No one can say it better than Leo Rosten whose subtitle to "Joys" reads: "A relaxed lexicon of Yiddish, Hebrew and Yinglish words often encountered in English, plus dozens that ought to be, with serendipitous excursions into Jewish humor, habits, holidays, history, religion, ceremonies, folklore, and cuisine, the whole generously garnished with stories, anecdotes, epigrams, Talmudic quotations, folk sayings and jokes-from the days of the Bible to those of the beatnik."

Written in 1968 and an instant best seller, it became a standard reference work on the Yiddish language. The format is that of a lexicon, i.e. each Yiddish entry (tranliterated into english) is follwed by a brief definition, with, in most cases, a story, epigram or joke to illustate the Yiddish word.

This book can be picked up and broused, can be read cover to cover, or can be used as a reference book.

If you like to laugh, or are interested in Jewish cuture or religion, or are just sometimes stumped by a Yiddish word now and then, you will love "The Joys of Yiddish."

The most authoritative book on Yiddish expressions (for general readers) is Leo Rosten's "The Joy of Yiddish." It not only catalogues and defines Yiddish expressions and words, but contains illustrations and jokes that use Yiddish words.

THE JOYS OF YIDDISH is a delightful little dictionary of Yiddish words and expressions that have worked their way into the English language, or at least should have. I can't count the times I've heard people with no background in Yiddish use words like "mavin" (expert), or "shnuk" (a real pitiful character), or dozens of others.

Rosten's frequent approach is to take a word or expression, explain its pronunciation, define it as nearly as is possible, and give an anecdote or example of its use. When the word lends itself to humor, Rosten usually opts for a humorous anecdote.

For an example, I've chosen the word "chutzpah." It is pronounced to rhyme with foot spa, with the ch rolled in your throat to give the German gutteral "kh" sound, not like the ch in "choo-choo." The nearest you can come to defining "chutzpah" in English is unmitigated gall or perhaps brazen effrontery. An example of "chutzpah" is the man who, after killing his mother and father, asks the court for mercy because, after all, he IS an orphan.

There are hundreds of such examples in the book. There are also many more serious examples of words that do not lend themselves to humor.

At the end of the book there are appendices which discuss Jewish Traditions, Ceremonies, Religious Writings, Names, and more.

Rosten has evidently done his research to come up with the many hundreds of entries in the book. He has provided a valuable research document and a book that can be opened to almost any page and elicit a chuckle or two.

"The Education of Hyman Kaplan" is a delightful, funny, enchanting book. Always excited to work and participate in class, Mr. Kaplan embarks on his mission to impress his teacher, Mr. Parkhill--and be graduated from the begginer's grade. Unfortunately, he is not quite successful. This book is one of the funniest that exists, so I suggest: READ IT!

Rosten wrote a series of timeless short stories about students at an adult education class learning English as a second language. Instead of making fun of the teachers and the students, he makes them heroes.

Nothing compares to the quality of writing and humor. These stories can be re-read countless times.

The Education of Hyman Kaplan is an almost lost creation of Leo Rosten, a book I discovered a few years ago. On the face this book is a comedy of language set among the immigrant students of an adult language school in New York. There is no doubt the Rosten has a flair for bringing out the hilarious subtleties of the English language, and the book moves so quickly it seems unfairly short. Mr. Parkhill's beginners grade classroom is the scene of countless battle and wars, where the students struggle against syntax, diction, and each other. Some of the botched quotes from Shakespeare are masterpieces in themselves. I had no idea a book of this kind could be such a riot, and never knew our language was so close to lunacy.

The hapless hero, Kaplan, provides a wonderful vehicle for Rosten to maneuver through the pitfalls and traps of the many idiomed English Language. However, behind the books' mangled metaphors, garbled grammar, and reinvented history, lies the world of the immigrant in New York City. The light-hearted episodes are interspersed with an occasional look into the difficult life of a brand new American. These chapters show the optimism and the will to succeed that Kaplan's fellow students brought with them to America. Kaplan himself is an emblem of endurance; forever doomed to stay in the beginners grade, yet never despairing of the always elusive verb tenses.

This book has only one "weakness": it does not cater to cynicism. It looks ahead, from the eyes of each of the characters, to a better time, a better place, with better pronunciation. This is a glimpse of the Dream of America that I had not seen, a different view that fascinated me. I think the strangest thing is that the book is never preachy. It is likely this is because Rosten wrote this book as a mature writer, with many other works under his belt. His tendency to constant revision has left this book a polished gem. Read, laugh, and enjoy.

I have allergies and I found this book fascinating! I heard the author, Tom Ogren, interviewed on NPR's Weekend Edition with Linda Werthheimer. After hearing that interview I immediately wanted to read this book. It was every bit as good as I expected, better. It is a very clearly written book, but there is so much new information in it that I may have to read it three or four times for it all to sink in.
The title of this book comes from the discovery that male plants, especially male street trees, are raining allergenic pollen on us all. Male plants are used since they don't make seeds. Female plants, which are all pollen-free, are shunned. The chapter on "How to tell the boys from the girls," is great!
In some ways it reminds me a bit of The Botany of Desire, another book that mixes horticulture and health. I'm also going to buy the author's first book, Allergy-Free Gardening, a book I've heard nothing but praise for. In Safe Sex in the Garden there are many tips for living allergy-free. The horticulture is excellent too and it is completely clear that the author is a botanist of considerable standing. I looked him up on a Google search and found that he has landscaped an American Lung Association headquarters (in Richmond, VA), that the USDA urban foresters use his plant/allergy scale, and that county asthma coalitions hire him to produce pollen-free landscapes at elementary schools.
This a very fine book and I intend to recommend it to all my friends who garden, who enjoy exciting botany, and certainly to anyone with asthma or allergies.

Safe Sex in the Garden by Thomas Leo Ogren is a terrific book. I have already read the
entire book twice and I expect that I'll read it several times more. It is fun to read, zippy
and not what you'd expect from a book about trees, shrubs, lawns and human health. There
is a ton of new, great information here that was not in his first book, Allergy-Free Gardening.
Like his other book, this is one that every gardener and every parent will want to own.
If anyone in your house has allergies, by all means get this book. If you have pets and
are concerned about their health, you'll find it excellent. The section here on poisonous plants and poisonous ollen
is the best I've ever seen. The chapter on plants that cause skin rashes is deep and very
good too. I loved the sections on plant sex, which are unusual, often funny, and very
important to know about too. If you care about your own health and that of your family, you
need to read this book. It will open your eyes I promise, and the information here is all from
Ogren's own research, not your same old material at all. Plant sex it turns out has a dramatic effect on our own health. Check out this book . It's a real winner!

I flat out love this book! It is a real kick, lots of neat stories about real life interactions between people and plants. This might not sound like zippy material but actually, it is.
I already owned Mr Ogren's earlier book, Allergy-Free Gardening, a book I simply can't do without. This one though, Safe Sex in the Garden, is more personal, very fun to read.
There is a wealth of information here that you can't find anywhere else. Nothing else is even close really. No one understands plant sex better than this author. I live in Berkeley, California, and around here it seems like quite a few people are discovering these books. At least half a dozen of my friends have now read this and all of us are crazy about it. It is an important book. I am a teacher, have allergies, and am very interested in urban ecology, the biology of the city. This fine book has expanded my understanding of horticulture, medicine, nature, and the manipulation of our landscapes. I recommend it to all teachers, to those interested in gardening, health, to anyone who wants to learn some new and different aspects about the world around us. And yes, after you read this book, like me, I'm sure there will be some changes made in your own yards. This book is too cool!

I first read this book when I was 14. Five years later I was hitchhiking across the country, carrying my father's original hardbound copy with me. Witch taught me everything I needed to know about living a life without walls. I recommended it to everyone I met and somewhere along the way, left my copy with a friend. I have been looking for a replacement ever since. Although I am now married and don't hitchhike anymore - I am still a Witch at heart.

This book came at a perfect time in my life. My friend stole it from our school library because she loved it so much. She gave it to me to read. Since then I have told everyone to read it. I don't think anybody has, but they are missing out on a great experience. At her birthday party, we laid on her trampoline and formed a flower with our feet. We felt the energy from it, but nobody else understood. It is a very good thing.

How is it that certain male writers can jump inside the head and heart of a young woman so well? Wally Lamb does it in She's Come Undone, and in Season of the Witch, James Leo Herlihy makes you believe that you are reading the actual diary of a teenage girl.

In 1969, Gloria and her friend John decide to run away from their homes in suburban Detroit when he gets his draft notice. They choose New York because Gloria's real father lives there and she wants to meet him. She is hoping he will provide an escape from her plastic suburban life and be the loving, wise parent she wishes her mother could be. Of course, things don't turn out quite as expected but the great thing about Gloria is her total honesty with herself and her ability to really learn from her experiences. Tough and sweet, smart and funny, she is an inspiration for any young person.

I first read this book when I was 15. I am 40 now. I have reread it every few years since then. I feel like I know these characters, they are so real to me, especially Gloria. Some of the "hippie" stuff is a little much for a post-hippie era punk like myself, but it is totally believable in the context. I have always wished that James Leo Herlihy could spend his all his time continuing to tell us Gloria's story - what was she doing at 20? 28? 35? - but you get to know her so well in Season of the Witch you can imagine it for yourself.

This book seems to be available on several used book sites. Get it!

"I have had the privilege of hearing Cantor Leo Fettman's story of Holocaust survival personally... As I read this book, I could hear his voice and see the pain in his eyes once again. ...I will recommend this book to counselors, educators, and those who seek insights in the personal impact of the Holocaust that transformed ordinary people into extraordinary survivors. ...I am grateful that Cantor Fettman worked through his own pain of remembering to bring us this great treasure!"

Reverend Steven E. Boes Director of the St. Augustine Indian Mission Winnebago, Nebraska

I just finished reading SHOAH: Journey from the Ashes.

For the past 25 years I have read an average of two Holocaust books per week. I have read good books, bad books, mediocre books, and some outstanding books. This book I would gladly recommend anyone read as it goes beyond the Holocaust and goes to humanity.

Cantor Fettman mixes in sociology, psychology, common sense, and his experiences taking him from faith to faith never with a loss for where G-d is in his life.

I am proud that Cantor Fettman was one of the 60 interviews that I conducted for the Spielberg Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. He is a man that leaves an impact. He is a man who has made a difference.

This book is well written with just enough reference to the Holocaust to be a Holocaust book and at the same time this book becomes a primer on how to live your life.

I dare to dream for a moment thinking how this world would be if in each persons life a Cantor Fettman appeared. It is also leaves that void wondering how many Cantor Fettman's were murdered during the Holocaust.

This book should be required reading for everyone at any age and with any religion.

I would tell anyone searching for a book on the Holocaust to begin right here.

In Shoah: Journey from the Ashes, Paul M. Howey and Cantor Fettman have done an in-depth historical prologue which chronicles 2,000 years of anti-Semitism. Then they have recorded Cantor Fettman's tragic Holocaust experiences (and) then they have listed current hate groups who sadly are still part of our society. This book does an excellent job of showing unless we are proactive, history will continue to repeat itself.

Shirley Goodman, M.S. Educator and Author Omaha, Nebraska

This book is a must for every child's library. There are so many topics of discussion that can be brought out with just this one book. Friendship, courage, cooperation, and the ocean life are just a few. If you are a teacher, or have young children, this book is a must.

Note to teachers: I use this during my ocean unit in kindergarten. We then make an ocean mural. Every child makes a red fish and I make a black fish, which is Swimmy. We then work together to make all of our fish look like one big fish. The children love it!

A children's book about a small fish who is different than the other fish in its "school" and who teaches other small fish how to survive by "camouflage." Little children really enjoy watching Swimmy in the illustrations. The book was a 1964 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children.

A lot of children's books deal with sharing and getting along with others. A lot try to help children be themselves. The brilliance of Leo Lionni is that in book after book he brings these two ideas together, showing children that they can be themselves and care about others at the same time. Many of Lionni's best books - Frederick, Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, Tico and the Golden Wings, and Swimmy - all deal with this theme.

Of all these, Swimmy is probably the one with the most immediate appeal to small children. The idea of little fish banding together to scare off the big bully fish is really empowering to small children. And the illustrations are delightful.

As a writer and former English teacher, I also love Lionni's simple poetic language. You have to love a writer who writes about "an eel whose tail was almost too far away to remember" and describes sea anemones as "pink palm trees swaying in the wind." Hearing such beautiful and evocative language from an early age can't help but make children better readers and writers later on.

If I could, I'd send every baby home from the hospital with one of Rosemary Wells' Max books and this book. It belongs in every library.

Here's a call to everyone to put aside their fears and prejudices and give themselves over to love.

Our scientifically oriented society, says Buscaglia, is prejudiced against love as a power to affect the human condition. Society sees love as "supercilious, unscientific bosh." The individual must develop him- or herself to the fullest to discover and celebrate her own uniqueness. Society wrongly teaches us to value a person for what she has rather than who she is or what she does. Buscaglia sounds the battle cry for freedom -- refuse to be molded into a likeness deemed "proper" by societal codes. Rather, be free to become your own person, loving yourself and your fellowman.

Everyone should have someone in his or her life who says, "I will love you no matter what...if you fall on your face, if you do the wrong thing, if you make mistakes, if you behave like a human being -- I will love you no matter."

He's pretty hard on the educational system, saying it has stifled individuality and creativity in children. "The true fuction of the child's education should be the process of helping him to discover his uniqueness, aiding him toward its development and teaching him how to share it with others." This is where I take issue with him, having pretty well agreed up to this point. Our schools have excelled in doing that very thing to the detriment of the three R's and as a result we have college freshmen who are arrogant and disrespectful, who have never read a book and who can't spell. (I speak from personal experience in teaching college level creative writing.)

I do agree with his emphasis on honesty and truth, however, believing as I do that it is the very foundation of our society and has not been emphasized to children for much too long.

Do read this one. It's a book that will confront you and make you think. You may or may not agree with him -- or with me -- but you will enjoy analyzing his points and developing your own views on the subjects.

The is a wonderful, funny, very easy to read book. The content has the power to change your life and just how to view your life, and the people close to you. Its gives you a better understanding of love , compassion and emotion. This is a book you buy for yourself and several copies to give. You will want to read this over and over again. I highly recommend this book it was extremely inspirational and a true delight

I am so grateful this book is back in print! This short, funny, easy to read book will profoundly change your life and how you view the people close to you. Although you can easily finish it in a weekend, you'll want to read it again every 18 months or so as your life changes to bring you "back" to your center. Everyone I've ever lent it to adored it so much, I've given away over a dozen copies. It is unfortunate that his lectures based on this book are not available on Video, as Leo's personal mannerisms and speaking style are so warm and funny, they really enhance the subject.

I have read all 5 of the "original" books at least ten times and had to put them down for years and hope to forget them. They have been, by far, some of the best science fiction I have ever read. Being an engineer myself I find his methods of getting things done and especially the way they get "Polishly" done hilarious. I have made the mistake of lending these books to people over the years and thought I was doomed when I found they were out of print and my books had never been returned. But joy of joys, Mr. Frankowski has finally re-emerged and with a sequel. Now it's time to start over and read the entire series. Except for the fact that Book 2 is not being reprinted and unavailable. Please beseech the powers that be to find it wihin their scaly hearts to reprint and allow me to move forward again! They really are the kind of book/s you just can't put down once you get started. Give number 1 a try!

I have read books 1-5 atleast 5 times and I enjoy them each time as much as the first time. I don't know what it is but this is one of the best series that I have read and I have read alot in recent years. I've been waiting for the 6th book for the last 5 years since I've discovered the series. My books are very well worn from their use.

This is the best time travel series in a realistic timeline ever written. Before these books, L. Sprague De Camp had held that title for decades with his "Lest Darkness Fall", but it was too short. Mark Twain may be the most famous with his "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", but that is more light hearted than serious, and disappointing at the end. The Conrad series delivers on all the promise, and even after 5 books, it still leaves you wanting more. (There is a sixth book now, but Conrad is a minor character, and I've reviewed it separately.)

I say realistic timeline, because Conrad isn't really from our timeline. I was a little suspicious right from the start, but it wasn't until Conrad reminisced about the Mongols invading France that I thought "Hey, wait a minute". It turns out that it didn't happen to us (even without Conrad). But the historians I read agree that it would have, except the great Khan died and the Mongols had a war of succession which they never recovered from. This is often used as an example of the actions of one person changing history. I never even heard the story, until Conrad got me to look it up. Go figure.

This is an action story, with fighting and sex, where Conrad overcomes insurmountable obstacles, and usually has a good time along the way. The author doesn't just ignore the time travel though. He writes a science fiction sub-plot about that too. In fact, the author is obviously an engineer, not just because it takes an engineer for Conrad to build the things he does, but also from the way the books were planned out and crafted. Obviously the author planned the Mongol invasion and built the series around it, but he also foreshadows romantic sub-plots 3 books in advance.

I love these books, and share other reviewers disbelief that they haven't been reprinted since 1993. If you've already read them, and love them too, you might want to try "The Misplaced Legion (Videssos Cycle, Book 1)" by Harry Turtledove, about elements of one of Caesar's legions travelling into Rome's future of the Byzantine Empire. Only it's not the real Byzantine Empire, it's a parallel universe where magic works. Aside from that, it's Byzantium during the 1100's written by a Byzantine historian. And of course you'll want to read the "Island in the Sea of Time" series by S. M. Stirling, about modern day Nantucket going back in time to the Trojan War. These works are different, but also 5 stars.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I really like it. I have used it to change the way I feed my child, and myself.

I have noticed a significant difference in my 18 month old son's health verses other children his age. He has never had an ear infection and his colds don't amount to much. But I am also making these changes for his future healthy immune system as well.

I refer to this book often, it's not a one time read. It also has recipes that incorporate the healthy foods that they recommend you feed your kids.

I also like the book, because it's not a weird "guru-type" nutrition book. These ideas for a healthy immune system are just a healthy lifestyle for EVERYONE...not just the "health food nut". This book is a good reference tool if you are interested in making a change in your child's overall health and well being.

I found this book to be very clear, easy to understand, and extremely helpful in choosing how to feed my children in order to keep them well and in optimum health! I would especially recommend it to anyone struggling with health issues for their children such as allergies or chronic infections, since remedies for these problems are discussed very clearly in the book. A wonderful resource for any parent! I will recommend it to all my friends with kids.

I have read many books on children's nutrition, from the standard dietician's texts to the militant vegetarian tomes, and alot that fall in-between. Out of all of them, this is by far the best. Dr. Galland presents general dietary recommendations and supplements for each age group, and for the common conditions and situations that occur. His advice is tempered by experience, and almost always backed up by research. Most importantly, they are effective and are 80+% compliable (no kid that I've met follows any program 100%). This is a must have reference for all parents!

Adults should check out his other book, "Power Healing" for an excellent program that can move them to greater health.

One of my favorites! I have a daily process, which includes morning reading of several great works. It didn't take long for this book to rise to the top. Tolstoy has done a great service to mankind through his collection of great insights and wisdom. Nicely translated by Peter Sekirin, this book is a treasure awaiting discovery! Tolstoy put a tremendous effort into his concept of "A wise thought for every day of the year, from the great philosophers of all times and all people." It took him over fifteen years of searching to compile this final version of which Tolstoy himself would consult daily for the rest of his life. Wisdom from the likes of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, Jesus, Confucius, Emerson, Kant, Ruskin, Seneca, Socrates, Thoreau and many more. Tolstoy's love and passion for his work shines through as he writes in his introduction..."I hope that the readers of this book may experience the same benevolent and elevating feeling which I have experienced when I was working on it's creation, and which I experience again and again when I reread it every day, working on the enlargement and improvement of the previous edition." I am sure that this book will be one of your all time favorites too!

A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy. Scribner, 1997. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ENGLISH, THE LAST MAJOR WORK BY LEO TOLSTOY!!! Created by one of the world's best novelists as a guide for moral living, this beautiful treasure offers, as Tolstoy wrote, "a wise thought for every day of the year, from the greatest philosophers of all times and peoples." Most of the pages were created by Tolstoy himself in 1903-1910 and are dedicated to love, faith, kindness, knowledge, sacrifice, family, meditation, prayer, etc. For Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Russian title "Put zhizni"), was the most important project of his life, a book he proclaimed himself prouder that his materpieces WAR AND PIECE and ANNA KARENINA. Banned by Lenin during 75 years of of the Soviet regime for numerous quotes from the sacred texts of every major world religion, it is again a bestseller in its native land. "I hope that the readers may experience," Tolstoy wrote in 1908, in the preface, "the same elevated feeling which I have experienced when I was working on its creation, and which I experience again and again when I re-read it every day." It is better to know a few things which are good and necessary than many things which are useless and mediocre. -- Tolstoy You should study more to understand that you know little. --Monaigne The reason for rage is always inside of you. -- Tolstoy Bad books is a moral poison which dulls your intelllect. --Shopenhauer Light remains light, even if a blind man cannot see it. -- Tolstoy The translator, Peter Sekirin, is the author of a recent biography, THE DOSTOEVSKY ARCHIVE and is completing his PhD in Russian literature at the Universty of Toronto. END

...laid gradually, day by day. There are still critics of Tolstoy who view his religious phase of life with anything from consternation to disdain. The fact is that he brought a probing intellect as strong as anyone else's in Europe, searing psychological understanding, and voluminous reading to bear on the fundamental questions of life. In this book he collected the wisest sayings he could find on a multitude of topics, plus his own distillations of their wisdom, and arranged them by subject for daily meditation. One effect of this book, which I'm sure Tolstoy desired, was that you'll want to go back to his sources with renewed eagerness. One professional reviewer described this book as "chicken soup for the soul without the schmalz". It's more than chicken soup -- it's the bread of life.