Personal Books

I guess that's what the intent of this book and it gives examples from an expert in Training. The articles from several experts in the field of training also supports the content and adds value.
Recommended if you need an overview, although in some chapters goes into details. Yet, there are several other books that focus on preparation, presentation, evaluation etc. which might be more focused on these topics.

I am a project management trainer. This book gives and reminds all the things. What the trainer is, adults learn, the training cycle, increasing participation, icebreakers etc... In fact I like the "dummies" series. I recommend it.

Although I've been a trainer for years, this book reminded me of some basic training concepts I have not used in a while.

One of the pitfalls of being a training specialist for such a long time is that it is easy to become complacent with your knowledge level and your writing habits. "Training for Dummies," which should be titled "Training for Schmarties" is one of those books that will help you avoid that.

Author, Elaine Biech covers the instructional systems design model (ISD) or A.D.D.I.E., in detail. These are analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. She states the difference between what it means to be a teacher vs. being a trainer. This is one of the only texts I have seen that offers some construction of an instructional design draft, although I wish she would have shown and explained a two-column format in depth. She did provide samples of a three- and four-column format.

Biech goes into overdrive regarding implementation from room set-up, the things that could go wrong, dealing with nervousness, and handling the disruptive influence, all types of them, to mention just a few. She also covers the four (or five if you prefer) levels of evaluation superbly.

One area I was hoping that she would address is how trainers can deal with managers who make disastrous training decisions that will be a supreme waste of time and money, but will blame the trainer rather than recognizing their decision as the reason for failure. (I was once asked to do training to control or reduce absenteeism. Thank God, he had a poor memory)! This is a constant uphill battle for trainers and I see half-hearted training efforts squandered on almost a weekly basis. (If you're out there reading this, no, you can't have Team Building in only one day Why? Because it's not enough time to build teams, dummy)!

I have a few dozen texts on training. If you could only have one of them, this would be the one I would give you. If you're serious about training, it is one book you need to keep on your table instead of your shelf.

Remember...

No train, no gain.



P.S. Don't get overconfident if you have a full seminar in Hawaii or Scottsdale, AZ. They might have other reasons for being there.

Don't feel silly for getting this book just because it says "for dummies."
I have a masters in training so I wouldn't say I am a dummy in the field, and I believe this book is a fantastic resource to remind you of many training techniques and principles. I Def. Recommend!!!!

Sonia Choquette holds out the promise of a place where you are free. Where the spirit within you can emerge and you can actually be happy in this troubled world. But you have to follow your 6th sense, live by your intuition and your spirit, not by your ego and your 5 senses, as the ego causes pain--anger, jealousy, resentment, but the spirit is loving, forgiving and healing. Using examples from her clients, Sonia illustrates how people who trusted their vibes were able to free themselves from unhappy and confining situations, enjoy life and experience peace.
Writing with clarity and honesty, this down to earth pychic also has a great sense of humor, and never allows you to take yourself too seriously.
Instead of worrying and fretting over every little thing, which your ego and your reason urge you to do, she advises you to be lighthearted, spontaneous, and to go with the flow. By living in the spirit, doing what you want to do, and not what others would have you do, your life can turn around and you can become the person you were meant to be.

this is a really good book for anybody - not only for those who want to find their intuition. Ms. Choquette very nicely sums up how to percieve the world. So, control freaks of the world read this book and see what you are missing. :)

I fell upon Sonia's works and ordered this and another of her books together. I loved them both and will now read whatever else she has written. She is very down to earth, easy to read and gives practical, do-able tasks for anyone wanting to fine tune their six sense. For those of us who have lived with "premonitions" or good "instincts" it was nice to have someone help us feel more comfortable with our inner voice.

The message gets a little repetitive towards the end but I believe in what Ms Choquette is trying to convey.

In Trust Your Vibes, Sonia shares countless suggestions for increasing your intuitive awareness and living ahappier life.

Some of the tips she suggests for increasing intuitive awareness are playing intuitive games where you try to guess what the outcome of something is going to be, what is going to happen next, and in general paying attention not only to what your mind tells you, but also to what your heart and your body tell you, what do you sense and how do you feel. Sonia also offers many useful suggestions for dealing with increasing sensitivity of which also you may become aware in different ways - through sounds, physical sensations, smells, or in any other way.

If you feel stuck, Sonia suggests you ask for help from above, simply by saying "Help" to God, angels, spirits guides, devas, deities, ancestors, saints, etc. - whoever you feel affinity to according to your beliefs and spiritual practices.

Sonya also suggests many different ways to pick yourself up, if someone or something has pulled you energetically down - think of something you love or something you can feel grateful for and when you feel recharged with energy deal with the issue appropriately.

This book is extremely well written and I would highly recommend it. As a former Jehovah's Witness, I was able to identify with so much of the story - not the sexual abuse (although I learned of some sexual abuse that occurred and was covered up by the elders) but I have seen so many mothers who were like the author's mother. One of the reasons I first began to question the Watchtower religion was because of the way the children were treated - or mis-treated would be a better description. Kids spanked who were noisy during the lengthy adult services, pinched when they fell asleep at late night meetings on school nights, etc. etc. But that is mild compared to what the author endured. I enjoyed this book very much.

This book was a bit like therapy. It was helpfull to hear a story so much like my own. She is a powerful writer, and honestly portrays what can go wrong in the JW cult.

Joy's memoir is a stark reminder that abuse in all of its various forms is devastating to individuals and relationships. Because it is her story and she was raised by parents who were Jehovah's Witnesses, it includes much of that lifestyle, religious doctrine, and terminology. Joy does a fair job at explaining some of the little understood doctrines when they appear in her story.

If you are looking for a diatribe or poison pen against Jehovah's Witnesses or the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society you may be disappointed. She neither attacks nor excuses them. She more often reflects on the confused contradictions she experienced trying to make sense of the wide gap between what was taught and how it was lived.

Having studied the Witnesses and their organization for more than two years I was familiar with many of the ways they apply scripture to their lives and Joy's descriptions are fair. The fact Joy's parents and step-father clearly took some of them to the extreme only confirms they were unbalanced people. I have some close personal relationships with a few Witnesses but probably could not get them to read this book as they would likely view it as apostate writing.

The book serves to remind us how men and women in any religious following who fail to use the good minds God gave them to discern good from evil but instead faithfully, but blindly follow a religious organization as proof of loyalty to God, can find themselves quite quickly in horrible circumstances.

Joy's book also gives hope to those who seek a relationship with God rather than an organization.

I felt that the book was very well written and engrossing. Having suffered through a very similar situation in my youth with this particular religion it was a comfort to me to know that during those lonely years that I truly wasn't alone: Other people were going through the same confusion and frustration that I had been through. Mrs. Castro did a great job of explaining the JW thought process and the total lack of respect they have for women. They are very willing to place uneducated men to call the shots in their congregations. They allow these men to make decisions that they have had no training, no experience and no business in. The mere fact that they are men is the only qualification many of them need. I felt Mrs. Castro also did a great job of showing how manipulative the JW's are. The "truth" is not what they are interested in at all. Preservation of their beliefs, right or wrong is what fuels them. The book must have been difficult for her to write but I would think cathartic also.

I could not put this book down. The mental and physical abuse that Ms Castro and her brother received is unbelievable. As we move through her incredible life it is inspiring that she was able to rise above her circumstances and find peace within herself and create a loving enviroment for her son. I have no history with JW, but would recommend this book to anyone. Beautifully written. Can't wait for the next book by Joy Castro.

I had the the privilege of meeting Mr. Michael Korneblit during a recent book signing at the Holocaust Museum in DC. He personally shared what the book is about, then apologized for "making me cry". I could not wait to read the book! Let me admit that I am an audible learner and not an avid reader, but this book is a turning point. It is easy to read and definitely holds one's interest. The authors wisely chose, in this case, to focus on the love story more than the atrocities of the holocaust -- yet certainly get the point across. This is a lovely story about commitment and integrity tested to the limits. God bless these families and all survivors or relatives of those lost. Thank you for this book.

In the small town of Hrubieszow Poland, two lovers Meyer and Manya attempt to escape to terrible hands of the German Nazi Soldiers. When many atempts to escape fail, both lovers suffer deportation, seperation, and close-to-death situations. Going to camps such as Flossenburg and Aushwits both Manya and Meyer struggle to hold on, but at the same time rely on one day being together back in Hrubieszow. When both of them believe they will never be reunited with they're families after the war has ended, Meyer and Manya's son Michael Korenblit finds out some informations on his mothers family while making this book.

This book is the most amazing, Holocaust book I have ever read. There is not one book that has takin my breath away or have drawn tears to my eyes such as this one has. Imagine having nothing to hold on to, Do you think Manya and Meyer would have survived without one another? As hard as it got, thoughts of being with eachother kept Meyer and Manya still holding on. I recomend this book to anyone, because out there there really is a God and if you ever loose everything, faith is one thing you cant loose.

I think this is an incredible book and I don't think the Editorial Review does it any justice. The Editorial Reviewer understood that the story was incredibly moving and wanted it to be written more fairy tale-like, however it is not any fantasy-like because it is and was SO REAL and I think Korenblit perfectly captures its highly-emotive atmosphere. I suggest this as a read not only for historical information about the Holocaust but as an overall life-lesson that love can make you strong and that among all evil there will always be some good.

I met M. Kornblit, received his book, and read it in two days! It caused me to be thankful for every minute I live in a peaceful country, every morsel of food I partake, every single material thing I have...It is truly the most unforgettable book I'll ever read.

I'll admit that this book started out a little slowly for me, but by about chapter 18, I began to be drawn more and more into the story of teenage sweethearts Manya and Meyer, Manya's little brother Chaim, and their friends (even though the writing style employed wasn't always that dramatic or riveting). The story begins when Manya and one of her brothers, Chaim, make the very difficult decision to leave their family in the hiding place in the wall of their house in the ghetto of Hrubieszow to join Meyer's family hiding in a haystack, in 1942. Perhaps I would have been more drawn into the story initially had it begun earlier on and slowly introduced the characters and situation, instead of starting off rather in media res. And perhaps the events might have come even more alive for me had the book been written in the first person instead of by two secondhand parties. It also kind of kills the dramatic surprise by revealing at the beginning that Chaim was discovered in early 1982, with the reader knowing all along he survived instead of only saving it for the epilogue, when it would have had far greater dramatic effect.

All that said, however, the book does a rather good job at conveying the increasingly trapped and horrific situation the characters found themselves in. Many of the decisions they made, and breaks from outsiders they got which ended up contributing to their eventual survival, could be attributed to only luck, since many other people in similar situations might have had far different fates for making or not making those same decisions. After leaving the haystack, Manya, Meyer, and Chaim returned to the new ghetto in Hrubieszow, where they were put to "legitimate" work, though always in constant danger of brutality and deportations. Sometime in 1943 (the book isn't very good at all about giving a specific timeline of when exactly a lot of this stuff happened), Chaim was taken, and then a bit later on Manya, Meyer, and a few of their friends were deported as well. Initially the young lovers were in the same camp, but were eventually separated, promising to meet again in Hrubieszow at the end of the war. The two of them went through a seemingly endless stream of camps over the next two years, suffering bestial treatments and conditions, but got through with a little help from their friends, and, most importantly, their love for one another. Under such intense times, what would have been just a routine teenage romance in ordinary time turned into something much more serious, emotions magnified as people turned and clung to those they already had a powerful connection to, nurturing and keeping alive the one remaining thing that they still knew for sure, that kept them sane, human, hopeful, normal. It seems amazing to people living in comfort in the present day that love could have survived and even flourished under such awful inhuman conditions, but after reading a powerful story such as this one, it doesn't seem like a surprising phenomenon at all.

This book was a great hit throughout my second grade art classes. They have been looking for characteristics of Picasso and Matisse in every art work we see. Then I read it to one of my first grade classes an hour before Christmas break began. They had so much fun creating self-portraits using the techniques of either one of these artists that several didn't want to leave the art room. I'd post some of their artwork if I could. It's been a wonderful experience.

What a fantastic book to introduce some masters to your child. Wonderful, bright pictures and an adorable story!

Such a humorous and educational way to learn about the two masters of 20th century modernism. My son has this book and I've given it to other kids and everyone loves it, and they amazingly retain and remember the facts about the real artists as well. Excellent way to expose your child to the arts in a way that's fun and memorable.

Whether your kid knows who Picasso is or not, this is a fun play on Famous Artists and their feuding ways. My Kindergartener loves this book.

This book is my daughter's favorite. We have read it every day for the past 9 or so months and she has most of the punch lines memorized, (e.g., "mootisse was not like the other bulls" "it was a modern art mess" "the silence was broken" "i'm tired of this crowded cow town"). After reading it the first time, she said she wanted to draw with paint. And she did. Now we do watercolors all the time and she knows that Picasso and Matisse were great artists. This book provided a fun and funny way for her to learn about two art masters and their styles while also teaching a lesson about conflict resolution.

We have taken this book on flights across the country and overseas. The illustrations and the story engage my daughter to no end. The description of this book is for 4-8 year olds but unlike Roberto: The Insect Architect by Nina Laden (also a funny, well-illustrated book), I find Pigasso/Mootisse to be appropriate for a younger {pre}reader as well. I'm back to buy more copies as gifts for all the kids that I know.

I had the delight of taking John Main's classes at the Yoga Tree when I lived in the Haight in 2002. I just re-ordered thsi book to read it again, my first on being purchased from the Yoga Tree. His honesty and simple, straight on writing and thoughs are inspiring and make for a great, motivating book.

As a relatively new yogi, I found Darren's book to be a fascinating read of the Eight Limbs. I hadn't a clear understanding of each until I read Darren's words. Not only do I feel a much deeper understanding of each limb, but I am able to deepen my practice. Darren's book was as wonderful as he is a person! Thanks, Darren.

I have tried to read many books about yoga and the eight limbs, but for the most part, I usually get frustrated and feel disconnected and quit. Darren Main has done something very unique. He has woven some of the more difficult concepts (and quotes from those "frustrating" books) and brought it all down to earth. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to deepen their practice, but not quite ready to isolate themselves in to the wilderness. It is a great easy read and really inspiring.

For me, this is one of those books that you cant wait to finish so you begin reading it again. Darren has a unique talent for bringing ancient yogic philosophy into modern day terms. I just attended his 3 day workshop in Denver. I am inspired to say the least.

Darren gives you insight in how one can practice yoga and spirituality while living the modern life. His stories with playfulness and compassion, illustrate how we can stay on the path. You can feel his warmth come through his writing. Urban Mystic is delightful to read and always brings a smile to my face.

this book is wonderful! an essential for any yogi. it has wonderful detailed information and good quality pictures. deals with how to do yoga when you have a headache to what helps with cancer patients. i love how this book adds a medical side to yoga. my mother is a nurse and not a fan of yoga, so having a book like this helps validate how wonderful and useful yoga is! anyone can benefit from adding yoga to their lives!!!

For someone like me that isn't into all the esoteric jargon involved in yoga, this book was perfect for me. Written by a western MD, it has practical, everyday suggestions for incorporating yoga into your daily routine. Highly recommend!

It was a nice book and was a well received gift. I read the other reviews and they were really detailed and helpful when purchasing this.

This book is perfect for Yoga teachers. It has helped me to give information to one of my students with high blood preasure. Another with knee problems. This book will give you lots of information from the medical point of view without losing the yoga. I always suggest my students to consult with their doctors since I'm not one, but also give them the additional information I find in this book for them to share it with their doctor. I'm learning a lot more about the human body through the practice of Yoga and this book is complementing every step of the way.

This book is really the complete text on how to use yoga for almost any major ailment. The author, MD Dr. McCall (also the medical editor for Yoga Journal), writes from a scientific perspective. He quotes and footnotes his volume extensively, and merges science with ancient wisdom in 568 pages.

The book opens with an overview of what yoga is and is not, discusses briefly the various forms you can follow (ashtanga, iyengar, etc), and moves quickly into the physical and mental ailments yoga has been observed to help.

Yoga models of various body types illustrate the most helpful poses for anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, MS, HIV, headaches, stress, depression, menopause, back aches, cancer, insomnia, infertility, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, arthritis and asthma.

Contraindications for each condition are provided, along with research notes, holistic approaches to treatment and tons of yoga exercise options (with black and white photos).

Quotes and passages from such well-known yoga instructors as Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden are incorporated into each section as well.

An important chapter in the back cautions practicing yogis to avoid new injuries through incorrect postural alignment and overeager stretching.

I appreciated reading the author's summary at the end about how our society could benefit from incorporating yoga therapy into mainstream medicine. I agree we should be teaching yoga in schools, to the aged in nursing homes, to the chronically ill, and in community centers everywhere. He suggests doctors and nurses themselves should practice yoga, both to lessen the stress in their professions, and also to be able to see first-hand the health benefits of yoga as both preventative and restorative medicine.

Overall, this isn't a sit-down-and-read book, although flipping through it is enjoyable. It's a fantastic reference source to keep in your yoga or medical library. Anyone can benefit from this information - we all get headaches, back aches, stress and anxiety. We all all know people with asthma or incipient heart disease who might be helped by sharing this information.

Highly recommended!

I am not a big fan of diet books,but I decided to give it one more shot. My girl-friend Susan bought me this book about a year ago because she was not happy the way I look in hip-huggers. I had gotten lazy since I met Susan, as I thought I had met the partner for life. I let my appearance go and Susan was about to drop me for my ex-husband. Well, I started working out and following the lifestyle changes. Guess what? Susan is giving me a backrub as I write this, telling me that I have great bod and we should get into the tub.

So far I've read half the book and I'm fascinated at what I have learned. I'm looking forward to applying all the secrets and see the results. This is the motivation I needed to get off the junk and do what's good for me. Now I understand why eating very few calories but most of it being sugar has been making me gain weight. I don't eat fried foods or stuff myself I just eat too much sweets. There are more suggestions in here that I think everyone should know. We'll just see if this book is quackery as I read someone elses review. I'll report back in 30 days with the results!

I am not a big fan of diet books,but I decided to give it one more shot. My girl-friend Susan bought me this book about a year ago because she was not happy the way I look in hip-huggers. I had gotten lazy since I met Susan, as I thought I had met the partner for life. I let my appearance go and Susan was about to drop me for my ex-husband. Well, I started working out and following the lifestyle changes. Guess what? Susan is giving me a backrub as I write this, telling me that I have great bod and we should get into the tub.

Never thought I would turn to a diet book until my best friend turned me on to the book after hearing that I had refused to expose my thighs at a local softball tournament. It was 90 degrees and there I was, wearing a pair of sweats, vainly trying to cover-up my saddlebags. It has been about 9 months since then and I feel great and look great if I say so myself.I followed the instructions and worked out to the max.My lifestyle has changed, much to the chagrin of the local ice-cream parlor,which I single-handily supported during the winter months.
Thanks for a fun, easy to read book.

Oberbeil puts all the common sense information I had gathered over the years into one easy to read book. I would advise anyone who wants to read a sensible guide to weight loss and general health to purchase this book. Well researched and well organized!

I received my first copy of And There Was Light in 1977. The book was out of print at the time and members of my spiritual group had to resort to copying it for study. I'm grateful that it's back in print and Jacques Lusseyran's life and work are receiving more attention. Regarding the subtitle, I wonder what Jacques would say about being called a hero? Perhaps he would just laugh and shake his head since he conveys so clearly in And There Was Light that he was just an ordinary person who trusted his heart in a world gone mad. I think the best compliment I can pay the book is it makes me long to be better myself.

As others have said it's a book about blindness, coming of age, WWII, the Holocaust, the French resistance, etc. What is truly unique about it though cannot be easily described, and is best appreciated in the reading. Just get a copy and read it.

This is a very unique perspective that has a miriad of themes. Keep in mind that this book has been translated from french. The semantics and verbage is somewhat awkward at times, but the message remains clear. This meling pot of personal experiences encompass: blindness as a youth, minds-eye interpretations of a blind individual, internal strength, the occupation of France during WWII, the French Underground, detailed brutality of the Nazi Party, prison camp conditions, and repatriation. Once again, I will stress that the themes are broad and this is a translated text, yet it still succeeds in painting a well orchistrated picture of each theme. Most importantly, the theme of hope and strength solidify the foundation and triumph in the end.

This is a beautifully writen book. Read it for yourself. You will really enjoy it.

This is the autobiography of a blind hero of the French Resistance during WWII. Lusseyran lost his eyesight as a young boy through an accident at school, caused by a bully. But instead of sinking helplessly into darkness he gradually developed his other senses to extraordinary capacity.
When seventeen,while interviewing volunteers, willing to join the Resistance, he perceived colors when they answered questions. These colors revealed to him whether they could be trusted or not. Once, however,his friends disagreed with his recommendation. They all were taken prisoner and sent to the Concentration Camp.It was there, that the 18 year old found his second calling: Poetry. Reciting poetry by heart, he assembled the prisoners daily. The imagery had life-sustaining quality for them and a moment of renewal to all that participated. His experiences and observations there, later led him to choose to study philosophy and literature at the Sorbonne.He lectured at the various American universities until his death.
recommended additional reading by Lusseyran: "Against the Pollution of the I"

A classic study in overcoming adversity and finding hope in hopeless situations. If it were a work of fiction, we would doubt the author's credebility - but this is not fiction, this is the real life of an ordinary individual made extraordinary by the light of his saviour. It is an inspirational book and adventure action novel all in one. Rarely do we find a hero so authentic and humble as Mr. Lusseyran - and only he could share the story because only he has access to that light so necessary for the complete telling.

I received this book for my 10th birthday from my parents, many years ago. At the time, I was very impressionable and this book made a significant impact on my life. I learned then that what we as fallible humans consider to be "imperfect" according to our standards of ignorance and bias is usually the most precious of all things to God.

Now, I have a two-year-old son with Down Syndrome and I can relate in so many ways to this book. As I look back over my life and various correlating events that have taken place, I see that God was preparing me to be the mother of a special needs child all along. And it all started with this one little book.

I doubt even Dale Evans knew how much this little book would touch lives. It was published in 1953 and my 6th grade teacher read the book to all of us in her class years later. Of course, we were all Dale and Roy's fans so we could not wait until the next day when she read another chapter. It is one book that I have read over and over again. It is amazing how Dale got Robin's message which was told from her point of view. If you want to read a book that is life touching, then read "Angel Unaware". The Bible verse from Hebrews is still my favorite verse.

I bought this as a present for my wife and it moved both of us to tears. Wonderful.

I first read this book shortly after I learned to read, at my grandparents house. The book was hardcover with a pink cover page.

Every time I went to my grandparents I would reread the book.

This book will bring tears to your eyes, and it shows that you are truly not alone.

Karen

A brief story of a child with Downs Syndrome, born to Dale Evans & Roy Rogers, this story reaffirms the obvious...God makes no mistakes, & uses all things to draw us closer to Him.