I stumbled across this great new handbook for jewish living at the public library. It is so useful I have to have my own copy. I found the layout and language to be very user friendly. I prefer this book to "How to be a jew". The Witty's book is organized in a way that allows the reader to browse efficiently. They take each topic and then break it down further with subheadings in the same way an outline is. The Witty's include personal anecdotes to bring life to the topics they are discussing. After reading it, I have been inspired to work toward leading a more Torah true life. The Witty's write from an orthodox perspective.

What father would berate his son in public? What author would speak disparagingly of his own creation? One might claim that my rating of this title is partial, but then again, what can be more enjoyable and rewarding than acquiring practical wisdom through astute and insightful reading of fables? The experience is most satisfying,yet now let me clarify certain points regarding the nature of this work. The book includes one-hundred and ten most famous fables rendered in free verse. The plots of the fables are all drawn from the vast treasury of antiquity, yet the work's unique feature is the artful presentation of the said fables in a way that both pays homage to the wise of old and enables the author to insert lines of originality. My work relies not on rigid metre but rather on logical rhyming patterns. The language does not aspire to extreme preciosity yet at the same time is by no means colloquial. I have elaborated on my modus operandi in the preface to my work. All I shall say here is that the Aesopian tales were the main source from which I derived the plots of the fables, but:

The writings of La Fontaine I also did clench/ Trying to accomplish in English what he had done in French.

Henceforth I shall let the readers pass judgement for themselves.

Now that my work has gone through justification/ And there is no need for further intensification/ Let me end this notice with haste/ And hope my verses will be to your taste.

Comments on the book will be appreciated.

A revised and expanded edition of The Facts on File Dictionary of 20th Century Allusions (CH, Jun'91), this volume contains 600 new entries covering the Middle Ages through the 20 century, excluding classical and biblical allusions. It includes terms from literary works, cartoons, historical and fictional characters, places, and mass culture--movies (Thelma and Louise), television (M*A*S*H), radio (Information, Please), newspapers ("Dear Abby"), cartoons (Peanuts), politics ("give 'em hell Harry"), sports ("doubleheader"), and commercial products (Marlboro Man). Entries are alphabetically arranged, Abbott and Costello to Ziegfeld Girls, and are 25 words to a page in length. For some, usage examples are given, and for most, literary citations; each ends with a definition that gives original and current meanings.

There's not too many people who don't like golf. And there's certainly many people who need improvement in their spiritual life. "Fairways" appeals to those people. Ken Abraham is not a golf expert, but certainly knows quite a bit about the bible and how we can grow closer to Jesus. He draws some great analogies between the great game of golf and god. The book is broken up into about 100 segments of 2-3 pages each, which is perfect if you wish to break them up into daily devotionals. His basic premise in all his segments is that while golf can be a frustrating game, it can also be extremely rewarding with the right kind of work ethic and patience, much like our relationship with god. It's truly rewarding reading and has greatly enhanced my life and has made me more at peace with myself. If you're a golf fan, don't hesitate to buy this book!!

This outstanding book is a MUST for people who strive to learn. Well written, with a wonderful dose of humor. The only problem with the book, is that it's very difficult to find (out of print). Try Ebay, or a used book store.

Henry Abramovitch combines the study of religion with his knowledge of psychology to explore the biblical personages of the hebrew patriarchs. In this in-depth exploration we can see Abraham in an exciting and new light.

Abramovitch is a dedicated educator of medical students. He struggles to teach scientists how to be caring and human in the face of despair. This work is the true synthesis of his love for Judaism and psychology. If you like Joseph Campbell's writings on myths, you will appreciate this work.

It's always assumed that there were no observant Jews in America prior to the great Eastern European migration that began in the 1880's. Rabbi I. Harold Sharfman, the author of "Jews on the Frontier" and the founder of the "Half-Moon K" Kashrut Organization, has gathered a sampler of sermons, journals and synagogue records to show the rise of Reform and the resistance of Orthodox Judaism from 1840 to 1860. The only flaw I could find in this book is the lack of footnotes, although if citations had been included the book would be much longer than 750 pages! Nevertheless I highly recommend this to anyone who is studying the history of Judaism in America.

This is a must read for theologians and laypersons alike. Cassuto is a master at applying his mastery of ancient Hebrew and its cognate languages to arrive at sound exegetical conclusions which firmly place the narrative within the realm of human history. Moreover his insights framing the cultural and anthropological context of the events which formed the foundation of God's interaction with humankind allow the reader to not only relive but apply these timeless messages to their own relationship with God.

This spellbinding novel is surely a masterpiece of international espionage, making a Jewish woman the heroine who has more luck and chutzpah than intelligence. Not much can be said against the politically correct opinion that all evil in this world comes from the Nazis. As a German woman, I often cringe how simple it is to slander the intents of the Third Reich; vae victis. The author tries to be fair in his world views and spins a compelling yarn of events to solve a kidnapping. The literary style of Mr. Abrahams is lively fluency, great imagination, and interesting depictions of Jerusalem's milieu. Gerborg

The monograph, containing interdisciplinary studies on the use of neuro-fuzzy paradigm in medicine and biomedical applications, is structured in three parts and is composed of contributed papers by independent teams of researchers. It creates a bridge between two scientific communities, information technology researchers, on one side and specialists in medicine and biomedical engineering, on the other side, filling a gap that originates in the lack of communication between the two parties. The book brings to the reader contributions by researchers who have been active in the field in the past few years. The list of authors comprises 35 researchers affiliated to outstanding research and academic institutions that cover a very wide geographic area. The monograph addresses a large range of readers, including fuzzy - engineering community, researchers in medicine and biomedical engineering, teachers, doctoral students. Each chapter is provided with an extended list of references, and most of contributed papers contain comprehensive explanation of terminology. At the end of the book, a very rich index of terms is given. A very good idea is having a section that introduces the contributors to the reader, so the papers can be placed in the larger context of their scientific work. We state that the monograph is a major contribution to the dissemination of knowledge in the scientific community; no doubt that we face an editorial event. The book may be regarded as a good acquisition for the reader involved in the approached scientific domains.

Florin Grigoras, PhD, research engineer,

Institute for Theoretical Informatics, Romanian Academy, Iasi Branch, Romania