Kansas Books

This is a lovely endearingly funny book. I read it in just an evening but I'm sure it's a book I'll go back to in the future.

This book was a disappointment to me. Although it is only a slight volume I found it to be heavy going and very uninteresting. Avoid.

I don't know anyone in the Trillin family personnally, but I recognize them very well. I learned something I didn't know--that Jews landed some place other than Ellis Island. As a father myself, I appreciate what Abe did for his son. So did Calvin.

Such is Calvin Trillin's caliber of work you don't realize how good he is, and he is really good. This book touched me deeply; Mr. Trillinsky was not an emotional man and given to the touchy feely sort of stuff so espoused these days, but he gave his son everything he would need to have a fulfilling life, one of the main components being a deep, abiding and unconditional love; how lucky Mr. Trillin was.

My father was an evil and stupid man who never learned from his mistakes and is now reaping the whirlwind; I believe Mr. Trillinsky would have I.D.'d him in five minutes flat, and would have had mercy on him, much more than I can manage now. If you are raising a child, or trying to figure out what in God's green earth happened to you during your childhood, read this book. Mr. Trillin's artistry is a delicious extra.

I have read "Remembering Denny" and it has seared a place in my mind since. It explained so much to me. This is another book that is going to go on my mental bookshelf, probably till the end of me.

Humorist, journalist, food maven, the author of numerous books and a writer for The New Yorker, Trillin brings his blend of self-deprecating humor and thoughtful observation to this affectionate memoir of his father.

Abram Trilinsky emigrated to St. Joseph, Missouri, from Russia at the age of two. When his wife hinted at a trip to Europe, his terse response was, "I've been." He was resolutely a mid-western American, a man who changed his name to Abe Trillin, and at the end of his life exhibitted the only prejudice his son ever observed - an impatience with "refugees," by which he meant people who clung to the language and customs of their country of origin.

He was a stubborn man, like most of his family, described by his wife as "Mules!" "I sometimes imagined my father as swearing off things just to keep in practice," his son observes.

He never swore although he collected colorful curses - "May you have an injury that's not covered by workman's compensation." His honesty was absolute - when a child turned 12 he paid full price at the movies even if he looked 9.

He was unassuming. When Calvin was in high school, his father opened a restaurant and took to wearing yellow ties. "He said something about how most people don't stand out from the crowd, and how it helped to have a sort of signature." This seemed embarrasing to his adolescent son. "What was so great about having someone say, 'Oh, yes, Abe Trillin - the guy with the yellow ties'?" But years later at Abe's funeral, he's touched by how many friends asked for a yellow tie as a remembrance.

His father was not a talker. One of his favorite jokes concerned a Jewish actor who finally gets a real part playing a Jewish father. The actor asks his father why he seems disappointed. " 'Of course I'm proud of you son,' " the father says, " 'But we were hoping you'd get a speaking part.' "

Calvin writes, "What strikes me as odd now is how much my father managed to get across without those heart-to-hearts that I've read about fathers and sons having." Without it being talked about, Calvin knew his father was ambitious for him. "It was a given in our family that my father was a grocer so that I wouldn't have to be."

One of their biggest arguments concerned Calvin's joining the Boy Scouts. He hated Boy Scouts but Abe regarded it as essential to American boyhood, a necessary step on the way to Yale, Trillin senior's university of choice, an idea he'd gotten from a novel read as a boy - Stover At Yale.

Calvin went to Yale. Yale launched him out of Kansas City, never to return (also as Abe expected). The grocer's son would never be a grocer.

In one (somewhat unrealistically) ingenuous chapter Trillin goes to a dinner of prominent writers and realizes that they all went to Ivy League schools as he did. Was there a connection? (Puleeeeze). "For the first time, I realized that my father's vision of how all of this was supposed to work out might not have been as simplistic as I had always assumed."

This slim volume is deeply captivating and affecting. His father emerges as a man of indomitable will, will so strong he imposed it simply by being. He was a man who could afford to be easy going and funny, all the while adhering to a plan of grand ambition which embraced cross country automobile trips to broaden the horizons of his children and simple pronouncements: "You might as well be a mensch." Much of the book's power lies in the author's recognition of himself as his father's ambition fulfilled - a successful American who does his best to "be a mensch," a real human being.

So many of us are in search of the "fountain of youth." I think Waldo found it in simple living and healthy choices. Great book, with a simple message. Easy to listen to and enjoyable to hear. Quaint. Thanks for sharing your interesting and fascinating life with us.

Wow! Wish I could do some of the things Waldo is doing now! And I'm only 52! Just shows what you can do if you stay close to God. For another good read & to see what a man can do if he stays close to God; try this short book out to experience romance, adventure, and excitement at the End-Days! "Eva-Christ" by myself Mark Foster and availble her on Amazon.com Thanks!
Eva-Christ

To be honest, I have not received this item yet. I saw this man and his book featuered on a Television news show. Accordign to it, he personally signs and mails each copy. This gentleman is over 100 years old and still goes to work every day. I cant wait to get his book.

Mr. McBurney's life has been a long and interesting one. I was especially impressed with the fact that his father lived 40+ years after his first stroke in part because of his doctor who was ahead of his time in his treatment. The author was wise at a young age to see that it might work for him, too. Faith, exercise, fresh fruits and vegetables, with a bit of honey - it's really quite simple. Why don't more of us follow that path? I listened to the audio book and while a professional actor's voice might have been stronger with more inflection, Mr. McBurney's own voice lent an authenticity to the reading that could not be duplicated.

R. Waldo McBurney definitely has a great sense of humor and healthy habits that we should all look at today. I read this brief book and thought it was really great. I initially discovered McBurney as one of the oldest working Americans during a news interview while surfing the 'net. The author's quick wit and solid upbringing, as well as his perseverence to continue to lead an active lifestyle is reflected in this book. Many of the same things he said during his interview were also in this book, but the book provides much more detail into his thoughts.
If I live to his age, I hope to write another follow-up to his book to reflect its validity.

As an ex-CIA polygraph examiner who served for four years in Vietnam, John Sullivan traveled throughout much of Indochina while performing lie detector tests in support of the US war effort. Over a quarter of a century later, Sullivan's memoirs tell the story of a man who, trained by a spy agency to unearth deceit, embarks upon a mission to a Cold War hotspot where he discovers deception and incompetence to be as perennial as the grass in the Vietnamese countryside.

While Sullivan makes it clear from the beginning that he did serve with a number of good men in Vietnam, he expresses astonishment at the degree of operational ineffectiveness (or just plain irresponsibility) on the part of many CIA personnel in Saigon Station and outer lying regions, which strangely enough became a backwater for 'problem' officers despite the country's exceptional strategic importance to US policy makers.

In reference to the author's tradecraft, Sullivan makes three worthwhile points about polygraph testing:

1) "Polygraph is about 92 percent art and 8 percent science."
2) "The fact that intangibles cannot be quantified or scientifically measured challenges the claim that polygraph is a science. I do not believe that it is possible to put a percentage on the reliability of polygraph testing, but under optimal conditions, it is very reliable."
3) Even if a subject registers as being deceptive on a polygraph, "unless an admission is obtained, the final determination is frequently what we refer to as a scientific wild-ass guess (SWAG)."

Although I would have enjoyed hearing more detailed discussions of Sullivan's expertise, I understand that there are limits as to how much can be openly discussed regarding his specialty. Nonetheless, this book scores a high mark in that it enables readers to walk away with a better understanding of both the Vietnam War as well as polygraph testing.

The book starts out one story at a time and some times the thought is "why tell me about a broken desk cover" but at the end you know more about what it was really like in Laos and Vietnam. John was known as the man who would tell the truth to those in power. Now he shares it with the rest of us.

As we see the formulation of a new "homeland security agency" it is a reminder to us that the best way to get good results is pay attention to every step of the process. Our Vietnam operation had great support and many poor operations with the information results (even the good information) seeming to get lost on the way to those who needed it. The lesson I see is that all of the details are important. Bottle necks can kill.

As a history major who took courses on the Cold War in college, I can say with certainty that this book would be invaluable and highly instructive to anyone who reads it.

As an Intelligence Analyst I have come to appreciate the work case officers like John Sullivan have done in service of their country. This book should be required reading for all polygraphers and case officers.

As an officer in the military, I have come to realize that many of the lessons learned from Vietnam have been applied in today's armed services. The book points out low-points in the CIA that can be used to improve (if not already) current operations.

His style of writing makes it easy to follow, and allows the reader to get a good glimpse of CIA operations in Vietnam through the eyes of an honest, hard working, dutiful man.

Anyone who has any interest in Vietnam, whether for school, occupation, or hobby, must read this book to get the full picture.

Many of the stories in the book are very light accounts of annoying conversations: personality conflicts. The author is apparently a real straight arrow and he has endless accounts of turns of phrase and trivial happenstances that annoyed him. Like the guy who switched his cracked desk glass for John's good one. Who cares, I mean literally? There is very little insight given to the interrogation process proper, which I was expecting because that is, after all, the author's specialty. In the end you have a sense that Vietnam was fill of corrupt, drunk spooks, and one lone shiny penny -- the author.

John Sullivan's "Of Spies and Lies" is a fascinating account of wartime CIA intelligence operations in Vietnam that should be required reading not only for students of the Vietnam War, but also for anyone interested in the current war on terror. John's discussions of the difficulties an intelligence agency faces in recruiting penetrations of a difficult and dangerous enemy organization and his descriptions of problems caused by the shortage of officers with the requisite language and area knowledge bear disturbing similarities to headlines we see in the press every day. It is another illustration of the old saw that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
John's book provides a unique window into life in the CIA's Saigon Station. His description of Agency operations in Vietnam ranges from the controversy surrounding our best penetration of the Viet Cong leadership to the polygraphing of local employees over the disappearance of a few slices of ham at a party (an incident I remember quite well). John also gives unprecedented insights into the important role the Agency's requirement for polygraph vetting plays in keeping case officers, who work daily in the murky waters of spies, fabricators, and con-men, on the straight and narrow road of the pursuit of the truth. CIA polygraphers like John helped lead the way in the development of a systematic vetting process for use in the conduct of clandestine intelligence collection operations. The book illustrates how that process works and how, when the process is ignored or distorted, the entire system can quickly break down.
I served with John in Saigon Station and know his reputation as one of the Agency's best. As a former Saigon Station officer, some of his criticisms of personnel and procedures in Southeast Asia are painful, but their accuracy is incontrovertible. I highly recommend this book.

So writes Pennsylvanian Jacob Heffelfinger after his first battle in the Civil War. Heffelfinger is one of the dozens of veterans whose letters and memoirs Hess examined to write this study of the Union soldier under fire. His chapters examine the visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile experience of battle; strategies for coping with battle-fear before, during, and after the shooting; and the ways in which combat veterans in the Civil War remembered their experiences (this, in the final chapter, may be the book's single most important contribution).

Unhappily, the book is fundamentally flawed by Hess' strange claim that the Civil War veteran was a victor over his dreadful experiences rather than a victim, and so he seems to appreciate neither the poignancy of the firsthand accounts he cites or the horrific post-war psychological and physical damage endured by the veterans. A book published the same year Hess's appeared, Eric T. Dean's _Shook Over Hell: Post-Traumatic Stress, Vietnam, and the Civil War_, is a more sensitive study, as is Gerald Linderman's _Embattled Courage: The Experience of Combat in the American Civil War_ (1987), a deservedly classic treatment with which Hess explicitly disagrees. In short, Hess deserves our gratitude for the wealth of firsthand testimony he cites. But his analysis of its significance falls short.

Earl J. Hess's book "The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat" is a lucid and convincing account of the Union soldier's adjustment to the harrowing experience of combat. Hess's straightforward use of soldiers' correspondence and memoirs presents the reader with an illustrative candor which boldly challenges any romantic depiction of Civil War combat. Before the Union soldier first "saw the elephant", he was often infused by a sense of idealistic patriotism; a romantic notion of war which inspired him to enlist. Hess posits that these soldiers adjusted well to combat, however, and used their common bond with other soldiers to control their fear of both combat and dying. Sure, they retreated at the first sight of combat but Hess tends do defend this by factoring in human nature. We all get scared. In fact, Hess points out that retreating was also used as a strategic motivator. The author's rather humanistic portrayal of the Union soldier suggests that he was not perfect but, at the same time, he knew that he had a job to do and to live up to his part of the bargain. Hess's portrayal of the Union soldier as a pragmatic yet idealistic fighter is most interesting. The grim descriptions of the battlefield given by soldier accounts vividly bring the Union soldier's transformation from civilian to soldier alive. I found this book to be a refreshing read in the sense that it presented a side of the Union soldier that needs to be examined further. It is a needed accompaniment to Bell Wiley's "Billy Yank". In this era of post-Vietnam scholarship on the effects of combat on soldiers, this is a welcome book. The primary research was detailed and the presentation was clear. The only thing preventing me from giving it "5 stars" was that I feel the author may have covered the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation on the ideology of the Union soldier and his reasons for fighting the war. Overall, a great book.

Author Earl Hess has defined the Union soldier in this interesting book covering many topics. Hess has taken a fresh look at soldiering and has brought the psychology of the soldier mind together with insightful material. Topics facing soldiers such as enlisting, fighting battles, defining courage, knowing war, memories and the daily grind of war has been presented in a great format. Hess adds quotes from soldiers that enhance the chapters and bring things to a closer personal level. Hess also explains how soldiers coped after the war and how they filtered back into society. This an excellent book that gets into the psychological mind set of the Union soldier and is not a book like Hardtack Coffee that covers more material topics. To understand the Union soldier this a great reference tool that helps get inside of the minds of these fighting men. 5 STARS!

In this rather short book, Earl Hess goes into detail about what combat was like for the Northern Solier in the American Civil War. Using mainly letters written by veterans, the book explains why most Northern soldiers were able to endure the horrors of Civil War combat, and how this experience shaped their perspective of the conflict.

I found the book fascinating. It really gets into the personal history of the war, as seen through the eyes of thos who fought it. If you are looking for a glimpse into the intensity of Civil War fighting, this book will open your eyes to what it may have been like. The only reason I did not give this book five stars is that the writing is rather dry, and merely factual during certain chapters.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the Civil War combat experience of the Northern Soldier. It was gruesome, noisy, confusing, exhilirating, and harrowing. How so many were able to endure this hardship and keep fighting until the war was won still remains somewhat of a mystery to me.

This is the sort of historical writing that I really find interesting: the study of mentalities among a group of people engaged in highly stressful activity. Hess does wonderfully at describing what battle was like and setting forth the ways in which it challenged men's courage. I found, however, that some of his analysis seemed forced. He makes statements which are not really supported by his sources. For example, he makes the claim that veteran soldiers were more likely to call truces with the enemy to trade coffee and tobacco and so on because they felt more self-confident than new recruits. But in fact, other sources I have read indicate that such truces were more common early in the war, before the soldiers got to taking it all so seriously. In other places, too, Hess makes claims about what was going through the soldiers' minds without really supporting these claims with quotes. He gives an interesting analysis of postwar viewpoints and the way veterans psychologically justified the hell they had gone through. I do wish that he or a colleague would write a similar study of Confederate soldiers, particularly on postwar viewpoints, since that would seem to be where they would differ the most.

Look into the past to prepare for the future. This book gives a good understand how past experience shapes our life. May not be for everyone but approach with an open mind and heart.

Very informative to learn why we don't understand the whys and where all our personal problems came from. Good counseling to help in unlocking our wounded pasts and how they have by our natural make-up set in motion body functions that have to be re-wired to correct and live freely productive and prosperous lives. How traumas really affect us physically, mentally, emotionally as well as spiritually.

Book received in good condition and delivery was received in a timely manner

This is a great read for anyone who is an abuse survivor or someone who lives or works with an abuse victim. It is easy to read and explains so much that other books on this topic don't. It is not full of psycho mumbo jumbo and written in lay mans terms. Highly recommended.

It was Dr. Paul Hegstrom's teaching that changed our lives forever. In 1994, we were struggling in a ten year marriage that had lots of problems including abuse and adultery.

Dr. Hegstrom's teachings began the miracle that we needed in our life and marriage. The next ten years of our marriage were so wonderful that in 2004, we wrote our first book on marriage, "The Man of Her Dreams/The Woman of His!" Dr. Hegstrom wrote the Preface to the book.

Let Dr. Hegstrom's teachings change your life and while you are at it, click on the following link and get a double blessing! The Man of Her Dreams The Woman of His!

If you like The Man of Her Dreams/The Woman of His! - then you will also want to check out The Man of Her Dreams The Woman of His 2 - Livin' It and Lovin' It! (Volume 2)


Joel and Kathy Davisson

I am very disappointed in this book. I really don't appreciate some of the unsavory words that are found throughout its pages. This is my first Nancy Pickard book and I must say that if the rest are this bad, forget it. I recently bought several of her selections and I hope the next will be better, otherwise, I am getting rid of them fast.

Good mystery. I sort of had it figured out but its resolution was still satisfying. The only problem I have with the book is the cover. The cover is a composite of a couple of events that happened in the book, but one of them is definitely in the last quarter of the book and I kept wondering when it was going to happen (I won't tell you so as not to spoil it for you as well).

I loved this book. It's one of the first mysteries that got me interested in mysteries. I've read all of Nancy Pickard's books and wish she would write more often or faster. I love her style of writing!

In this wonderful mystery, the author, Nancy Pickard, gives the reader a "Bum Steer" in figuring out the killer in this book. The plot is interesting and well developed. But when the reader gets to the end, the question is, "How did I miss all the clues? I was tricked! I was given a "Bum Steer."

This was the final book by Nancy that I had to read, and I think that it was by far the best one! As she's getting involved in yet another situation, our murder-prone heroin struggles with some deeply personal issues. She had me intrigued to the very surprising ending! Note: The language in this book is a lot stronger than in any of her others.

Wonderful book of Vintage block patterns, makes cataloging some of those old orphan blocks great or making that wonderful vintage look quilt. If you like vintage designs you need this collection of designs.

If you are interested in quilt history or in the names of traditional quilt blocks, this book is an invaluable tool. Carrie Hall sewed and collected various quilt blocks along with their names in what is now an encyclopedia of quilt history. I have used this book both for inspiration in my own quilt block making and also for historical interest (which blocks were named after political events, etc). Definitely one to have on your quilt book shelf.

This is an excellent resource book for those interested in quilt history. The more than 800 blocks were made between 1900-1935. Both pieced and appliqued blocks are shown in color. The pattern section of more than 200 blocks range from easy level to difficult. The template section is very easy to use. Each block is shown in color and then in sections with all template numbers listed. All blocks in this section have been converted to more standard sizes and could be converted to other sizes with relative ease by any quilter. A fantastic book and a must for any quilter's personal library!

Carrie Hall Blocks are a great resource to have. There are 800 different pattern blocks to look at with 200 having the templates completed in the back. But if you wanted to make a block not templated all you would have it do is xerox the picture to a desired size and then draft it. But with 200 templated you have more than enough to chose from. I have made some of the blocks and used this resource to research block names. Not only does she have a copy of blocks, but she also will have copies of blocks that have the same name but different patterns. This one feature has cleared up many confused moments.

istanbuljoy

I like the fact that the book has a hard cover. And with 800 patterns, a person should be able to find something they like. However, I found other books on patterns that I like much better ("It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt", "Once More Around the Block" and "849 Traditional Patchwork Patterns) and I have never used this book for a reference (yet) because I like my other books better. And I'm not crazy about the choice of fabrics that are used; there isn't much definition in value. There are quite a few applique patterns.

There is little to add to the previous excellent reviews except to express the wish the publisher had printed a separate detailed map book to accompany the text. For the lay reader, the author divides the subject into sensible portions. He points out a Corps is a fighting command not weighted down with the administrative and logistical demands of a division or levels of command above a Corps. The Prologue describes the American philosophy of command; introduces the six commanders in separate entries providing their background and military experience; sums up the different aspects of both allied and German planning leading up to the battle. The battle is dealt with over the balance of the book as reviewers have described. He ends with a brief description of the careers of the major players after the war. In that chapter, to my mind, he raises a fascinating question followed by a mind boggling supposition. As the war recedes more than a half century into the past, Bradley's reputation continues to shrink. What if Troy MIddleton had taken Eisenhower's advice in 1937 and not retired from the army? Since his credentials were far higher than Bradley"s, and he was considered, perhaps next to Marshall, the most highly regarded infantryman of the interwar period, he would have been the leading candidate to command the First Army in the Normandy invasion. He would have likely risen to command 12th Army Group. If that had been the case, it's very unlikely he would have allowed his staff to neglect the challenges of fighting in the bocage country prior to the invasion. Furthermore, he wouldn't have become nervous about closing the trap on the German 7th Panzer Army at Falaise. Despite the many outstanding volumes concerning the German Ardennes offensive, this book is recommended to any student of WWII as well professional soldiers and libraries.

After reading perhaps a dozen books on the Battle of the Bulge including the most recent Alamo in the Ardennes, I really enjoyed the presentation, style, and substance of Professor Winton's book. Rarely have I found presentations that encapsulate the functions of the corp commander and perhaps more importantly the movement of divisions between armies and corps to provide the level and complexity of force required in battle. This book captures also the personalities of the corp commanders and their bosses e.g. Patton and Middleton/Millikin/Eddy as well as Montgomery and Bradley at the army group level. Professor Winton has structured his book to capture all of these aspects well. You won't find this in any of the other treatments of the Battle. However, I will support another reviewer who complained about the number of maps linked to the text. Sometimes I had Toland, MacDonald and others open to figure out the battle space so be prepared. Still,a great read.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. The only problem that I had is that there are too few maps; sometimes only one map for many pages of movement descriptions to towns that aren't on the previous map at all. I really wish there were more showing each phase i.e. defense, regrouping, attack, etc. for each corps. McDonalds book, A time for Trumpets does a better job, in my humble opinion, of providing many more maps that complement the text.
Having said that, I enjoyed reading about this battle from a different perspective, i.e. that of each Corps commander involved.

If you are looking for a book that provides a commanders perspective of the whole Battle of the Bulge, this is the one for you. If you are looking for a book that provides the experiences of the foot soldier in the Battle of the Bulge, this book has no accounts from their perspective. Since I appreciate books that have the accounts of the foot soldier who actually won this battle, this would not be a book that it is at the top of my list. However, of all the books that I've read on the Battle of the Bulge, which are many, this is the most thorough. Even books that pride themselves in telling the whole story tend to focus on one part more than others, whether it be the northern sector (Time for Trumpets) or Bastogne (too many books to name them all here). This book tells the whole story without focusing on one sector more than another. It also clearly lays out the perspective of the whole battle from the command level (all the way from Eisenhower to the division commanders) focusing on the Corps commanders. I came away with a better understanding of the battle after reading this book, and consequently do recommend it to anyone interested in studying this battle.

The book is well written and informative. Even for a veteran reader of WWII books there was much new material, or at least material presented in a different way. However, the basic premise of the book is somewhat flawed. At the early stages of the battle of the Bulge it was a series of small and very brave actions that made the difference in slowing down the Germans. Even later, the Corps Commanders, including those for whom the author has great respect, merely backed up decisions made by subordinates. Indeed the battle, whether in the north with the stand at the Elsenborn Ridge or in south with the releif of Bastogne, would have taken place regardless of who was the respective Corps Commander. Additionally, while the author's description of the education of his players is quite laudatory, some might find their higher command education as insular. A warning, this book is not for someone who has not read extinsively about WWII.

This book has very good points and examples. However, for myself, there were many things to relate to. This is probably becuase of the difference of when it was written and when I was born. But even with the large time difference, there were many things that I could easily grasp and relate to how I live my life. More importantly than that, how I should/can live it.

Not only does Dr. Taylor deal with the disciplined life, but he deals with the disciplined life of the Christian. Not only does he explain what true, Christ-like discipline is, but he explains how to acheive this discipline. For the pastor who needs strength, or "Joe Christian" who needs self-control, I recommend them to prayerfully read this inspiring book.

Not only does Dr. Taylor deal with the disciplined life, but he deals with the disciplined life of the Christian. Not only does he explain what true, Christ-like discipline is, but he explains how to acheive this discipline. For the pastor who needs strength, or "Joe Christian" who needs self-control, I recommend them to prayerfully read this inspiring book.

Richard Taylor writes from the Nazarene perspective which is rooted in Wesleyan Arminianism and the Holiness Movement. I have yet to find one book by Mr. Taylor that I haven't enjoyed and learned from. He has a style of writing that I like. Taylor's book is divided into two parts: 1) The Place of Discipline in Christian Living, and 2) The Path to Discipline in Christian Living. The first part contains five chapters the first of which covers the value of discipline in general for the attainment of power, national as well as personal. Chapter two discusses the marks of maturity in one's appetites, emotions, moods, speech, and priorities, and shows how we can adjust to authority. Chapter three covers the perils of discipline such as the danger of extremes and unchristian asceticism. Also included is an interesting discussion of "undisciplined discipline". Chapter four properly distinguishes and relates discipline and holiness and chapter five provides a defense of, and valuable insights into, imposed discipline. Part Two is the whole of chapter six which tells us "How to Become a Disciplined Person" and provides many words of wisdom. If I had to highlight one bit of wisdom from the book that sticks in my mind, it would be the importance of selection as the law of life (pg. 36). Taylor says, in effect, that we cannot join everything, we cannot participate in every good cause, we cannot give to everything, we cannot go to every interesting concert or lecture or meeting, we cannot read everything,... therefore, we must select! That last part about reading really hit home, especially since I LOVE to read and don't have alot of time to do it. Taylor expounds on this principle of selection as it relates to priorities and makes his points stick.

Other popular books on discipleship and the spiritual disciplines include the following: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard, The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson, The Complete Green Letters by Miles Stanford, and, for those who like workbooks, the Navpress Colossians 2:7 Series on discipleship.

Most people want to be disciplined, but cannot find the motivation. That motivation must come from a deep personal conviction. This book does a great job of teaching the reasons behind the principles. It starts with the ideas and moves to the practicals.
This is a must read for anyone wishing true discipline.

I began reading The New Yorker in college, back in the early `60s -- mostly for the cartoons, I admit, but it wasn't long before I discovered the often witty and always beautifully written essays of Calvin Trillin. As a food-lover, I especially enjoyed his culinary pieces, since collected in three volumes beginning with American Fried in 1974. The last, Third Helpings, appeared in 1983, so it's been along dry spell, but now he's back with a new series of adventures that will make you salivate. The chapter in which he tries to get his daughter to promise she'll move back to New York from San Francisco if he can find a dependable source of pumpernickel bagels makes him sound Manhattan-centric, but he also writes a paean to boudin (which, even living in south Louisiana, I confess I don't care for at all), and another to the posole found in Taos (which I like very much). And there's a chapter on nutria sauce piquante that's a real hoot (think sheep-sized rodents). And there's San Francisco burritos, and Casamento's oyster loaf, and fried fish in Barbados, and pimientos in Galicia, and a number of other foodstuffs to be considered. This is a great book to read when you're sitting in the staff room at work, munching mindlessly on a homemade tuna sandwich and a bag of Fritos.

The United States is a nation covering more than 3.5 million square miles, measuring nearly 2,800 miles from Battery Park in Manhattan to the Santa Monica Pier just west of Los Angeles. According to current Census Bureau figures, more than 290 million people live in the U.S., most of whom don't have to trace their roots back too far to find relatives who arrived on American soil from elsewhere. As a nation we are a diverse and interesting bunch. But if you look at what we eat, it is apparent that the great melting pot has been simmering for perhaps too long and is now yielding an increasingly bland porridge. From sea to shining sea, a nation populated by people from all points of the globe has become a gigantic, generic food court that threatens to erase the vast national cornucopia of ethnic eats and local treats. It's a creeping culinary crime that, if left unchecked, may one day turn the entire planet into an Applebee's. But all is not lost.

FEEDING A YEN, the latest effort from the prolific and always entertaining Calvin Trillin, offers an escape for those who have grown tired of food that has suffered a spectrum of indignities, from gentrification to generification. Each of the fourteen chapters in FEEDING A YEN covers a different local specialty, from pumpernickel bagels in New York City, to pimientos de Padron (a dish made with tiny green peppers) in Galicia, Spain, to boudin (a kind of Cajun sausage) in New Iberia, Louisiana, to ceviche (a cold fish soup) in Ecuador --- and plenty more along the way.

If you're looking for a book on pricey eateries, find something else to read. FEEDING A YEN is about simple, honest food, often made from recipes that have been passed down for generations. In describing these various treats and his efforts to find them, Trillin exhibits a palpable glee, particularly when skewering some of the more pretentious aspects of the business of feeding people.

In a chapter on Napa Valley wines, Trillin plays on his own ignorance of the vintner's art as he investigates a test that reputedly proves that even the experts can't really tell a red from a white. Another chapter deals with the good-natured squabbles within a Web community that has emerged via chowhound.com, a Web site devoted to ferreting out great ethnic food in the neighborhoods of New York and Los Angeles.

If you're a fan of Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour on the Food Network, you'll enjoy FEEDING A YEN. Trillin and Bourdain share a passion for the food purveyed in small shops and by street vendors. But Bourdain, who apparently will eat just about anything, has the more adventurous palette. The various treats Trillin describes are often exotic, but never involve anything that you'd keep as a pet or that might buzz around your porch light on a warm summer night. Trillin writes about good, simple food, food rooted to specific locations by tradition as much as by the availability of the necessary ingredients.

Technology has made the world a much smaller place. Mere hours stand between the cargo of fishing boats and the dinner table and, by virtue of the same technology, the idea of a growing season is rendered a moot point. You can get nearly anything you want, anytime you want it. But that abundance and convenience risk the very essence of the local specialty. If you've had the good fortune to travel in the U.S. you've surely noticed that, with the exception of geography and climate, the differences that existed between various points on the map are eroding. And the same thing is happening around the world (for a different take on that issue read William Gibson's PATTERN RECOGNITION). Food is a basic and visceral expression of local and regional culture. If that expression is lost, if people no longer seek out unique dishes like those so vividly described in FEEDING A YEN, then the creeping blandness that has already claimed so much of what makes the world interesting will have achieved another milestone in mediocrity. But if Calvin Trillin has his way, that sad and flavorless day will never arrive.

--- Reviewed by Bob Rhubart

I have a soft spot for food writers. Maybe it's because I enjoy a good meal, perhaps too much, but I think it's because I've found food writers to be charming in their obsession with food related minutiae. No one is more charming than Calvin Trillin whose "register of frustration and deprivation" leads him to travel the world seeking those foods that he can't live without. the result of this is Feeding a Yen. I can't put this book down. He's like an adventurous and kindly uncle. It's a treat.

One of the things I like about Trillin is that he is not a cook. There are no recipes in this book. Although I do enjoy reading food books by people who cook, it's nice to get the view from an unadulterated eater now and then.

Trillin uses this book to highlight foods that he can't get at home in Manhattan, and that is a list that is getting shorter all the time. In fact, you can get exotic foods almost anywhere now. And that is just why he has a hard time luring his daughters back to New York from the West Coast. They can get New York bagels and anything else in California.

I love Trillin's dry humor and skepticism. This is my first Calvin Trillin book (although I have enjoyed his magazine essays) and I'm looking forward to reading his past works.

I read this book on a recent trip to Los Angeles, where I regrettably realized that Nate and Al's in Beverly Hills had better whitefish salad than Murray's in NYC. When Calvin Trillin would visit his daughters in California, he used to take a dozen or two bagels with him from NYC, to tempt them back to the capital of authentic bialys and appetizing stores from the Southern California wastelands of sun dried tomato and bee pollen bagels. What can one make of a world where a London fish and chips salesman uses matza meal to batter coat his fish, San Francisco style burritos are sold in Manhattan, NY Bagels are in LA, and great Chinese food can be found in Paris? Calvin Trillin, in a series of essays ("Magic Bagel", "Grandfather Knows Best", "Chinatown, Chinatown", etc), takes the reader on a very funny and enlightening trip around the world, as he finds the best local foods. My faves were, he eats Chinese from Paris to Prague, he searches for the bagels of Hyman Perlmutter's Tanenbaum's bakery, and he explores the fish taco.