Wood Books

It's hard to believe that Louise Rich's "We Took to the Woods" is decades old.

Absolutely charming and totally original, Rich is the sort of author you wish you could meet in person. Her observations are fascinating, her writing is wonderfully engaging, and her point of view goes far beyond the usual country folksiness found in most books of this type. Most importantly, Rich doesn't preach. The book is simply a well written, entertaining account of her life in the Northwoods with her family. The writing is so timeless, I rarely remember that I am reading about a family from 60 years ago.

I enjoyed "Woodswoman" books, and thought that in so specific a genre, I would find little else of quality. However, after reading this book, I realize that Rich is the original item, and the standard to which "I want to live in a cabin" books should be judged. It's just plain excellent.

Louise Dickinson Rich is a star! A truly wonderful and gifted writer. You can't put her books down.

"We Took to the Woods" is as charming and delightful a book as you will ever find. It's the story of a city woman living on a remote Maine river with her husband and children. She's not poor, nor a rube, nor does she display the eccentricities one associates with people who flee to the wilderness. Rather, she seems happy, well-adjusted, and full of sympathetic tales about the few -- very few -- people she comes into contact with in the course of her daily life. And she really did live in the woods --the nearest store was a long boat ride away and she didn't go "outside" for a four year stretch. Her township of Upton had a population of 182.

The book is set up in chapters that answer questions: "Isn't housekeeping difficult?" or "Aren't you ever frightened." One of the better stories in the chapter, "Aren't the Children a Problem" tells about her husband delivering the author's baby in the dead of winter -- and greasing it with olive oil which he kept to dress his trout flies. The new parents discuss what they are supposed to do with the hot water always called for when a baby is being born -- and they decide to make coffee.

For the modern reader, the highlights of the book are probably tales of the trials of living without conveniences. The Rich houses -- they had a winter and summer house -- had no plumbing. Heating and cooking were with wood. What you needed for groceries was delivered by boat once a month; the Sears catalog supplied the rest. For anyone who has ever thought wistfully of fleeing civilization, this is a humorous primer of both the rewards and hardships of such a life. It deserves a permanent place on the short shelf of Americana classics.

Smallchief

This book is a great read for anyone who's ever had the desire to just chuck it all and head for the woods (a desire that seems to wax and wane like the tides, popular one decade [1970s, for example], totally passe the next). Today taking to the woods for many means building a $500,000 "rustic retreat" with pool, hot tub, and wine cellar included. For Louise Rich, back in the 1930s (the book was published in 1942), things were much different.

For one thing, her house had no plumbing. Water had to be hauled to the house in buckets. Supplies and the mail came by boat. Life was no picnic for her and her family. But, of course, there were trade offs. The beauty of the place, for one. The living as one with nature. The need to be resourceful, and the feeling of pride and accomplishment that goes with it. Trade offs worth the hardships, Rich makes perfectly clear.

Rich captures the flavor of her idyllic spot in the Maine woods a few miles east of Upton along the Rapid River (the swiftest river east of the Mississippi, even though it is only about four miles long). She describes what life is like there, how the busy summers are a prelude to the slow, long winters. She talks about her neighbors, the loggers, the animals they encounter, how one endures and enjoys life in the woods. She describes the effects of the hurricane of 1938 and the havoc is caused even there, so far inland. Her prose style is clear and direct, and she truly makes the reader jealous of her situation rather than sympathetic. It's an excellent book, one that I've read a number of times, always with an I-wish-I-was-there enthusiasm. Highly recommended.

A friend gave me this book when I was at a very low point in my life. My wife and I read it together, over a long weekend, and packed the car Monday morning. By Wednesday we had our old house listed and Friday we put in an offer on 40 acres with an old farm. We haven't looked back since; but we have given copies of this book to all of our old friends for Christmas.

Professor Wood admits that, in contemporary America, only the most intrepid minds dare question diversity's exalted stature as a cultural ideal. So it should say something Wood's disregard for his own reputation that he has written this book, which assails the ideal of diversity on page by page pace. I will admit that I bought this book hoping to see just this kind of thing-to see a credible author and skilled mind slay diversity in a "public setting." Of course, it's only a public setting if more people read the book.

My own antipathy toward diversity took root during my undergraduate experience at the University of Nebraska, where diversity pervaded official policy, speeches, campus news articles, and student government. Not despising diversity, I merely became irritated with its omnipresence, the way one might tire of a food group if forced to eat it at every sitting. In short, I was unaware of diversity's true malevolence before reading this book. But Wood documents diversity's self-contradictions, its empty thinking, its threat to individualism, its corrosive impact on higher education, and more. In higher education, for instance, Wood attacks race preferences for admission (carried out in the name of diversity) and notes that, at the U. of Michigan, a white applicant to law school scoring between 163-165 on the LSAT and holding a 3.25 GPA has about a 23% chance of being admitted. A minority student with the exact same academic credentials has a 99% chance. I mention this in this review so that the potential reader can get a feel for the content of this book.

Of higher education, Professor Wood also points out how diversity is cleverly used as a two-faced recruitment tool. Diversity is marketed to white American teenagers, Wood says, as a way to escape the social narrowness of their high school experience-as a "romantic mingling" experience with "the other". But diversity is then marketed to minority students as an assurance that they will feel welcome at State U., where increased recruitment of students of color will offer minorities a safe haven from the crush of the predominantly white student body. Fantastic observation, because it's true, and it reveals diversity's opportunistic nature.

Despite diversity's grotesque track record, Wood also realizes why diversity has maintained a near universal following in this country-it seems to command us all to be fair, helpful, open-minded, and above all, to avoid judgment of other people, other beliefs, and other ideas (is that such a good idea?). As Wood argues, despite diversity's more noble exhortations, we as neighbors, citizens, and co-workers can better achieve good will and social betterment if we set aside silly race-based distinctions and look instead at individual merit.

As an example of how holistic Wood's view of diversity is, take one of the early chapters. In it, Wood draws on his experience in anthropology to relate how Americans in the 1800s and early 1900s were avid readers of books and compendiums that provided rich, unabashed descriptions of the world's geographic and cultural diversity. True diversity. He contrasts this bygone interest in the world's people and places with the new diversity, which Wood argues accentuates slight differences between people (black Americans, white Americans, Hispanics, etc.) and asserts, against the evidence, that the differences between us are gigantic. Furthermore, he chastises contemporary Americans for believing themselves to be educated about and sensitive to cultural differences, whereas, these same Americans believe, past generations were parochial, ignorant, and unappreciative of these differences. "It is a sad delusion," he writes.

Although it wasn't the most enjoyable segment in the book, the best work Wood does (from an author's and researcher's point of view) is when he traces the growth of diversity from an LBJ speech through the Supreme Court's Bakke decision through the 1980s and then today. Wood's treatment of the Bakke case is remarkable in its detail, and is sure to startle the reader when one realizes how a marginalized, fringe idea (that there is real, measurable educational value in having a diverse student body), set forth by Justice Lewis Powell, spawned the monster we wrestle with today.

Overall, Wood takes a topic that had great potential to be tedious and academic and turns it into a delightful read that manages to deal with diversity comprehensively and delicately without compromising the reader's interest. Flat-out, this is a great book.

Professor Wood offers a holistic look at this strange new ideology of diversity, particularly in how it has surged from an obscure portion of the Bakke case to an all-encompassing religion for its adherents that continues to encroach on virtually every aspect of public life. His best argument is that diversity, when brought alongside traditional American values of liberty and equality, always seems to trump the latter pair, and we end up forsaking both liberty and our belief in equality to preserve demographiclly correct proportions of essentially manufactured ethnicities.

Wood comes to some strong conclusions, but never commits the near universal sin of hyperbole that currently envelopes both political left and right. That alone should earn him four-and-a-half stars. Anyone interested in a thoughtful, well-researched critque of this concept of diversity need look no further than professor Wood. Please, delete Hannity and O'Reilly from your shopping cart and buy this book first!!!

Diversity is the greatewst lie in america today. What does diveristy claim. It claims, as we learn in this fine read, that diversity is essential to success and understanding and tolerance. THis is actually completely false. Diverse workforces and diverse college campuses dont actually make anything better, in fact they make people less tolerant. Diversity is the ideal of the communist left that says everyone(remmember "workers of the world unite you have nothing to lose but your chains!") is the same and that by mixing us all together in some grand social experiment that we will all be happy. That sad part is that 'diversity' and 'tokenism' really mirrors far more what queen victoria did at her diamond jubille when all the 'oddities of empire' the diverse masses from all over were paraded in front of the aristocracy. This is the truth behind diversity. In fact the liberal would love it if every diverse 'oddity' of humanity could come to college dressed in 'traditional garb' so that we can admire and see them as if they are in some museum. But this doesnt help the 'exotic' people we bring in to diversify ourselves, it actually mkaes them feel more like outcasts. Hiring one Sikh and one Hindu and one Pathan and one Gurka and one Jew for your coproation wont help them, in fact they would all be more productive if they worked with eachother against eachother. The idea that they will become more tolerant is also false. In most racially mixed societies(Brazil, south africa, Israel, Australia, America) the many races hate eachother much more then they did prior to the mixing.

Lets take for example the situation in malaysia when they were building the Petronas Twin Towers. They had Japanese workers building one tower and koreans building the other. The teams hated eachother and competed. If they had been mixed they would have worked slower and they still would have gone to lunch speratly and not 'tolerated' on another. Here is an example where diversity would not have helped in the workforce. Diversity is simply the aristocracies latest social experiment to divide us so that they can keep us all down rather then letting us become tolerant on our own. A great book.

Peter Wood's book is written in an easy-to-read, logical, and well-reasoned fashion. Before earning my master's degree last year, I attended meetings at the university's "Diversity Task Force". I must admit to using some of Peter Wood's same arguments regarding the superficiality and shallowness of the "Task Force" criteria for measuring the diversity of the student body -- It felt like I was banging my head against the wall! I sensed that my white male status was seen as subtracting from the diversity of the student body, regardless of my diverse life experiences. Maybe if I were raised by a pack of wolves? How come this makes so much sense and many other people don't see it? Thank you Peter Wood for this timely book. I wonder if the logic and science will be enough to deprogram any diversiphiles. In my experience, they are close-minded to any argument, regardless of reason, that may disrupt their delusion. I would also like to add that most of the diversiphiles I met are good people who have good intentions; however, we all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This book should be required reading for all people who want to improve "diversity".

The thesis of Wood's book can be stated in this way: With relative cultural unity having been achieved in America with the removal of legal barriers to opportunity for minorities, a more recent movement has arisen that seeks to undermine this unity by introducing a new type of "diversity". The former term refers to true diversity between cultures that involves deep and fundamental differences in worldviews that are more often an obstacle to overcome than something to be celebrated. (One example used by Wood is Herman Melville's extended experience with Typee people in the Marquesan Islands.) On the other hand, the new diversity (used in italics by the author) turns superficial distinctions into epochal differences (such as having a college roommate with fake Polynesian tattoos) that, according to the diversophiles, must be retained in the culture at all costs.

This is more than just a silly exercise in treating cultural fads as meaningful differences. Wood describes a two-phase process in which this concept of diversity is a means to a specific end. The first phase (diversity I) stresses hard that people must be defined by a race, even if the minority does not wish to do so, in order to create identifiable "groups" in society. The second phase (diversity II) uses the fiction that diversity of race, gender, sexual preference, etc. is equivalent to diversity of worldview. With this foundation, questions of diversity take on an ominous meaning - when this kind of diversity is emphasized as a policy in the workplace, on campus, or elsewhere, a conflict arises between the interest in selecting the best qualified individual(s) and preserving an overall profile of a workforce or campus population. And when these superficial race, sex, etc. characteristics of a person are given a preference over actual qualifications to do the job, it brings up the same issues of racism that America had been trying to move away from for so long.

An especially helpful passage in Wood's book is his breakdown of the Bakke decision, which upheld the race-preference factor in school admissions process. Justice Powell's opinion for the court made the "diversity" principle a major issue, which was unusual considering that no other justice on either side joined him in this portion of the opinion and that little attention was given to this issue during the case itself.

The bulk of Wood's book then explains how this principle has been applied in most areas of society - the workplace, campus, the arts, etc. The book was published in 2003, but came out before the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding in part the University of Michigan's use of race-based preferences. However, the book is a valuable resource in describing the problem beyond the immediate political debate.

My husband remembered loving this series as a kid and was delighted to be able to get them for our son. At age 7 our son would read the Enchanted Wood and the Faraway Tree over and over. Enid Blyton connects perfectly with the magical imagination of kids this age.

I remember reading this book as a little girl. Enid Blyton is in my opinion the best children's writers. Now that I'm a mom I'm getting this book and other Blyton favourites for my kids.

The enchanted wood is a fab book its about three children Joe,Beth and Frannie. They live in the contry side and they find a magic tree and up the tree they make loads of friends but at the top of the tree there are lands some lands are good and some lands are bad. If you liked the sound of that you will have to get the book!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember reading this book when I was little. I recently came across it again at my parent's house and found it to be just as delightful now at 32 as I did when I was 7! It is filled with magical wonder and fantasy. A great recommendation for children of all ages!

Any child that reads this book will enter into a magical world......I am now 34 yrs old....I read this book as a child and still remember liking the stories.......I am originally from Guyana formally British Guiana......I grew up on all Enid Blyton books....they are a delight to read.......this is one book I suggest you get for you children.

What a great book. Highly detailed yet to the point. Great photos and descriptions. Glad I bought it.

This is a great little (small in size) reference book for nearly every type of joint you will ever need (and some you never will). No fluff, just reference, instruction and pictures. It should hold up to years of shop abuse as it is spiral bound with a durable cover.

A very nice book. Shows you all kinds of joinery and when to use them and how to make them.
I am very pleased with this book.

The book is small but easy to read and has clear diagrams. Since the book is ring bound it will lay flat making it easy to consult while wood working.

I agree with the other reviews that this is a five star book.

Many good illustrations and photos. Reinforced spiral binding allows book to lie flat for easy reference on workbench, etc.

Joint Selector section at back of book shows thumbnail illustrations of all joints in the book, with corresponding page numbers to the detailed instructions. This section makes it easy to visually identify a particular joinery type and then get more info on how to create it, etc.

Also has nice sections on common joinery tools (squares, clamps, etc.), how to select the proper joinery for a particular project, how to properly glue and clamp a joint -- including a comparison chart explaining the different types of wood glues, a discussion of various hardware used in some joinery types, a glossary of terms, and a thorough index. A great little reference book for any woodworker.

This little book is a big surprise. It's small, about the size of a largish Daytimer, almost 7"x8". Every page is filled with diagrams and color drawings illustrating every joint that's used in American woodworking. There are plenty of color photos also.

I'd worried it might be too small to be useful but it's the opposite. Because it's small (feels like a little binder), it doesn't take up much space in the work area and you can also carry it around easily in your glove compartment or tool box. It will be there when you need it. The shiny cover means sawdust slips right off and it stays clean.

The most helpful part is that Noll shows exactly how to set up various tools. Where to put the wood, set up the jigs or cutting guides, even how to proceed safely with your hands. This is a significant aid if you've never done a certain joint with a power tool before.

Highly recommended.

Presently you won't see Chris Offutt's name on any bestseller's list, but please don't let that discourage you from reading his wonderful work. In "Out of the Woods," Offutt follows the lives of ex-cons, alcoholics, gamblers, and drifters as they struggle to find direction and purpose.

Offutt's characters share one common thread, they were all born and raised in Appalachian communities in Kentucky. Reared in a culture in and of itself, these Kentuckians face harsh realities as they try to carve out a path for themselves in mainstream America. Most grapple with a strong desire to get out and see the world yet simultaneously they fight the urge to return to the comfort and security of home. In "Moscow, Idaho," a young prisoner on grave digging duty aims to turn over a new leaf and wonders if he will ever find a woman, a good job, and a town to settle in. "Two-Eleven All Around" is the story of a man who is so desperate for attention from his girlfriend, that he stages his own arrest in hope that she will hear about it while listening to her radio. These tales combine perseverance and heartbreak into poetic prose.

There have been comparisons of Offutt's writing to that of Raymond Carver's. Only in my opinion, Offutt is better. Carver's characters tend to present with a flat affect, but Offutt is able to take the reader subtly and deeply into his characters minds. Chris Offutt excels at what he writes about because he lived the life of his characters. He grew up in a small Appalachian community and at the age of nineteen he meandered across the country where he went through more than fifty jobs before returning to home and raising a family. Chris Offutt has come full circle and there is no doubt that he will find himself a place in the world of literature.

Ain't no such thing as a perfect story no matter how masterful the crafter is. That's what art is, I guess. It's the "imperfections" - maybe the particularities, the quirks and indiosicracies - which strick you in that very personal way like the writer is writing for you and you want to shake the hand which wrote that tale, which made your life a little better just now and you really want to say - thanks! After awhile, if the work is good, you don't feel like you're reading some book. This guy, Offut, is actually a very ordinary proser. It seems. Seemingly, not that much extraordinary stuff is going on. No sense of immediate beauty or anything like that. He writes as if he's one with the tale being told. There's this intimacy here, OUT OF THE WOODS, like you don't get in many places. He honors - people, life, words, and the putting together of. That's what I think. Some phrases jump at you with a real live human voice. ("I'm going with Jack," she said. "I'm sorry." - in TOUGH PEOPLE) ("What the f--- do you want?" - in TWO-ELEVEN ALL AROUND) I've been keeping these sentences in me for awhile and as corny as this sounds, they make me want to be a better person.

There's only a few writers that I hold as examples of what the art should be, and Chris is one of 'em.

This book of stories rivals Denis johnson's Jesus' Son as oneof the most compelling books of stories written in the last decade.Economically written and darkly funny, not one word is wasted. And the landscapes are etched with a painter's flare for light and form. I've read Mr. Offut's novel and memoir and they are very good. But this book is truly original, an example of how much promise the short story as a significant art form in 2000 and beyond.

Because I love short stories and Southern writers, I discovered Chris Offutt. Out of the Woods was his first book I read. It won't be the last. His fiction is serious, his characters haunting. Haunting because of the writer's honesty. Offutt turns on the overhead light and throws off the sheet. His protagonist in "Two-Eleven All Around" sums up all of his characters when he ponders, "Sometimes I don't think I've done anything to leave my mark in this world. I'm the kind of person the world leaves a mark on." Offutt has left his mark.

Fabulous book! Teaching Kids To Read is loaded with practical ideas for teaching phonics. The recommended strategies are simple, yet quite engaging. I have used several of the tips in this book to teach basic reading skills to my older students. This book is a must have for parents and teachers alike.

I am developing a reading program with kids from the country side. I bought this book with HUGE EXPECTATIONS. I thought it would help me to find interesting paths to promote reading and writting alternatives. But for me... all that is written in this book is very obvious. You can find that information only by using your simple common sense. I dont know. Maybe i am hiper critical but in my case, the book didint help at all.

I purchased this book through amazon to help my 6 year old son with his reading problems. The book is a perfect guide to teach a lay person how to help their children. All parents have their childrens best interests in mind and want to help when they are struggling, but sometimes we don't know how to help. I don't have an education degree and had no idea how to help my son. Reading the book gives us "dummies" somewhere to turn for help. The book lays out a practical plan for helping your child that is easy to follow. Thank You Tracey!!! This is a must read for anyone that has a struggling child. My son is SPRinting his way to success!

I bought this book to help my five year old. I like it better than others i have read because its easy to read and doesnt feel like i have to plow through it. It gives lots of activities and some good word lists to use and how to use them. Id recommend this for anyone who wants to help their child progress a bit quicker.

This is a very good book. I am a teacher and a parent and of the many books I have read about teaching children to read this is the one I recommend most to parents. The author includes all the important things to teach a beginning reader and presents it in a way that is easy for any parent to read. She also emphasises that reading should be fun which is especially important in these early years. A good buy.

We enjoyed this story very much. It is written as a story of a play that is taking place. The pictures are fantastic. Someone is in rabbit's house and will not let him in. Frog has figured it out but rabbit will not listen to him. Frog enjoys watching the trouble as the other animals try to help rabbit out. Finally out of exasperation Rabbit asks for Frogs help. This was a very fun book. Recommended for ages 6-9 years.

my 5 year old son loves this story and its surprise ending!

the play within a story framework is very clever but may be too complicated for very young children to follow

mjdykstra
mother & book lover

I love this story. My children enjoy it. Its great for children at bedtime. It is actually a play....thats how the story is being told.

Must add to your library of African tales!!

Who's in Rabbits House is one of those few book that people of all ages can enjoy. The book is beautiful to look at, the illustrations informative and clever. (Check out the lions.) It reads aloud beautifully, and even the youngest reader can be given a part to become part of the experience. The cultural contect is respectfully presented. The reader becomes one who learn that of the Masai vilagers that strength is less important than intelligence.

We found this by chance at the library and it is now one of our favorite books. During the three weeks we had the book we read it over 20 times and looked through it often. And we've checked it out a few times since then, too. Hmm, maybe we should buy it!

My boys have acted out the story repeatedly and I hear them quietly reciting the story to themselves.

The pictures are fantastic - bright, beautiful, so full of life. The text is superb and has a wonderful moral as well.

You will love this book and so will your kids.

I am an art teacher in an elementary school. Each year I read the series of three Angus books (in the order they were written) to my first graders when we are folding an origami puppy. They love each book. I introduce the Scottish Terrier by showing the encyclopedia entry about dogs. This gets them excited about dogs AND the encyclopedia. By the third book, Angus Lost the children can hardly stand it - they are so excited. They cheer at the end. We look at the dog entry again in the encyclopedia to find the collie that Angus meets on the wide road. (These children don't know Lassie!) We compare the sizes of the dogs, etc. The books offer a view into the past: suspenders, hedges, and the milk man, but the story is current, the illustrations lovely. In Angus and the Cat the children whoop with delight over the illustration of Angus looking out the second story window looking for the cat. All three books are great read-alouds!

I love all the Angus books. Having owned a Scottie dog, I am particularly thrilled with the illustrations - they are so accurate. I used to read these to my daughter when she was a child & am now buying them for all my friends' little kids. I'll keep my set forever. The stories are so endearing.

My 1.5 year old is already a fan of this book. We bought it because she's fascinated with ducks. The realistic illustrations and complex sentences are a nice change of pace from most of her more recently published children's' books. The story has a bit of intrigue, a quick pace, and a humorous ending. It's just perfect.

This is a wonderful book for children or for any age. Subtle and beautifully written, and perfect artwork.

I think this (or Make Way for Ducklings) was my first library book. At any rate, it starated me on a lifelong love of reading--and dogs! The illustrations capture every nuance of a dog's body language--you can practically feel Angus' warm little tummy as he stands up to reach something high. The story is not babyfied, but, as another reviewer indicates, is told with an intelligent vocabulary. Build vocab early!
I treasured my Angus book and each time my mom took me to the library (years and years and years ago), I confounded her by ALWAYS adding the same old Angus book to my pile of borrowings. I hope I will OWN them all one day!

Cache Lake Country stands up to the test of time. Out of print now, it is still as relevant and beautiful a testament to the outdoor experience of Rowlands, Kane, and Chief Tibeash as it was in the 50's. If you love nature and the solitary experiences of the wilderness then you'll love this book.

Rowlands is a marvelous writer, for sure, but I was totally smitten with the outstanding black-and-white illustrations of the highly talented illustrator, Henry B. Kane, who brought, humor, fine draughtsmanship, art, and passion together for this book. It's reminiscent in some ways of Joseph Wood Krutch's "The Voice of the Desert" and Abby's "Desert Solitaire" but it takes place in the North Woods (some say Quebec, others say Ontario). I liked this book even better than the two aforementioned because of the great teamwork of Rowlands and Kane.

I reviewed this book several years ago, and after accidently stumbling upon my review, the same images, smells, and excitement still come to mind. I just purchased an old copy at many times the original price, and I can't wait to read it again after more than thirty years. It still amazes me to thnk that a simple diary of life in a bygone distant frontier could elicit such a Technicolor panorama in the mind of the reader. Everyone should read this book. It's good for the soul.

Don't we all wish we knew someone like J.J. Rowlands. What a life! He should have been a father; what a wealth of information he might have imparted... ...and what delivery! Couldn't put it down. Thank goodness he left us his book.

Back in the prehistoric days of the 1970's, I found this small book in my school library. Despite it's small size, it became, and has always been a bible of life in the northwoods. No politics, no social agenda, just a detailed blueprint of the pleasures and perils of living far from the city. The book covers the basics of shelter and winter warmth. It instructs the reader in a variety of skills ( from keeping oatmeal warm until breakfast, to making snowshoes to get along in mid-winter). All in all, I recall it as the first docu-drama that I ever had the pleasure to read. Though it can be labeled as non fiction (of the instructive kind), it has the ability to build endles dreams of pioneer life in the mind of most any reader.

I can only echo the other reviewers to date: this is simply the finest and most memorable book from my youth. The painstaking black and white line drawings embellish a story of life in the Canadian backwoods. The author was well aware that his was a disappearing way of life, when he spent time as a timber overseer on a remote Canadian lake, and his obvious care in crafting his recollections shows his love for that life. I was fortunate enough in my youth to have a chance to canoe 200 miles of Canada not all that far from Cache Lake country - and can only say that Rowland's account rings true. I have made some of the recipies, perched on rock shores above sparkling Canadian waters. I can only add that in a world of quick fixes and patent falsehoods, Cache Lake Country is a collection of truths. If books can truly be friends, this is a best friend.

Dr. Khoury did a wonderful job describing "Deadwood" in the workplace. I found the book to be wonderfully witty and entertaining. Now when I go to work I attach real people to the characters in the book, makes for a fun day! Bravo Dr. Khoury!

Dr. Khoury has written a wry, witty and very readable treatise on a life condition all too prevalent in today's America. In his own inimitable and entertaining fashion, he successfully presents a careful and systematic analysis of how the various psychological motivations that determine a person's work ethic can be used for the greater good.

I have to admit that, in the beginning, I was very skeptical about Dr. Khoury's theory that Mr./Ms. Deadwood could be recast, remolded, recreated, transformed or redeemed. Mea culpa.

I thought "Dead Wood" was entertaining, educational and enlightening. Mr. Khoury has an excellent in sight into what really goes on in todays work force. Lets face it, no matter where you work or what type of work you do we are all have to deal with dead wood each and every day. This book supplies you with skills and advise you will need to deal with and over come these problems. As a supervisor I especially enjoyed Chapter 12 - The 10 commandments!!! This is a must read for anybody who has a job!

The book was a humorous acknowledgement that dead wood exists in all companies. I especially enjoyed the chapter where the author pointed out the painful process for removing dead wood.

I found myself "laughing out loud" throughout the book. I have purchased additional copies for my friends.

This book presents an interesting perspective on the 21st century workplace. Written in a stream of conscious style, it reads well and is terribly funny.

Having spent 8+ years in the corporate world this book was well worth the read, if not only for Khoury's ability to systemize today's workplace environment. His chapters that deal w/ the 7 personality types and Informal & Formal Organization will at the very least provoke you to re-examine your current work environment.

Thinking about what I liked most about this book I recall a quote of Margaret Thatcher in which she praised one of her cabinet ministers, Lord David Young.

"Others bring me problems", said Mrs Thatcher, "David brings me solutions."

Above all else this book not only identifies the problems but provides well-thought out solutions on how to deal with them.