Services Books

From an "Old Sea Dog" comes this riveting story of his teenage years in the 'Senior Service'. I read the copy I bought for my brother, an ex RN sailor. It was not my intention, but after reading the first few pages, I couldn't put it down. You will find, as I did, that a very interesting biography has been written by Anthony Dalton about the compelling yarn-spinning Tristan Jones (Wayward Sailor). It appears that Heart of Oak is a mixture of fact and fiction. It does not though detract from the compelling storytelling.

I bought this book many years ago. I greatly enjoyed it, as it had a veracity to its description of lower-deck life. I re-read it recently, and still enjoyed it.

I suppose I should have realized that it was fiction, as I don't think there ever was an E-class destroyer "HMS Eclectic", and no destroyer of that name sailed with HMS Hood and Prince of Wales to intercept the Bismarck (HMS Electra was in that group and picked up the 3 survivors from HMS Hood), as Jones claims. Nor was there a destroyer of that name that sailed with HMS King George V from Scapa Flow, nor did one join the action later from convoys. Some of the details of the action are also inaccurate, but not badly so for a supposed personal narrative (e.g., 6" secondary armament on KGV, when they were 5.25")

Similarly, while there were four O-class destroyers involved in the sinking of the Scharnhorst, there was no "HMS Obstinate" (Jones' ship), nor was one of that name ever commissioned.

Anthony Dalton's biography of Jones seems to paint him as a very interesting, but less-than-pleasant person. It certainly seems to have nailed any notion of Jones' books being other than substantially fiction. The history of the author does seem to add an extra level of interest to the stories. But that said, the stories are good, the feel for characters is strong, and they are very readable.

I needed information re- life on board a British ship during WWII. I found many fascinating details and much accurate information in this book. I found that some of the humor was less funny that announced, but on the whole, I found this book
very interesting. It was in great part a tale based on personal experience, and
it held my interest throughout. I'm going to read more by this author...

It is a terrific book - and I have enjoyed it for many years. However I recently discovered it is - as Anthony Dalton's new biography of Jones shows - complete fiction - in the sense that Jones was never at any of the events he described. In fact he didn't join the Royal Navy till AFTER World War II.

But that is not to diminish the writing of the tale - Jones imaginings make for a "real" perspective of life in the lower decks of the WWII Royal Navy - and I imagne that in his immediate post-was career in the navy he learned enough to set the scene accurately.

But remember - it is a work of fiction - set on a real historical timeline - but still a good read.

Heart of Oak is one the finest war books and sea stories that I have read. I found it hard to put down. Although the intensity of the war and its effects on the men was depressing, I was compelled to keep reading.

Jones' gives the reader a different and personal perspective--that of the lowly, poor, and teenage sailor; looked down upon by everyone else and facing death, boredom, and discomfort constantly.

I agree with another reviewer that it is unlikely that Jones witnessed as much as he claimed, and I cannot attest to the accuracy of his descriptions of life aboard His Majesty's Navy, but there is a truthfullness and sincerity in Jones' narative that I find totally convincing.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only is it interesting to read, but is full of facts as well. We share the characters emotions, yet at the same time, learn the realities of raising a guide dog puppy. This book will interest both children and adults but is also a wonderful way to become informed about guide dogs, their trainers and recipients. I know this book will do more than just entertain, it will challenge and encourage people to act and get involved in such a wonderful project.

This short and very readable children's book will appeal to adults as well and should be required reading for anyone contemplating raising a guide dog puppy. It is heartfelt and informative, all at the same time. The tendency towards excessive sweetness is offset by the blunt facts that this is a tough task and not to be undertaken lightly. It certainly opens your eyes to what is involved but succeeds in not discouraging you from taking on the challenge. The research behind the story makes it accurate so the reader gets the true picture. Armed with this kind of knowledge and the genuine emotion which comes through little Diego, the reader is more likely to want to proceed and many may contact the Guide Dogs associations around the world because of this simple little book.

Based on a true story, Hello, Goodbye, I Love You: The Story Of Aloha - A Guide Dog For The Blind by Pamela Bauer Mueller is the story of a twelve-year-old young man named Diego Escobar and Aloha -- the dog he raised from puppyhood. At eighteen months, it was time for Diego to send his beloved canine companion off to guide dog school for formal training and a productive future as a guide dog for the blind. The heartbreak of letting go, and the joys of little miracles fill the pages of this compassionate true story which is especially recommended reading for dog lovers.

A well written, moving story of a seeing eye dog and the
sacrifices people make when raising them. A good book for
any age. This should inspire others to do the same.

My wife and I are both first person volunteers (Red Cross and St. Vincent de Paul Society) and we both have full time jobs. I thought that we know about helping until I read this book.

Basically, it starts with a focus on knowing and understanding yourself, tossing in a little mediation practice for good measure. If you are helping to feel better about yourself, you are not really helping.

Along the way there are, as other reviewers have said, inspirational stories that (well) inspire. It is a great balance of discussion and insight with stories about service.

When I got to the section on burn-out, I presumed that I know the answers. I have survive burnout and read several really good books on the subject. Relax, step back, etc. This book has an entirely different perspective that I think is more useful than the other books.

If you want to help people, and I presume if you are reading this book that you do, then you should consider reading this book. Thanks for helping.

This book is filled with insights. These insights are hidden gems of wisdom revealing our personalities desire to seek and find what we all have in common. This unity is driven by our need and desire to find peace in the midst of life's most difficult moments. As our heart goes out to those in need, our acts of service contain our soul's longing to connect with a fellow soul. Once our soul is awakened in service, a path opens and leads us into a sacred human relationship infused by the power of peace. Thanks, Ram Dass, for your guidance into the realm of spirit through the words written in this book.

I also recommend: What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living by Samuel Oliver

I am a social worker and an author. I have recently become involved with writing about medical as well as human rights issues. (My book BEHIND THE BURQA, which is to be published in October by John Wiley, is the memoir of two women who escaped the brutality of Afghanistan and the suffering they endured in the US.) Through my work, I have come into contact with people, such as the two subjects of my book, who have endured excruciating circumstances. HOW CAN I HELP sits on my night table so that I can read it after I've come home from interviewing someone in pain. It addresses all the issues that come up when people try to help each other, whether as "helping professionals" or simply as friends or family who are reaching out--guilt, burnout, fear, sense of helplessness--the myriad emotions that afflict those who want to make a difference in the lives of others. HOW CAN I HELP is psychologically astute, spiritually enlightening and written with great gentleness, compassion and occasional moments of humor. I feel the authors have become my mentors and friends. They accompany me to detention centers when I interview imprisoned asylum-seekers who have fled horrific tortures. They're with me when I visit people in the hospital. Their wisdom and guidance inspire me and inform my ability to remain intimately involved with people who have undergone horrible suffering. This book should be required reading in medical schools, psychology and social work programs, and any other context in which people are being trained to work with others in need.

An excellent book on helping ourselves which in turn act in helping others in a life of service. The awareness first must be found in ourselves before we can exercise the compassion for others. It is here we gain insight into a larger order of lawfulness we cannot understand rationally but which nevertheless resonates within. Compassion becomes an increasingly automatic response.

Ideas conveyed rest in the process of ambiguity and paradox in the realm of not knowing, resting in mystery. Living in the game of subjectivity, we always remain in touch with the silent observer, the witness self in calm abiding and when caught up in subjectivity to see the absurdity of the game and using absurd comedy to deal with it. We end up trusting in a larger pattern beyond the absurd surface world of our actions. We see the truth in uncertainty, we maintain the Zen beginner's mind. We work on ourselves as a vehicle for our higher selves. And we recognize that all of us have a flag to wave which is the folly of our human existence. We are conscious of our lack of integrity while trying to convince others, as we see ourselves from the outside as the silent witness. We see compassion and peace as the only way to make peace in everything we do and are in touch with the quiet self behind all our subjective roles, behind all the thinking, actions and experiences. We see the polarization's of differences as our habits of thinking, seeing beyond the circle of opposites knowing that our mind acts in Gestalt as it perceives and decides in categorizing what is essentially neutral information.

The way to compassion is simply to just listen, stop thinking, stop speaking and listen. be the observer. Its our reactions that determine our pains and sufferings as opposed to the happenings themselves. We acknowledge our weaknesses and refrain from blinding ourselves in subjectivity. Its our dispassionate need as the observer, the we see our own reactions from the view as an outsider watching our reactions as habitual patterns our physical and mental beings perform.

Our thoughts act as clouds that pass by and we can be aware of this if we can gain the ability to observe them as an outside consciousness, alert to when we get sucked up in subjectivity. To rest in awareness in ourselves, with company, allowing and helping others to find themselves. The sage helps the ten thousand things find their own nature. We move away from viewing the world strictly in concepts and recognize the intellect blinds intuitive awareness. We see our self image as a prison we create, roles to survive in this game of life but also a prison for us if we fail to find our higher objective observer selves. We need our roles to survive as humans and communicate with one another but in order not to get trapped in them we have to enter behind our roles out of the blindness.

"The most familiar models of who we are - father and daughter, doctor and patient, helper and helped - often turn out to be major obstacles to the expression of our caring instincts; they limit the full measure of what we have to offer one another . . they are delusions of separateness. Our task is to free our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty . . " p.20

I read the book called "How can I help" by Ram Dass and Paul Groman when I attended a seminar for care givers. It was intended to help us not get "used up" or "burned out" as the saying goes. The book has a number of vignettes followed by commentary. Each vignettes has proven an inspiration and the commentary has always added to the insight.

I do something I call "peer counseling". What it means is I simply try to provide a really safe place for them to express themselves. I have a structured way of developing that environment but that's too complex for this email. I believe that even if we think very hard about an issue we still need to say the words before we get a complete perspective. When we say the words out loud the first time to someone else we some times think, "Damn I'm right!" other times we think, "Boy is that stupid." and I try to provide a non-judgmental place to reach a conclusion. I also expect that if the outcome is the second they will try to distance themselves from everything that was associated with time spent working in the wrong direction. Generally that means they distance themselves from me too. I have to help them leave me with no feelings of guilt because they are "abandoning" someone who has befriended them. That is the second part of my counsel letting them go guilt free. I sometimes fear "losing" clients will drain me but re-reading the vignettes in the book renews me.

This is an outstandingly readable book despite its sometimes dark and gruesome accounts of things gone badly awry. Dr. Blanc is capable of causing delight even with material that might not be very promising in someone else's hands. He seems to have taken into account Samuel Johnson's adage that "what is read with delight is commonly retained, because pleasure always secures attention."

This might have been an angry and difficult book to read with the horrors it recounts, but the approach reminded me of Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" since the focus is widened from medicine and includes medical and chemical history, biography, along with references to arts and literature. Dr. Blanc's knowledge is clearly wide-ranging.

Dr. Blanc frames economic and political problems in a long historical view that makes it obvious that the problems are not new and our society is not much more wise than it has been in the past. The same problems keep happening over and over (literally, the same problems with some of the same substances that have been known to be poisonous since antiquity). Adding to that, new, untested items, some very likely to cause harm, come on the market with little consideration. We should be asking ourselves how it feels to be human guinea pigs.

Any thoughtful reader of the book will be lead to the question: When do we demand something better from the incompetent leaders who say, "Trust us, we know what's best for you" while they give in to economic pressures? When do we tell the people more interested in the bottom line than the value of human life to shove it?

Dr. Blanc presents a detailed and complex story that is well researched and fascinating. He appreciates the details, the personalities, and the discoveries even when telling a story that is a train wreck in slow motion.

Despite the implications from the jacket blurb, this is NOT a book that catalogs all the dangers around the average person. Dr. Blanc mostly limits the number of specific toxins he presents and gives fairly in-depth and interesting discussion of them.

Kudos on a book that is well written, fun to read (!), and insightful.

I admit that I bought this book for its title while in the midst of a book buying frenzy, thinking that it would be a run-of-the-mill, toxins in the home primer of sorts. I spent the first 20 or 30 pages thinking, "This book is not at all what I thought it would be. Why does it have this misleading title? Why did it have that misleading product description?" Even the reviewer's quote on the book cover is misleading: "A superb tool for making our homes, finally, a safe place to raise children." As another Amazon reviewer pointed out, this is just colossally crappy marketing.

When I got past the slight disappointment of owning a very different book than I thought I had purchased, I realized, as other reviewers have, that this book is an incredibly well-researched and well-written history of modern chemical development and its consequences. I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is not only interested in how chemicals in our environment can make us sick, but also in how some of those chemicals came about and how they ended up in our households despite the fact that they are well-known toxins. Read this book along with Not Just A Pretty Face, In Defense of Food, Exposed, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, The Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, etc., to usher in full-blown outrage at the fact that our government doesn't do more to regulate the poisons that corporations are happy to pump into us on a daily basis.

Excellent history of how products are made and their affect on the workers that made them. Provides insight into what motivates the production of a product and illustrates how we arrived at a world surrounded by an unhealthy enviroment. Definitely worth reading.

If you are looking for how everyday products make people sick (toxins at home and in the workplace) try a book like What's Toxic, What's Not by Ginsberg & Toal, which does a fine job of covering this topic in a style that makes it easy to find just the toxins or areas of exposure that concern you.

If you are interested in the fascinating history of toxins in the workplace, this is your book. In engaging and clever narrative, Blanc tells the stories of toxins that sicken people, the often slow process of uncovering the source of illness, the eventual phasing out of the product (often because another product rendered it obsolete, not due to health concern), and the frequent return of the underlying toxin in a new product.

Blanc brings history alive with stories of individuals exposed to invisible threats. His narrative is supported by scientific analysis, providing a reassuring direction and momentum to a disturbing, sometimes frustrating, topic.


I am the Director of Education for the Foresight Nanotech Institute and the author of Technology Challenged: Understanding Our Creations & Choosing Our Future.

I bought and read this book together with Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power and I recommend both of them. This one is written from an occupational health perspective, and provides superb history on "the industrial disease" while "Exposed" is more from a public policy perspective.

The author mentions, and I plan to sign up for if I can, the Center for Disease Control (CDC)"Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report."

The author who started out focusing on workplace toxicity, also covers household toxicity, most alarming of which was paint emitting toxic vapors.

The author laments the manner in which the government, think tanks, and corporations are all doing a slow roll on toxicity, ignoring it, covering it up, or delaying action on it. The The Precautionary Principle in the 20th Century: Late Lessons from Early Warnings is nowhere to be found, in part because of The Republican War on Science.

Among the threats covered:

· Acids
· Arsenic
· Asbestor
· Chlorine
· Dyes
· Fibers (Asthma)
· Fumes from Metal (Lung collapse)
· Glue
· Lead
· Manganese
· Oil
· Plastics (Liver Cancer)
· Solvents (Benzine)
· Toxic Gases

The author is authoritative and not at all over-bearing in laying out the case against an ignorances of toxicity that is assuredly not in the public interest. He addresses neurological impacts as the most subtle and most frightening and most cummulative in nature.

His bottom line is that the pharmaceutical, industrial materials, and household goods industries are not doing enough testing and not getting enogh oversight. From this book one can easily see the varied government agencies nominally responsible for public health being phased out as was the Office of Technology Assessment.

The author notes that emerging toxins are of real concern, but that dollars and attention are being consumed by SARS, West Nile, and other biological threats (diseases are coming together and mutating in animal hosts, then jumping to human hosts, and becoming drug resistant more quickly).

Microwave popcorn lung caught my attention. As convenient as it is to use, the microwave evidently enhances toxicity of some substances, and we literally have no menu to follow in avoiding this.

My one disappointment is the lack of a table of toxic products, a lack of dollar figures, mortality and disability figures. I believe that a second edition of this book could be much improved, and as one reviewer notes, the rich history in the book given a higher profile.

The notes and index are superb and the book overall is of sufficient value to the public to warrant five stars. This is an important work.

See also:
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health
Manufacture of Evil: Ethics, Evolution, and the Industrial System
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
An Enormous Crime: The Definitive Account of American POWs Abandoned in Southeast Asia
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

The federal government, at the political level in both Congress and the Executive, cannot be trusted to act in the public interest. Wall Street is beginning to realize that that the "true cost" of corrupting the government has been the hollowing out of America's population, and in my view, it will be the fund managers at Wall Street who must recognize the value of public health, just as the rich in NYC realized in the 1920's that disease is indiscriminate.

Excellent book.

This book offers a practical method for building customer relationships. Authors Diane Berenbaum and Tom Larkin have organized each chapter to provide chief principles, practical positive and negative examples, useful exercises to build your skills, and a few summary maxims that recap and underscore main points. The MAGIC customer relations method is not complicated in design, but it takes real effort to master. You can begin implementing aspects of it immediately, and work toward eventual mastery of its principles and skills. This book has the benefit of being action-oriented rather than theoretical. getAbstract recommends it if you are willing to work on the program the authors offer. You will have to do more than just read the book, but that's a good start.

We've used this book to train our staff in how to be better customer service representatives on the phone. The book is more applicable to phone conversations, but works for in-person situations as well. Has given my staff good methods for dealing with really irate customers, long talkers, and in creating good report with customers.

Only negative is that the book is a bit cheesy, especially in the beginning. You have to read through the first 5 or 6 chapters before you start getting to things that you can readily apply in daily situations.

I'm familiar with the customer skills training program that this book is based on (MAGIC). Extraordinary! I've seen unbelieveable results when people apply the principles taught here in real life customer situations.

But if you dont have access to their MAGIC training, this book is a good back-up plan. All the info they hit in the training is here--you just have to be more self-motivated to study it and apply it without the benefit of any coaching or feedback. Nevertheless, the book is laid out in an easy to read. The topics flow naturally one into the next. You can imagine a customer interaction playing out as you make your way through the chapters. The book is chock full of examples as well as charts, graphs and checklists that make the points effectively.

One caution: dont expect to read this through some evening and then start applying it. I recommend you approach it more like a workboook...read a bit, put it down, try what you just learned (see the results!) and then pick it back up again.

Interestingly enough, I also use these principles when I'M the customer and others around me are amazed at the much-better-than-expected results i get when i complain or make requests! Thanks!

The notion that we only get once chance to make a first impression is true. But it is also true that you make an impression with every customer interaction. This very practical book teaches you how to think through every kind of customer interaction and how to make it a positive experience for the customer. The authors make the word MAGIC into an acronym. Well, two acronyms. I guess the think you get more for your money that way.

The first acronym is: Make A Great Impression on the Customer. And the second is one about process:

M - Make a connection: Build the Relationship
A - Act Professionally: Express Confidence
G - Get to the Heart of the Matter: Listen and Ask Questions
I - Inform and Clarify What You Will Do
C - Close with the Relationship in Mind

The book consists of twenty-three short chapters grouped into six parts: The Essence of MAGIC, MAGIC - It's Your Choice, Build MAGIC Relationships, Express MAGIC Accountability, The World of MAGIC, and MAGIC in Real Life. The authors lay out the benefits of their method, show you how much of it is your own mindset and how to get that right. They also show you the power of the words you choose to use and the benefits you will reap if you replace "Tragic" words with "Magic" words. That is a significant trope in the book. "Tragic Moments" versus "Magic Moments" and so on.

The authors also teach you how to use MAGIC with voicemail, in really listening to your customers, closing with the relationship in mind (that is, ending up with a sale and a repeat customer), and how to handle difficult situations. The method extends to making MAGIC a part of your business culture, how to coach it, and a series of personal stories demonstrating its power.

Each short chapter is organized for practical use. They usually lay out the principle material, offer you a practical exercise or two to "experiment with MAGIC", a quick story that demonstrates a MAGIC and/or a Tragic moment, and concludes with a few bulleted MAGIC Maxims that you can memorize to help you remember what you learned in the heat of customer engagement.

A useful and engaging book on a topic rarely given the importance it deserves.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Clearly written, well-paced and engaging, How to Talk to Customers provides excellent advice and compelling examples of how and how not to talk to customers. The principles embodied in MAGIC are valid and important. I can think of a few major institutions whose customer service representatives would benefit from reading this book!

There are so few books out there that give a realistic look at a professional groom's life. If you've ever considered becoming a groom or even going into the pro-horse world, this book is an amazing investment. Nusser gives almost every type of information you could want, including typical pay, benefits, housing, and insights into the personalities and habits of the grooms. It follows three pro grooms: a woman who just wants to learn everything she can, a woman who is wishes she was winning the medals, not grooming the horses, and a man who works for the money. Though it's non-fiction, it's written like a story and you can't help but be draw in. This is one of my top five favorite books - I can't impress on you how much you should buy it.

Follows the grooms in 3 areas of horse sport: eventing (grooms of the O'Connors), show jumping (of Anne Kursinski), and racing (of the breeding stallions at Lane's End). Very interesting, and for the most part not too dumbed down or inaccurate.

The stuff about Parelli got to be very annoying-this was back when the O'Connors were actually fans of him. The author seemed to be a bit too impressed with the man.

Some history of the horse was mixed in, as well as plenty of stuff about each discipline. It was very interesting to see how the horses were treated by each group of grooms. For example, the race horse grooms didn't seem to have a ton of affection for their charges and were very pragmatic. The O'Connor's grooms thought of "their" horses almost as if they were their pets or kids. Also enjoyed seeing the true lives of these people: long days, hard work, little pay, not much time for other people in your life.

Don't recommend this book for young kids: Some bad language, references to drugs and sex. Also some graphic scenes in the breeding shed of Lane's End. But for adults, this is an informative, entertaining read that doesn't make riding and horses out to be glamorous (unlike many horse books today). Nice book for the 99% of horse owners who do their own work, and for those that want to see what goes on in high-caliber equestrian operations. And it really makes you respect these incredibly hard-working people who get relatively little credit for any wins.

This book will certainly give you an appreciation for the hard work grooms put into caring for "their" horses, as well as the difficulty proffessionals have in finding and keeping gooms. Grooming is often a thankless job (more often than not, unfortunately!), with long hours and hard work, as well as little to no time off, but most people are unaware of this fact, even many horse enthusiasts. It's nice to see the grooms get the attention they deserve, as well as being an enlightening look into the world of professional riding.

My only qualm is that the book reads like a 200 page newspaper article, not like a novel. The writing (especially the tense of the writing), distances the reader from getting into the "story". Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in horse care or professional riding. Those with only a casual interest in horses or without any real experience in showing or stable management may want to look elsewhere for a book, but those with a working knowlegde of horse care and terminology will find this an interesting read.

This book left me thinking about grooming and a grooms life for days after I read it. Straight forward, with lovely descriptive passages about the things grooms do and are, it reads easily and quickly--and is over too soon. Nice too, that it parallels three types of grooms: racing, jumper, and three day. Well done.

What more can you ask of a book? When first I picked out this book, it was with the intention of learning about the world of a professional horse groom. What I did not count on was learning all about that and so very much more. I would not have given the equine sport called Three Day Eventing a second thought before reading this book. This author describes it so brilliantly & colorfully, I could not wait to turn each page to, as they say, "find out what happens next". It is the true account of this groom's daily life in the professional stables of World Olympic Champions David & Karen O'Conner. Many other well-recognized names at the top of the horse world are featured as well, as this skilled writer takes you on an intimate journey few spectators are ever privey to. This honest & intrigueing portrait of life at the top of the equine world is one that no horse enthusiast should miss. However you feel about the sport of Three Day Eventing, this honest & compassionate portrait will engross you page after page. The sheer strength & beauty of the writing made this book a joy to read.

This book is a fantastic review of the fruits of the spirit. It is very effectively written.

No, I assure you, I'm not cursing with that review title; I mean it in the literal sense: One cannot be LISTENING TO GOD and simultaneously hearing the hellish voice of "this world." [John 14:30]

Several years ago, a friend in Alabama sent me a number of VHS tapes on which she had recorded Sunday sermons by CHARLES STANLEY that were broadcasted on TV. I was unfamiliar with him at the time, but he was her favorite man of God. Now, I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of TV evangelists - I'd sooner take my chances with a used car salesman or a politician. (OK, not the politician; I just tossed that in for effect.) And though I'm not what one would call a "proper" Christian, I was impressed with Dr. Stanley - theological disagreements notwithstanding. No, he isn't funny like Jesse Duplantis, he doesn't have the powerful oratory talent of John Hagee, he doesn't possess the charismatic presence of the legendary priest from the Russian Orthodox Church, Yoey O'Dogherty. But what Charles Stanley DOES have going for him is a thorough understanding of the deepest spiritual principles; he is grounded in The Word Of God (a.k.a., The Holy Bible).

I recently purchased LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley because 2006 has been - spiritually speaking - my worst year since accepting the Atonement of Jesus Christ a dozen years ago. (Every year ending in the number six for the last three decades has been bad for me. My personal 666? Just joking.) I even stopped meditating after more than eleven years of daily practice. Yeah, it's been a rotten year! I thought that this book might reignite my passion for meditation (or "sitting before the Lord" as Dr. Stanley likes to call it). And it did. I'm now "shutting the hell up" for a period each day and listening for my Creator's "still small Voice" again. [See 1 Kings 19:11-13]

It surprised me to find that Stanley had written many things that I have so often said in counseling others over the years. For instance:

"If you are going to develop a relationship with another person, you have to converse with that person in some manner. That means both talking and listening." [pg. iv] (*When a person has learned to hear God, I call it having a "REaLATIONSHIP" with Him!)

"I believe God dearly loves to see Bibles that are marked with oil from our fingers...and noted with dates and insights." [pg. 1] (*My Bible is loaded with margin notes. If you want God to clarify some Biblical passage for you, write a "?" next to it in the margin and then wait, watch, and listen.)

"We may be trying to understand the Bible solely with our minds, which is always futile. The Bible is a spiritual book. It speaks to and is applied to the spirit." [pg. 10]

"It is not enough that we comprehend the truth. We must be conformed to the truth." [pg. 13]

"God works from the inside out." [pg. 109] (*C.S. is correct, but do you know why? Because "the Kingdom of God is within you." See Luke 17:21.)

A Catholic friend of mine at work does not believe God actually speaks to us. He is wrong! My own transformation began on January 14, 1992, when I clearly heard God speak in my mind. He gently but effectively admonished me by merely asking me two questions, and my own answers were the rod of correction. Only an unfathomable, creative God could have pulled that off! Years later, He urged me to sobriety by saying with crystal clarity in my head, regarding alcohol, "It's a false God. It's a false God."

And that brings up another point. Stanley mentions the fact that often, God will send us a message and then confirm it. [See Genesis 41:32] Note that God repeated Himself in calling alcohol my false god. Although God usually communicates with us in subtle but unmistakable ways, (the "still small Voice"), C.S. is right: "We must never limit God in the methods that He uses to speak to us." Because occasionally He can even use the sledgehammer approach...

Once, I woke up to find that in the night, my truck had been moved nearly horizontally in its parking spot. I had to track down a fellow and ask him to move his vehicle so I could back mine out. My faith had weakened and I had been depressed recently and the message seemed to be, "You're out of alignment." I pondered the bizarre event all day - it was unexplainable - and pulling back into my parking space that night after work, I thought, Well, if that's REALLY a message from God, He will send a confirmation soon. In this case, soon meant 45 seconds later when I found myself locked out of my apartment by the internal chain on the door. When I finally managed to wake my Brother, who let me in, he insisted that he had not chained the door (we lived alone), and I believe him because he'd never done it before, and it never occurred again. It seemed my depression and lack of faith was "locking me out of my REaLATIONSHIP with The Lord." I got the message.

I also believe that on three occasions, God has sent angels to me with words of encouragement (an old woman, a young woman, and a little girl). But this sort of REaLATIONSHIP with The Creator is really built in silence, LISTENING TO GOD. There is nothing like Bible study - not reading, but studying - and meditation to make us conscious of God's Love and Presence in our lives. (A great Bible companion is the book, LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS by Chuck Missler.)

LISTENING TO GOD by Charles Stanley is 5-Star material in a 4-Star presentation. His writing, while brimming with profound insights, is a tad bland - similar to some of his sermons. And while he does illustrate some points using personal experiences, it is always in the vaguest of terms - not detailed enough to make them truly compelling. Still, this book is too important to downgrade from five stars.

I have found it best to begin every meditation session with a prayer for someone else, especially an "enemy" [see Matthew 5:23,24], and also a slow, thoughtful recitation of The Lord's Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13] And once you've initiated a daily meditation program, never stop (unlike that maroon, Stephen T. McCarthy). Well look, I'm gonna shut the hell up now and go listen for The Voice of Heaven, so...SHHHhhhh........

Are you struggling in your faith? Are you having trouble listening to God's voice? Did you know that there are several ways for God to communicate with you? Did you know that most of the time we hear two voices (Satan and God)? Want to know how to tell them apart and how to ultimately listen to God? Then you should check out Charles Stanley's book Listening to God. Two years ago I received this book as a gift and I just put it on the shelf. When I finally read the book I realized that if I would have read it the first time I would not have been faced with the issues that I am struggling with today.

In this book Charles Stanley not only teaches the reader how to listen to God, but he also tells the reader how to take that new knowledge and apply it in real life situations. He uses examples and stories from his own life, which helps the reader relate to the new concepts and issues. Each point is backed with scripture and is followed by questions that will make the reader take a closer look at his or her walk with God.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is stumbling in their walk with God or anyone who is trying to strengthen their relationship with the Lord. This book, although it is apart of a Bible Study series, does not necessarily have to be read in the correct order. Just pick it up, read it and don't give up because the Lord will use it to show you the way!

Charles Stanley is a true man of God in which he is gifted in teaching. This is highly recommended. In this study tool you will discover true relationship with Jesus. The study guide helps you coast along with the Word.

As with all Dr. Stanley's works, this one is excellent! It is more of a study guide than a self-help book. Nevertheless, the book is grounded in scripture and replete with examples! Right up there with 'Mizraim Principles' on what we can all learn through God's discipline!

Also recommended: 'The Mizraim Principles', 'With Joseph in the University of Adversity'

Great job! Easy read, and gives me some practical tips for the customer service group in our organization. Important, timely, solid.

Great read from Mr. Willingham! "Integrity Selling" was the first book from Mr. Willingham that I read and it was a fabulous read! "Integrity Service" the service solutions in this book are fundamental to the success in small business and corporate environment success! Mr. Willingham has a way of writing the material, so anyone can understand and know how to put the solutions into practice.

A great read. I have just finished Ron Willingham's book, "The People Principle", and expected good things, was not disappointed. He makes the difficult process of working with different types of people easy to understand. Good material for the new service/sales employee, or the seasoned veteran. A management team could go through each chapter on a regular basis with their employees as a learning process.

Jim Hinshaw
Ft. Collins, CO

The most effective professional sales training I've ever introduced to any organization is Ron Willingham's Integrity Selling. Now we have a new beacon in the field of customer service. If you are tired of the vacant stares, indifferent attitudes and nearly hostile treatment you receive as a consumer of goods and services, this book will help. However, if you own or operate a business, division or department, this book will revolutionize your role in front of your customers. Each of the dozen chapter titles tells you and your team what you should be doing, but the real wisdom is in the pages where you are told HOW to meet, greet and serve customers as they want.

This book avoids the platitudes, the simplistic mantras and the repetition of old knowledge. Instead, you get a fresh and appealing notion of what it takes to meet and serve your fellow man. If that isn't your overriding perspective in the work world, you must read this book in order to survive. If you already share the servant's attitude with those around you, this will reinforce your methods in profound ways. An excellent resource!

What a great book! Integrity Service has so much more than your typical "how to" book on customer service. Ron Willingham takes the reader deep into valuing, listening, and really understanding the customer. Be careful! You may come away from this book with not only a thorough knowledge of customer service, but also profound personal growth.

Amor provides a very good book about upcoming technologies. It also provides a good outlook on the relevant services that can be expected from these technologies. One minor issue is that he also explains technologies like GSM and SMS and not only the hype stuff like wireless lan and G3. The second part of the book is even more interesting, because it provides four scenarios that give good insight on how the world will look like in a few years time.

Daniel Amor provides a very innovative way of presenting technologies and business cases of the future. Instead of describing Technology on a technology level and Business on a business level, he provides cases, which are easy to understand and include architecture blueprints for both, Technology and Business. Anyone that is interested in understanding the future of the Internet will be able to do so, both laypeople and professionals.

After his first book, The E-Business (R)Evolution, Daniel Amor created a new book in the same style as the first one. Instead of talking too much about technology and businesses, he created scenarios, which incorporate technology and business cases and put both of them into context. The book is of interest for people that want to develop new ideas on the Internet. I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

Daniel Amor provides a short introduction to the future that is about to happen. He provides some insight into new technologies, but more important into new business cases. He even provides simple ROI calculations, which is great. I am a professor at university and can use these cases with my students. A pity that there are only four in the book, but I found two more on his web site for free. Good work, keep it up!

Pervasive computing is a concept that is so broad, so inclusive, that it is hard to define. From the readily appreciated idea of personal digital assistants that are hooked up to the internet via digital cell phones to cars with GPS devices that tell computers where they are and receive back data on avoiding traffic jams, the potential for the field is vast. And exciting.

Daniel Amor, an internet expert who works for Hewlett Packard in Germany, has put together a beautifully written, elegantly thought out book on what pervasive computing will be. He covers a huge territory from the web today to the migration of wired services to wireless space: mobile architecture, mobile apps, home automation, business automation, services to be, and structures to be.

There are imaginative case studies of services that pervasive computing will permit: web-based reporting of credit card theft, objects with tiny chips reporting their whereabouts to police when stolen, even toothbrushes with medical diagnostic chips reporting to a user or a dentist what is wrong with the user's teeth.

The last case suggests the current problem with pervasive computing. The technology to make it happen exists, but users have not demanded anything like it. The talking refrigerator that orders more milk is widely ridiculed. Do we want a toothbrush to call a dentist? Socks to call a podiatrist to report a case of athlete's foot? An antacid pill that could report to an physician?

The solution is to have third party administration of all this intimate data, Mr. Amor says. Many would disagree, suggesting that the cure is not to collect it at all. Currently, wireless security is not as strong as hardwired network security can be. And even that is fragile, given advances in password cracking.

In a developing world of wireless services, pervasive computing is likely to grow in unpredictable ways. At the threshold of this new world, Daniel Amor's Internet Fuure Strategies has done a masterful job of mapping what may be. His work is superb, his insights often remarkable. If pervasive computing is part of your work, get the book.

How and why did the United States fail in letting AIDS get by us? After twenty years of such a tragic pandemic that kills 8,500 people daily worldwide, and infects 14,000 daily, one would think the United States would have taken a more aggressive approach in attacking this disease in its early stages. How did we let HIV/AIDS get to this point? This is the U.S.A! We should be able to fight a successful battle against AIDS. Instead, we are losing it. Plus, 65 million people worldwide have been affected by it.

I applaud Greg Behrman for exposing the real facts about the Global AIDS Pandemic. He is factual and his story instills in the reader anger and frustration that our government failed in the AIDS pandemic. We are in the midst of the worst pandemic our world has ever seen, and STILL our government and people aren't doing enough to stop the spread of this insidious disease. Is it because we don't like to think about it? Maybe there's just too much apathy. Well, we can't afford to stand by and let complacency take over. Too many lives have been lost... many more lives will be lost throughout the world in the next few years. AIDS doesn't discriminate...It affects young and old, men and women, democrats and republicans, babies and grandparents, affluent and indigent, gay and straight.

Mr. Behrman does an excellent job in explaining how our government failed to address this disease in the early 1980's and throughout the past twenty years. President Reagan was reticent to mention the word AIDS until 1987 after thousands of Americans had died of AIDS, and thousands more had succumbed to this disease in other countries. But can we put the blame solely on President Reagan? Probably not. His advisors questioned whether the Lord brought down this plague. AND also whether it was God's punishment!! With people like this at the helm, how could our government attack this epidemic aggressively? People were dying, but no one cared or noticed. According to Behrman, Jerry Falwell preached, "AIDS is God's punishment.." in a 1983 television sermon. Now does this really sound Christian or help in reducing the stigma of HIV/AIDS? How can we let a disease like AIDS which can be prevented, wipe out thousands of people daily? (including innocent babies, etc.) As Behrman points out, the disease is already rampant in Africa, and escalating to India, Russia, and China. What will happen to these economies? What will happen to the workers, teachers, doctors, etc.? What will happen to the millions of orphans? (At present 15 million)

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, realized the serious threat of AIDS and found President Reagan eager to learn and do more about AIDS, but advisors, according to Behrman, advised him against discussing AIDS in public.

"The Invisible People" is a book filled with passion and straight, shocking facts. It depicts various accounts of the United States' lack of action in one of the worst pandemics our world has ever encountered. Today, the projections for future HIV infections throughout the world are staggering and incomprehensible; but they are real!

What will our children and grandchildren ask when we are gone? Maybe, "Why didn't they do something to stop this dreaded disease?" Let's not let this happen to future generations. We will be judged on how we responded to AIDS. We must come together as a UNITED country, (Democrats and Republicans) and find a way to stop the spread of this GLOBAL Pandemic. Thank you Greg Behrman for waking this country up to the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time.

Nancy A. Draper (Author) A Burden of Silence: My Mother's Battle with AIDS

No one can question Mr. Behrman's command of this subject as the reader walks through colorful personal accounts of the United States' action and lack of action in regards to the global AIDS epidemic over the last 20 years. But what this book does so well is provide a human element to each of the stories that allows the reader to connect to the plight of the activist and, more importantly, the devastation felt by so many mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who innocently and unnecessarily fall victim to this pandemic.

"The Invisible People" is a well-crafted narrative that forces the reader to recognize that we can no longer passively isolate ourselves into two camps, "affected" and "not affected." We must stand outstretched between the two as we strive to redefine one camp, "no risk of being affected." An amazing feat by Mr. Behrman.

This work stands as an incredible tribute to the victims of the AIDS epidemic; do your part and read it today.

The Preface of this book alone will shock most readers, even those--including myself--who, prior to reading this book, THINK they know about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. For example, currently there are over 8,000 AIDS deaths every day, totaling approximately 25 million so far--more than the ALL the deaths of ALL the wars of the twentieth century--COMBINED.

The primary theme throughout Invisible People is how at each critical juncture the ignorance and inaction of political leaders has encouraged the virus to thrive and spread, unnecessarily infecting and killing millions.

I am not the first nor the last to say that history will one day show that the HIV/AIDS pandemic will be the defining health and humanitarian issue--if not the single most important issue--of our time. Our descendants will no doubt look back and wonder why so little was done so late in the face of such a horrible tragedy.

While the shear amount of information is at times daunting, Behrman skillfully weaves a story of the pandemic and its activists, scientists, politicians, and victims that reads like a novel.

This was the most difficult book I read all year, of many that I read, bored at sea and often bored with the book in hand. Difficult because it poses a damning question about America and its policy priorities. Difficult because it carefully, throughly reveals to the reader with a fair eye how poorly the US (and world) response to the AIDS epidemic has been. There are villians and heroes (many heroes in fact), tragic figures and inspiring ones, but what remains throughout is the compassion the author gives them all. No one is villified by criticism in this book, their actions (and reasoning) speak louder than words, for better or worse. Difficult because it is just so damn heartbreaking and galling that we failed so miserably for 20 years.
I don't like to see the US fail in anything, but I am afraid that we are failing and failing miserably in a war we are tepid about fighting. For this epidemic not to rip apart Russia, India and China the way it is ripping Africa apart now, more and more people will need to read this astonishing, revealing story of how the US nearly lost the war on AIDS before George W. Bush even started it in January 2003, so that we can learn from our past mistakes and not make them again. We can only hope Pres. Bush is learning from those mistakes so the massive amount of capital he is infusing into the fight (and more later) is not wasted. A must for anyone interested in international affairs, medicine, society (both in America and in the greater world), economics, history, politics and just about any other field that has any connection to this increasingly interconnected world.

Here's a pop quiz. What is AIDS? Some replies - An illness. Treatable. Starts with HIV. Used to be a terrifying death sentence, but now it's under control.

All true. But in this book, author Greg Behrman has some different responses to the same question: "What is AIDS?" Here are his answers: a cause of global terrorism; a time bomb; an unanswered moral challenge.

These are all shocking words. What makes them so is a horrifying contrast - the disease called AIDS is a treatable illness, and it is also a death sentence. How can this be? The answer is two words: money and geography. If you live in the USA and the developed world, it's highly unlikely you'll die from the disease. If you live in Africa or India, you're doomed. In order to understand this frightening paradox, Greg Behrman has written a masterful and heartfelt book, a history with the facts laid bare.

At school or for pleasure, most of us have read histories - of the Civil War, and other important events. We read about events that are done with, where the consequences of actions undertaken are known, where decisions and indecisions can be analyzed. It's a very different feeling to read - and, I imagine, to write - a history in the middle of the events you are describing. This is the huge task that Greg Behrman undertakes in a brilliant summary of the history of HIV/AIDS and what it means for the safety and the future of the USA and the world.

Greg Behrman fiercely challenges the world's response to the AIDS epidemic - all that suffering that is so far away, so removed from our everyday lives. It's too hard to do anything about, so why not just ignore it? Behrman lays out a harsh and frightening overview. He is a brilliant, young policy researcher and analyst who sounds a warning that AIDS - "the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time" is also a national security threat to the USA. The AIDS epidemic is a time bomb because it can destabilize continents and destroy countries.

However, on the evidence, he's going to have a hard time making his point, at least as long as Africa is seen as the main area scourged by AIDS. The disease isn't incurable - it just needs wealth and access to drugs. The ruling elites in Africa will get treatment, and the poor will suffer and die. Africans are already victims of the miseries of war, poverty and disease; very little is being done for them by the international community and even less by their own governments, with a couple of exceptions.

Africa gets all the publicity because the continent is too weak to hide its sick and dying from the international community. The real danger lies in Russia, and to a lesser extent South East Asia. That is where instability can lead to terrorism and the collapse of economies. Russia, China and other semi-developed countries will continue to lie about their AIDS statistics because, like Africa, they can't do much to help the infected. It needs a very well developed government infrastructure to deliver health care to people, and there is neither the will nor the money to do it. In the future, countries with increasing wealth, like China and India, will face the crisis and solve it. The weak countries will continue to cry out for the world's assistance. In this book, Greg Behrman constantly makes the point that the USA has a moral obligation to assist - we are wealthy, powerful and able, and it is unconscionable to look away.

Certainly, the tragic need is heartbreaking and huge. Three out of every hundred households in South Africa is headed by an orphaned child, taking care of other, even younger children. Almost a million children have lost their mothers to AIDS, and the numbers are rising. Zimbabwe, South Africa's northerly neighbor, is undergoing an ecological crisis because all the forests are being cut down to make coffins for AIDS victims.

In response to information like this, people want to help. But how to have an effect? On the smaller, familial level, a family in Kirkwood here in St. Louis, has set up One World Family (www.oneworldfamily.us) to improve the quality of life of children affected by the disease. The assistance is often very basic - food and shelter - since the children lack everything. On a larger scale, the FreePlay Foundation (www.freeplayfoundation.org) has developed the Lifeline radio, which plays non-stop using wind-up energy and solar power and is the first radio ever produced solely for humanitarian use. The foundation gives child-headed households these radios, which provide advice and reassurance to the frightened and lonely children, huddled together, starving in the dark.
So there is hope, but not much. It will have to do.