Once, many lives ago, I worked near Logan and Main in inner-city Winnipeg, Canada.

At the time, it was the epicenter of poverty and hopelessness, a toxic mix and this neighborhood, referred to as Urban Renewal Area II when I was there, is as bleak as any ghetto in any country. Native Canadians, the racial group who populate the area, are much like any group who are denied their place in the sun - displaced, despondent, frustrated, and angry at the power structure that oppresses them and sooner or later things reach a point where their issues must be addressed.

Sometimes it takes a riot, sometimes an assassination.

Unfortunately, it took too long after a troubled white policeman's murder of J. J. Harper, a First Nations leader, for the investigations by judicial commissions to break through the "blue wall" and place blame where it needed to go -- on bigoted cops. The police power structure was forced to examine itself and start to change. (Perhaps they all had a cold and couldn't smell the stink of institutional racism.)

Sinclair, on the side of the angels and the aboriginals, crafts a fast paced narrative, which he previously reported on as a columnist for the local paper. His style is smooth, economical, and concise and he covers the upheavals that began at Harper's death deftly and with compassion. (Almost every one here is a casualty including the victim, the cop that killed him and their families.)

The book moves with authority and slices and dices through the ultimately futile smokescreens thrown up by the police with a well-practiced hand. The recounting of this tragic story is good for Sinclair's readers and ultimately good for all of the people in the City of Winnipeg.

I was in Winnipeg last week and the centre of the city is poorer and more natives have moved in. The white flight continues. The First Nations people are still marginalized.

Maybe there's more hope because of this book.

This long overdue examination of the criminal justice system in Canada vis a vis the aboriginal peoples and more particularly, the death of native leader J.J. Harper reads like In Cold Blood or a remarkable work of fiction. But it is anything but the latter. From the opening flash forward suicide to the ultimate closure, Sinclair utilizes his years of experience as an investigative journalist to tell the story, the violence, sex, corruption and human frailty in an objective yet compelling manner. Well written, painful and not for the squeamish. A must read for anyone who thinks that prejudice is restricted to one geographical area, race etc. A fascinating and remarkable first book.

A book that has the potential to change one's life. Must be read slowly and with an open mind. Pearce answers the ultimate questions with precision. Goes beyond understanding...his words are absorbed like heat from the sun.

J.C. Pearce did a wonderful thing in writing this book. He challenges the rationality of existing within a set frame of knowledge or world view, and challenges us to look beyond the obvious for the true possibilities. I truly enjoyed this book. Not a day passes that I don't think about some aspect of what he was trying to say.

What an enlightening book! This is a MUST READ for every senior in high school. It is amazing how Mr. Weber substantiates his analysis of the effects that are triggered when credit card issuers encourage their customers to purchase ad infinitum and increase their credit limits with out concern for the inevitable swiftly advancing consequences! I agree wholeheartedly with the author's proposed solutions to a problem that threatens to engulf three-quarters of our population. EXCELLENT!

This comprehensive book details virtually everything one needs to know about avoiding the pitfalls of the rampant over-use of credit cards. Masterfully written in plain language by Joseph Weber, the author lets the reader benefit from his experience in his field. The obvious intimacy displayed by Mr. Weber with the material covered made "Credit Limits" easy to read, easy to understand, and makes the reader think twice before filling out that credit application. Mr. Weber has written a book that I wish I had access to *before* I got my first credit card.

My 2 year olds both walked away before the end. Maybe they knew I was thinking how helpful the story will be to start preparing them now for the inevitable difficult separation from the "growth stem". Just as I was celebrating the warm and original perspective of the book I almost gagged on the treacly rear flap author profile of wife's illustrations and husband's text. But I highly recommend it

This has been my son's favorite book for about 2 months now (he's almost 2). The illustrations are extremely realistic, showing in fantastic detail the journey of a little dandelion seed.....A truly magical book!

This book gives you a chill up your spine. It's pictures and accounts are amazing and specific. I would reccomend it to any one intersted in the Holocaust period.

This is indeed a very descriptive book of many pointless sufferings: starvation,humiliation, and torture{mental and physical}. It left a sick feeling in my stomach that such could ever happen just because Hitler wanted the perfect race. Who was he to say? These people were treated like animals. How lucky I felt to be alive and living in a democracy! The book has many sketches to give you a better picture of the horror Joseph Bau and his family had to go through. Even the cover sends chills down your spine. Once you pick it up it will be hard to put down.

Bookseller John Oats has been found dead in the Pacific Ocean. The death has been ruled accidental, perhaps suicide. This explanation doesn't satisfy insurance claims investigator Dave Brandstetter. He comes to believe Oats was murdered for his considerable policy and sets out to find the culprit. Whodunit? Oats's elusive son? The closeted, all-American TV star? A washed up screenwriter? Or maybe even Oats young lover, a woman who took care of the man until his dying day?

This is a beautifully written page turn, very smooth and very engaging. Brandstetter is no angst-torn hero despairing of the state of the world. He's a solid, mature professional out to do his job (though not without his own personal problems). Though the killer's identity should be obvious, Hansen weaves the story in such fashion that we are still surprised to find out who done it.

If Hansen has a flaw as a writer, it might be his relentless need to describe all exteriors and interiors, even those that play a scant role in the story. The abundance of detail and description bogs the story down some. But not much. After all Hansen is doing his storyteller's duty to put the reader into the world he has created.

Dave Brandstetter, a claims investigator for Medallion Life Insurance Company, is checking into bookseller John Oat's 'death by misadventure.' The misadventure was a drowning that took place in the ocean. At night. During a rainstorm. After Oats decided to change his insurance policy so that his son wouldn't inherit. Yeah, it's a little suspicious, and it doesn't help that the son is now missing. Maybe this doesn't sound that thrilling (insurance claims? ), but Hansen, frequently compared to Hammett, Chandler and MacDonald, catches your attention from the first line: "Arena Blancas was right. The sand that bracketed the little bay was so white it hurt the eyes." And he never lets go, never wanders off track through an unexpectedly twisty tale of betrayal and murder. Hansen is that rarity, a brilliant stylist who actually has something to say. Sure, the message is unrelentingly liberal, but it is also tempered with commonsense and compassion. Most impressively, the man knows how to tell a good story. DEATH CLAIMS, book two in the Brandstetter series, is one of the best.

The book was a rocket ride for me. It was exciting, well-paced and well written. What's even better is that Delusion is Good is a book you can put to use. It's not so abstract that you can't use it. It's practical and assertive, but it doesn't ever force-feed you. Instead, it takes you by the hand. It guides you to some great places in yourself. And once it does, it really starts to shake stuff up for you. The book works. And it teaches us things we can put to use now, not five years from now!

DELUSION IS GOOD is not your run-of-the mill self-help book. It makes us all look at some things that we might not want to confront. And it requires a little bit of honest self-evaluation to go after it's rather outspoken theme. But once I did, once I took a look at the two matrixes that drive us, Love and Fear, and how we respond to them, I found it exceptional. Once I got the message of my true mission in life, I couldn't put it down.

Designing Healthy Cities is a welcome addition to the literature on how good planning can promote -- or hinder -- public health. It's also well-written and accessible. Highly recommended for city planners, architects, and others interested in building healthier cities.

In the tradition of E.F. Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful", Aicher's Designing Healthy Cities is sure to create controversy and promote discussion. It's practical prescriptions are sure to appeal to urban planners, designers, environmentalists, sociologists, social activists - in fact to anyone concerned with promoting healthier communities for all of our citizens.

This is a great book for anyone watching their sugar or fat intake !

I've owned a copy of this book for 2 years, and it is not an exaggeration to say I consult it at least once a week. The recipes produce sumptuous goodies, not one of which has that peculiar "diet" flavor, so often found in homemade diabetic desserts. These desserts are sweetened with a variety of sweeteners including aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, brown sugar substitue, regular sugar and brown sugar; used both alone and in combination. Many old favorites are found within the covers of this unassuming book, including a genuine Plain Yellow Cake, which is easier than some diabetic mixes. Fudgy Brownies, tangy Lemon Bars, Rich Sour Cream and Raisin Pie, and my personal favorite, Monster Cookies, are all provided in an easy to follow format, which always produces the results you expect. These recipes simply don't fail. Each recipe contains exchange information, and most include variations to reduce the cholesterol and sodium as well. Several recipes include whole grains, like whole wheat flour or oatmeal. Most can be prepared simply with the items already found in the cupboard, adding built in convience. Best of all, almost all of the goodies are reduced in fat, and all include a calorie count.

The explanation of eating disorder akin to alcoholism, and the need to arrest the addiction, before causes and conditions clarifyies, edifies and brings much needed relief to the "dieter"

This book contains a lot of wisdom and clarity about how eating disorders work, and how to arrest them, that isn't available in the vast dieting industry, and often not from the medical profession either. I have worked with Becky Jackson for several years concerning my own food and eating issues, and I have learned so much more than I did in any previous "diet" program. This book is NOT about dieting. Becky combines physical, emotional and spiritual recovery in her approach. My hope is that this book becomes more widely known, and that more people can benefit from Becky's experience and expertise, and from the stories of the recovery of others that are also in the book.