W Books

This large book is the ultimate dive reference book. Encyclopedic in scope it covers everything you could possibly think of from underwater archaeology to preserving artifacts and surveying underwater sites. Also included are answers to many basic and advanced SCUBA questions you may have!

I could not find this book anywhere until I ordered it through amazon. And when I say no one had the NOAA dive manual I mean no one, my favorite dive shop listed it as out of stock so did Barnes and Noble and Hastings where all out of stock with no definitive stocking date.But as soon as I looked at Amazon.com for the publication they had it and shipped to me very quickly.I was very impressed, so thanks again Amazon.com for your professionalism.

This book not only outlines diving processes and procedures, but also the scientific principles behind them. It is by no means light reading, but it you are looking to enhance your knowledge about diving, this is an excellent reference point.

I purchased this book to give me more information on the science of scuba diving for my Dive Con and Dive Instructor courses.

The book gives detailed information on the gas laws, decompression theory as well as information on various forms of diving from contaminated water, tri mix, nitrox etc. The book is very well written and very clear.

If you are interested in get truly advanced knowledge of the effects of scuba diving on the body, I would highly recommend this book even though it is a little on the expensive side.

You can find all the explanations you need for those difficult issues related to diving. Excellent presentation, Beautifully illustrated. Easy to understand. If you want or need to go farther in your understanding of diving, you should get this book.

Robert Peterson (1925-2006) wrote this pioneering history in 1970 when many ex-players were living. Drawing on interviews, Peterson makes the Negro Leagues come to life. Readers learn of stars like Bullet Joe Rogan, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson ("the black Babe Ruth"), Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, etc., and teams like the Kansas City Monarchs, Homestead Grays, Indianapolis Clowns, Chicago American Giants, etc. The Negro Leagues were one of the largest black-owned businesses, though a couple teams (Pittsburgh Crawfords) were run by racketeers. Readers learn about Rube Foster, who founded the Negro National League in 1920, the annual All-Star game in Chicago's Comiskey Park, barnstorming against white big leaguers, and travel conditions that ranged from decent to difficult and discriminatory. There is also an appendix with team rosters and yearly standings.

The Negro Leagues began to fade as Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, and folded completely in 1960 - a sad day signalling a better era. Then this book arrived to bring attention to the Leagues and its players. One, Ted "Double-Duty" Radcliffe (1902-2005), became a fixture at White Sox games, signing autographs, and throwing out the first ball on his 101st and 102nd birthdays.

Today fans can visit The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, buy team merchandise, and enjoy several good books on the subject, including I WAS RIGHT ON TIME (by Buck O'Neil), BASEBALL'S GREAT EXPERIMENT and several others. Peterson deserves at least a little credit for this.

A scholarly effort by a great Negro Leagues historian, evidenced by Oxford University Press imprint. Highly informative, a tremendous read! Five-star plus*****

"Negro baseball," writes Robert W. Peterson, "was both a gladsome thing and a blot on America's conscience."

And in that one sentence, Peterson defines the glory of Negro Leagues baseball and how it also magnified the sordid race hatred of this nation, with the ramifications still being felt today.

When the book was published in 1970, the Negro Leagues was not really known by a whiter (oops, I mean "wider") audience. Peterson, who had a journalism background as an editor for the New York World-Telegram and The Sun, set out on this journey in 1966 by interviewing players, studying microfilm of black newspapers and delving into game accounts & features in sporting publications.

He traces the history of some of the greatest players and teams ever in the game from post-Civil War to 1947. Along with a history highlighted through extensive interviews are a recap of yearly standings and a register of players and league/team officials.

Names such as Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard and Rube Foster & teams like the Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Buckeyes and Pittsburgh Crawfords come to life and opened a door to a wealth of research into NLB that continues today.

Peterson, who passed away in February 2006 at the age of 80, was on a 2006 committee that selected players/executives from NLB and the pre-NLB era for baseball's Hall of Fame. His ballot was filled out before his death and used in the vote.

It can't be forgotten that NLB welcomed whites and women on the field of play, in the grandstands and in the front offices. Truly, Peterson shows in Only the Ball Was White that there were no rear entrances, separate facilities and racial hatred in Negro Leagues Baseball. The book will never lose its standing as a true beacon to a history that must never again be forgotten.

I consider myself a self-educated baseball historian, but had very little knowledge of the Negro Leagues - until I read this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the proud but sad history of the African American experience in baseball in the first half of the 20th century. I now have a strong working knowledge of the dominent personalities of the Negro Leagues and its many extraodinary athletes - many of whom would have been certain stars in the Majors.

As I read it, I kept thinking to myself what a tragedy it was that these great black ballplayers were barred from the Major Leagues. How different the game would have been. Cool Papa Bell - maybe the fastest man ever to play the game. Satchel Paige - one of the greatest pitchers of all time, black or white. Josh Gibson - the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues. Pop Lloyd - the Black Honus Wagner.

It's a overwhelmingly sad chapter in American history for sure; but it's also a compelling story of perseverence and dedication that allowed the Negro Leagues to succeed for so long in the face of incredible obstacles. If you love baseball history, do yourself a favor and read this book. Your baseball knowledge will not be complete without an understanding of the Negro Leagues.

Robert Peterson originally published this book in 1970 so it's really the original and standard history of the Negro Leagues. Peterson not only tells the history of these leagues and some of the great players, but also provides brief biographical sketches of dozens of players whose big league service would otherwise be lost to history. The book also has extensive appendices with annual standings and box scores of all-star games. The book gives us glimpses into Jim Crow America (and it was not just in the South).

Peterson portrays the often overlooked fact that the Negro Leagues were a business venture run almost exclusively by and for black people. And it was a tough business at that, but one that drew often sizeable crowds, especially on exciting and exhausting barnstorming tours. The Negro Leagues could not survive integration as its best players were siphoned off to the 'majors'. Despite the obvious benefits to those men who were finally broke through the wall of prejudice, the reader also understands that there was a sense of loss when the leagues shut down in 1960. More powerfully, the reader experiences the lost opportunities suffered by those players who never got the chance to play in the majors and make major league money, like Jimmie Crutchfield, the Black Lloyd Waner, who barely made a living on one side of Pittsburgh playing for the Crawfords while Waner hauled down $12,000 a year (a princely sum at the time) playing for the Pirates.

A must read for anyone interested in baseball, race relations, or American history.

Initially, I bought the Praying for Purpose book to infuse my daily quiet time (plus it was on sale). I was enjoying Praying for Purpose so much that I decided to take the advice at the front of the book and read Pathway to Purpose as the foundational book. Significant time elapsed between my buying the book and actually reading it--mainly because the longer chapters were daunting when combined with my hectic schedule. Nevertheless, I knew I need to really delve into it because I am at a watershed period in my life. Well, once I began reading I was drawn into the contents. I was particularly struck by the author's relation of her own story. She writes with strategic candor--sharing vignettes of her life with precise relativity to the principle being shared. I was not able to fully relate to the first 2 chapters but I appreciated their advance wisdom. I am still working my way through both books because ever so often I stumble on something that takes me a few days to "soak in." Nevertheless, I've enjoyed Pathway to Purpose so much, I bought copies for each of my Women's Ministry Coucil members. I would totally recommend it!!!!!

I found this easy to listen to but not of much help to any pathway to purpose for me. It was interesting and did get some ideas from listening to it.

This book is excellent for doing exactly what the title predicts. It has certainly been a pathway to God's purpose for my life. I am slowly discovering the passions that God has placed in my heart and connecting them with, what else but, His purpose for my life.
Carole

This book is one of the most significant books I've read in awhile in regard to helping me honestly evaluated God's place in my life and my own motivations for serving Him and relating to others. This book makes me feel like I want to sit with the author and discuss at length the concepts she brings forth in her book. Ms Brazelton must be an awesome mentor.

If you are wondering about your purpose or or ust plodding along day to day, this is for you!!!!!

Great book for any players. Yes, it's an older edition, but in my opinion, better than the newer editions they have now.

This book harkens back to the "good old days" when playing the paper and pencil D&D used to be new and fun. There have been several reincarnations of this manual and I've thumbed through them but they just don't hold a candle to the original, despite the fancier artwork and rule changes. I remember spending hours combing tables as I built a new dungeon. I am not at all happy with the direction TSR took after Mr. Gygax was booted out (or left, can't remember which) and one big loss was the original manuals. They are now up to version 3 something of the rules but I do not even know what they are because I just play computer games now. All I know about the new rules is that multi-class characters are easier to work with. It was an exciting time, a different era. I still have this manual and will always treasure it. If you can find one, pick it up just to see how things used to be done. Highly recommended.

This is a fantastic book, if purely because it shows the roaming imagination of Gary Gygax. Future editions of the game have cut down on the unplayable aspects of the first edition (with elegant variations in bonuses tables for different ability scores, impossibly low level limits for various non-human characters, terrible encumbrance tables, etc) but the first edition contains a darker side which feeds the imagination and was supported by a fantastic group of modules. Worth getting whether you play 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3.5 or 4th edition as it contains plenty of detail on roleplaying and random things of interest. Almost like an unedited journey through Gygax's head.

The wonderfully unique writing style of Gary Gygax shines through on just about every page of this book.

This work is an essential companion to the 1st Edition AD&D Players Handbook. It gives you combat charts, rules for followers, average sale values for magic items (something left out of the 2nd Edition Dungeon Masters Guide), general advice on how to run a game, several pages of artifact descriptions (fascinating descriptions that give amazing depth to the objects), random monster encounters for different environments and dungeon levels, random dungeon generation tables and even several pages of monsters from the monster manual in abbreviated form. This book is packed with great information from cover to cover.

Maybe what I like most about this book is its almost total lack of political correctness. From the nudity in the artwork (the topless mermaid on page 180) to the descriptions of various disgusting diseases and forms of insanity, it gives you a raw, gritty version of the game full of style and flavor. Unfortunately, this is something the Dungeons & Dragons game will never likely see again.

The only thing I dislike about the book is the combat system. Although playable, especially with a few house rules thrown in to smooth things over, its hard to get an understanding of exactly how combat is supposed to work just from reading the text.

If you can find a used copy of this book, I recommend you pick it up. It's definitely worth a read.

This is a great players' resource for refererencing some of the forgotten races and images that were updated and/or revised from 1st edition into the 2nd edition.

It is an historical find in terms of role-playing games, since these books are now in extremely limited numbers and are quite collectible. I purchased this book together with the Dungeon Masters Guide (AD&D 1st Ed. revised) and they are a part of my role-playing game collection.

With a few pages with pen marks and a slightly damaged hardback cover, I now have a decent addition to my RPG collection.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

We loved Magic Tree House#12: Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie had a challenging riddle to solve in the Arctic. They needed to solve the riddle to become master librarians. There was a lot of action in the story. Jack and Annie had to work together to get back home safely. We learned many interesting facts about the Inuit people, polar bears, and the Arctic. Mary Pope Osborne used descriptive language that helped us visualize. We loved the story and think you will too!

MY 2nd GRADER read it to the FAMILY! we all LOVED it! IN SCHOOLS WHERE THERE R SO MANY STUPID AWEFUL BOOKS FORCED ON STUDENTS LIKE THE MINDLESS --- ( junie b jones series OR THAT horrible harry JUNK!!!) THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE SERIES REALLY COMES THRU WITH BOOKS TO HELP A YOUNG MIND GROW WITH USEFUL CARING & KNOWLEDGE!!! ANOTHER POLARBEAR BOOK MUST HAVE IS: (POLARBEARS AND THE ARCTIC! NON FICTION MAGIC TREE HOUSE ALSO)

You should read this book because it has good facts. Did you know that a 270 lbs female cub polar bear can go on thin ice without falling through? Is that cool or what? My favorite part is when Jack and Annie meet the cubs and play. It takes place in the Arctic. What do you think will happen to the two kids? Will they become frozen dinners to the bears or will they get save? Read the book to find out!

By Mr. Sondericker's 2nd Grade Class (Marilla Primary, Marilla, NY)

We loved Magic Tree House#12: Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie had a challenging riddle to solve in the Arctic. They needed to solve the riddle to become master librarians. There was a lot of action in the story. Jack and Annie had to work together to get back home safely. We learned many interesting facts about the Inuit people, polar bears, and the Arctic. Mary Pope Osborne used descriptive language that helped us visualize. We loved the story and think you will too!

I whole-heartedly recommend Second Eden because it is a smart, entertaining, and thought-provoking story. It addresses some of the "big questions" that I have pondered for much of my life. Moreover, it gave me some very satisfying answers to these questions. Even though these answers were created in the mind of the author, just the possibilty that they could be true gave me a sense of serenity and meaning. After all, most of our beliefs come from what people have told us.

Also, any pilot who has ever taken to the air in a small plane and imagined himself a fighter pilot, will thoroughly enjoy the incredible aerial sequence that Mr. Austin paints in Chapter 18 between a sport plane and a helicopter. Having flown the exact type of airplane, I scrutinized the plausibility and was amazed at the attention to detail and accuracy of the scene. I read the author's biography and sure enough, he is a flight instructor. No one could have described the "dogfight" with as much excitement unless they had that first-hand knowledge.

Second Eden brilliantly ties together the philosophies of the world's major religions into a harmonius and satisfying conclusion. In fact, the jaw-dropping realizations that begin to unfold later in the book are described in such great detail and fit together so seamlessly that I was left wondering if Mr. Austin knows something the rest of us do not.

Second Eden is an extremely engrossing and satisfying read. I had just read The DaVinci Code last year and I wouldn't hesitate to match the two. His take on the Apocalypse and his creation of the Reconciliation Project are plausible and cause for consideration. The best thing about his intelligent writing is that it makes for a really enjoyable reading experience, and I read everything I can get my hands on. I am so impressed that I knew the author some few decades ago and that he is evidently fulfilling a long-awaited dream by writing a terrific story.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code you will love Second Eden. Austin is a great storyteller - he brings you into the story at the start and you come along for the ride. You will go around the world with this book. I found it interesting that although the book was written in 2004 it speaks of issues happening in the world today. I still get chills thinking about it! I can't wait for his next book.

Austin has penned an intriguing and creative title in "Second Eden," a story of spiritual revelation told through the eyes of a scientist and a tough-guy caught in a web of deception and intrigue involving a government cover-up and a healthy bit of science-fiction involving aliens, creation, afterlife and the Apocalypse.

I recommend this be on your beach reading list as it's a pretty short read (took me barely three hours), just don't expect the end-all of thrillers. The premise was clever, but when dealing with something this far-fetched and philosophical, it helps to have at least a cursory foundation in the real world, which this book lacks. Austin would have done well to better research the inner-workings of the US Government in order to create a more plausable Clancy-esque setup. Clancy's tales are so successful because they ground the reader in such meticulous research, assuaging the reader's disbelief and letting the reader fall into the world. Austin's problem is though the turning point and ultimate conclusion of the book are very satisfying, the journey there feels a bit clumsy at times, in no small part due to this lack of realism.

Another gripe is the characterization--the characters are paper-thin and the dialogue leaves much to be desired; the reference to Bogart and Ingrid between the male and female protagonists was cute at first, but after Molly saying "My Bogie!" for the 80th time, it tends to get a little annoying.

Pay little heed to these gripes, though; the metapoints of spirituality and truth are satisfying and cleverly presented, and if you can abide the unreality in it all, it's a fun little read. Pick it up and see for yourself.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

I, like most of you, read the description and some of the reviews and said, "I have to check this out!" Well, I did check it out and was very disappointed. Although it isn't 'bad' it isn't good either. I'll do this in convenient list form.

1. It was way too long. It had no reason to be so long.

2. Certain characters were pointless to the story.

3. Annoying dialogue. Why did I hate the characters I was supposed to like, and like the characters I was supposed to hate?

4. Boring. It tried to be a nonstop action fest, but all it did was confuse me on locations and characters.

The only good thing is the message of the book, I guess. You get this towards the last 1\4th of the book. Even the end was far too long. I am not a person who dislikes long books, I don't care how long a book is if it's entertaining and tells a good story, but this just didn't do it. Be cautious if you buy this.

This book does more than explore motherhood. It invites you on an expedition. When you read it, you explore all of the faces of motherhood. The interviews allow you to see motherhood from the perspective of adopted children and adoptive parents and mothers addicted to cocaine and overprotective mothers and young mothers and older mothers. It allows the reader to identify with some stories and to understand for the first time the perspective of other mothers. The expedition is wonderful.

All readers invited!! This book has something to satisfy everyone-and not just moms. No mother's story could be told without mentioning the fathers, the children, the friends-so believe me when I say everyone can profit from reading this book. It is definitely "STRONG STUFF" but not without tenderness, warmth, and love-lots of love-woven throughout. In their own words, a wide range of "mothers" volunteer stories about relationships, ancestry, joy, suffering, expectations, disappointments, selflessness and selfishness, successes and failures, regrets and no regrets. We are enticed to at least try a few stories by the author's poignant and articulate introduction about her own mothering experience and her determined evolution of this book. A word of advice-do not let the sometimes awkward and lackluster style of some of the presentations stop you. At first I was put off, until I realized the author had recounted these stories just as the women communicated them-truly in their own words. With each new section of stories by "theme", the author offered another introduction that presented various perspectives,issues and emotions relative to that group of stories. This makes each visit with another mother in another place and in another situation totally fresh. If you did not like the style, or could not identify with the experience of one woman, then just move on to the next, or jump around for that matter. Even though grouped by themes, I sometimes preferred to pick at random and found myself equally satisfied. Whatever you want or need you can take away from these stories. There are lessons learned/ignored, advice shared/disregarded, ideas to ponder/suppress and sometimes just moments experienced with tears, laughter, anger, resentment, gratitude or uneasiness. I can identify one problem--there is not enough!! I want more!! Most of these amazing and at the same time authentic stories are only beginnings, dangling participles. With the last period of these stories there is no end. These are real evolving lives and I feel like screaming sequel! epilogue! Please tell me what is happening now with these remarkable and yet ordinary women who bravely shared their story with me.

All readers invited!! This book has something to satisfy everyone-and not just moms. No mother's story could be told without mentioning the fathers, the children, the friends-so believe me when I say everyone can profit from reading this book. It is definitely "STRONG STUFF" but not without tenderness, warmth, and love-lots of love-woven throughout. In their own words, a wide range of "mothers" volunteer stories about relationships, ancestry, joy, suffering, expectations, disappointments, selflessness and selfishness, successes and failures, regrets and no regrets. We are enticed to at least try a few stories by the author's poignant and articulate introduction about her own mothering experience and her determined evolution of this book. A word of advice-do not let the sometimes awkward and lackluster style of some of the presentations stop you. At first I was put off, until I realized the author had recounted these stories just as the women communicated them-truly in their own words. With each new section of stories by "theme", the author offered another introduction that presented various perspectives,issues and emotions relative to the following stories. This makes each visit with another person in another place and in another situation totally fresh. If you did not like the style or could not identify with the experience of one woman then just move on to the next, or jump around for that matter. Even though grouped by themes I sometimes preferred to pick at random and found myself equally satisfied. Whatever you want or need you can take away from these stories. There are lessons learned/ignored, advice shared/disregarded, ideas to ponder/suppress and sometimes just moments experienced with tears, laughter, anger, resentment, gratitude or uneasiness. I can identify one problem--there is not enough!! I want more!! Most of these amazing and at the same time authentic stories are only beginnings, dangling participles. With the last period of these stories there is no end. These are real evolving lives and I feel like screaming sequel! epilogue! Please tell me what is happening now with these remarkable and yet ordinary women who bravely shared their story with me.

I read "Strong Stuff" straight through, urged forward by the compelling diverse stories of mothers, some of whom I identified with out of my own experiences and some for whom I felt awe and humility for dealing with challenges greater than I had ever faced. Ms. Moore let the power and dignity of the individuals' voices remain strong and alive in delivering their stories to the reader. If mothering is challenging, step-mothering is even more so, I believe, and as I made up what "mothering" was "supposed to be" in parenting a lovely stepdauther, I wish I had had these stories to guide me along. I gave a copy to my goddaughter who just graduated with a degree in community development; she immediately ordered copies for her colleagues in a regional women's development program, saying it was the best resource of its kind she had seen. For studying, for savoring, for reconsidering one's own mother experience, "Strong Stuff" is not to be missed!

In Strong Stuff: Mothers' Stories, Emily Moore provides a compendium of profound insights about women, their mothers, and their children. These are compelling and insightful stories drawn from 84 women and which will be of substantial value in helping the reader become the mother she desires to be; to better understand herself and her child; show her options previously unsuspected; benefit from insights and wisdom gleaned from others' experiences; see the lives of women from different cultures and life situations; and even help her decide if she wants to become a mother in a time when science and the women's movement have endowed today's women with biological and social choices respecting motherhood that previous generations of women simply didn't have access to. If you are a new mother, or are contemplating motherhood for your self, read Emily Moore's Strong Stuff: Mothers' Stories!

The Success System That Never Fails is the golden key to a glittering future and I wanted it in my collection.

I highly recommend the AUDIO MP3 version of Success System That Never Fails The Success System That Never Fails

I seen W. Clement Stone referenced in other motivational books by Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale etc, but had never read any of his writings. I have found The Success System That Never Fails to be inspirational and very enjoyable reading. Mr. Stone wrote in a very conversational manner and consistently urges readers to put the ideas gleaned from his writings into action and do it now. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in trying to get the most out of life.

It's a good book, but I mainly wanted the audio-book that came with it. It is a very poor recording, with the narrator seeming as if he thinks he is on a stage and feels the need to project. I felt as if I was being yelled at and was unable to listen to the recording for more than a few minutes.

When I was about 14 years old my dad a self made successful real estate broker in Inkster Michigan insisted I read this book. This book has been etched in my mind ever since. 43 years later, I've found an original copy of this book to give to my dad as a gift. That's how important this book is. If you do a you tube video search you can hear Stone in his own words give you the first 8 segments of the book. After hearing him, I know you'll want to buy this book. I like this book because 1) he gives you practical, useful stories of how he developed a success system which never failed for him in business. He gives concrete ideas on what to say and do to develop a success system. The most important thing you will take from this book is a perspective and behaviorally specific tips on how to become successful. What this book shows you is the key to your own wealth: you will learn that you need to track all of your activities, behaviors and goals and do a critical analysis, and apply that which works in every step of your processes. What you will discover combined with the principles he's sharing, is your own success system which never fails. Sometimes we forget when involved in our daily activities is the necessity to look at what works and discard what doesn't. We need to fine tune our approach to tasks and develop systems which can be duplicated over and over again. If you're one of those type of people who yearn to understand how "self help" works and how it can be applied in "your" life then this book is for you. There is no fluff; at the time Stone wrote this book I think people were less enamored with manipulation and more focused on helping people.

Any time you deal with interpersonal violence, there is a high likelihood of someone attempting to apply something beyond their own hands and feet to make the other person have a bad day. Lawrence Kane addresses that problem in this exhaustive volume.

Kane cites research showing that 70% of the male population carries a knife. In seven years there were over 1.7 million attacks in the U.S. utilizing blunt, bladed, and projectile weapons. 25% of violent crime is committed by someone bearing a weapon. You have a one-in-four chance of getting shot, beaten, or cut and stabbed every time you cross paths with a violent criminal.

Even with this in mind, most martial arts programs do not adequately take weapon defense into consideration. Obviously, this book and others like it are needed.

Kane addresses awareness, avoidance, de-escalation, legal matters, and the aftermath of violence. The meat of the matter is covered in over a hundred pages dealing with improvised weapons, firearms, knives, clubs, and all manner of weapons you are unlikely to come up against on the street; but as the author shows, stranger things have happened. It is always best to be prepared.

The book is wrapped up in the end by an incident that actually happened, as Kane analyzes what each person did right, and what they did wrong.

In 32 years I haven't read anything this comprehensive. Skip the others. Read Surviving Armed Assaults.

Surviving Armed Assaults is complete from start to finish. I can't think of anything that Mr. Kane has left out of this insightful book. This book covers the variety of weapons that one can expect to encounter on the street, how to avoid physical confrontations, the importance of awareness, and how to be prepared to meet a violent predator if one finds himself in that situation.

The technical information provided on the multitude of available weapons is very helpful and enlightening, as is the numerous photographs found throughout the book which demonstrate Mr. Kane's points and helps visual learners grasp the points which he is trying to get across. This book is well written and would be a great addition to any martial arts library.

I highly recommend this book to any martial artist, law enforcement officer, or just the average man on the street who wants to keep himself or his family safe. Predators do not think like the ordinary, every day man. This book gives the reader a good idea of what to expect should you ever be unfortunate enough to cross paths with one of these criminals. I can't recommend this book enough. Buy it and be safe!

Surviving Armed Assaults is so well written that it is excellent reading for anyone who is concerned about personal safety in today's turbulent world. Frank, no-nonsense information with much emphasis on preventing assaults in the first place makes this book exceptional. Although this book assumes the reader is already practicing one of the martial arts, it also offers an incentive to anyone who might be considering this option.

WOW! That is how I would describe the well organized, well thought out, cornucopia of information that is presented in Lawrence A. Kane's, "Surviving Armed Assault: A Martial Artist's Guide to Weapons, Street Violence, & Countervailing Force." I've had this book for awhile now and have, on several different occasions, sat down and skimmed through different sections when time permitted. Just recently however, I was able to sit down and read this book from cover to cover, and boy let me tell you that I was thoroughly impressed with what I read.

Lawrence does a terrific job of organizing the information presented in this book in a very easy to read and follow format that takes you through each step in the survival process. This is not a book on techniques; rather it is a book on the more important aspect of the principles behind surviving against an armed assault. Which, in my opinion, is far more important than the techniques themselves. That's not to imply that self-defense techniques are not important or valid, it simply means that the technique that may work for one person, may not work so well for another. However, the principle behind the use of the technique will generally work for everyone.

This book is so full of useful information that it should be required reading for not only the self-defense minded individual, but also those whose profession places them in situations where they are more apt to be confronted by an armed individual. This includes, but is no means limited to, law enforcement officers, security personnel, bouncers, paramedics, military personnel, etc.

Having worked as a law enforcement officer, bouncer, and provided security for various businesses and individuals over the years, I found quite a few things in Lawrence's book that I hadn't taken into consideration and am very glad that I had the opportunity to read it first instead of experiencing it in a bad way. As with any good book on the subject of self-defense, Lawrence promotes the use of awareness and avoidance as your primary and most important forms of defense over actual physical techniques. Smart and the hallmark of someone who knows what they are talking about.

Lawrence then delves into various scenarios throughout the book and ways of safely getting out of the situation you may find yourself in without resorting to a physical confrontation with your potential attacker. Some of which is so simple that I hadn't even considered them as options. Although after being presented with them I could see how effective they would and could be in certain situations.

This is followed with sections on using countervailing force and the ramifications of using such force such as; the physical and mental effects, moral implications and considerations, the possible legal ramifications of using force, etc. One point that Lawrence makes, and it is a very good one, is to always remember that the law enforcement officer that you may have to deal with is not your friend! Let me repeat that, the law enforcement officer that you may have to deal with is not your friend! Now Lawrence and I are both not saying that they are the enemy, it's just that you have to protect yourself at all times and the three best things to do are as follows:

1. Keep your mouth shut.
2. Contact your attorney.
3. Keep your mouth shut.

I was particularly fond of Lawrence's 9 rules to live by. Now I am not going to divulge them here, and since you will undoubtedly be purchasing this book after reading this and the other reviews, it will give you one of numerous things to look forward to when it arrives on your doorstep.

One particular section of note was the section related to the types of weapons you are most likely to encounter and how they function. This section is deserving of an entire volume on its own and perhaps Lawrence is working on that as I type this review and as you read it. Let us hope anyhow.

This book and the information contained within it should be a constant companion in your home library, and in the forefront of your mind whenever you are somewhere outside the confines and safety of your own home. On second thought, the information provided in this book should probably be in the forefront of your mind even when you are at home. As Lawrence so profoundly states in this book, you never know when are going to be attacked, by whom, or what that person or persons will attack you with.

I highly recommend this book, "Surviving Armed Assaults," as well as, "The Way of Kata," and "Martial Arts Instruction" all by Lawrence A. Kane as valuable additions to your personal martial arts library.

Shawn Kovacich, martial artist/author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

I will admit that I started reading this book a bit biased toward it being good. I have read other books by Kane that I enjoyed, I've contributed a chapter, as did Kane, to Loren Christensen's "Fighter's Fact Book 2" and Christensen wrote a Foreword for the book, and to top if off, best selling author Barry Eisler mentioned me in his praise for the book on the inside cover. So yes, I expected it to be a good book and one that I would like.

However, what I did not expect is how good it really is and how much excellent material Kane offers in this one volume. Because of the things mentioned in the first paragraph, one could easily say I am biased, and maybe I am a bit. With that said, I am writing a review and endorsing this book wholeheartedly because it is an exceptional addition to anyone's self-defense library and a book that has potential to save lives if people read it and listen to Kane's advice.

The first chapter is on awareness, a topic I also write and speak about, so I was especially interested in what Kane had to say. So what does he do? He starts the chapter off with a quote from Ani DiFranco, "Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right." This grabbed my attention because I once headed the local security for a concert of hers and had a very good talk about penjak silat with her bodyguard as we waited for her to change so we could walk her to the bus. It means nothing to anyone else, but hooked me. I continued and was fully engrossed with the statistics and examples Kane provided relating to violence. Reading those made me glad that there are those of us out here doing what we can to prevent violence and teach people to avoid or deal with it if necessary. Something Kane's "Surviving Armed Assaults" does very well. Kane did an excellent job with his chapter on awareness, and even though he teaches a modified color code a bit differently than I teach, I believe this chapter should be read by everyone in order to wake up and be more aware so they could avoid many potentially dangerous situations.

Speaking of avoidance, that was the focus of chapter two. Kane not only makes a great argument of why you should avoid violence, but provides strategies to do so. He follows this with a chapter on scenarios that extends the awareness and avoidance topics to situations such as car jackings, cash machine safety, hostage situations, sexual assault, rape, workplace violence and more. Before dealing with physical responses, Kane focuses on de-escalation strategies in chapter four. This is an often overlooked aspect of self-defense books and a welcome and needed addition here. Many self-defense books focus on striking and kicking and forget that if you can talk your way out of a situation you will be much better off than having fought your way out. Kane gives some excellent advice with his de-escalation strategies and I again wish everyone would learn these. One of the reasons a person is much better off by de-escalating a situation is because of the potential legal ramifications that may follow a physical altercation. As an attorney, I am very familiar with such things, and feel that Kane did a good job with his chapter on countervailing force that included legal considerations.

The remaining chapters focus on armed conflict, rules to live by, the aftermath of violence, and weapon features and functions. Some of the information in these chapters is biased toward Kane's karate training. Practitioners from other styles may not benefit from these chapters as much as the first ones, but I would encourage everyone to take even the karate parts and look how the principles behind what Kane teaches applies to their own art or self-defense system. (Kane's nine rules could apply to any art or system)

This is an excellent book filled with practical and realistic information related to weapons and violence. There is researched data and personal anecdotes that support Kane's perspectives on violence and his illustrations of real violence and what to do about it, or most importantly, how to be aware of it and avoid it altogether. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to martial artists and anyone interested in self-defense.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series

Men have the porn and we have this book. This was totally different than the types of books I usually read. I was amazed by the detail, heat and contents of the book. I will definitely refer this to other woman (or men) who want to add passion to their lives. I will also home that more of Toni's books are in this nature.

Kat loved Brock as a teen, but Brock mysteriously left town. Ten years later, Kat is on a private island for a five-day contemplative vacation. She is engaged to someone she doesn't love. She sees Brock (for the first time in ten years) as he swims to the island from the ocean. I enjoyed this, but I wish Kat didn't avoid Brock so much for the first two days on the island. I also wish Brock would have told her details about his past and current situation sooner.

Sexual content: not evaluated. I read this book before I began counting sex scenes and describing the language. As I recall, it was probably moderate. Setting: current day U.S. and a private island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Copyright: 2006. Genre: contemporary romance.

Desperate to escape from the pre-wedding madness and relax before exchanging vows with her fiancée in five days, Kat secretly vacations on her family's private island. She's only there one day when the completely unexpected happens - the one man guaranteed to make her loins quake, her heart ache and to make her seriously rethink her engagement walks out of the surf and back into her life. Not only is Brock the one who got away, but his rejection devastated Kat to the point that she shut her heart away for good, never again willing to love.

Seeing Brock again stirs long-buried feelings inside Kat that endanger her emotional well-being, her future with her intended husband, and all of the plans she has made for her life. But she can't ignore her feelings for Brock for long, especially when the goons chasing him threaten both of their lives, forcing them into close proximity as the sexy FBI agent pulls out all the stops to protect her.

The more I read of author Toni Blake's work, the higher the regard I have for her talent. Swept Away is the fourth story I have read by her, and proves to this reviewer the consistent high quality in Blake's work.

From page one, Blake creates empathy for the characters she pens, engendering a feeling within the reader that they are a part of the story, instead of being on the outside looking in. You don't read a story by this writer as much as you feel it. In my opinion, that is the mark of a truly great author.

Kat and Brock are a fantastic romantic duet! Each of them brings to the story a considerable amount of trepidation regarding love - especially with each other. Kat is frightened to give her heart to anyone again after the way Brock rejected her when she was just 17 years old, and Brock is convinced that love and commitment can never be in the cards for a man with his dangerous lifestyle. Watching the fireworks commence as these characters fight what is oh so obviously a losing battle is riveting!

In the end, Blake once again delivers a beautiful HEA (happy ever after). While happy endings are the stuff fairy tales are made of, this author ensures that her couple has a realistic happy ending, working out both their individual issues and their issues together before finally culminating in a very satisfying finish. I highly recommend Swept Away!

After humiliating herself when she offered her virginity to hunky Brock Denton only to be turned down twice, Kat Spencer watched her unrequited obsession leave town, never to return. A decade later, she escapes to her father's private island to prepare for her upcoming nuptials while her bridal party is in Vegas. Brock crashes into her island paradise, bringing smugglers and danger in his wake. And reigniting a passion that Kat thought was long buried. Brock is now an FBI agent investigating a ring of smugglers of Central American artifacts. Her boat blown to smithereens, the duo must wait it out for five days until her friends realize she is missing and come looking for her. In between dodging bullets and Brock's many advances, Kat's resolves melt. But with danger possibly returning to the island, can Brock get the woman he resisted for so long safely back to Florida.

Blake sure knows how to write passion. She smartly makes readers wait and let's the tension build up between the characters, and then it's one sizzling and fun ride to the end. Realistic dialogue, plenty of action and thrills, great chemistry, and flawless writing make this a first rate romantic adventure on the spicier side.

This book is such an easy read and a guilty pleasure. When I started it, I was a little hesitant...the characters seemed very flat at first and I really thought that if Brock kept calling Kat "kitten" the whole book it would drive me crazy! I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because I really enjoyed this book. The characters got more depth through each page. The pace of the book picked up a lot about 100 pages through, with suspense and steamy sex scenes. If you are looking to read a really fun, hot, mindless book then you'll love it! I ended up really liking both characters by the end of the book, which I didn't expect at all.