Services Books

I inherited this book from my recently deceased father (a retired P&G officer), and will soon pass it to my son to help guide him in his beginning business career. Good stuff. I remember the paper products wars in which my father engaged and Mr. Pepper recollects, and have met John and his wife (oddly, not through a company connection). We have little time to "make a difference," as my father drilled into my head, and that drive is part of the P&G tradition Mr. Pepper articulates so well here. What you do matters - a lot - and service can wear many faces. This book might be a little dry reading in parts for those not in the P&G loop (although no more than any general business text), but the principles are nonetheless timeless, and well suitable for digestion by any executive, business person, - or worker bee (like me!) for that matter.

In this long and winding walk thru the modern history of P&G, via the personal learnings of life-long P&G executive John Pepper, the reader is given a glimpse of the Proctor & Gamble Way - the mutual interdependency of personal and business interests.

While the book is presented as a three part discussion of...
* How companies succeed - by creating and sustaining leadership brands, letting the consumer decide, and going for big wins; all of which is primarily a marketing story
* How companies can stay in the lead - by creating organizational qualities; thru values, practices and relationships that support the brands and develop a vibrant community with employees.
* How we live our lives - through intimacy with consumers, competitors and colleagues that builds and sustains passionate ownership amidst a culture of trust and high expectations.
..., it really is an integrated picture of how P&G's guiding purpose, principles and values work to support its position as one of best, if not the leading consumer products company in the world.

Although the book is filled with P&G stories to demonstrate and emphasize its messages, it is not a fast or simple read. It reads a bit like the memoirs of John Pepper, who comes across as a person of integrity, demonstrating P&G's desired 'passion for winning', while showing his learning and caring aspirations. The later is best shown thru a quote of his favorite text of the Talmud: "You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." I found the book interesting, but beyond recommending it to P&G employees or alumni and business school graduates interested in working for P&G, I am not sure of just who else might find it interesting.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

He asked ME what I wanted him to talk about. I sat in awe and fumbled for words. He just wrote a book. I figured I'd point him to the chapter I wanted him to explore with us and then let him run with it. But he sat there in the meeting room of the Freedom Center with his chin on his hand, gazing at me with the most friendly, down-to-earth, and quizzical stare. Parity. His book is personal. He is personal. What else should I have expected when I asked him to speak to recruits at the University of Cincinnati? Personal and powerful. Ordinary and yet extraordinary.

This is no doubt one of the best business book I've read this year. Even after reading the first chapter, I knew I had to give it 5 stars.

John Pepper is the ex-CEO of P&G from 1995 to 1999. He is now the chairman of the board at Walt Disney Company and a CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

As you can see from the cover, the book talks on service, leadership, people and values. Throughout the book, you'll be be presented with never ending life experiences from John Pepper over his 40 over years of service in P&G.

The book is divided into three parts, Foundations for Success, Staying in the Lead and How We Live Our Lives.

In the first part, he talked on the principles behind brand building. He drew on numerous examples to make his point.

For the second part, he touched on how P&G was involved in community building and the important role it played for the company.

In the last part, it was about management in general and how he lead his company and what he learned during the years at P&G.

Even though you may not have worked for P&G, after reading the book, you will have a very thorough understanding of the guiding principles of P&G.

John Pepper has produced a genuine and candid work. His true colors shine through, forcing the reader to care about him and grow a respect based on more than just his business achievements. His passion for the community and doing right promote a fresh optimism for 'Corporate America'.

When to Worry: How to Tell If Your Teen Needs Help-And What to Do About It

Lisa Boesky, Ph.D. ("Dr. Lisa") is a Child Psychologist and nationally recognized authority on troubled teens. She is the author of the new book When to Worry: How to Tell if Your Teen Needs Help--and What to Do About It.

Dr. Lisa's excellent reputation and popularity as a speaker, author and media guest result from her passion, warmth, humor and unique ability to make complex information interesting and easy-to-understand.
Very Very Very useful information! Thanks Dr. Lisab!

It's a great read, excellent info, well done! What I really must compliment
you on is giving enough information to parents that it provides utility but
not too much in-depth info where you might "lose" a parent. I think that
type of writing is even good for professionals working in the field because
we sometimes make the simple way too complicated. I just mean that your
book will be a great tool for parents and professionals alike. I will
surely recommend it to others.

While currently experiencing all the facets of development with my 14 yr. old son including self-inquiry, biology, personality, teen hormones, and environment, I found there to be lots of "psycho-babble" in most books.I also found that as a parent, I too needed a "life-coach", a source to provide clear concrete paths to choose from. One's that fit. One's that helped guide this very personal and individualized process. I FINALLY found this in Dr. Lisa's book. She gave us "years" of time and research, which afforded us the TIME we needed to give to our son. This is large. And essential. A road map, with good directions. A brilliant combination.
Finlee Stevenson
Nia Dance Teacher
Mother of two teenage boys
Chairperson of National Red Ribbon Week... Annual drug prevention and awareness campaign across the country.

I teach in a juvenile justice center school and work with kids who have developed problems that many of them will not outgrow and should have been addressed much sooner.

This book is just what parents need when it come to sorting out whether behaviors are normal teen development or something to be truly concerned about. I have many parents come to me trying to tease apart behaviors to figure out if their child is troubled or just moody, heading for danger or just experimenting within an expected range. This book, while not simplistic, is surprisingly easy to understand. I appreciated that it puts things in perspective in a very clear way. Having raised 2 teens myself, I believe that every parent can use this book as they face those tumultous years. This book goes right to the top of the book list I recommend for parents of teens. Once again, Dr. Boesky, gets to the chase and offers realistic help instead of just theory.

Drugs, sex and rock'n roll. That sums up your teenage years in four words. Okay, maybe five.

Seriously, my children haven't even reached the tween years, and I'm already thinking about what it will be like when their round angelic faces cast a more angular, petulant look the moment they turn thirteen. What am I going to do when my daughter really rolls her eyes at me. I mean really rolls them?

That's when I'll turn to the already dog-eared pages of Dr. Lisa Boesky's When to Worry: How to Tell If Your Teen Needs Help -- and What to Do About It.

This new release, issued by the American Management Association, outlines in great detail the psychoses and syndromes that might befall your teen. Without a gloom and doom tone, Dr. Lisa shares her most knowledgeable ideas about when to worry that your teens' behavior is not normal.

Does your child complain she's too fat, then happily giggle over a sundae with friends? Don't worry.

Does your child complain she's too fat, then go on a hunger strike for three months? Worry.

Does your child seem outgoing, but there are bloody tissues under her bed from cutting her arms with a razor? Worry.

Does your child suffer from an occasional bloody nose in the winter? Don't worry.

The book's fifteen chapters provide helpful descriptions, case studies and answers to the most pressing problems parents of teens face. When does my child's strange behavior need to be addressed and when is it alright to chalk it up to his growing brain and body? Dr. Lisa's insights bring to light the many astounding neuroses some teens suffer: obsessive-compulsive disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder; schizophrenia; anorexia; bulimia; and more.

I highly recommend this book for all parents who are worried -- that would be most of us!

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff and Sahm I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children.

This is extraordinary and inspiring for all! While reading this book, the first thing that hit my mind was "think outside the box", a term used pretty frequently in the corporate world. This is something that should now be reconsidered by execs, board of directors and investors everywhere, no matter how long you've been in any industry, what type of box have we been referring to, traditional or value-centered? Mr. Parker's remarkable book, "Who Said So?" challenges companies to step outside of the "traditional box", which has been the foundation of companies for decades because "they traditionally said so". To be truly honest with themselves, their colleagues AND most importantly the CUSTOMER, to ask the question, are we truly focusing on what the customer values versus what we think they do or should value, have we founded our company on traditional values or a effective and efficient, lean, value-centered culture? This book will cause you to consider that there could just very well be a better way than what and how we're currently doing things.....well here it is right before you in this book....not only can Value-Centered Management take you to the highest level of success as a company, it can take you to the highest level as an individual, providing you successful concepts and tools that you'll carry with you no matter where you currently are or will end up on your personal and professional journey.

Who Said So? is an awesome guide for all us in Corporate Setting who are stuck! Its nuggets of wisdom, creative suggestions, and reader-friendly format make it a perfect resource/tool for promoting new ideas and logical change in the work environment. It hits many of the major areas of apprehension I see among leaders and team members daily... You will not find anthing available elsewhere of greater insight, scope and value. For once someting corporate American needs!

I just wanted to say that I felt this book had a feel good effect on me. I really appreciate that my business self-esteem has increase. I feel very powerful applying the concepts to my professional career. Reading this book was spiritually stimulating. It was very difficult to put it down. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more books like this one.

This book is a must read! It is straight-forward and honest in its approach and evaluation of corporate structure. The author focuses on what the customer values as the driver of what should be an ever changing corporate alignment to accommodate it. He is able to show simply and without a lot of excess what every organization can do to be a success in competitive marketplaces. I will definitely implement the concepts and ideas in my workgroup at my Fortune 100 company.

I read "Who Said So?" this weekend. Needless to say it is outstanding! Having read the "Goal" by Goldratt, which is the gold standard, I know what a quality book looks like, and Who Said So is definitely quality.

I just returned from the annual ASQ Lean Sigma Conference in Phoenix, where a lot of content-rich subjects were discussed. A question raised during the Master Black Belt dinner, "What is the next evolution in Quality?" I'm sure we know what that is! Also, the book set the stage for sequels to follow, to further drill down on the concepts.

It is a masterpiece!

not so clear to follow. Author get into many details at some points. 3 stars

I have never wrote a review before but had to with this book. Of the 3 wi fi books I bought here, this one stood apart from the others. Especaily if you are looking to scale up from 1 or 2 user networks.

I checked it out at the library to get a better understanding of the WiFi technologies and how they can be deployed. As a new marketing executive for a WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider), I found the information easy to comprehend with enough depth to allow a non-technical person like myself to actively participate in highly-technical meetings. I immediately added it to my Christmas wish list.

I purchased this book for a good in-depth overview on the 802.11x protocol. It went above and beyond my expectations. Clearly explained topics and well written chapters come together for one of the best technical books I have read to date. Excellent coverage of the RF properties of 802.11x.Covers all the areas one must consider if building a WLAN, WWAN, or WMAN. This book really opened my eyes to the potential of wi-fi and its applications, I especially appreciated the authors inclusion of various economic aspects in the book. i.e potential for profit in WISP industry, and cost/efficiency analysis of wired VS. wireless networks.

I recently bought this book after I borrowed it from my local library. I tried to find it a second time, and it's always checked-out in all four branches of our library system. The call number is 004.678 OHR. Out of all the 802.11 books, this is one that is the most packed with the real information you need to install an 802.11 network - antenna theory, how to do site surveys, how networks connect together, how to do an as-built. The book also describes how to debunk and overcome the perceived barriers that keep people from using wireless - security, interference, regulatory issues... If I was to recommend one single book on 802.11 to anyone, this would be the one. It definitely earns its five stars.

I can only take one little challenge at a time. So far Sandy Berger's book has helped me with e-mail and finding and organizing things. Those two chapters are my favorite chapters. The reward for working hard to understand attachments with Sandy's help is being able to receive pictures of all four grandkids that are scattered around the country. This book opened that door for me. I look forward to tackling other chapters and learning other skills.

I did not have any computer experience. I was not fortunate to be exposed to computers during my schooling. I felt like I could learn to use the computer and found this book to be the perfect tool to help me.

I read the paragraph by Horrace Deets, AARP's top guy, and agree that Sandy Berger can help you get the most out of your computer experience. I feel like I am making up for no computer experience and will have plenty of computer fun in the future.

I found out you don't have to be described as a "Grown-up" to enjoy this book. My parents are enjoying it but they are o.k. with the description "grown-up"; I don't think it fits me. Still I found the information in Sandy Berger's Your Official Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet right on the mark for what I needed to know about computers. And I am only 27. So I guess it doesn't matter where useful information comes from as long as it is helpful.

I love this book. I am 66 and just bought my first computer three months ago. This book, along with America Online Simplified, is my bible. It is so easy to understand and so complete. I will continue learning from it.

Reviewer: Paul Gerstenbluth (ariefound@aol.com)

Review: Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet, IDG Books Worldwide

Give me a Ticket to Ride on. The Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet is your destination ticket to a rewarding online experience. America Online makes it easy to arrive online, but what do you do once you get there?

Open Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet and find the road signs to:

* Travel and navigate AOL and the Web using links, browsers, and search engines

* Stay in touch with family and friends with AOL email and learn about Instant Messaging and Buddy Lists; and

* Explore popular topics online including travel, money, health, hobbies, retirement, research, and genealogy.

Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet's Contents at a Glance:

Pro Reaction

Book font is 14 points for easy reading. Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet pages are loaded with tips, definitions, cross-references and notes. Also, there are dictionary type thumb indexes through-out the 15 chapters for finding information quickly.

CD-ROM contains America Online version 3.0 and 4.0 for the Macintosh. Also, it contains for PC users' 5.0 for Windows.

Con Reaction

Missing from CD-ROM is Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator for Macintosh users. Utility shareware such as Always Online should have been included on the CD. Also, missing is summary of index of Websites mentioned in the book.

End Notes

The Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet is an easy-to-use traveler's guide, written specifically for adults 50 and older. It shows you step-by-step how to use the Internet to enhance your daily life.

The book also shows you how to find invaluable resources and services such as e-mail, travel planning, hobbies, health and money management, and retirement tips.

Grown-up's Guide to AOL and the Internet simplifies and defines the lingo, walks you through the basics, and points you to online destinations and activities.

=== Paul Gerstenbluth is President of the ARIE Foundation. The ARIE Foundation's mission is to provide VA hospitalized patients with hobby materials and computers that helps in their stay and recovery.

Maybe it wasn't "No Life For A Lady" but many great ladies lived it. Some of them, like my own mother, even managed to hang on to the majority of their original principles while doing so, no easy feat in itself, considering the never-ending work that began before dawn and ended after dark each and every day; and the rough environment that swirled around them. Practicality ruled; convention took a back seat every day. In her biography, "Miss Agnes" sounds like a curious mix of two - the wild and exotic freedom allowed her by the remote area of her home, yet prudently sent away for a proper education, which served her well. Most children living at that time and in those remote areas were not so fortunate.

Her father was a brilliant engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad, working in the right profession, at the right place at the right time. The Railroads were engaged in a headlong, competitive quest to connect the east and the west, unstoppable. His talent was combined with ambition, and he met the challenge of taking the rails over the Raton Pass in what was felt at the time to be an impossible achievement due to the grade involved. He was also capable of keeping his family close to him while his work went on.

Her mother, on the other hand, was a lady who thought a man would always handle things for her. That too, was something that "became a lady", although it left her ill-equipped for tragedy; and when she lost him in the prime of his life, she was left without a rudder, but with a handsome inheritance, and it wasn't long before another man was only too happy to "take care of her" but without the same motives.

However, all's well that ends well, and the new husband served a purpose not fully appreciated until decades later - he bought the New Mexico ranch with the widow's money, established them in a broken down log cabin, and subsequently left them all for a better life somewhere else as the real work in creating a ranch out of a wilderness began to heat up! It was this twist of fate that established the Morley land and cattle holdings; and the legacy that has become legend in that part of New Mexico.

She has a way with words; a sharp wit and she "speaks the language" of the range and it's people. (a cow doesn't have 'knees' on it's hind legs, though - they're referred to as'hocks' so I do offer this bit of sniveling trivia critique.) Her adventures with other pioneers who became well known to history later on are important, varied and many; and she was fully as able to deal with an outlaw as with anyone else, and on their terms. It was indeed a well-known fact that the homesteaders and ranchers did this on a regular basis in order to preserve their own harmony in a sparse and vastly diverse community. They all needed each other in one way or another, most recognized it.

It's a book not only well written, but authentic, full of the fun and tragedy of the every day life of a remotely located ranch family, accentuated by the knowledge that hers were of the people that not only helped settle the vast Territory of New Mexico, they did it against all odds; headed early on by a single woman unqualified for the life, and who never quite overcame that handicap, instead, placing her reliance in her children. Her one strong area of practicality was in the quest to formally educate these same children. In the process, and in the best of both worlds, each brought education and good ideas back to their New Mexico roots, staying with their land because they were now the generation who sprang from it; and had come to love it.

More than a mere biography of her life, it's an important historical work from many different angles. She noticed everything; hers was not a life that slipped quietly by her - she understood the underlying human quality known as "character" and that it meant different things to different people due to different circumstances. One of the last lines reads, referencing her emotions about a painting Maynard Dixon, the artist inscribed to her:

"a girl and a man riding together across a twilight-lit desert towards a hazy purple mesa".

That sufficiently sums up, beyond the danger - the intangible beauty of the way it was - even if it wasn't "No Life For a Lady".

I live seven miles from Datil, NM whereof Ms. Morley writes. Not only does she write about her life but also about how the family, her mother, brother and sister, came move out here. She writes about the early cowboys and Native Americans. She writes about the Penitentes.

Agnes Morley was the daughter of a Civil War vet who went home to Iowa and got an engineering degree that led to his becoming a premier engineer for the Santa Fe R.R. He was there when the race took place to be first over Raton Pass and also through the Royal Gorge (where Bat Masterson organized a posse that unsuccessfully held off the Denver and Rio Grande RR as I recall with members of the Dodge City fraternity that included Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson and other notable gunfighers and even Eddie Foy, later a great comedian, who went along for the excitement)all typical of the early days of railroading in the West. Morley was also an associate of the New Mexico participants in the Colfax County War in New Mexico, a parallel to the Lincoln County War that made Billy the Kid famous. Equally famous was Clay Allison, a wild man of the West who was a principal character of the War, which was centered in the vicinity of Cimarron, New Mexico. Agnes's father died in Mexico while pushing the railroad from Benson, Arizona to Guamas, Mexico. He was either accidentally shot in taking a rifle from his buggie, or as his grandon thought, was murdered as part of a plot relating to railroad competition. After his death his strong wife took over the rearing of their children. She managed the Cimarron newspaper that irritated Clay Allison, and he burned it out one night. In the aftermath he learned that a widdy woman ran it, helped set it back up, stating that he didn't make war on women. She later settled on the large range that her husband had aquired north of the present small town of Datil. The adventures there of her family are classics of Western experience that are not exactly things of the past. Read about her and her brother (who went to college and is in the football hall of fame) as they walk down the top rail of their corral with a pet bear cub, a rooster, a goat and sundry other animals following along on the ground. Read how, when she was away to school her brother wrote of the mountain lion that raided the place, killed their bitch hound who defended her pup and generally wrought havoc. Her brother wrote her the information and told her, "You should have been here, there was a hellacious fuss." which she read to her horrified teachers and class, not realizing it was anything out of the ordinary. She knew outlaws and lawmen, such as Elfego Baca, who Disney immortalized in a movie. When he defended her neighbor in a self-defense killing, she recommended to Elfego that he forget the fancy arguments and just tell the truth. He said, "The truth! The truth! This is a murder case. We lie. They lie. Everybody lies." As I recall the killer was convicted on his first trial. He told Agnes, "Elfego took my cattle on the first trial and when he got me off on appeal, he took my ranch." Elfego lived until 1946 as a fixture in Albuquerque. His type are by no means gone. You can go to Datil and vicinity today and see the old west exactly as it was then, with the bark off. The last big cattle drive took place just to the east on the San Augustin Plains. Moderns drive rapidly by and console themselves that the violent old west is dead. If so, the body is keeping damn well. The sheriff of Catron County which encompasses the old Morley ranch requires all heads of households to own and keep handy a gun. Good idea, too. I used to roam that country with my five dogs, camping out in my specially designed pickup which everyone called "the teahouse of the August Moon," due to its resemblance to that edifice. Agnes also tells of such characters as Montague Stevens, an Englishman who lost one arm in a hunting accident, who was a famous bear hunter. I'm writing this substantially from memory but it's close enough. Go see for yourself. And if you only read one book about New Mexico this would do. Another dandy is "Land of Enchantment."

I work for a school that just purchased 600 acres of the ranch described in this book. The area IS as beautiful as she describes, is as rugged and the people are just as hard-working and caring.

I found the book to be a great story. She says she is just a story-teller, but what a good one! It makes the past come alive. My husband and I read parts of it out loud, while camping in the very ranch she describes.

WARNING! Once you start, it is hard to put down.

The title is misleading, as she truly must have been a great lady. This is a classic memoir by a woman who grew up in 19th-century New Mexico, and worked and rode side-by-side with the men, taking the full responsibilities and knocks of a hard life and keeping a great sense of humor through it all. The only concession to her gender is that she apparently rode sidesaddle, remarkably enough!

Stimulates spirituality and acknowledges our own unimportance.
A true treasure and a healthy antidote to the self-centeredness so very prevalent today.
Efforts of the author have truly made a difference in helping us appreciate the time and his good intentions.
A true gem.

As the son of Indo/Pakistani immigrants with a basic knowledge of Urdu, I would often hear my parents recite ghazals from the masters and was always moved, not just by the words, but by the way they were recited. A good ghazzal has a way of warning you, inspiring you and sharing ultimate truths all within a few couplets, and this is made all the more meaningful when read aloud. When I opened up An Audience of One, I just assumed that the ghazzals were translations of classics and began reading them aloud and enjoying them. When I later realized that they were written by a Pakistani-American like myself, I was really impressed. I encourage readers to share them in a group and when reading aloud to emphasize the rhyming word.

I look forward to more work from this author.

I picked up this book based on a recommendation from a close friend of mine and was pleasantly suprised at the spiritually moving collection of poems. As an English Lit major I never had the opportunity to explore Sufism and mystic poetry in detail. The author has really given a refreshing and contemporary twist to the art of ghazals while still following and exhibiting a deep understanding of its traditional roots. I recommend this book to anyone who has an appreciation for world literature. Cheers!

Despite being a collection of Islamic ghazals, these poems have much relevance for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The poems interlace Quranic themes with elegant and inventive observations about the shared human experience, nature, and the persistent struggle to fulfill the ideals of faith and devotion. In many of the poems, the author creatively evokes images from seminal moments in Quranic and Islamic history juxtaposing them with more ordinary scenes-upon which reflection and inference (on the part of the reader) allow for a stimulating reading experience. As a reader, what I enjoyed most were the poems that weave in and out of the larger canon of Persian and Urdu ghazals-some reminiscing to the life or works of greats like Rumi and Iqbal, and others contemplating the role of poetry/ghazals and writing in worship. I highly recommend it as a book that captures the spirit, purpose and rhythms of the ghazal and exposes this art to the subtleties of American English.

To those of us who have enjoyed classical ghazals like those written by Iqbal or more modern film ghazals by the likes of Lata Mangeshkar or Talat Mahmood, this couplet form of poetry, in whatever language, holds a rhythm and a set of Muslim themes with universal appeal. Still, there is something special about the turn of the Urdu (or any foreign language) that gets lost in translation. All the more reason to innovate a project like this one that adapts the ghazal form to a language that we understand well with classical, spiritual themes reminiscent of Omar Khayyam and Rumi.

"Audience of One" is an original collection of poems that stays true to the structure of the classical ghazal but in a language, as English speakers, that we understand well, with the subtleties and nuances adding layers of meaning that previously could only be fully appreciated in the Urdu (or Persian, etc.) form by those seasoned in those languages. The influence of American and English writers is also not lost on these poems; in the poem entitled "Asr" a rhyme pattern made popular by Edgar Allen Poe is apparent.

The result is the passion of a Sufi, the elegance and consistency of couplet, and the weighty tones and cadence of modern American English balancing and converging toward a speech of devotion. I really enjoyed this book!

It gives you tips for any decade or century. I am actually reading it a second time as I forgot what it said the first time, but it is WELL worth the read.

It gives you tips on Tailing, Survelliance, The Paper Trail, How One Has To Be An Archaeologist, How To Locate Just About Anybody, Verbal Seduction, Civil Work, Criminal Work, The Amateur Detective and the Commandments of Law, Going High Tech, Gumshoes in Cyberspace and The Ten Most Common Questions.

What are you waiting for?

This guidebook by a licensed PI (as you will learn in the book, in order to accept any compensation for investigative work, you must be licensed) and a criminal defense lawyer is a good basic introduction to the realm of private detectives. Well-organized and easy to read, the book is full of practical tips for the budding amateur and prospective professional. Each section (Tailing, Surveillance, Paper Trails, etc.) is introduced and illustrated by anecdotes from Fallis' own career. And while most of the book is pretty common sense and straightforward, it's nice to have it all spelled out in one place. Throughout, Fallis adopts a cautionary tone which dismisses how detective work are portrayed on TV and film and underlines the drudgery that most real life PIs deal with every day. Especially valuable are the chapter on civil work (which is the bread and butter of most investigative work), which outlines the most common areas and issues and the chapter on criminal work, which usually (but not always) involves working for a person accused of a crime.

If the book has a weakness, it's that some of it seems a bit dated. In the last two years, the incidence of identity theft has grown exponentially, and so one wonders whether some of the techniques he described for finding personal information out about people would work so well these days. Similarly, the world of computers and the Internet changes so quickly that his chapter on that is also probably not as useful as it might have been. However, the appendix on social security numbers (the first three digits indicate what state or area it was issued in) and information sources are especially handy references. All in all, a fine introduction to detecting.

This is one of the easiest to read "How To" detective books out there. The suggestions are easy enough for anyone to follow. From surveillance to tracking down deadbeat dads, this is the book for anyone interested in P.I. work. So be your own detective and investigate this book.

Great book for beginners in the private investigation field. Very fun and easy to read. Loaded with good advice and practical knowledge. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in this area.

A lot of what Fallis writes was extremely helpful for me, as I studied to be a private investigator. Many of the methods he describes are common-sense approaches, though insightful to someone who may not have used the techniques before, such as his advice in the chapter entitled "The Paper Trail."

However, there are also some outdated sections of the book, and the price ranges listed for some of the equipment he describes are totally outdated (I still have yet to see civilian NVD equipment that ranges higher than $300).

All in all, an excellent read, and extremely useful to the fledgling PI. Especially his advice on not using a bright red Ferrari to tail someone in.

i saw the movie before i read the book if i remember correctly (it was a long time ago for both). i loved the movie. the characters were so realistic and the way that jamie connected with his mother was not buttered up, it was the way it is with most mothers and their kids at that age. this isnt a page about the movie though, this is about the book.
when i first got this book i ordered it from a local store and waited a month for it to come in. when i got it i was handed this leafy little book with a black and white cover with a man jumping in the air on it. the guy at the counter looked at me and said "thatll be ". i look at him like hes insane because of that.

EXPLANATION OF THE SIZE
this is a play. the book concentrates on what is done and said, not in the way that someone leans over to get the morning paper. they dont waiste time. this book if performed would not be tiny, it would be a normal size play.

okay so i get in the car with the book and im all mad cause the price i thought insane for the book and my mom said "then take it back in there cause im not coming back" i said "no, i already ordered it, i might as well read it, i want it" and i start reading it in the car and then i get out of the car and walk out and my moms trying to talk to me. i am completly in this book, i dont hear much of anything.

lets just put it this way. ive never regreted buying that book and ive read it about 20 times or more. the reason that im here buying a new one is because during a move it was stolen and im here to read it yet again.
read the play, watch the movie and if your in england see the play if its still being shown.
beautiful thing will steal your heart.
reason behind the movies r rating.
okay its a really innocent movie in most parts.
its a love story between 2 boys but its also got another branch off because its the story of the boy "jamie" also connecting with his mother and her boyfriend.
with ste your seeing domestic abuse. ste is a teenage boy in the flat next to theirs thats being beaten by his father and brother.
with ste and leah your also seeing drugs, granted not in a pro kind of way though and its not a big part of the movie. its one scene and a small bit of another.
so in a way i guess the r rating is kind of deserved but there are so many movies that are pg 13 that have so much more than this in them.

I recommend this book to everyone. The story of Beautiful thing is a great story about a different adolescence which is an unseparated part of our lives in today's society. the story is not too fiction and it touched my heart graetlly. thanx... Dror G.

I received this video for Christmas and have fallen for it deeply. I've watched 'Beautiful Thing' every day -- I can't get enough of it. The story is honest, down-to-earth and very, very funny. Jamie and Ste will steal your heart!

I first found this film in local library and fell in love with it. It is a simple and honest love story, I laughed and I cried all the way through it, I have also performed in the play as the main character Jamie.

This is the actual script from the original stage play. It is VERY helpful in sorting through some of the SE London accents and slang in the movie. There are scenes and dialogue that are not in the movie that give further background to the story and character development. A GREAT love story. A MUST READ.

Online stores come and go, especially the big ones, but this book lists hundreds of terrific small online stores that carry really unique stuff. I especially liked all of the stores that sell natural cosmetics and natural fiber clothing for me and my kids. I've had this book 2 weeks and already its saved me lots of time.

Thank you for an excellent guide for online shopping! If you are looking for great Internet guides for Kids & Family, High School, and College students, please check out the You Are Here Internet series!

I was tired of seeing the same old online stores over and over again. This book pointed me to some real winners. It's a big time saver. Very easy to find what I wanted quickly.

I learned a lot about online shopping that I never knew before. But the best thing about this book is all the online stores, listed by categories. I found some neat stores. Loved the party section.

Before picking up this excellent book, I was wary of online shopping -- and I still am, but now I'm intelligently wary. The authors do a marvelous job of helping understand what you can trust and what you can't, how online shopping works in all its various manifestations, and what strategies to use when you do shop online. The book showed me that online shopping is not (as I had thought) just for shopping addicts who need a fix 24 hours a day, but a great space for intelligent and discerning consumers. I'm still not a big spender online (or anywhere), but I've used the book to help me find some things I couldn't find anywhere else and at surprising prices. I think this book is going to go down in the so-far brief history of online commerce as a milestone achievement. It has certainly changed my views about WWW commerce and made me a better consumer. I can't say enough about this expansive, easy-to-use, fun, and informative work. I hope they plan to update this work regularly.