B Books

Everything you wanted to know about sharpening. This book is very thorough in describing in some detail how to sharpen pretty much everything in your house and garage. It is a good balance of enough information to get started without going too overboard in topics that are not of interest. I think that the book is worth reading, especially if you can only pick one book.

This book provides a very detailed look at the physics behind sharpening blades. I would highly recommend this to anybody who wants to learns the fundamentals of sharpening.

What should I say? No need anymore to write other books on sharpening. It is well written and very informative on every detail. If you would like to know everything about sharpening, buy this book and you're done.

I was looking for more of a how to book. This book does have a lot of information, different angles, types of stones and hones, and a method of sharpening for any edged tool or knife. It just doesnt really show how to do it all.

You have to admire the author. He packs a huge amount of detailled and easily read information in this book. The electron photomicrographs, showing various sharp (and not so sharp) edges using various abarasives are excellent. Leonard also seems to know everything there is to know about the history of steel making, and abrasives. There are excellent chapters on just about every kind of woodworking tool imaginable, with plenty of excellent photographs. If I were a woodworker I would regard this book as being the one and only complete reference text.

BUT... my personal interest is in sharpening kitchen knives. And the chapter on knife sharpening is the least informative in the book, and really tells the reader nothing new that is not already available on many web sites. In fact the Mr Lee actually says he only included this chapter because nobody would take his book seriously if it didn't have a chapter on knife sharpening. As a result, the chapter is not not very good. and in fact contains some wrong advice. eg using plastic book binders as edge guides: - Sorry Mr Lee, but they just do not work.

For a complete knife book, you would be far better off with Chad Ward's new book "An Edge in the Kitchen", far better than this book by Mr Lee.

I don't mean to disrespect the author, or this book. But it is really for woodworking tools, not kitchen knives.

There are so many words to decribe Emotions. It was turly an enjoyable read. I like reading novels that make you think. Joi the main female character could be anyone. I loved the passion that Michael brought back into her life, but at the same time, I could see that the passion she had with Michael, it was the type of passion she once shared with Phillip (her husband) and long to rekindle. Emotions lefted you thinking that us married folks with some years under our belts, can still have passion, but just like anything worth having, it takes work. Yes Joi had fellings for Michael, but not only did she love her husband, she was deeply in love with her husband as well. It takes a strong couple, and a strong MAN to deal with what happened and get through it. I might be the only reader that was happy whit the ending.

Timm, I miss your writing. More importantly, I miss your friendship.

Fran

.........and self-discovery. Emotions by Timmothy McCann is a lesson on "things happen for a reason." Why do certain folks come into our life when they do?

Both Joi Weston, actress in the autumn of her acting career, and Michael Brockmier, an author in a musician's body trying (seemingly unsuccessfully) to live up to other's expectations, are two people who are instantly drawn to each other upon first site. Joi, however, is "happily married"....at least so she proclaims. Nonetheless, the chemistry is so strong, these individuals come together inspite of it all.

While Brockmier is in NYC dealing with the perils of the publishing industry, Joi is down in Florida trying to determine how to obtain some of her true passions as she aproaches 40 yrs. old. Can she be content as the wife of a politician (which is not too far from being an actress)....or, is L.A. calling her name to pick up on her acting career?

What I liked about this book is how the author was so vivid in his descriptions that it was more like watching a movie instead of reading a book. I also thought it was special to read about someone who was in her 40's; her thought processes, fears and dreams.

Inspite of all the pain, sorrow and soul-searching decisions Joi (which rhymes with star) has to deal with, you see a woman who realizes that no matter what age, we are always evolving.

This story tells us that sometimes we learn more from our adversities than we do our successes. This was a smooth, thought provoking read. One that's great for book club discussion, complete with a readers guide at the end. Check it out!

This brother knows how to keep you in suspense. I truly enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were great. The story line was great. It was just a wonderful book. The ending was not very realistic in by book but who cares. It is afterall just a book. I always enjoy reading Mr. McCann's novels. He never leaves you with a dull moment. Keep them coming and go out and purchase this book.

How Do You Say Good Bye To A Friend?

For seven years I have written professionally and for seven years you have shared with me your likes, and dislikes about my words. Sometimes I was able to move you... some times I was able to touch you... some times I may have even confused the hell out of you. But it was my endeavor to at all times make you think.

I have written my last sentence. And when I say that's hard to type as a man who once declared "I write for the same reason I breathe," it's true. Why? The industry is changing and I have not willfully changed with it. While reviewing a contract for a 5th and 6th novel, it became apparent to me that if I signed it-I would be signing away apart of my soul and if you have read me you know I would never do such a thing.

When I wrote UNTIL... it was written from the heart. It was a story I wanted to hear so I wrote it and the same holds true from each subsequent novel.

No, everyone did not love my work... but then again every one does not even love the Bible so this I understand. But for the readers out there who felt cut off when the site was closed down. For the readers out there we felt shunned when they could no longer e mail me their thoughts. For the fellow novelist out there that felt I walked away from friendships, I apologize. Please charge it to my head and not my heart because you will never know how much it means to look at AMAZON and see a note posted by readers from all over the world. To my author friends I felt like a divorced spouse... who's friends all are married. I trust you will understand.

Remember how you felt when you found out there was no Santa? That's how I felt when I decided to move forward in my life. I mean... my 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9th novels were outlined. I wanted to tell you these stories and I now I will only have them in the attic for my kids to read.

Speaking of kids. They are now 12 and 13 and as a single dad my days are numbered so I decided that it was time to enjoy the moments I still have with them.

But at the end of the day I was just a brother telling stories. You honored me by reading them as you honor me by reading this letter. For this I will forever be grateful.

In closing my first novel posed the question, "have you ever seen someone for the first time and just knew how much you missed them?" After writing this letter to you... after a seven year love affair, after having my heart broken by conditions beyond my control, after apart of me having drawn its last breath, I now understand....

Until...

Timm

An over-simplistic view to me is the only view anyone lacking the sensitivity to absorb this book correctly can have. Judging this person is irrelevant to the whole point of reading the book, it's not a textbook, of course there is more to the story, and of course anyone can be offended by anything. But, if your looking for a story of a young man who cheated death more then once during the Nam conflict, you will be hard press to find a better book.

The name of General "Chesty" Puller brings a proud smile to the lips of every Marine. He is part of the pantheon of "the few and the proud." His son, Lewis Puller, Jr., has written a memoir that tells the story of growing up in the shadow of a legendary father, becoming a Marine officer in his own right, losing his legs in an explosion while serving in Vietnam, and struggling to build a life for himself in the aftermath. This thoughtful and thought-provoking book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Lewis Puller, Jr. demonstrates a great deal of transparency in recounting his pilgrimage from the son of a war hero to a wounded warrior looking for his rightful place in the world. The New York Times called this book: "A haunting tribute to the names on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial . . . An important contribution to the personal literature of war."

The fact that much of Puller's personal journey took place during the same time the nation was struggling with building the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial adds a special poignancy to this memoir. Several of my friends who have served recently in Iraq and Afghanistan commended this book to me as one that had helped them in their own process of reconciling their experiences in war with their return to the United States.

This is a story of great loss and of commensurate courage and determination. I think you will find it inspiring and well worth reading.

The book, a true account of a dissalussioned idealist - a trouble soul. A
lead in to my sad tale of woe. My fellow Americans/Vietnam veterans, do
not be fooled by the administration's rehtoric; read McNamara's "The Fog
of War" and please don't forget the book "A Bright Shining Lie"! If you
truly believe the lies of the "CHICKEN HAWKS", then I've got a bridge in
Utopia I'll sell you. You are listening to people who never served a day in their misrable lives in war and when most of them had their chance to fight for our country, during the Vietnam war,they chose to "Cut and Run"
(Guard duty and college deferments). There is only one way to end this
fisco in the middle east; reinstate the DRAFT with NO LOOP-HOLES! Every-
body goes when the 6x6 (military truck) rolls up (ages from 18 to 50),
city/state/federal legislators, the whole nine yards. I'm speaking truth
to power here today, people. Because when death becomes a shared sacri-
fice, people's whole prospective changes; it's different when everybody's butt is on the line. Believe me, I know because I served three tours in
"Nam (all voluntary) not in surrounding countryside (Thailand, Philippines, etc), but in country. I too believed in the government's
lies (Gulf of Tonkin incident) at the time, but after a lot of years since then, I've had time to reflect and my reflections are not pleasant.
So, if the country really wants to stop this current mistake, follow my
advice, THE DRAFT!

The recent scandal exposed by the WASHINGTON POST's coverage of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center reminded me of the power of this book. One legacy of America's unfortunate invasion of Iraq will be untold numbers of young Americans--and Iraqi civilians--who will live the same sort of horrific nightmare that Lewis Puller describes so vividly in this harrowing autobiography.

My retired Marine father once served under Lew Puller's legendary father, and the two of us stood in line to get our copies of "Fortunate Son" autographed by Mr. Puller, an experience I still remember vividly all these years later. Puller's prose is equally memorable, and this book should be required reading at any American high school in 2007--and for any American who plans to vote in the next election. Lewis Puller's words are more important than ever.

It is difficult to not be moved by the horrific series of incidents related by Puller here. As pointed out by other reviewers, the self-portrait he renders is of a person so unappealing that the reader must conclude that what he has written with an eye first to honest description, as well as he can render it.
That said, this book is not really worth reading as a book. The writing is stultifying flat and, for whatever reasons, the only thing Puller does here is whine, in an equally grating voice and with an equal intensity about whatever happens: the mortifying loss of his legs and much of both hands is treated with exactly the same weight as minor slights that occur in his run for office. Furthermore, a very great deal of the book is devoted to pointing out the obvious: for example, Puller insists on notifying the reader that his son learns to talk while his father (owing to a stroke) is losing the capability for speech. Should an editor have cut out this and the many similar needless explanations, the writing would have far greater impact than it does.
Should the story of Fuller have any lessons for us, those lessons will surely be better learned by reading a (much, much shorter) article about him rather than this tedious book.

Welcome to Mason County, where even the census takers were baffled when they came to a town where blacks looked white. Isabel is the main character in this story. Every one calls her Belly in Mason County. That all changes when a series of events after her childhood friend Teeny got pregnant, led her to Jamison county to stay with her Aunt Rachel. She takes piano lessons from a woman name Ophelia that calls her Isabel, shows her what a real lady is, wins over her heart, and also the heart of Uncle Avery, Aunt Rachel's husband. This causes a lot of problems in Belly's life and causes her to learn a lot life's lessons pretty early. This book was written very beautifully and opened my heart back up to my childhood. I won't tell the rest of the story but all of the characters were endearing and I'll never forget them.

Revisit childhood and relive it in a marvelous way! I felt that I grew up with Belly during the tale of "Miss Ophelia". After reading how her family interacted with each other, their personalities and histories, I felt like I knew them. I laughed out loud at their antics and conversations. You probably will too!

The book seems to start off a little slow in the beginning, but don't let that fool you. This is one to savor. It takes time to get to know this family and watch Isabel (Belly) come of age. While there were events that many of us could relate to, this book lacked the over-the-top, crazy drama that can be found in some other books about childhood family experiences. How refreshing! Belly actually had a good childhood! It was joy to read about. She also had some tough issues to deal with, and this kept the book grounded in reality.

Belly spent part of an important summer taking piano lessons from Miss Ophelia. Miss Ophelia left a powerful influence on Belly, and their time together was a "defining moment" in Belly's life. The way the author described their interaction and other aspects of Belly's life before and after was beautiful. I could picture everything, but the writing style wasn't too wordy. The style was very natural, and the characters seemed so authentic.

I took my time reading this book and looked forward to reading it every time I picked it up. I felt so contented while reading it and satisfied even after I'd finished it. I highly recommend this book. Reading it is time well spent.

This story is sooooo wonderfully written and told. This is one hot summer that readers will surely enjoy. The summer heat is not just in temperature, the heat also rises from the pages in the form of anger and passion.

This story of young Isabel (Belly) is very endearing. Each summer, Belly visits with her aunt and uncle in rural Virginia. She learns lessons that are never taught in summer school. When Miss Ophelia teaches Belly to play the piano, she also teaches her life lessons about love, friendship, responsibility, and accountability.

Though she appears to be very quiet, Miss Ophelia has deep passions about music and love which she eventually shares with others. You will enjoy the music as well as those who play it!

this book was an excellent read. it captured the whole time era and gracefuly put it into words. the author of this book seems to draw the reader into being a part of the novel. she gives you the sense of being there as a bystander, watching and understanding Belly's life that summer. i love the plot, the use of words and the key message. of friendship. i hope this isn't the last piece of work by this author. i highly recommend this book. you'll never want to put it down, and will continuosly find yourself hoping that it never ends.

This book hit me where the heart is!!! The characters: Belly, Willie, Miss Janie, Miss Rachel, Mama, Uncle Avery, Miss Pheenie, And of course, the lovely and dearest of all, Miss Ophelia. When I first got into the book,( first quarter of the book),It primarily focused on teen pregnancy and the main character (Belly's) best friend, Teenie getting sent away to get "rid of her problem", which hurt Isabel Anderson/Walker.
The way the book portrays Miss Opelia, and her warm and kind personality was so well-written, that in the end, I cried, thinking about the True love that could never be, between...
Oh!!!!! Youre just going to have to read the book and see why most of these people(including myself, of course) rated this book 5 stars.

Parents might worry that their child will find inappropriate sites on the Internet. It is important for parents to monitor their child's access to the World Wide Web and teach them proper use of it. This is not a television set with a limited number of channels. It is the information superhighway to the whole world. Think of it the same as traffic safety. You don't leave a young child playing unsupervised by a busy roadway. They could be hit by a car or kidnapped or attacked by a neighbor's dog. An older child after being taught basic principles is allowed more independence in that same situation.
Provide clear guidelines. Let your children know there are subjects or areas that you prefer to be off limits and explain why. Explore cyberspace with the child and talk about what they are seeing and doing.
Teach children safety rules for dealing with strangers online such as never giving out their full name, address or telephone number; never giving out a credit card number; or arranging to meet someone online without your permission. These are the same guidelines you probably use for telephone use in your home or for talking to strangers on the street.
Don't miss out on all the wonders of the World Wide Web. Take your child by the hand and set out on that information superhighway.

Our police department has worked with the author of this book in trying to help victims of cybercrimes. She really knows her stuff. She has even shared many things that my teens wish she hadn't. Now when they type POS, I know it means that they are telling their friends that their parent is looking over their shoulder.

When I don't know where to turn, I just turn to this book. I keep it next to my computer so my children can rely on it too. I was amazed that they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Next time, I'll buy the book BEFORE I buy the computer and set it up right.

a country mom.

I read this book when my mother bought it for me and my friends to read. I was very interested in what this person said about online safety and teens. Most talk about how terrible the internet is, but she thinks it's great for teens as long as we use it following safety rules.

My girlfriend was chatting with a boy she met online. He sent her pictures and said he loved her. She even talked to him on the phone. When he asked to meet her at the mall, I told her about the stories I read in this book, and gave her the book to read.

She didn't meet him after she read the stories about bad men who tried to trick girls into meeting them offline.

Her parents found out and found out that this boy wasn't really a boy.

Mrs. Aftab helps keep teens safe. I want to work for her group and help other teens.

Thank you Mrs. Parry Aftab for caring about teens. we love you!

a sixteen year old girl

My 12 year old daughter was stalked by someone online. I went to Cyberangels for help. Parry Aftab (the author) runs Cyberangels, which is the world's largest and best safety group. This book supports the group, and after Cyberangels helped me find the stalker (someone we knew!), we bought this book to read together. My daughter and her friends in Girl Scouts are now creating an online safety club, thanks to this book, and this incredible woman. Please buy it and support online safety and protect your family online.

I read Parry's first book, and all the other ones that copied it. This is by far the best book out there. It's got every answer to every conceivable questions, easy to understand and fun to read.

I'm a teacher and need to keep up on this subject, and no book, not even her first one, comes close to this book. It feels like she is giving you free tutoring on any question you have about your kids online, right at your side.

I recommend this to all the parents at our school. Trust me on this...only buy one book - this one. And if you have any questions, e-mail Parry, she answers all of them personally. parry@aftab.com (her name)

It is one of the best books I've used in med school so far. It gets right down to the point, so you don't have to read through all of the fluff to find what's important like in other books. However, in the same respect, it's not overwhelming like in some texts where you read a paragraph and then wonder if it was even written in English. This is a must for any med student.

While drinking from the firehouse of knowledge this book is your best friend. It's really a must buy for any med student. Her other book is less helpful. Boron & Boulpaep (etc) take WAY too much time.

This physio book is great. It easily and effortlessly breaks down the physiology that occurs in the human body without getting too technical or clinical. It delivers the basics and little fluff. Great book to read.

fantastic. This book is an awesome read. very well written, concise, great figures. I use this and the brs physio from costanzo and they are both great.

This the most clearly written physiology book out there. Very concise with helpful figures. Costanzo knows her stuff!

This book has a number of practical messages for anyone who is managing or learning how to run an organization. Unlike most books, the author explains how to implement the ideas. For my company it helped us build a foundation of principles by which everyone can live by not just talk about. The end result was a more enjoyable workplace and five star customer experience.

As a MBA student, I found this book a must-read. Unlike other books I have read, this book looks beyond classroom branding theory and teaches you how to successfully implement a brand strategy through the alignment of a company's employees with its vision. I look forward to executing the truths as I head into the "real world," now better prepared!

Finally a book that didnt leave me hanging. Achieve Brand Integrity goes the extra mile. Gregg didnt let the book fall into the business-book-trap of only telling us "what we need to do"...he actually gives us access to the tools on "how to get it done." Pretty selfless stuff. If this read doesn't get you off the dime towards competing globally in the 21st Century...then stop buying books on Brand. C-Level Mgmt should take notice from Mr. Lederman...change is coming with or without them!

I like this book because it starts with a simple yet powerful concept missed by the vast majority of business leaders. Brand Strategy is "The process of aligning what we say with what we do, to positively influence what customers think." Simple because it is what your customers expect. Powerful because in my experience most competitors don't get it. They're wrong. Great brands are fueled by strong cultures, cultures that strive to bring their brand's promise to life. Chapter 6 is worth the entire price of admission. In this chapter, you begin to understand the underlying psychology of your workers and how beliefs drive behavior. And what you must do to change them to become a "visible" brand. Not from a strategy standpoint, rather from a get your hands dirty point of view. When Gregg Lederman says process, he means that literally. He spells out in clear steps what you need to do to align what "we do" with what "we say." In fact the book refers you to [...] to access templates that allow you to progress this concept on your own. Achieve Brand Integrity is a small investment that can pay huge dividends if you embrace the power of a designed culture.

Gregg Lederman lives five years in the future, so if you want to know how to motivate your employees and have more profitable growth in your company, just ask him.

Lederman sets it all out so well. This is a huge contribution that if used will empower any business of any size to distill brand integrity in their employees. This book is easy to read and makes it all so easy to understand. I really wish I had this resource to refer to 15 years ago. I make it a common practice to give this book to every new employee that I hire.

In spare, poetic and very beautiful dialect, old and grumpy Guernsey misanthrope, Ebenezer Le Page, recounts the story of his life; a tale of disillusionment, loss and remarkable resiliance.

Edwards makes Le Page a Guernseyan "Everyman." Le Page represents an embattled folk community: colonized by the French, occupied by the Germans and finally overrun by English tourists.

Like the butler, Stevens, in *The Remains of the Day,* Le Page has an epiphany that transforms him. But while Stevens' epiphany is of the rather subtle dry sherry variety, Le Page's knocks you flat like a good shot of white lightening, poteen or whatever it is that Guernsey people drink when they want to see God.

*The Book of Ebenezer Le Page* is about a small miracle of the human spirit in the face of war, poverty and souless consumerism.

It's been more than twenty-five years since I read The Book of Ebenezer LePage, lured to it by the story of John Fowles's involvement in seeing it published. Having just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, my brother and I were comparing notes on the novel we both enjoyed so much when I commented that, in some strange way, the story reminded me of Ebenezer LePage. Thinking still about that extraordinary book, I checked here at amazon to see if it was still in print.
In reading the long list of capsulized reviews, I found the following and laughed out loud: "The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, by G. B. Edwards, is an oddity and a great literary wonder, written in the beautiful French patios of Guernsey, . . . ." --Archipelago. Of course, the book may have been written on a patio, though I've no idea how the reviewer would know. What I do know, however, is that the subtle language of the Channel Islands--English, with some French added creatively--is known as a "patois," and the use of that patois in the book's dialogue is but a small part of the charm that wafts through the book's pages. I've long considered it to be one of the finest novels I've read.

One of the best books I have read in a long time...The universality of Ebenezer is wonderful. It brings the reader back to another time and place. I highly recommend this book.

What can I add to the almost unanimous chorus of praise and rave reviews? Not much. But this is such an exceptional yet so inexplicably little-known book that I feel obliged to join the chorus.

THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE reminds me, as unlikely as this particular combination may sound, of both Thomas Hardy and Mark Twain. Indeed, for a rough approximation of the narrator Ebenezer Le Page and his personality and humor, imagine that Sam Clemens had been born in 1890 on the Channel Island of Guernsey, lived there his entire life, and then nearing 90 set down the story of his life and his world. Although not as cosmopolitan as Sam Clemens, Ebenezer Le Page is every bit as independent a free-thinker, as open-minded, as cantankerous, as wise, and as ruthlessly disdainful of cant, self-righteousness, and those who better themselves at the expense of others. And almost as funny.

For all its greatness, THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE is not a page-turner that you are likely to devour in one fell swoop. It took me two weeks to read it. But each time I returned to it, I was eager to do so. It is not unlike an idiosyncratically crusty grandfather telling tales from his life after dinner; as much as one loves to listen to him every evening for an hour or two, one is not prepared to listen to him day in and day out, to the exclusion of everything else.

This novel is sui generis. It also is, in my experience, the greatest novel by a "single-work author." (It far surpasses John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces.") But it should not be regarded solely as some sort of curiosity. It is a great work of literature, and it merits far wider recognition and a far wider readership.

This is a book for good readers only. And for good readers who enter the book at the right time when they are willing to invest the effort to get far enough into the story to care about it. There is much to complain about. It is a first person narrative written by a person who is not always likeable about other people who are not always likeable and who are often two dimensional. It is written in an idiosyncratic style that reflects both the education level and patois of the narrator. The setting is limited, obscure and unfamiliar to most readers. Somehow those very complaints gradually reverse themselves to become the strengths of the book. The author asks a lot from the reader because you have to plow through a lot of words and page after page until you become aware of the reversal. You become very interested in the narrator's life story, the vast cast of characters continues to increase with every page but they seem more human and not so irritating, the writing style becomes familiar and essential to the story as the narrator's personality and a reflection of the richness of the setting. This is a long book full of a long life story and many small stories. The small stories are some of the most memorable, particularly during the time of occupation. Some of the little stores are entertaining, like the two pigs and some are tragic, like the story of the young prisoner. I found myself more caught up in the little stories than in the larger tragedy of Raymond and Horace. My recommendation is to skip the introduction by John Fowles which is long and unnecessary and save your endurance to see if you can get far enough into the book to reach the point where you stop having to work at reading and want to pick it up. It is brilliant, even as it is astounding that a publisher read enough of it to make the decision to publish it.

I read this book in High School (late 80's) on a recomendation of a friend and I just loved it. Recently I found a copy at a coffee shop for $1 and just had to buy it and read it again. Again it is a very gripping book about the vietnam war and a ranger team. This is a must for any fan of military stories and veterans.

This one of the best books I've ever read. I'm in college and don't get to read other books often, but this is a must read if you like action books.

I first read this book back in the summer of 1985. I was in jump school down at Benning. The author of this book was the commander of the school at the time. He was a little guy, but don't let that fool ya, because he carried himself like a giant. And while we were running in formation in the hot Georgia heat, he would be running around us and yelling, "gotta love it". We would all yell back in unison, "charlie mike, sir!" Man, that guy was full of energy. You should know that "charlie mike" means "continue mission... no matter what... and against whatever odds". The book carries the same intensity as the colonel.

During those 3 weeks of airborne school I must have read that book 4 times. Boy-oh-boy I loved that book. And of course I went with all my fresh-made buddies to the Benning PX to have the Colonel sign it one Sunday.

I guess I was kind of surprised 2 years later in the summer of 1987 back at Benning for Ranger School when we were all running on that hot Georgia hardball. Because there he was again! Commander of Ranger School.

I'll never forget during that first week there, called "zero week", on one morning jog, he comes running up to me and says, "Ranger, are you an officer?" I says, "yes, sir." And he says, "what school you from Ranger?" I sound off, "Lehigh, Sir." He then yells back, "Rangers from that school don't usually do very well here at Ranger School." So I sound off again, "We'll see, sir."

I figured he probably said that to a lot of us kids. But I took that as a challenge coming from this colonel. That's the way he was. He was always challenging us. Making us push ourselves to do better. It felt pretty good 8 weeks later after Camp Merrill, deserts of Utah, swamps of Florida, and then back on that parade field at Benning when ol' Scott pinned that black and yellow tab on my shoulder. I got pay back from a school that had just washed out 50% of the class.

That's the way COL Scott was though. He pushed us. And he taught us how to push ourselves. And the book is no different. The characters have been taught the same way. Because when the chips are down, they push themselves to continue, to continue mission.

So last year when my 16 year old son asked me what Ranger School was like and what Rangers do, I told him. But then I said, "if you really want to know you should hear it from the guy who taught me." So I ordered the book off Amazon (my signed copy had been lost over the years) and after he read it, he told me he wanted to be one, too.

Charlie Mike, Sir.
Airborne Ranger

This is probably on of the best books i've read ever. I just could not put it down.

This is a great book taking you out of this world and into the jungles of Vietnam. You make great friends and loose them but in the end you look at the world and life in a whole new way. Breathtaking from start to finish.

After High School, I joined the U.S. Army and Attended Jump School. LTC Scott was my commander and I bought the book at the Post Exchange, December 1985. I loved it and have the autographed copy still today.

After reading this book, I feel ready to go out and create my own destiny. This is a wonderful account on how everyday actions and decisions can create the life you want.

Peter Morgan Mash seems to be one of those people upon whom good fortune shines. Just when he's about to lose a big deal, chance rears its beautiful head to help him on his way; just when he's about to give up on meeting a key potential investor, he ends up stuck in the elevator with him. To what does Mash attribute his good fortune? Simple kindness, integrity and personal values. By stressing these personal attributes, he says that anyone can benefit from the kindness of life. We from getAbstract recommend this book to anyone convinced that the universe is a basically friendly place.

Peter Kash was my father's intern at EF Hutton when I was a little girl. His warmth and zest for life come through in this book, as well as his sharp business acumen. His principles are sound; his writing style, delightful. I'd recommend this book to anyone searching for the courage to follow their passion and find success.

I have to say that I pick up a lot of books (from personal success to mathematical tomes) and read them over a period of a week to a month, but not this book. This book is so engrossing that I finished it in two days! Peter Kash really hit a note inside me when he talked about the coincidences and serendipity in eveyone's life. When you look at the world the way Peter Kash does everything begins to become clear and you can't help but to look forward to everyday, to meet new people and to appreciate your family and the people you know well. I have recommended this book as a Must read to all of my friends and I recommend it to anyone who is trying to get a "lucky break" on their way to the top! I can assure you that this is not "fluff" or New Age "Gobbledygook". This is a book written from the "gut" from a solid, successful, entrepeneur, who comes across - not as a know it all - but of someone who has learned a lot of secrets on how to make your own luck. Truly a life altering book for this reader.

Make Your Own Luck is a practical guide for getting the most from what you have. Make Your Own Luck is really a feel good kind of book not based on heavily researched scientific fact.

The author reminds the reader of old platitudes and gives antidotal evidence support these platitudes. Yet in the hustle and bustle of everyday life these reminders are welcome and help realign the compass guiding our lives.

The author reminds us the life is full of unexplained coincidences. If we notice and engage (rather then ignore) these coincidences we can usually find opportunity knocking. Make your own luck covers topics such as failure (required to succeed), rejection (required to succeed), finding a purpose in work and specialization (which can be a path to success).

The underlying tone is the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The author adds the concept of the "web of life", which could be described as "what goes around comes around".

I would recommend Make Your Own Luck. Although the concepts are tried and true they are still important to consider and pursue. In a busy world we need to be reminded and make sure we are following our compass.