General Practice Books

I loved this book. It is comprehensive yet easy to follow.
Got great ideas and solved some of my organizing issues.
Highly recommended for the do-it-yourself organizer.

Great tips in this book, that can easily be picked out, even if just skimming through the pages. I like how the chapters are spelled out, written in a pleasant, "talking just to you" style. Monica Ricci breaks down the tasks into do-able chunks, allowing for the different types of people out there. She has a section, in the beginning, that helps one I.D. one's own type, and then uses each of those types throughout the book to suggest how best to deal with the different organizing challenges. I have read the whole thing, but find I continue to pick it up as a reference, using it as a guide as I tackle the next office organizing challenge! It's a keeper.

Several years ago, my office disorganization had overwhelmed me. Rarely could I find what I wanted instantaneously--and sometimes I never found the missing items. Besides losing time, I was burning energy, especially as I became more frustrated.



Fortunately, I found a solution. I contracted Monica Ricci to spend a half-day in my office, and suggest the steps I should take to gain control of the massive information I had accumulated but not sorted. To my delight, the plan she devised served me well then, and still does.



That's why I was eager to read Organize Your Office. . .In No Time. I knew I would get additional tips that help me manage my office systematically. Already, I have underlined my favorite definitions and ideas. Examples:



"When organizing your life, remember that anything you can take a few extra seconds to do now, to help you remember or eliminate a step later, is always worth doing! It's always better to invest an extra tiny bit of work in the present because it will pay off down the road in time, money, headaches, or effort saved."



"Clutter is a collection of unrelated objects living together."



"Fear-based saving is a major cause of paper clutter for many people."



In addition to these specific gems, the book offers numerous helpful features: It is very well organized, which we expect from an organizational expert. The writing style is clear and often folksy, such as: "Imagine going into a supermarket, finding the canned food aisle, and discovering that none of the cans had labels." The illustrations, including photos, bring to life the products Ricci recommends.



Organize Your Office appeals to small business owners who work from a home office, and to executives with larger work spaces. The chapters on computer organization and how to streamline your travel will benefit even the most seasoned executives.



Readers will welcome the detailed suggestions, with pointers on the best organizing products to acquire and where to get them.



The time you invest in reading this book could revolutionize your work place, once you implement Ricci's action steps. Soon you will get more done more easily. Isn't that worth a few dollars and a few hours?The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life!

A Wise Investment. The most Organized person can learn from this book! Many of us can drive a car - but can we organize! Basic, easy to follow with examples, from your computer, to office desk to custom filing - great learning tool for all ages, occupations and careers. Should be taught in schools! Enjoy!

Monica Ricci is a great personal Friend of mine. Her Book has helped me organize my office and Life in General. Her down to earth organizing tips were very helpful to me in my Organization project of my office.Anyone interested in getting organized would be greatly helped in reading Monicas Book. I recommend it very highly to everyone.


Ashley the Eagle Motivator

I purchased this book 6 months ago and I also purchased the CD. I am about 1/3 of the way through and I keep going back and learning more. This book, as the ACIM, will change your life (if you are vigilant). Highly recommended.

Welcome.

If you are familiar with A Course In Miracles it is quite likely you'll find this book to be a very eloquent, accessible, and beautiful reminder of the message within ACIM. In my experience it addresses the underlying theme of ACIM in ways that differ from ACIM (which may mean they will touch you in new ways) whilst doing the topics at hand just as much service and perhaps more as ACIM did.

If you tried to read ACIM and essentially liked it (i.e.. you didn't put it down in total disfavour) but found it inaccessible or hard to get through then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. I am quite certain it will bring an element of joy and love into your world.

Now, I trust that many reading these reviews will NOT have read ACIM. Is that you?
If it is... I would say that the value of this book will depend very much on what you are looking for (which is the case with most books right?). So, if you are looking for a book that will provide you with: a gentle, clear, and easy to read reminder of what's True; a wake up call; a loving yet potentially transformative journey into releasing that which is holding you back within your view of the world/life/creation; something you can pick up at any time and read a few pages of to bring yourself back to a place of centred peace and Truth; a spiritual cosmology that is free of much of the "fluff" present in many "New Age" teachings, and free of the dogma of most religious paths... (the list goes on) then again, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Of course if you are firmly rooted into a particular organised spiritual dogma / concept that relies heavily on spiritual rules, regulations, hierarchies, etc then this book may simply piss you off, rub you up the wrong way, and leave you feeling dissatisfied. (Although that may not be such a bad thing... only a closed mind would react in such a way, so perhaps this book will be just the thing to jolt such a mind open)
But hey... perhaps you've come from and through a background story such as this and now wish to let a great deal go... freeing up the necessary "space" within your mind to experience deep, true, and lasting peace?

Whatever the case may be... may Love extend into your world in this moment... and if you buy this book may you enjoy the ride.

If you wish to set yourself free from pain and suffering then this book will play a significant role in your journey into that place within you where your freedom reigns true at all times.

Jonathan Evatt

PS. Much of this review is in fact a copy of what I wrote for Journey Beyond Words by the same author. I suggest you check that book out also if this sort of topic is of interest to you. I have used the same review because I realised the same words apply to both books. In my experience there is really very little difference to the two books. They are different facets of the same exploration, and both have their place. You see, one page from any of these books (including ACIM) is really all it takes to get the message... yet if you feel moved to read more than that (for whatever reason) then each book will serve you to that end.

"The Other Voice" is exactly that! After reading the original Course almost 20 years ago, I put its content on a "back burner" as too convoluted. The received text of this book crystalized its message in gentle poetic language. The book is a must for any who are haunted by the mysterious Course.

i would like someone to give me some ideas on the book, a course in miracles

Along with A Course In Miracles, this is yet another extraordinary "helper" from above. I read it everyday and use it with my several-times-daily A Course In Miracles study. It's richness is truly beyond words, it's helpfulness is indispensible.

Cocaine was the glamorous drug of the 80's. It was passed around freely at parties and trendy yuppie professionals including doctor's and lawyers used it because of the fallacy that cocaine was not addictive. Judith Hillard does a brilliant job of dispelling that myth. As you spiral downward with her in her addiction, it is nothing short of a miracle that she lived to tell her story. This is a story of hope and redemption, that there is no such thing as a "lost cause". Love may not conquer all, but Judith's book proves that without it, we cannot survive. I'm not a religious person (which she is), but I do believe in miracles and the fact that after what she went through and lived to tell her story is nothing short of miraculous. Anyone who has ever grappled with addiction, be it drugs, alcohol, or gambling will find hope and faith in this book.

I received my copy of Judith's book in the middle of the single most grueling semester that I've ever experienced, my teaching load and my course overload compounded by every influenza and stomach virus that came through my classroom, my wife's, and my son's daycare classroom. By the time I started rereading the beginning, it had been staring at me from my office's bookshelf for three months.

I've never been really close to anyone addicted to cocaine. My experiences have always been secondhand, knowing people whose lives fell apart on account of a drug they'd never taken into their own bodies. As I made my way through Judith's chapters on her switch from inhaled to injected cocaine, my imagination went not to her own experience but to those around her, coworkers and family. Even as I read about her deteriorating body, I hated her.

Because I'm an English teacher and Judith is a former English teacher, my mind forged parallels throughout between the story of the cocaine-addict English teacher and John Milton's Satan. (No, I didn't read this book very sympathetically, and I don't think, knowing the Judith of the book, that she would mind that so much.) When he's at the height of his empty confidence, giving nonsense rallying speeches to the demons in Hell, Satan is almost a comic figure. I know what he's going to do to humanity, but already knowing that, I can enjoy the utter stupidity of watching him and his cronies grandstand about a fight that they never had a chance of winning and a plot that can only destroy them. The moment when I really hate Satan is when he stands on the border of Earth and Heaven and addresses the sun. In that moment, alone and unseen, save by the reader, Satan utters a confession to the chief of the visible sky. He admits knowing that his pursuit is futile and can only bring ruin, never benefit, to anyone in the universe. He admits that with a simple decision to submit to the Father and the Son, he could once again join the harmony of God's creation. He admits that to continue on his course has absolutely no merit. But he refuses to change. His speech ends with one of the most nauseating lines in Milton: "Evil, be thou my good."

Because I've always looked from the outside at drug addiction, and because I looked from the outside in on Judith's, her letters to the people who love her brought forth the most visceral reaction as I read. As she begged forgiveness of her students, her friends, her parents, I never really felt any twinge of sympathy with the former English teacher, and as she confessed her addiction through these letters, knowing full well that she would be seeking out more cocaine when she finished writing, I could not help but to hate.

Of course, Milton's Satan is easy to hate. When I turn my gaze on myself, when I consider my own reading experience as my experience, I realize that Judith is less like Satan and more like the parabolic Prodigal Son. And I realize that my own hate lies not outside the story but within another character, the older brother. And I realize that his hatred never really came into play when the prodigal was wasting his life away; it came in the moment of forgiveness. And I realized that I despised her injury to her parents and friends and students less than I despised the fact that she came out of rehab straight into a lucrative teaching gig, while I labor away, drug-free, in the basement of a university English department for less than I made working as an electrician's apprentice. I realize that my sin is not hatred at all but envy, wishing that she were as miserable as I try to make myself.

Of course, such a recognition is not alien to us English teachers. In Flannery O'Connor's stories, the ones with the wonderful wretches who think they're virtuous, a moment comes when God reveals just how nasty virtue can be. (O'Connor is subtle enough not to use visions in the clouds most of the time, but a good reader knows it's God talking.) As I wound down Judith's book, my epiphany came when I realized that Judith, right now, is at least sixteen years my senior.

That moment of math brought my own wretchedness home to me: I am decidedly not her older brother. Instead, I'm a third sibling, waiting offstage in the Parabolic Repertory Theater, about to live the years that decide whether I'll be prodigal or not. This book is not a Satanic tale for my judgment but a warning for my instruction. I have little fear that I'll become a cocaine addict, but I imagine that the thirty-year-old Judith Hillard thought the same. Moreover, I imagine that such poisonous thoughts that made my reading so bitter came rather naturally to Judith before the book started. Perhaps not. Perhaps, ultimately, I'm Milton's Satan, looking in on her redemption, hissing snake-like as I hate the goodness that God has given her even after she fell.

Perhaps I'm a warthog from Hell.

I'd have to say that this book is definitely an eye opener into the world of drugs and where you do not want anyone you know to be including your kids, family members, friends, yourself, or even your enemies. Judith did a great job telling the readers her incredible story and the way she triumphed. In her doing so, you could feel her pain. Enough to never want to go there yourself, and if you have or are, then this book should help you out.
Jaime Bradford
Arizona

In spite of knowing better, I had to stop and remind myself repeatedly that this woman is no longer submerged in the agony she so vividly describes. The story is sad and sobering, though Judith is quite articulate and possesses a playful literary flair. The relentless need to write--even throughout her addiction and recovery--has supplied the raw material from which she draws frightening glimpses into her drug induced insanity. She weaves them into credible (incredible!) vignettes that give you a sense of her desperation and helplessness. That she survived to tell her story is miracle enough. That she tells it so openly and poignantly is remarkable. Judith Ann has much to offer any who would drink from the well of her experience. The woman at the well of Sychar believed in Jesus and discovered within herself a spring of eternal life. The Other Woman at the Well also discovered Life. Well done Jude, my friend.

Judith, this book was a real eye opener to your suffering and pain of your addiction. I had no idea the pain that you and your family/friends have gone through and in some ways I am glad. The way you put your hand to paper (or computer) was truly like a song. Very well written but that is not a surpirse. You took the readers to places that exist under our very nose and led us out with charm, dignity and Grace (Olivia). Hopefully this story will inspire others with addictions to believe in Hope through Miracles. Keep up the sobriety.

Ms. Johnson offer a clear and concise overview of this approach for couples. Well worth the reading.

This is my first book by Johnson and I found it to be easy to read and understand. Johnson's approach is based on attachment theory which I have found to be a good anchor in working with couples that want to resolve conflict and/or strengthen their bond.

This is an excellent presention of EFT for couple therapy. The theoretical underpinnings are presented in a way that does not detract from the aim of the book to help one learn how this work is done. There are lots of clear examples and explanations that give one the feeling they are ready to apply what they have learned in their next session. Written in a clear style free of jargon.

Susan Johnson's work through Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a great asset to the world of relationship therapies. Her work is in the new direction in therapy - calculated integration versus muddle-headed eclecticism.

Johnson's work carefully integrate structural family therapy (Minuchin) with attachment theory (Bowlby) and the experiential therapies. While mainly citing Rogers, this a misnomer. EFT is more Satir and Whitaker than Rogers as the therapist is active and directive as well as short-term to brief in her or his interventions. Rogers is a long-term personality-altering insight therapy, which offers little for today's reality of shorter time constraints whether through managed-care or government stipulations.

Better yet, EFT is an EBT (evidence-based treatment)! I believe it has a 70-73% efficacy rate for couple improvement and therefore is more ameniable to third-party reimbursement. EFT is also a great approach for PTSD (see Johnson, 2002) as in 33-38 sessions a full-blown PTSD sufferer can have significant improvement. This is because the partner, not the therapist, becomes the soother for the traumatized person and is much more available in the long-term for the PTSD sufferer. I believe the Department of Veteran's Affairs needs to "perk-up" and "pony-up" for EFT as the treatment of choice for our soon-to-be onslaught of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans come home.

We are so not prepared for this avalanche of need!

This book is very good for people who want to learn more about EFT. it is easy to read and has lots of case examples.

Deep relaxation, combined with guided imagery, can help you prepare and heal before and after surgery.

Dr. Martin Rossman, M.D., begins this CD with an explanation of the benefits of guided imagery. He explains that research shows that those who use guided imagery prior to surgery have better outcomes, faster healing, and even less loss of blood than those who do not use these methods.

In soothing tones, he then presents 3 exercises (about 25 minutes each) that will help you:

1) Prepare for a successful surgery
2) Prepare on the day of surgery
3) Heal well after surgery.

Surgery is stressful on the body and the psyche. This relaxing CD can help you use the power of your mind to visualize healing and a good outcome. And what we can imagine, we can often produce.

Being that this was my first major operation, I wanted it to go as smoothly as possible. I listened to the instructional CD as soon as I received it and followed the suggestions. Three days before my surgery I listened to the guided imagery and it helped me to relax and anticipate nothing would go wrong during or after the surgery.

The voice was very calming and the exercise was very easy to follow. It had me so relaxed I didn't need as much pain medication before or after.

I very much recomend these relaxation exercises to anyone who is contemplaing surgery.

This CD was very effective in helping me prepare for surgery and recovery. I would recommend it for anyone facing surgery.

I found this CD very helpful. His voice is very soothing & his visualization methods worked for me very well. I listened to it for about a week before surgery and plan to share it with any friends or family who will be going through surgery. I am myself, a certified clinical hypnotherapist and thought this CD was extremely helpful & highly recommend it.

I used this cd for the month before surgery, day of surgery and recovery time. It helped me tremendously and I highly recommend it to anyone facing surgery or procedures of any kind. I think pre-op dept should be offering this cd to their patients.

What wonderful, powerful messages are given in each captivating vignette! Buy it, find a comfortable corner, read it, reflect, and enjoy each poignant passage!

The Easter story as related by the man who follows the Ragman is moving and makes an age old story new. Older elementary school children, middle schoolers and adults listened. We all heard the story.Although it seemd familiar, it held our attention. It was an eyewitness thought provoking news account of a very special Ragman.

Each short story is a new glimpse of God's love for us all. Letter to my Brother Gregory... is the best admonition for a Christian marriage that I have ever read. It clearly reveals the importance of God's role in our marriages and will surprise most who read it. I have enclosed copies of Ragman in wedding presents with a note for the Newlyweds. The title story will make you cry.

Wangerin's Ragman is one of the most inspiring books I have read in a long time. The imagery can pull you into everyday life or to far away scenes. Ragman can stir your heart.

RAGMAN AND OTHER CRIES OF FAITH is a deeply moving collection of works concerning the Christian faith, written by Walt Wangerin, Jr. about some of his experiences as a pastor in the inner city. The title work, "Ragman" is a story that is often used as a skit/readers theatre throughout the country and is basically an updated tale about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The book includes poems, plays, sermons, and many great stories because as Wangerin writes, stories are what make a pastor. The tales are all personal and most are moving. They examine a deep and living faith that sees the work of God everywhere: from a naked, homebound parishoner who smells like urine to the painful death of a young woman to a crazy woman shooting a gun at no one in the middle of the street. This is a great book for any pastor, for anyone who has done urban missions, or for anyone looking for a book that illustrates the very real ways God is working in our world today. Highly recommended.

Having to go to court with out the money to hire a Lawyer several times, this book proved to be a valuable resource. It taught me that Judge and Arbitrators like individuals who are ready and prepared for their cases. If you can not have a lawyer present, you can at least prepare like one.

The authors give honest information on every part of the trial and the trial process. You will learn how to file a complaint to answering a complaint. It gives real information on the process of the trial from filing motions, seeking discovery and settling your case. It caps with judgments and appeals.

I like how the authors make everything easy to understand and the advice is completely useable. This can be used if this is you first time in court or your tenth.

Footnote: Nolo press is the best company that produces law books for the common person. They are always easy to read and pact with good advice.


Enjoy

This is one of the best books I have read and enjoyed about pro se litigation. The large font, great white space, and properly displayed summary tables render the book easy to endure and utilize. The authors offer many proverbs and examples for lay people that alleviate the harshness of legal lingo. Moreover, they even translate the formal and non-technical English words into layman's language. For example, words such as "sanction, impeach, strike, motion, cross, re-cross, direct, and re-direct" are simplified to common readers to mean "punish, discredit, delete, request, and questioning of witnesses in different setting".

The authors realize the hardship of hiring a good and trustworthy lawyer and assist the readers in understanding their rights for self-representation. Not only you will learn how not to be a fool pro se, but also how to expose the foolishness of ill-prepared lawyers and how to feel home among busy birds of a feather different from yours.

The book dissects the court room like an anatomy specimen and shows the reader where everyone belongs. (In one of the traffic violation I attended, a defendant brought his 5-year old son to the courtroom, was not able to control his running between the judge's legs and messing up stacks of papers on the reporter's desk.) This book will familiarize you with the territory such that you will avoid acting childishly. Aside from running between the judge's legs, the pro se will learn how to seek permission to approach a witness, to admit exhibits, to strike evidence, and so on.

The paper work phase is explained in great details to remove the anxiety of the long and contentious process that follows. It offers assurance that anxiety and fear are natural reaction to performing on a stage of adversarial nature. Actors, teachers, lawyers go through what a pro se litigant goes through in laboring to defend his or her arguments. It offers forms for different filing purposes, describes exhibits and trial notebook, and explains how to respond to and make objections.

The trial dissection is also magnificent in describing in details the phases of paper work filing, subject and personal jurisdiction, statute of limitation, and the development of the trial process from filling answers, motions, pretrial material, discovery, and evidentiary issue.

The trial process is well described as well to entail opening statement, direct and cross examination, closing statement. It is preceded with extensive elaboration on how settlement, aberration, and mediation most of times cut the process short of a trial.

The elaborate description of informal and formal discovery process is very helpful to pro se litigants since it saves the exuberant amount of money spent on lawyers to gather documents, depose witness, and disclose evidence. The thorough details of the techniques of discovery are presented in bulleted subsections, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

The book extends it discussion to post-trail phases of appeals and judgment. It then delves into specialized areas such as divorce and bankruptcy. The coherence of the book topics serves the readers a great deal in enabling pro se to focus on pertinent legal claims, their elements, the facts that address each element, and the evidence required to prove the facts.

Three trivial problems are noticeable. One, pages are numbered according to chapters which forces the reader to remember two instead of one number when trying to memorize latest page read. Two, referencing to legal coach is excessively used while the book is intended to self-represented parties. Three, excessive branching of references for further reading are everywhere despite the good 24 healthy chapters of the book.

Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

As a Pro Se Petitioner, I have found this book to be incredibly helpful! It explains all of the ins and outs of trial, how to organize a trial notebook, how to arrange your questioning, and how to cross examine among many other important facts. This book contains the inforation that lawyers know, that we need to know, but have not gone to many years of school. It is written in plain English, and is a MUST for anyone looking to go into or try to avoid going to trial!

I was thoroughly impressed how well written and easy to understand this book is. Each step is completely explained, referenced and many documents have examples printed right in the book. There are great tips and tricks to deal with opposing counsel as well as warnings for what type of red flags and tricks to watch for from the other side. This book is an asset for the novice to the more experienced pro se litigator. Definitely a Five Star book.

I decided to represent myself as a pro se litigant, and turned to this book since it got such good reviews.

I was NOT disappointed. It does a great job chronologically illustrating common judicial patterns, and it will even give you a spectrum of scenarios in case your court system operates a bit differently. There are example dialogs and mock situations to help you understand what to do in certain situations.

Believe it or not, I didn't need the book in the end. There is a statistic that is published in the book pointing out that over 90% of people who go into court usually settle before an actual trial. Because of this statistic, I mentioned it to the Plantiff's attorney and was surprised to hear, "well, then, make us an offer!"

Had I not had the chance to settle out of court, I would have been very prepared to represent myself.

There were a couple of weak spots in the book, but they were of my own wanting to have more information. One of those areas that the book needs to get up to speed on is electronic documents, such as dealing with e-mails, and techniques in proving that e-mails are legitimate.

I'd also like to mention for those of you who are looking for Child Support help, this is not a good book for that. It has a tiny section on Child Support, then leaves you hanging. This may be because laws vary so much, but I thought I'd at least point it out. The book is more for general concepts, so the info falls short once you begin specializing in certain subject matters.

Whatever your case is about, I can't emphasize enough for you to take a morning off from work to go watch some cases in court. You'll eliminate some fear of the unknown, you'll start to see that attorneys go through a similar set of procedures that you are just as capable of performing yourself, and you'll get a feel for how to talk to the judge and those who might be in the same room as you.

Most of the population only recognizes "rhetoric" as that thing politicians use, or that type of question you're not supposed to answer, or that weird word with an `h' where it doesn't belong (you know, that word that cost you first place at the county spelling bee). Whatever your negative preconception of "rhetoric", this book will be useful to you in correcting the ignorance that still surrounds this important subject.

To explain briefly (as briefly as possible, since it would seem a little excessive for me to write a book of a review, about this book which is in large part about other books): Rhetoric is the art of effective communication. Think of it like gas mileage. Every car runs on gas, but some cars (like the Geo Metros driven by schmucks like me who aren't cool enough for sportier cars) can make better use of that gas. They will be more effective with the same amount of gas. They save you money, because they have to fill up less.

Likewise, rhetoric is the art of communicating an idea effectively to the audience: so the audience feels sympathy with the idea or argument, and is even persuaded to believe that idea or argument. The better the rhetorical strategy, the more "mileage" an idea can get, that is the more its persuasiveness can be magnified, and the more easily the message is communicated.

This is present EVERYWHERE: advertising, religion, education, arts, politics, entertainment, even personal relationships. It is most certainly a form of rhetoric when a man watches a "chick flick" with his girlfriend, he's trying to communicate to her that he's interested in her and will sacrifice for her--and, oh man, with chick flicks nowadays, it's a HUGE message of sacrifice for a guy...

Rhetoric is merely the way to be communicative, which by extension is being persuasive.

Rhetorical Criticism, to which this book is devoted, is the analysis of WHY a certain writing or communication are effective (and thus, why another communication is not effective). It is a measurement of the rhetorical soundness and strategy of an attempt to communicate. Sonja Foss, the author, goes about this from various angles. That is, she describes the various takes on rhetorical criticism, because there are several different analices one can perform. We can explain a couple, quickly, to whet your appetite.

First, "Generic Criticism", or the rhetorical criticism according to genre. We can apply this to any group of communications. A group of songs, for example, can be easily analyzed according to genre. We take one song ("Our Song" by Taylor Swift, for example), and consider its situation, its setting. (We could put this particular song into the genre of "amorous, mid-relationship, female artist" songs--"amorous" because it looks positively on the partner, rather than expressing a fight or hiccup in the relationship; "mid-relationship" as opposed to the songs that are post-breakup or pre-relationship; "female artist" because she's a girl...duh.)

We can then compare and contrast it to other songs of a similar idea (those that also treat the subject amorously, are based mid-relationship, and are by a female artist).

Then we can assemble a set of procedures or rules that make a song good for this situation (which I won't do, because I'm pretty lazy AND because I'm kinda stuck thinking about being mid-relationship with Taylor Swift... But YOU could do it, if you took this song and stood it up next to other songs about a similar situation). You can see how the songs which react to a similar situation will respond similarly--and also how they can differ. This will inform you more about the situation, and what these songs are saying about the situation. You can build rules for effective communication in a given situation.

Also, Foss covers Narrative Criticism, which is the analysis of a narrative to see what values it shows. I said "SHOWS" on purpose. This is a tricky distinction because very often a narrative will SHOW (with the views of the characters, their assumptions and histories) a certain value that it never mentions directly. "Master and Commander" for example, includes several characters who act stereotypical of their class or race (like some VERY uneducated or crusty sailors; black men engaged in the most gruesome manual labor on the ship, etc.).

These things are there because they were the norm for the setting (that is, the Napoleonic maritime conditions), but their inclusion and even the lack of direct commentary upon them during the movie would be analyzed by the rhetorical critic to see how it aids the narrative communicate, and how it communicates things that were perhaps unintended.

Anyway, this book, brings you from an entry-level university level of knowledge on rhetorical criticism (i.e. nada, zilch, zero) to a functional knowledge of how to see the persuasiveness of a piece of communication (which is called an "artifact" in the world of rhetorical criticism). If you study it carefully, you'll be able to analyze rhetoric in political ads, books, songs, and--what's probably most important to you--in college assignments which ask you to analyze rhetoric.

I recommend this book to everyone, though I doubt most will be interested in it. It's changed the way I'm affected by communications ("artifacts"), because I can see, in a lot of cases, the rhetorical strategy of the communication ("artifact") and decide more directly whether I'll let myself be persuaded by it or not. Most importantly, it can shed some special light on the line of philosophers and writers who differentiate between phenomenal and noumenal (Kant, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Burke, etc.), because the rhetoric of an artifact interacts with the truth behind the artifact's situation much in the way that the phenomenal interacts with the noumenal. But this advice is only applicable to philosophy majors.

Everyone else, you non-philosophy majors, you can wake up now. This book is not as academic as many textbooks, and is very worthwhile. Not snooty, but rather educational. Or so I say.

But maybe I'm just using the powers of rhetoric on you to make you buy it against your will...You'd have to read the book to find out, wouldn't you?

I have used "Rhetorical Criticism" in my classes for over two years. The book is a great resource for all students of rhetoric, at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The organization of the book is it greatest asset for students of human communciation: a clear explanation of the method, followed by sample essays both by undergraduate students and expert scholars of rhetoric.

Bassically, if you have to learn about Rhetorical Criticism, this is the best book. It makes even some of the hardest methodologies such as FTA, postmodern abnd more seem easy to understand. What is even better, this bbok will show you how to apply these theories to an artifact. Good Luck.

I have used Sonja Foss' RHETORICAL CRITICISM: EXPLORATION & PRACTICES as a textbook for my Rhetorical Criticism class in the past three consecutive years. Among many other choices of textbooks, I find this one to have more strength and most suited for my students and my teaching style. First, the layout of the book is very easy for students to approach. It proceeds from traditional to current modes of rhetorical criticism, which gives the reader a sense of theoretical development in the field of rhetoric and communication. It covers both the mainstream as well as marginalized ideologies and frameworks in rhetorical formulations. Second, for each mode of rhetorical criticism, Sonja Foss offers a lucid explanation of the rhetorical concepts, the purpose of the critiques, and steps to follow in writing a critical essay. While the procedure tends to be prescriptive, it also allows great flexibility in the writing process. Students like this approach, for it gives them a sense of direction as to how to analyze sysmbols and rhetorical acts as well as allowing them to be more critical and creative. Third, what students and I like most are the sample articles following each mode of criticism. These articles, written by scholars as well as Foss' former students, help the reader understand in depth rhetorical concepts and apply theoretical models to symbolic practices and real life situations. Finally, this textbook does not only teach our students rhetorical concepts and modes of critical inquiry, it also allows students to make a close connection between rhetoric and their real life experiences. By the time we finish each mode of criticism, students are all eager to write their own essays and find the process very meaningful and illuminating. In sum, I highly recommend Sonja Foss' RHETORICAL CRITICISM: EXPLORATION & PRACTICES as a college textbook for rhetorical crititcism class. I am sure once you start using the book, you do not want to change to another one.

I have used Sonja Foss' RHETORICAL CRITICISM: EXPLORATION & PRACTICES as a textbook for my Rhetorical Criticism class in the past three consecutive years. Among many other choices of textbooks, I find this one to have more strength and most suited for my students and my teaching style. First, the layout of the book is very easy for students to approach. It proceeds from traditional to current modes of rhetorical criticism, which gives the reader a sense of theoretical development in the field of rhetoric and communication. It covers both the mainstream as well as marginalized ideologies and frameworks in rhetorical formulations. Second, for each mode of rhetorical criticism, Sonja Foss offers a lucid explanation of the rhetorical concepts, the purpose of the critiques, and steps to follow in writing a critical essay. While the procedure tends to be prescriptive, it also allows great flexibility in the writing process. Students like this approach, for it gives them a sense of direction as to how to analyze sysmbols and rhetorical acts as well as allowing them to be more critical and creative. Third, what students and I like most are the sample articles following each mode of criticism. These articles, written by scholars as well as Foss' former students, help the reader understand in depth rhetorical concepts and apply theoretical models to symbolic practices and real life situations. Finally, this textbook does not only teach our students rhetorical concepts and modes of critical inquiry, it also allows students to make a close connection between rhetoric and their real life experiences. By the time we finish each mode of criticism, students are all eager to write their own essays and find the process very meaningful and illuminating. In sum, I highly recommend Sonja Foss' RHETORICAL CRITICISM: EXPLORATION & PRACTICES as a college textbook for rhetorical crititcism class. I am sure once you start using the book, you do not want to change to another one.

Of all the books about living the Rule of St. Benedict as a lay person, I think this one is the best. Though not lengthy, it takes time to read and to ponder. If you're wondering about whether Western monastic principles might help you live your own life, outside a monastery, this gem is for you.

While this book obviously has a role as a guide for Catholics wanting to develop a Benedictine spirituality in their life, there is a tremendous amount here that would be useful for anyone looking for new ways to overcome the petty distractions in life, and to get more out of both work and play. The foundation of the book may be the lives of Benedictine monks, but what they've learned over the centuries can be useful to all of us.

The book does a great job of illustrating the principles with real life examples, and doesn't paper over the challenges involved.

This slender book is the most important one I've read in the past 25 years. It truly is. It has made me look at my workaholic life, and has made me ask the hard questions: what's my goal? how am I enjoying my journey? is life full of joy and peace? And, most importantly, do I go to sleep and wake up beautiful and joyful and present to life? What?????????? Me? The one who wakes up groaning in expectation of the trials ahead, and flops into bed at night glad that the hardest part of the day is over? I chuckle as I think back to my first experiences with this joy and peace business. It was hard work! And it still is, no lie. Now, lest you think this is a self-help text first, read the book and be surprised. It is a self-help book in so far that the message will help you. And the message is all about finding our incarnational God, at the heart of it all: slowing down, doing serious attending, stopping projects, and starting projects. I wish I had found this book years ago, but I might not have been ready. Something about the teacher appearing when the student is ready............... If you are ready, read this gem. Hope you find the Lord waiting for you.

Wil Derkse's book on the Rule of Benedict for beginners is a wonderful introduction to this subject. The Rule of St. Benedict itself is a fairly short book, usually printed in fewer than 100 pages, with its 73 chapters of a few paragraphs in length at most. However, often a simple reading of the Rule leaves modern readers dis-satisfied; it is a rule in many ways of and for a different world, just as the biblical texts can be so characterised. However, it is also, like the Bible, a text that speaks to us today, and has application and inspiration for modern followers.

Benedict's Rule for life includes worship, work, study, prayer, and relaxation. Benedict's Rule requires community -- even for those who become hermits or solitaries, there is a link to the community through worship and through the Rule. No one is alone. This is an important part of the relationship of God to the world, so it is an integral part of the Rule.

Benedict's Rule was set out first in a world that was torn with warfare, economic and political upheaval, and a generally harsh physical environment. This Rule was set out to bring order to a general chaos in which people lived. This is still true today, and men and women all over the world use Benedict's 'little rule for beginners' as a basic structure for their lives.

The first word of the rule is Listen. This is perhaps the best advice for anyone looking for any guidance or rule of life. While Benedict's Rule is decidedly Christocentric and hierarchical (though not as hierarchical as much popular ideas about monastic practice would have one think), it nonetheless can give value to any reader who is looking to construct a practice for oneself.

Benedict's establishment of a monastery was in fact the establishment of a school for spirituality. In his prologue to the Rule, Benedict even states this as his intention. In drawing up its regulations, he intends to set down 'nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.' He sets forth in this brief rule a guide to individual life within community that will bring one ever closer to the divine.

Benedict explores the issues of charity, personality, integrity, and spirituality in all of his rules. From the clothing to the prayer cycle to the reception of guests, all have a purpose that fits into a larger whole, and all have positive charges and negative warnings. Benedict is especially mindful of the sin of pride, be it pride of possession, pride of person, pride of place -- he strives for equality in the community (as a recognition that all are equal before God).

Derkse's book is not a handbook on Benedictine spirituality per se, but rather an introduction to those parts of the Benedictine practice that can be useful and adapted to life outside the monastery. Derkse is himself an oblate member of a Benedictine order - oblates are those who live outside the monastic community, but have ties to the community materially and spiritually, and adapt the Rule of Benedict to fit a secular life, with due reverence and concern for God.

Derkse recounts person experiences in his own growth toward oblature, as well as lessons learned from key aspects of the Rule. Modern issues such as time management, leadership, constancy and commitment, and attentiveness are addressed in ways consistent with both old and new practices. Those who seek a deeper spirituality in the world will be enlightened, but those who might want to adapt time-proven methods to modern situations will also find insight here.

This is a book of only 85 pages, but it can take a long time to read if one does so properly - Derkse recommends reading slowly and intently, letting the spirit form: this is reading for formation, not information.

This is a brief, well written and organized book on the application of the Rule of Benedict to everyday life and work. It is a perfect book for "beginners," by which it is meant serious practicing religious and spiritual laypersons that "begin" at each moment, here and now and, practice attending to every activity with the same degree of gratitude and devotion. This is a book that can and must be read more than once and has applications for individual practice as well as group study. I recommend it highly to helping professionals.

After reading "Running on Empty" by Arron Chambers my first thought was "this is the next Max Lucado." Arron's insights into the gospel of John are creative and original. That's saying a lot as not many of us take the time to think new thoughts, but Arron is obviously using the old noggin. His ability to weave personal experience, historical and contemporary anecdote, as well as humor into his narrative means that Arron entertains as he instructs. This medicine goes down like the proverbial "spoon full of sugar." I was challenged to "get a life" (in a good way) and sensed some of the 21 "Elements" of life illuminated in the book filling empty places in my inner being. My wife read the book and then insisted that I buy her a copy and get Arron to autograph it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to top off their life with an extra measure of fullness!

Arron Chambers (Running on Empty)Life lesson's to refuel your faith.This is a very easy book to read and understand,with Arron's down to earth,every day situations that have happened to all of us .With his own unique style of tieing these situations to the 21 chapters of the book of John to help us understand and apply them to our lives today. This Book is truly a must read book for all christians.

This is a book every serious Christian disciple should read. The title resonates in our souls for there is not one of us who cannot immediately identify with what it feels like to be "Running on Empty". Arron Chambers breathes new life into our hearts through his messages that bring to light new perspectives on each of the 21 chapters of the Gospel of John. Do not read this book unless you really want your walk with the Lord to be transformed. I would also caution anyone who reads this book not to read from cover to cover in one sitting. Study it, digest it and ponder it. Each chapter has simple daily life illustrations declaring the truth of God's Word. God's Word is the fuel we need but many of us are looking in other places. Arron giftedly guides us through the thorny places with some very challenging exercises and extended study to help us live the life that Christ wants us to live as His disciples. As you dive into the Bible through Arron's helpful lense (this book) you will experience a new dimension of spiritual growth. You will experience Arron's excitement and passion for the Lord's transforming power to work in our lives. Arron, in the end, challenges us to get up from our comfortable couches, leave the locker room and be courageous. We must read this book to refuel our own lives, to live as Christ's true disciples and to bring The Light and The Truth and His Love to others.

A whimsical, witty, and thought-provoking book based upon the Gospel of John. The author uses touching contemporary situations to illustrate and highlight deep spiritual truths. It is a good study guide for small groups as questions & directives for action are provided for each of the 21 chapters. Individuals will find it a fine source for inspiration. All in all it is a practical and challenging book. It is a good read!

This is the perfect book for those of you who are really want to get closer to God, but don't really know how. Arron relates the book of John in such a way that you get a much clearer understanding of the book, plus he gives clear examples of events in his own life that we can relate to and exercises for each of us to use to continue our journey to that closer walk with Christ. He writes in such a way that you enjoy the humor, but you realize that everything he says has true meaning and he brings your focus back to what you need to do. The exercises are very helpful. It is a great book and I recommend it to everyone.