Sales Books

Loved it - especially the photo's and of course the 'story' - makes it easier to understand what the people went thru just to have a home.
have always been interested in this period. Hubby and I are members of a western club - main period is 1875-1890, but knowing more about the whole period 1800 onwards helps to get the clothing and the attitude right.
looking for more books ...
bye for now
Jacqueline (alias Ruby)

Pioneer Women-The Lives of Women on the Frontier is a must for collectors of western lore-whether as used for reference or just for reading pleasure this book delves into little covered issues and answers the questions previously unmentioned regarding women on the frontier. From traveling west to every day life, from cooking to birth control, women domestic pioneers to women entrepreneurs; if you have a question about the lives of women in the 1800's this book probably has the answer in its pages.

This book will open your eyes up to the way things were a century and a half ago. Back to the basics is an understatement. Imagine raising 8 children on a farm that you had to establish yourself because your husband and other family members perished on the trip west to get to an unknown territory far far away from immediate family? These women did it. They survived and thier children either a: lived and learned the life or b: died from illness or accidents. This is very graphic and very personable to the very core of many women's souls. Women who kept diaries on the Oregon Trail in 1850 and onwards. Women who were always "in the background" keeping the family fed, clothed, silent and schooled. Women are most definitly the most gentle and most strong of the sexes.. Why? Because they have a continuous human spirit and one that gets them through the toughest of times of all.
Please read this book and with that said.. the pictures in this book are a historian's dream!

This book is nicely divided into different phases of western life, like traveling the trail, family, homelife, etc. The pictures are fantastic. It's a fast read and perfect for anyone interested in this time period. Higly recommended.

This book is very informative on the pioneer womens' behalf. It shows their hardships and their strengths. The fortitude and endurance these women had is amazing. The photos are excellent too.

As a financial services professional I was looking for more effective ways to get accounts. Mr. Hansen lays out a wonderful approach that is both well thought out and applicable. Well done Mr. Hansen.

I gained a lot of useful information from reading this book. I learned to overcome negative responses and how to effectively ask questions to find customer's needs and pains. Mr. Hansen takes you step by step in helping you become a successful prospector. After reading this book my qualified leads tripled!

We had a workshop with Mr. Hansen about six months ago and I couldn't wait for his books to come out. Don't get me wrong, I HATE cold-calling. The problem is, that after inculcating these simple principals into cold calling, my pipeline has grown over 50% in QUALIFIED LEADS and over 90% in DOLLARS in the last six months. After reading this book, I can tell you it was worth the wait. Learn how to not waste your prospects time -- or yours! Let your competition abandon cold-calling or struggle with inept cold calling strategies that don't work.

Prospecting has always been a huge part of my sales job and I always try to find ways to improve. Frankly, this book has been amazingly helpful. Since reading this book, I have reevaluated how I approach cold calling. This book outlines a clear strategy for developing a powerful opening statement, provides a library of questions to choose from while conducting a buyer/seller conversation, and lists over a dozen rejoinders to negative buyer responses. Although I enjoyed his historical examples, I was most impressed with his cold calling strategies. This is a must read for any salesperson serious about setting appointments and building a pipeline of qualified opportunities.

I HATE cold calling! What a senseless waste of time! That is what I used to say, until our group was trained by Patrick Henry Inc. I'm glad to have this book in my library. It teaches you how to put together the language of a cold call so you aren't getting hang ups in the first second. I have had five times the success after using the principals taught in this book!

This is a lovely book about the Pre-Raphaelites. The pictures in the book are beautiful, & I like the way the Pre-Raphaelite movement is broken up into sections showing how it progressed & changed through the years. A very informative book.

This is a must have book! I had bought The PreRaphaelites: Inspiration From the Past but this book is much better! The first book did not have the breadth of illustrations and seemed to focus a lot on the sex lives of the artists. Many of them were promiscuous, but their artwork is still awesome. The illustrations in this book are very inclusive and none of the large illustrations is split between two pages, which is true of the other book I got. The illustrations are gorgeous here and plentiful and the text is intelligent and informative without being too "heavy." I can't recommend this book highly enough for someone who enjoys the PreRaphaelites (and perhaps like me, wishes artists today had the same color sense, high ideals and delight in nature).

This is a stunningly beautiful book filled with incredibly beautiful art. The narrative text is well written.

This book is the most amazing introduction to the Pre-Raphaelites! The pictures are absolutely amazing, especially since this is an over-sized book and therefore the details in the photos are amazing!

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the Pre-Raphaeilite Artists (in general) and also to anyone that loves the Pre-Raphaelite works of Art & needs a good introduction!

I am a learning hobbyist artist interested mostly in portraits. An artist friend told me that I might be interested in the pictures of the Pre-Raphaelites. "Pre-Ra...What?"

When I bought this book I had not intended to read much of the text. I was primarily attracted to the beautiful pictures in the book, which I hope to learn from. It turns out that Christopher Wood's rendition of the biographies of these remarkable group of mid- to late 19th century English artists was exceptionally well weaved and readable. I got a very good education on the history of the Pre-Rephaelite art with fascinating details of the lives of the key players and, of course, beautiful, large-format reproduction of their best work.

I came across a number of books on this subject. Some have better and more detail prose, but none comes close to this one in terms selection and the quality of reproduction of the pictures.

What a wonderful collection of motivational quotes. Great done! A+++. Some month ago I bought the first quote junkie book. Now I am a true 'Quote Junkie' junkie myself :-)

A very good idea; inspirational and motivational quotes that can truly help you in life. What I like the best about this book is that it is easy and quick to use. You can easily and quickly find whatever inspiration you need. Highly recommended!

As a preacher, teacher, and writer, I am always looking for short, pithy quotations that capture a point precisely. I guess that makes me a "Quote Junkie"! I would certainly recommend the motivational edition of this series because it contains some priceless gems. For example, how about this one from Thomas Jefferson, which might be ripped from today's headlines?: "Never spend your money before you have earned it." That principle would have kept many of us out of financial trouble. I also appreciated the quotations from Benjamin Franklin and Aristotle.

I would add one more point: When we fill our minds with good thoughts, then our hearts and our words will be right as well. Quote Junkie: the Motivational Edition is a good source to add to your library.

A valuable resource for anyone in the business of motivating people. Sophisticated enough for the professional motivational speaker, providing the quotes you need for your writing, seminars, and lectures, while still appropriate for a manager looking to inspire your employees.

This quote compendium is the perfect gift this holiday season.

What a wonderful tool to educate and inspire our country's youth; It was hard to select one quote's message as being superior to the next. Recommended reading for one and all; a perfect holiday gift for that special individual in one's life...

We have used Rainmaker for our executive team for several years; this toolkit makes the process much more streamlined and probable.

At 285 pages, this is one of the most densely-packed business books you'll ever own. Much of the information is delivered to you in the form of steps, lists, bullet points...author Harry Mills wastes no time on sweet-talking you into doing these things. There's an assumption that you're reading the book because you want to make rain, period.

Some of the things won't happen overnight. Some of them might not happen at all. Example: the sections on publishing. With focus and determination, you can start your own blog, get articles published on the Web, and approach your local newspapers.

But when you get to page 48 and read about how "it's not uncommon for a busy professional to pay skilled host writers more than $100,000 to transform their ideas into readable prose" and "A successful book can turn you into a celebrity and launch a high profit speaking career. Getting a book on the New York Times bestseller list typically allows an author to charge $15,000 to $25,000 a day as a celebrity speaker," understand this:

The odds are stacked against you, especially in the modern era of publishing, that you are going to be one of those authors or that you will be pulling down $25K per day as a "celebrity speaker." If you pour 110% of your energy and focus into that goal, 24/7, you're still facing a big "maybe."

So...as with every business book that's currently available to you...the challenge with this book will be selecting the items you can turn into action today, the ones that will move you forward today, while slowly chipping away at the bigger long-term goals.

That's where a lot of people make a fatal mistake, fail, get discouraged, and quit. There's more information in this book than most people would conceivably turn into action items. There's a winning mix for you, but you must read the book, pick the items you are willing to commit yourself to, form a plan, work the plan, and stay focused.

Otherwise you'll join the ranks of people who bought a book, read it, put it back on the shelf, and returned to all of the things they were doing before they read the book.

Comprehensive, well-organised guide for creating better results in a business -- not just professional services. I enjoyed his clear writing style and the easy-to-follow layout. A good read that stands out in a crowded field.

I read this book hoping to pick up a few practical tips on how to win more profitable clients. As a result, The Rainmaker's Toolkit far exceeded my expectations. Within it is a revolutionary seven step marketing system on how to build a successful and profitable business. I then passed the name of the book onto several of my colleagues whom then went out, bought a copy and found it to be equally impressive. I highly recommend this for anyone wishing to find a road-map that outlines how to create profitable growth. I highly recommend this book! Harry Mills is a superb writer.

Mills' book is part text, part workbook and all value.

If you ever thought you could benefit from the services of marketing consultant, stop and read this book first.

MIlls' 8 R's model for Client Relationship Marketing is a thoughtful and systematic approach that can be applied by individual consultants or service firms as a whole. The model is practical, proven and easy to apply. You just add the effort.

The book is well laid out, with plenty of practical tools you can put to use immediately. This book won't stay on your shelf for long. It'll be on your desk ready for repeated use.

Michael McLaughlin, coauthor with Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants.

Considering the scope and depth of the ideas discussed
in this book it is remarkably accessible and easy
reading - which doesn't mean it won't force you to
think.

The author owns www.wam.net.au - where you can listen
to a whole bunch of jingles his company has created using
the concepts explained in this book. This is a system
for creating memes within your brand - an imbedded
instant-recall mechanism within your ideal customer's
brain which forces him to identify your product
alone as the one which will solve his problem at the
time when the problem becomes too intense for him to
tolerate.

Some buyers are NOW buyers. They will buy within 48
hours. These buyers are costly to acquire but they
are the bread and butter of many businesses. When you
stop advertising however, they disappear, which means
to maintain a steady flow of them your costs will
escalate in general.

The strategies in this book show us how to create
buying-response systems of an almost diabolically
Pavlovian nature... enslaving the future buyer into
a ready customer, even years in the future of the
exposure to your marketing - even despite exposure
to the more recent marketing of your competitors.

Wild stuff. You'll probably balk at buying it. Your loss.

My first thought after reading this book was to wonder if I could buy all available copies to prevent any future competitors from reading it!

The best reason for having this book on hand is that it makes sense. The authors give practical advice, sprinkled with some good examples, which will be of particular relevance to Australian readers but still useful for everyone else.

Each section reveals valuable informaton about the buying process, and the necessary ingredients for advertising to work. It will help you understand other ads you see every day, and why they do -- and don't -- work.

This is not a 'miracle cure', but a system that is well explained and well defined to bring about better results from your advertising.

I know I'll be putting it to good use for my clients, even to the point of changing my fee structure so that some of it is based purely on results -- that's how confident I am that the book has been in helping fill my needs!

I read a lot of books on marketing and advertising, but none as powerful and to-the-point at Geoff Ayling's "Rapid Response Advertising." If this book had the proper promotion in the U.S., it would most certainly be on the bestseller list. The book had a most positive influence on my life and my business -- and I'm sure it will have the same affect in the lives of other readers.

Amazingly, this book has hardly anything in common with other advertising books because it breaks new ground and illuminates new pathways to the mind of the consumer. It's honest, funny, well-written, teeming with anecdotes, and fraught with revolutionary ideas. I cannot recommend it highly enough, but with this review, I sure want to try. Buy this book! Act on what it teaches you! Then kick back and watch your sales curve rise and rise all the way to the moon.

This is truly a breakthrough book, with major implications for marketing and advertising in all its forms.

Ayling lays out in simple, credible, well-documented and well-throught-through narrative a viable explanation of why advertising that works, works -- and why advertising that doesn't work, doesn't.

That may or may not interest you. However, if you have ever lost tons of money using typical ad-agency "get your name in front of the public" techniques -- or if you don't know if you have or you haven't (hint: if you don't know, then, you have!) -- this book will clear the smoke away and give you a simple, workable, step-by-step blueprint to return to profitable advertising.

My own field of expertise is direct-response advertising -- the kind that makes people who are ready to buy, or likely to be incited to buy right away, respond -- and buy. Ayling clearly understands that discipline and is probably a master of it himself.

But in this book, he takes it one step further. He shows you HOW TO CREATE AN AUTOMATIC DIRECT-RESPONSE MECHANISM INSIDE THE MIND OF THE CUSTOMER so that when that person finally is ready to buy, the name of your company or your product "pops up" internally, and there's really no other choice for that person but to buy from you.

Don't believe me? I don't blame you. But you can't afford NOT to find out if I'm right or I'm wrong. Everyone I've recommended this book to has gone nuts over it, and that includes one of the world's best known authorities on marketing, and my own personal favorite expert on small service business marketing.

Get this book. It's worth it. You'll be glad you did.

The world of advertising is, in deed, a mysterious one. Even some of the greats of the industry, such as `Mr Madison Avenue' David Ogilvy pondered the secrets to this science.

Ogilvy once stated that half of advertising was effective, but the trick was knowing which half.

Having read Geoff Ayling's `Rapid Response Advertising', one could be forgiven for thinking the secret is finally out about designing and implementing an effective advertising campaign.

Ayling, an ad veteran from Australia, cites many examples of good advertising in this warm, insightful and comprehensive manual. This is the first thing that strikes the reader. This is not another tome on the art of advertising written by theorists. It is a comprehensive road map for success in advertising, from the initial stages of strategy, planning and concept development to media selection, budget and execution.

The book has been simply written so that it is understandable by both ad executives, CEOs and writers. It gives readers both the big picture and an up-close-and-personal view of a wide range of elements.

The premise for `Rapid Response Advertising' is a new marketing technique that is exciting, responsive and measurable - and best of all - it can be applied to virtually any budget and any business.

The technique is known as `meme'. Once a scientific term, Ayling has redefined it as a new form of marketing symbology which, when used effectively, can deliver instant consumer recognition and almost an instant return on advertising. This, according to Ayling, is the missing piece to the advertising puzzle and it is the centerpiece of his book.

The author says that memes are `emotional button-pushes'. He lists a wide variety of meme types in use, ranging from dream, greed and achievement memes to fun, responsibility and health memes. Ayling explains in great detail the inner workings of memes and how they can be applied to elicit specific responses.

`Rapid Response Advertising' covers a lot of territory including:

* The Price Myth
* Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
* Customer Buying Advantage (CBA)
* Media selection
* Budgeting
* Know your customers
* The psychology of the marketplace
* Perception thinking

The book also provides step-by-step details on:

* Developing a rapid response system
* Developing a competitive advantage
* How to create a CBA

`Rapid Response Advertising' is fully documented with excellent real life examples of good advertising at work. While many of the case studies are from Ayling's home country of Australia, they are universal in their message and application.

This book goes several steps further than many other titles on the market. It also goes several steps further than most copywriters would care to venture, but that's what makes this an even more valuable resource and it should allow any writer to add value to any business communication, from a simple direct mail letter to a multi-stage advertising campaign.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

John Addison's "Revenue Rocket" provides significant value and insight to sales and marketing executives addressing "channel segmentation and balance." Which sales channels best serve your company's market focus? Who should become a partner? How do partners become more successful selling your products? What are the "do's" and "don'ts" of effective channel management?

In today's economy, it is a "buyer's market." Answers to these questions are critical to any company's profitability and long-term growth. In "Revenue Rocket," you will find clear examples, best practices, and actionable suggestions to strike the required balance in your distribution channels, direct sales and strategic partners. This book is full of practical advice about how to achieve market share growth and increase revenue, while managing cost of sales. Realize greater profits by nurturing the loyalty and confidence of your partners.

Nelson French, Principal
Early Advantage Partners

As a former channels-focused systems engineer during the early 90s, I often lamented the lack of proven techniques for channel development. Based on prevailing industry wisdom and his own experiences in channel development, John Addison does a superb job articulating how to develop a channels strategy.

Many how-to books are long on theory and short on examples. "Revenue Rocket" provides concise examples of new concepts as they are introduced along with concrete suggestions for implementation. Specific action items at the end of each section are indicated for each facet of channel development.

I highly recommend "Revenue Rocket" which should be required reading for anyone involved in the development of channels strategy.

As a former channels-focused systems engineer during the early 90s, I often lamented the lack of proven techniques for channel development. Based on prevailing industry wisdom and his own experiences in channel development, John Addison does a superb job articulating how to develop a channels strategy.

Many how-to books are long on theory and short on examples. "Revenue Rocket" provides concise examples of new concepts as they are introduced along with concrete suggestions for implementation. Specific action items at the end of each section are indicated for each facet of channel development.

I highly recommend "Revenue Rocket" which should be required reading for anyone involved in the development of channels strategy.

As a Channel (agent) Manager for a CLEC telecomm company I was led to "Revenue Rocket" by VARbusiness Magazine's excerpts of this book that outline "10 Commonly Made Mistakes" in typing and segmenting channels.The key evidently, and thanks to Mr. Addison the author for this, is to properly recognize the 4 types of channel partners and manage the relationship with them differently.

I was not doing this and the book and strategies detailed have helped me focus on seeing each partner tpye differently, especially through their training requirements, and coaching them to a common performance sales parameter.

This is already leading to my better "coverage" of these partners, quicker and stronger callbacks, and better results from RFP's and proposals.

Thank you, John Addison.

Mr. Addison provides a manual for successful channel management based on proven methods. I used this book as a model to prepare for and win job interviews, and now I am using it to grow an effective channel model for my organization.
Mr. Addison delivers valuable practical approaches laced with refreshing humor. I refer to Revenue Rocket often to help me focus for effective execution. The execute actions and sales actions,at the end of each chapter, are very practical and provide a formula for success.

I had a patient with chronic hypertension. I thought he might benefit from the rice diet but I had no information on it. Then at a used book sale, I ran into this book for a quarter. I bought, brought it home and read it. Judy's story and writing was so engaging, I decided to try it. I was overweight and that made it all the more an attractive idea. Within a few days, I was blown away by the diet. The first time I cheated
on the diet, I was repaid with an extremely severe reaction.
I learned more from this book and the advice in it than I ever learned in school. I am not knocking school. If I hadn't gone to school, I might not have heard of the diet. The diet is a discipline unto itself. What Judy provides is the motivational spirit to stick with the program. Her energy pours off every page. I went from weighing 230 down to 165 on the diet. Since that time, I have gained some back as expected. What I know now is that I can keep my weight under control and still eat what I want once in awhile without any concern. I feel I owe a debt to both Walter Kempner and Judy Moscowitz for guiding me toward a truly healthy relationship to food.

The Rice Diet Report came just in time. I was sitting on a lounge chair when it collapsed under my immense weight. Two weeks later I was in Durham on the Rice Diet. I had bought Judy's book months before, but it took that ephipany of falling through that chair to get me to Durham. In Durham, I lose a hundred pounds and found a culture. I also found a career documenting diet culture. Thanks Judy, always thanks.

Jean Renfro Anspaugh

I bought this book new over 15 years ago.The title
intrigued me.I am normally quite fit,work out 3-4 days a
week and eat right.However, back then, I returned
to college part-time,had a stressful job and a
difficult personal relationship.I gained 30 lbs in less than seven years.
This diet was easy to follow,had realistic results,and
gave me back my energy.I didn't lose all 30 lbs just from
the diet,but it helped to kick start me back into my earlier,healthy lifestyle.
Oh,and I got the degree,found a more rewarding
and less stressul job,and left the difficult man..
My paperback is quite yellowed,but cherished.I return to it regularly.
I'm currently back on the diet to lose 10 lbs
I gained this summer from traveling and getting
off my normal fitness/meal routine.
I know I'll get back on track!

I PURCHASED THIS BOOK THREE YEARS AGO, AND ALTHOUGH I WASN'T SERIOUSLY OVERWEIGHT I DO HAVE A TERRIBLE TIME EATING RIGHT AT TIMES AND THIS BOOKS GETS MY APPETITE IN CHECK. BY EATING ONLY AT SPECIFIC TIMES OF DAY AND NOT SNACKING IN BETWEEN I CAN GET A HANDLE ON THINGS BEFORE ANY SERIOUS WEIGHT GAIN. THE WAY THE BOOK IS WRITTEN REALLY DRAWS YOU IN AND MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS THE DIARY OF A FRIEND WHO WANTS TO HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT. GREAT BOOK.

I tried the Rice diet after trying everything else. I tried breathing exercises, aerobics, tae-bo, soup diets, every fad diet listed on the web, the hollywood diet, grapefruit diet, mayo clinic, great american and the list goes on. I never received the results promised. I discovered this book and thought I'd give it a try as well. I bought a 2.50 box of rice, and about $10 worth of canned and fresh fruit for the week. I started at 168 lbs on Wed and was down to 163 by Sat. After that I have just been eating "normal" foods (according to the book) and have maintained for two weeks. With other diets, I gained the weight back within a couple of days of returning to regular foods. I plan to start again today to remove 10-15 more pds. I was tired of the bland rice after four days but I did not have to stop, I could have moved to phase II and continued. However, I wanted to see if I could maintain once lost and YES I CAN!!!!! I know that I can lose this weight on the rice diet and if it starts to come back I now know how to get it off for good. With God's help, I'm determined to go all the way.

Rivers is not a linear read. It is the sort of fiction that you have to pay close attention, so you want get lost. I would suggest you familarize yourself with Anase, the Akan Trickster Spider & the Yoruba water orishas(Yemoja & Oshun).

This excerpt made brought laughter:

"Oh, so he's getting a divorce?"

"No such luck. He wants to have us all. Girl, I wish I'd never gotten myself mixed up with these tropical types. I should have found me a nice, chitlin' eating brother from the West Side somewhere. Do you know that all the men in my life have been from another place? I don't even know what it's like to have a regular Black American boyfriend."

"Really? That would be like going through life without greens and cornbread. How come?"

"I don't know." Alama laid the bottle gently against her chest, like she was burping a baby. "Probably a flaw in my makeup. Like the brother who can't interest himself in anything but a white woman. I've always been attracted to Black men from other places. The Caribbean, Europe, Africa. Seems like I'm wearing a sign that says All aliens, please apply here. I've even had an Australian aborigine."

I did not particularly like the main character, Allie Mae aka Alma. I thought she was very smart woman when came to books, but incredibly stupid when it came to men. I had very little sympathy for her.

I have known some African American folks who seem to have this desperate need to connect with Africa and go home. I always figured it was some sort of inadequacy and character flaw. I have always found such people to be very sad and highly annoying. So I really could not relate to her quest for her so-called authentic African identity.

Alma is the last leg of this two hundred-year-old odyssey and the ancestors are very in tune with what their children are doing. They are disappointed because they have been forgotten and not catered to. In Gregory Townes book, The Tribe, the statement that touched me the most "the dead knows what the living are doing" really resonated with me in this book.

The journey of the first African in Alma's line started in the African interior to the African shores, across the Atlantic to a Caribbean island, and finally US mainland.

She uses African folklore, specifically the Akan(Ghana) Trickster spider, Anase to help tell the story. Anase is in a sort of battle with the Yoruba(Nigeria & Benin) water mamas, the Orishas. Anase is weaving his web in order to trick them.

The Orishas and the ancestors, water mamas, visits Alma in her dreams to plant the idea of African travel into her consciousness. Alma is the only one of the ancestor's children that has a passion for Africa. It has taken them 200 years to get one of their children to come back home. Alma is the child.

Another excerpt that made me laugh:

"I stood there stewing, trying hard to hold my temper. And I noticed the walk before I noticed the man. Off in the distance. Though I never studied on it before, I realized that there was a certain way that African American men move that sets them apart. A syncopated swagger, with a dip of bravado in it. As if offering the world an unspoken challenge: I dare you to mess with me. Cool as I am.."

I never did warm up to Allie Mae aka Alama, but her man, Kwesi touched my spirit. I found this book to be very fascinating, different and well written. I highly recommend.

Ms. Jackson-Opoku's novel is a wonderful weaving of history and women's lives in the temporal and spiritual worlds. Once I accepted Anansi as a figure beyond the children's book, I was hooked. The characters are so familiar that you want to invite them into your own life, then you realize, they're already there.

I feel so strongly about the power of this book that I do not even know where to begin. I read it for the first time as a Senior in highschool. I am now a Junior at Spelman College and have since read many more books by far more famous authors and I must say that none of them have come close to the lyrical beauty, and magically woven story of The River Where Blood is Born. It is the most prized book in my collection, and if I could give it ten stars I would. It is the story of nine generations of women whose ancestry begins in Africa. The author traces the lineage from before the slave trade, through abolition, the turbulent civil rights and 70s era, on to present day. The beauty is that through such an expansive period of time the story maintains it's connectiveness from the first ancestor to the last offspring such that the reader has a lasting sense of where it all began. It is not just a book for women nor for African-Americans. It is a book for anyone who has ever wished to understand and feel a connection to their past. For the patient and open minded reader it will prove to be a most rewarding experience. I hope you decide to read it, there is no doubt you will enjoy!

Intense storytelling! You need to pay attention to keep up, there are lots of characters and lineage to follow. It's worth it! Entertaining! Enlightening! I read it three months ago and I intend to take it on the plane as I leave the country (long flight) ...and read it again. Slower...to digest more fully, what my heart/soul starved for. Again, a D E E P drink of water!I'd love to meet this author and have a roundtable.

I borrowed this book from a friend and didn't want to return it. It was terrific! It traces the history of nine generations of women from Africa, to the Caribbean, to America and back to Africa again. The characters are vividly portrayed and believable. The story is readable and the connections between the female characters are fascinating. African folklore and myth are incorporated into the book in a fascinating and relevant manner. My only gripe is a minor one -- some of the women's story lines weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. But that did not in anyway detract from the power of the narrative.

I recommend reading this book if you are interested in the rituals and culture of the Lakota. It provides clear and interesting discussions of major rituals that form important components of their way of life. The material is drawn largely from interviews with Black Elk, and the writing really explains significance of important details in the various practices. The book also provides a good basis for understanding how the cultural practices fit into Lakota history. This book is also a fine one to read in relation to "Black Elk Speaks," "The 6th Grandfather," and "When the Tree Flowered."

Black Elk is and was sacred Elder. Through his life we are given this knowledge. He has helped many to understand the way of the Lakota; following the natural law. While not all Lakota follow the traditional ways as closely as they did before the arrival of the white man, they are still connected to these rites and inhierently understand these teachings. It's only to outside world that these things become suprising moments of clarity. Joseph Epes Brown took time before it was too late, to record these teachings, which is a blessing and a gift of knowledge to all who would read, understand and heed these words. If you wish to learn what dwells is in the hearts of Native American people, you would do well to open this book and your minds.

I haven't actually finished this book yet but I'm looking forward to doing so. This spirituality is deeply sophisticated and elevated. I think the whole world is greatly indebted to the American Indian Nation. Furthermore, thank you for wonderful service.

Joseph Epes Brown was fortunate in meeting men who possessed great human and spiritual qualities, especially Black Elk who had a unique quality of power, kindliness and sense of mission. Born in 1862, Black Elk grew up when his people had the freedom of the plains, hunted bison; he fought at Little Bighorn and at Wounded Knee Creek and knew Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and American Horse. He traveled with Buffalo Bill to Italy, France and England. During his youth Black Elk was instructed in the sacred love of his people by Whirlwind Chaser, Black Road and Elk Head from whom he learned the history and deep meanings of his people's spiritual heritage. Through prayer, fasting and deep understanding of his heritage, Black Elk became a wise man, receiving visions and acquiring special powers to be used for the good of his nation. Because of his sense of mission Black Elk wanted this book to be written so that the reader could gain a better understanding of the truths of the Indian traditions.

In his foreword Black Elk tells us: "There is much talk of peace among the Christians, yet this is just talk. Perhaps it may be, and this is my prayer, through our sacred pipe, and through this book in which I shall explain what our pipe really is, peace may come to those people who can understand, an understanding which must be of the heart and not of the head alone. Then they will realize that we Indians know the One true God, and that we pray to Him continually. I have wished to make this book through no other desire than to help my people in understanding the greatness and truth of our own tradition, and also to help in bringing peace upon the earth, not only among men, but within men and between the whole of creation."

The wisdom of the Indians is based on such concepts as "The Earth is your Grandmother and Mother, and She is sacred. Every step that is taken upon her should be as a prayer" and "Every dawn as it comes is a holy event, every day is holy." The Indians developed their own religion based on the gift of the sacred pipe given by a very beautiful woman who approached two Lakota Indians out hunting. One of them had bad intentions and he and the mysterious woman were wrapped in a cloud. When the cloud lifted the sacred woman was standing there and at her feet was the man who was nothing but bones and terrible snakes were eating him. Black Elk interpreted this as an eternal truth: "Any man who is attached to the senses and to the things of this world, is one who lives in ignorance and is being consumed by snakes which represent his own passions." The mysterious woman presented the tribe with a pipe and stone, explaining the significance of the gift. On her departure she said to the Standing Hollow Horn: "Behold this pipe! Always remember how sacred it is, and treat it as such, for it will take you to the end. Remember, in me there are four ages. I am leaving now, but I shall look back upon your people in every age, and at the end I shall return." These four ages find a parallel in the Hindu tradition during which true spirituality becomes increasingly obscured until the cycle closes with catastrophe, after which the primordial spirituality is restored and the cycle begins once again.

Through the rite of the keeping of the soul, the Indians purified the souls of the dead and increased love for one another. This rite is followed by the rite of purification, known to us as the sacred lodge. The ritual of "Crying for a Vision" was used long before the coming of the sacred pipe. Crazy Horse received most of his power through "lamenting" or crying for a vision for some great event or ordeal such as going on the war path. "But perhaps the most important reason for 'lamenting' is that it helps us to realize our oneness with all things, to know that all things are our relatives; and then in behalf of all things we pray to Wakan-Tanka that He may give to us knowledge of Him who is the source of all things, yet greater than all things." Chapters are devoted to the Sun dance - one of the greatest rites; to "The making of Relatives" reflecting the relationship between man and Wakan-Tanka; preparing a girl for womanhood; and the rite of "The Throwing of the ball." Through these ceremonies we learn how the Sioux have come to terms with God, nature and their fellow man.

If you question the superiority and validity of the goals of western society; if you are conducting a self-examination; if you are re-evaluating the premises and orientations of our society; if you are concerned about our environmental crisis; if you are concerned about the problems created by highly developed technology; if you are questioning our basic values concerning life, nature and the destiny of man; if you are open to look at the models represented by the American Indians; if you want talk about peace to become action about peace you will find something of value in this book.

A beautiful book. You can learn about Siuox religious practie and beliefs. The reader will come away with a sense of how similar religios faiths can be. The Sioux it turns out are not so different from Christians, Hindus or any other group that uses faith to guide people through what is both difficult and beautiful in life.