Professional Books

This book is a treasure if you were a follower of the AFL. And it does not matter what team you followed, you will like to old pictures and stories when it seemed players loved the game more than the money.

The gang is all here! Coach Sid Gillman, QBs
Tobin Rote (who started in the CFL!), WR Lance
Alworth, RBs Keith Lincoln, et, al. Highly
recommended work of sports journalism! Pick
Up On It!

An outstanding and informative history of the LA/SD Chargers from their inception in 1960 through their entire 10 year history in the American Football League. Author Todd Tobias was very thorough in his research. The first chapter which was about the history of the AFL Chargers was probably my favorite part of the book. I also enjoyed the interviews that Tobias provided from former players and coaches. The game by game statistics are very important to me as well because they provide me with references. I am a stat freak so that was an added bonus for me. The only problem that I had with the publication was that Ralph Anderson was not listed in the section that contained all of the members of the Chargers from 1960 through 1969. It was obviously just an oversight. I also wish that there would have been more information on Anderson since he led the chargers with 44 pass receptions in the 1960 season. Anderson died tragically of a diabetic seizure in November yet still led the team in pass receptions. I would like to learn more about Anderson but there seems to be very little information available about him. But overall it was a magnificent job by Tobias and I really enjoyed reading it. The Chargers were without a doubt the finest team in the AFL throughout the early years as evidenced by playing in five of the first six AFL Championship games. But this book makes you understand that they were the classiest organization in the AFL as well, all the way from the top with the ownership of Hilton, the outstanding coaching provided by Sid Gillman, Chuck Noll, Al Davis, Jack Faulkner and Joe Madro. Just a super book and I would recommend it to any Charger fan, any AFL fan and any fan of pro football in the 1960s.

The book would have received 5 starts, but for not having enough color photos. Overall, it's a wonderful book to add to any football collection. If you live in San Diego, love history, and you're a Charger fan, this book is for you!

Until this book came out, I hadn't had any luck finding a quality book on the history of the San Diego Chargers. This book covers the first ten seasons of the San Diego Chargers- the American Football League years.

With its glossy pages and dimensions of just over 12 inches tall and over 9 inches wide, the book is well-suited for presenting photographs. Just about every page has at least one picture.

The book consists of four main sections:

The first is a 15-page chronological narrative history (with photographs).

The second section consists of 16 pages of nothing but photographs. Eight of those pages have at least one color photograph. The only color photographs in the book are in this section. By far most of the book's pictures are in black and white.

The third section is 76 pages and is where the bulk of the reading is for this book. This has the author's interviews of 59 people connected with the Chargers- players, coaches, and one beat writer. Each interview is written up separately and lasts about a page or two.

The last section is 93 pages of San Diego Charger statistics and box scores of every regular and post season Charger game of the 1960's. And, like the rest of the book, there are plenty of photographs throughout this section, too.

The book is well-written. The photographs are enjoyable too. My main complaint (or wish) is that I would have liked a longer chronological narrative of the team's history than the 15-page one provided. However, the interview and statistical sections flesh out much of that history but just in a different format.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in San Diego Charger history of that era. And I thank the author for writing a book on a much overlooked slice of football history.

It is not actually what I expected, it's not about the triangle or theoretical stuff, it's about a very special man who loves the game, and a very pleasant review of his life and basketball career as one of the most importants coaches of our time.

Great book about Mr. Winter's childhood, military career, college basketball coaching, and of course NBA career. Not an Xs and Os book about the "triangle" or "triple-post," but full of nuggets such as how he helped Dennis Rodman, and how the wrong drink caused them to lose one game against the Jazz in the NBA Finals!

The Book inspire me a lot how to be a great coach. And inspire me the main concept of Triangle offense which is very important to my coaching career for teaching the youth how to paly basketball in Team Concept with a well designed offense stragety by Tex Winter!

Ann Parr does an excellent narrative on Coach Tex Winter's life. A great read packed full of both vintage and recent photos as well as memorable quotes from family, friends, players and coaches in a superbly designed graphical format that is pleasing to the eyes. As a father and granddad, I highly recommend it as a gift for your kids - who could easily learn a thing or two from Tex's wisdom and philosophy on the importance of honesty, integrity and teamwork...not just in basketball, but in every aspect of one's daily life (a positive example that seems to be often missing in America these days).

Think Phil 'Jax' is THE MAN? Sorry, wrong answer.
All nine of his Championship rings are the res-
ponsibility of Texas E. Winter, former great
NCAA player from Texas (1940's) and Coach.
I am simply amazed that this virtually ageless
man continues to be a top NBA Ast. Coach in
the League in his '80's. Tex Winter for Pres.!
Hey, he can't be worse than Bush/Clinton/Bush, Jr.!

Wonderful tips and insights in this book! A great resource for both beginners and professionals alike. It's fun, engaging, and informative. The best part of the book is that it centers around real-life stories and examples, so you not only pick up some "theory", but see how it works in practice. Describes many simple techniques that work! I think it can be helpful not only for coaches, but for managers, as well. Highly recommended!

You will not be disappointed with this book. Whether you are a consultant/trainer, supervisor or simply would like to better manage your personal relations, this is the book for you. Great exercises - excellent definitions and insights. This is a super buy!

The book conveys the author's approach and techniques for effective coaching, starting with a model to help an observer see the big picture, followed by eleven stories to examine coaching in action, and twelve coaching tools used with success in the field. A highly useful and insightful book that brings the reader, to the extent words permit, into contact with the coaching process. Very highly recommended.

The practical and innovative tools contained in this very original book are described in an authentic and engaging manner. I recognized many of my own clients in the deft descriptions and stories provided by Thier. I often felt like I was in the midst of a lively coaching tutorial. Creative applications to my own coaching practice were sparked for me as is evidenced by the numerous folded-down page corners on my copy! I know that I will return to Coaching CLUES to refresh my thinking and practice. Thier is an artist.

There has been a lot written on coaching. What sets this book apart are the compelling stories and practical tools for getting results. Thier's wisdom and experience come through on every page. Anyone engaged in coaching (as a coach or client), or anyone who's just interested in self-improvement, will benefit.

This book is much more informative and essential to the working actor than the countless others you can find on a bookshelf. Instead of giving the same advice (which usually isn't good to use in an audition situation), it expounds on the idea that you already have some idea about what you need and gives you real, nose-to-the-grindstone advice on how to tighten things up and give a real whammy of an audition.
As well as advice on choosing the appropriate 16 bars or monologue, it gives advice about representation, Actors Equity, resumés, headshots, you name it.
Here's a hint: This book is soo worth it, we used it as a textbook in a collegiate course about auditioning.

I don't know how I auditioned before this book. For any high school or college student going through program or emphasis auditions, this book is essential. And even better, for professional auditions, this book is a handbook on how to do everything you will need to know.
I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to be enlightened.

As a student of Music Theatre, this book is a fantastic guide to the well rounded audition. This book even landed me the audition! This book is well worth a read for ANYONE who is autioning in Acting, Singing and Musical Theatre.

My son plans a career in musical theatre and this is the fourth book that I have read on the topic. The others included the book by Shurtleff and the one by Silver. They were all good but I liked this one best because it covered all of the practical aspects of performing songs and monologues for auditions. It guides one through all of the details. Since this is the most current of all the books the frames of reference are more appropriate.

Actors, whether seasoned or new, who regularly audition for musicals and plays should not omit taking at least a peek at the advice in The Complete Professional Audition: A Commonsense Guide To Auditioning For Musicals And Plays: it's a 'must' for would-be pros and provides an edge over the competition in both musical theater and regular play auditions, from locating the right music or monologue to demonstrating unique talents in a mere 2 minutes. An added bonus: chapters which discuss the realities of a working actor's life beyond the audition, from union regulations and the roles of agents to further reference tips, including web sites. Simply invaluable.

This book was suggested by fellow teachers. It's a great book for teachers that already have a handle on reading strategies. It gives great and easy to duplicate ideas.

This book provides teachers with a way to introduce the comprehension strategies. It has very orginal ways to get the kids thinking about thinking as they read. My third graders responded well to the langauge and activities provided in the book. It was a quick read, but described strategies I can use throuhgout the year in my classroom. I would recommend it to anyone teaching Harvey's and Keene's comprehension strategies.

I am an elementary teacher currently using Tanny's book to inform my small group reading instruction. It didn't take me long to realize what a goldmine of information she provides; and it all makes sense. Reading this book is what I'd imagine sitting down with the author at Starbucks to be like. She will begin your own inner conversation about the myriad ways to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, using concrete items for object lessons, wordless texts, art, music lyrics, and quotes. The examples of anchor charts Tanny shares are first-rate. If you don't own this book; get it :). You'll have it finished in less time than it took to arrive at your doorstep!

Great resource for all primary elementary teachers. Great ideas to develop schema for various comprehension strategies!

This book meets the big areas of comprehension with concrete and engaging activities that will introduce strategies to your students and provide a gradual release of responsibility!

Mike Dulworth reiterates what we all seem to know and still forget or neglect so often: Success is closely linked to knowing people and most importantly staying in touch with them as well as being of service to them.
Mike goes beyond describing and recognizing the tremendous effects of a network, he provides simple and effective tools to implement the few key steps to build and maintain my own network. I particularly liked the idea of the Personal Board of Directors, which at its core is nothing more than a formal request for permission to ask for advice. I personally implemented this tool right away and with minimal effort. After a few short weeks I already enjoy positive results.

Humans are social animals. Therefore, in both personal and business life, networking is an important force. For example, knowledge workers often face complex problems whose solutions require gathering information from people with a variety of expertise, whom they may not know personally. Author Michael Dulworth is the first to admit that much of networking is simple common sense, but doing it well, he says, requires planning. In this straightforward book, he provides a quick explanation of how to improve your networking skill, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, and of how to use networks in your work life. The book includes an especially interesting section about analyzing organizational networks. Even though the book is short, it is somewhat repetitive. Still, getAbstract recommends it to recent graduates, workers and managers who want to improve their performance and get ahead in their chosen fields.

Mike Dulworth surprised me with his refreshing and expanded ideas about networking. This is not a "how-to" book, but rather a book which opens up the possibility of all kinds of networking opportunities. Have you thought lately about peer-to-peer networks, network accelerators, or PBODs? (Personal Boards of Directors.) What I learned in this book will keep me busy for years.

This book outlines the importance of connections, and introduces a metric to assess your networking skills and the quality/breadth/depth of your network. The Networking Quotient (NQ) is the ideal third dimension, to complement the frequently measured Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ).

This book provides wonderful suggestions and motivation for each of us to extend our connections a bit further!

I enjoyed The Connect Effect and especially the Networking Quotient portion. The book includes a lot of autobiographical information about how networking has had such a positive impact on the authors life. I hope that it drives success in the VeraMax project as well.

I do more sewing and tailoring of regular clothes than costumes (which is a hobby). And I use this reference all the time. For example, when taking measurements or doing fittings for family and friends, I pull this out. It actually helped me to understand patterns better, and my tailoring skills have increased dramatically.

I also found it useful when finishing our basement and creating my dream sewing space.

I'm also using it for my research for a class on fabrics and fibers.

I recommend this book as a great resource for anyone making clothes.

I am a former student of Rosemary Ingham's, now graduated and working as the Costume Shop Supervisor for Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. I use her book almost everyday. Her instructions for sewing, altering, and patterning are easy to understand, clear, and concise. Plus there are great visuals to go along with the words by her writing partner Liz Covey. I can't wait until the next edition is complete. This best thing about it is that you don't have to be a professional costumer to use this book. A must for all sewers.

This book is wonderful. I got the book when I was in school and it has been in my tool box ever since. I recently had the pleasure of working with Rosemary and found her working style to be as informative and educational as her book. It has helped me with many projects, both professional and personal, and should be in every costume technician's library.

I am a free-lance costumer that travels around the country a lot for my work. This is the one book that travels with me as a basic reference for whatever the directors might throw at me. Most of the information is presented on a basic level (ie pattern blocks are for slopers, not finished garments), but a book would have to be the size of an encyclopedia to include detailed information on how to construct everything and would still miss something. This book gives you enough information to get you started and you can figure out the rest.

I am a student costumer and I hav had nothing but good experiences with teh Costume Technician's Handbook. I finally learned to draft my own patterns from this book - a skill no teacher has ever been able to drive into my skull. This is an absolute necessity

We went through this book with our 3 daughters because we believe a good work ethic is important to girls as well as boys! Each chapter is easy to complete in one sitting and discuss. Questions at the end of the chapters spurred discussion that helped us make application in daily situations. My husband is a pastor and he felt the theology of this topic was excellent and well presented. Our daughters always wanted Dad to read another chapter! We're recommending it to all our friends!

I haven't found anything out there like this book. It is a wonderful devotional for both boys and girls, and has a way of both convicting and encouraging - but without you actually telling your kids these things yourself! I've spent evenings where my younger ones have volunteered all kinds of ideas for ways of spending their time productively. This casts sloth in a whole new light for the olders (who have entered the temptations of "teen-tiredness".) Fun gets them going, but not industry. This books puts the highlight on lives truly given over to His purposes. Wonderful aid to Godly parenting and preparation of our treasured children to face life as one of His own.

My son used this for his personal devotion time. He enjoyed the book and said it was very informational.

Dear Fellow Book-Lovers: My husband and I are blessed with four sons (and, one daughter) and I am so thankful that we came across this book. It is written in such a way that makes it easy for a parent to easily read a chapter a day to the children--I do believe it would be best as a read aloud. Everyone can learn to be a better worker from this book. I liked it so much that I gave away a copy on my blog. The author is fun and wise and a good writer. "Created for Work" feels more like a conversation with a good friend than reading a book.

This book and His other,Boyhood and Beyond, are what this nation of ours needs. Since our nation changed from an agricultural, rural, family farm comunity, to a fast food inter-city one, children have had little or no responsibility around the home/farm. Learning how to joyfully accept responsiblity, respect other people and get along in the family and workplace is what this book is about. Fathers need to read this book because many of them have never learned to put up the "toys" and start being a loving provider for their families. Many grown men need to stop being boys and take their place in society, being peacemakers and profitable assets to the community. These two books are written by a MAN that GOD has helped to be just what I am describing. If you want to remain lazy and unprofitable to your family, don't read this. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A JOYFUL AND FULLFILLING LIFE. . . READ THIS AND PRACTICE WHAT YOU LEARN FROM IT!

I am only a third of the way through the book and it has been very informative and easy to understand. I have never been able to grasp Crystal until I started reading this book. If you want to save yourself $1000 for training, buy this book.

I've only been working with Crystal for a few weeks but am already putting together some pretty decent reports. I could not have done it without this book. After such a short amount of time my copy is somewhat dog-eared and filled with yellow post it notes for quick reference to the things I need. It is open at my desk whenever I work with Crystal.

If you are a Crystal novice this book provides an excellent foundation for Crystal Reports. If you are an intermediate/advanced user there is plenty here for you as well. I especially like the financial twist the report provides since most of my reports are payroll, general ledger and accounts payable/receivable related.

The discussion forum associated with the book is also an excellent resource. I was "stuck" on a couple issues and was helped by both the author and other users on the forum.

Bischof's book is a complete, well-researched reference that quickly arms a novice Crystal Reports user with the techniques necessary to create sound, well-formatted financial (and other) reports. The appendix on Balance Statements and Income Statemens is a fabulous jump-start for those who must get up to speed quickly! If Crystal Reports is your platform for information delivery, this book belongs in your library.

The very clearly written style, REAL WORLD EXAMPLES!!!, and great technical content make this book a must have for Crystal Reports Development.

5 Stars

This is my first crystal report book and i can say this is the best crystal report book ever i found. Every chapters has a lot of Tutorials and Tips.

As a local of Baltimore, I enjoyed reading a local author's input. As a past Orioles fan of our baseball team, Ron Shapiro was one of the few people I still admire and trust, from a "press" or "in the news" standpoint.

As a professional, I test hardware. I am new to this line of work and needed a base from which to learn. This book helped outline a gameplan for me to approach my day-to-day work load and also look long term at where I want to be as an employee of a Fortune 500 company.

Per the title of my review, the anecdotes Ron uses are from cool people, some everyday "Joe's" and some superstar, living the high-life people. The anecdotes apply to each idea he presents, which make them relevant. However, some of these anecdotes are very high-level and don't hammer out many details. For instance, one person might say, "You have to make a plan and stick to it!" That's great, but what was your plan and how did you execute?

I recommend this book for anyone, as the material is transitive and can be applied to any situation in life.

I am not a natural leader, but "Dare to Prepare," by Ronald M. Shapiro, gave me great insights on how preparation can create success. Following his outline minimizes time spent in the nebulous world of ideas; instead, he gives practical information to make those ideas a reality. Easy to read, well organized, practical advice that almost anyone can use. I stumbled across this book in the local library, and as I read it, I realized that I had to have my own copy. Now I refer to it as I plan meetings and projects for the workgroup I chair at church. I can't believe how much more efficient I am as a result of following Shapiro's suggestions. Business settings, civic/religious groups, social groups, even personal life decisions can all benefit from your reading this book.

I loved this book. I wish I had read this book back when I was a teenager. Better yet, I wish I had remembered to apply its messages when I tried to start my first few businesses. As a SCORE counselor I find myself preaching, yes preaching, to most of my clients about the importance of researching and writing a sound business business plan BEFORE they file for incorporation or register an LLC, get a bank account in the company name, and start generating revenues. And I read this book last night in order to see if I should recommend it to my clients so they MIGHT get the message that a sound busness plan will be their key to success. Now that I've read it - Yes, this is the book a wanta-be entrepreneur should read in order to KNOW they need a sound WRITTEN business plan.

This book has 14 chapters and an appendix:

1. Put me in coach
2. I would like to thank the Lord Jesus Christ and Eric Mangini
3. What's your destination? Understand your objectives
4. Someone, somewhere has done this before. Plan with precedents
5. What's the forecast? Know the alternatives
6. It's in the best interest to know their interests. Define the interests
7. Look before you leap. Set your strategy
8. When the rubber meets the road. Do a timeline
9. The right parts for the right people. Pick your team
10. What you say and how you say it. Write the script
11. The constant preparer. Adjust and learn from your mistakes
12. Confidence
13. Prepare and conquer. A mantra for effective people
14. You can get some satisfaction
Appendix: The preparation principles checklist

Chapters 1 and 2 are kind of an introduction to the book. Chapters 3 through 11 are the various preparation principles that one follows in order to hedge their bets at being successful. All these principles are important to consider when writing a business plan for a new business or doing strategic planning for an existing one. And chapters 12 through 14 cover the benefits one receives from doing the proper preparation.

The material contained in this book is obvious stuff. It's unfortunate that most of us need to be reminded that planning and preparation for a game, whatever game that is, is necessary if we want to do well. Is it a sporting competition? A test in school? A job interview? A management meeting? A contract negotiation? A closing? Qualifying for a loan? Starting a business? Or selling a business? All the big things I have accomplished in my lifetime I planned for and done the required preparation in order to succeed. Read this book and be reminded that you too must plan and prepare for the things that are important to you. 5 stars!

Success stories from the people interviewd by the authors are what makes this book really come to life. Even though the people profiled in this book are from so many diverse professions, the power of preparation carries each of them to the top. I especially like the book's core philosophy - preparation is the only aspect over a situation that one has control. Shapiro and Jordan have cleanly mapped out a systematic approach to preparation that everyone can put into place immediately after finishing this book. They even give you the preparation checklist as an appendix. I use it for every one of my sales calls, and I have noticed a BIG increase in confidence, which has allowed me to close more deals.

Dare to Prepare is probably the single most useful how to book I have ever read. And the stories are entertaining, so in addition to the tangible tools the book lends, it is also a quick read. If you're looking to improve upon your confidence so that you can perform at a higher level, check out this book.

I desperately needed this book. Not because I'm not successful; I've won many awards in my field and the last time my employer made me take a cognitive test I astonished them by getting a perfect score. No, I needed this book because I want something more. I want the next level up, the bigger stage. You know the level I'm talking about, the big-gun level. And on that level, as one person in this wonderful books states, "EVERYONE is talented." You have to be more than just talented, you have to be prepapred.

And so we have "Dare to Prepare", a brilliant distillation of the anatomy of success. The book urges to you to prepare until failure is not a possibilty, and to not waste time in the wrong types of preparation. I will not outline the tips here, as they so beautifully intergrate into the whole. People from all professions are interviewed, people with nothing in common except wild success and serious, serious preparation skills. The steps to being fully prepared for opportunity if it comes knocking and even if it doesn't flow perfectly into one another; I can safely say there isn't anyone who wouldn't benefit from following them, no matter how good you may think you already are.

That's pretty much it. A short review for me, but there isn't much more I can say. I picked up the book on a whim, began reading before bed in an effort to fall asleep, and ten minutes later was wide-awake, completely wired. Shapiro's little masterpiece will excite you, inspire you, and guide you like nothing I've read in a very long time. And in the Codemaster's book, that gets "Dare to Prepare" the rarely bestowed-

GRADE: A