When The Simpsons first appeared on Fox, most people referred to the animated show as irreverent. After reading this book, I realized that if anything, this show discusses religion much more often than other shows. Beneath the humor, there are some serious issues being discussed.

First, Pinsky points out that this family gives us a good view of ourselves. Many of the religious attitudes we see are found everyday in society. Rather than making fun of the religion, the writers are pointing our some of our own inconsistencies in religious thought. For instance, how do we, like Homer or Bart, suddenly turn to prayer and promise many things when we have gotten ourselves into trouble?

The author also talks of the different religions, like Hinduism, Catholicism, and Judaism, which are covered in the show. He also discusses some of the different "battles" they have had with different religious groups.

If you are a Simpsons' fan, then I would recommend this book. Also, if you have refused to see the show because of its irreverence, I would recommend reading this book, and then giving the show a chance.

In THE GOSPEL ACCORDING THE THE SIMPSONS, Mark Pinsky shows us that it's possible to find God in some of the most unexpected places. Originally, The Simpsons was largely eschewed by the evangelical Christian community, because of Bart's rebellious ways. But as the show grew older, and the focus turned more towards Homer, Pinsky shows that people of faith who weren't watching were missing out on some of the most "Christian" television around. Seriously.

The Simpsons not only contains blatantly Christian characters but it explores issues of faith that other shows would never touch with a 50 foot pole. Ned Flanders, though ragged on by Homer a lot, is perhaps the best depiction of an evangelical-type Christian in mainstream television history. Lisa Simpson seems to present the side of the social Gospel. Marge's real faith in God also shines through. Though characters with faith are often made fun of, in the end the show always seems to prove that the joke is on the joker, not the jokee. The Simpsons isn't trying to evangelize, but it is surprisingly fair and evenhanded in its presentations, and with how it deals out the humor. In its history the show has dealt with subjects like cults, hypocricy, why God allows evil, hell, and forgiveness.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE SIMPSONS surprised me, made me laugh out loud multiple times each chapter, and was just an all-around enjoyable read. The picture of Christianity that is presented isn't perfect. The writers stumble on theological points many times (such as grace vs. works). This will happen when you're not a theologian and, in most cases, not even a Christian. But in spite of that, Pinsky shows that the Springfield world of Homer is one that is rich in faith and religious devotion. For Christians who can let their hair down and roll with a few jokes, The Simpsons proves that even in the midst of our post-Christian culture, in Hollywood, and even on the Fox Network, God can be found if you dare to look for Him. As Homer might say, "Mmmmm.... a FIVE STAR book..."

Mark Pinsky grew up in a Conservative Jewish home and is an experienced writer. Writing for the Orlando Sentinel and specializing in evangelical Christianity, he is able to offer a unique and analytical perspective on religion as it appears in The Simpsons. His topics of examination vary from morality to the afterlife to the established church and even to religions other than Christianity. The book does focus mainly on Christianity and is disserving of its title. One will not come closer to God by any means through reading this book, but one will have a greater appreciation for the show's creators and their development of the residents of Springfield. The Gospel According to the Simpsons casts not necessarily a new light on the characters but rather a much brighter and more penetrating one. The book itself takes a reverent tone toward religion and even portrays, to a point, The Simpsons this way. Pinsky does an excellent job of presenting the spirituality and religion of several characters and the town weather it be pious, hypocritical, indifferent, or of another faith all together. Any fan of the series will appreciate this book and feel a more kindred spirit with the characters as they are made more real. They still remain yellow cartoon characters, but as this book points out, the producers, at times, give them some inner substance.

Well this is a very unique book indeed. I bought it because I am a clinical psychology major with a special interest in forensic psych, and it seemed like an interesting topic to have an FBI profiler's opinions on. It started off wonderfully, but soon I noticed a disturbing trend. Time after time after time Douglas mentions his previous books by title, the same two books over and over again. Every other page makes reference to one or the other, and it's almost like an obvious plug or commercial every few pages. It gets really old really quick. The next thing I noticed was how the author mentioned time after time examples of extraordinary or unusual behavior that he performed, and he should receive glory for. Granted, he is an expert in this area, but the book was supposed to be about the psyches of killers, stalkers, and rapists, but is instead a book written with the underlying job of boasting this man's career and advertising his previous books. I'm not saying this because it was mentioned only a few times, I'm saying this because it took away from the book itself. These were repeated a dreadfully annoying number of times, and that was all within the first four chapters (where I decided to read another book instead.)

The technical aspects, however, were very good when they were actually given the spotlight for a few minutes.

In Obsession, John Douglas gives the reader a brief glimpse into the criminal mind and a short overview of the process of criminal profiling. I like the fact that he refuses to make any excuses for criminals (coming from a dysfunctional family, childhood abuse, insanity, etc.) He makes it very clear that regardless of a person's background or previous experiences, the execution of a crime is always voluntary....that the criminal made a choice to disregard the consequences of his actions, and inflict consequences on an innocent victim. The only thing I didn't really care for too much in this book was the fact that so little was devoted to actual criminal profiling. Most of the book is dedicated to victim's rights and how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. While there is nothing wrong with such topics, and he does make some very excellent points, I felt a little bit shortchanged after becoming intrigued with the coverage of criminal psychology...intrigued enough to look into it further as a possible career, and then the rest of the book jumps into victim's rights and never looks back.

Without a doubt, John Douglas is extraordinary and a very dear man. He has dealt with, on a DAILY basis, for years, into the horrific and graphic details of the aftermath of serial killers, serial rapists, stalkers, mutilators. He has gotten into the minds of those criminals and looked at the crime through their point of view. Being able to do this process, called profiling, he has identified these killers and sexual predators. Still with all that he has seen, he has given so much compassion and empathy to the victims of these acts of violence. John Douglas has tried to also get the knowledge to the people so that we can all become more aware. He has traveled to hospital emergency rooms to inform doctors and staff about evidence needed for rape cases. He has also conducted seminars in colleges. This is an excellent book that John Douglas has written. Mr. Douglas is very respected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in which he worked for over twenty-five years. He became head of the Investigative Support Unit in 1979. May John's story go on. He's one of the real American heros. As a victim of attempted rape and child molestation myself and from all of the other victims in the U.S. that he has helped, I would like to extend a very heartfelt and deep appreciation to John Douglas.

As a die-hard Burke/Robicheaux fan, I ordered this work pre-publication, and waited anxiously for it to be delivered. I am glad I didn't hold my breath, as the result isn't worth the risk.

By far one of the darkest Robicheaux novels, Sunset Limited is simply...incomplete. Although "outside" characters are well drawn, to an extent, some of their motivations are, to say the very least, elusive. Robicheaux's relationship with both Bootise, his wife, and Alafair, is virtually non-existent, whereas in previous Robicheaux novels, it has served as Dave's "center;" his grounding area. While not every work I read has to have a "happy ending," this one is not only not happy, but somewhat meaningless, and aimless. It is as if Burke has also lost direction, or no longer knows what to do with his creations. In fact, other than the evocative descriptions of atmosphere, none of the characters evoke sympathy, liking, or, better yet, active dislike. Burke so utterly fails to engage the reader that no strong emotions (other than exasperation at having wasted money on a hardcover version of the book) are created.

In summary, if you absolutely must, then buy Sunset Limited. However, for those of you who can wait, purchase the paperback. This book is definitely not worth purchasing in hardcover. I hope Burke regains his stride with his next work.

"Sunset Limited" is my first book by Burke. In many ways, it is excellent. Burke has the ability to make you feel like you're in the middle of the scenes he describes. He conjures up mist rising from a Louisiana bayou so that you not only see it, you smell it and feel it as well. His characters come alive in a very human way. There are manipulators and pawns, perpetrators and victims. Innocents sometimes pay a heavy price for the misdeeds of others, but even a killer like Swede Boxleiter has redeeming qualities. And Burke's story never has a dull moment. Tension is constant and there is plenty of action.

With all these strengths brought to bear,"Sunset Limited" has a lot going for it, but it also has some shortcomings. This is the 16th Dave Robicheaux novel. A consequence of this is that some things are taken for granted, like the nickname "Streak". Several characters use it on Robicheaux, but if you're unfamiliar with the series, its significance is lost on you. This isn't a big deal, but it is symptomatic of the fact that terms and local expressions abound in this book. To the extent that it can sometimes be difficult for the uninitiated to follow the meaning. Another thing that struck me was that there are a lot of characters in the story, and some just seem to fade in or out without adequate introduction or resolution. For example, "Cool Breeze" Broussard is a pivotal character early in the story, but he just seems to disappear about midway through and you never see any more of him. In the end, the story itself seems to fade away almost like "Cool Breeze". I felt that a lot was left unresolved when the book was done, and it left me with a vaguely unsatisfied feeling. Real life is often like this,a nd some readers may like it this way, but I don't read fiction to get reality. I like stories with all the loose ends tied up.

When I got "Sunset Limited", I was not aware that the Dave Robicheaux character had such a lengthy history. In retrospect, this book was probably not the best place to make his acquaintance. The story is fast-paced and I enjoyed it, but I felt that a lot of loose ends remained when I finished the book, and I probably would have gotten more from it if I had read other books in this series before this one. This is a good book, and I think fans of this series will certainly enjoy it. If you're a newcomer to the Robicheaux novels, however, I suggest that you start with an earlier one. For myself, some earlier Robicheaux books are definitely on the agenda.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy Burke's newest Dave Robicheaux novel, but some of his early works were a little better. It seems to me that the characters have lacked growth in the last few novels, and there was much too little about Dave's relationships with Bootsie and Alafair in "Sunset Limited". I think it would be great to touch more upon Robicheaux's trying to cope with his daughter as she enters adolesence and maybe inject some events into his life which put his convictions to a stern test. The last few book's plots have been too much in the cookie cutter mold: I had a pretty good idea who was gonna be left standing at the end of the book. On a positive note, I was happy there wasn't alot of the metaphysical mumbojumbo like conversations with dead people or having the locations of missing bodies being pointed out in dreams. All in all mediocre Burke is better than about 99% of the stuff out there.

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

This is the story of a prince and a pauper who switch places because of their uncanny outer resemblance. They obviously go through many trials and ordeals - the pauper trying to learn the ways of royalty, and the prince having to witness and undergo the results of some of the ridiculous laws and practices of the period.

Like many of Mark Twain's books, this is another satire that makes fun of the values that society holds to be important. In this story, Mark Twain points out how people place so much importance on outer appearance. A prince and a pauper, who, despite their outer resemblance are very different people, switch places, without anyone noticing. There is more to a person than their looks, and this is one point stressed throughout the novel.

The one complaint I have about this book is that there wasn't enough written about Tom Canty, the pauper who became a prince. I found his situations much more interesting than those of the true prince, but this was only a minor point.

I would recommend this book for ages 12 and older. Younger people could read the story, but miss the underlying meanings in certain situations. I wouldn't call this book a "Must Read" but it is a good introduction to classic literature.

The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."
The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.
Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.
Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.
Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

Other reviews for this title seem to be written by anonymous men and fueled by sour grapes. No book will make you a great lover, especially if you're not interested in what it asks you to do.

No, their partners do not cause all of the sexual problems in women, but some can be solved'regardless. This book isn't about pointing fingers in blame. It's about giving pleasure...that's all.

This book is a GREAT guide for oral sex, and really only touches lightly on anything else (to avoid redundancy, according to the authors. To paraphrase, "many great books have been written on technique in intercourse'" etc). The authors were very specific in the problems pleasing most women, orally and otherwise. It addresses that all women are different, there's nothing that will work on everyone, and tips on how to find out what your female partner enjoys.

Even men (and women) that *think* they know how to satisfy a woman would learn something from this sensitive, well-written book. It's full of sexy secrets that will bring something new to bed...or improve old acts.

WARNING!!! THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT PLEASING WOMEN, mostly orally. If you're expecting anything but a book telling you how to UNSELFISHLY please a woman... look elsewhere. I think the title covers that, but some people just don't seem to understand.

This is a technical guide on how to cause the female orgasm.

Almost every page has artful, but very helpful, illustrations. I also like the *very* open ideas this book supports exploring (anal stimulation, for example).

The book is written for men, to use on women, it translates well for women to use on other women, too. The sections discussing penetration with the penis could easily be done with the hands, or device. The oral and hand stimulation sections need no translation.

My only true complaint about this book is size. It's a very large book. It's a pretty quick read, and easy to understand, but it won't fit on my bookshelf. It's more of a coffee-table book. What a thrill to your guests if *this* was in your living room.

In summary: this book could have been called "get her off: a diagrammed tutorial on how to use your mouth, hands, and body to make a woman orgasm" but it you'll have to lay it horizontally in your book case.

Thank you so much Kim and Mark for this wonderful explicit book.

If you are looking for one single book that will help you improve sexual satisfaction - this is the ONE! In a concise, clear and yet gentle and sensitive manner, the writers guide you through the intimate process of oral sex (and much more), and provide outstanding practical tips & tricks for both men and women.

This is a non-nonsense book that offers great information and education, and a tool for communication between couples. It provides excellent insight into the physical and emotional experience, and articulates in a magical way "what women want". Many of us have struggled with understanding what we want and articulating it to our partners, and this book is a genuine help.

I can't wait to share it with my husband :)

I was extremely impressed with this book. As stated by the title, it is a guide to the female orgasm, so it focuses on that instead of intercourse as a whole.

It uses tasteful yet very useful illustrations and easy to understand directions. The tips in this book REALLY work and are a wonderful guide for men who really want to maximize their partners pleasure. Not all women are alike so they don't all respond to the same techniques. This book explores a wide array of ideas, and focuses on communication, to find out what a woman really likes.

I have read some of the reviews and have found a few negative ones written by men. But if the point of the book is to make a woman come, and the techniques listed in the book work (Do they ever, I'm STILL smiling) and focus on bringing the couple closer together, then how could a negative review be possible? Well, I suppose if a man is only focused on his own pleasure and is of a "get on, get in, get off and get out" mentality, then the book would not be of much use.

But as for you fine gentlemen out there who seek to please your partner and fine tune your techniques, I highly recommend this book. A satisfied woman is one who is more likely to spend more time on pleasing you. :)

I thought the book was very good. I have read 2 books now by Mr. Fuhrman. I am not sure if the Spokane PD/Task force was just inexperienced or incompetent. After the first few bodies showed up being prostitutes, my first thought was why the police didn't set up surveillance at East Sprague with decoys also. They also seemed stubborn and afraid to involve other people because of embarrassment. I don't understand how Ted Bundy, The Green River Killer, and the Spokane killer could dispose of that many women before being apprehended. It's incredible. What are the cops doing up there in the Pacific Northwest? It takes 20 years and approx. 49 murders before a suspect is arrested in the Green River killings. The Spokane killer disposed of about half of that himself. Anyway, Mark raises some good points and this case could have been solved much earlier, saving many lives. I enjoyed it and can't wait until the next Fuhrman book.

Some of the reviews of this book are poor, but in my opinion, that's because the readers didn't understand what this book was. It's not Murder in Brentwood, it's not Murder in Greenwich. Murder in Spokane is a very unique, probably once in a lifetime opportunity, to follow a murder investigation of a serial killer while it's in progress. During the early and middle stages of the investigation, we see Mark Fuhrman grow critical of the handling of the investigation by Spokane police, and then, ego or no ego, we see him apologize and eat crow for his earlier criticism. But it doesn't end there - in fact, I was rather shocked by the ending, and it confirmed what I expected - Mark knows his stuff !! It's refreshing to see an author admit they were wrong in prior conclusions. His viewpoint changed, but he didn't try to justify or make excuses, and that's rare. This book is more like a diary or chronology of events then a story, but there's still plenty of drama. Considering Mark is on the outside, and the powers that be wanted it to stay that way, he was remarkably on target with his assessments and conclusions. Well, that's the third Fuhrman book I've read, and it too will remain a permanent part of my library. Bring on the next one Mark !!!

I'll admit it- I love true crime books as a genre. I've read a lot of them, from Ann Rule classics to the ones they keep on the end caps of supermarket checkout counters.
"Murder in Spokane" is by far among the best of its class. Having enjoyed Fuhrman's previous effort, "Murder in Greenwich", I read this book expecting little more than to be engaged for several hours. What I received instead was a unique insight into an investigation- although this book doesn't offer much in the way of getting to understand the killer's motivations or the backgrounds of his victims, Fuhrman brings the reader into the development of homicide detective work. You see the benefit of his years of experience from the outset through the struggles with the Spokane Police political machine, to the case's conclusion years later. As with his other books, Fuhrman demonstrates a subject matter expertise not really found elsewhere in true crime books. "Murder in Spokane" should be on the reading list of anyone who appreciates the struggles of law enforcement and wants insight to the process of investigation.

Excellent, evocative photography. However, there are a number of author's comments in this book which are almost mean-spirited and/or over-sexual, and not in keeping with the stated happy-go-lucky semi-innocence of the project. More prurient than sweet, in a couple cases. And gratuitous, in one or two cases. Whether the photos and text document real relationships or not (there seems to be some doubt), overall the book doesn't come across as a nostalgiac reflection on youthful friskyness. It seems more like a sleazy Internet photo gallery of "ex-girlfriends," or a collection of photos depicting women who don't suspect they're being written about on a bathroom wall. Not that this inherently makes it bad (or undesirable), but it certainly won't meet the expectations of people looking for good clean naked fun.

So the book is the "Blair Witch" of the publishing world, who cares! I bought the book and find it so much more GENIUS after learning that the photos were staged to appear as though they were snapshots from the seventies. The recreations are so realistic that they convinced THE NEW YORKER, TIME MAGAZINE, PLAYBOY, DETAILS, MAXIM, etc., of the authenticity of the photos. To have captured the aura, the look, the experiences, of the decade of free love in book form is an outstanding achievement. Mark Helfrich is a true artist, one who took a vision based on personal reminiscence and created a "valentine to a bygone, carefree sexual era." Art is meant to convey ideas, capture beauty, evoke emotional responses. "Naked Pictures of My Ex-Girlfriends" does it all. I'm glad he went for the hype. That's how we all heard about the book.

So the book is the "Blair Witch" of the publishing world, who cares! I bought the book and find it so much more GENIUS after learning that the photos were staged to appear as though they were snapshots from the seventies. The recreations are so realistic that they convinced THE NEW YORKER, TIME MAGAZINE, PLAYBOY, DETAILS, MAXIM, etc., of the authenticity of the photos. To have captured the aura, the look, the experiences, of the decade of free love in book form is an outstanding achievement. Mark Helfrich is a true artist, one who took a vision based on personal reminiscence and created a "valentine to a bygone, carefree sexual era." Art is meant to convey ideas, capture beauty, evoke emotional responses. "Naked Pictures of My Ex-Girlfriends" does it all. I'm glad he went for the hype. That's how we all heard about the book.

Professional JavaScript is great as a reference and one can find some good nuggets in some of the non-reference chapters. However, if you do not already have formal programming training, and possibly some good familiarity with JavaScript itself, the book may do you better just as a reference tool. Also, because it was written by so many people (each one responsible for a different chapter) the text reads more like a disjointed collection of essays.

The first 750 pages or so of the book comprises the main content of the book. It is divided into 20 chapters, covering just about every aspect of the language. Some of the more advanced chapters, which I did not get a chance to read, are integrating JavaScript with Java, Server-side JavaScript, and stand-alone JavaScript via Windows Script Host. There are also chapters on integrating JavaScript with ASP, and detailed looks at a couple of fairly complex JavaScript systems including a family tree and an ecommerce tool. The problem is that there's little ramp-up. There are lots of code examples throughout the text, but they are primarily small snippets. So it's like shock therapy when you are presented with such major applications of coding without anything in between! But this has to do more with the aforementioned nature of the book in that so many different authors with different styles and topics wrote it. Some of the chapters are great; they have some really good information that any level of programmer can use. The chapters on Forms and Data, Multimedia Plugins, Debugging and Disappearing Data, and Windows and Frames were all extremely helpful. Other chapters for me were completely useless to me - they droned on and on about theoretical issues without getting into practically any coding. I had great hopes for the chapter on Privacy, Security and Cookies, as well as the one on Rapid Application Development, but neither was helpful at all.

The last 300 pages or so comprises the reference section. The reference section is great, it goes into every aspect of the language, including the core language attributes, objects and methods, and there are a ton of JavaScript/browser comparison charts that give you a great idea of what functions and features will be available to you in Netscape and IE from the earliest version to the latest.

Ultimately what you get out Professional JavaScript really depends on your level of expertise when it comes to programming. I do not personally have any formal training - it's all been self-taught, so some of the more advanced stuff, though I'm sure I could learn it given the need, was not presented in a way that instructs people who do not have a familiarity with advanced programming techniques. There seems to be a lingo that some programmers use when talking about programming and for people who don't have formal programming training (or haven't been programming since they were nine) is just completely baffling. Most O'Reilly books seem to be full of this, but then they are written for the professional programmer. Professional JavaScript, as the name implies, probably is as well, however, there is enough great information here for any kind of programmer, and you just have to be selective as to which chapters you try to tackle.

I am your typical Web architect. Not really a pro, but knowledgeable enough to make me one of the best people in my company to work with consultants and do a certain amount of pre-visualization and early prototyping. My project is to get an Intranet/Extranet completed using either Microsoft or alternative products. I have to research and oversee (with others) implementation of both visual design and user functionality, for client (Intranet and Extranet clients) and server ends (including administrative tools).

I know the tools I "want" to use and the strategy I want to take, but I need some hard facts and intermediate to advanced descriptions of implementations.

This book has what I need.

Facts. Loads of example scripts. Analysis of using Java and Javascript. Analysis of extending application functionality through standalone script interpreters. Security issues. Client issues (for all relevant browsers) Server issues (for all relevant servers).

Awesome. Definitely the fruit of an enormous (there's that word again) amount of expertise and trial and error development.

If you have a little bit of knowledge about Web technologies (graphics, databases, servers, browsers and plug-ins), and have some familiarity with programming principles (best if you've taken a programming course or studied on your own for a few months) this book will be the glue that ties it all together for you.

Part reference guide, part bible, and all relevant.

I am your typical Web architect. Not really a pro, but knowledgeable enough to make me one of the best people in my company to work with consultants and do a certain amount of pre-visualization and early prototyping.

My project is to get an Intranet/Extranet completed using either Microsoft or alternative products. I have to research and oversee (with others) implementation of both visual design and user functionality, for client (Intranet and Extranet clients) and server ends (including administrative tools).

I know the tools I "want" to use and the strategy I want to take, but I need some hard facts and intermediate to advanced descriptions of implementations.

This book has what I need.

Facts. Loads of example scripts. Analysis of using Java and Javascript. Analysis of extending application functionality through standalone script interpreters. Security issues. Client issues (for all relevant browsers) Server issues (for all relevant servers).

Awesome. Definitely the fruit of an enormous (there's that word again) amount of expertise and trial and error development.

If you have a little bit of knowledge about Web technologies (graphics, databases, servers, browsers and plug-ins), and have some familiarity with programming principles (best if you've taken a programming course or studied on your own for a few months) this book will be the glue that ties it all together for you.

Part reference guide, part bible, and all relevant.

I read the book carefully and the it's a real shame that the authors did not spend more time on research! Many reviewers complained about lack of information of Bee Gees main asset, their music, I regret to say that it's true. Now, should we wait for a Bee Gees Anthology? Official, Authorized and Informative?

Tales of the Brothers Gibb achieves its purpose, being a great bio-graphy about the life of a family dedicated to music, a journalistic account of their sharp "up and downs" in the public's preferences and final, long-awaited redemption, when a new generation of fans and artists, who never danced their hits on discos, decided that they were a legend.

The book fails to deliver, though, one of the promises made in the first pages, where the authors state that the main focus will be in the musical aspect of their lives. There is not that much discussion about the chords, harmonies, musical significance of their works or a detailed anylisis of the great albums, as it should be. The Bee Gees are, after all, more about music than anything else.

But that shouldn't stop us from enjoying a good biography or even from learning many, many facts about the music, about the way it was made, about the historical context that gave birth to Odessa or Main Course. I can only begin to imagine now what a song like "Really and Sincerely" must mean to Robin. Or Robert Stigwood's insane obsession with the Beatles, which the Brothers Gibb suffered too and still suffer. A very unhealthy obsession that led them to make unforgivable mistakes like their Sgt. Pepper movie and album.

The book is also too "clean" because the Bee Gees always appear like saints, and I somehow suspect they are not. The part dedicated to Australian years is too long and the final stage of their career (1981 and up) is too short, but I enjoyed the book a lot anyway.

And it gives us all a very important lesson: No matter how bad it looks, be always like the Bee Gees and never give up.

I had already ordered the book when I started reading some of the reviews on here. Some people did not like that the authors wrote about the Bee Gees family or about their younger brother Andy. I tend to disagree with this popular mode of thinking. In order to understand their success and failures, it was their families that were always there for them. The support and love of their families is what molded and shaped them into the successfull and well-rounded individuals they are today. I truly enjoyed getting a glimpse into what life is really like for the Bee Gees.

This book was very well written and researched. In many cases, it will give many views from different parties to a particular story. And if the authors felt that some of the stories were embellished or untrue, they would further research the stories and give their opinions to what really may be the truth.

This book may not give die hard Bee Gees fans any new information but it is a great book for those just discovering their music. It is a very realistic book that not only follows their success but show each Bee Gee as an individual person, not just as a group.

I've purchased and read both Live Rich and Die Broke and it was Stephen Pollan's advice - to quit a job in one's head - that prompted me to switch from daily news reporting to specialized newsletter publishing. OK, so the specialized publishing proved to be a little much for me to handle, but I'm still richer for the experience. I'm no longer with the newsletter company. My point here is that I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Pollan's idea that one shouldn't get too emotionally wrapped up in a job and that an occupation should be primarily for the purpose of earning money. Journalists like I once was are especially vulnerable to the mindset that money matters little. A common mantra we heard in J-school was "you're not going to get rich doing this.'' Being young and idealistic, we didn't care. So many of us settled for relatively low-paying reporting and editing jobs that demanded most of our waking hours. The lucky ones among us landed at better-paying unionized papers. We compensated by telling ourselves that our true rewards were of the pyschic variety, e.g., bylines, the satisfaction of seeing one's work in print the next day, and maybe exposing some official involved in wrongdoing. For me, all that was true until a daily paper laid me and eight others off three years ago to shore up the parent company's bottom line. It was like a slap in the face. I experienced an extended period of unemployment that financially devastated myself and my family. Even though I've worked at a couple of other papers since then, my heart no longer was really into reporting. I've spent my off-hours exploring ways of becoming a free agent/mercenary and of starting my own business. Bravo to Mr. Pollan and his partner Mr. Levine for their thought-provoking books, which validated my recent reassessments of work. I hope more people at least open their minds to the authors' ideas.

This book's first couple of chapters is basically the meat of the book. Part II had some interesting points but not worth going through in depth. One person would be able to relate at most to a dozen points. I found the Salary Review information extremely interesting and pertinent.

His advice is pretty cold-hearted but realistic in many ways, but I have to agree with another reviewer who said that if you're going to spend 50 hours a week doing work, you're going to need more than money to make it worthwhile. Some heart and satisfaction need to be part of the equation.

More useful than the money advice is the Don't Grow, Change advice, meaning you should learn new skills whereever/whenever possible (and something I already strive to do) and avoid taking on responsibilities. However, you're going to have to establish roots somewhere, and that ultimately will require you to take more responsibility on the job. Becoming a mercenary also seems relevant advice.

Overall, I found his advice rather good b/c I'm in the computer field and you have to adjust quickly or you're obsolete and job-hopping is not an uncommon practice in this field.

This book in a sense is the opposite of that book called "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow" which was published several years ago. I really liked that book, and I like this one too. So many different ideas, and yet we can pick and choose what we want from them and use them for our benefit.

Make no mistake about it, this book is about money. That's perfectly okay. If money doesn't interest you, don't read it. Above all else, this book is about putting what you do for a living in its proper perspective. As a society we've come to the point where our jobs are an extension of our family. When we introduce ourselves we state what we do for a living. We're not people, we're schoolteachers, police officers, lawyers, mechanics, etc. This is what sets this book apart and makes it worth reading. If you want to live a rich and satisfying life, your work is for money. If you're looking for love, get it from your family.

Here is my favorite passage from the book:

"My clients have been taught that their value as human beings has nothing to do with their salaries. And yet if they're offered less than they expected as a salary or in payment for their services they take it as a personal affront to their worth as a human being. They say they think it's what's inside that counts and yet they - and everyone else - respond, positively or negatively, to how people look. Someone who's dressed in expensive clothes, driving an expensive car, gets treated better than someone who isn't. Perhaps most damaging of all, my clients have been taught they should pay more attention to the emotional and psychological elements of work than to the money. They money, they were told, would take care of itself. They'd automatically be rewarded for their hard work. They thought that if they did what they loved, the money would follow. Their pay would magically match their education, their emotional gratification, and their perception of their own worth. They were told to ignore money. In this case ignorance clearly was not bliss."

In one sense this book is an all out "look out for number one." We're told that there is no job security and that money is the sole focus of work. I agree, sort of. It's not about selfishness and obsession with money as much as it is putting perspective in our lives. Human beings have a real hangup with money. A person will move across the country for a better paying job, yet we claim "the money really isn't that important." It's the "job satisfaction" "the benefits" "the positive work environment." The author asserts that work is for money. He further claims there's nothing wrong with thinking like that. If work isn't for earning a living, then what is it for? Good question.

Should you buy this book? Well that depends. If you like your work because of the great people there and the company softball team, this book will certainly open your eyes. I found this book to be more eye opening and thought provoking than anything else. It claims to be a "how to" book of sorts, and there is a lot of "how to" in here. I would have to say that this book is to employees what "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber is to business owners. We're too tied up in what we do for a living to separate that from our personal identities. We define ourselves by what we do for a living.

I'm giving this book 4 stars. I think it's an important book and a good sequel to the author's previous book "Die Broke." The format of the book is the same as "Die Broke" in that part II is an alphabetical glossary of various subjects. I found this book's part II to be a big improvement over the part II in "Die Broke." I don't know, maybe I paid more attention this time. It's a good book, one that definitely puts things in their proper perspective. If you find yourself "overworked and underpaid" then perhaps you should read this book. There's some great advice in here.