Running Books

As I first began to read this book, I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach it, but Edward Humes has written a superb book on Adolfo Constanzo and his "cult".

Constanzo, a Cuban-American born in a family where their religion routinely sacrificed animals, was raised to believe he had special powers. In the 1980s, Constanzo moved to Mexico, and read fortunes and performed "cleansings" which involved animal sacrifices to help his clients achieve fame, wealth and protection. Constanzo had some people believing in his magic so strongly that they actually thought they'd be invisible to police and impervious to bullets.

As successful as he was, Constanzo wanted more power and money, and turned his energies to drug smuggling. Constanzo became more sadistic and delusional, and justified human sacrifice in order to provide shelter from harm (as well as remove competition), but it didn't stop at murder - he wanted to torture, rape and dismember in the name of his religion. Sadly, 15 victims were found buried near the shed where the rituals occurred, one of whom was American student Mark Kilroy.

There's a lot of background on each of his followers, the culture and people of Matamoras, and the Santeria and Palo Mayombe religions. There's also interesting information on Mexican law enforcement and corruption, and the distrust between their agencies and US agencies.

I would highly recommend this book.

Nice book, once you read you don't want to stop, but it needs more description of how the people die, and to enjoy or not enjoy , those descriptions.

This book literally scared me!! I am an avid reader of horror, sci fi and true crime, but this one was the wildest tale I'd ever encountered. Adolpho deJesus Constanzo, a Cuban American, takes up residence in Mexico and acquires a cult. The religion he practices is a mix of Santeria and Payo Mayombe, an ancient African religion which steals souls through murder and acquires power through blood rites. He tortures and kills his victims in horrendous fashion and "steals their souls" as they scream to their death. Some of the murder scenes were so graphic I could barely read them. The cult is a bunch of drug runners (shoes drop all over the place in this one!) who beleive they are invisible and invincible through the powers of their Priest. The Priest is also bisexual, acquiring female Preistesses and male devotees alike. Most of his early victims are rival drug dealers. They run into trouble when Constanzo insists on a blonde American victim and they steal a college kid who is out partying across the border. Buried Secrets is an understatement when you realize how many bodies are finally unearthed on discovery. In the end, the Preist has his followers kill him on the promise that he can easily return. Hair raising, on a par with the Exorcist for those of us with Christian backgrounds. This man was so evil I nearly beleived he could come back!! Read this at your own risk. Not for the squeamish. Although, I must admit I read it several times and I recommend it highly for anyone who is an avid reader of true crime or books about the occult.

I am from the area where this happened, and i remember seeing this on tv, when they unearthed all the bodies in the Ranch of Santa Elena. To this day, i dont think i've seen a scarier true story of mass murder than this. when i read this book, it literally blew my mind!! i am not easily scared, and this book is scarier than any movie out there. the book covers the early life and up bringing of the cult leader and how he rose to power using magic, and eventually capturing the young blonde spring breaker who was partying in mexico, tortured and killed him along with many many others. i believe it was over 40 bodies that were found, well, peices of them. you really need to read this. it will get you hooked!!

This is a surperb book, I've read it twice and found it so good I went back for thirds! This book covers this religious sacrifices and durg deals made by the charismatic cult leader Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, a Miami-born ex-altar boy who's love for power and money cause him to form his cult. The religion in which they practice is Santeria, which includes animal sacrifces and in the end, human sacrifices. I highly recomend this book :)

I bought these as a gag gift fo a friend and she loved them! The best part is the price is so low, that even if people don't like them you are only out a little bit. Honestly, the look on peoples faces is worth far more than these cost. Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of humor!

I just received this as a gift today from my older brother. I laughed so hard when I opened the package at work that everyone had to come and see what was so funny. What a fantastically funny gift for the cat-lover in your life.

I will have to get a few more of these to send out myself!

This product is hillarious to anyone who loves cats! A touch on the more vulgar side, but very funny nonetheless. Cheap way to get a laugh when you give a gift!

This is a great "anytime" gift to just let someone know you are thinking about them, and in this case a sibling living in another state who loves cats. It might also be a good prank for someone who did not like cats and frequently makes comments to that effect, but I haven't tested that approach. They definitely work if you want to "make" someone's day.

My whole family loves cats and I got each of them one of these Cat Butts items and they loved it! The field guide tells you exactly how cats..and their butts...are. I chuckle every time I see those magnets on my refrigerator too!

I've followed Samuel R. Delany's career across galaxies for thirty years. Between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five, Delany had written and published nine novels, two of them winning Nebulas for best science fiction. I've read most of his early work, including Dhalgren, considered by many to be the finest science fiction novel ever written, and, from later in his career, Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, as well as the Neveryon series, his foray into the fantasy genre. As a boy I read Nova, Delany's tribute to the space opera genre and a forerunner to today's cyberpunk, which even now remains one of my favorite science fiction novels.

As a heterosexual, I didn't always relate to some of Delany's gay protagonists and storylines, but I always thrilled, even as a boy, to his use of language, his dense prose, descriptive narrative, and vivid imagination. When I began writing seriously it was Delany I endeavored to emulate.

In Dark Reflections, Delany, now a professor of English and creative writing at Temple University, steps away from the science fiction genre to give us a glimpse into the lonely life of Arnold Hawley, a black, gay poet living in Manhattan's East Village. Gone is the dense language that usually accompanies Delany's prose; but the story itself, related with simple honesty, is rife with complexities. A poet himself before turning to fiction, perhaps only Delany knows how much of Arnold's story is autobiographical, although his real life marriage to Marilyn Hacker, also a poet, ended much less tragically than Arnold's. Perhaps it is the alternate autobiography Delany would have written had he not turned to fiction writing.

One of the fascinating aspects of Dark Reflections (and there are many) is that it is told in three parts in reverse chronological order, perhaps to reflect what we see when we glance into the looking glass -- a reverse image of how others perceive us.

In part one, The Prize, Arnold, in his fifties, has just won the Alfred Proctor Award for his sixth book of collected poems. Arnold is the poster child for the starving artist, holding onto the $3,000 stipend the award pays out over three years as a financial godsend to his existence. Emerging writers who read Dark Reflections will take comfort from Arnold's insecurities and envy of others, while non-writers will be afforded a glimpse into the soul of a creative spirit -- its innocence and sensitivity, its desire for recognition. In response to praise for one of his collected works as "one of my favorite books of the last... well, thirty years! In any genre! Really! It's just an... an amazing performance!" Arnold later reflects:

"The fact is, there is no praise as great as the praise I want." He'd said it with tears welling. "That sort of praise doesn't exist -- I know that," Arnold had told Dr. Engles, on his side of the chipped table in the small blue room at Mount Sinai. "It doesn't stop me from wanting it, though -- wanting it so much!" Couldn't he have an entire evening without someone like Michael, sneakily and without warning, reminding him how little he'd had...

The Prize is perhaps the most movingly poignant part of the whole of Dark Reflections. Arnold himself, now sixty-eight and eighty pounds overweight (a mirror image of Delany's own girth), suffering incontinence (entering a subway he wonders if the smell of urine emanates from him or the subway) perhaps best sums up its content: Jesus, he thought, at last on the platform, a tear tickling his cheek, the tears of the old just don't mean anything, do they?

As poignant as The Prize is, part two, Vashti in the Dark, is the most shocking. Arnold, in his late thirties, sits outside a public restroom known to be a place where gay men rendezvous, fantasizing about what takes place inside but lacking the courage to partake, only once venturing inside only to flee in horror. It is here he meets a young homeless woman, Judy, perhaps fifteen years his junior. He befriends the shoeless Judy, takes her to lunch and subsequently buys her some shoes and clothing and brings her back to his apartment where the not quite right Judy, knowing of Arnold's proclivity for men, convinces Arnold that they should wed. A few days later, tested for disease and license in tow, they marry, and Judy's wedding gift to Arnold is to send him out to the public restroom to have the night of his life. Arnold returns to his apartment with young Tony to a shocking scene. This is Delany at his brilliant best, what he reveals both through the narrative as well as what is left unwritten.

The final segment, Book of Pictures, chronicles Arnold's youth as he wrestles with the "disease" a doctor tells him afflicts only one in five thousand men (a greatly skewed number) and with which no Negro has ever been diagnosed, and that he is sure will one day cut his life short.

Throughout the text Arnold, whenever he finds a photograph of himself, invariably turns it over to write on its back, The poet Arnold Hawley, aged -- in anticipation of the biography of his life that is never written. Underlying themes of Dark Reflections are poetry's status as the most ignored field in literature -- Arnold is haunted by the remark a famous white poet made when a poet of color was admitted to a literary society: "Who let the coon in?" -- as well as the loneliness and despair that all too often accompany the life of the creative soul.

Highly recommended reading.

I'm not going to reiterate the plot, you can get that from the capsule reviews above.

Mainly I just wanted to say this book contains many examples of SRD's superfine descriptive powers. Almost every sentence is a pleasure to read, and as one follows another you find yourself there, sometimes in the character's mind, sometimes in the vivid settings among the people and events that surround him.

All of SRD's books are worthwhile, but some are more work than others. This one is "easy." Fans will gulp it down and immediately start over, and even new readers will be able to tap into much of what is exciting about SRD's writing: precise observation, emotional immediacy, and a sheer joy in the use of language that makes you want to, well, run out and write a book, or a poem, or at least read another and another one and then talk about it with someone!

For triangulation purposes, my (current) top 5 SRD books are, in no particular order, Dhalgren, Trouble on Triton, Times Square Red/Blue, About Writing, and his book of letters, 1984.

If you have read and liked any of these I suspect you will enjoy this new book as well.

Enjoy!

Take a trip back through the life of a gay African American poet as he puts his life in rewind mode and examines it all.

Even as a long-time fan of Samuel Delany's work (both fiction and non-fiction), I confess to finding it sometimes hard going (I still haven't finished Dhalgren!). But Dark Reflections is his most accessible book in a long time. Even though it's written "in reverse", starting with old age and progressing to youth, there's no difficulty following the narrative, and this would be a good book to start with if you've never read anything by Delany.

But the book takes on an added dimension for those of us who are Delany junkies, since in some way it is (and is not) autobiographical. Arnold Hawley, the central character, is a black gay writer only a little older than Delany, whose books have Delanyesque titles (one of them is actually the title of a Delany book). But his life is the opposite of Delany's... his books are unread (and not even in the New York Public Library!); his sole claim to success is having won one rather questionable prize (is it a coincidence that the author's bio on the back of the book mentions Delany's prizes?); his old age is utterly lonely and his emotional life completely unfulfilled. Even though, like Delany, he married, his marriage (which culminates in the most horrifyingly vivid events that I've ever read) surely did not, let us hope, resemble that of the author!

So what's going on? Is this a "what if" account (as the Publisher's Weekly review, cited above implies)? Rather, I think the title, which is at least triply ambiguous, gives the clue. These are dark reflections (thoughts) about a life, looked at as if reflected in a dark mirror (and, of course, narrated in reflected order). It's time to go reread it and see what I missed reading it the first time.

Delany, Samuel. "Dark Reflections", Carroll & Graf. 2007.

Beautifully Crafted

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

Due out on May 15 is an exceptional novel by Samuel Delany ("Dhalgren", "The Mad Man") which is sure to be a ht. It is so beautifully written and crafted that I had to sit up and take notice several times. "Dark Reflections" is the story of Arnold Hawley, a gay African-American New Yorker who is a poet. The book looks at Hawley's life in reverse. It is divided into three parts, "The Prize", "Vashti in the Dark" and "The Book of Pictures". The sheer honesty of the book is what makes it so special.
Book One begins when Hawley is fifty and he wins the Alfred Proctor Award for his sixth book of poetry. He has now risen to the height of his profession and has achieved a degree of literary success, Exactly eighteen years afterwards, Hawley published a new book which because of its lack of success causes him to be lonely and afraid to get any older. He breaks down when his aunt dies and he feels he cannot go to the funeral. Part One really deals with his fears, his mental condition, and his loneliness.
Part Two goes back to 1974 and Hawley's unhappy marriage to Judy Haindel. It seems that his wife has problems which bring about emotional and physical catastrophic consequences. It is in this section that Hawley writes his third book.
In "The Book of Pictures", Part Three of the novel we return to Brown And Hawley's college days and his first sexual experience with a male.
The three parts taken together give a beautiful look at the life of a successful gay African-American in a way that I do not think it has been portrayed before. We look at social attitudes, loneliness and a sense of triumph. The book also has something to say about Delany himself. Interestingly enough the name of Hawley's prize winning book of poems is the same as the author's most famous novel. Delaney, himself, wrote poetry until he gave it up for the financial rewards of writing science fiction and memoirs. Hawley and Delany are both African American gay men and I can only question that if "Dark Reflections" is a fictionalized look at the author's own life. Many different questions can be asked if this supposition is correct but the one thing above all else is deal with questions of loneliness and despair as one ages. The book is beautifully written and the story is complex. It is powerful in the way it deals with the issues it confronts and we can all be so much better off because of that. The honesty and truthfulness of the book makes this a sad story and is in opposition to what Delany usually gives us--fantasy. But it is the out and on the button honesty of the book that makes it so rewarding.

I found this book in my last few weeks of training for my first half marathon. I read the whole thing in a matter of days. It was exactly what I needed to get mentally prepared for the race. Many marathon training books are all about the running. This book is about the 90% mental component of any race/sport. It does offer very usual tips about physical preparation, but it's true value is helping the 'everywoman' realize she, too, can achieve this goal. Congrats to the authors for writing such a truly real, useful and inspirational guidebook.

This work does do a great job of providing some very helpful instruction for properly preparing your body to take on the marathon but it is sooooo much more than that.

It speaks so well to the importance of setting a real life changing goal and enjoying both the journey along the way and the reward you will most certainly realize for staying the course.

This book will help you condition your body to tackle the 26.2 miles of the marathon but just as importantly it will open up your heart and mind to just how much good you are capable of doing for yourself and for others.

My sister ran her first marathon a few years ago and has been trying ever since to get me out of the house and into the gym. Nothing really worked until she handed me this book. I was expecting a beginner's step-by-step guide to training for a marathon. The book does provide very detailed information about how to start training, how to outfit yourself from head to toe, and even includes a week-by-week training guide. What I didn't expect was the personal stories that accompanied the training information. Not only do the authors share their own reasons for running their first marathon, they talk to several other women who relate their personal stories and explain why they felt compelled to take on such an enormous challenge.

When I finished the book, I was finally motivated to "change my shoes", as the authors say. I've started a regular exercise schedule which includes running 4 days a week. I'm not ready to tackle a marathon just yet but I know that I will have all of the information and inspiration I need in this book when I AM ready. I highly recommend it.

My wife recently decided she wanted to tackle a marathon although she had never run a race of over 10K before in her life. I did some research on the internet and purchased a couple of books for her that focused on women and marathon preparation. My wife liked this book most because it was written from the perspective of two "non-athletes" who, much like her, wanted to take on this challenge but weren't sure where to start.

The book is very well written and provides sound training information but also some very personal and inspirational stories. Although written for women, I actually read the book myself and started making plans for my first marathon half-way through the first chapter. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Incredible! I attended a book signing for Everywomen's Guide on Jekyll Island in July. The authors are just as beautiful as the stories themselves. Talk about inspiring! I was at the book signing for three hours just listening to stories from the book. I wasn't able to purchase a book myself (they had all sold out by the time I got there!!!), so Ms. Vilines read a few excerpts for me and my family. Motivating and inspirational! 5 stars from me.

Typical Pema Chodron. I have learned so much from this woman and her beautiful soul. She makes difficult subjects so very palatible. I could learn anything from her. When really stressed out, hearing her voice on any of her cds just brings me right back to center and allows me to focus and learn and "stay in the moment". A truly talented voice for the Buddhist way of life. Finding her was a turning point in my spiritual journey.

I first was introduced to Pema Chodron through the audio program "Awakening Compassion" - another great work. I then picked up a few books and "Good Medicine". The audio adds a fuller dimension to the message. You get a sense for how sincere and down to earth she is and this lends validity to the practice that you don't /can't pick up on from the books alone. This audio program is highly recommended! In contrast to "Awakining Compassion", I think the quality of the recording is much better - although the message and entertainment are excellent in both.

Pema Chödrön believes we learn true compassion when we open our hearts and minds to a relationship with our own pain. This opens a doorway for compassion to be shown to others and can foster conflict resolution in situations that seemed impossible before learning "Tonglen."

"Difficulty as a way to achieve enlightenment" sounds quite correct and pain in life is almost inescapable. There are ways to lessen the pain of life when learning lessons and the faster we learn, the less emotional pain we may experience.

What is it that people truly learn from meditation? In this CD set we learn to make friends with ourselves, in order to learn true happiness. As we realize transitory elements of life do not bring long-term satisfaction, we enter a place where we transmute pain into love. Many artists find this healing and you can also learn to take negative experiences and mold them into a spiritually healing experience. It depends on how you look at your life in general.

The CD Set includes discussions about breathing techniques, meditation, tonglen practice, compassion, open-heartedness and the practice of mindfulness. An interesting discussion on "maitri" as the root of happiness is enlightening. The second CD guides you through a tonglen session and explores true stories of how tonglen helped people in everyday life.

Pema Chödrön shows you how to use your experiences to learn compassion towards others. She has a delicate and humorous repoire with her audience, making this CD set very enjoyable to listen to as she teaches you principles for enhancing your life with Tonglen Meditation.

~The Rebecca Review

This two cassette tape series of the Tibetan Buddhist teaching of Tonglen is a wonderful companion to the various other tapes and books by Ane Pema Chodron. Her delightful manner creates a welcomed ease for the student when listening to and working with the depth of her teachings and the honored Tibetan lineage she so effortlessly expesses. Having a "beginner's mind," I have enjoyed using these particular tapes to begin my own Tonglen practice as part of my daily commute into San Francisco by bus. All of Pema Chodron's tapes are great personal journeys,each the gift of an individual and self-paced retreat. This series is similar to her Noble Heart series in terms of pacing and format, but gently focusses on the singular practice of Tonglen. This practice has changed me in ways I am only beginning to understand. Until I can run away to Gampo Abbey to study, I will ride my bus in the early morning and breathe in and out.

This is an excellent book that talks above all about unconditional friendship towards one's self as the basis of compassion for authors. In a Christian context, this comes across in the words of Jesus, "love you neighbor AS yourself." What this offers beyond this fine piece of advice are the techniques to get you there.

While this book is presented in a Buddhist context, it could be used by anyone whether you are a Buddhist or not. The information is universal and the down-to-earth style of Pema Chodron is easily understandable. She has an excellent sense of humor and positions ideas in a way that is easily digestible for a Westerner.

Technically, Pema Chodron is a Tibetan Buddhist nun, but this recording and many of her others have a very practical focus for the average person. It is difficult for me to believe that her tips, insights and these exercises won't be useful for anyone who wants a deeper connection to their heart.

The overall idea behind this audio is that growth lies in the direction of fully participating in each moment with as much awareness as possible. This means seeing pain or other difficult states as an invitation to what is called soul in the West. By "showing up" in each moment, we develop a deep compassion toward ourselves and a felt sense of our connection to others.

In a more technical sense, the focus of this audio is on Tonglen meditation and related practices. While it is presented in a Buddhist context, much of the esoteric or unusual cultural trappings have been removed from around the essentail points and teachings.

These practices really are effective and as someone who works with people struggling with all kinds of problems, I find that these are effective techniques. I also teach meditation and have reviewed many resources on these kinds of topics. In fact, you can see more on my profile.

While Tonglen in its most complex form is an advanced practice, this CD is a good start in that direction. I would suggest learning minfulness and metta meditation first, but you don't necessarily have to. This is also an encouraging CD for those in pain.

If you are specifically interested in Tibetan Buddhism and are just getting started, I would also recommend Fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. These will provide just enough context to make this CD even more meaningful. The The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living and Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama are also complimentary resources.

I bought this book after seeing it on someones book list. It has far exceeded my expectations! I have made three of the recipes in two days and LOVED them all! Not only were they delicious and healthy but easy!! This book is chock full of interesting and modern ideas on both the "good" and "bad" side. I love that Adina added in little touches such as music selections for a brunch or a list of great chocolates. If you are not afraid to look at your food in new ways, this is a great book for you!

I am still starting out flexing my cooking and baking muscles, but I have the luxury of a mom with a long history of dabbling in culinary affairs to help guide me. As such, I was drawn to Adina Steiman's cookbook for its cute style and interesting concept of balancing two waves of food.

The book is divided up into the standards - breakfast, lunch, dinner, comfort foods, party foods, and foods given as gifts, but then split up again to reflect whether you feel like eating good (healthy) or bad (decadent). At the start of each section there is a cute little diagnostic quiz as to what division you should be checking out, and Steiman packages each group together quite nicely to give you plenty of options for everything from drinks to entrees to desserts.

I think one of my favourite sections of the book is the party suggestions - divided up into 'spa retreat' (good) and 'southern style bbq' (bad). Not only does Steiman provide a wide variety of options for the casual or the more formal affair, she throws in lots of ideas for really adding to the atmosphere of your event, from music to types of spa water.

The strengths in this book are many - one of my fave features is the fact it isn't just a recipe book but really a lifestyle book. Ideas for little things like flavoured butters, alcoholic hot beverages, and combinations at the salad bar make it easy to integrate Steiman's suggestions into every nook and cranny of your cooking lifestyle.

I also love that the book is designed for busy women whose lifestyles might not accomodate many hot hours over the stove, but need it to keep their energy up. Even the 'bad' foods are somewhat designed to improve on already bad foods by adding extra protein so you avoid excess snacking. There are many references to energy boosting and essential nutrients, and suggestions for time-savers, using leftovers, and what can be made earlier for later use.

There are just two weaknesses in the book that gave it this four-star rating (although trust me I'm very much a 4.5 star fan of this book). One is some of the directions were kind of vague...even just reading over some recipes that I haven't tried yet I felt like I had too many questions that might dissuade me from actually tackling the recipe in the future. The second is sometimes the bad feels TOO bad, and the good is packed with somewhat selective ingredients, as in they won't appeal quite as universally. Which is unfortunate because a lot of the recipes that appealed to me were in the bad section...but sometimes the way Steiman writes about them I'm wondering if I should even dare, making the guilt of eating poorly set in prematurely rather than encouraging me to balance between the good and bad sections.

A couple of other notes - Steiman is a big fan of garnishes, many of which are unnecessary in my opinion, although perhaps not so much in the case of the healthy dishes to give them added flavour. Cilantro is used in virtually every recipe it seems, even though I'm not a fan. The book is actually relatively vegetarian friendly - quite a few recipes are for simple, meatless dishes, others include tofu. There are certainly enough meaty dishes that you may want to pass this one over if you are a vegetarian though.

Overally I'm very satisfied with my purchase of this book...although a slightly more accessible guide to cooking would be my reccomendation for novice kitchen users, Steiman lays out cooking and baking in such a way to not only make it sound fun, but simple and versatile as well.

"The Good, the Bad, the Yummy" is the best type of cookbook--the kind that you want to read not just use for recipies. It is witty and funny and the recipies are easy, fresh, delicious. Adina is the kind of cook that knows her food and knows her audience too. A perfect book for summer cooking

This delightful book will live front and center on my bookshelf. The recipes are both innovative and simple. Ms. Steiman has nailed it for all of us who find ourselves craving fruits and vegetables on some days and gooey chocolate on others - or all of the above in the space of a few hours. I love the way she whips up comforts and luxuries into a luscious blend. This is a great gift book for friends - for a birthday or "because I'm thinking about you."

This cookbook has everything to suit any palate, any mood and any occasion. The recipes are easy to follow, do not require a ridiculous amount of hard-to-find ingredients and are stunningly simple in their execution. I love the witty introductions, thoughtful asides and the sheer variety of tastes, textures and themes. Sure to please both the food connoisseur and amateur alike. Thanks Adina!

Carl Sommer does a great job of utilizing age old concepts in teaching children character education concepts through his stories. My son absoutely loved the book and it will be a must read book on our family list. The book is easy to read and is illustrated magnificiently. Virtues such as hard work, obedience, self-acceptance, perserverance, truthfulness, kindness and respect for parents are taught through this story. All things we are trying to teach our children.

This is a fun story that would be great for kids. It's a story that shows motives can be hidden but will usually be discovered. A great lesson for kids!

The Great Royal Race was one of my favorite Carl Sommer books. It's a story about Princess Elizabeth who must choose between three suitors to be become her new husband and the next king. Her father had a wonderful idea on how to find him, and put all three suitors to a true test of loyalty. As the story ends you find out who her true love really is as he passes the royal test. What a great lesson in loyalty, love and wisdom.

The Great Royal Race made my heart race. It kept my interest and I was anxious to see who would win the princess. I couldn't wait to see what obstacle Sommer would put in the race to see the real true love of the destined prince. It made me smile and I was glad she married the the one who wasn't intested in riches. Hooray for the king.

What youngster hasn't dreamed of being a king or a princess? All children love to hear tales of the royal kindom, of competition and love. This one contains the elements and virtues of perseverance and wisdom. A fun story that has a valuable lesson too.

What a wonderful book! I actually finished this in one sitting, because I didn't want to stop reading once I had started.

What's great about HEROES is that it profiles all sorts of people who were impacted by 9/11, not just those who were at the World Trade Center. There are also interviews with those who were at the Pentagon, and with the surviving family members of those who perished on United Flight 93.

Overall, the tone of the book is hopeful and uplifting, and proves that anyone can be a hero, anytime.

Definitely recommended for those who are interested in the subject of 9/11.

A great read. Very moving and inspirational. I highly recommend.

this is an inspiration book....a collection of heroes--big and small...stories that we need in our daily lives to show that people do care...

Heroes is a wonderful collection of stories of very real people (and in some cases animals) who did their level best to help others during an unprecedented tragedy. The stories range from ones about those who gave their lives to save others to those who did all they could and wish they could've done more. The author describes unlikely heroes - like those who help a wheelchair bound officemate out of the Twin Towers - as well as professionals who did their jobs with total selflessness - like the group of nurses who happened to be in DC for a conference and ended up working the triage unit at the Pentagon. If you only read one book about the events of September 11, it should be Heroes. It is a wonderful testimony to the human spirit.

Execellent!! This book is truly a gem full of the stuff that courage under fire brings out of the human spirit. I could not put it down; each story brought me to the scene, living the amazing journeys that this courages everyday people went throught. As a witness of Sept 11 from my office window reading this book brought me a healing and an awareness that 911 can happen to anyone at any time and that the human spirit is truly undefeatable even if the body moves on.
It's a must read book for anyone who is alive!*****

I had read this book in the 1970s and was glad to get it again. It is so helpful in dealing with life's challenges and circumstances. It is insightful and remarkably accurate. It is wonderful reading but better when its principles are put into practice.

I wish that I'd read this book a year ago when I first bought it. It may have been written over 50 years ago but its contents are probably more useful today then when it was first published, especially with the frantic lifestyles we all lead today.

John Schindler shows us in his book that all of our physical ailments can be attributed to our own mental problems, the way we think etc. This is down to a lack of proper training either from our family or educational system as well as the company we keep. This leads to a mental immaturity & the way we handle our emotions. He helps us cure these by making us aware of what the problems are and how we can go about & easily fix them with a few simple tricks.

I'm not a fast reader, but I was so engrossed in this book that I managed the 210 pages in a single sitting (only one day!!)

This is going to sound like one of the stories in the book, so here goes. Over the last year or more I've had a serious problem with my back; recently I was lucky enough to have an operation to fix it. However, during this time I got so frustrated with my condition, lack of mobility, discomfort and pain that without realising it I got stressed out & developed various conditions such as neck & shoulder ache, headaches & eczema. All of which I managed to cure using Dr Schindler's techniques in a matter of a few days without the need for any medicine.

As ever it's worth its weight in gold if you'll just listen & apply his simple & effective remedies. A great investment if ever there was one.

Dr Schindler claims in this book that most of us are just muddling through life instead of attaining enduring happiness. Because of this muddling through we develop what Dr. Schindler calls "E.I.I" (i.e. emotionally induced illness). Emotion by William James definition is "a state of mind that manifests itself by sensible changes in the body". Because one's has or produces the wrong kind of emotions, sooner or later he will develop physical symptoms. He then goes to his doctor to complain about these symptoms whereas the real cause of his illness is mental - his unhappiness. This book main purpose is to teach people how to change their way of living. The first part of the book is dedicated to describe how one's emotions makes him ill while the second part deals with advices and techniques to cure E.I.I.. In the latter part Dr. Schindler describes, among other things, 12 principles for richer living, and six man's basic needs - six things that deep inside one's must have. The fullillment of those six needs is the program for living that is blue printed for you. An amazing book!, A must read, Highly recommended!

The other reviewer described the book so I will write about what it did for me. I had sprained a tendon in my leg/hip (how, I have no idea; it just came on) and was in some pain. I didn't know it was a tendon, so I began to worry about it. The pain increased, I began limping, and kept worrying--magnifying it into some sort of dreadful cancer eating away at my bones. (Well, you know, sprains should heal up in a few weeks. I'd had this for a couple months! And I still have it three months later.) Anyway, I read through this book and ended up releasing all the emotional involvement in my leg. The pain was reduced about 80 percent and I no longer limped. Now I just refuse to worry about it and instead bought a bicycle so I can strengthen and provide better stability for my muscular system.

We humans are very capable of endowing our minor injuries (or even major illnesses) with such power that they incapacitate us or, at the very least, demand a lot of attention. This book will help you put such things in perspective. Attitude truly is everything for the body/mind/spirit is a trinity, each component affecting the others. If you can improve your attitude you can improve your health. And the more you concentrate on your injuries or illness, the worse they will become. I highly recommend this book for anyone in pain or anyone with a bad attitude. And I recommend it for everyone who likes to read or who breathes on a regular basis. It's a keeper to which you can refer over and over for encouragement and reminders of the important things in life!

This is a book everyone should have a copy of. Having read the book and attempted to apply what it suggests, I can tell you it is excellent advice. The Publisher's Weekly 'review' above could not be more wrong and only prevents people from benefiting from the timeless advice contained in this book: if anything, it is more relevant today than when it was written. What works works and what is right is right - today, yesterday and tomorrow. In an increasingly stressful and emotionally-disturbed world, that's exactly what the doctor ordered. It's simple: read it and try it and see for yourself. Anyone who does that can only improve their mind, their health and their life.

The human body is a might machine! God made us each unique and yet very much the same! Dive into the topic of the human body in this book. It's all here from muscles and bones to hearts and lungs! It's broken down into the chapters packed with tons of info!

I did not like that the book presented evolution as fact. I fell that the author should at least have mentioned creation in this book.


Yes. It is a good science resource. It included lots of helpful information and websites as well.

Great for my kids! Helps to explain the basics in the structure of the human body with a great deal of fun. Highly recommended!

Great for my kids! Helps to explain the basics in the structure of the human body with a great deal of fun. Highly recommended!

As a high school health teacher, I am always looking for a quality text to utilize in my classroom. This book is just that. The pictures are clear and free from confusion. The text is concise and easily understood. I recommend this to parents and teachers alike. Even my brother in medical school uses a copy. It is useful for all ages.

You know, to be honest, I bought this book only because of the review below "we came from monkeys? That's not what my bible says!" I'm SO GLAD that there are books that state scientific facts other than simply what "bible says". I cannot imagine that in this day and age there are people who still believe that we were created by someone. This statement doesn't give any definitive answer at all, since any reasonable person would immediately ask, "then who created Him who created us?"

This book would be a good gift for a child age 11-13. It doesn't give too graphic or detailed explanation of the bodily functions, yet it has many colorful pictures and SEM shots (Scanning Electron Micrograph) that are truly magnificent.