White Books

What do you get when you combine pulp-style fiction and superheroes? A tale that doesn't take itself too seriously and yet manages to entertain on the same campy level as a Bruce Campbell film. Think the campiness of Army of Darkness and you'll have a good idea what Plexico's world of super heroes is like. (This is a compliment, because I absolutely love Bruce Campbell).

Sentinels: When Strikes the Warlord starts off in a world very much like our own. Lyn Li is a college student who harbors a special gift, but she doesn't want anyone else to know; she just wants to be normal. But we all know how well that's going to work, right? Her best friend, of course, suspects something is up, though: after three TVs mysteriously explode in Lyn's presence it's hard to argue that she's entirely innocent and normal. Then a strange man tries to kidnap her and all hell breaks loose. Soon she finds herself training with Esro Brachis--a legendary inventor--and Ultraa--the city's biggest superhero--to control her powers and to battle The Warlord, a god-like being who wants to unite all the alternate universes into one and turn everyone into his slaves. And that's not exactly going to work for Esro, Ultraa, and Lyn...not at all.

This is what I would call a good airport book. It's quick, it's relatively simple, and it's fun. It's designed to be action-packed and entertaining and I think it does a good job. Readers of comic books may find this to be a good jump-novel from the visual medium to the more literary medium--meaning one who primarily reads comics might find this a good novel to start with if trying to get into the super hero literature out there. Comic fans will also notice plenty of similarities to Marvel and DC universes here, although the characters in Plexico's work are unique in their own way--mostly personality.

The story moves pretty quick, being a book of only 221 pages. It digs right in and keeps pretty steady throughout: lots of action, lots of superhero battles, explosions, and other goodies. The pulpy feel comes through strongest with The Warlord, who, in typical "bad guy" fashion, likes to monologue here or there and spout campy and rather humorous lines about world domination and the like. You should go into reading this book with the right mindset: this isn't a serious book; as far as I am concerned it's not meant to be taken seriously like a Margaret Atwood book. I imagine the folks who read Mur Lafferty's work or Matthew Wayne Selznick will enjoy Plexico's work too (which makes sense since they're all published by the same publisher: Swarm Press).

I had some minor complaints about the writing. While the style is, in my opinion, more simplistic and pulpy, I get the sense that some of the sentences and what not could have been edited to be more, shall we say, snappy. Certain phrases here or there didn't seem to fit or read somewhat amateur (for lack of a better phrase). Some of the dialogue was also set up a bit strange, but you get used to it after a while. There was also one minor inconsistency in how the author named the Warlord: sometimes it was "Warlord" and other times "the Warlord". I also was a bit iffy on the circular plot: things sort of came back to the starting point, but I suppose I understand the reasoning for this because it does fit well into the circular plots of comic books, where bad guys get recycled over and over--come on, we've all seen X-men and Spiderman and what not.

Leaving the complaints to the side, I think the snappy dialogue will help draw in urban fantasy readers and the comic book feel will draw in all those comic nuts. Those of you who read neither may find the fun, pulpy feel to be a fresh break. For everyone else, consider giving this one a look It's a quick read, fun, and much more entertaining than that crappy Daredevil movie, or Elektra for that matter. In fact, I can almost guarantee that Plexico's novel will not cause seizures due to being a mediocre attempt at a superhero-romp; lightning, explosions, interdimensional travel, evil villains with insane powers, and distinct characters make this a worthy addition to an ever growing field of superhero fiction.

This series of books by Van Allen Plexico is remarkable. I felt as I'd been sent back to the early 1960s when Marvel came into existence. Plexico
captures the enthusiasm and complete sense of wonder in his super characters, both good and evil, and delivers a fast paced tale that is impossible to put down once begun.

Van Allen Plexico's "Sentinels-When Strikes the Warlord" is a great example of heroic fiction that draws the reader in and rivets you to your seat practically from cover to cover. Filled with exotic locals ranging from the surface of the moon to other dimensions, Plexico's rich cast of fledgling super-heroes must seek out clues to an imminent disaster that will destroy their world. Filled with powerful heroes and even more powerful villains "When Strikes the Warlord" is a feast for the Super-Hero connesieur who likes his adventures meaty and heart rate quickening. An absolute joy to read! Highly recomended for fans of the Super-Hero genre.

This is really a fantastic read. This book grabs your attention from the very first page, and absolutely won't let go. The story is entertaining, the characters interesting, and the writing is top-notch. You won't be disappointed with this one, and volume 2 just gets better. Sentinels: A Distant Star

Excellent and thorough book on Prudential by Eichenwald. A must-read for anybody interested in corporate greed. Like his books on Enron (Conspiracy of Fools) and Archer Danuels Midland (The Informant). Okay, I admit it; I'm a fan!

Its not the best written story of a financial scandal and overly relies on several characters for the facts and anecdotes. That written, it is a disturbing look at what was allowed to happen in the key mid-tier brokerage firm as controls lapsed in the pursuit of profits.

This is not Eichenwald's best book. But it's still better than 95 percent of the junk that passes for thrillers these days. In fact, I would be raving over this book if I hadn't read Eichenwald's "The Informant" and "Conspiracy of Fools" first. Those two set a very, very high bar. This one doesn't clear it completely, but it still gets darn close.

"Serpent on the Rock" is the first of Kurt Eichenwald's investigative works on the greed of corporate America. Eichenwald has made quite a reputation for himself dealing with large firms and the chain-of-mistakes that cause them to be disgraced. All three of his books read as good fiction. However, "Serpent on the Rock" does not quite reach the level of "The Informant" and "Conspiracy of Fools".

"Serpent on the Rock" deals with the Prudential-Bache scandals of the late 80's and early 90's. Interestingly enough - much of logic that created the scandal seems to have been repeated with our current "sub-prime" meltdown. This alone makes it a must read. I will not give away too much of the plot, but it is familiar. A company begins activities that are on the fringe of legality. This gradually moves into completely illegal and immoral.... Which eventually blows up in their face. Next we have the cover-up.

Eichenwald has written a very fast paced account of the Prudentail-Bache scandal, and should be a must read for all MBA students, so that may learn from history and not fall into this endless cycle of business on the fringe. 4 stars ONLY because it is not quite on the same level as "Conspiracy of Fools" and the "Informant" (both of which I highly recommend).

This rewiew is based on the DVD rather than the book. If you can't find the DVD here, go to wallbuilders website. This DVD is Strong, documented history. I personally know many good black people who always vote democratic just because they think that they are supposed to. They have (sadly) not taken the time to look into the History of either political party. The same can also be said of many white people as well. History is ALWAYS valuable. When one watches this DVD (or reads the book) he will see which of the two major political parties has done the most to help black folks. Also highly recommended - "Unfounded Loyalty" by Rev Wayne Perryman.

This was an amazing DVD full of primary sources as is the case in all of Barton's works. This may be his best work yet. I appreciate someone who takes the time to research and present the facts. It's difficult to argue with the records of Congress up through the 1960's, which show that Democrats voted against almost every opportunity to provide equal rights for African Americans. You have got to see this for yourself. I'm not a Republican, and I won't pledge my allegiance to that party, although I do agree with most of what it stands for today. I do wish Barton would have spent a little more time on one of my heroes, Martin Luther King, Jr., but there is so much material that is covered (about 2 hours covering the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, Reconstruction, acts of Congress, and the civil rights movement in the 50's and 60's). Hopefully Barton can make a DVD on the life of MLK, who I have found to be a devout man of God and a prophet to our country. Based on my studies of the man, I cannot believe King would be at all happy with the politics and anti-Christian stances of modern Democrats. I loaned this DVD to a couple of friends, who also deeply appreciated the video. An excellent history lesson.

I have collected history books for many years. I have been an avid student of history since I was quite small- collecting books from the 1800's and even 1700's if I could find anything (which I once did but it got lost).

Anyway, I would normally not do this, but I saw this DVD and was so amazed that I sat with my mouth open much of the time. Never have I seen so much valuable information gathered in one place about the REAL history of the US and Black America that is not twisted to manipulate the viewer.

What we saw in this DVD literally changed our lives in a positive way. If I had the ability I would purchase tons of these to distribute to students throughout the US of all races to give hope and pride back to us all. We have been manipulated over the years to believe and feel things that are not entirely true.

This collection of information gives dignity back to both white and black people of the US. It does not hide anything bad, but it shows a lot of good as well. The DVD was exceptional- the real roots of the Democratic and Republican parties (which are well known facts, not contortions of reality) was very well done.

Did you know that there were MANY black men in Congress BEFORE the Civil War? Not just one.

I was astonished at the COMPLETE quotes from Frederick Douglass not just the truncated ones that travel around in the depressing museum displays that we have been inundated with around here.

This book is a must for every US citizen (and anyone else who wants to learn about US history). It unites instead of divides and that is precious these days when everythings seems geared to manipulate division instead of true unity between races in the US.

wallbuilders site is a wonderful resource where you can also see posters and visual aids as well as the media production of this title.

A great deal of information contained in "Setting The record Straight: History In Black and White," I was previously aware of. However, there was plenty I found to be "eye opening." But the most important reason to read this book is, it contains all of the information needed to verify the information it contains.

By citing historical and public records available to anyone, and giving one these resources, this book does more than "open your eyes." It feeds your mind and teaches you to not accept many of the established sources of politically correct messages about the origins of this country, and the self-serving politically slanted "truths" that are 180-degrees from reality. Buy it, read it, and check the resources for yourself - if you dare!

WONDERFULLY FUNNY, WRITTEN WITH A FLAIR THAT ONLY A LOVING SPONSOR & SPONSEE COULD SHARE. I WAS UNABLE TO PUT THIS BOOK DOWN, THE DIALOUGE BETWEEN TYLER AND EDWARD IS SO TRUE TO RECOVERY. ALWAYS CHALLANGING US TO FIND THE ANSWER AND DO THE "NEXT RIGHT THING",. "THE SEVEN DEADLY NEEDS" IS A LIGHT LOOK AT SOME VERY PRESSING "NEEDS"., MADE ME FEEL GOOD ABOUT NOT BEING SO "UNIQUE"................

My appreciation of Edward Bear's latest book began the minute I picked it up and read the title. THE 7 DEADLY NEEDS with needs listed as the Need to Know, Be Right, Get Even, Look Good, Judge, Keep Score and Control.

It was something about reading those words and thinking of them in the context of being "deadly" that rang very loud alarm bells in my head.

The 7 mentioned "needs" were really okay, weren't they--not even harmful, much less deadly--all part of life--right? Right! How could there be anything "deadly about them? Yet here I was, stuck with this gut level response, this recognition that in some subconscious space dragons were stirring and I had better find out why. I opened the book and began the journey, expecting very heavy going.

What a joy (and relief) to find I had stepped not into the dragon's den, but into "Steady Eddy's" house next door (or down the block...a place in everyone's neighborhood) to meet with Eddy and that magnificent aging paragon of madness, wisdom and gentle humor know simply as Tyler.

For the next 7 chapters I was privileged to follow along as Ed and Tyler drummed, pounded, danced and laughed their way through a very weighty but terribly human set of needs which, when carried to their most obsessive, are extremely deadly.

In the course of this journey I began to become aware of how many of these needs are not, as I had always believed, just normal desires in my life but actual, can't live without, needs.

This kind of awareness, we all hope, leads to the ability to make changes in our lives. A few weeks ago I was arguing with a friend over some minor news of the day. The argument got quite heated until I had a flash of insight. I realized that the person I was arguing with was not even tracking my brilliant logic. He was pursuing his point because he needed to Be Right. And on the heels of that--what do you know--the sure knowledge that I was just as obsessed as he in my need to Be Right! I stopped the argument there with, "Well, you may have a good point" (not total surrender...yet). We left it, still friends, with none of the animosity those encounters usually leave.

The above is an example of the subtle power of this book. Once you have read it, healthier ways of dealing with your life start to sneak in. Suppose we could all stop having to know everything, to always be right, to get even at any cost, to do whatever it takes to look good, to be judgemental in all our dealings, to keep score of each deed and misdeed and to be control of every force in our lives.

Who knows, aside from making this world a lot saner and more loving, we might even find we can relax and enjoy it for a change.

In one chapter Tyler talks about the 2 Greatest Spiritual Practices being Gratitude and Forgiveness. For THE 7 DEADLY NEEDS I wish to express my gratitude to Edward Bear for its creation. And I wish to thank him for helping all of us to understand that the road to Forgiveness begins with self forgiveness. Well done, Mr. Bear.

this book was everything i hoped for and more. after reading the first book by the author some time ago, i was very happy to see he had written something of a sequel to the dark night of recovery.

tyler picks up right where he left off in the dark night. once again offering up platitudes and plain old common sense, he guides another traveller past a slippery spot in the road.

As a trudger on this happy road, i found this book to be interesting as well as insightful and fun as well as full of life affirming observations.

This is truly a wonderful book.

How many times in my life have I wondered 'How did I get into this mess?' As Edward and Tyler ramble through their discussion of each of the seven deadly needs it became clearer and clearer how I had set myself up. How often had I tried to control everything or to know everything only to have it end up with more chaos in my life.

The style of the book is simple, easy to read...but the content teaches some powerful lessons on how to be happy in this life.

Thank you Edward Bear....You have given us a wonderful gift.

Dee Brown

As an educator, I found Slaves Who Dared to be well written for the intended reading level, but it will hold the interest of the adult reader. This account of ten African-American historical figures does not soft pedal the cruelties and horrors of slavery. Your children and students will be astounded by the lengths to which these individuals persisted in their struggle toward freedom. Adult readers will also find much to encourage them in reshaping their paradigm of America's ugliest experience and those who lived through it. A must read for the adolescent learner.

I used Slaves Who Dared with a classroom of sixth grade students and found it to be most effective. The students were fascinated by direct quotes from people from that era as well the details of their misfortunes. The text captured their interest immediately. They remarked positively about the illustrations, photographs, captions, and sidebars with definitions and interesting details. Most important, though, they learned about historical figures previously unknown to them, and they demonstrated a desire to know more about the subjects presented in the book. This book would be an excellent introduction and springboard to a social studies unit on this period of history.

My daughter was doing a project on Harriet Tubman, and found this book on other slaves who had a major impact in African-American history. It's chapter by chapter format allows brief biographical introductions to key individuals with photographs (some graphic), and really was instructive to my 10 year old on the contribution of these heros to advancing African Americans rights. I highly recommend it for 10-14 year olds researching black history or anyone wanting inspiration from the stories of individuals overcoming significant barriers to achieve greatness.

Although this book is intended for a 9-12 reading level, I have found it to be appropriate for my 11th grade "at-risk" United States History students. The stories grab the attention of the students and keep them engaged in the narratives. This is a great book and I am delighted to have found it to use as a resource in my classroom. When students have completed their assignments, they often pick it up and read it voluntarily, which is a great compliment, given the student population.

This book is truly a treasure. I was hooked from the moment I opened it, didn't want it to end and couldn't stop thinking or talking, about it when it was finished. The characters are rich and lovable, the story is captivating and there are important life lessons in each chapter. I came away with a new perspective of myself, life and the universe. Since reading the book, seeing sparkles glimmering on any body of water reminds me how rich and vast life really is. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in spirituality and exploring alternate perspectives of the universe.

This is one of those stories you never want to end. I fell in love with the characters, their journey through time made me more aware of my spirit and purpose in life. I am a strong believer in past lives and their effect on who we are today. If you feel the same -- then this book is for you. Enjoy!

"Sparkle" is it. Not only do you fall in love with the characters and the enchanting lives (past and present!) they lead, but you also come to love yourself more than you ever have before. This book will undoubtedly openthe eyes of the reader to themselves and to the Universe we live in.

I've read A Sparkle on the Water three times because it's very rich and there is more to glean with each reading, more that I'm ready to "hear." It's easy to fall in love with the characters of this book, and never want to leave them. In the course of reading the book, you will realize that it will end and that thought will bring sadness. Once you start Sparkle, you're in a different world which is magical and soothing. The stories inform us about the multitude of lessons and gifts we have in our life--we can learn from these lives which come alive so vividly, from the review of the lives in the between, and from the message of love and hope which is the spirit of Sparkle. You get the big picture in a delightful way, through stories rather than intellectual exposition. Sparkle combines romance, metaphysics, healing, ets, the Universe's eternal messages, and speaks to anyone who has spiritual yearnings.

This book contains Mr. Wise's wonderfully cogent essays on race going back 7 or 8 years. The essays are well written in a calm, logical manner.

White people are 70 percent of drug users yet are only about 10 percent of persons imprisoned for drug possession in this country. At the same time black and latino folks are 25 percent of the drug users in this country yet make up close to 90 percent of the people imprisoned for the crime. Wise notes that in spite of spite of such a reality, citing a Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education study, around 95 percent of white people believe a typical drug user to be black. It is true, he notes, that African Americans commit a higher rate of some street crimes than their percentage of the total population of this country. That is to be expected for folks who grow up in the terrible conditions of the inner city. But blacks only commit about 3 percent of the violent crimes each year, according to Wise. On the other hand white people commit a disproportionate share of the serial killing, child molestation and drunk driving in this country. Young white college students disproportionately make up our country's binge drinkers. White men are two thirds of our rapists.

Wise talks a little about the crimes of white collar white folks. It was old white dudes who deliberately bombed Iraq's electrical grids in 1991, knowing full well that such actions would shut off electricity to Iraq's water and sewage treatment plants and so cause tens of thousands of deaths from epidemics. It was white Republicans who oversaw US aid to the death squad democracies in Central America in the 1980's, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. It was white men who cut funding for the levees in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina or diverted such funds to build freeway off-ramps for casinos. It was white guys who caused the Bhopal horror. It was white guys who used the sexual organs of Native Americans they murdered as souvenirs as our brave troops did at Sand Creek Colorado in 1864.

One of my favorite points that Wise makes is that while many white folks tend to picture blacks as dangerous criminals, they don't similarly racially categorize crime when white kids from "good families" go on rampages. Almost all school shootings have been conducted by white kids. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage have been caused by beer riots at universities. During a riot at Michigan State University in the late 90's, white students were seen trying to pry a rifle from a police car and at Washington state University in the same period, 23 cops had to be sent to the hospital. Now if these youth trying to steal the rifle were black, you can imagine that police would have shot and killed them. At Michigan State in 2002, white students launched a premeditated riot, threw rocks and bricks and bottles at cops and chanted "f--- the police." At Woodstock 1999 young white people trashed the place, looted ATM machines and young white ladies were raped by some of the young white fellows in attendance.

Wise argues that this is still very much a racist society. He cites academic studies to show that well qualified blacks with no criminal records have trouble getting well paying jobs, housing, home loans, etc. Black people are being ethnically cleansed out of New Orleans, as their housing is demolished under the guise of Katrina reconstruction. He cites a Journal of Public Health study which showed that from 1991 to 2000, close to 900,000 black people died because physicians chose not to provide them with proper care.

Wise argues that whites tend to be oblivious to their own privilege. Much of this country's wealth was originally produced on the backs of black slaves. Beginning with the New Deal, federal programs built up the wealth of white people. This is especially true of the education and housing assistance provided by the GI Bill, which played a leading role in establishing the middle class of the Baby Boom years. Of course, African Americans, including black WWII veterans, were largely excluded from such programs. Even today, blacks who earn good income still tend to have a very small amount of wealth. The assets acquired through such New Deal programs have been handed down through the generations to the point where an impoverished white family today still often has more wealth than a black family that earns a middle class income.

Wise finds it interesting that the plaintiffs in the University of Michigan affirmative action case before the Supreme Court only objected to the special points awarded in University admissions processes to students of color. People have ignored the fact that white people also effectively get special preferences in college admissions that have nothing to do with pure and simple academic achievement. For example, applicants from the almost exclusively white working class Upper Peninsula of Michigan are given special points during application reviews (at the University of Michigan). The school gives out other points during admissions processes that also effectively give preference to white kids.

Wise weighs other issues in the book, including the Duke Rape case, Ronald Reagan, the confederate flag, illegal immigration, hate speech codes at universities, and the case of a white girl who was the victim of racial taunts by black people during her childhood. . He attacks Senator Obama, which is interesting in light of his association with the "Progressives for Obama" group. He dismembers the "What About Oprah?" argument that white people often use to counter charges about racism hindering African Americans. He notes that most white people have historically believed, for example according to polls in the early 60's, that African Americans have no less chance than white Americans to be successful in American society. Thus the present day dismissal of black claims of racism by most of white America is nothing new.

Tim Wise is a brilliant author, and this is priceless collection of his essays. Informative, Thought provoking, and Fun to read. You will not regret reading this book.

Tim Wise, a white southerner, takes on all the shibboleths about race, and jousts with all the chimerical contenders. His insight, and his challenges, will move this country to a better comprehension of SELF and the OTHER, as we wade into the murkiness of race relations today.

I've read most of Tim Wise's essays before, so it's not as if this collection was new. But it is nice to have a collection of his "best" pieces on racism and white privilege, compiled in one place. Some of these, in fact, I had missed, so they were new to me, and even the ones I had read previously seemed to pop off the page this time around. Perhaps it's something about reading them in a non-internet setting, but whatever the case, this collection covers pretty much every race issue I can think of, and better than pretty much any collection out there. Wise doesn't flinch from addressing the controversies raging out there, from immigration, to affirmative action, to the Duke Lacrosse case and even Barry Bonds. His analysis is sharp, his facts incontrovertible, and his prose is crisp, and often stunning.

The only criticism I would offer is that I wish he had provided footnotes for the references in his essays. I know that many of these essays had footnotes in their original form online, and I am not sure why he decided not to include them in the book. In many cases he does give the full citation of the fact he's about to mention, but other times he doesn't. I just worry that people who are inclined to disbelieve the statistical evidence presented in this book will use the lack of footnotes as a reason to dismiss it. Of course, they don't mind the lack of footnotes when their right wing heroes fail to use them, and they'd probably ignore them even if they were in here, but it's one thing I'd love to see changed in a future edition of this book.

All in all though, this is a must read for people interested in racism and white privilege issues.

this is a fierce and passionate
and scathing indictment
of the left from the left.

curtis heats up his argument by tapping
into that pyre of true revolutionary fire as voiced by
shakespeare-blake-ruskin-emerson-thoreau-whitman-
proust-pound-weil(simone)-ginsberg-zizek-frank(thomas).

in the introduction he sets his argument thus:

"The tragedy is that in the present context
the secular left believes that its advocacy of justice is
independent of spirit... the truth is that
there is no spirit in the absence of justice
and no justice that is not first spiritual."

READ IT AND BECOME A FLAME!

Any one who wants to live life deliberately instead of going about the business of life as laid out by others of whom you may never be aware needs to read this book.

This book is ofcourse fantastic. Like the Middle Mind, it unhinges you from being ok with being a zombie. Superb in the thickets, if I may steal. How do you live when you can't honestly live a happy and decent life these days without taking out the horse blinders is the only thing worth thinking/reading about.
Also- I had no idea Curtis White had written another non fiction book. Even his Harpers article didn't mention that he was about to come out with a new book- actually I got the article off of Lexis Nexis so perhaps thats the kind of garbling I didn't pay for.

If you get very tired of what passes for debate in this country, try this book on for size. White calls it like it is -- Democrats and Republicans claim to be so different, but they are basically both about keeping society this way it is, "good for business"; capitalism is bankrupt spiritually, leading to an unsustainable work/life balance for families, and a lousy car-centric suburbia landscape that has alienated ourselves from ourselves. I really liked his critiques of familiar pop-culture artifacts like the Simpsons and Office Space because often in a book like this, these pieces, accessible to general audiences, are ignored disdainfully. He also leaves you with some hope, which most critics don't get around to. Turn off the tube and give yourself some stimulation, read the book.

This book has awaken something with in me . It is the first time that i have read a book filled with the true feelings that people are afraid to talk about out loud . I would like to see more books by the authorin the near furture THIS BOOK PUTS YOU BACK WITH YOUR SELF AND VERY CLOSE TO NATURE . THAT REALLY HELPS YOU TO FACE LIFE. I WILL TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT YOUR BOOK .

I WILL GIVE THE BOOK SPIRIT OF THE WHITE WOLF WOMAN 5 STAR'S

USA

This book has been a far reaching inspirational book into the depts of my soul and each time I read it a new meaning comes forward. This book always has a very special messsage in each and every passage. Couldn't put the book down until I read it from cover to cover. I recommend this book to those of you who are looking for enlightenment and higher awareness to truth.

This book really opens up the eyes, the ears and all the other senses to see, hear, smell and touch differently. After reading this you will be a new human being.

Personally, First book i've enjoyed reading cover to cover in one sitting / every page makes you work. This book also answers lots of thoughts and questions. I would recommend Any one seeking a better under standing of their place in nature or on Mother Earth to read this book. From a store owner perspective, this book has enlightened a large variety of diverse people. Best selling book ever sold in my store.

Miigwitch from the Mountain Warrior Trading CO. Watagui Archie Russ

A must read-and-keep for everyone young-and-not-so-young, specifically those who are deeply involved in the planning, design and construction of our environment, as well as the stakeholders, along the entire professionals in the vast field of building industry!

I am an architecture student, and this book has insight that I may not have gained through other resources. It is a fast read with a lot of great examples and theory. This resource contains multiple ideas from leading practitioners in environmental sustainability. Chapters include: "Practice, Building Community, Public Works, Homes and Schools, Products and Materials, and Resources."

Short papers on many different topics concerning green building, sustainable design, and renewable energy. Top experts in the field offer advice, experience, and resources.

The Earth Pledge Foundation's Sustainable Architecture White Papers brings together leading voices---of architects, designers, planners, educators, manufacturers, and journalists---in a handsome, diminutive volume. The essayists are each a part of the sustainable design movement; some have been in the trenches for years, such as Randy Croxton and Kirsten Childs, James Wines, and Bill Browning, and others are household names, such as William McDonough (writing with his chemist collaborator Michael Braungart). Some address the big picture and others deconstruct the micro components of the effort, such as non-toxic paints and office furniture. The volume includes an interview with Samuel Mockbee, who founded Auburn University's Rural Studio, and whose clear-eyed approach to how architecture fits into communities is remarkably elegant and simple. "The smart architect thinks rationally about a combination of issues including sustainability, durability, longevity, appropriate materials, and sense of place," he says. "The challenge is finding the balance between environmental considerations and economic constraints." What's important about a diverse collection of essays like this now is that it comes when the movement is breaking into the mainstream in a more complete way than it has in the past. Sustainability is being addressed, increasingly, as something that involves not just the physical but also the social, institutional, and spiritual aspects of life on earth. This volume is a valuable guide to that breakthrough, from the practical to the visionary.