Open Books

I love this book. I found it very inspiring and empowering. Eases the burden of homeschooling and gives tools to a better education for your child. I highly recommend this book.

How can I review this book if it's been over a month and I haven't even received it yet?!!!

Don't read my review. Buy the book and read it instead. If you only ever puchase one book on home education, then let it be this one. John Holt is simply the best.

This single book completely transformed our family's plan for educating our child. After 3 years of perfectly normal, traditional (private and public) schooling, the light bulb went off and we are now embarking on the incredible journey of homeschooling. John Holt speaks such truth, and reminds us that all human beings are born naturally curious, wanting and able to learn. Imagine the potential of our world if each child spent 11,000 hours out in the real world, hungrily soaking up all that life has to offer, instead of sitting all day, being fed information to regurgitate with no apparent and immediate relation to their needs, their interests or their lives. Holt reminds us that "school" is a relatively new invention, and that earlier generations who could not only write exquisitely, invent, create, build and lead, were all schooled at home. Holt also helps every parent who has ever said "I could never homeschool my children" rethink the entire idea of being "the teacher". Rather, every parent can assume the role of "facilitator"... simply providing access, resources and examples... and watching the miracle of natural human development take off on its own. Take the journey. You will never look back.

Do you remember what they taught you at school? Me neither. I learned to read very early on, mostly at home, and I still remember some math, but only because I balance my checkbook and know when I'm getting correct change at the market. All those years, isolated from the real world in the artificial environment of school, sitting at a desk all day with 30 of my same age peers, how was I to learn about what an actual life in the world is like, or about what I wanted to do with mine? I remember learning to take tests. Now I never take them. A lot of it was pleasant enough, some of it was not, most of it was boring, and somehow I never noticed that I was mostly wasting my time.

Now I know better having read John Holt, a sweet, caring man and a wonderful writer. He's radical, but he never rants. He persuades, gently, eloquently. He learns through years of careful, loving observation and by trial and error and he shares that with you in a way that makes it seem as though he's one of your oldest, most comfortable friends. He reminds you of what you went through in school. He makes sense. He's fun to read. And you know he's right as you read him, because we have all gone to school.

I loved this book because of the way it validates my own personal experience in this area.It goes to prove that having sex is not just a physical thing but that there is something more, something sacred about it. Excellent reading.

I purchased this book based on recommendations by both Ken Wilber and David Deida. I felt that if they suggested it, there would probably be significant benefits to be had. This assumption has proved correct.

First off, I like this book because it isn't a strict "How to" guide. Yes there is a section that presents those considerations, but primarily it is a book that presents the experiences (good and bad) of a number of different couples. In reading these stories one comes to the conclusion that there really is no concrete pattern that occurs...each couple's experience is unique. This, in my opinion, mirrors the spiritual realities that I have witnessed (modest as they are).

I also like that the downsides are not ignored. One chapter in particular (chapter 10, Why Didn't Anyone Tell Us This Before?) specifically address some of the painful side effects that can occur, and offers some important precautions that should be observed. I personally appreciate this responsibility on behalf of the author.

If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of sex, I heartily recommend this book.

Jenny Wade interviewed 91 people (identified through personal acquaintance networks) who spontaneously experienced transcendent awarenesses during sexual encounters. They report these experiences were so profoundly moving that their sexual encounters paled by comparison. In fact, the sexual climax was often experienced as a distraction or even as an annoyance.

A variety of transcendent experiences were identified by her subjects, including transfiguration of the sexual partner, shape shifting, channeling of spirit awarenesses, totally being in the present moment, cosmic awareness, out of body experiences, and past life recall.

Wade writes clearly, providing the background for understanding these transcendent sexual experiences in the context of more commonly reported transcendent experiences. She illustrates each of these types of experience with fascinating quotes from her subjects.

"I was taken up beyond my body and the warmth of the sun on my skin and the clear blue sky until I went in that golden sunlight and cerulean blue. Then I shot out beyond it into the vastness of space where all was silence and the blackness lit by stars. Everything there looked clear and beautiful and cold, yet I could feel the life pulsating through it, the fierce fires of the distant suns and burning stars. It was beauty and it was love and there I was in the middle of this universe stretching forever. I wanted to stay there always. --Rachel" (p.111)

The only criticism I can muster about this book is a minor unclarity about whether these transcendent experiences as sexual encounters are ever shared by both partners. On page 141 Wade clarifies that past life awarenesses are the only transcendent experiences that couples regularly share.

While transcendent sex as a Tantric meditative practice has been well known and extensively described, Wade clearly expands the boundaries of these experiences in this groundbreaking book.

She's done it again! In Transcendent Sex, Dr. Jenny Wade relates the experiences of people just like you and me who have touched the divine, not by meditation or yoga or drugs, but simply by making love. Often these folks didn't even plan on having a transcendent experience, it just happened!

In her first book, Changes of Mind, Dr. Wade showed how consciousness develops over our lifetime and more importantly, how these discrete stages of development, she calls them MindSets, persist and shape our interactions at work and in other relationships. In effect we don't just have one `mind' inside our head, but several--each with it's own values, strengths and weaknesses--some more `evolved' than others. Gaining access to the higher states was thought to be a path reserved for the devoted practitioners of the mystic arts, but now she presents the stories of ordinary people having truly extraordinary experiences which transcend their day-to-day conscious minds. For some it reflects attainment of a higher state of awareness.

Why is this book important? I don't want to spoil the pleasure of your experience of sex, but if one of these invitations to glimpse a world beyond the limits of your bedroom comes unbidden, it will be comforting to know that you are not losing your mind, but in a way finding it. If these transcendent insights occur to one partner and not the other, you now have a basis for a deeper understanding of each other and the wonder of the universe by reflecting on the perhaps similar experiences of others.

As with Changes of Mind, Dr. Wade shows her uncanny ability to tease a taxonomy out of what some might leave as a collection of interesting but disparate tales. Using her familiar metrics of sense of self, sense of place and sense of time, she sifts the ninety or so interviews into groupings that not only enhance the reading, but also facilitate a quick reference should something troubling occur.

On that note, I should paraphrase Dr. Wade's admonition: not all transcendent experiences are welcome and some may be downright unsettling. While this is not a `How To' book, she does give some pointers on being open to the experience and also some advice on dealing with the darker aspects. Above all this is not a book about Sex or a guide to better orgasms: if pressed, I would say it's about the boundless spiritual energy that we all possess. It is a phenomenal book!

Caught this book out of the corner of my eye in the store, read the back and took it home... Had never seen or heard anything like it, and I'd love to find more info in this area.

If you've never had an "Experience", you may not get the message, but for those that have, it'll change your understanding of it. I wish I could sit down with the author.

After readying this marvelous book, I found that Linux and Ubuntu is for everyone. Linux should not be a problem, if one follows this book and reads it cover to cover. This is a well written book that everyone should have, even for future reference. It goes into detail explaining every single topic regarding the Linux Ubuntu Desktop Edition 8.04 (Hardy Heron) and it does it in a concise and easy matter. I sincerely recommend it to everyone who wants to get into the Linux world, without reading nonsense technicalities that does not amount to anything.

Item was in great shape (infact it was new). Very fast delivery.
Would purchase from them again.

It is nice to be able to look up the problems you come up against in a new OS. This book is well done and has been very useful for my conversion to Linux. It even came with a Hardy CD.

I was very uncomfortable with the idea of using linux but I wanted to try something new and this book really eases you into the process of learning to use linux without being overwhelming. It explains everything in easy to understand 'non-geek' language and is a good starting point if you want to learn more about linux and are a traditional windows user. After reading this book, I purchased many ubuntu and other linux distro books to help me understand linux more but I do not think I would have understood them that well if I had not read this book first. I would highly recommend it to "newbies".

I wrote my original review for a discussion forum at:
http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/thread26912.html

Not too long ago, I reviewed The Official Ubuntu Book, Third Edition published by Prentice Hall (July 13, 2008). The thing about reviewing a later edition of an already successful book, is that you need to make sure it updates to the current version of whatever it's describing, which in this case is Ubuntu 8.04, the Hardy Heron. I dinged the Benjamin Mako Hill, et al. book, primarily because it didn't address readers who were already dedicated Ubuntu users and who needed to know the ins and outs of upgrading vs. doing a clean install. I've since learned (and it wasn't addressed in the Prentice Hall book) that there actually is a direct upgrade patch from 6.06 to 8.04 (and this information was a little hard to come by). I needed that information, because performing that upgrade was the task I needed to perform. Rickford Grant's third edition book arrived at my home yesterday. How will this book appeal to the complete Ubuntu newbie vs. the experienced "non-geek" with upgrade needs?

Bottom line for "upgrade" people is that Grant dropped the ball as far as continuing to address his earlier readers who want to learn how to turn our "aging" Ubuntus into brand new Hardy Herons. I highly recommend picking up this text if you've never used Ubuntu before and have a burning need to learn how Ubuntu 8.04 will benefit you on the desktop (and it really will). For those of us with a few years of Ubuntu under our belts and who want to upgrade what we've already got, I guess http://ubuntuforums.org is the best place for us to get clued in.

When I bought this book at the Brookline Booksmith here in Boston, the girl at the counter said "this is a great book". I had bought it based on a short New Yorker review, and also, let's face it, because of its great title.

The 11 short stories are set in and around the fictional town of Vaughn, Maine. The characters go to Portland, take a train up north towards Quebec, talk about trips to Boston, all of which roots Vaughn into the real Maine. Indeed, the book opens with a map of Vaughn showing it on the (real) Kennebec river.

The book has a historic sweep, referencing actual history (the Plains of Abraham where the British General James Wolfe fought the French in the Battle of Quebec) as well as the history of the book characters and of Vaughn itself. One story starts "I belonged to a large family that had lived in the same town in Maine for over two hundred years". Reading the stories, many about traumatic events such as a drowning, you know that the protagonists will still be living together, in the same place in Maine, for the rest of their lives. You get the feeling that the place itself has a long memory.

The writing moves from matter-of-fact prose ("A hockey game started near shore, mostly fathers and sons and brothers in plaid jackets and blue caps, choosing sides according to size"), to Maine logging jargon ("Nothing in the river but sinkers and bark cake and raw waste from sixteen towns coating the bottom, methane bubbling up through the water and pulp and booms waiting for a freshet"), to beauty ("He turned around and looked up, as if at a mountain peak or a descending plane, but there was nothing above except a line of high white clouds pulling up over the valley like a cold sheet").

Highly recommended. I pass on the recommendation from the Brookline Booksmith counter assistant.

Jason Brown writes wonderful short stories. In this collection, he is able to capture perfectly and insightfully the nuances of adolescent experience. BUY THIS BOOK!

Full Disclosure: I attended Bowdoin College with Jason Brown, and we had an acquaintance or two in common. I read a profile in the Bowdoin Magazine and then bought his first book, which I loved.

This collection of short stories was dynamite. Dark and powerful, all its stories revolve around the fictional town of Vaughn on the Kennebec River. I would almost call it a novel about Vaughn told from all sorts of angles, from the aging widow to the neglected children. I was particularly impressed with a story about a logger on the last pulp run down the Kennebec.

These are stories that stay with you. I read the entire collection on the train between Boston and Lawrence -- after each story, I would stare out the window looking at the double-deckers in Malden or the stark outlines of abandoned mills.

I look forward to his novel.

Just for kicks, compare the map of Vaugn in the collection to Jason Brown's hometown of Hallowell, Maine.

Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work: Stories

Although all of the stories in Jason Brown's second collection are set in and around the fictional town of Vaughn, Maine, the emotional territory of the stories is far-reaching. Many of his characters are moving through life in quiet turmoil--enduring, defiant, proud, foolish. Brown's deep compassion for these flawed characters makes each of their struggles palpable and affecting. We feel the stories viscerally, which is how Brown seems to write them. This is writing from the gut. The best book of stories I've read in years.

Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work: Stories

This is a fantastic collection. Read Brown's "Trees," in which the woods stand as a watchful, powerful central character. All of Brown's stories are like those woods: deep, dark, and full of secrets, a place you're drawn to again and again.

I receieved these books whenever I was in middle school. I am now 22 years old, and from time to time I will go back and re-read them. Robin Jones Gunn really has done something wonderful in writing these books. They are sweet, innocent reads that bring the reader closer to their Heavenly Father. I recommend them from the bottom of my heart.

Christy Miller will forever be my favorite book character. I can relate to her and the situations she encounters. At the end of the last book, I cried my eyes out, feeling as though i had lost my best friend. Serria Jensen is no different. These are characters you can truly connect with, who will ultimatley lead you closer to the Lord. I recommend these books to all christian teens!!

I love the Christy Miller Series and I have just started the Sierra Jensen Series! They can keep me hooked for hours! I am begging for 5-12 of the Sierra Jensen series. It is a continual of the Christy Miller and like they help you with your relationship with God and his Amazing Grace and love and they help you realize how truly amazing God is! I recommend these books to anyone! Read all of them!

The Sierra Jensen series is great. It is inspiring especially to all those new Christians out there. It is light reading especially good for a busy lifestyle but also made me think that maybe my relationship with God is not good enough.
I can really understand Sierra's life as it is very much the same as mine. Then again, my life isn't that bad so maybe now i'll be able t thank God more for how he is working in me.
These books and the Christy Millar series are an awsome read and believe me, your missing out if you don't read them. Thannx amazon as i got me sierra series here a few weeks ago!!!!!

These books are a must have! Everyone will enjoy them! They're perfect for gifts to share and spread the faith! If you read these then the Christy Miller Series is also a must!

This book seemed a bit pricey for a paperback until I saw the sample pages on their web site. If you're interested, I recommend you check it out.(...)

It shows sample pages from this book and the activity sheets that they sell to go with it. Really great illustrations and fun borders. My kids dove right into it, and it made them feel extra smart because even the little one could read it quickly... which he did over and over again.

The activity sheets are a real bargin. There are tons of games, and things to keep kids busy in the summer. This isn't like those give-away booklets at restaurants. These activity pages are really well done (better than anything my 1st grader has brought home from school)! And there are somthing like 45 pages of things for kids to do. I copied the sheets so both of my sons can do the projects.

Both the book and activity pages are well worth the money. I'm really glad I got these for my kids.

Great pen and ink-style drawings that remind me of the books I loved when I was younger - Mulligan's Steam Shovel, Make Way for Ducklings, etc. Writing is for very young children - story is actually a song, but also great for reading out loud. The repetitive verses have been helpful for my five year old who is learning to read - he's been recognizing some of the words as we read.

Only complaint? This book would be great for little hands in a hardcover version, however, as my youngest son already gave the front cover a good rip.

This book is truly a treasure - a gem among the new tradition of children's books that look at all different types of families. I ordered this book based upon the reviews of other parents who bought it for their families, and I was even more thrilled with it then expected!

The book is for very young children, I'd say ages 6 and under, and gives kids a simple explanation and basic understanding of why we have work to do, but that we all have time for fun as well. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!!

I found it SO easy to teach my 2.5 and 4 year old the days of the week with this book. There is a little song that goes with it, and the kids love it.

I am a single mother, and I love that this book shows all different kinds of family units, not just 2 parents and 2.5 kids. It shows mothers working, and playing with the kids, as well as fathers and grandparents. In this day and age, it is a delight to see a book address the modern, as well as traditional family. Work-A-Day Week also shows people of different races.

It is beautifully illustrated, and has really cool borders. My kids and I went through naming all the cool pictures related to the different jobs. Great for vocabulary building.

I also recommend the Work-A-Day Week activity sheets. There are about 50 pages of games, paper dolls, projects, mobiles. We just got started on it, but the kids want to do it every day. They even printed these pages in black and white on single sheets, so they are easy to copy and use over and over. They kids can color and cut the copies out, so ... oh, I guess I should write this review for that book.

Buy them both! You won't regret it, if you have kids under the age of 8.

I just wrote a longer review under the matching activity book for Work-A-Day Week, but just wanted to write and say how wonderful this book has been for my children and I. I was a stay-at-home mom for eight years, and returned to work this fall. My three childre, ages 3,5, and 8 were having a tough time with the change... but this book helped to explain to them that all parents, grandparents, and even kids have work that they must do... but that there's also time for fun.

My kids love this book - the 5 year old is already reading parts of it, due in part to the poetic and repetitive nature of the story. The illustrated borders on each page are stunning - my kids like to all look for things hidden in the borders together. My 3 year-old wants to read it every night before bed - and this book is so refreshing that I actually don't mind!

I highly recomment purchasing this book, and the matching activity pages. I purchased an activity set for each of my children!

Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey. He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote. Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers. The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book. Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book. It is not a "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

Of note, Einstein's "Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

"When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality" This comment alone is worth price of the book.

The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century. We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli. One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science. Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone. This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.

Here, Einstein clearly shows the world that he was a first-class intellectual and scientist.

--Lonnie R. Gardner (Math Teacher)

The philosopher Paul Schilpp directed, for many years, a series of books like this one, each around an eminent scholar. I recall, for instance, those on Russell and Popper. They started with an intellectual autobiography, followed by articles by specialists both pro and against the protagonist. They all had, it seems, a very high quality. No one surpassed,though, or even equalled, the volume on Einstein. And that because of the absolutely extraordinary quality of his intellectual autobiography, which he insisted in naming his "obituary". This is one of the great moments of written expression, rivalling Augustine's "Confessions". Is is written in German, and faced, page by page, with a translation by Schilpp. At a certain point, Einstein engages himself in answering the question he just proposed: "What, precisely, is thinking". The defense rests.

In spite of his lasting fame and eminence, Albert Einstein remains largely misunderstood by most of us to this day. Yet it's not for lack of trying. His presence is ubiquitous in high school math classrooms throughout the United States, where he is often depicted on glossy posters as an old man amid the stars with e=mc2 hovering nearby. Most children eventually learn that Einstein and his famous equation are the reason we have atomic bombs. Beyond that, they know next to nothing.

But "Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist" edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp can change all that, provided one makes the effort. After the introduction and preface the book opens with Einstein's "Autobiographical Notes," written in German at the age of 67. We may read both the German text and English translation on the facing pages, and compare the two, which I often did, especially with difficult passages. And there are some "difficult passages" to be sure.

The next section contains a series of essays by Einstein's esteemed colleagues and contemporaries. Among them are Wolfgang Pauli, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Kurt Godel, Gaston Bachelard and others of equal stature. Some contributors disagree with Einstein's position on statistical quantum theory, Max Born in particular. Others tackle the epistemological issues of their time, illuminating subtle philosophical considerations that quickened the numerous advances in theoretical physics during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. One essay: Philipp G. Frank's "Einstein, Mach, and Logical Positivism" reveals an astounding fact. "Because of the close connection, which obviously exists between Einstein's theory of relativity and Mach's philosophy, Lenin feared that Einstein's theories might become a Trojan horse for the infiltration of idealistic currents among Russian scientists and among educated classes in general."

I find this appalling. Apparently, even devout atheists can lack an open mind.

Happily, Einstein answers each contributor at the end of the book in his "Remarks to the Essays Appearing in this Collective Volume." He begins with Pauli and Born, primarily because of their position on statistical quantum theory, whereupon Einstein launches into a fascinating defense of his own position. But as with all the contributors, the tone throughout was gentle and respectful. And one comes away with the impression that Einstein was beloved by his contemporaries because he returned that love in kind. The result was a mighty collusion of powerful minds that changed the world. Now, if only politicians and preachers could do the same!

Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey. He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote. Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers. The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book. Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book. It is not a "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

Of note, Einstein's "Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

"When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality" This comment alone is worth price of the book.

The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century. We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli. One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science. Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone. This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.

This book is engulfing! I'm so happy each night when I fall asleep reading such wonderfully descriptive text! The main character is enchantingly beautiful, in a most spiritual way. The insightful remarks about the structure of our society and what it means to be human make this book worthy of my highest regards.

Wella's mission to Earth to mate turns into an astounding adventure, a study of human relationships as well as a lesson in love for a child's sake that we would do well to heed.

Innocence and intrigue, love and fear, war and peace -- the themes are eternal. But an other-worldly perspective suggests a new and hopeful vision. This is the apocalypse in reverse. Be prepared for a page turner that inspires. From the lonely self-doubts and confusions of a young girl to the emergence of a global consciousness for peace and justice. To paraphrase Daniel Berrigan, "we must dream of things we never expect to see". This is that dream. It is our faith, our gift, for the generations to come.

This book is hard to put down - the plot turns in unsuspected ways, the characters are intriguing and unpredictable with a hint of mystery. Ms. Lee's prose is excellent - colorful, yet direct. This is fiction with enough hints of reality to make you want to believe it could happen.

I just finished reading "Alien Child" by author Mona Lee, and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed this book! It was so well written that the words effortlessly eased themselves off the page and into my heart and imagination.

With an easy to follow story line and deliciously decriptive characters and scenery, the author awakens the texture, personality and emotional depth within the reader. We are taken on a journey through and beyond a seemingly "normal" experience. The impossible becomes possible, and "Alien Child" becomes personally realistic and absorbing even though the book is labeled "science fiction" and "fantasy".

The concept of blending science-fiction and fantasy into the realities of global political structures is a highly effective strategy. Ms. Lee successfully introduces new ways of thinking and positive role models to a growing audience hungry for peaceful solutions to human sufferings. She stretches our belief systems and expands the concept of unlimited human potential within everyday people and events.

Another fine quality of this book is the physical presentation and layout. Separations by chapter and date enhance the storyline and development, and the centered, even margins are easy on the eye.

Many people continue to work toward healthy globalization, United Nations reform, and the establishiment of enforceable laws and justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC). I commend Ms. Mona Lee for her creative presentation of these innovative ideas, and will encourage my friends and colleagues to read her fascinating and engrossing novel.

Thank you for making this book available on amazon.com

Sincerely,

Susan J. Zipp Member - Board of Directors World Federalist Association

Utah's acceptance of the 2002 winter games seemed to prove the soundness of Colorado's decision to reject the games decades earlier. As has now been well documented, the award touched off a cascade of corruption, from outright bribery of the International Olympic Committee to various land swindles. It was a seismic event in the rural West, creating a shock doctrine all its own. Here at long last was the perfect excuse for wholesale development at nearly any cost. Honorable state and national legislators morphed into eager enablers.

Steve Trimble wisely opted out of trying to thoroughly assay the political scheming and environmental consequences played out in a spectacular crucible. But he has done something far better. He tracks one emblematic deal -- the transfer of a great swath of prime public land to a driven man who was already one of the largest landholders in the country. Bargaining For Eden is not just another depressing illustration of the corrupting influence of power, but a vibrant montage of unusual suspects expressing quirky aspects of individualism, camaraderie, and Western ethos. The author himself does not stand aside in judgment, but, in going the extra mile for the truth, explicitly implicates himself -- almost shamefacedly detailing his own micro-land development.

I'm grateful that Steve Trimble volunteered to guide us through this minefield of desires and improbable outcomes. His softspoken integrity puts the reader at ease. His own contemplative adventures are mingled deftly with the big doings of "operator" Earl Holding -- a man who, despite the author's careful rendering, seems more bulldozer than flesh and blood. This, above all, makes the book compelling. It is surprisingly easy to read, in spite of the messy wrangling for wilderness and luxury it reveals. In the end, I could not escape the feeling that the author's essential honesty and kindness overshadow even his larger-than-life subjects. He would never concede the point, however. He maintains that we are all Earl Holding, to some degree. That perspective is, at least, instructive and useful for bridge-building. Steve Trimble is harder on himself than on anyone else in this book, and that's saying something. It is therefore the one book about the changing West that every American should read.

"Bargaining for Eden" is really two books in one. The first book, and the one that has garnered the most attention, is about self-made billionaire Earl Holding and how he finagled, with the help of powerful friends, to add over 1,000 acres of public land to his Snow Basin ski resort in advance of 2002 Winter Olympics. It's an interesting tale, and author Steve Trimble tells it with careful, well-researched precision. Trimble, a self-avowed environmentalist, treats all sides of the controversy fairly, as witnessed by the reading he gave at the Salt Lake City public library where one of Earl Holding's minions, who probably didn't care much for the book, complimented Steve on his good writing and accurate quoting.

The second book within the book is, to me, really the more important one, because it's about all of us who love and live in the West. As Trimble writes, "On some level I am Earl [Holding]--we are all Earl." Here, Steve chronicles his own adventures as a small-time land developer in Utah's redrock country, and what he thought about and considered as he built a second home for his family on a previously-undeveloped piece of land. As I read this I thought about myself, the places I've lived in Utah, Oregon, and Montana, and how I've impacted those places. I doubt few of us have considered our own impacts and worked to mitigate them in the way Trimble did. I know I haven't.

The last chapter of the book, "Credo: The People's West" is something of a non-sequitur. It's Trimble's rules for living in the West, and it clearly draws on more than what's in this book. I agreed with some of parts of the credo; disagreed with others. My credo would be different from Steve's. So would yours, I imagine.

Overall, the book is fair and even-handed, possibly to a fault. It is not a rant and it steers clear of the self-righteousness so common in environmental tomes. Buy it. Read it. Think about it.

Steve Trimble's latest book is a compelling look at the tensions between private mega-enterprise and public interests. If you care about the future of open spaces (and not just in the American West), if you care about the future of community, if you care about how to tend to democracy in an age of fracture and fracas, this is a sobering look at a battle in Utah that can stand in for many such battles across the country. Refusing to give into cynical preaching, Trimble offers a nuanced look at his own complicity in questions of ownership and activism, which makes this book even more important. It ends with a hopeful, necessary "Credo," which also was recently published in High Country News. A fine naturalist, photographer and writer, Steve Trimble is a treasure. This book demands to be read, understood--and its lessons put into action by thoughtful citizens everywhere.

Stephen Trimble tackles the paradox of the modern west: how do people inhabit and develop a rapidly vanishing landscape? Trimble weaves the important tale of public land transformed into a commercial ski resort with his own construction of a second home near a national park. This juxtaposition elevates the book from polemic to a serious discussion of the many facets of land development. Trimble recognizes that there are no easy answers, but argues convincingly that wise land use policy requires the contribution of all of the stakeholders in the landscape: developers, environmentalists, long-time residents and the public in general.

What sets Trimble's book apart is his obvious affection not just for the land, but for the people who have lived on the land for many years. His interviews with men and women whose families have lived on the land for generations provides the reader with an often neglected perspective on the west. Trimble has an ear for the ironic poignancy of how development displaces those families who have lived and loved a particular place for generations, even as that landscape is changed by their own decisions regarding its value and use.

Highly readable, Trimble's natural storytelling ability comes through to illuminate a transformative moment in western history. As a native Montanan and long-time resident of Utah, I recommend it to all those who seek to understand a sense of place.

Trimble tells the story of reclusive oil executive Earl Holding and his struggle to develop a wild mountainside into a an elite ski resort, using the Olympics as a cudgel to overcome passionate local resistance. This is a compelling story that has not been covered outside of Utah. It is a shocking example of how the powers-that-be facilitate destructive and one-sided land use and how common citizens who personally know thew land and love it resist. The book then takes an unexpected twist: Trimble builds a second-home in a wild canyon in southern Utah and realizes he is becoming like his nemesis, Holding, just on a different scale. This confessional realization makes him dig deeper. Ultimately it is our own human nature he uncovers.

Why do we violate the integrity of ecosystems and habitat and how can we stop ourselves? these central questions are not resolved here. Trimble's book is both a heartfelt and intelligent invitation to public discourse on these critical questions. The reader could not get a more honest or wise guide than Trimble.

The alternate title of this book should be: THE ~COMPLETE~ AND ONLY GUIDE TO COLLEGE DEGREES BY MAIL AND INTERNET YOU WILL NEED TO READ. Excellent and up-to-date information regarding courses, tuition, residency requirements. I will FINALLY be able to confidently and comfortably select 'THE' Masters Program that is right for me! Tuition is quite varied and ranges from low to very high...Bears' Guide saved me the time and frustration of looking at schools with astronomically high tuition rates. If you are just beginning to look at Distance Learning programs, have been looking for awhile and are not able to make a decision, or you are just thinking about a DLP, this book is essential.

As I have been contemplating receiving my Bacherlor's degree through a University's Distance Learning Program, I was lost as to where to start. That is, until I found this book. BEARS' GUIDE TO COLLEGE DEGREES BY MAIL & INTERNET. John Bear's book contains listings of tons of colleges, that offer correspondence, independent study, and internet degrees. With information about each school, website addresses, e-mail addresses, etc. that make it easy for the interested party to find out everything they need to know. One thing that I recommend to everyone is to find out the accreditation agencies that support the schools listed before you sign up with them, as not all are regionally accredited. Overall, this was a fantastic book, and a must have for anyone who is interested in pursuing a degree through distance learning.

Erika Sorocco

I have read this book, as well as a number of Bear's titles, and I find it very well researched (and quite readable), considering the fluid nature of the topic. John, daughter, et al are to be commended for a fine project!

John Bear is a nationally recognized authority in school accreditation and has appeared as an expert witness in many trial venues. His list of enemies is quite long, as he has been partly responsible for the closing of a large number of diploma mills and con-game colleges, hence the slanderous reviews. He has also been involved in advising (and occasionally running) non-traditional schools (no crime there) that never claim an accreditation they don't have. Some of these schools have done well, others have not. Some are still around, others are not. (Still - no crime there.)
College is nothing if not market-driven. (Welcome to America; that's how it is done here.)

It should go without saying, but anyone foolish enough to believe everything they read in a Google search is certainly in need of an education!

Books by John & Mariah Bear have literally changed people's lives. This is no less true for this book. Although not quite the behemoth that the larger "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning (14th ed.), this book instead provides a tight focus on specific programs for those who either need a little more guidance or for whom smaller/less expensive works better. It still provides the same solid advice that readers have come to trust from the Bears.

College Degrees by Mail and Internet provides all of the information necessary to earn a degree (BA, MA, PhD) through distance learning. Now in its eighth edition, this book has stood the test of time.

If you're looking to change your life (more money, better work, etc), you need to check this book out.

If you want to get your education and not go into slavery with your student loans. Then get this book ASAP, it covers just about everything one needs to know on how to get your degree. I really think the future of higher education is going this way. But if you want to spend a lot of time, money, grief and get a real ration of manure. Then don't read this book!