K Books

Mr. Tozer has once again lite a fire with his gold-tipped pen. I really enjoyed this book. The work on the immensity of God blew my mind and I had to pray to ask the Lord to help me to understand it. The chapter however, that really ministered to me the most was the one on the mercy of GOD. Tozer tells us that if we were to walk into the presence of Almighty God there would be many beings unrecognizable to our natural eye, yet withal there would one in whom we would know, that is the God man. He still remembers the pain and suffering that humans face and He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. This is truly a classic book by a classic Author.

One of the very best books I have every read regarding God. Very deep! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know God in a very deep and real way!
Very excellent!!!!!!!

Any Tozer book is worth reading, but he really shines when he delves into the personality of God. If you will allow it this book's information can bring you closer to God and give you a better understanding as to why certain things are the way they are.

What a powerful book, filled with the Holy Spirit. Tozer states in this book that we have lost the ability to turn within and worship God. This I believe is even more true today. If you are questioning the church's influence in our modern society and wonder why the manifestation of God is not in our congregation then read this book. Tozer gives great insight into the loss of the Devine presence. In Chapter 8 "God's Immanence" Tozer stated "Why then do we feel Him in the distance? It's the dissimilarity in our natures; it's the unlikeness." What a revelation to the church of our generation. What Insight into the present state of the church. I would recommend getting alone with God and reading this book on your knees.

In this offering the esteemed theologian A.W. Tozer tackles the rather daunting task of trying to explain the attributes of God both individually and as they relate to each other and the whole of God's character. While I don't think it's humanly possible to plumb this topic to its depths and get it right, I think Tozer does it about as well as can be expected of anyone who is limited by mortal flesh and a finite mind.

This is the first book I've ever read by this author, and have done so as part of my small group bible study. Week by week, chapter by chapter, we have delved into topics like God's infinitude, mercy, grace, goodness, justice and immanence, to name just a few. Most recently we have confronted the almost impossible to comprehend topics of God's holiness and perfection -- just try to define either one of these! Tozer is quick to admit that he can't, but tries his best anyway.

This book is not just an academic exercise in theology, although it will certainly help you gain some solid doctrinal footing. As the subtitle suggests, this is about trying to know God's heart, to understand who He really is in the rich diversity of his character traits. All that God is, he is infinitely and perfectly. The more we grow to understand these truths, the more we are challenged to grow and change, to be conformed to the image of Christ, who in turn is the express image of God's person (Heb. 1:3).

Tozer leads his readers on a soul-searching, convicting journey that forces us to come to grips with just how awesome and "other" this God is, and how much we differ from what He is and commands us to be. The book is filled with marvelous illustrations that make these mind-bending concepts a little easier to grasp. My personal favorite is the bucket in the ocean -- you'll understand when you read it for yourself. Throughout the entire book, Tozer avoids sounding "theological", that is, he writes in simple, understandable language liberally sprinkled with colloquial, down-home talk.

If you've never read Tozer before, this is a great place to start. There's also a second volume on this subject which will definitely find its way onto my personal reading list. This book will expand your mind and challenge you to think about how your character stacks up to God's own, and His expectations for us. "Be holy, for I am holy." Man, that's a tall order, but this book is a helpful step in the right direction.

Very fast delivery and very reliable customer service. Will continue to be my first choice for purchasing textbooks on the web.

I am very happy with the results of this book that I ordered.
I received it faster then I thought and it was packaged very, very well.
The book was in very good condition, like it said, but I was lery.
I just had to let everyone know that I am very please with ordering from this site and will do so again in the future

I use this in a basic math course I teach. So far only one mistake caught by a student on page 365 but only in the annotated instructor's edition--a wrong answer due to a slipped digit. Well organized with lots of thoughtful exercises. the only criticism could be that the book is a little bit sprawling and/or repetititive but that is a minor issue. Overall an excellent effort and recommended.

This book (2nd Edition) uses simple, easy to understand language and really makes things clear. It has a lot of typos and misprints, but most of them should be corrected in the 3rd Edition.

This text is being used in a basic math class I'm taking at the local community college. The book is jammed packed with different resources to help you succeed. I've always felt that the math teacher is either going to "make" or "break" my math class experience. So, even if you have a dud for an instructor, you'll still get Elayn Martin-Gay for your personal instructor with this textbook. The author herself is in all the Video/CD's that came with the book and she is very easy to understand. Her unpretentious presentations of each topic are easy to watch and very thorough. She uses a dry-erase board to write out problems, so its as if your right there in the classroom with her. My textbook came with a Student Study Pack that contains 4 CD's and a Student Solutions Manual. Make sure you get Student Study Pack! The text itself has answers and solutions in the back of it but the Student Solutions Manual gives more in-depth information on working the problems. There's even a Chapter Test Prep Video CD. I hope that as I progress in mathematics that the college instructor's will use Mrs. Martin-Gay's textbooks! Frankly, when I get to Algebra, I will probably buy her book even if it's not a text that my instructor is using...that way I can be sure that she'll be there to explain how to work the problems!

There are some fine introductory books in Esperanto (and you can get a pretty good start from the free 10-lesson email course easily found with any internet search engine); this book is probably not the best FIRST textbook (though I think it could be used as a first book without too much trouble), but it is an AMAZING second book, with more information on subtleties of expression in Esperanto (and there are *some* -- it's still a foreign language, albeit one with a very regular grammar, and its logic is not always identical to the logic (such as it is) behind English) than I've seen in any other english language textbook. It's also fun to read.

Once you've wet your feet a little (excuse the metaphor), if you want more, this is an excellent book to own.

Yes, this book did help my esperanto a little, but some of the language is a tad dated. You'd be better off learning it from the internet.

Being Colloquial has an enjoyable, readable style. It's extremely informative and interesting, for learning the subtleties of Esperanto. Jordan is very realistic; although he obviously loves Esperanto, he doesn't avoid talking about the few logical imperfections of this very logical lanuage. I've been using Esperanto for 18 years, and I still find useful information here.

If it's not available at Amazon, you can get this book through ELNA, the national Esperanto organization.

I'm quoted on the back of the dust cover as writing, in another review: "I would say that this is a book which should be on the shelf of every serious American (and other English-speaking) Esperantist, and I cannot recommend it highly enough for those who want to move from the status of beginner to that of expert."

I'll stand by that, but go a step further: Despite this book's basic purpose (to help the English-speaking reader understand more about Esperanto), and despite the fact that it's definitely not a textbook, I would say that it's actually possible to learn the language from scratch via the first half of this book. Not for everybody, of course, but for the committed individual who is willing to plow through 118 pages of great (though never excruciating!) detail about Esperanto, its grammar and its word-formation system without drills or exercises. The fact that Jordan has a terribly dry sense of humor, which he doesn't hesitate to share with the reader, makes this relatively painless. By the time you reach the end of that first section, you should have a full command of the language, except, perhaps, for vocabulary (and I use the word "perhaps" advisedly, because at least half of those 118 pages are given over to a multitude of examples of usage, and you should be able to pick up a pretty good vocabulary just from those).

Oh, and if you want to increase your vocabulary beyond this (and you should), don't forget to read the second half of the book, "Potentially Troublesome Words," in which you'll find much more detail about those words in Esperanto that can mislead the English-speaking student, as well as the words you ought to use instead.

Note: Jordan's (not overlong) lists of transitive and intransitive verbs that will cause trouble for English-speakers (because in English the transitive and intransitive versions of the verb are identical) should be studied and memorized by every American student of the language. Read pages 77-79 and you'll be sitting pretty.

While a straightforward and logical tongue, Esperanto is not English, and beginners tend to think English-ly while writing Esperanto-ly. (And that last sentence is just one of the many ways I could use to demonstrate that one must adjust one's thinking just a tad to become more fluent and universally understood when learning to be more proficient in the language.)
Jordan makes the learning fun. He peppers the book with humor and with wordplay (even the title gets a chuckle) and shows himself the linguist that he is in everyday life. There is much which is fundamental in the book, and yet there are curiosities and rarities that one might find elsewhere only with great difficulty, and these serve to whet the reader's curiosity and lead him on to the next chapter. I loved this book and in a personal letter to the author (before the advent of e-mail) I let him know that my only criticism of _Being Colloquial_ was that there was just too little of the book. Is a mouse the polar opposite of an elephant? In Esperanto, it might be! Jog your grey matter and have fun doing it -- and learn the language which has been, for over a century, the most universal and successful of all planned languages. Talk to non-English-speakers all over the world. Just DO it! It may change your life. I know it changed mine.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have or most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities, values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married, middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer. The authors identify leverage points for significant change in organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see new potential for change.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box
can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be
unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can
lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the
industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily
life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have
for most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and
its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond
traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number
of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge
norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities,
values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of
thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married,
middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our

work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The
authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze
the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and
how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that
the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good
for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work
processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is
based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer.
The authors identify leverage points for significant change in
organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions
about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see
new potential for change.

As a coach and consultant to attorneys struggling to make
the business case for effective and usable work-life practices, I found this book to be an invaluable tool and resource.
Law firms are bastions of gendered assumptions about ideal
workers. The insatiable demand for ever-increasing billable hours makes developing and maintaining a normal life outside of work an extraordinary challenge, particularly for women attorneys. "Beyond Work-Family Balance" clearly articulates the tacit gendered assumptions underlying current law firm work practices and effectively establishes the connection between gender equity and workplace performance.
I wish the managing partners of every law firm would read this.
I'll refer all of my coaching clients to it. At least it will
confirm that it's the system - not them - that has the problem.

This is a book we have all been waiting for. After decades of reflection and debate about how best to develop innovative, high performance organisations, on the one hand, and how to enhance gender equity and work-personal life integration on the other hand, this book tells us that the two are not only compatible, but mutually dependent. Written in a non technical and thoroughly engaging style, the book argues that work practices and norms which are inequitable are also ineffective. The authors have the rare knack of presenting a deep and thoughtful analysis in such a clear way that their argument seems simple and obvious.

The heart of the problem lies in the gendered assumptions that underpin many everyday working practices . The authors point out that assumptions based on traditional masculine values and life situations include the defining of commitment in terms of long working hours that preclude time for family or personal life, and the valuing of stereotypical male competencies, such as heroic action and firefighting, above interpersonal and other competencies regarded as more “feminine”. Drawing on action research in a range of organisations they demonstrate how these assumptions and the practices that follow from them, undermine effective performance, but are so taken-for-granted that we rarely question them.

What really distinguishes this book is that the authors go beyond identifying problems to provide a well tried method for bringing about meaningful change It does not offer one size fits all solutions but does provide a process for reaching tailor made solutions. Their method of Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR) includes examining working practice and the assumptions that sustain ineffective practices and gender inequity and then thinking collaboratively with work teams to come up with innovative solutions to what they call the “dual agenda”. The case studies used throughout the book are based on experience in a wide range of organisations so that everybody should be able to identify with at least some of the situations described. This should leave limited room for the traditional cry of “it won’t work here”.

For all those readers who are interested in organisational performance and change and in gender equity, whether or not they have already made the connections between the two, this book will make compulsive reading. Even the most cynical will find it difficult to totally disregard the central message that gender equity and effective performance go hand in hand.

The long-awaited, "Beyond Work-Family Balance," is finally out! Many of us have been waiting for
the better part of a decade for a full treatment of the worklife
integration experiments at Xerox and elsewhere, and this is it! If you are
looking for a book to get you charged up about the business case for
work/life programs, go elsewhere. If you want the most honest, detailed
account of attempts to make the business case successful in practice, this
is the book for you. The basic argument starts with integration: we cannot
improve things unless and until we are willing to bring the public sphere
of employment and the private sphere of home together, a process that can
range from embarrassing to painful. The second ingredient is the dual
agenda of improving business performance and gender equity. The tightrope
involved in carrying this dual agenda into the workplace is what makes the
book interesting, powerful, and realistic. The authors argue that an
interactive research approach is required to make the dual agenda work,
with the researchers listening and learning almost as much as the
participants in the business world, a process that requires constant
feedback, reflection, and communication. Indeed, an entire chapter is
devoted to lessons for research teams wishing to pursue research while
applying a dual agenda to themselves. Sometimes the dual agenda succeeds,
and employees and managers learn how to improve the functioning of
workplaces for all participants (yes, stockholders even benefit). But the
fundamental honesty of the authors leaves us wondering: is it worth it?
Fortunately, I think the answer is yes, but the authors leave us in no
doubt as to the incredible amount of work required.
The one question left hanging concerns unions, since the parallels
between many labor-management cooperation initiatives and the integration
approach are multiple (if not perfect), but unions are not mentioned.
Well, that leaves something for the next book. Incredibly well-written,
brutally honest, and extremely insightful! A must-read for academics and
practitioners alike.

In my book, Black Storm Comin`, Colton, the twelve-year-old boy who is the main character, is very responsible and knows everything he needs to know to travel by himself and knows how be a man. One example of that is that Colton has to work with his dad every day. Colton has to wake up at 6:00 a.m. in the morning he doesn't stop working until 8:00 p.m. And he has been doing that for 5 years straight. Another example of that is that he has good manners. Colton calls a lady ma'am and a man sir, he is really polite and he says please and thanks you. Colton also became the man of the family. After pa left after shooting Colton accidentally at the leg while he was asleep, Colton had to stand up and was forced to take responsibility for his whole family and he was doing everything. Colton helplessly needed a job so, he thought he could get a job at the Pony Express because it would cover up the pay and it would take him and his entire family to Sacramento, California that everyone needed to go there and he got the job. At the middle of the story Colton's ma gave Colton a letter to give to her half sister, then at the end of the story, Colton gave it to the half sister, but then ended u running for their lives meaning his pa and himself. Colton was the perfect kid at his time as I have already told you how.

A 12-year-old boy, Colton, tries to get a job with the Pony Express in this unusual "western". There are no Indians in the story, but race plays a part with the hero as a son of a white man and a free black woman, but who can pass for white. The family is moving west with a wagon train but is beset by the troubles of the trail--no doctors, difficult childbirth, broken wagon wheels, lack of food. A gun accident while in Nevada precipitates it all: the depressive father accidentally shoots the son in the leg, then takes off in apparent remorse, leaving the family to fend for itself. Racism is a theme of the story, but it is also about a boy's doggedness and the importance of cross-country communication on the eve of the Civil War. The prose is easy, in a colloquial style. Those who like horse stories and action-adventure will appreciate this one. I could hardly put this book down, and despite having to go to work I finished it in less than 24 hours. This book is heartily recommended, and should appeal especially to middle schoolers studying the pre-Civil War era as well as to horse enthusiasts, male or female. It would work well as a read-aloud for middle school, since the audience will be anxious to know how it turns out. It is devoid of love interests, but despite that it should serve a high school audience well, too.

I'm not usually a fan of westerns. I don't get that whole prairie, horse, dirt thing that many find appealing.

But this story is not a typical western.

It's the story of a 12 year old boy and his family - a 12 year old who's forced to take responsibility for his family (an occurrance common enough in the past).

There's a lot of historical information and environmental vibes packed into this book - it fairly places you in the shoes of a biracial child who, quite guiltily, can pass for white in a time right before the civil war. It gives you an insight into the Pony Express - a wonderful group of kids who kept the country connected and informed.

In all, this is a good read, especially for young boys, which will open the mind and the heart.

(*)>

Like all of Diane Lee Wilson's books, we get some excellent historical background to a great story. Her characters are always interesting and nuanced, not the stock character so often found in young adult fiction. Her stories are set in interesting times and we always learn something we didn't know. In Black Storm Comin, we get an insiders look not only into the Pony Express but also the challenges faced by the bi-racial rider. And the horses! Wilson can write about horses like no one else - she's taking over where Marguite Henry left off. This is a great read and I look forward to her next one. I recommend it for any reader, young or old, male or female.

Based on Wilson's research about the pony express, this story is filled with fascinating facts and tidbits about the old west. But what is so delightful is the intensity of the story, excellent horsemanship, and relationship of a small boy and his horse. It kept me on the edge the whole time. The young protagonist is also bi-racial, adding an interesting twist and subtheme to the entire story. I learned much about the pony express and its riders, as well as the challenges of being bi-racial in early America.

"Like Marko Polo discovering a new world of trade, organizations today are exploring vast new markets throughout the globe. The process is nothing less than a revolution, breaking down once sacrosanct boundaries of space, time, and nationality...In today's world, there is no longer a dichotomy between domestic and foreign. Global boundaries between companies, markets, and people have become irrevocably blurred...For companies such as Unilever, ABB, and SmithKline Beecham, globalization has become a natural part of their business, an integral part of their culture. For most companies, however, the goal to become truly global in mindset, staff, and market seems a stretch. Although the oportunities are tempting, the effort, knowledge, and skill required are much greater than for running a domestic operation, and the risks-once you probe beneath the surface-are equally enormous"(pp.261-262).

In this context, the authors, in Chapter 8, first put forward the following ten reasons why organizations might want to become more global: competitive survival, cost spreading, trailblazing, rule of three, domino effect, evolutionary forces, technological revolution, search for innovation, ripple effect, and benchmarking against other companies. Then, they discuss seven challenges companies face in making the global leap: (1)Establishing a workable global structure, (2)Hiring global supermanagers, (3)Managing people for a global environment, (4)Learning to love cultural differences, (5)Avoiding parochialism and arrogance, (6)Designing unifying mechanisms and a global mindset, (7)Overcoming complexity.

In Chapter 9, to overcome these challenges, they show action plans, and suggest ways of moving forward, from learner to launcher and from launcher to leader into the global arena as summarized as below:

I- From Global Learner to Global Launcher

1. Human Resources Practices

* Supply language/cultural sensitivity training.

* Standardize forms and procedures.

* Set up an overseas presence via joint venture, modest acquisition, or establishment of a headquarters.

* Engage in extensive cross-border relationship building.

2. Organizational Structures

* Arrange short-term visits and international assignments.

* Staff for more diversity in management and board of directors.

* Use e-mail and videoconferencing to maintain day-to-day contact.

3. Organizational Processes and Systems

* Establish worldwide shared values, language, and operating principles.

* Conduct fact-finding missions.

* Design ad hoc transnational teams.

* Hold global town meetings and best-practice exchanges of information.

II- From Global Launcher to Global Leader

1. Human Resources Practices

* Seek complete liquidity of human resources: recruit outside the domestic base; place foreign recruits within the domestic base; promote the best people to global assignments; rotate people internationally; use twinning.

* Aim for a global structure.

* Map global processes.

2. Organizational Structure

* Provide continuing global leadership trining and regular transnational training to reinforce the global mindset.

* Remove/minimize country managers and replace with global managers and focus on global customers.

* Routinize real-time global communications.

3. Organizational Processes and Systems

* Use global reward systems.

* Multiply ongoing transnational project teams.

* Work for global integration (for example, total global sourcing, global design, global engineering, and global purchasing).

Finally, they write that "Many tools are available to organizations, and we have described a good number of them here (as summarized above). But senior management must have the skill and foresight to use the right tools in the right way, at the right time, and in the right sequence...Each stage requires structures that enable the crossing of boundaries, systems and procedures that drive global behavior, and people who can learn to extend their thinking beyond their present outlook."

Highly recommended.

This is a forward-looking discussion of the paradigm shift from traditional pyramidal organizations to organic, dynamic enterprises that feature permeable boundaries. The book is a triumphant crusade against fiefdoms and boundaries of all types, and for freedom in inter- and intra-organizational life. It demonstrates how "boundaryless" organizations can increase the ability to respond quickly, creatively, flexibly, and in an integrated fashion to market demands. Case studies of change efforts bring the main points alive. Adding to the value of this work are self-diagnostic instruments, charts, and tables. This book is a rich source of insights about organization plus savvy guidelines for taking action. I highly recommend it.

Checklist can be used to help a manager transition an organization to overcome institutional barriers

The title is a misnomer: Although the authors do indeed suggest how to "break through the chains of organizational structure", they provide an enlightening explanation of four different types of boundaries (vertical, horizontal, external, and geographic) which give definition to any organization. They do not advocate the total elimination of these boundaries (which is impossible, anyway); rather, they suggest how to rearrange them so that an organization can thrive. For the authors, there is what they call "A New World Order":

"In living organisms, membranes exist to give the organization shape and definition. They have sufficient structural strength to prevent the organism from dissolving into an amorphous mess....Like a living organism, the boundaryless organization also evolves and grows, and the placement of boundaries may shift....Because the boundaryless organization is a living continuum, not a fixed state, the ongoing management challenge is to find the right balance of boundaryless behavior, to determine how permeable to make boundaries, and where to place them."

This brief excerpt from the first chapter correctly suggests the purpose of this remarkable book: To explain HOW to meet that challenge.

The material is presented within four parts plus a conclusion. The first explains how to achieve "free movement up and down" by crossing vertical boundaries; the second explains how to achieve "free movement side to side" by crossing horizontal boundaries; the third explains how to achieve "free movement along the value chain" by crossing external boundaries; and in the fourth part, they explain how to achieve "free global movement" by crossing geographic boundaries." Then in the Conclusion, the authors discuss "Making It Happen: Leading Toward the Boundaryless Organization."

The authors also include a series of six questionnaires. By completing each in sequence, the reader is able to determine (a) where her or his organization is now located relative to "the boundaryless paradigm", and (b), what is needed to eliminate the "gap" between where it is now and where it should be. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to read The Boundaryless Organization Field Guide. It contains a a hands-on set of diagnostic instruments as well as exercises and tools, and a disk with presentation slides in Powerpoint format.

I agree with the authors: The most restrictive organizational boundaries are in the minds of those within an organization. Organizational as well as personal wounds are usually self-inflicted.

This is a forward-looking discussion of the paradigm shift from traditional pyramidal organizations to organic, dynamic enterprises that feature permeable boundaries. The book is a triumphant crusade against fiefdoms and for freedom in inter- and intra-organizational life. It demonstrates how "boundaryless" organizations can increase the ability to respond quickly, creatively, flexibly, and in an integrated fashion to market demands. Case studies of change efforts bring the main points alive. Adding to the value of this work are self-diagnostic instruments, charts, and tables. This book is a rich source of insights about organization plus savvy guidelines for taking action. We highly recommend it.

This book should be required reading for anyone with even a remote interest in neurology or mental health. You will never again have the same response to mental health topics.

usualy people conect allergy with something that is only cause headach,neusia,or a rash. but how many of you (the readers) are conecting allergy to a disturb mental state, or one type of schizophrenia?.there are many sections in this book that are all explaining the allergy from the roots and the way it should be treated through the rotation diets combined with specific suplements. it is all explained in an easy to follow-way, and a lot of case histories are covered.an allergy discusion is not complete without this book.

every now and then a book opens a door and sheds new light on life, thus enlarging my understanding and vision. This was one. It improved my life and helped change my practice. Philpott brings together a great deal of useful information.

After 5 years of my brother being diagnosed with schyzophrenia and coming in and out of mental institutions, this book came into the hands of my mother, who took him (when he was 23 years old) to Dr. Philpott's Hospital, at the time in St. Petersburg, Fla. To shorten, my brother is now 41 years old, has 3 children and has proved Dr. Philpott's stating he had cured 100% of the cases of "schyzophrenia" that came to his hands. Psychiatrists related to pharmaceuticals, of course, have always denied this capacity. If anyone knows if Dr. Philpott's work is being continued please advise to help all the victims of pharmaceuticals.

Learning about Brain allergies has helped my son so much. He has food allergies which caused him to have seizures. It is well worth reading and learning about. Thanks for the very informative book.

This book was required reading for an MBA class at DePaul University. You know how most "required reading" books go, quite dry and boring. This book, however, is just the opporsite. It's a quick read and informs the reader on so many levles to creating a highly functional, cohesive and creative work group.

Implement this book and the issues of employee satisfaction will disappear!

Well worth investing time and the small price to purchase the book. Keep it as a reference!

Gundry and LaMantia have done an excellent job of putting together this valuable "handbook" on teambuilding and leadership. They do an exceptionally good job of finding very distinctive "experts" to represent each of the ten principals. Each expert brings a different perspective to the book and added depth and life to the words. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to develop their collaborative team-building skills. The authors taught me that dream teams are not out of reach, but rather very attainable with the right tools. This book, I believe, gives you the right tools to be successful whether a team member or team leader!

This book shows how a team can tap into its unique brand of vision and "street smarts" to create a fresh approach to doing business. Not about becoming a well-oiled machine, "Breakthrough" is about doing the personal and collective work (emphasis on work) it takes to support a collaborative spirit that (in the words of poet Wallace Stevens) "is fluent in even the wintriest bronze." The authors know this work is not for the faint of heart, but they maintain a tone of encouragement throughout that just might convince a reader to dip a toe into the stream.

Gundry and LaMantia have done an exceptional job teaching the essence of team collaboration and innovation to achieve unforeseen possibilities. "Breakthrough's" mentoring tone outlines the ten critical principles needed to optimize team and individual creativity, performance and success. The authors' contagious excitement draw the reader in, as he/she is taken through a step-by-step course of how to effectively and simply "breakthrough" in life and in work.

The concepts presented by the Gundry and LaMantia are not new or hard to learn, but two things stand out that make this book important. First, the authors present their material in a comprehensive and unique process that is easy to follow, implement and teach. Second, the authors' consistent reinforcement of key fundamentals and the underlying meaning as to "why it is important" are at the core of collaboration. --Highly recommended.

Breakthrough Teams for Breakneck Times as a title sorely undersells the value of this text. This book clearly understands and beautifully elicits how to unlock, as well as grow, the creative problem solving genius within each of us. Its 10 principles to establish collaborative teams are not mathematically derived or drawn from Meta analysis. As a leader of teams, this book has got its fundamental tenets correct - we all want to be our primal self and contribute all our talents to create and solve problems. By understanding the basic tenets of human nature - honesty with oneself, finding our true passions and living with integrity, Gundry and LaMantia have shown the way.

Although there are numerous `teams' books written, few if any authors have trawled to deeply understand the building blocks of what makes an extraordinarily productive team - individuals who are truly honest with what they want from life, consciously make choices, speak with conviction and integrity, respect, honor and promote those around them. Truly collaborative teams that sustain breakthroughs as well as adapt and grow from adversity require, first and foremost, honest people. Gundry and LaMantia have to be congratulated for not only establishing the human principles required for establishing great teams, yet ask the questions we each should each pose to ourselves to experience a more fulfilling and whole life.

Following significant reflection of this text, the authors are correct in arguing that there is very little we have to learn so as to work together with a high degree of effectiveness. We each have the skills to be honest with what we want and how we wish to work, to listen as well as have fun with our colleagues, to cultivate shared responsibility and ownership, act courageously, live according to a `what if' rather than `thou shall be' guidelines etc.

As stated, what is required is to sweep away de rigueur organizational and society assumptions and expectations regarding the world of work and create new modes of conduct based on what the team desires to be truly effective. The most important task as we begin to collectively mold into a new team is for each individual to reflect on who they are, what are their dreams and passion, what they see as the purpose of the team and what they wish to contribute. They share this openly and honestly with the team, without judgement and questioning.

How refreshing it is to read learned experts in this field discuss the importance of honesty, respect for all viewpoints, courageous action and having fun and periods of reflection and rejuvenation. How wonderful it is to see a `business book' speak of people as breathing, spiritual animals with intrinsic needs who are on a journey of self discovery towards becoming more whole, hence contributing far in excess of what many of us believe is `normal' to contribute in the workplace.

The book is quite right in arguing that breakthrough teams requires people who are whole - they understand their internal direction in life, have considered their values, mode of operating, their passions and come to others in a spirit of generosity, active listening and non-judgment. The true breakthrough that this book delivers is that its teachings are applicable to any domain because it has viewed, questioned and judged people not in a business context, yet in our natural environment of communities. The health of the group stems from the importance of the individual. Dowse the passion and you end up with breakup teams.

This book stands as a litmus test not only for team leaders and organizations, yet for individuals who want to be part of a high performance team and enjoy and grow from every moment of their experience. This text provides the `how to' tools that we all intrinsically have to create breakthrough teams - understand our own unique qualities followed by being honest with ourselves and everyone around us. If so, you will find work to be productive, rewarding, fun and rejuvenating.

You will not find rules for behavior, decision making, rewards etc. The text is littered with succinct tools, helpful hints, guideposts and axioms that get you thinking and most importantly, reflecting about the way of work that is best for you.

This text is quite simple. Its basis is the primal tenets of individual honesty and integrity, understanding our passions and what we want to contribute and courageously outlining these in the workplace. From this true open forum of genuine listening, respect and reflection, team visions, culture and work credos are developed. Resiliency muscles are developed to make the team grow stronger through the inevitable bad times.

The value you derive from this book will be gained upon reflection on the axioms on which it is founded. Its primacy is the sacredness of the individual - their passions, dreams, values and boundaries. Breakthrough teams create a safe environment where people can be truly themselves, verbally and in action. They are contributing what they want, speaking truthfully and take deep responsibility for their words and actions. They listen with compassion and without judgment. Gundry and LaMantia have developed the principles that unlock our true selves, hence contributing our greatest talents and thereby not only developing breakthrough teams, yet also, more content, productive and whole people. Once we are on this road, our fears begin to vanish, and synchronicities begin to happen that help to make our dreams come true.

Breakthrough Teams for Breakneck Times is a call to re-ignite the best of the human spirit. A seminal work that has caused me to deeply reflect about the people that I lead, the responsibilities that I choose and how to mold and improve not only the economic performance of my team, yet to also increase the deep intrinsic and individual satisfaction that I want each person to feel from our work as well as our interactions.

Its time to go beyond vitas and technical qualifications and ask people what fire burns in their belly, where is their life going, what do they want to contribute and in what environment would they like to work?

It is because of Gundry and LaMantia that I now have the `stepping stones' to develop my team into a truly collaborative high performance unit. As well as delivering the outputs, we will also be having lots of fun. Its time.

Jim Grigoriou
Managing Director
Infusion Technology Pty Ltd.

It is like he interviewed my grandparents. This book is incredibly accurate and covers the most dynamic period of the Cajun history. This book should be mandatory reading for young people from this area. His coverage of the old perceptions regarding the Cajun people are particularly humorous and his arguments for the dilution of the French traditions well stated. Informative read.

The Cajun people have long been a subject of curiosity, and much has been written about their unique past. Since their existence, Cajuns have been studied by historians and romanticized by poets; however, there has been a dearth of serious historical work focusing on the recent transformation of their identity. Primarily a 20th century phenomenon for Cajuns, Americanization (the process by which a group or sub-culture becomes assimilated into the larger American identity) is the focal point of Bernard's The Cajuns.

Save for the introduction, which provides a quick historical overview of the Cajuns and perceptions of them through their existence, Bernard's tome consistently pairs each chapter to a corresponding decade, allowing the reader to follow the process of Cajun Americanization in a chronological fashion. Starting in the 1940s, chapter one discusses the effects of World War II on Cajuns in the military as well as those who remained back home. The decade of the 1950s, along with the cold war and global politics, and how these events affected Cajuns, makes up chapter two. In chapter three, the turbulent 1960s brings to light the changing mores and nationwide cultural shifts that Cajuns had to deal with, and how they were transformed by these changes. Chapter four reveals how Cajuns began to take back their identity in the 1970s through a number of initiatives. Finally, revitalization, expansion and exploitation of the culture and the resulting backlash in the 1980s and 1990s is explored in chapter five.

Bernard's examples of Americanization are numerous, stark and, in some cases, disturbing. Mostly isolated for around 200 years, the Cajuns enjoyed relative exclusion from the evolving American ethos. Indeed, early Acadian settlers into the Louisiana territory, whose descendants would later become Cajuns, had settled the prairies and bayous of modern day Louisiana even before it became part of the United States. And while one might presume that the 1803 purchase of the Louisiana Territory by the United States was the beginning of the Americanization process, Bernard's research points to the events of the 20th century, fueled by war and the acceleration of technology, as the paramount period of the culture's alteration.

While technological advances such as rural electrification, the automobile, and television provided a vehicle for the Americanization process, the seminal event that fostered Americanization of the Cajuns was World War II. Young Cajun G.I.s returned to their homes in South Louisiana with a new found awareness of the world. Some of these "world-wise" Cajuns began to pursue formal education, start businesses, and participate in politics.

Nonetheless, many Cajuns had no such opportunities, and for them, Americanization was an assault on their identity. The very language they spoke became a target, as evidenced by public school efforts to intimidate Cajun French speaking students into learning and speaking English. Techniques such as spanking, humiliation and writing of lines were used in order to coerce children to abandon their native tongue and learn the lingua franca of a unified America. (My own father experienced such methods upon first attending public school in 1951.) The result of this attempted eradication of the Cajuns' language was that the affected generation became ashamed to speak their first language, and was reticent to pass this gift to their children.

It should be noted that not every aspect of Americanization was brought about through coercion, however. Cajuns have readily accepted the economic advantages of becoming members of the American middle and upper class. Like their contemporaries in other parts of the United States, Cajuns drive SUVs and luxury cars, have mortgages, pay taxes, and invest in the stock market. From every external perception, they have become American. Yet in spite of this noticeable transformation, modern Cajuns have managed to negotiate a place for themselves in American society by maintaining cultural activities that project their inherent identity. Music, cuisine, religion and other institutions are the outlets used today to remind the world (and ironically, themselves) that they are still Cajun.

The reader will find, as I have, that Bernard's work is a unique prism from which to view contemporary Cajuns. No longer stereotyped as illiterate and poor French speaking people of bayous or prairies, Cajuns of the modern world are a composition of English and/or French speakers with surnames ranging from Arceneaux to Zerangue. And even while some may manifest no outward sign of their heritage, they are no less Cajun than a Vietnamese in Hanoi or a Chinese in Shanghai. Only time will tell if subsequent generations of Cajuns will keep at bay the ever-increasing tide of homogenous American culture, or be overcome by its powerful waves.

This book changed my life! Mr. Bernard does a great job of putting the culture in perspective. His history is accurate, interesting and inspiring. As a full blooded cajun, living outside of Louisiana, this book really hit home. I'm convinced I must return and learn the cajun french language and encourage the rest of the younger people in my family to do the same. Thanks for a great book.

When I first purchased Mr. Bernard's book, "The Cajuns: Americanization Of A People," I initially expected it to be a summary of the last few decades covering every festival, pilgrimmage to Nova Scotia, and Edwin Edwards. In other words, I expected it to be just like a lot of other things labeled Cajun these days: commercial. Although Edwards and Nova Scotia are covered in good detail, this book is anything but commercial. In fact, it can be utterly depressing at times.

When reading the book, one is introduced to a time period for Cajuns that is often glazed over or not even mentioned in Louisiana's colorful history. Most folks are told when the Cajuns landed in Louisiana and how the popularity of their food and "culture" brings loads of tourists and their money to the state. What we aren't told is how prejudice and hate almost forced this group into oblivion. Fortunately for us, this book brings these problems into focus.

To know that fellow countrymen ridiculed the Cajun soldiers for their weak English skills and considered them dumb isn't very good news. Things get bleaker as the decades pass. We are told how children are punished at school because they are speaking Cajun-French instead of English. We are given examples from prominent newspapers and other media in which Cajuns are considered backward, ignorant, stubborn, etc. We learn about the struggle over the term, "coonass," and how many people wear it as a badge of honor whereas others hate it entirely. We are told of how Cajuns are coupled with New Orleans, though New Orleans is one of the least Cajun places in Louisiana. Not only that, but it seems that Canadians and the French, with misguided good intentions, also looked down on Cajuns for their "broken" French language and attempted to repair it and give them a proper culture by introducing Parisian French in the classroom via CODOFIL.

Ah yes, CODOFIL, if you aren't aware of them, you'll know quite a bit about them by the end of this book. Bernard hammers them pretty hard(justifiably) for their early actions in trying to "save" the Cajun culture. He also praises them for their actions in the 1990's. What really amazed me about this group in particular is that they merely asked for an apology from the English for exiling the Cajuns to Canada instead of attempting to sucker reparations out of the British government. Kudos to CODOFIL for taking the high road on that one.

Bernard's book isn't entirely bleak. He does mention many of the contributions that Cajuns have made to society. He tells us how many Cajuns served as translators during WWII. He talks about the colorful and crooked Edwin Edwards and how he used his "Cajun Power" to ultimately become governor of Louisiana. We learn about Zachary Richard, an amazing artist and a rebel. Dewey Balfa, Barry Ancelet, and numerous others are introduced to the reader as positive influences on society.

Although I haven't stated it yet, I am a Cajun. I grew up on the fringes of Acadiana in Allen Parish. I was brought up Baptist(I became Catholic in 2000), can't speak enough French(Cajun or Parisian) to save my life, and yet I have come face-to-face with some of the prejudices that Bernard mentions in his book(though not nearly as extreme as those before me). I've been called a "dumb coonass" before, even though I kept a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and graduated with honors from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA with a degree in Mass Communication. I was also referred to as "one of those Frenchmen" when I worked in Beauregard parish for awhile. At a technical training class in Dallas, TX, I was amazed at how I became a sort of spectacle to the rest of the guys in my group. They were amazed that I ate crawfish and could say a few cusswords in French. When we all went out together, I always managed to sit at the "ethnic" end of the table with the black guy, the Navajo guy, the Mexican guy, and the Spanish guy from Texas(He was very aggressive in letting everyone know that he wasn't Mexican). In essence, I was considered a minority by the group as a whole. It's funny how having an "un-American" accent can make one feel like an outsider. I didn't hate anybody for considering me an ethnic. Heck, I enjoyed it because I was the center of attention. I've been barraged by questions about gumbo, accordians, the Rayne Frog Festival, and even pet alligators! In other words, I have stared into the face of commercial Cajunism all over the United States. I've also come into contact with people who try very hard to distance themselves from their heritage in an attempt to seem more intelligent or better than their Cajun roots.

Being a Cajun is something that any man, woman, or child should take pride in. Granted, these days most of us probably listen to Top 40 radio or gangsta rap more than the Balfa Brothers or BeauSoleil, and we can't speak French very well, but we are still Cajun deep inside. I am proud of and love my heritage and this book solidifies that pride and love.

Highly recommended to folks who aren't Cajun and mandatory reading for those who are. This book is important for those of us who don't want to see our heritage die.

In the 1940s, WASP schoolteachers across Louisiana were corporally punishing any students caught speaking Cajun French. Even though Cajun was the first language for most children, it was viewed as an impedement to progress that had to be weeded out of the state. By the 1990s, French natives recruited to teach in LA schools were told not to refer to Parisien French as "proper French," because this might imply that Cajun French was incorrect or wrong.
To explain the shift, Cajun author Shane K. Bernard leads his readers through decades of Cajun history, from WW2 to the present. At one end of his extensive book, LA's uniqueness is dissolving to homogenized America. Child actor Keith Thibedoux, who played Little Ricky on I Love Lucy, was so unaware of his heritage that he could only shrug when asked if he was Cajun. At the other end of the book, LA is in the midst of Francofete, a year-long, state-wide celebrationof French heritage, even as many LA residents were fast losing interest in preserving Cajun culture. "Where Did All the Cajuns Go?" one local newspaper asked.
Bernard examines how Louisiana Cajuns were impacted by national events by the Red Scare, local events like the completion of their state's stretch of Interstate 10, and the exploitation of their culture (Popeye's, for example, has done more to commercialize Cajun food than any other resteraunt). By the end of the book, Bernard's Louisiana readers must look in the mirror to find out where their state's Cajun, culture, and language are disappearing to.

The "Capital Homesteading" term builds upon the successful experience under the United States Homestead Act of 1862. Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln, it transferred sustainable plots of government land on the country's frontier to families who devoted at least five years to developing a farm. The book includes a quote from Ronald Reagan, who called for an "Industrial Homestead Act" in 1974, before he was president, saying "it is time to accelerate economic growth and broaden the ownership of productive capital. The American dream has always been to have a piece of the action."

The book's 17 separate "Policy Objectives of Capital Homesteading" include many legislative goals that are not directly related to broadening the ownership of capital. For instance, balanced federal budgets, zero inflation rate, new global monetary system, tax simplification and "teaching at all levels of education of universal principles of personal morality and social morality, that are based on the inherent dignity and sovereignty of every human person under the higher sovereignty of the Creator."

The objective that relates specifically to the book's title and subtitle is the creation of "Capital Homestead Accounts (CHAs)" for each U.S. citizen. These accounts would borrow from banks to pay for "full voting, full dividend-payout shares issued by `qualified' private sector enterprises in need of capital for expansion, modernization or for purchasing outstanding shares from present shareowners." The bank loans would be insured by a Federal Capital Credit Corporation and then discounted at the Federal Reserve Banks. Dividends from the shares purchased by the CHA would pay interest and principal on the loans and then provide income to the citizen.

The book deals with most of the questions that come to mind from the basic proposal, including the major change in the function of the Federal Reserve System and Social Security. A citizen could rollover other retirement plans, and even inheritances and gifts, into the CHA and have it accumulate income tax free, up to a maximum that would be set by law, based upon current living costs and other factors.

Reading Capital Homesteading was a bit like my reading, 50 years ago, Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. Published in 1888, its fictional narrator had slept until 2000 and is comparing the socialist utopia of his awakening with the inequities when he fell asleep. With Bellamy, I couldn't believe that the socialist society would work, or that it would even be a very desirable way of life. With Kurland, I just can't believe that the program is politically possible. If one made a list of who stands to lose from his legislative proposals, and then compared that to the list of who spends the most on political contributions and lobbyists, the two lists would be a match.

Changing expectations and attitudes may be the best work we can do today toward making the legal system more compatible with broadening the ownership of business.

My sincerest congratulations to Norman Kurland, Dawn Brohawn and Michael Greaney for authoring such an impressive book on Capital Homesteading and how it can avoid bankrupting the Social Security and radically improve the competitiveness of basic industries in America. I am very impressed at the comprehensivenes of this book in addressing through a more just free market system a whole host of economic problems that up to now, seemed to be hopeless. The book is also very timely in that I and other seaman of Oglebay Norton Marine Services recently formed an association called the Oglebay Norton Employee Economic Empowerment Association (ONEEEA) to initiate an employee buyout of the Great Lakes vessels owned by our financially ailing company. The Capital Homesteading book helped me tremendously to understand why many corporations are experiencing financial difficulties and why our economy is so unstable. It gives very clear reasons, scenarios and end results of why these problems exist, offers solutions to these problems and describes in great detail, the benefits of implementing the suggested solutions. I could not recommend a book more highly for educating all American workers and our leaders to the mess we are in. It really brought on a whole new understanding for me, why our present economic systems and corporations are failing and what kind of reforms are needed before it's too late. All of the suggested reforms for simplifying and restructuring the tax systems, governments, social security, credit availability, corporations, etc., seem to have a logic that makes it easy to understand. Many of the problems and failures in our economy that are described in this book in graphic detail, have come to roost in the corporation that I work for. The book makes it easy to see why we, as a group of employees, are so drammatically affected by flaws in our current economic policies. I believe that reading this book very carefully would help everyone to gain a better understanding of our economic problems of today. It is well worth the purchase price.

I am not an economist but that has not prevented me from seeing the solid and compelling arguments laid out in this book to truly turn the United States into an "ownership" society. Many may feel we already have that. I would agree that we have it to a point. But, there are too many structural impediments to real democracy in the capital markets resulting in greater and greater polarization of wealth in our society. If unchecked, I fear that this trend will lead to more and more disengagement on the part of my fellow citizens.

The United States has always been a beacon to the entire world as a result of our economic and political freedom. This book offers a new economic paradigm that will not only continue that but, more over, significantly elevate the US even more as a source of new and exciting ideas that help EVERYONE build a better life.

The proposals in this book are bold. But they are so compelling and, at least in my view, so intuitively correct that they must be heard."

Our political leaders need to take a long, hard look at Capital Homesteading if they're truly serious about the future of our democracy. As it is currently structured, Social Security reminds me of a federally guaranteed Ponzi scheme. At what point are future generations going demand that they be allowed to opt out of a system that is becoming increasingly unfair?

Capital Homesteading offers a comprensive solution for restructuring Social Security around a new frontier, not one based on land, but based on a different kind of property. In the tradition of George Mason, Capital Homesteading offers a mechanism for ensuring that every individual would have the means of aquiring and possessing property in America's new frontier. Today, America's new frontier is limited only by the creative capacity of Americans to come up with better ideas, inventions, technology, and thrive in the global marketplace. Our political leaders need to adopt a national strategy for rebuilding our country as a nation of owners, because we are quickly becoming a nation of wage serfs. Such a strategy is sitting on the shelf, available at Amazon.com, waiting for a leader to adopt it as his own, and win the undecided voter.

This is a great book. The book offers solutions on how to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, encouraging employees to become owners of their company, overhauling the current taxation system, and reforming the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

I would recommend this book to everyone. You don't need whole lot of background in economic to read this book.