W Books

I just sold probably the only copy of this book I'll ever find, so even though I'm a seller on Amazon I don't think it's a conflict of interest for me to review it now.

I'm kind of sorry, now, that I sold it; if I'd looked at it more closely I might have decided to keep it! It is just a very cool trip back into the 70's, but the really good part of the 70's, the craftsmanship and whimsical attitudes, and so on. The return to basics, I guess is part of what I mean. Briefly, in this country, we really did have a resurgence of people wanting to reclaim roots. It was a doomed effort in many ways, I guess, but no less admirable because of being doomed. This art, as shown in this book, stands by itself as a unique expression of what I think is a very interesting period in our recent history.

In 1973 I bought a hardback copy of this book and it changed the entire way I thought about houses and architecture. That original book has been lost somewhere along the way and the many moves throughout the years, but the images are still fresh and inspiring (so I'm buying another copy!). These are houses built with joie de vivre, imagination and insouciance - and mainly outside the constraints of standard building codes. I was hooked on architecture already, but this little book openned my mind to SOOOO many possibilities not even thought of by the Architectural Record or Architectural Digest. Low tech, many recycled materials, personal, and light years ahead of their time.

Like one of the other reviewers, I too had the pleasure of living near and visiting several of the hand-made homes in this book.

I lived up in the Pygmy Forest above Mendocino off of Comptche Road and some of my neighbors' beautiful homes are pictured in this book. I lived there during 1970 and watched many of these fantastic homes (and outhouses) being crafted using bartered and recycled windows, lumber and plumbing.

One of the most beautiful houses was one with tall wood framed windows arranged in a wide half circle over-looking a dense fern covered hillside where wild purple irises would bloom. It was absolutely stunning to walk in through the hand-made front door into a warm and cozy kitchen and then walk to the left and out to the soaring living area. The kids had a loft that hung part way up the tall walls and the parents had the highest loft with a diamond cut out under their bed, so that they could just sweep the dust and dirt "through" the floor and then out the front door! Since they lacked electricity, it seemed like a workable way to keep their house clean.

Finding this book many, many years after I had moved away, was like stepping back in time...a real pleasure to read!

It was in the 1970's when I first encountered this book and the memory has stayed with me since then. Had actually forgotten the correct title in my quest to obtain a used copy of the book. Then someone on a Yahoo group I am on told me the correct title and I quickly found a used copy here on Amazon.com and I am so very, very happy.

The interesting thing about the book now thirty years old, is how it has such usable ideas for 2006 and beyond. Guess one could say it was a 'green' book before 'green' was the in thing. And the unique home made homes use recycled items from windows, doors, to bath tubs and sinks. And are all one of a kind.

Just goes to show that what was old is new again.

I just reviewed some of my reviews, including this book (2 years ago) and realized that 2 things were amiss: originally, I didn't give this book the 5 star rating it deserves and I might have committed a 2nd faux pas' by hinting the general area where many of the photos were taken, thereby failing to heed a note from Barry Shapiro at the end of this book ("A Word"), which in part, relates that some of the people who owned the featured houses wish to remain "annonymous". My hint stated which 'haystack' that 'needle' is in, but nothing specific- my apologies, anyway! That said, I'll explain the 'deja vu' in my review title.

In the late summer of 1970, I was on a journey that passed through the region where many of the featured houses are located and was blessed with the aquaintance of many people who owned and/or built these homes. My intention was to travel to Washington State as quickly as possible, but I was so blown away by the beautifully hand crafted houses and the nice people who owned them, that I stayed in the area for a few months partaking of the generous hospitality they offered. I have helped build houses, designed and built furniture, but I was awed by the craftsmanship and love poured into these homes. The title of the book is "Handmade Houses" and let me emphasize that title by saying that many of these structures were put together with material hand hewn (no power tools) from the immediate area and in some cases, homes were built without one nail pounded- wood joints only.

Other featured houses were artfully assembled from materials salvaged from torn down buildings. I helped out in procuring some of the materials and was amazed by the careful procedures to safley dismantle the structures and process them for inclusion on "new" buildings. Mismatched windows, doors, etc., made for some neat eclectic blendings. Tree branches, metal sculptings, plumbing/lighting, etc., were also artfully blended in.

OK, NOW here comes the 'deja vu'. In 1977, I was perusing a book shop and saw this book upside-down. On the backcover is photo of a beautifully crafted outhouse and I immediately recognized it. "Man, I've been here before!" It's on one of the many properties I visited and stayed at. The front window/door looks out over a beautiful valley with a river running through it- what a view! Page after page has photos of many of the houses I was lucky enough to visit and many more, so this book has been a beautiful reminder of that experience- thanks to Art Boericke and Barry Shapiro for putting this beautiful photojourney together- I've been enjoying it for years!

The color photos are first rate and give both inside and outside views. This is not a how-to book and has no floor plans- that would detract somewhat from the artsy, eclectic format, anyway.

The book forward is by the famous eco-architect, Sim Van der Ryn of Sausalito, California- a heck of craftsman/architect/ecologist himself and the author of such books as "The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water"- a great over-view of the history and current methods of waste mitigation and water conservation. Included in this book are methods of ecologically sound waste disposal for homes that want to do on-sight waste biodegration. This ties right in with some of those remote locations such as are found in "Handmade Houses".

My son loves the Happy Baby series! I can't say enough good things about these books. It's hard to find a book that will have my toddler sitting down for a few minutes and sitting quietly reading, but these books do it.

We bought Happy Words to help with his vocabulary, and it didn't take long to see his interest grow in wanting to know the names for things around the house. I know he enjoys the book because he pulls it out nearly every day for me to read it, even more, he's starting pointing to certain pictures asking me to repeat the names, so I know he's learning and taking it in. This book has about 13 full spread pages each with a familiar scene for a toddler- getting dressed, eating a meal, going on a walk, taking a bath, facial expressions etc. What I like most is that these scenes and words included are pertinent to a toddler, they're not just about whatever, but things a toddler needs to know the names of. Last but not least, did I mention my son loves this book??

So, if you're a mom of an infant/toddler or buying these as a gift for one, these are a SURE BET. They are also reasonably priced in my opinion. Other books in this series we own and enjoy are the Colors and ABC's. We'll definitely be buying more too as time goes on. Way to go Roger Priddy!!

I've been on a mission to find a book that meets the following criteria for my 9 month old son:
- Must be a board book (because he chews everything!)
- Mustn't be too long (32 pages maximum because we're dealing with a short attention span here)
- Mustn't be too big (so my son can easily pick up and play with the book)
- Must contain photographs of familiar objects and other babies (because all of his other books only have illustrated pictures of animals for some reason!)

"Happy Baby: Words" fit all of the above criteria perfectly and my son loves it to death. He can actually turn the pages himself and he gets so excited seeing all the baby photographs inside.

Great book!

perfect for identifying objects. bright and cheery, so babies and toddlers love to look at the pages.

I read this to my little one and it has helped increase her vocabulary. She loves pointing to the pictures and saying the words. She is also able to associate the pictures to what she sees in her day to day activities.

Our copy has been through two children. Both of my kids love the bright and clear pictures. We are teaching my son sign language and this book is great for teaching simple words and signs! A well loved book!

This engaging book fills the void that other Civil War histories leave, and that is an understanding of the everyday experiences of the foot soldier. "Hardtack and Coffee or the Unwritten Story of Army Life" by John D. Billings is an exhaustive and fascinating look back at the flesh, bones, and blood of those lines and arrows on the maps of Civil War battle strategies.

The book is filled with anecdotes, observations, and songs arising from the era. (I very much appreciated the introduction which details the election of 1860 and started the whole terrible tragedy that ensued over the next half decade.) The generous amount of illustration truly helps evoke the period. "Hardtack and Coffee" is a perfect companion to Bell Irvin Wiley's "Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union" and "The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy". And it is a perfect part of anyone's Civil War/American History library.

Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS

I am a Civil War reenactor, and this book has been an excellent source of ideas for first person scenarios and ideas for living history. It is an insightful, unique record of the soldier's life for living historians or students of history. I would highly recommend this engaging book.

This is the best book on the life of the Civil War soldier. The other reviews attest to this, so here is something different.
Charles W. Reed, the illustrator, was ALSO a Civil War veteran.
He served in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery and won the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg for saving his commanding officer, Captain
John Bigelow, who had been seriously wounded in the fight at the
Trostle Farm on 2 July 1863.
My favorite chapter was the one on the army mule.
Buy, read & enjoy this book!

Hardtack and Coffee provides an excellent picture of Army life in the mid-nineteenth century. The sketches illustrate the text superbly. This is a useful handbook for students and teachers as well as an intriguing introduction to the Civil War.

I'm one of those men with the "Civil War Itch" who can't get enough reading, can't get enough time on the battlefields. This book is hands-down one of my favorites in my extensive collection, re-read several times and dog-eared. It's something I always put in my bag for air-travel reading, because you can pick it up and put it down when you need to...the author and the illustrator both were participants in the Conflict, so you know it's accurate. The content is educational but not stuffy, since it was written to explain to soldiers' families what exactly Union Army life was like...and the humor still carries through to this day. After you've read the historical studies or walked a battlefield, THIS is the book you want to read to put yourself in the shoes of the everyday soldier--and it's easy to do with the author's skills. For me, the best chuckles are the chapters "Jonahs and Beats", and "The Army Mule". A must-read for those wanting more than just a general's biography or an order of battle.

Feeling down and out? Think that the world is against you? Frederick Bailes has this quick self-help tip for you: It's not how you feel that matters, but what you do. You may have thought it went the other way around, I did. I'd tell myself, "I'll get up earlier, when I have more energy. I'll return phone calls, when I'm not so moody. "

All the while, such thoughts weakened me. Bailes colors this entire book with stories that hit to the heart of how humans destroy themselves and all the while blame their suffering on an impartial reality. I will not divulge story examples here because it would soften the profound psychological impact that Bailes' words have on the reader.

I read "Hidden Problems for Human Problems" aiming to lift my spirits. Mission accomplished.

What can I say, this book by Frederick Bailes is FABULOUS! When I read about his description of 'parent thought' vs 'master thought', i said to myself "Wow! Why hasnt anyone written about this before!". Where has this book been, in all these years I was trying to find the correct method to treat my false beliefs! As a hint, there are only 7 False Core Belief that most people have that caused ALL their problems. Defeat those 7 Core False Thoughts, and you can be sure no negative thought can be 'created' by your mind anymore!

Dr Bailes healed himself of diabetes with New Thought, after reading Thomas Troward's book.

Even if you have read New THought books for years, this book is still a must! It categorises the False Beliefs of race consciousness, and teaches the True Beliefs to neutralize the false ones. Now we have all read in other New Thought books that "there is no loss" "no competition" etc, but those concepts by other authors were a little all over the place, don't you agree? They were great and knew what they were, but no one ever put them in categories (to be attacked/healed with Master Thoughts) like Bailes does!

FURTHERMORE, the author seems to be really creative and intelligent in coming up with ingenius visualization techniques (could he have been the first NLP practitioner??). Plus he teaches several verbal affirmations that make it easy for you to belief it, such as "Of course it is working even now, whether I can believe it or not".

Also recommended is Dr Bailes' Science of Mind Treatment book, which details all the mental visualization tricks he has. This guy is way ahead of his times!

This inspiring book provides workable suggestions and practical examples on how to apply the power of thought to overcome problems and illness. The first part deals with the author's own discovery of universal law and gives examples of how others were helped. Part Two contains all the methods of harnessing universal laws and includes: - How to give a healing prayer treatment; Five different methods for setting the creative process in motion; Blueprint of parent (error) thoughts and the (corrective) master thoughts to overcome them. There are helpful summaries at the end of each chapter and at the end, a guide-list for overcoming specific problems. A very good read and a valuable reference work that should be on every healer's shelf.

It would be almost impossible to over-praise this book, which gives great practical insights into how our thought processes determine, not just how we feel, but what we actually experience.

The start-point for Bailes' teachings is instructive - and startling. As a young man, Frederick Bailes was diagnosed with diabetes, which was not only incurable but, in those pre-insulin days, untreatable as well. Indeed, he was told that he could expect to live for only about eighteen months.

Happening upon the philosophy of Thomas Troward, and having nothing to lose, Bailes decided to apply the 'thoughts determine outcomes' approach, with the dramatic result that he was eventually completely cured of diabetes, a healing proved by exhaustive medical analysis. He went on to apply the same principles in business, with great success, before embarking upon the teaching and publication of his remarkable approach to life.

Analysis of the 'thoughts determine outcomes' approach led Bailes to identify a series of negative thought-patterns, which he calls 'parent thoughts' because, unless and until tackled, they go on creating negative thought processes which adversly affect our lives. Such 'parent thoughts', described and detailed in this book, include fear, iritation, loss and inadequacy. Throughout his career, Bailes applied these processes, resulting in many seemingly-miraculous healings, many of which are described here. But the benefits of this process are by no means confined to matters of health.

This book is both inspirational and practical, and can be life-changing, too. A superb insight into how the world works, and how to improve your life and experiences.

Frederick Bailes was WAY ahead of his time writing way back in the 1950's. He presents truths about healing and having a richer life and creating pure desired results that are exceptional. These ideas/truths might be considered so deeply hidden to most people that they would most likely never find them without a CONSIDERABLE amount of time, effort and commitment to search them out and find them. Even then it might be decades of searching before they're found.

If you want to find out why things are the way they are in your life..and most importantly what you can do to change them EASILY..read this book.

Mr. Bailes most notably helps his readers understand that things are NOT hopeless no matter how dark or grim one's life has been. A GREAT life filled with success and happiness and love for yourself and others as well CAN be yours!

Follow his great lesson from the law of life which states.."learn or suffer". Surely great suffering can be avoided in life on all fronts by reading this book. Read, enjoy, and prosper!

My oldest son wore out two copies of this adorable book. He found it at the local library and checked it out every week when he was three years old. Since that time, we've had two copies of our own, bought three copies for other children and I can still recite most of the book from memory! I recommend it to everyone!

fun to read and not as boring as those tonka books!my son is 3

I was first read this book when I was about 4 or 5 years old.

Since then, I've read TONS. Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Melville, Dickens, and Hawthorne. I've read romance novels, sci-fi novels, political thrillers, John Grisham books, espionage novels, and guides on how to score high on the SAT. I've read some of the best books ever written by some of the smartest people in their field.

And to this day, "How Many Trucks Can a Tow Truck Tow?" is still one of my top 3 favorite books.

Buy it for your kids and read it to them as many times as they want.It's catchy, funny, and cute. Five Stars.

This has to be the ultimate book for little boys who love trucks. We got to the point that the boys would "sing" along and I could just close my eyes, because we all knew the words!!

By far, my 3 year old son's favorite book of all time! He memorized all the words and spouts them off spontaneously. Any boy will love this book, especially if they love trucks!!! I bought this book for all of my friend's boys and gave them as birthday gifts! Everyone loved it!!!

We have a lot of Little Critter books in this house. They're short, they're funny, they're topical, and they're cheap.

This book is a very realistic portrayal of how children remember things, or forget things... or remember what they should do but decide not to do it anyway :)

Like, Little Critter forgets to feed the dog, but not the fish - the fish just didn't look hungry! (In the illustration, we can see the fish eagerly eating all the food Little Critter is giving it.) He didn't forget to take his boots off - he's going back out in the rain! He won't forget to put away his toys - oops, maybe he *did* forget.

Pretty funny stuff, if my nieces are any indication.

My daughter loves this line of books and I love reading them to her. She is picking up on the words. She is also learning the lessons within the book. When I read the book to her, I will apply the situation to her life and ask her what she should or shouldn't do. Regardless of how she answers, we continue on to see how the story ends. Then, I apply that to her as well. It also makes reading fun. She almost always picks one of the lil critter books to read at bedtime.

My son is 8 yrs old and loves this series of books. The reading is fairly easy and the stories short so it keeps his interest. We read them as bed time stories and they are perfect. We own several of this series and we like them all.

My little guy is five, and we've been reading this book since he was three. Usually he likes to read long books, and has little interest in what he calls "short stories". This book is short; it only takes a few minutes to read. Mercer Mayer books have a special exemption, however - he loves the stories and this is one of his very favourites.

In the beginning of Mayer's book, our hero looks straight at the reader, slightly lifts both arms, and states: "Sometimes I remember, sometimes I just forget." For example he (or she?-it's difficult to tell the gender in this "Little Critter" book) puts his dishes in the sink, but forgets to put away the milk. Humorous twists on the `I remembered this, but forgot this' motif lift this book above the ordinary. For example: "I didn't forget to feed the goldfish, he just didn't look hungry," and, after a bath, "I didn't use soap, but I didn't forget to. I just don't like to." His mother is alternately tired, frustrated, and amused, and the clever story ends on a warm note. This is a sweet and simple story that manages to cover many familiar situations with honesty and empathy for all involved. Watch for the little mouse friend on every page!

Another standout winner from JWH. If you're looking for an emotional, romantic, erotic, powerful story, this is it. The mark of a great story is when you're 1/3 into it and you're already thinking this is an awesome book and I can't wait to read it again. Every erotic romance reader should experience the emotional transcendence that comes with JWH's books!

As a new reader to the erotica genre (this was only my 3rd read), I was actually suprised at how into this book I got! The characters became so real to me, I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. Tyler is the ultimate alpha male, yet so sensitive, and Marguerite has so much soul deep pain, it almost hurts to read about it. This book is definitely going on my "keeper" shelf, to be enjoyed again and again.
I highly recommend reading this book, even if you aren't a fan of BDSM erotica. This story is so moving, any D/s play almost takes a back seat.

Ms. Hill has done a great job once again. With this next book in the Natural Desire group, she plots the romance between Tyler and Marguerite in perfect time. There are scars on their souls, Marguerite's being much worse, but Ms. Hill does a phenomenal job in the character growth in relation to that. The journey is sometimes painful to read, but the author does a fantastic job drawing the emotions out of the characters. You will not soon forget them. Their story deserves the two books it takes to tell it, so do yourself a favor and grab both at the lower bundle price. It will kill you to wait for Nature of Desire: Mirror of My Soul to get to you to finish the story.

Marguerite and Tyler's relationship is extremely complex, to say the least. However, their dynamics work for them. The way that they approach being Master or Mistress are very different, and yet when you put them together, they complement each other. She's very emotionally detached from the submissives she chooses. For her, it's more of a religious awakening, a path to nirvana through submission, control, and pain. For him, it's a seduction. He has to be in control but he also cares for his submissives and looks at the role more as a father figure. This is exactly what Marguerite needs, after being sexually abused by her father. She doesn't allow anyone to touch her, but slowly begins to trust Tyler. He works so hard to try to gain her love, even going so far as a devastating whipping applied by Marguerite. And yet he still wants her and she still wants him. It's fantastic, and I love the way Hill writes. She so sympathetic, without making the story melodramatic, too sappy, or even uncaring. I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little something more from their romances. It was hot and heavy, and I fell in love with the characters. This is a QUALITY story from a fantastic writer. Brava.

Marguerite Perriquet is a well-known mistress at the local BDSM club,
The Zone, where she is referred to as the "Ice Queen." Marguerite has
two separate lifestyles. During the day, Marguerite manages a popular
tea room, Tea Leaves, and supports local domestic violence centers. At
night, she is the "Ice Queen," a dominant mistress at The Zone with a
loyal following of men. She seldom sees the same person twice, never
shows emotion, and is never forgotten by anyone. Marguerite keeps
herself shut off from emotional connections, except with friends.

Tyler Winterman is a respected businessman and a partial owner of The
Zone. Tyler is also a dominant master at the club. Tyler is very
attracted to Marguerite and he feels there is more to her than meets
the eye. He's is not really surprised when Marguerite calls him to her
store, because he is pretty sure he knows why she wants to see him.
Since he is partial owner, Tyler has some say in how matters are
handled at The Zone, and Marguerite has a requirement to meet of she
wants to continue frequenting The Zone. Marguerite needs to "submit"
to a dominant master to better understand her submissive partners.
Marguerite wants Tyler to waive the requirement or simply say she did.
Tyler refuses.

Marguerite is torn because she does not want to submit to anyone. She
finally relents and agrees. She wants Tyler to be her teacher, but she
has three rules; no kissing, no sex, and no discussion of the scars on
her body. Tyler agrees, and they decide to meet that weekend. The
weekend is very difficult for Marguerite because she has a hard time
relinquishing control. It is intense and stirs emotions in both Tyler
and Marguerite.

Marguerite runs from Tyler and herself, and she begins to spin out of
control emotionally. It takes a toll on her, and after an incident at
The Zone, Tyler realizes that Marguerite needs to regain her balance
and accept her feelings. He comes up with a plan to help her find her
true self.

Ice Queen is a sexy, erotic, and emotion-packed read! Marguerite is so
strong and sexy, but underneath she is vulnerable and scared of letting
herself go. Tyler is strong, sexy, and he knows what he wants:
Marguerite, and he will get her using any means. Tyler will not let
her be damaged anymore than she seems, not even by herself. Joey W.
Hill has a true talent of letting her readers feel her character's
emotions. This was my first BDSM book and it enthralled me. I cannot
wait for the next. With Ice Queen Joey W. Hill writes a rich,
emotional story that pulled me in, and she does it without having to
use any restraints to keep me there. Excellent!

Gracie
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

OK, so perhaps you don't need this book, but you'll enjoy it anyway!
The best review and tutorial on clusters available, this book is also funny
enough that you probably don't want to read it in a quiet environment.

As other reviewers have said, this is an excellent book and is a *must have* for anyone exploring practically any aspect of cluster computing. Even beyond the quality of the information conveyed, the writing style is wonderful and the author makes an otherwise abstract and cumbersome topic quite readable and quite approachable. This book is regarded as the Clustering Bible worldwide, and I've seen copies placed prominently in the bookshelves of individuals in Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, and the US. Microsoft's own Cluster Server was codenamed 'Wolfpack', as an honerable reference to the cover art of this specific book.

Aaron McKee
Clustering Products Manager
TurboLinux Inc.

In a subject which is probably considered dull Pfeister has written a book which is actually entertaining as well as informative.If you are new to high perforamnce computing this book will begin from the basics and teach you all the way.If you are a pro you still will find it a great refernce material worth a read.You are bound to find something new in it.

This book provides a terrific introduction to the hardware, software, and systems architecture of parallel computing, candidly discussing the issues and trade-offs in various approaches. The emphasis is on clusters, but there is lots of information on the whole continuum from single processor machines to SMPs to clusters to distributed computing. Pfister will leave you with a better understanding of things like how SMP machines keep processor caches coherent, what the differences are between SMP, NUMA, and distributed computing, how various cluster products work, real world cluster issues (like system administration), programming models used in parallel computing, and why programming code that runs efficently on these architectures is usually the hard part.

The book is somewhat dated - nothing about Beowolf for example - but the concepts remain valid. Many of the issues are illustrated with reference to mainframe clusters, especially IBM's 390 sysplex, which I found particularly interesting since I don't have much experience with these systems.

The style is highly readable and informal, but not insultingly non-technical. The book is loaded with opinion and insights - it is not a dry textbook of issues related to clustering. Highly recommended for anyone in the business of creating information systems that need to run fast.

While struggling through this book, I spend more time thinking about the characters of this author than about cluster. He has this unique style of telling a subject like a friend telling you a story and it goes like : I am going to tell you this .. but first let me explain why I tell you this .. and now I want to tell you how I am going to tell you this .. and finally this is this, believe you me .. OK, truth is - I lied, it is actually this ... and on and on. He successfully made "this" simple and understandable to a certain degree, but the "how I, why I" portion mix with some high IQ humours did confuse me no end - though it is fun. I find that at some stage I have to use a finger to point to a key sentence and said " OK, Pfister is going to tell me this - lets see how" - then at some stage I will have to judge whether he has finished what he promised and is already on to new stuff. And, he does choose some words that I suspect is more often used in classical literature - rococco, dischotomies, litany, etc - which although harmlessly infrequent, does add some irritation to the already burden mind. All things considered, going through this book is fun. In case you are one of those like me that is quite lost and struggle a fair bit, I did find chapter 6 fairly readable - so perhpas you want to starts from there and work backward/forward if other chapters frustrated you a fair bit.

This book is great resource for a student leader, either for quotes, or to actually inspire you as the title suggests. Student leaders can use this book...I thought it was so great that I bought Inspiration for Greeks too. Also, I have spoken with one of the Authors...They know what they are doing. GREAT BOOK!!!

"Inspiration for Student Leaders" as with all of the books in the series, continues on giving the variety that I look for and enjoy and never stops sparking me with inspiration. The "personal stories" - the quotes - the struggles shown...and - "the short and sweet" style, help to make this book fun and a breeze to read. When you pick it up, you want to read from cover to cover without putting it down. What I mean by "short and sweet style" is that the stories and messages in this book are - in length - short...but their impact is profound. Some of us know how it is to be in college - to be bombarded by text books and novels - to have to write papers and read over notes. By the end of all that, who wants to read for enjoyment? Just like the other books in the series, "Inspiration for Student Leaders" gives us stories about real people, "famous people" as well as people we've never heard of. They common thread to them all is that they have faced similar situations as our student leaders are seeing today. These stories show how they've dealt with them - and what they've learned along the way - all in a "little package". I also like the creativity that is shown. For example, I'll use LESSONS FROM THE PLAYGROUND. I've never looked at monkey bars or hopscotch in such a light as to what leaders learn, do, and endure. WOW! It just amazes me how practical these books are. They don't use big, "million dollar words" - but put concepts and issues in terms and examples that students will enjoy reading...and can understand. Not only that, but with each story I, myself, as a Student Services Professional was inspired to go above and beyond what I'm doing with my career!

This book is phenomenal! A collection of stories, poems, quotes, and real experiences for student leaders. The book has many applications to leadership studies and personal motivation and inspiration.

As one of the co-authors, I'm extremely proud of the finished product. In addition to getting a great resourse for your library, every purchase of this book gives a $1 donation to the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) Educational Foundation - NACA provides scholarships for college students across the US.

While there are certainly MANY books on leadership and developing student leaders there are few that offer stories of inspiration and hope that allow the reader to draw his/her own conclusions. This book presents examples of all types of leadership and leaders from the celebrated to the unknown. Each story highlights the every day opportunities to achieve and learn. There is potential for trainers to use the stories as reflection for group exercises or to motivate campus organizations. There are stories to reflect on each students personal responsibility within an organization and the many rewards of participation in campus life. It's a great book for the new leader and a reminder to the seasoned veteran of the importance of each action and choice we make-and how profoundly we can positively change the campus community and each other.

Inspiration for Student Leaders is a concise, intelligent read, ideal for both students and professional staff who work with student leaders. Stories, poems, quick quotes and other works combine to make this publication live up to its goal of inspiring student leaders. Student Activities professional should give this book to incoming student leaders to help them broaden their perspectives on leadership. Established student leaders whose energy may be waning, can draw encouragement from the passages written by other students. This book should be on the resource shelf in every Student Union in America.

This book was in very good condition, and I would buy again from this seller.

The Lord has blessed everyone through Gayle Irwin as the Spirit of Jesus is displayed for us to view between the paper covers of this book.
Bill Bracken, Pastor Calvary Stanberry

This book outlines in clear and unwavering language what it truly means to be a servant. It was very apparent that what most Christians consider being Christ-like and a servant to mankind is off the mark. Gayle Erwin will point you in the right direction without any vacillating at all. There are several occasions where Mr. Erwin is critical of even himself and how he has behaved in his walk with God.

If you consider yourself a Christian, other than the Bible, this is one of the most important books you will ever read.

I was raised in a church organization that was cultlike in its legalism. We read the same Bible as everyone else but by the time I was 7 (about when I could read it myself), it was clear to me that the God being taught and the God of the Bible were two very different people. As the child of my parents, my mind believed what I was taught but as a child of God, my heart could never accept it. Jesus is the man that Gayle Erwin wrote about and the God who had been speaking to my heart for my whole life. I just had to get my head straight. The Jesus Style was the tool God used. Most people reviewing this book remark on its depiction of true Christianity. For me, it simply saved my life. I couldn't find the real Jesus anywhere and had begun to think that maybe that person about whom I was taught as a child was the real Jesus. I was ready to turn my back on God and walk away, my life had been so painful. In the pages of this book, Gayle Erwin described the Jesus my heart had always known and of course, backed it up with scripture. I cannot explain the joy I felt to have been so affirmed. I knew I wasn't crazy. I knew the Jesus I read was different and so did Gayle Erwin. This book is in its 40 somethingth printing now. I am sure hundreds of thousands of copies have gone out. But I believe that God inspired this work of Gayle Erwin to pull this girl out of the despair that legalism causes, to put my feet back on the path and get me moving again. A couple of years ago, it was my greatest happiness to drive to hear Gayle Erwin speak. I hoped I would have a chance to talk to him. I wanted to thank him and I did. Without any God in my life, I don't know where I would have ended up. God used this man and this book at that particular time to reach me. If you are reading this, it is entirely possible that Jesus is trying to reach you too. Do what Gayle Erwin did....Listen. You have no idea how your life could change.

If you have ever wondered what it truly means to follow Jesus, or if you have ever wondered "What Would Jesus Do?" then this book is a must read.

Written in plain language, this is an easy read. I found it to be an absolute joy to read it and gained some interesting insights in to the style of our Lord and Savior.

Truly a delightful, useful book, I recomend it to everyone.