Associations Books

With courageous honesty, Dwight takes readers along on his heartbreaking and yet inspiring journey of faith. Watching his response to the reality that his wife was gone forever and his two young sons were severely injured is hard. I am encouraged by his tenacity - he is determined to maintain a positive outlook. What amazing faith.

Dwight and his family are members of our community and church. The faith that he has exhibited has been an inspiration to all. God has worked mightily through this remarkable family and in that of his new wife, Michelle, who also experienced the loss of her husband through a separate tragedy. They have gone on to show the healing power of our Lord and His mercy to bring beauty out of ashes.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (1/07)

Dwight Alexander had it all, a loving bond and children. In the blink of an eye, his world began to tumble. Mr. Alexander was at a seminar when he received the call that his wife and children had been in a terrible accident. His wife Tina was killed on impact; his sons were hospitalized. "Colin was hurt, but his injuries appeared to be from the neck down." Grant had an extensive head injury. At first Mr. Alexander didn't understand just how serious the boy's injuries were. "Colin and Grant were both critical; they'd lost their mother and were fighting for their lives."

Mr. Alexander walks the reader through the tragedy one step at a time. "Sunday came and I did the same things." While life felt as though it should come to a standstill, it went on. People continued on with their lives. But part of Mr. Alexander was missing. There was Colin and Grant to think of; Dwight had to find a way to cope.

There came a point when Dwight had to turn things over to God. He drew strength from the story of Job. God restored all Job had lost and multiplied it. Dwight triumphantly went on with his life.

Dwight Alexander authored "Through These Doors," with the hope that his tragic loss and experience will help someone else to heal. Mr. Alexander offers encouragement to readers to weather the storms of life. His story is one of inspiration and courage. Mr. Alexander is a talented author. He successfully conveys his pain and triumph with others. The photographs make this story come to life on the pages. The cover is perfect for this book. I highly recommend "Through These Doors" to Christians and those who enjoy non-fiction.

A well written book, sensitive and thoughtful. Congratulations to the author and publisher for sharing this book with the public and those who are in a time of transition. This is a valuable book and important tool in the recovery process. As the author of another book on coping, "Shovel It: nature's health plan" and speaker on this topic, I admire Metzgar's compassion for a topic many avoid discussing. Thumbs up.

One of the things I appreciate the most about this book is that it talks about so many kinds of losses, not just death. It made it feel like an OK part of life. It was an easy read and the photography added to the very peaceful feel. I would recomend this book to anyone experiencing any kind of change or loss in their life. The section on children was also exceptional.

In her book, A TIME TO MOURN, A TIME TO DANCE, Margaret Metzgar gently and with such beauty in her words and photography, shares how to emotionally heal from a loss. This isn't just a step by step book on how to deal with grief--this is a book about losses, and what to expect as we work through the pain until we're on the other side. Until I read this book, it never dawned on me that we experience losses all the time! In a sense, we experience grief every day; the loss of a job or a pet, of being a homeowner, or being a full-time wife and mother, or having a friend move away. Loss isn't just about when a loved one passes away. Read A TIME TO MOURN, A TIME TO DANCE, and enjoy the words to help you or a friend heal from a life's many losses.

Norlander provides a comprehensive text which focuses on the guiding principles involved in end of life care. Multiple real-life examples bring the easy-to-read material to life. Basic principles of care are higlighted in boxes making this a quick reference guide for the busy caregiver, professional or lay. This slim volume will help make caregiving more satisfying, knowing that "all bases" (physical, psychological, spiritual) have been considered. End of chapter references and resources provide a means for further exploration and help in this area. I highly recommend this book to practicing nurses, nursing educators, nursing students, lay caregivers, and other health-care professionals.

Nurses, no matter what setting they work in, will at some time have the occasion to work with people who are terminally ill or dying. Ms. Norlander's book is a wonderful primer on how nurses can care for and advocate for dying patients and their families. Written in an easy, concise, and conversational style, Ms. Norlander guides the reader through the process of caring for those at the end of life. Recognizing that dying is more than a physical phenomenon, she also addresses the, perhaps, more challenging aspects of caring for the person's psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs, such as discussing advance care planning, assessing suffering, and supporting the needs of the family during the dying process and after the death. Equally important, Ms. Norlander has excellent words of advice on how sustain one's self in the midst of sadness and stress. To Comfort Always should be required reading for all nurses and nursing students who are inexperienced or uncomfortable in working with terminally ill patients and their families.

This book on the nurse's role in caring for the dying is a distinctive, if not unique, work: it is informed throughout by the nurse's roles as clinician, advocate, and guide for their patients and families. As well, it is clearly written, covering all the major aspects of the subject in a relatively small package while still being packed with resources (print and online) on its topics.

A friend who has been a longtime hospice volunteer (who avoids the online world) also gives this book high marks both as an easy-to-read guide to the subject and for the currency and thoroughness of its resources: this gives the book a reference value that should last for awhile. As such, he thinks it would be well-suited for nursing students as well as for practicing nurses who need a compact practice-oriented reference guide but who don't have the time or need for the larger books on the market.

... I have come to appreciate the nurse's vital role on the health-care team at the end of life, and so find many of the insights of this book all the more illuminating and valuable.

I read this when it was first published and it has been a major influence in the way I look at the universe ever since. Dorothy's story of her unfolding awareness is wonderful. The "Kingdom of the Gods" book by Hodson and the Perelandra Garden books are also good and along similar lines, but this one is my favorite.

This is a very personal story about Dorothy's ordinary-turned-extraordinary life, as she expanded her consciousness in simple ways that anyone can do themselves, privately, not attempting to attract attention but seeking for her own personal fulfillment. The book is a real page-turner as it moves into Dorothy MacLean's spiritual adventures while she and the Caddys created the impossible-by-all-scientific-accounts garden at Findhorn, Scotland. It got to the point where I just couldn't put it down but did-- just so it wouldn't end! The messages she wrote down from the devas (her word for celestial beings that hold the blueprints for all of matter) are direct, simple and comforting -- but also haunting in their admonitions to mankind to work on an intuitive level with nature and have the courage to reduce the consumption and accompanying waste of our natural resources, which, as they very clearly communicated, creates a divide between man and the spiritual forces of the planet. As Albert Einstein said: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

Toward that end, I have found this book to be profoundly inspiring as I go about my not-very-extraordinary daily life, and I find myself thinking of Dorothy and the Caddys often as I seek the best possible solutions for my own daily problems. It has definitely expanded my own relationship with the world and my own infinitely smaller (but no less important) role on the planet.

I bought *To Hear the Angels Sing* in an earlier edition in 1982 and fell in love with it. Dorothy Maclean, a Canadian who became one of the founders of Findhorn, tells her story with wit and deep insight. As interesting as her life is, however, what fascinates me most is her ability to communicate with the devas, or "angels," or "pattern-holders" of plants and trees (the Hindu term, deva, wasn't as well known when she first wrote the book so she called them "angels" and has retained that term in later editions). Her book includes transcripts of her dialogues with an extraordinary range of powerful nature spirits -- some speak of their vision of life, others complain about a humanity that refuses to listen, still others plead eloquently for interspecies cooperation between their realms and ours. The words are profound and often deeply moving. (The story that has stayed with me the longest is on pp.93-94 where Maclean picks up a pebble on a Scottish beach and has an unexpected encounter with the mineral deva.)

Like all mystics, Maclean sees the Otherworlds through her own societal filters, which leads her to speak of a monotheistic male deity and sometimes to explain things in Christian terms (e.g., God's will, God's plan). Other than this minor quibble, the book is superb. Since reading it, I have never seen "reality" in the same way as before. I am not psychic but Maclean is so grounded and wise in her approach to such matters that I feel I can trust her insights. I may not be able to communicate with the devas myself, but that they are *there,* I no longer doubt. To a world as ecologically troubled, polluted, and out of balance as ours is, this book brings a vision of hope and offers a path of respect between the realms.

This is a "must read" for not only anyone curious about God, but for every Christian as well. You can't help but come away with a far deeper and more treasured walk with Him. I grew up very legalistic, with the idea that God's love for me was somehow based on my behavior...WRONG! This book turned my life around, gave me joy, peace, love, etc.! The perfect book to share with a friend!

This is a fabulous book! Someone gave it to me many years ago, and while unpacking a box of books the other day I came across it and decided to read it again. Pastor Venden answers the questions that many Christians ask (e.g., how do I know if I am really saved? why do things seem to get worse in my life when I seek God? how do I stop sinning?). He uses scripture, personal experiences from his own life, and anecdotal stories to answer these questions. His writing style is simple, clear, and concise. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to walk with God.

If you have never read any book about God this is the one. Morris Venden is not only reacquainting you with God but he stresses the importance of having personal and constant relationship with Him. "There are many people who (...) can experience worldly success apart from God as long as He keeps their hearts beating. But the point is that we are helpless to produce anything apart from God when it comes to genuine goodness or righteousness." Venden emphasizes that there is nothing that we can do in order to achieve inner peace and Salvation. Since God already accepted us just the way we are all we have to do is to accept Jesus in our hearts. "Many people today try to buy God's love and acceptance and become nothing more than fornicators in the spiritual sense. But Jesus comes along and says that the greatest pleasure, the lasting happiness, is free." So, the only thing we have to do is to surrender ourselves to Jesus. "But surrender is not something we do, even though we do it! What's the point? That only God lead us to surrender... An important truth about surrender is that it is not something we can do!" I could quote Venden's book in whole chapters but then what would be the point of buying it? I hope these few quotes intrigued you enough to get this book for your 5-day plan study.

Of all the texts I have read concerning Africa and its political/economic problems, this is the best contribution to understanding the motivations of those involved in providing humanitarian assistance. It represents ultimately a message of hope which counters the many pessimistic texts covering this area. The hope is neither misplaced or naive, but is a product of a level of understanding on the part of the authors rarely grasped I think by similar authors. Highly recommended.

The criticisms I can aim at this book are few: there's some needless reiteration of points made early on and some loss of context in the wash of events described. Both are stylistic and really just matters of taste.

Knowing only what an outsider can glean about MSF, this seems a wholly objective, balanced assessment of the group(s), its membership(s) and the circumstances, compromises, and pervasive questions attendant to both. The very real limitations and dangers of international aid are presented frankly, as is the selfless dedication of the MSF staff. Individuals are not squeezed into comfortable categories; the complexities, even the occasional flashes of swagger or ugliness, of each participant are served up with relative detachment.

As an introduction to the politics and human costs of genocide (admittedly from a singular, but coherent political perspective), it's hard to beat.

The photographs, which portray a parallel narrative, are likewise honest, and both stories are rendered with sufficient feeling expose what is truly uplifting about MSF.

The criticisms I can aim at this book are few: there's some needless reiteration of points made early on and some loss of context in the wash of events described. Both are stylistic and really just matters of taste.

Knowing only what an outsider can glean about MSF, this seems a wholly objective, balanced assessment of the group(s), its membership(s) and the circumstances, compromises, and pervasive questions attendant to both. The very real limitations and dangers of international aid are presented frankly, as is the selfless dedication of the MSF staff. Individuals are not squeezed into comfortable categories; the complexities, even the occasional flashes of swagger or ugliness, of each participant are served up with relative detachment.

As an introduction to the politics and human costs of genocide (admittedly from a singular, but coherent political perspective), it's hard to beat.

The photographs, which portray a parallel narrative, are likewise honest, and both stories are rendered with sufficient feeling expose what is truly uplifting about MSF.

My son has had this book since he was 3, I caught him still peeking at it the other day and he is 9 now. This book came out in conjuction with the Fisher Price Pirate playset at the time. It was a great way to bring more life to the characters and figures for kids. Fisher Price also had a PC game and cassette tape for kids at the time. The book has a game where you set out to find certain items on each page, cleverly hidden by the tons of lifting flaps on each page. By far the best lift the flap I have seen, with the most lengevity for kids. I admit it, it was fun for me too. I highly reccommend.

Excellent hands on book. Kids love to lift the flaps to see what is under them.

I found it very difficult to find books on pirates suitable for young children--the majority of them are way too scarey and inappropriate, but this book is great--my oldest grandson, who is 3, loves it. It is giving him an idea of pirate life without being too frightening. He especially enjoys lifting the flaps in a certain order to find the buried treasure which to his delight is a chest full of candy! .... I recommend it highly.

In this book, the authors offer empircal proof -- derived from nearly 30 years of research in this area -- of treatments that work with children. Even better, the treatments, although psychologically valid, have their basis in common sense. For example, a child can't succeed at toilet training until he/she is able to dress himself. Therefore, one of the first steps in toilet training is to teach the child how to pull his/her pants up and down. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I hadn't thought of that before I read this book, and it makes a lot of sense. It's a book that's filled with refreshingly simple -- and proven -- methods for handling common childhood behavior and medical problems.

A "must have" for any clinician working with children and adolescents. Christophersen and Mortweet provide a valuable contribution to the literature with this book. They present practical treatment interventions effective in treating a variety of disorders for children and adolescents. The information is presented in a thought provoking and stimulating manner, which generated ideas for me in my practice as I read it. I have used ideas and treatment approaches I gained from this book in my treatment/practice.

This book is clearly outlined and I was able to quickly jump to the parts that were most applicable to me as I approached a difficult treatment case. Christophersen and Mortweet provide a myriad of charts and handouts that I can use with my patients.

An excellent resource to have at your disposal in working with children and adolescents. Empirically supported treatment interventions are vital in today's managed care environment. This is an important tool to have in your "tool box" as you approach and work with patients, parents, and third party payers.

This is probably the best book I've read concerning children and childhood problems. Although I am a therapist and gained alot of practice tips while reading, it would be very informative for parents as well.

A truly amazing collection of chocolate recipes! I have only tried 3 so far, but each one has been a great success. The book begins by explaining the origins of chocolate, history of chocolate, how it's made, etc., then moves on to explaining how to work with chocolate. There is also a fair amount of detailing and photography on making impressive chocolate decoration for your desserts, which is actually easy to prepare. The book offers recipies for pies, mousses, cakes, cookies, confectionary, ice creams, drinks, and sauces. I must warn you, though, that some recipes call for as much as 300 grams of butter, and some call for 3 cups of double cream. I tried them once and the results were delicious, but not worth the health hazard.

Nevertheless, the final results taste great and look great. One you should try if you buy the book: the Striped Cheesecake!

In "Ultimate Chocolate" you will be seduced into reading the story of chocolate. Did you know that chocolate grows in spindle-shaped pods that form on the Theobroma cacao tree? You will love reading about how chocolate is produces from the pods which reveal beans and then finally nibs which are used to make chocolate.

Patricia Lousada explains all the delicious details and then gives the secrets for selecting chocolates for your own home cooking. She explains how to successfully melt chocolate. There is detailed information on how to temper chocolate which is only needed for formal candy making.

Do you remember the first time you tasted chocolate eclairs or Belgium truffles? The pictures in this book will send you right to the kitchen. The step-by-step instructions help to turn the pictures into a reality. Adding a professional finishing touch to cakes is also easy when you can follow the step-by-step pictures.

Personalizing chocolate treats is easy when you know how to make chocolate curls, ribbons, flowers, leaves, baskets, boxes, cut-outs and curls. You can choose to make the simplest chocolate mousse or a wedding cake which will serve 100 guests.

Other recipes you will want to try include: Chocolate Pecan Pie, Chocolate Rum Fondue, Pecan Chocolate Fudge Cake, Austrian Sacher Torte, Chocolate Shortbreads, White Chocolate and Lime Mousse and a variety of Chocolate Sauces.

Delicious, decadent and visually satisfying. Enter the world of chocolate seduction.

~The Rebecca Review

This is the ultimate book for chocolate lovers. It offers a wonderful history of chocolate and fabulous pictures. The recipes are easy to follow - you don't have to be a gourmet pastry chef to make these desserts! Even if you're not into cooking, this book is a feast for the eyes! The photographs make your mouth water!

Dave Perry is not only one of the world's best sailors (2nd in the 2005 Hinman Master's Championship and champion of many other regattas) he's an amazing teacher. If you've ever heard him talk, I'm sure you'd agree. His energy and enthusiasm for the sport is clearly dipicted in his excellent book. No matter what your level in sailing, you are bound to learn something new from his book.

bryan mcdonald
us sailing appeals committee member

Each time the US Sailing rules change, I order my replacement copy of "Understanding," by Dave Perry. Not only is he the most reliable and knowledgeable expert on our sport's arcane rules, but also he's the best at explaining them. Besides a complete rules dissection, the book holds a complete set of the latest racing rules (so you don't need to spend another $30 on those if you're not a US Sailing member) and a great rules-in-brief section that can help a newcomer get on the race course safely without tackling the complexity.

An excerpt from the Back Cover:

Includes the complete text of the 2005-2008 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Racing Rules of Sailing and US SAILING Prescriptions.

Contains over 100 quotes and references to the US SAILING Appeals and ISAF Cases, making it an indespensable resource for sailors and racing officials.

The better you know the rules, the sharper you will be tactically on the race course. Dave Perry clearly and concisely answers all of the most commonly asked questions on the racing rules from a champion racing sailor's perspective.