The first edition of "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy" was published in 1988 and this second edition came out five years later. Almost twice that amount of time has expired and we have yet to see a third edition, which is sorely needed. I was considering this work as a reference book for students in a popular culture class, but the contemporary period was already underrepresented, even without the update. You cannot really claim cultural literacy when "Madonna" is only "A work of art depicting Mary, the Mother of Jesus, especially one that shows her holding the infant Jesus." Actually this volume is a bit more than a dictionary because the entries are often longer than what you would expect to find in a traditional dictionary. Effort has been made to provide appropriate contexts and, more importantly, cross references to related words; cultural associations even have their own special little symbol. However, if you are dealing with non-contemporary literature the first two sections on the Bible and Mythology & Folklore provide a solid foundation for understanding the illusions often found in great books. The World and American History sections are certainly passable, but that is the sort of information you can find in much better reference books. I have found the World and American Politics sections to be more useful and would recommend those teaching Government classes look them over. However, many sections on science seem to me to be at least padded if not outright unnecessary. For a dictionary on CULTURAL literary I do not think we need to cover "saliva," "flower" and "carnivore." Being able to identify the differences between the Marx Brothers is culturally important and you might be able to make a case for understanding how gonorrhea affects each of the sexes, but recognizing the different types of rock is going too far a field. Still, "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy" could well be a worthwhile addition to your desk reference set.

I was given this book as a birthday present about 8 years ago. It is still on my shelf, and it still gets used every once an awhile. It is a wonderful book for people who are very curious, people who would like a little refresher on general knowledge, and for people who love jeopoardy and triva pursuit. The book is divided into different categories which cover a broad base of knowledge, including history, religion, mythology, social science, and literature. I would like to see a new edition with more current event information, however, I still believe that this is a good buy, especially for students, teachers, or trivia buffs, because it is an excellent (and quick) reference guide to just about everything.

This book is unbelievably useful and germaine. I initially purchased it to prepare for taking the Jeopardy! test (it's recommended by some of the champs), but it's usefulness goes far beyond that. Nobody can learn everything, and we all go through life not quite understanding that one mythological reference, parable, euphemism, historical reference, or slang term. It's all here in this one book! You will be unbelievably well grounded for existence in American society if you have this volume. Although it's great for looking up unknown references, I'm reading it from cover to cover and can't put it down.

The book takes a very logical, reasoned approach towards the theoretical next steps of economic expansion. It reasons that margins drive profits and that by constantly searching for higher margin offerings, a company will naturally improve and increase its profitability.

The logic is understandable... Commodity goods have small margins, as they are undifferentiated from each other and relativly easy to reproduce. Manufactured goods take things one step further, providing higher margins due to some level of product differentiation and brand specificity. Above that are Services, where the products don't last long enough to be copied and are customized enough to prevent easy manipulation. The higher margins should lead to higher profitability and better staying power. Fair enough.

Where the book's logic becomes strained, however, is where it strethes out towards the next generation of higher margin offerings, "Experiences." While it is true that experience companies my be able to provide higher margins than can older economy companies, experience companies tend to suffer from a fatal flaw that has infected many of the companies praised in the book. That flaw is the utter lack of repeat business generated by most experience economy companies.

Take two of the companies mentioned in the book as companies to emulate -- Planet Hollywood, the restaurant chain, and Peapod, the online grocery store. Planet Hollywood is under bankruptcy protection, because people are simply unwilling to pay through the nose repeatedly for the same experience over and over again. Peapod ran out of cash and is limping along only after being bought out by a Dutch firm. Hardly two stellar companies to emulate when searching for ever expanding profits.

Throughout the book, by expounding the virtues of ever expanding margins, rather than focusing on goods, services, and 'experiences' that people would be willing to repeatedly pay to have, the authors make the mistake of ignoring the overall forest for the sake of a single tree.

In the real world, experience companies know their limitations and create their pricing scheme to represent that fact. Amusement parks sell season passes for less than the cost of two visits -- acknowledging the fact that people may pay more for experiences, but only once, and repeat business depends heavily on making the repeat worth the cost.

Had the book focused more on successful ways for experience economy companies to thrive, rather than spending its time drolling on about the virtues of failing companies with the right plan, it would have been far more believable and enjoyable.

First of all, I urge anyone thinking about buying this brilliant book also to consider (or to re-read) Schmitt's Experiential Marketing and Wolf's The Entertainment Economy. Although the three books differ significantly in terms of thrust and content, together they help us to understand a New Economy which is perhaps best exemplified by Las Vegas. According to Pine & Gilmore, "Virtually everything [italics] about Las Vegas is a designed experience, from the slot machines at the airport to the gambling casinos that line the Strip, from the themed hotels and restaurants to the singing, circus, and magic shows; and from the Forum Shops mall that recreates ancient Rome to the amusement parks, thrill rides, video arcades, and carnival-style games that attract the twentysomethings and give older parents a reason to bring their kids in tow."

Pine & Gilmore explain The Experience Economy; Wolf calls it The Entertainment Economy. Schmitt suggests that Experiential Marketing creates or sustains demand for this New Economy, however it is named. For all of these authors, "work" should be viewed as "theatre" and every business should be viewed as a "stage." If they are correct (and I believe they are), the quality of sensory experience is critically important. That is to say, it is no longer sufficient to offer high-quality goods or services for sale at competitive prices. Most (if not all) goods and services have become commodities. Competing on price alone seldom succeeds...especially against those which have superior purchasing power. Competing on quality alone succeeds only for those who offer what no one else has. The challenge is to achieve differentiation. According to Pine & Gilmore, this challenge is best met by understanding what the Experience Economy is (and isn't) as well as how it works; only then, thus informed, can an organization (almost literally) function as a theatre company: formulating a script which has both an exciting story line and interesting characters; assigning roles to those who have the appropriate talents; and then conducting rigorous rehearsals. Finally, it's "show time"!

Pine & Gilmore observe, "Since all commerce is moral choice, every business is a stage for glorifying something. Who or what does your business glorify? Your answer may not help you accept what is next, but it will certainly help guide what you do today." At its best, live theatre can delight, amuse, excite, inform and even inspire those who experience it. Why cannot it also be true of business relationships? Of course it can. It is certainly true of those organizations which prosper. Southwest Airlines is but one example. Its CEO once observed:

"I keep telling [those interested in Southwest Airlines] that the intangibles are far more important than the tangibles in the competitive world because, obviously, you can replicate the tangibles. You can get the same airplanes. You can get the same ticket counters. You can get the same computers. But the hardest thing for a competitor to match is your culture and the spirit of your people and their focus on customer service because that isn't something you can do overnight and it isn't something you can do without a great deal of attention every day in a thousand different ways. That is why I say that our employees are our competitive protection."

Kelleher's comments are relevant to virtually all organizations which now struggle to succeed in the New Economy (however it is named). To understand this economy, to understand what it requires of your own organization, I urge you to read The Experience Economy...as well as The Entertainment Economy and Experiential Marketing.

Transformations are what all of us are looking for: experiences that change us for the better. Gilmore and Pine maintain that in the coming century, companies that provide us with transformational experiences will rule the roost. Pine and Gilmore explain what it means to systematically design for experience, when "the customer IS the product."

Disney is their hero, and with good cause: Disneyland and Disneyworld continue to raise the bar on entertainment experience. But as the authors point out, experiences are to be found everywhere -- in customer service, a TV ad, the way people work together, even a cup of coffee. And in the commercial future, experience will be king.

The premise and the execution of THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY are equally invigorating. Pine and Gilmore identify existing examples of experiential design -- and then they go one better, with prescriptions for how to do it yourself. Excellent. So many authors are content merely to reveal The Truth. Pine and Gilmore want you and me to apply their philosophy and start changing the world. They additionally apply some moral precepts that this reader found stirring, to ensure that if change is to come, it will be positive.

THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY is easy to read but not simplistic and has just the right amount of tables and charts to support and highlight the authors' position.

Most business books get read only half-way through. Begin THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY, and you'll not only read it cover to cover, you'll carry it with you as a reference. Everytime you try out something to buy, in a shop, online, or simply in your head, Pine and Gilmore will be speaking to you. Like Jimi Hendrix before you, they'll be asking: "But are you...experienced?"

My friend and I first ate at the Black Dog Tavern several times in 1973. It had only been open for a couple of years. The food was very good and the restaurant was very unspoiled by huge crowds. If it had not been for Amizon, I probably would not have been aware that this, their first cookbook, was now available.

I have tried several of the recipes and my favorites are the Crunchy Pecan Chicken, Blueberry Banana Pancakes and several of the delicious deserts and chowders. However, I must say if you lived in a seaport area where fresh seafood was readily available, you certainly would have constant use for these wonderful from-the-sea dishes. I really enjoyed the beautiful photos and commentary which reminds me of my many enjoyable times on the Vineyard.

I have friends who recently dined at the Black Dog and they said they enjoyed the food but did not enjoy the long wait to be seated. However, they did come back with yet another T-shirt and a mug with the Black Dog. This cookbook is a personal delight.

I so badly wanted to dislike this cookbook. I went to Martha's Vineyard once, and I was nauseated by all the look-at-how-upwardly-mobile-I-am people that abounded. The most reprehensible are the people who wear Black Dog t-shirts-- nobody cares that you went to Martha's Vineyard. I still doubt that you're Old Money.

Anyway, contemptuous of the restaurant as I am, I sneered when my friend came home from college with this cookbook. Even the recipes sound snotty-- lots of heavy sauces, and expensive, obscure ingredients. But I agreed to make the clam chowder in the book just as the recipe called for, and it was amazing. We made a few others, and they were all at least very good. There are lots of neat ideas for omlettes.

My advice is to consider getting the cookbook, but avoid Martha's Vineyard at all costs.

I love reading cookbooks. Bought this as a Christmas present for my daughter, but read it first. In fact, I read it as soon as I got it home from the bookstore!

Found it a very attractive book. The story of the restaurant is interesting and photographs of completed dishes were well done. Having the real employees in the pictures makes it fun. Also identifying and picturing local suppliers shows some of the real people on the island. Recipes aren't that complicated.

I've spent limited time at Martha's Vineyard as don't really like it there. Last summer the line at The Black Dog was too long so we went elsewhere. Maybe next time I'll try to get inside. In the meantime, have recipes to try!

. . .which is equally useful for the Protestant or Catholic academic.

If you desire an academic commentary which covers the entire corpus of Scripture in a single volume, this is the book for you. Named after the premier Scripture scholar of the Patristic period, it is an update of the Jerome Biblical Commentary of more than a quarter century ago.

Not only is every book of the Bible discussed in detail, there are numerous scholarly articles dealing with history, critical methods, contemporary issues and the like. It's perspective is honestly centrist; catering to neither the fundamentalist, nor to the deconstructionist. Controversial issues are handled in an appropriate manner, giving numerous bibliographic citations representing a wide range of learned opinions.

Although Catholic in orientation, the book is equally valuable to believers from other faith traditions, and indeed, to non-believers as well. Its editors, especially the late Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer represent the very best of Catholic critical scholarship.

This book is probably not the best choice for the average layman; it presupposes a certain familiarity with theological academics. However, it is indispensible for the seminarian, the graduate student, the clergy, and the academic.

(For an "informed layman's" version, please see my review of the excellent "New Jerome Biblical HANDBOOK").

I heartily endorse this book.

This is the revised and updated version of the famous volume named for St. Jerome, the great Christian biblical scholar who insisted that "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." I am certain that he would be honored that his name graces the title of this commentary, which has been helping pastors and students for decades.

Inside this work you will find the books of the Bible listed individually, with detailed commentary on verses and even partial verses. Prior to the detailed commentary, a helpful historical sketch is given to assist the reader in situating the particular biblical book in its context. It includes maps and charts.

Though this volume comes highly recommended, it is not always on the "cutting edge" of biblical scholarship. If you choose to utilize this volume, you have made a wise choice, but you should not limit your library to this commentary alone.

Though I base my review on the 1968 edition, I can attest that this is a wonderful resource book. Its editors have done a great service in compiling such an authoritative compedium and commentary on The Bible. Though many of the articles are "professionally" erudite and scholarly, the tome is nevertheless accessible to the serious student. Part I regards The Old Testament. (The essays on the Pentateuch and Genesis are fascinating). Part II concerns The New Testament along with articles on Biblical "inerrancy" and Canonicity. The article on Hermeneutics (interpretation bases) written by editor, Father Raymond E. Brown, is a frank declaration and "caveat"...or apology if you will...regarding the nature and INTENT of the scholarship. (The perspective is ROMAN CATHOLIC. Perhaps this essay should be examined first...obviously it was NOT even scanned by reviewers who disparagingly derogated...or flat-out denounced...the work.) Overall, I believe a fair reviewer will find THE JEROME BIBLICAL COMMENTARY (New or Old)an excellent and reliable source of Biblical scholarship. It is also good (not light, admittedly) reading not only for the serious student of Christian scripture but for readers interested in the "mythology" of Christianity and the Bible as profound world literature.

Buffa uses a lot of smoke and mirrors to make this novel work, but the result is a memorable read.

When two rather unloved judges get stabbed in an indoor parking lot, the cases are actually hard to connect, because before the second judge is murdered the killer of the first judge has already been caught, and has committed suicide in his cell. This is the basic premise of the book, and it's up to Defense Attorney Joseph Antonelli to prove that the answer to the second killing is not simply "Copycat!" (in this intricate story?...not likely!).

I'm never sure what the police are up to in this book, but the Defense Attorney basically investigates the case in the courtroom. He is defending the alleged killer of the second victim--an introverted, childlike homeless man--and I suppose I have to accept that a Defense Attorney who bases his defense on arguing a complicated, whiff-of-conspiracy theory would be allowed the far-ranging latitude that Antonelli gets up to, all in the interest of justice for his client. But would a real courtroom feature so much banter about what would sound like a far-fetched, ridiculous theory, without the judge deciding it was all an elaborate smokescreen?

It turns out that Antonelli is on to something, diabolical as it may be. If the mystery content of the novel loses steam, it's because Antonelli has sniffed out the basics of the puzzle fairly early on, which allows the plot to deal with him trying to sell outlandish-sounding theories in the courtroom for many of the later chapters. So, it's fair to say that there are many surprise revelations throughout the book, but maybe not in the places you expect.

As a subplot, Antonelli begins stepping out with an old sweetheart who has popped back into his life. There is a hackneyed quality to this romance--apparently Antonelli has been carrying a lifelong torch for this one woman, which burns so brightly that none of his follow-up romances have ever taken his mind off her. Meanwhile, her past is so fraught with tragedy that she may have some serious mental problems (the reader, surprisingly, may be better at spotting warning-signs than the otherwise astute lead character!).

Despite any flaws, the book uses no end of razzle-dazzle to take some tricky ideas and make them pretty gripping in the final execution. In fact, it's pretty captivating. I'm not going to pick at the edges too much or it may start to split apart, but if you want a thoughtful moody book featuring a strange criminal trial destined to explore whether madness, in this instance, has truly led to murder, then try Buffa's The Judgement.

This was my first Buffa novel and I absolutely loved it! The brilliant but also very much hated Judge Calvin Jeffries is found murdered in a courthouse parking lot. A couple months later another prominent judge is found murdered in the same location and in the same manner. A different homeless man is arrested for each murder in what seems to be open and shut cases. Attorney Joseph Antonelli decides to defend the accused in the murder of the last judge and soon discovers nothing is as it seems.

This was a very engrossing read for me. I also feel that this is one of the top ten in this genre, as opined by a previous reviewer. The writing style drew me in as much as the story. Smooth and captivating dialogue really kept me reading all night. A finely written legal/mystery thriller with plenty of emotion and mystery that will make you want to bring the book with you wherever you go till you finish. It’s that good.

Inside the covers:

Oh where is the noble fear of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness and none join in fear of the Gods.

Highly recommended.

Murder isn't a dead certainty in "The Judgment," the latest thriller from former defense attorney D. W. Buffa. What is without doubt are the topnotch audio book readings by Dennis Predovic in the unabridged release and Ron McLarty in the abridged version.

Dennis Pedrovic has a voice often heard in commercials and cartoons, as well as television appearances on "Law and Order" and a number of soap operas to his credit. Hollywood and television both claim Ron McLarty who has appeared in numerous films, such as "The Postman," "Mean Streak," and "Heartburn."

Acknowledged as possessing a keen legal mind, Judge Calvin Jeffries disdained the law and worshiped power. His murder in a courthouse parking lot paralyzes the community, but is hardly mourned by attorney Joseph Antonelli whose worked has been plagued by Judge Jeffries' decisions.

But this time the wheels of justice roll - the Judge's murderer is apprehended. The killer confesses, and then commits suicide. Case closed? Not really. Another judge is murdered in the same manner and Antonelli agrees to represent the defendant in what seems to be a copycat crime.

I began reading MIND TREK from the standpoint of an interested skeptic. I had only recently been (overtly) aware of 'remote viewing' and associated books, and was sufficiently interested to order it. Mr. McMoneagle's book was the definitive catalyst to my full belief in CRV, due in part, to his specific and ordered narrative on the mechanics of the subject matter. None of the previous information I had read made this available, instead substituting juvenile teasing and coy literary formulae for the sake of sensationalism, albeit profitable. The discriminating reader possessing a sincere desire to expand their knowledge on CRV would be well put to discover MIND TREK. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. First I should say that I read it after having first read other books on remote viewing, and after having "remote viewed" myself. I had precisely the "beginner's luck" McMoneagle talks about it in his book, which was just as freaky to me as was to him way back when at Stanford. (What I remote viewed was a page in a new magazine I hadn't yet opened. I stuck my finger in at random and then registered my impressions. I saw gray cubes like ice. When I opened the magazine, there was a photograph of an Art Deco skyscraper -- bluish-gray -- constructed of "cubes". Well, you could have mopped me up off off the floor. Another remote view was a page in a new issue of Time, again, one I hadn't yet opened. I saw green, just this incredibly intense field of green. When I opened the magazine, I found my finger on a large intensely green rectangle -- part of an advertisement.) Without going on at length about my own experiences, I'll just say that I know remote viewing works because I've done it myself. As a beginner (and a very unsteady one) I really appreciated the chance to read about it from one of the pros. Thank you Joe McMoneagle for a really terrific book.

A lot of people write books about psychic functioning, remote viewing, and related topics. McMoneagle is one of the few with the hard credentials to stand up to the toughest critics.

One of the founders of the US Gov't "psychic spying" intelligence unit, the only individual in the gov't program from its inception to its termination, one of the rare handful of people to specialize in both intelligence psi data collection and scientific research, McMoneagle has demonstrated his RV abilities live before congress, in intelligence, in the lab, and on national television (some in the USA, mostly in the UK). He's the only known soldier to win a Legion of Merit (the highest award an intell agent can win during peacetime) for psi work.

If you read Jim Schnabel's "Remote Viewers..." you may end up feeling like it is a Joe-the-Hero book -- most of the amazing tales, feats of glory, and opportunities to brag in this field come directly from the archives ! of Joe's personal sessions.

So, it's pretty interesting to hear it from Joe's point of view. MIND TREK was originally released in 1993 -- two years before the US Gov't program was declassified -- back when few had heard of the subject. When the CIA declassified the program and it got tremendous publicity in late 1995, sales skyrocketed. In 1997 a second edition of MIND TREK was printed, with the small addition of a couple of chapters on RV myths and the STAR GATE program. (As another Amazon reviewer noted, other than these two chapters and a couple minor details, there is no real difference between the first and second editions.)

The book MIND TREK is mostly the story of a slice of Joe's life. Beginning in 1970 when he was in the Army overseas, when a "Near-Death Experience" (NDE) radically changed his perception, the book chronicles his learning to remote view, his work with the late Bob Monroe on out-of-body experiences (OBE), some of the more interesting R! V targets he's been assigned, and things he's learned along! the way.

Down to earth like he is, it's a good read. I found the intro and first chapter a bit long, subjectively, but from Chapter 2 on I was engrossed and couldn't put it down.

Along the way, the book provides advice from an expert for people working to learn RV on their own, info about practicing and targets and proper protocol that is basic, but critical, to the official process of remote viewing.

As a reader, I really enjoyed the book.

As one struggling to work on psi abilities myself, I've found over time that it contains a lot more great advice than I realized on the first read-through.

I recommend it to anybody interested in these subjects.

This inciteful book by Joseph Nye explains how international responsibility by the United States is in the best interests of the United States. Nye's book clarifies the future of international relations.

Nye starts by explaining soft power, the ability to persuade others want to do what you want them, as opposed the hard power, the ability to force others to do what you want them to. Nye mentions the information revolution, the spread of information further and faster. Nye also talks about globalization, the growing interconnections of the world, and NGOs, Non Governmental Organizations and their relation to soft power.

Nye also examines various domestic factors and points out America's problem with converting power into influence. He also mentions popular indifference toward foreign policy which leaves foreign policy to be made by special interest groups which do not have the same interests as the national interest, which is what the citizens, after proper deliberation, say it is.

Nye points out that we should not ignore the interest of the international community in favor of purely national interest, and that the two are not necessarily incompatible.
Nye suggests a strategy based on global public needs, and rules of prudence for humanitarian intervention. He also charts a middle path between unilateralism and multilateralism.

Nye finishes by quoting a controversial former Secretary of State, "The test of history for the United States will be whether we can turn our current predominant power into international consensus and our own principles into widely accepted international norms." The problem is that in the 21st century powerful men and women will be less limited than before.

"Americans are so powerful because they can 'inspire the dreams and the desires of others, thanks to the mastery of global images through film and television and because, for these same reason, large numbers of students from other countries come to the United States to finish their studies,'" said Hubert Védrine, former French Foreign Minister, as quoted from the book.

In the Paradox of American Power, Joseph Nye Jr. argues that the American foreign policy machine should flex America's soft power (described by Mr. Védrine above) muscles and ease off our diplomacy by force - whether economic or military. American soft power is the greatest asset we have. It is one thing to force other nations to do what the US would like them to do, however it is another, causing little resentment, to inspire other nations to do what they would not normally do he argues. Nye charges that the US should lead the international community to design a system founded on our fundamental values that is universally accepted by the world. Our fight against an international community is counterproductive and damages are credibility and our ability to lead. Nye cites anti-colonialism and antislavery movement as international ideals of the past, and notes today's as environmentalism and feminism.

The book is a short but eventful read. Nye presents his argument with smooth prose and a measured reasoning. One might not necessarily need this work on his bookshelf at home, but it is required reading for all who have an interest in international relations and all the decision-makers in Foggy Bottom.

The Paradox of American Power is about a crucial question, why the world's only superpower can't go it alone? In his work, Joseph S. Nye makes a well-done analysis of the U.S foreign policy in the age of information revolution and globalization. He has several crucial insights in regard to American foreign policy centering on diverging perspectives of unilateralism and multilateralism. As Nye frequently points out in his study, the uni-multi debate is one of the most crucial issues for the U.S foreign policy now and years to come. Nye basically suggests that the United States should not act unilaterally in world affairs even if it is the world's only superpower. He makes the point that a multilateral pattern of foreign policy will be the best option not only for stability of international system but also for American national interests. The author argues that unilateralism is a danger for the U.S foreign policy since it has a considerable tendency to harm U.S relations with the rest of the world. In this respect, Nye recommends, the United States should follow a multilateral foreign policy, in which it takes place in international institutions and participates in multilateral treaties. Otherwise, Nye says, the United States will face a serious resentment and balancing behavior by the others. In this respect, he draws attention towards the recent U.S unilateralist acts such as dispension with the UN and rejection of several multilateral treaties including the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and treaty on establishing International Court of Justice.

Joseph S. Nye extensively talks about the reasons why the US can't go it alone. The changing global landscape in the age of information revolution and globalization, Nye says, is the primary reason for why it can't go it alone. A unilateral drive will lead to significant opposition by the rest of the world and it will considerably undermine its "soft power'. Nye gives significant attention towards "soft power" while he also holds military and economic power important. For this reason, he criticizes sovereignists who only consider "hard power" and champion unilateralism as the number one foreign policy pattern for the US.

The Paradox of American Power seems to be remaining in the center of many foreign policy debates since it well touches upon a significant issue of U.S foreign policy now and years and even decades to come. The uni-multi debate, which constitutes the core of this book, makes it quite relevant for both students of American foreign policy and scholars of global politics. This elegant book is recommended for the informed public alike.

Dr. Mercola gives his readers worthwhile health explanations and advice but his diet plan is too restrictive and time-consuming to easily follow. Instead, I recommend Going Against the Grain: How Reducing and Avoiding Grains Can Revitalize Your Health by Melissa Diane Smith. It is easier to understand and its diets and recipes are simple, tasty and a breeze to follow. I'm an avid reader of health books and both of these books cover important information for health maintenance. But Ms. Smith's book, Going Against the Grain, deals with a much broader range of health problems associated with grains and is the book I believe people would prefer.

As a regular visitor to Dr. Mercola's website for some time, I eagerly awaited the arrival of his book. While Dr. Mercola's big-picture objective -- weaning the average American off of poisonous food, poisoning medical doctors, and a poisoned environment -- is noble, his small-picture book renders an easy, common-sense diet too complex to follow.

In Mercola's defense, neither the writer, Levy, nor Dutton editors did much to clarify and communicate his vision. The writing is stilted and humorless, the organization an afterthought. Readers will balk at the confusion between Phases and Food Plans. Inconsistencies abound: Foods allowed on one page are nowhere to be found on another. For example, oranges are allowed on the 8-meal Booster Start-up plan on page 68; yet, inexplicably, the same list (lots of duplication in this book) eliminates oranges on page 106. Without explanation, the plan itself is reduced to six meals on page 136.

With better editing and organization, and fewer contradictory menus, the entire tome could have been reduced to half its size, with twice the clarity. It's a prime example of how too much information -- right down to how to cut one's bacon! -- can spoil a vital health education.

If you can find a way to get past the book's choking design flaws, please do: The good doctor's prescription for real health is both impassioned and well-documented, eclipsing all other "diets" out there, past or present.

Thank Heavens that Dr. Mercola has created the 'No-Grain Diet' that refines and transforms to a higher level some of the work so diligently pursued by Dr. Atkins during his lifetime. This book should be required reading for med students and practicing physicians. In fact, I predict that they will be his next targeted audience, because we, his patients out here in the hinterlands, are already convinced. The diet works!

This highly exceptional doctor and team of therapists have helped me save my life, and at last he has written a dynamic book to reach the rest of the world! The tone is crisp, bright, and all inclusive (he doesn't miss not one fact that you will need to successfully execute this plan). I know this for sure, because for 12 months I have lived and practiced the 'No Grain Diet', as well as the other techniques mentioned in the book. As a result, I have regained my physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I am no longer insulin-dependent after 25 years, have lost 70 pounds as a bonus, and experiencing what I call the 'windows of joy and passion' for life once again. I will live this plan the rest of my life!

This is truly the LAST diet book you will ever need to buy.

Having read this novel sometime ago, I made myself go back and re-read it before attempting to critique it. Now, after going through it a second time my impressions of "The Zero Hour" have not changed. Joseph Finder captures the reader's attention with a daring jail brake from a South African Prison. If this novel was a chess game I would say this opening was to the point. I was hooked. Add a rather inventive plot concerning the revenge of an incredibly wealthy man by the destruction of a clandestine computer system which practically runs our planet, and this story picked up steam in a hurry. Where it did run into a snag was in the character of Sarah Cahill, the FBI agent that ultimately saves the day. Her character seems too weak and hardly at all a match for "The Prince of Darkness". It would be nice if a female characters in Sarah's position could be portrayed as strong and confident. The fact that she is able to foil, perhaps the greatest professional terrorist of all time is a fluke at best. The ending of this novel ruined all the good work that had gone before. This one looks like it was made for television. The truth of the matter is that professional operatives are rarely stopped, and when they are, it is by law enforcement individuals that are equally as brilliant. Two evenly matched oponents in a real life game of chess, that is what makes novels in this genre work

This is the second book by this author I have read, and both have been very enjoyable. When an exiled US industralist decides he wants revenge on the people who ruined him there he hires the best terrorist he can find to do the work.

"the prince of darkness" as he is known in the trade (by the few who know him at all) is an intelligent and totaly amoral character. On the law enforcemnt side in the US we have Sarah Cahill a former expert in terrorist actions in the FBI.

This book it has to be said, is full of anagrams, but then I suspect that the world of law enforcemnt is full of them now - and being somewhat of a techno-thriller they go with the genre.

One of the things I liked about this novel was that none of the main characters are invulernable. They are people with lives of their own in an extraordinary situation. Sarah is not as 'strong' as her terroist opponent - but that only makes her more believable.

I'm looking forward to more books by this author, and if you like thrillers this book is worth picking up.

This book is a lot of fun. I was reading along and thinking it may not be bad to have this happen to my place of work. This fast-paced book and the speed of the story helps to increase the tension and suspense. I hate to sound like a dust jacket, but this book really is an action-packed thriller. You have prison breaks, terrorists, low down scummy business tycoons, the CIA, and a good smattering of Joe everyday cops. An interesting and exciting mix that keeps the book fast paced. I have read other books by this author and he is getting better by the book. More of his books will make there way to the big screen if he keeps up his history of quality writing.

The novelist can sometimes unfold truth before a reader's eyes in ways that a historian cannot. This is well known: Dickens' "Bleak House" was perhaps as much a critique of classical economics (a la Mill) as a novel, for example. Buckley's latest work is in that tradition. Rehabilitating Senator Joe McCarthy is a long-overdue labor. This novel painted a compelling picture of a three-dimensional hero, warts included, who lived a quintessinal American success story, until his fall. There is no doubt in my mind that certain elements in our society will view with disfavor a novel that seeks to humanize one of the all-time bogeymen of the Left. The objective reader will have to give careful thought to the thesis of this book, however. That thesis is that there was organized Communist penetration of our government, that their intentions were treasonous, and that McCarthy did right and good in exposing them. He went to excess, but his sins pale next to those of the Establishment types who ignored the threat, and who probably viewed it with sympathy. (Class haterd seeps from many of the characters in the book, both historical and fictional, for the upstart chicken farmer from Wisconsin who shook up their little world.) Political considerations aside, I read it in one day, staying up until the wee hours to finish it. This is a classic yarn, and a compelling page-turner. -Lloyd A. Conway

This is a wonderfully written account of a great but flawed American Hero. Bill Buckley still writes better then anyone. Even though, most are aware of the trials and tribulations of Senator McCarthy - this book is un-put downable. I never thought Mr. Buckley could top his Blackie Oakes stories, till I read "The Redhunter". Regardless of what you may think of the late senator - this is a great read. The book explains the early 1950's and the very real threat from Stalin led Russia in a way that not only entertains but teaches as well. I give this book five stars!

Fiction can sometimes be more revealing than a bare recital of fact. (One need only think of Dickens' novels and how he described 19th century England to see how this can be so.) Buckley's book accomplishes this with his portrait of Senator Joe McCarthy. The novel's subplot, involving the fictional Harry Boncteau (sp?), is compelling, and is woven nicely into the overall story. The McCarthy Buckley describes is ambitious, blind to some aspects of human nature, and prone to excess, but basically good, and, as we now know, right in his basic thesis: Communists had systematically penetrated American institutions, with subvursive intent. Art imitates life in Buckley's portrayal of the seething class hatred for McCarthy on the part of the Left/Establishment. It was/is part and parcel of their animus toward anyone who dared to expose the truth: Nixon, Chambers, and sepecially McCarthy. This novel, which I read in one sitting, finishing in the wee hours, is both compelling literature and thought-provoking in terms of it's ideas. Hopefully, with Soviet archives open and their records validating much of what he said, this book will become the basis for a reexamination of a controversial American life. -Lloyd A. Conway