W Books

I came to the Love and Rockets bandwagon late. I first read both Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez a few years ago when I picked up this collection and the "Heartbreak Soup" collection by Gilbert and tore through each in turn.

This is a review for both, which is perhaps a bit unfair. But I feel that both brothers possess a deep, amazing skill for expressing deeply life in all of its pain and joy. The incredible thing is that, so often, the situations the characters find themselves in seem completely absurd, fantastical, surreal...yet the "realness" and vitality of both brothers' work cannot be overstated. I've been reduced to tears by the struggles and successes of Maggie and Hopey, of Heraclio and Carmen; but to mention only these characters doesn't do justice to the power of experiencing the different choices and consequences of each and every character in both series alongside them.

Please pick these up and read them--it is so worthwhile.

I thought I'd over extended when I bought it a coupla years ago. Now I see it was a worthy investment. There is so much here. It's actually a heavy book, literally. I can't even dig all into it and it's comics. There's just a ton here and it continues to wait for me to dig further. There are so many stories and you enter a world that you know exists somewhere out there, portrayed lovingly in these pages. Definitely worth getting, though now it's a steeper price. I wonder if it'll cost more in 3 years? 10? Comics with a Mexican flavor yet straight outta the heart of the Chicano life. I dig it. I think you will too if yer considering buying it.

Growing up in an artistic family, I was read Love and Rockets as a very young girl. The drawings, language, and storyline always intrigued me and till this day, I think of Luba as part of my family. She is very real to me, because she is like my mother (really). Such a dynamic, sexy character. People may say that Beto is lacking in his half of the L&R series but I disagree on so many levels.

I started reading Love & Rockets when I was in college in the mid 80s. It blew me away in terms of writing, style, layout. Gilbert is not the best technically, but he more than makes up for it in his storytelling and pacing. I continued reading the stories of Palomar until the mid 90s when other life issues took up most of my time. It was wonderful rediscovering this magnificent work in a single volume. Likewise, Locas by Gilbert's brother Jaime is a superlative body of work (700 pages!). Both volumes should take their deserved place on any comic book lovers shelf.

I've loved the Palomar stories ever since a friend handed me "Heartbreak Soup" (an earlier compilation of a few of the stories). The characters are wonderfully real, the art is expressive, and the strange, strange stories are always entertaining.

What a treat to have all of the Palomar stories in one (huge) volume! I totally agree with the reviewer who said that now Jaime Hernandez should follow suit, and release "Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories" (or whatever title he likes, as long as it's the complete Maggie and Hopey).

If you haven't read Regeneration, you are making a big mistake if you read The Eye in the Door before Regeneration. Regeneration sets the stage for The Eye in the Door and provides much background information that you need to appreciate this book.

Those who liked the first book in the Regeneration trilogy, Regeneration, will absolutely adore The Eye in the Door. The characters from Regeneration return, and you have a chance to find out the consequences of the treatments they received from Dr. William Rivers in Regeneration. Pat Barker builds on the tensions, damage, doubts, and despair of mid-World War I to show how much more desperate matters were for the British by the spring of 1918.

In developing these themes, Pat Barker does a masterful job of explaining how a soldier has to operate both by emotion and by objective distance in order to function. From there, she helps us use the crucible of war to see how that duality is important to everyday functioning for all people.

As the title indicates, the book builds on a central metaphor of everyone being under observation as doubts build about Britain's ability to win the war. Those on the margins are most under pressure and at greatest risk.

I thought that the portrayal of Lieutenant Billy Prior was brilliant. He comes across as the kind of complex, interesting character that can help us learn a lot about Ms. Barker's messages for us. The eye metaphor is nicely developed in the context of Billy's life.

Brava, Ms. Barker!

THE EYE IN THE DOOR is the second installment in Pat Barker's marvelous Regeneration trilogy. In this volume the principle characters of Dr. Rivers and Prior have left Criaglockhart War Hospital and are now living in London. Although Dr. Rivers has taken a new position treating shell-shock soldiers who have returned from the front in France, he continues to keep in touch and treat his former patients from Criaglockhart, especially Prior. Amidst the bombing and blackouts of wartime London, Prior continues to suffer from war neurosis as he embarks on solving a mystery that involves his childhood friends and acquaintances. He is confronted by England's societal fixation with fear and scapegoating of those who are believed to deter from the war effort (mainly war deserters and homosexuals). Individuals are often forced to hide their true attributes from society during this time of societal finger pointing and blaming. As in the previous volume of this trilogy, the characters of Prior and Dr. Rivers are well developed and nuanced. I continually enjoy reading about their trials and tribulations, and look forward to reading the third and final volume in this trilogy.

THE EYE IN THE DOOR (spoilers)

Ms Barker's epigraph, a quote from Stevenson, sets the tone: "It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man. I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both."

I am hampered in critiquing the trilogy, since I've read only the first two works, REGENERATION and THE EYE IN THE DOOR. The first of these concentrates on the relation between the enlightened, humane Dr Rivers and the war hero/war protester Siegfried Sassoon, who has been labeled a war neurotic ("shell-shocked") in order to avoid confronting his rational case against the war. Both Rivers and Sassoon are historical characters who the author effectively fictionalizes (their dialogues, etc).

The second novel focuses on the relation between Rivers and Billy Prior, a relatively minor character in the first. The book is set on a wider stage than REGENERATION, which was confined to the (real) mental hospital of Craiglockhart in Scotland. Here we are in London, during the crisis produced by the initial success of the Germans' spring offensive in 1918. As happens during defeats, the search is on for scapegoats seen as undermining the war effort, groups like pacifists and ... who are seen as destroying the nation's "moral fiber." Ludicrously, the leading anti-... crusader, lays the blame on the Germans, who are said to have sent homosexual agents over before the war to corrupt English youth.

Billy Prior, on medical leave from the front, works for a counter-intelligence agency, but his loyalties are divided, since his earliest friends are pacifists and "conchies" (conscientious objectors). The result of these divided loyalties is a split consciousness, where the fugue state ("Hyde") takes over at times, doing things that the "daytime" Billy is not aware of, but whose consequences nevertheless he must face. It is this split consciousness that Rivers must deal with-and on one occasion, he deals directly with "Hyde," who speaks of Billy in the third person.

At the crisis of the novel, Billy's alter ego betrays his closest friend, something that the daytime Billy at first denies doing, but which he finally comes to suspect he has actually done. Rivers treats the psychological phenomenon by making Billy see that it is basically Oedipal, that he actually wished to kill his father, who had, in Billy's sight and hearing, beat and abused his mother. One manifestation of this hatred is "Hyde's": punching the agent provocateur Spragge, who looks like Billy's father. To complicate the issue, his father is a socialist/pacifist, a fact which may contribute to Billy's ambivalent attitude to his pacifist friends, one of whom he helps, as he betrays the other.

Sassoon make another appearance here, having gone back to France (partly at Rivers' suggestion), and once again been wounded (by friendly fire). But Sassoon's appearance doesn't seem to contribute to the plot of this novel, tho it may have a role to play in the trilogy as a whole. (Maybe his divided consciousness is relevant, since he was very effective at killing Germans, but at home becomes a "dove") Another seemingly extraneous thread is Manning, one of Billy's sex partners.

But basically a rich novel, recalling a key point in Western history. In many ways, WWI was more traumatic than WWII, since it occurred after almost a century or relative peace in Europe. And, as Barker makes clear, WWI was harder on soldiers than was WWII.

Trivia: Why were French troops show on the covers of the paper editions of the first two novels? They play no role in the novels themselves (tho they played the major role on the Western Front).

People existing against a war background-normal people doing normal things whilst shouldering the burden of their experiences, their fears and societies norms and expectations.

A lovely book that always has the lightest of touches in the darkest of moments. Nothing is simple and nothing is complicated, but everything is ambiguous and dwarfed by "the front" and what is expected.

The writing is always simple, but the ideas, concepts and dilemmas dealt with are complex and impossible to resolve. Class and duty are themes; the most interesting theme in my opinion is that of being a pacifist, a father figure to your men and a violent war hero simultaneously. (By the nature of things, war heroes are violent.)

My one regret is that I have only just realised that this book is part of a trilogy and that I have read it out of sequence... although on the positive side it means I have two more books to explore. I would strongly recommend this book; I have just gone and bought one of Sassoon's books as a direct result of it awakening school hood poems by him and Wilfred Owens.

After reading "Regeneration", the second novel of the trilogy "Eye in the Door" expands in terms of characterization and plot complexity. Whereas Regeneration is superb in its exploration of the consciousness of Siegfreid Sassoon and his psychiatrist, Dr. River; Eye in the Door expands the character of Billy Prior to become one of the most psychologically well developed and complex characters in English fiction.

Billy Prior , a bisexual, has both male and female lovers in this novel. These relationships are embedded in the homophobic atmosphere of war torn London. Prior, suffering from "shell shock" struggles with his identify of war hero and pacifism. He struggles with childhood trauma in a society where repressesions are let lose in a war charged atmospher.

The book is beautifully written. Whereas Regeneration explores Sassoon's struggles to brng meaning into a meaningless situation, Eye in the Door explores more of the societal struggles with the war and individual reactions to the pressures of a war time society.

I loved this book and would give it 10 stars if I could.

As someone who has been in group therapy for a while, I must say this is a terrific book. What I like about it is that it is not a "self-help," feel good book. The book doesn't necessarily tell us anything we don't already know. But it crystallizes things with astonishing lucidity. Get this book--and share it with your partner. Talk about it in bed.

Summary - This is a clinical psych textbook. It is designed to introduce new psychotherapists to the array of pathology they will encounter in field practice in couples and relationship counseling. For a general understanding of how, in our pursuit of intimacy, we get sidetracked and sabotaged by our unconscious, for non-therapists, books on Transactional Analysis (TA) and its more mature offshoot, Redecision Therapy are a better bet. This book touches and adds to issues raised by David Deida, who has contributed the most evolved books on relationship as a means of spiritual growth at this time.

Fear of Intimacy
Robert Firestone & Joyce Catlett (both in So. Cal)

David Deida says, "We long for the same fullness of bliss that we never seem to have time to offer. We complain about our lives and blame others, until we realize that right now, we are making love-or we are refusing-right now."

Fear of Intimacy offers several insights that can be used as tools to move towards intimacy with the universe as Deida proposes.

The book has several headlines. One is "our defenses are the illness." The book describes how defenses are formed. Our primary defense [are formed] at a time when the child would be in great danger if he or she was abandoned by the parent. ...[The child] is afraid that if they react with emotional integrity, if they really cry out, if they really ask, if they really scream for help, that it won't come, and they will be in the same panicky, frightened state [forever]" (36). Rather then be frightened forever, the child is forced to go away from the pain of 3D reality and into a fantasy world of some kind. They go into a fiction, into a delusion, hug a teddy bear or puppy, numb out, obsess on substances, etc. "In this [way] people's defenses formed under painful circumstances, become the core of their neurosis..." (35). This is the clearest language I've seen for how unresolved traumas are "put into us" as kids.

The idea of "defenses are our illness" stimulated me to check to see if defendedness could be measured by muscle testing. Sure enuf, it can. As Spirit sees it, Defendedness appears to be on a scale of 1000. John-Roger (msia.org) is the least defended person I know and perhaps one of the least defended persons ever. He measures at zero by my checking. It's possible to measure your own Defendedness.

The book excels on "Why do we defend?" Then it shows how defenses impact relationships. Defenses play into relationships this way, "...people tend to select partners who are like people in their own early lives [because] their defenses are appropriate [to them]"(39) If wife is like birth mother, then "...it leaves a person's defense system intact" (39). Hence the phenomena of the man who marries a woman then complains, "You're just like my mother!" The authors propose that in the unexamined areas of our life, "we "feel relaxed [and familiar] when our defenses are appropriate" (69). People who carry a primarily negative self-image from childhood are a particular focus of the book.

The book makes a nice segue to Deida when it says things like, "Distortions of self, others and the world, inherent in being defended, are introduced into new relationships... Most people end up fighting ghosts [of the past] rather than struggling with [growth:] personal gratification and self-actualization" (63). The early part of the book lays out patterns of psychological defense so that readers can find their own dysfunction and dysfunctional family pattern, if they stumble across a shoe that fits.

Readers are led early on to an insight that 99% of everyone-thruout human history-has, as a child, suffered physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect or some combination of the three. This simply goes with growing up on a planet where the sins of the parents are visited on the children. On this, the book is refreshingly frank. "The ideal conditions favoring a secure attachment [to an early care giver] rarely exist [anywhere]. All children, to varying degrees, suffer emotional pain and anxiety that necessitate the building of defenses" (65). The damaged condition of therapists and clients-that's everyone pretty much- is simply a given, not a cause for blame or for victim pride.

Moving on thru much ground the book covers, the authors say something new to me. "Once a person is damaged, he or she formulates defenses that not only preclude getting hurt again but also ward off loving responses." "...The truth is that mature love-kindness, respect, sensitivity, and affectionate treatment-is not only difficult to find but is [also] difficult to tolerate or accept [if negative self-concepts are held on to]." (310). The idea that we build defenses is old. The idea that we sabotage unconditionally loving gestures directed at us, because it would require us to give up familiar negative self-images, is not a common insight and is one that is conspicuous by its absence in my reading of classic Transactional Analysis literature

The book emphasizes how in childhood we are handed a provisional personality that integrates us into the family system. John Bradshaw used to display a hanging mobile from the ceiling in his televised workshops to show his conception of the family system, how every part has its place, is moving and affects every other part one way or another.

The books says, to the degree our provisional family personality was negative, was accepted by us, and became familiar, to that extent we tend to defend it from loving gestures that would cause us to rethink our view of ourself. The book is highly cognizant of the wisdom of family systems that if we do not review, revise, update and upgrade the personality handed to us early in our life in our family of origin, then we will tend to replicate our family dynamic in relationships, coupling, and marriage.

Much of the rest of the book works in the area where couples transition from being in love and cherishing each other; and then, transition to distance, routinized behavior, loss of passion, complacency or even fighting and violence. The books is good about tracking how couples move out of initial positive bloom of love to a dysfunctional relationships. "In spite of their stated desire for self-affirmation, people seek confirmation for their negative provisional identity, developed in the context of the [early] family" (304).

The book gives a lot of case studies. It proposes a variation of voice dialogue to unearth and expose the negative self-talk and give lots of examples of how they do this. The book embraces the topic of voice dialogue and quotes Christopher Lasch, "The distinguishing character of selfhood...is not rationality; rather, the critical awareness of man's divided nature." The book's take on unearthing negative self talk is more talk-therapy than inner-child related. See TA, Voice Dialogue or the Three Selves for the more solution-oriented approaches to conversing with your inner "parts."

Addictions and dysfunctional fantasy life, including masturbatory behavior, come in for lots of discussion. Addiction is discussed as "...a fundamental choice away from relationships" (41) `The child (and adult) unconsciously rejects real gratification and gives up goal-directed activity to hold on to the safety of a fantasy world over which he or she has complete control."

The unexamined life tends to repeat and recreate early family dynamics, good or ill. Beyond this, the authors point to two existential issues that clearly block us from the kind of intimacy Deida encourages. A radio interview Joyce Catlett gave on KPFK put a better point on this than the book does. She said that two fears block us at the deepest level. One is the fear of being separated and isolated from the ones we love [the Beloved]. The other fear is being overwhelmed and swallowed whole [merged and] losing our identity in our loved one [or the Beloved]. "...being loved challenges core psychological defenses" (311)

I've been checking this out. It does indeed seem to be the case; fear breaks down into two categories, fear of separation-isolation; and, fear of dissolution and loss of identity in merging with the Beloved. Some classical associations arise here. Separation and pain associate with darkness. Converging with ecstasy associates with light and bliss. Acknowledging and backtracking thru these two fears has clarified for me where I got off track navigating towards the undefended loving Deida encourages. These topics, more commonly found in spiritual literature, can be applied productively to couples counseling and self-examination.

If you've ever had someone tell you, "I don't know what you're thinking," and "You never tell me anything," this book is for you. I never knew I was the withholding type (as described by Firestone) but this book hit the nail on the head.

I'm not sure exactly what to do with the information. It seems you may need some pretty specific help with a therapist to undo the negative messages "stuck in your craw" but just the awareness of my problem has helped my relationship in very real ways.

I picked up this book as a way to understand the behavior of someone close to me, and I was amazed at how much of it I could apply to myself. The book offered so much insight into people and their behaviors. I have recommended this book to many people and have even bought it as a gift. This book is written in a more clinical way, perhaps not readily consumed by the masses, but I found it to be much more insightful and "helpful" than any self-help book I've ever read. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in human behavior.

Sexual, emotional or spiritual vulnerability takes considerable courage and the authors make a compelling case for the fear of intimacy. The book starts fast and is very dense but digestable. The authors lighten up on the content about midway into the section on psychodynamics of relationships and the strong theme of the opening chapters seem to fade into generalities. I have often recommended the book to clients based solely on the value of the first few chapters.

I have the previous edition of "the pink book", and knowledge has advanced in these species such that I desperately needed the new edition. An excellent text that is a must have if you see small mammal patients.

As a ferret owner, you have the responsibility to know what diseases or cancers your ferret could get, and for making sure they get the proper treatment as soon as possible. Early diagnosis is the key. This is one of the best books you will find and it's more than worth the money invested. Every ferret owner should have a personal copy. Check with your vet to see if they have a copy as well, this is an awesome Christmas present. Read! Highlight! Consult! Together, you can extend the life of your ferret.

This is that kind of book , that helps you to increase your knowledgement.
For every veterinary and student who work with Ferrets, Rabbits, or Rodents.

This book is the absolute best resource on the medicine of these species. The book is easy to follow and find specific information as necessary. Most illustrations are quite useful, although in black and white. The book is organized mostly by taxonomic groups. However, the book seems to repeat itself in some chapters as well as in different chapters, and sometimes, finding information may be indexed in more than one place only to find that they are all quite similar pieces of information. I HIGHLY reccomend this book, and its is the best amount of informtion at a very affordable price.

I got this book so I can better understand what the heck the vet was telling me about two of my ferrets. It is a reall good resouce for pet owners to learn more about the different medical conditions that will come up with owning a ferret. However, be warned!.... This book explains thing in terminology that a vet or a vet tech will understand. It is not a book for the average person per se, but it did help me ask the right questions and to be better informed. One vet I talked to uses this book as a reference quite often. I enjoyed going through this book and it was very educational.

May Sarton is an insightful writer in all of her books. Although I am not a cat lover, I read the book first before deciding whether or not my cat-lover reader friends would enjoy this book. I know they will. The hardcover edition is especially nice for a gift. The illustrations in the book are a treasure as well.

May Sarton, poet and journal-writer extraorindaire, wrote a novella/poem to the Cat, the Gentleman Cat, called "The Fur Person". I have reread this masterpiece every year for the past 25 years. "The Fur Person" is for children and adults, for everyone!

This is a good book both children and adults. Couldn't wait to read the next chapter.

This book was given to me as a gift and after reading it I promptly bought 4 from Amazon to give as gifts for the holidays. The author has truly captured her cat's essence. It's beautifuly written and tells just how much love a cat needs and gives. I highly recommend this book.

This is such a wonderful book. It is short and easy to read, but so well written, by the late poet May Sarton. It is the story of her cat, Tom Jones. When the fur person decided it was time to settle down and find a home, he found Ms. Sarton and her partner, and became a precious part of their family. This book makes a very great gift for any cat lover. Unbelievably, it has been out of print from time to time. Thank goodness it is available both in paperback and a gift edition now.

I own many of the Better Homes and Garden books and have never been disappointed in their style.

This book, as the title states, is about "Garden Style. It is a hardback book filled with many colorful photos.

The book is divided into different areas regarding either living with the "garden style" or creating the "garden style" in your home.

There are a few BEFORE and AFTER photos included in the last chapters, but mostly, this is a pictorial book showing how to use garden accessories, and/or garden structures in your home , your porch, your shed, and/or your garden.

I have a single favorite place for soul restoring. It's a local plant nursery, but this one is more than that. The owners frequently change and update and relocate plants, garden items, things that hang on walls, in trees, nestle against fences, dangle from ceilings, embrace the earth, cozy in planters with fellow plants and dazzlingly different plants. The place has so many cubbyholes. After I wander this fairy world of greenery and flowery boudoirs, I leave refreshed, my mind ready for more of the knocking about that the world outside brings.

A second choice is a book like "BH&G Garden Style." I can sit with a book like this and imagine life in one of these pictures of garden comfort, inside and out. This is not plant gardening but the comfort of resting and entertaining and playing next to a garden, in a garden setting, just being outdoors or indoors with the ambience of outdoors. I have numerous books like this, but "Garden Style" is really special because it has such rich, imaginative, calming, creative rooms inside and out that are "garden style."

The important selling point for a book like this is how doable are the looks. There are actually affordable decorating tips here. Let me show you what I mean. Randomly opening to p. 38, I find a wicker chair with a side wooden stool, simple design, with a potted pink geranium and a colorful birdhouse. These items are available at local do-it-yourself stores or as is in others. Then surrounding the chair and stool are containers and containers of more potted pink geraniums, pink petunias, junipers, broadleaf plants--all in blue or white or clay pots, creating a calming scene to sip tea and read a book.

Here's another on p. 79. Take a small drop-leaf table, paint it white, put it in a nook or empty corner or wall, add matched botanical prints, two mismatched but coordinated chairs, and top the table with an assortment of plants for a quiet garden look in the midst of indoors.

One more: a mini-greenhouse in wrought iron filled with potted flowering plants set against a large window, anchored by two wicker chairs upholstered in green and white. A lovely garden look (p. 105).

I am currently creating a cottage garden outside my patio where I feed the birds. Some of my ideas come from this book. See you later outside for tea and Pennyroyal dumplings from my herb book, or maybe herb scones from a scone book.

This inspiring book is a wonderful guide for incorporating the pleasure of nature and garden accessories into a welcoming home decor. The author provides a wide range of possibilities to blend with the wishes and desires of any home decorator. Within the pages of this beautiful resource, the reader will uncover whimsical, country, cottage, mountain, old world, British Colonial, and a bounty of other styles that are adapted to the nature lovers vision of tranquility or fun. The interiors of the vistas that have been photographed are each the product of real people who have opened their homes to the author. The author also includes a visual display of home gardening boutiques and shops from around the country which present their lovely wares to assist this enchanting approach to home decorating.

This has quickly become one of my favorites. Every vignette has ideas popping off the page. I'm a designer in a small design firm and we have used it with clients. The other designers got excited about it as I did. Clinets are asking us to bring the outdoors in and indoors out. This book is loaded with ideas that are practical and don't break the pocketbook.

This book has inspired me to redo many of our rooms usingsimple and easy to find garden-style accessories. ............... the fabulous sequel to this book, Garden Style Projects. I may need a new house now so I can keep using all these ideas.

I have worked in the domestic violence field and related fields for 20 years and this book has been a guiding light
throughout. I am delighted to remind readers that there are new chapters and that the book has been thoroughly updated. More information can be found on the website [...]. With such a strong history and the latest in important thinking this book is an incredible resource. It remains a great gift to the field and to countless survivors and their loved ones.

I left my partner 6 weeks ago. There were so many signs that I didn't recognize until I had left and until I read this book. The exercises are realistic, and very very helpful. I am searching for more, I wish this book never ended so that I could receive daily readings from this author!

Could have been alot more helpful. A lot more.

Great book for empowering women, but there are some problems due to its age. The most glaring is the claim that there is "no persuasive evidence that children are happier or healthier in a two-parent than a one-parent home" - there is now a wealth of empirical evidence to demonstrate that children are certainly better off emotionally with two parents, and even more tellingly, with their biological parents. This must be considered when making the decision whether to leave or stay.

Few think of escaping verbal, emotional or physical abuse as shortcuts to freedom, but it surely is, and is likely the only route to get there. Babysitting abusers is rotten work, and keeps them from "facing the music," robbing both of what might be happy lives. Anyone who is an abuser deserves to go it alone, and has "earned that right" many times over, usually at the expense of the abused.

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.

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!

I bought this book for my boyfriend who is an avid ebayer. He seemed to like it.

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.

This book leaves no stone unturned. If you are truly thinking about having an eBay business, or you already have one that needs spicing up with fresh ideas, you need this book. "How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay" by Michael P. Lujanac and Dan W. Blacharski is much more than just a few tips on locating merchandise. This book offers creative advice on what kind of merchandise works and when, how to maximize your profits on eBay, and pitfalls and traps to avoid. The ideas for finding merchandise are quite extensive and a directory of contacts is even thrown in. All this information is not just from someone who has done a little research. It is evident that this is insider information from people who have been there. The book is riddled with tips and tricks from eBay Power Sellers and is organized very well. In summary, get this book.

I traveled this same B.C. wilderness area as a child in 1967 with my family. So sad to say people like Eugene Charley were the rule more than the exception. Greg was isolated in his incredible knowledge of the wolf; he was also gifted by the friendship of many wolves. He put himself at great risk of freezing or injury, living through unforgiving winter and traveling unmapped territory, all to understand and honor Nahani and her pack. This book is one of a kind, sharing a spiritual bond like no other. Nahani is still here, every time I see a rainbow I feel her spirit. I was deeply sad to read in one of the reviews about people who killed a wolf because they believed it was stalking them. What they did was kill a lonely wolf who probably saw them as a pack and followed them because it wanted them to welcome it into their pack. If you like wolves and their cousins, you will enjoy: Wolves at Our Door : The Extraordinary Story of the Couple Who Lived with Wolves and James Herriot's Dog Stories: Warm And Wonderful Stories About The Animals Herriot Loves Best

Excellent book. Made me have my own opinion when someone told me she was being stalked by a wolf. I felt very bad that they shot it. Might not have had the same feelings before reading this book.

Just finished reading this and it is truly the most powerful factual story I have ever read. It has a similar thread to a fiction novel by another Native American author, Ghost in the Rainbow. There is a ghost wolf Indian spirit in that story, and I couldn't read this story without referring back to that one. The Native Americans know something about wolves, and this book touches upon that something...are wolves spirit creatures? I am of the opinion, because of these two books, to believe wolves are a lot more than animals. I can only encourage people to read this story. You will never be the same.

There are three non-religious books I read and re-read constantly. "In the Shadow of a Rainbow" is one of them. Man and wolf become alive before our eyes, with unexpected depth and dimension, as does the land of BC itself - and my life has become the richer.

I despair of ever seeing this story done properly on film, but there is one person who could do it justice - Hayao Miyazaki, master storyteller from Japan, known the US for "Totoro," "Kiki's Delivery Service," and "Princess Mononoke." (He could also do a worthy animated "Diary of Anne Frank." With the eye and heart of a spiritual magician, and artist's touch to match, I wait for him to bring Nahani alive on the screen. In the meantime, I'll just have to keep reading the book itself...

I have read many wolf books, but this one brings a feeling of bondage between Man and Wolf. But the story is not goody-goody. There are bounty hunters and trappers as there are in real life. This book refers to a map in the beginning of the book a lot, but you can manage to do without it, its not vital. Though this is a slightly shorter book it still has all the action and emotions as if you were really there. It is a really good buy and would recomend it to any wolf or animal lover.

With thanks to David S. Shannahoff-Khalsa for adding to the small but growing body of scientific study on yoga. It is absolutely astounding the combination of sound, mudra, posture and focus that Kundalini Yoga offers. I will present some of the practices to the yoga class I offer here in Perth, Australia. I do know, as the students will, that it is the practice that affords the rebalancing, not the marvelling at it but the doing of it.

Meta B. Doherty
Yoga Instructor and author of Sattwa Cafe, an Ayurvedic Cookbook published by Lotus Press, USA

This book is a nice reference in Kundalini meditation and breath technique. I enjoyed learning about the healing benefits of the meditations and prana (breathwork).

I have been practicing Kundalini Yoga (with prana, mantra & meditation) for about a year now and absolutely love it! I continue to rotate KY with Vinyasa/Hatha style yoga too (which I have enjoyed doing for 20 years). Kundalini Yoga has taught me to be open to anything and continues to expand my awareness. Spiritual growth express! Excellent book!

I tried this method as a self-treatment for OCD, from which I had suffered for quite a few years (about 26 years, actually), and which was getting worse. The breathing method prescribed is quite arduous and I was not sure that it would work for me. Actually, to be blunt, I was quite skeptical that it would work for anyone, as I am not a believer in any Eastern religion (or other religion) and am generally inclined to believe that the benefits of meditation, yoga, and like practices are overblown, even when significant. However, I was desperate, and I had read Mr. Shannahoff-Khalsa's scientific articles, which appeared to have been conducted according to sound scientific protocols and to give significant support to the hypothesis that certain kinds of breathing methods can treat OCD. I actually found that the method worked -- my obsessions diminished and eventually went away. I do not take any prescription medications, and I actually do not even practice the method anymore (I don't need to). Of course, I am simply one person, and it is possible that things would have changed for me, anyway, with or without this method. However, nothing had worked before this except, to some extent, Saint John's Wort, which I do still take but which had never cured (merely alleviated) my obsessions. I also worked on psychological techniques I learned from Steven Phillipson's website, which I also highly recommend. Perhaps my recovery was a consequence of one of these or a combination, not of the pranayama breathing; perhaps it was merely something that would have happened by itself. But I don't think so, and I would urge anyone who is suffering as I did to try this. You have very little to lose and a lot to gain. I myself saw results right away.

I am a Ana Brett & Ravi Singh Kundalini Yoga DVD fan. I found this book intriguing and insightful. It amply demonstrates how Kundalini Yoga is a technology based on models of the mind/body construct which, although instrinsic to yoga lore for thousands of years, are just now being given credence by "mainstream," researchers. This book bridges the gap admirably. Yoga Quick Fixes - Ana Brett & Ravi Singh

I found a copy of this book on the shelf in Barnes and Nobles. I was so impressed by the scientific research supporting the practices and also by the testimonals that I begin doing the protocol on my own almost immediately. I have had amazing results. I have tried countless healing modalities from conventional to alternative and I have not found any treatment that offers lasting results. I have been doing the PTSD protocol for 3 months now and my life has transformed. For the first time in my life I am enjoying myself. Anyone who suffers from chronic psychological problems should read this book and try the protocol that fits their particular situation. There is absolutely nothing to lose and a lot to gain!!!!!!!