Tracks Books

I am the mother of two children and I found Wolke's book to be a great book, with the information presented in systematic, but clearly understandable way. It is filled with practical ideas to on how to implement long term dietary habits for the whole family.

I really like the fact that Wolke discusses a healthy eating plan and is able to explain her reasoning from a professional point of view as well via personal reflections and anecdotes.

Her comments on the eating habits of school camps, children's sports and school food alone are worth the read.

This books educates the parent and explains how to convey knowledge to children in ways they will grasp, which is ultimately what we want as parents. We hope that children will understand and value healthy eating, so they no longer have to swing from one extreme to the other.

The seven steps tie everything together in a concrete way and Wolke keeps her style warm, encouraging, yet uncompromising all the way through.

This is no fad to follow, it is a flexible, professionally crafted plan that will encourage and empower parents to implement life long healthy eating, exercising and communication around these issues. If all families could follow a basic plan such as FitKid7 from the start, they would be taking positive steps in navigating such issues as eat

If you are new to the world of nutrition/lifestyle and you seriously want to get your kids' health issues straightened out, then Fitkid7 is a good place to start. Sirkka Wolke offers information and advice on nutrition in combination with lifestyle suggestions specifically aimed and kids and families. Wolke combines her knowledge and enthusiasm in a conversational writing style which will most appeal to those who find textbook approaches to nutrition daunting.

Personally, while reading the book I felt encouraged to tidy up my own eating habits. Inevitably my kids benefitted from my choice to change my diet! However, though Wolke is passionate about her subject, I found the overuse of exclamation marks irritating. I also found myself wishing Wolke had sited more research when making claims. In any case, if you are fervently searching for help in getting your kids to make better diet and fitness choices, Fitkid7 might be for you.

Let me preface this review by stating that I do not have children. However, I was one (weren't we all?), and I did babysit for many, many years. Take my opinion about "FitKid7: 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child" as you will with this knowledge. A how-to book of any sort requires two basic things. First, it must be written so that the reader, any reader, can understand it. Second, it must have clear directions and advice to follow. Given these criteria, does Sirkka Wolke's book qualify as a great investment of your money?

The book is divided into three basic parts. The first part lays out the steps to take. The 7 basic steps are easy to understand, because Wolke writes in an approachable, conversational tone. Frankly, her advice isn't all that new. The only truly new thing I saw was the idea that you should not keep anything that isn't healthy in your house. The rest, ranging from water as your primary liquid to a positive attitude, is very common in discussions of good health.

My biggest complaint in this first part is that there are a lot of how-to directions and advice that seem missing. I think many of these steps would be easy to put into place at the beginning of your family from the moment you get married or paired up or buy a house, and certainly before you have children. However, I can see many people buying this book who have older kids or teenagers, and I think much more practical advice is called for, such as how you convince your spouse or partner to get on board and how you deal with the stronger peer pressures and school access at the junior high and high school level.

In the second part of the book, Wolke looks at several factors that contribute to unhealthy behavior and eating patterns. Much of this is social, from the role of business to the pressure to succeed and passive entertainment. Again, there are several factors that are not deeply enough addressed, such as the American idea that dinner or supper should be the biggest meal of the day. Outside of the social factors, Wolke only pays brief attention to biology, and I'm not talking genes that make you fat. What about the fact that fats and sugars taste good to us? She mentions repeatedly the idea that our bodies can easily think we are starving, but how do you counter that long-standing biology in a world where we do not need to move as much and food production is incredible?

Of course, there are no easy answers for these issues, but I remember that my old private nutritionist looked at my ethnic background when she came up with a food plan for me. She considered not just my environment but my genetic background, and in her wise words she doubted I'd ever look like a supermodel because I came from "strong peasant stock," where big, strong women were a plus. Wolke focuses on health, not weight, though she does raise the weight issue a few times. I was very happy that she did not promote those height/weight/age charts that are generic. I also was very glad that she emphasized that stress and mental health are just as important or more important than the shape and size of your body.

The third part of Wolke's book looks at the various measures you can take to make these changes. Again, I think more could be said here, and the general advice consists of things I've heard and read repeatedly. She does list a few references for her advice, but more would also please the scholar in me. Of course, you can learn all you want but you have to make the actions match the information. As a person who has slowly added more fiber and leaner meats to her adult family's diet, let me tell you that it can be emotionally draining to stay the course in the face of opposition. Yes, even adults can be picky eaters, and I'm no exception.

The book ends with several sections that offer further information, such as an ideal shopping list, recipes, meal ideas, and resources you can use. I think the resources and bibliography need to be much longer. I also want to know where Wolke received her degrees in nutrition and whom/how she consults? I think knowing that would add more authority to her words.

"FitKid7" is a simple, fast read with good steps to take to help your children become more health-conscious and active people. It is really too short, though, at just over 100 pages, to give a lot of strong practical suggestions. Perhaps Wolke hopes you will consult with your own health care professional, but I would have liked more ideas for making this all work. The book is a good first step, but it won't answer all your questions.

No, plus my kids enjoyed the many ways on eating healthy from this book. We all want our children to be fit and healthy, but the current invasion of fast food, sugary snacks, and oversize portions are creating an epidemic of overweight, inactive, and unhealthy kids. The powerful influences of the fast-food industry, omnipresent junk food advertising, and the vicious cycle of TV, computer games, and Internet addictions only make our children more susceptible to a sedentary lifestyle and a lifetime of bad habits and obesity. Dedicated mom and Nutritional Consultant Sirkka Wolke says it's time to say good-bye to sugarcoated cereals, artificially colored cheese puffs, oceans of sugary soft drinks, nutritionally deficient school lunches, and fast-food super meals!

This book is not a diet which will make the transition even better for not only for yourself but for your child. In "FitKid 7" she shows you how to create a healthy, balanced lifestyle for your kids and how to make the transition from dairy-, fat-, sugar-, and chemical-laden foods to the vibrant, natural, nourishing foods we were all meant to eat.

You'll find general dietary guidelines for healthy eating for active kids, as well as tips on pre- and post-exercise nutrition, staying hydrated while exercising, and healthy snacks. This book offers a proven plan to help parents and kids alike learn to eat healthier and feel better, it features:

The Fitkid 7 Steps
Why is it happening?
The Tools We need
Harmful Foo Additives List
Great Ideas for Meals and Snacks
List of Extra Tips

Fit and Healthy foods does equal Healthy Children. "FitKid 7" provides the essential information on creating a lifetime of nutritional eating habits for your children. Highly recommended to those who care.

Sirkka Wolke, drawing on her extensive expertise, addresses a growing health crisis in the world concerning our children in a forthright way that underscores the importance of raising healthy, fit kids and outlines how to execute this easily. Although many adults attempt to get fit themselves, they tend to ignore their kids. This book accomplishes what the author set out to do--to make us take notice of what we are feeding our children for the sake of their future. This should be a standard read for all parents and those who work with children.

...Teacher, mother of 2....

This is a wonderful story that would certainly make a great movie. It definitely has all the elements necessary: a main plot and little side stories that are very important to the big picture. The author's strength is displayed as a magnificent coach, friend, and teacher, but it's his spirituality that plays a huge part in the team's building to where they mature and become winners. His Jewish Faith combined with the team's Catholic Faith show the Higher Force as what He really is: The all-loving and caring God. There are life lessons to be learned from this book. Plus, it's a delightful read! You'll love it!

Cross-country is the Rodney Dangerfield of sports in many high schools, overshadowed by the soccer craze and derided as a fall-back for those unable to make the cut in the glamour sports. If more people read "God on the Starting Line" they might see this sport for what it is: a demanding test of willpower, pain tolerance and team cohesiveness played out in a natural setting.

As Marc Bloom illustrates through this vivid depiction of his undermanned squad's break-through season, cross country is completely at odds with the pressures and temptations faced by today's adolescents in our video-game, fast-food culture. It's his ability as a coach to connect with these kids and instill a desire to rise above the ordinary that makes this simple story such a triumph.

The author, in his exuberance to connect with the reader and in his meditations on the larger meaning of running, lapses into a series of seemingly random associations in some passages that break up the training and race descriptions. Yet those with the patience to follow his train of thought through these interludes may come away convinced that the purification-by-pain and honest living demanded by cross-country running do indeed bring both coach and athlete closer to the divine.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Maker"

Marc Bloom has finally written the book every high school cross country coach and runner has dreamed of writing. He chronicles one of his seasons as the coach of the St. Rose cross country team in New Jersey. St. Rose is a smaller Catholic school and he has a squad of 8 (then 7) boys. He recounts their trials and triumphs through one summer and fall. Mr. Bloom is a very good writer (find a copy of an article he wrote called "Me and Julio down by the old school track") and he does an excellent job of telling this story.

This a very personal real story of an expert on Track and Field (Bloom) and empty nester with a desire to coach the pure running sport of Cross-Country. Remarkably, his only taker in New Jersey is St. Rose, a private Catholic School. Although Jewish, there is a prompt mutual respect between the team and Bloom. At this point in the book, Bloom has been coaching his team for several years but every summer he faces a challenge in team depth and symptoms of a summer of too little training. With his skeleton team, Bloom develops and gets to know each individual. He works personal motivation, skill in workouts, a touch of psychology and a mix of father figure and teacher together to help guide the boys through life. The book is surprisingly personal as Bloom reveals much of himself, his past and his family along with his own running experiences as he in turn learns about the boys under his tutelage. Bloom acts as a total coach knowing each boy's personality, personal conflicts and athletic needs while providing versatile training that promotes a team running style while also perfecting their training to the course they will run on at the Parochial Class B Championship. There is a great blend of faith as Bloom shares in their prayer before each race, holds a boys crucifix while he runs hoping that rubbing it will power the boy forward and at other times touching his own mezuzah for the same reach of faith and power. The final race is exhilarating as the boys give a tremendous effort and do run as a team as there coach has continual emphasized. Whether they win or not, they run as great heart, each one showing great improvement. The final sprint to the end is exciting as you literally sprint with the coach along the course to see how they finish. Without peeking at the end, you will find their final efforts surpisingly rewarding. Throughout the book, Bloom discusses the issues such as the detrimental effect hard training has on young girls, the effect multi-year sports has had on distance running (particular soccer) and insights to past great runners. The book may be more appealing to the mature runner as it's not all races and training but a look back at Bloom's life from mid life with an introspective look at the boys' lives and future as well. The book will be a treat for those former cross-country runners who enjoyed the simple purity of the sport and who also know that when the summer final cools, making your sweat turn cold, its cross-country season.

God on the Starting Line is an excellent non-fiction book about a NJ high school cross-country team and its coach. Bloom's smooth writing style brings out the joys and heartaches experienced by cross-country coaches and runners everywhere. I have coached x-c at two different Catholic high schools (in NJ and PA)and Bloom's honest description of the day-to-day experiences is very accurate. Bloom makes the reader feel a part of this team and his descriptions are both brutally honest, yet thoughtful for each team member. His race descriptions and training methods can be appreciated by runners, coaches and fans of distance running. Highly recommended!

As advertised this series is very good test review material for an experienced network professional. Will it be enough for a novice to pass the tests? Probably not.

Each book had several typos, one in particular in the TCP/IP book gave a wrong answer. The IIS 4.0 book listed two different set of specs for the min. requirements to run IIS 4.0 on. (I went with the MS information of course).

All in all a good buy. They did me well for all but the IIS 4.0: I coupled the book with the test from Transcender and passed with flying colors on my first try.

The author also writes a column for Windows NT Magazine and has a web site.

His column gives insight into many of the MS tests. He was dead on the money for the ones I took.

So far I have used the Networking essentials and Server 4.0 from the 6 book set. Though I found an error or two in the Server book, I appreciate the fact that the book addresses topics not even mentioned in other books. I tend to like this series better than the exam cram.

If you think Microsoft makes certification easy because to create a proliferation of MCSEs, then you're dead wrong. You can't pass the exams without good study material telling you what minutia Microsoft wants to hammer in on.

I've tried a lot of study guides, exam guides, cram guides, training guides, blah blah blah. Except for the name change and a few dollars, they are all the same.

Of those I tried, I thought this set was very different (as in good), well done, and the best I've come across.

There are a whole lot of box sets out there - Exam Cram, Training Guide, Study Guide, etc. I work with a bunch of guys and we bought several of them.

This is the one that did it for us, though. While the others were rehashes of the same training material - this was was focused on the exams (BIG difference!).

This series is one phenomenal set of books. I bought Alan Carter's MCSE Training Guide (IDG) and I was very impressed with it as well. I have passed all my exams with flying colors. I had already passed my Wks/Server core exams and IIS before I bought this set, so I just bought it for NetEssentials and TCP/IP.

I was having a hard time with subnets until I found a bunch of tables in the TCP/IP book. There are lots of tables like it, so if one doesn't do the concept for you, another one will. I sold all of my other study books, and now maintain this book for reference.

If you want a really great book that covers the information needed to pass the NT Server 4.0 Exam, then this is the one (along with a good study guide and practice question book, I used Sam's MCSE NT Server 4 book along with MS Readiness Review). I scored an 833 on the test.

I thought I knew enough to pass the new adaptive exam, but bought the Exam Cram book just in case. After failing the exam, I realized I needed some decent study materials. I bought this book and brushed up on topics I was short in in less than a night and took the exam again the next day. I would not have passed had I not spent the night with this book...

This book is JUST okay as an exam prep/review book. Some subjects are glossed over quickly and some are covered in detail. The fact that this book covers the browsing service whereas the Exam Cram one doesn't gives this book an excuse for existing. Again, not too bad...

The book cost 1/5th of an exam, and I was able to pass the exam first time out just by studying this book, so I reason that makes the book worth 5 times the money.

At the same time, there are a few typos to be aware of. I contacted the author, and found an errata sheet. Without the errata sheet, its a bit frustrating. If the typos would have been corrected, there would be nothing stopping me from giving this five stars.

I have never seen so much information packed into so small a package. This book was everything it claimed to be - and it contains every salient point that can be found in book sets costing 10 times as much. What it lacks is the miscellaneous information you skip past anyway when studying for an exam - think of it as the Reader's Digest Condensed version of any large study guide.

Such a cute story--I love the surprise ending and so will the kids!

We found this book at the library recently and my 3 year old LOVES it! He wanted me to read it over and over. Mom enjoyed it too - wonderful illustrations and the poetic lines were fun to read. I would highly recommend it. We've also read a few of the Bear books and Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo (which is another favorite of my 3 year old).

I'm a huge fan of Karma Wilson, and I'm hoping my two-year-old will be too. Ms. Wilson has a great ear for rhyme, and I always enjoy the illustrations. This is a fun book with a silly ending. Great for reading at bedtime.

A great book enjoyed by my 4,5 and 7 year old. Terrific pictures with lots of detail for young non-readers to enjoy. Superb writing that is classic Karma Wilson. A great gift for any child -- boy or girl.

This is one of my faves for preschool storytime.

The pictures are fun, the rhymes are natural and the surprise ending is a hoot.

Karma Wilson is a great author for those squirmy 3 year olds, but her books appeal to older preschool and primary grade children, too.

  Frank is a journalist, an editor, an author, but more to the point here a out-of-body traveler and a loving human being. He shares his growth and journeys with us that we may see how many more things are possible in this life. He has explored and journaled his dream life, has directly connected with his spirit guidance (which he calls The Gentlemen Upstairs) and has ventured into several "past" lives. Samples of the guidance received in the beginning as automatic writing are injected as appropriate. After his training at the Monroe Institute his life blossomed even more to encompass healing, rescue work and travel to the focus levels described by Robert Monroe in his writings. As co-founder of Hampton Roads Publishing Company he has been instrumental in bringing many New Age authors to public attention.
  The book is literate without being pedantic and is full of many insights gleaned from the author's journeys. Here is a quick summary from a final chapter called Interim Report: "We are immortal spirits temporarily inhabiting bodies... This life is not our only life... We "individuals" are all connected one to another... We as individuals are fragments of a larger being that cares about us and can be trusted... Nonetheless, this larger being sees things differently... The larger being is a source of foresight and wisdom... The larger contacts us... We can contact the larger being... Thus our lives need not be disconnected and solitary... Nevertheless, we may often lose communication (but the connection cannot be severed.)"
  Frank is very easy going in his presentation. This is not a hard sell. He knows you will have to experience these things yourself to appreciate their value and reality. Students of metaphysics will not find anything earth-shattering here. The pace does not have the excitement found in some other books. It is an easy read, a gentle style. Anyone curious about the Monroe Institute offerings will find value here. This book is not "proof of anything," but is instead a suggestion that life is more magical than you may have thought--a finger pointing to the moon.

For me, the hallmark of the Monroe Institute is the emphasis on bringing the unordinary into daily life. This book is an excellent depiction of this process. This personal narrative vividly shows the effects of a program at the Institute on everyday living. Reading it made me feel like I was back at the Institute, and it gave me insight into how to incorporate my experiences there into my own life.

I think this book is outstanding in it's field. I have been to The Monroe Institute and taken two of their programs and have read every book written by people who have been there. The author writes with overwhelming honesty and integrity. The conversations he has with his Higher Self amazed me and set me on a path of trying to contact my own in the same way that he does. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in self-realization.

Frank DeMarco has spent years searching for the meaning of life and sorting reality from illusion. Muddy Tracks is the chronicle of his quest for answers and self-discovery. One day he asked the universe, "Who am I?" and received "Muddy footprints in the grass" as an answer.

He interpreted this to mean that his experiences could show others the path he'd taken, that he was "here to show you that others have passed through what may appear to be a trackless wilderness [and] to encourage others to do some exploring." His own explorations led him to the knowledge that we are all part of a larger being, and that only our bodies die-our souls live on.

Through the larger being, we are all connected. This connection makes phenomena like psychic abilities, out-of-body experiences, ghosts, and distant healing available to all who want those experiences and abilities. DeMarco is guided on a continual basis by spiritual advisors he calls "The Gentlemen Upstairs." That kind of guidance is also available to others.

DeMarco emphasizes that the answers he received and experiences he had were strictly his own. Everyone must search for their own unique answers. His purpose is to simply show what he tried and what happened as a result. He says his intention is to present "a firsthand narrative of what I've learned and how I use it."

One of his primary resources was The Monroe Institute in Virginia, where students learn how to achieve altered states of consciousness and engage in out-of-body experiences. He provides extensive details of his experiences at the Institute in the hopes of providing others with "the tools and incentive to discover first hand that we, individually and collectively, are more than we have ever believed possible."

In Muddy Tracks, DeMarco has written "an honest and engaging account" for all those questioning the meaning of life and reality.

I had high expectations for this book, the author is the owner of Hampton Roads Publishing, a company well known for innovative spiritual and conscousness exploration titles heavily tied in with the Monroe Institute. If you want to know about the limits of human explorations of other states of conscousness and out of body states, Hampton Roads is the place to buy your books. But, embrassingly, this book is quite boring. Colin Wilson's introduction just seems flat out butt kissing to me. He touts this book as being as exciting as Robert Monroe's famous books on his out of body explorations. I don't think this book comes anywhere close to being that. I did find some nice moments in it, having myself been a graduate of the Gateway program, and found very similar personality traits with Frank and his feelings while attending, but his long winded explanations of trying to verify some past life memories are just hard to trudge through and frankly I didn't really care about his trying to justify his visions, I just found it extremely boring reading his attempts to pin down his mental impressions. If you have little knowledge of basic spiritual matters and past life stuff etc. maybe this book will inspire you. I have to admit I am only 3/4's the way through this book and its doubtful I will finish it. I just wonder if the employees at Hampton Roads gave the boss the ol'd "oh yes, nice book boss, oh yes lets publish it." Reading it is like reading a teenage girl's wordy diary on her daily thoughts. Sorry, maybe I am jaded but this book is a big let down. If you want cutting edge spiritual voyage excitement, read any of Bruce Moen's books published by Hampton Roads or Robert Monroe's original works or any of the works of many of its famous writer/graudates and their further adventures after gaining their skills at the Monroe Institute. sorry Frank, can I have my money back?

T.D. Thornton's revealing book should do for horse racing what Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" did for meat packing. But -- please -- hold the "reform" legislation. Government already has enough of its clumsy tentacles holding racing's head under water. "Not By A Long Shot" should be taken by racing industry participants as a call to the post of a higher consciousness characterized by self-examination, self-correction, and inspiration.

Media relations director of struggling Suffolk Downs in Year Y2K (enough went wrong at the East Boston track to make one suspect the move into the new century was somehow at fault), Thornton uses a deft hand and sharp mind in peeling the onion that it is thoroughbred racing. As with any onion's exploration, tears flow.

The author succeeds in giving a realistic picture brimming with tough love thanks to his training as a newspaper reporter mixed with an attraction to what Thornton calls the "cruel radiance" of the race course. Thornton's family connection (His father, Paul, is a Suffolk Downs trainer whose stable has included 2006 New England Horse of the Year Bodgiteer) gives his vision added range. Our author must be a pretty good diplomat as well since he manages to maintain part-time employment at "Sufferin' Downs" after publication of such a frank book.

With a sensibility in the tradition of Damon Runyon and Grantland Rice, Thornton manages to re-create the lovable roguishness racing enjoyed in its heyday. But, unlike many in today's establishment racing press, Thornton is no cheerleader lazily waiting around for the next press release or racing commission meeting. He charges at shabby thinking and practices like a horse coming down the home stretch. And that is the chief reason "Not By A Long Shot" should become a reference book for those who really love horse racing and want it to have a future.

To go along with his gritty look at racetrack life, Thornton scores a nice daily double by relating interesting bits from New England racing history. Among them --

--The story of Massachusetts thoroughbred owner Peter Fuller, Coretta Scott King, the tumult of 1968, and Dancer's Image (the Fuller-owned steed and only horse ever disqualified from winning the Kentucky Derby).

--The 1970s race-fixing scandal run by Boston native Fat Tony Ciulla that ensnared 39 tracks and dozens of jockeys including the great Angel Cordero Jr.

Thornton does an admirable job summing up the economic challenges facing horse racing. He quotes liberally from Bill Veeck's "Thirty Tons A Day" (a memoir of the maverick promoter's two years running Suffolk Downs) yet Thornton doesn't seem to consider that racing could solve many of its problems with the government by following Veeck's example. Veeck sued the Massachusetts state government to allow children to attend races -- and won. Shouldn't racing leaders stop playing games with elected officials and go to court to have the sport's economic rights upheld?

Also curiously missing from our astute author's observations is an examination of thoroughbred racing's inaccessible post times. Races at Suffolk Downs start at 12:45 p.m. and usually end at about 4:30 p.m. Three of its four cards per week are held on weekdays. Is it any wonder attendance has fallen when most races are conducted at times when most people are stuck at their jobs? Why not try night racing? It should be said that the mostly mid-level tracks that have gone to night cards haven't found the practice to be especially lucrative.

Thornton writes colorfully about Suffolk Downs "winter grind." Yet any person with a modicum of common sense would ask "Why the heck are they racing horses when it's 20 degrees outside? Doesn't track management realize that very few fans/bettors are going to show up? Isn't this just a waste of time and purse money?" The author lets it pass without criticism.

Another lapse of reason -- Chief Operating Officer Robert O'Malley speaks to Beacon Hill legislators after 19 other groups have testified and it's close to lunch time (p. 213). Didn't O'Malley realize his message was unlikely to be heard under such conditions?

These lapses begin to add up. This combined with a longtime industry inclination to seek monopoly privileges and subsidies (in recent years it's taken the form of pleas for "slot machines") conjures an image of a moribund industry cravenly trying to use government to stay on past its time. Thornton condemns this proclivity but that does nothing to erase the negative public image.

Besides byzantine systems brought about mostly because of government overregulation, horse racing today is suffering from its failure to embrace television 50 years ago (racing's fan base has grayed andthinned asa result). The Sport of Kings (or "king of sports" as Thornton cheekily calls it) is also suffering from a revolution that failed -- simulcasting. The growth of imported televised simulcasting has drained crowds and money away from live racing to the point where simulcasting now accounts for more than 80 percent of revenue at most tracks. Like "slot machines" today, simulcasting was touted as easy money by some track owners. In reality what it amounted to was a gamble involving an exchange of revenue streams. Not surprisingly, it came with a cost. Tracks don't get to keep as much of the simulcasting dollar as they do for live racing although overall handle has increased. Now on-track casino-style gaming is doing to racing handle (simulcast and live) what simulcasting did to live racing. Thornton recognizes this "potential" (it's more than potential) for "erosion" but offers no strategies for avoiding it.

The quality of racing is something Suffolk Downs and other struggling tracks need to confront. Horse racing has got to put its best product before the public as often as possible. Running 200-plus days a year mostly so struggling horsemen can make a living is a recipe for continuing mediocrity. What would happen if the New England Patriots played their second string for most of the game and only put in Tom Brady, Randy Moss and co. in the last five minutes? The fans would boo and then, after a while, they'd stop being fans. If the best way to get paying customers back to the racetrack to bet on racing is to shorten meets and boost purses then racing leaders should waste no time in doing this. The racetrack needs to cease being a welfare agency.

The Laffer Curve works in racing. Suffolk's original 1935 meet was only 28 days and crowds flocked to it. These days short meets at Saratoga, Keeneland, Del Mar, and Pimlico do bang-up business. A shortened time scale brings urgency and pagentry back to the races, something Thornton points out have slipped away from most tracks, replaced by numbing repetition of low-level races aimed at low-brow clientele whose mindset is summed up in (Thornton's phrase) "What the f... can I bet on next?"

Thornton speaks up for smaller stables and mid-level racing. To be sure not every race can or should be the Massachusetts Handicap (Suffolk's annual major stakes event) but the fact is that casual fans, bettors, and current and potential horse owners are losing interest in the lower end of the market. At the risk of sounding elitist, some folks in the maiden claimer colonies ought to consider finding something else to do.

Suffolk Downs is not leafy Saratoga or seaside Del Mar (as a training class incident related by Thornton well makes the point) but that doesn't mean Suffolk and other urban tracks are helpless. They can create new traditions (how about an opening day "Welcoming Back The Horses" parade from Revere Beach onto the Suffolk grounds?). Suffolk may have found its sweet spot for race dates -- 2007's reduced 100 days (May to November) produced impressive gains in handle and attendance for new owner Richard Fields. Yet Suffolk racing is now menaced by slow-death-by-casino as proposed by Fields.

Thornton's book pleasingly breaks down jargon. It offers insights aplenty. Example: Year-round racing destroyed handicap racing (that's not the only thing it ruined). What's most missing from "Not By A Long Shot" (hopefully, Thornton will tackle this in a future book) is a prescription for repositioning horse racing in American culture. Let me try:

Gambling is what used to be unique about horse racing but that is no longer true. The climate has shifted and racetracks need to focus on the uniqueness of the horses. Track managers and horsemen have to create a horse culture via new business combinations that treats gambling as subsidiary.

Las Vegas and Atlantic City are moving away from a gambling-centered culture in favor of a luxury-centered culture (fine dining, high-end shops). Horse racing needs to move to a rustic-centered culture emphasizing animals and the great outdoors. Racetracks should host horse auctions, dressage competitions, polo matches etc. to get people who already like horses interested in racing. Public sadness over the loss of open space and agriculture would fuel interest in horse racing's new rustic culture.

This will help blunt horse racing's big psychological problem with the public that Thornton gets close to when he writes about animal cruelty. Injuries to animals is a major liability to horse as well as dog racing. People don't fret about injuries to people in sports because it's acknowledged that people have free choice to participate or not. Animals don't have free choice. They're trained to race. Thus people are especially bothered by animal injuries, using phrases like "Why dothey (the royal "they") make them (the animals) do that?" People further reckon..."Since horse racing is mostly about raising money for government programs and we've got all this new fangled gambling now why not keep the animals safe by letting horse racing go into the dustbin of history?" It's a good argument. Flawless logic. And G-d help horse racing if it continues to wear the image of gambling-centered government cash cow.

There are no easy answers for horse racing. If the great sport survives it will be largely because of the energy and spirits of people movingly chronicled by Thornton such as injured jockey Rudy Baez; executive Lou Raffetto, whose plan to revive the MassCap "backfired" into appearances by the world's most successful horse -- Cigar -- in two consecutive runnings of Suffolk's big race; and backstretch "lifers" who get up early every day to tend the animals amid bleak circumstances. It will take boldness as well as love and belief in horse racing to revive Suffolk Downs. Hopefully, wise men such as T.D. Thornton will stay around and see it through.

James Mosher is a freelance writer who lives in Ledyard, Connecticut. His work on horse racing has appeared in Daily Racing Form, Blood-Horse magazine, Thoroughbred Times, and other publications.

For someone who knows nothing about the racing industry this is an enlightening glimpse into the mechanics, personalities and stories that come together to create the excitement of the racing industry. The outsider may see this as the "sport of kings," with all the glamour we watch at the Kentucky Derby but this is a window into the toothless, hapless, shrewd, caring varied characters on the lower scale that keep the racing industry alive. Mr Thornton's style of writing is addictive, one gets caught up in his usage of words and his turns of phrase. A picture forms in one's mind and you can begin to watch the movie in your head.

This book is definitely worth your time if you are a horse-racing fan. This is especially true if you are aware of the life of day-to-day racing at a lower-level track like Suffolk Downs, because that is who the author writes about. The people and horses at a place like that are the backbone of racing, and there are plenty of interesting tales to tell. I wouldn't call it a great book, but it's solid, informative, and entertaining.

This is the first review I have written for an Amazon book. It is a great read written with such honesty. Hope there are more books from this author down the line.

A fantastic read on one track in particuar and the entire racing industry as a whole. An important and very enjoyable read for anyone who loves the track. Thornton covers it all, from the politicians down to the wackiest track degenerates. Highly recommended for anyone who has been bitten by the racetrack bug at some point in their life.

At some point racing is going to be gone for good. This book tells us all the great things, available nowhere else, that we're going to lose.

I want to recommend a great book to you. The name of the book is One Track, by Beatrice O'Brien. It's a wonderful, true story about the once grand Railroads of the Northeastern part of the United States, and it's also about the life that this family, whose fate was tied to the railroads, led up to and during WWII and then after. The true heroes in this life are people like the O'Briens. A factually correct book and emotionally engaging. What a life they've led! It's very good reading.

One of, if not the best book I have ever read. Unlike recent "Best Sellers" I enjoyed this book both content and style . I did not feel I had to read it just to say I had. I enjoyed every second in fact I could not put it down. It is written with real passion and love for each and every character portrayed. This wont be the last from B O'Brien

As a contemporary of the protagonist, I found this marvelously well written novel totally absorbing. The story of George's beginnings in abject poverty, of his wartime experiences, of his return to the railroad and of his career as a member of the Erie family is not uncommonl; and it is for very reason that it should be required reading for young people of the present affluent age. Those of us who were children of the Great Depression, who shared his war, who tried as best we could to keep to the One Track will enjoy this well-paced novel for the universality of the story. This is the story of a man's whole life. The Erie Railroad was an important part of it, but there is more to George than the railroader. I appreciate the fact that Beatrice makes that clear. oki

Exceptional Book. Highly Recommended for anyone who loves the American past and the railroads. As a someone in their 60s, I found the book to be a treasure. I enjoyed reading the book very much. Thank you to the author for writing a brilliant book.

Beautifully written book that brings back memories from the past. The author is an exceptional writer with a strong suit for nostalhic prose. I read this book few months ago. Every time I think about the book, it brings back memories about the glorious American past and the railroads. I highly recommended it. A GREAT READ!!!

Amby carries on where George Sheehan left off. Great motivational essays at a great price. Amby and Joe Henderson are two of the best living running essayists.

Amby is a great runner, editor and human being. Give his book a go or give it to some runner you know...

I ran all through grade school and high school and am picking up the sport again after some years off. I found this book to be a great re-introduction after some time off. I think Amby describes it best as that book that has lots of answers to the questions you've been asking yourself for months (or years), and instead of buying many books to find the answeres, they are all in one small, relatively inexpensive book.

If you run, buy it, you'll like it, if you are thinking about running, buy it, it'll help you along the path towards your running goals.

This book is great for runners of all age and experience. I have never been much of a fitness nut, but Mr. Burfoot's book inspired and helped me to begin a personal running program. I have already recommended this book to many people and will continue to do so.

execellent book for the beginners. the principles are short, comprehensive, precise and right to the point. but for the intermediate and advance runners, this book has nothing new to offer other than repeat and remind of what you have already learnt.

If you're an advanced or intermediate runner, you probably
understand most of what is covered already. In my opinion,
this book is more for the beginner runner, or the runner who
is returning to the sport after a long layoff. However, even
respected runners such as Frank Shorter (1972 Olympic Gold
Medalist Men's Marathon), Joan Benoit Samuelson (1984 Olympic
Gold Medalist Women's Marathon), and Jeff Galloway have
endorsed the book. The author himself is the winner of the
1968 Boston Marathon. However, that is not the point. The
point is that this book is compact and easy to read. Someone
in elementary school who is starting out as a runner could
benefit from this book, even though it is probably intended
more for high school runners and older runners.
In the introduction, the author says the book is only to
cover the basics. If you want a tome on running that is
comprehensive, I suggest Timothy Noakes' book The Lore
of Running, which is nearly 1000 pages. The Principles
section is essentially a summary of what the topic he is
discussing. It is written in a nice sequential order,
even though you can use it as a reference guide. I am
deducting a star because it is brief, and doesn't contain
everything you need to know about running, but then again
that wasn't the point of this book, since it would be
redundant. I would recommend getting additional books on
running if you're a serious runner and are looking for
something more comprehensive. It lacks training schedules
for anything besides the marathon in this book, and getting
started towards running if you're not running already.
The breakdown of the book is as follows:
Introduction

Part I: The Joy of Running
For The Health Of It
The Real Runner's High

Part II: First Steps
Getting Started
It's Okay To Go Slow
Motivation
Aches and Pains
Blisters
The 10-Percent Rule
Running and Walking

Part III: Women
Safety
Menstruation
Pregnancy
Menopause
Special Concerns

Part IV: Equipment
Shoes
Apparel
Heart-Rate Monitors
Treadmills
Indoor Exercise

Part V: Nutrition
Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins
Vitamins and Minerals
Before and after a Run
On The Run
Drinks, Bars and Gels
Vegetarian Diet

Part VI: Warming Up and Cooling Down
Hard and Easy Workouts
Progressive Training
Hills
Cross-Training
Groups
Long Runs
Tempo Training
Max VO2
Speed-Form Training
Burnout

Part VII: Weight Loss
Running Works Best
The Running Diet
A 24-Hour Program
Maximum Weight Loss

Part VIII: Weather
Heat
Cold
Dark, Snow, Ice and Rain

Part IX: Injury Prevention and Treatment
Overuse Injuries
Stretching
Ice
Pain Relievers
Shinsplits
Knee Injuries
Achilles Tendinitis

Part X: Racing
The Decision To Race
Goals
Mental Preparation
Tapering
The Start
Pace

Part XI: The Marathon
Commitment
Building-Up
Essential Element
Yasso 800s
Taper
Carbohydrate-Loading
Final 24 Hours
Early and Middle Miles
The Wall
Recovery

Part XII: A Lifetime of Running
Slowing Down, Feeling Great
Use It or Lose It

I bought this book strictly for memories of when I watched it in the 50's. It served its purpose.

this is a great, glossy book giving a quick overview of the history of roller derby. awesome pictures! and the words are great too. recommended for people who are really into roller derby.

This was a very informative read. If you are interested in starting to Derby or just becoming a fan check it out.


DD Hunter
Stateline Roller Derby Diva

bad news first:
as a skater i'd have to say that i appreciated the book by melicious a bit more, it was a bit more inspiring and informational for a roller girl active in the sport. as willy callit sez, the captions could've been a bit more descriptive, but as that wasn't what the book was about that's more of a personal preference and not really a flaw. again, another personal preference would've been to see more national representation of current leagues, this one seems REALLY centered in the western conference. if you're an eastern girl and are looking for familiar faces, you probably won't see any unless you travel around a lot.
BUT this book has really great photography, i mean it's really, really nice. it's supported by thorough research and is a quality read. i definitely enjoyed it and am glad i bought it. if you want to know more about the origins of derby yesterday and today, and get up to date on how the game is played, you really need to read this one. recommended, for sure!

I absolutely love this book!
I have been playing roller derby for almost 3 years and never have I found something that so completely and beautifully illustrates what this sport is to me and what I love about it-- I feel like I need to keep it with me at all times so I can show it to strangers who ask me about derby. The book explains it so much better than I can.
The pictures are gorgeous, and obviously shot and selected by people who know and love derby. Granted, it is a coffee table book, but for someone who wants to know what roller derby is but doesn't have the time to commit to a novel and just wants to get the basic gist and leaf through pages and pages of phtographic eye candy, this book is perfect. This book is a must-have for any derby girl or derby fan, or family member or friend who wants to know what all the fuss is about.
Catherine Mabe knows derby, knows the derby community, and in general just knows what she's talking about. Her book is lovely. Buy it!