true mark of a virtuoso in any artistic medium, and he was a very gifted storyteller into the bargain. There are certain panels in his best work, like "A Life Force" or "Droopsie Avenue," that are just jaw dropping in their beauty and absolutely unforgettable.

To this day his work is unmatched in its depth and sophistication of theme. Norton deserves much praise for reissueing these trailblazing works in a well bound and attractive hardcover. Recommended highly. -Mykal Banta

Most MDs really don't know much other than to tell patients with elevated blood pressures to cut back on the salt.

All the recipes that I've tried have all been tasty. If you really want to get your food intake in order also read the current bestseller "In Defense of Food".

This book is a "must have" along with "The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook", both are ESSENTIAL for anyone serious about low sodium cooking, lots of great advice, information about sodium content in common foods, great recipes - a real bargain.

This book is wonderful for cooking with low or no sodium. I bought this because my parents needed to decrease their sodium and potassium. This book does list the potassium count in the nutrition breakdown which helps me. I highly recommend it for people looking for healthier recipes.

I keep wondering why nearly all of the cookbooks have to be in book form. Use spiral bindings, please. Make them easy to use!

I agree, this is a must have for anyone following a low salt diet. Who says food has to be tasteless??? I learned so many cooking ideas from this book.

I bought a copy of this book about 25 years ago when a family member was put on a low sodium diet. It was a great beginner's guide to managing a low sodium diet, with lots of helpful tips. But even after I no longer needed to cook low sodium, I continued to use many of the recipes, just because they taste good. I finally gave my copy to a friend who was starting out on low sodium, and now I miss it. I think I'll have to get a new copy for myself, just for the recipes.

W. Eric Croomes writes from an eclectic sociological view of the relationships African-Americans face today. Researching deep into our past and bringing it all forward into today's world. Will make you think deeply. Not a book one can read lightly. I have found myself referring more than once back to this book in explaining relationships and the way we deal with them to young people I work with and to my own daughter. The poems are artfully written and thought provoking. The story of Kwasi Benefo will make you think time and time again. Why, how, am I making these mistakes in my relationships and how do they relate to me in the here and now. I have pages dog eared and underlined to refer back to. An important read and study into the psyche of the African-American relationship. I recommend this book highly!

I must admit that I've never been one to purchase and actually read a book of poetry but this one was truly different. This is not your average book of poems. Through this literature you experience various avenues of life as well as cultural events that take you back to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Dance in the Dark..." and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading.

Powerful. Dance in the Dark is a romantic masterpiece. Each page illuminate heart felt words that move in a rhythm that captivate the spirit. The author of Dance in the Dark pours himself into this beautiful work. Only one that has truly taken a look inside of himself can write like this. It's not difficult at all to hear his voice throughout the book. Mr. Croomes has learned to "Dance in the Dark" and challenges us to dance as he leads us on a journey of spiritual truths of love that dares us to find purpose.

This book was wonderfully written. Readers will understand how the author relates not to just one but many aspects of our lives today. Highly recommend.

DANCE IN THE DARK offers reflections that explores the concept of love and culture in the African American community from past to present day. Along with poetry, Croomes incorporates history and mythology as he addresses the complexity of the issues at hand and how it has impacted us as a people. Croomes offers several interesting pieces throughout the book including "Letters to Eve," "The Edge of Love," and "Diary of an Ex-Queen".

When I first picked up W. Eric Croomes' DANCE IN THE DARK, I was looking forward to seeing a different but unique perspective from the poetic standpoint. While DANCE does offer a beautiful variety of poetry, the heavy commentary that is presented throughout takes away from the book's overall essence.

While Croomes offers poetry that is both passionate and intriguing, my main criticism is that the various essays take away from the book overall. There were times where I felt that I wasn't reading a poetry book due to the content at hand. While I found DANCE IN THE DARK to be interesting, from a poetic standpoint it didn't captivate me as other poets have. Despite this, I do commend Mr. Croomes on a worthy effort.

Reviewed by Kanika (Nika) Wade
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Found this book by talking through our favorite childhood reading adventures with my best friend. She recommended "Dandelion Cottage" and remarkably our library had it. I was charmed from the moment I stepped into it. What a wonderful writer, fabulous characters and simple hometown Michigan charm. Makes a homesick grown woman feel more like dusting than any Martha Stewart article ever could! I can't believe that somehow as a child I missed this series. I'm not setting about purchasing it so that along with Anne of Green Gables and Alcott's female heroines, this book can be in our family library and inspire my daughters like it has inspired me.

Reading Dandelion Cottage is like looking at my great-great grandmother and actually knowing her. My grandmother's family was from Marquette and then later relocated to Georgia. As I was growing up I was always told about The Dandelion Cottage and however fictionalized, the characters were modeled after my great-great grandmother and her friends. It's wonderful to know that through the reprint, that the book won't go lost.

This is one of my all time favorite childhood books! I was surprised to learn recently that there is an actual Dandelion Cottage still standing in Marquette, MI. The author of the book lived in Marguette. FYI, you can purchase a copy of the book through the Marquette County History Museum for $13.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling. Check out their website at www.marwquettecohistory.org for details and more information about the book.

The book, "Dandelion Cottage", was read to each of our family members by our fifth grade teacher (she taught all 5 of us kids at a wonderful grade school in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's). She set aside time during the week to read aloud some portion of this exciting, strong character book to us. I can remember so well the time spent sitting in that classroom and listening to her read to us. This is a book that all young people should have the opporunity to read and enjoy.

I read Dandelion Cottage when I was about 10 yrs old and absolutely loved it. I'm delighted to see that it is still in print and now will give my granddaughter a copy for her birthday.
Dandelion Cottage still stands today and was based on a story of some little girls who actually used the house as their play house. It's a delightful story that takes one back in time. These charming little girls will touch your heart.

Leave it to Ravi Zacharias to put eloquently what all of us somehow feels. Something's gone wrong in our society -- it's not as kind as it used to be. Something's amiss. Ravi has tapped into that "something". As always, brilliantly thought out and argued. Always with compassion but never compromised.

I love anything Ravi Zacharias writes. He brings you to the only conclusion possible in whatever spiritual truth he is presenting, and I love this. But greater still --- there is in Ravi Zacharias a truth that transcends intellect -- he genuinely loves the Lord he writes (or speaks) about. This makes his books or his sermons worth my attention.

"When we see our hearts as God sees them, we find His strength, not only to understand good and evil, but to act on it. The one who resists this truth has nowhere to turn." (p. 184)

Ravi Zacharias is a native of India, but got Saved and converted to Christianity as a young man. He is most famous as a public speaker for explaining and defending Christian concepts in an intellectually thoughtful context, mostly by debunking the faulty viewpoints of the opposition. Where other radio preachers and book authors are heavy on emotionally expounding upon Scripture, Ravi's unique approach focuses on intellectual discourse. He talks and reasons his way as to why Christianity and Bible teachings are correct, without necessarily using Scripture as the sole evidence, but rather by using logic and focused thinking. He teaches Bible truths and values using observations about society, history, and culture.

I personally find that Ravi is most concise and focused on the radio, not in his books, nevertheless, in his autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, Ravi says that DELIVER US FROM EVIL and THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM are his bestselling books. I have read both, and I think this book, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is his strongest work.

"It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched America's conscience. Nor was it the intent or content of the Koran. By no stretch of imagination was it the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. America's soul was indubitably formed in keeping with the basic assumptions and injunctions of this, the moral law of the Hebrews, which gave her a vision of history's linear thrust whereby she was to reconcile liberty with law." (p. 154)

In DELIVER US FROM EVIL, Ravi writes about the state of Western culture, which has largely abandoned Bible-based morality and thus also suffered the consequences which we must now try to redeem. "Freedom can be destroyed, not just by its retraction, but also by its abuse." (p. 86)

The popular concept that there are no absolute truths, and thus anything goes, morally speaking, is at the basis of today's sorry state of affairs, culturally speaking. "An ABSOLUTE is basically an unchanging point of reference by which all other changes are measured...RELATIVISM is, therefore, only another word for ANARCHY, and that is why truth itself becomes elusive when there is no longer a point of reference." (p. 219)

The danger is that without a commonly accepted standard of morality, our culture is constantly under attack from within, by people with unhappy, desperate hearts which know no peace, and who wish to enforce an absence of morality. "Rebellion that sees no sanctity in life's essence is a constant state of mind bespeaking a heart that will never be satisfied." (p. 136)

This can only be done by trying to build a consensus that there is no God, the Bible is not real, and all that exists and may be considered is the material world--ripped away from any spiritual meaning or purpose. "...secularization assumes that this world--the material world-- is all we have...secularism is the philosophy of choice for American intellectual and political life." (p. 23)

In the USA, where the the 1st Amendment has been perverted by religion haters to mean freedom FROM religion, the problem is one that we are living with everyday, and not for the betterment of society, but to its detriment. "Not only has secularization brought us a silent universe with no voice from without, it has also brought us a silence from within as it has redefined the whole role of conscience." (p. 56)

Have you ever been self-righteously confronted by someone defending morally reprehensible things, while condemning the concept of morality itself? "In an unbelievable and shocking turn of events we have moved from speaking out against certain moral choices to being pressured by political enforcement and the so-called tolerant cultural elite not only to accept what was once disapproved of, but to celebrate it. Allowance for people to determine their own moral destinies has been supplanted by the demand that even that which may be repugnant or offensive to one's moral sensitivities must be acclaimed and glorified." (p. 133)

The anti-Christian spirit of this age has increasingly, and secretively, turned to the power of a secular judicial system of government to try to enforce immorality and condemn morality. "...the power to create and enforce moral relativism has been placed into the hands of government. Political power is a strange place to entrust morality because proverbially politics is not synonymous with moral uprightness. The very institution that is distrusted most has now become the shaper of the soul." (p. 78)

These days, we are pretty far along the wrong path in our Western culture, and the good guys are very late in catching onto the game plan of the bad guys, to wit, the public school system has been taken over by secularist believers who get to teach their secular view of life while condemning a Christian worldview because it opposes their immoral behavior. "The whole point of state controlled education is that it gives to the government the power to shape the souls and write on the fresh slates of young hearts... to assume that they accept that responsibility from a posture of neutrality is to live under the most destructive illusion." (p. 138)

By the time I finished this book, I thought that Ravi explained how things got so bad in our culture, and that knowing that much, we are better equipped to understand and deal with the situation, which will basically require an act of God to straighten out, of course, but God will win in the end. Christians know how the Bible ends and the true believing Christians end up in Heaven, while what do the secularist have to look forward to in the end? Nothing, by their own perspective, and worse, eternal damnation from a Biblical viewpoint. You can't beat God in the end. "Throughout history the Word of God has remained firm; it rises up to outlive its pallbearers." (p. 190)

Amen that, Ravi, amen that.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, points out what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA.

Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods.

Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum).

The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual.

This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others. The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations.

Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again.

Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul.

Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart.

The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook. I also recommend Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Bruce Walker, While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski, The Dragons Of Expectation: Reality And Delusion In The Course Of History by Robert Conquest, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci, The West's Last Chance by Tony Blankley and Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple.

This book examines the Zeitgeist or spirit of the age, identifies what is wrong with it and how to reverse the destructive trend. The modern era is taken as the period 1789 - 1989 and the Post-modern as the one that followed. The West is currently in the grip of the PoMo mindset, more so in Europe than in the USA. Whereas reason was held as the highest value under modernism, it has been ridiculed by postmodernism where truth is considered to be extinct. Purpose and design were emphasized in modernism, but postmodernism emphasizes chance and randomness. The post-modern spirit considers values as relative and celebrates unreason and the loss of meaning. Deconstruction and contradiction are its gods. Although the modern pursuit was inhospitable towards spiritual truth, debate was still possible because information was subject to induction and deduction. In the post-modern mentality the purpose of debate or dialogue is not to discover truth, since here facts have no legitimacy. Debate is therefore impossible.

The first section of the book is titled The Moods Of The Present; it explores the ideas and circumstances that gave birth to the current cultural struggle. The author rigorously investigates the PoMo mindset in the light of the fruits it has borne. This part contains interesting references to sources as varied as The Great Divorce and The Pilgrim's Regress by CS Lewis, the thoughts of GK Chesterton and even song lyrics by The Moody Blues (Question) and Carly Simon (Playing Possum). The second section looks at voices from the past, those that have shaped Western culture down the ages. As postmodernism mocks the promise once offered by modernity, religion comes under even greater assault, partly because of the faults of politicised religion. Theocracy is not the answer. The real hope lies in a change of heart in the individual. This section includes the poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and an interesting quote by Peggy Noonan, among others.

The author discusses the history of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. Manasseh turned out to be one of the most evil kings in the history of ancient Judah. He was a practitioner of "multiculturalism,' introducing hideous habits like infanticide from the surrounding nations. Zacharias provides a frightening description of what these sacrifices of children to Moloch must have been like. It shows how one person can lead millions into evil, when a nation ceases to think clearly. After Manasseh, the righteous King Josiah led the kingdom of Judah back to God again. Section 3 explores the mystery of evil, with reference to the trial of Eichmann and popular culture like the movie Pulp Fiction in which murder is trivialized. The beautiful poem The Coming by R S Thomas is reproduced here, and the grace of God and the invitation to redemption are discussed.

Appendix A: The Ineradicable Word is a defence of the uniqueness and authority of the Bible, a brilliant apologetics for the veracity of the message in our Judeo-Christian scriptures. It deals inter alia with the transcultural nature of truth and the transformation of the soul. Appendix B: Inextinguishable Light, deals with the structure of reason, certainty and the matter of absolutes. It includes a quote from Malcolm Muggeridge warning of the spiritual plague of relativism. It explains the relationship of logic - reason - truth and the Word as truth in the battleground of the heart. The book concludes with an Annotated Bibliography of the Bible, Notes by chapter and a Study Guide with questions to use as a workbook.

The Illusions of Postmodernism

Intellectual Impostures

Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas

Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie

Since I am not an economist, I must leave some of the technical details of the book for assessment by others. However, the author's advocacy for financial privacy and for consumption taxes seem to be right on the money--so to speak. He writes in a very lucid and comprehensible manner.

Richard Rahn explains money concepts and how it relates to your everyday life in a simple and concise manner. He conclusively argues for the abolution of taxes on capital and why unprincipled politicians will fight to keep them. He demonstrates with examples how some countries have prospered by keeping or eliminating taxes on capital while those who didn't have fallen behind. He is most persuasive on the issue of financial privacy as a human right and without it we are at the mercy of a totalitarian government. Very easy to read.

OK, so you have your guns, you've studied the law and you've got your gold and 10 years of food stashed.

Guess what?

It's not necessary. Not now. Not anymore.

No violence, no protests, no writing your congressman.

This is a revolution that is happening one person at a time, anonymously, securely, privately and instantaneously. Each individual voluntarily removes his energy from the system that is enslaving him.

The government will simply lose revenue until it can only function within its justified duties, which is the protection of the property and lives of its citizens.

This book shows the convergence of multiple truly revolutionary technologies that will give us back our freedom and force government to adjust to this new world. This is the way we will return to true freedom.

Rahn has made a bold attempt to predict the impact of technological and financial innovations on the economy and society in general. The technological developments are the Internet, electronic money, and freely available cryptographic software of a very high standard, specifically PGP. Other commentators have also speculated on the problems these with cause to governments in raising taxes, fighting money laundering etc. However Rahn takes into account not just technological developments but also an innovation of a purely financial nature, namely securitization.

In principle, almost any kind of asset can be turned into money by securitization. Probably the most highly publicised example is "Bowie bonds" which are backed by royalties from songs. David Bowie was the first to raise money in this way, hence the name.

Throughout history governments have yielded to the temptation to allow their currencies to be debased. In the past most people had to put up with this but Rahn suggests that the technological and financial innovation will effectively give people other choices.

Rahn concentrates on the US in his book, which is natural enough - after all as well as being his own country it is the world's most influential! However he does make many references to Switzerland, particularly in connection with that nation's long experience of bank secrecy, and is also very critical of the tendency of many Americans to think that what is illegal in the US should be illegal everywhere and conversely that what is legal there should be legal everywhere. He points out that the American legal system imposes a big burden on American business and society and that other countries should be suspicious of attempts to export US law.

One of my major quibbles is that the title is a bit misleading since what Rahn is describing is not really the "end of money" but its transformation and the end of coins and banknotes. Even that is questionable since the developments he foresees are most relevant to the comfortably off. In many countries the poor will remain a large section of the population for many years to come and I expect many of them will want to continue using hard cash.

However this is a thought-provoking an fascinating book which should help us to anticipate the problems and the opportunities changes in the form of money pose for society.

Dr. Rahn explains advanced concepts of economics in a format that the beginner and simpleton, like me, can understand and use. It is an easy four hour read, is a primer in economics and is must reading for anyone who thinks the way of spending money will continue just like it is at this time. The big question is whether government will grow up in time not to get in the way of the monetary changes and whether you and I will be able to spend our money as we wish without Big Brother's nosing in. What Dr. Rahn fails to point out is that the concepts expressed in his book are basic to our constitution and to our freedom. If we do not take heed, we stand to lose both. It is must reading for every citizen.