Based on the strong literature review, professionals in the human services field may well see an improvement in their clinical outcomes if they follow the suggestions in this book.

I found this text to be of great help. The contributing chapters and the topics covered are fantastic. The authors take therapy constructs that have always been detailed in writing styles far too thick and complex and now describes them in descriptions much easier to understand, all the better for the transfer from theory to practice. While certainly pointed at the field of therapy, this book speaks to many of the "helping" disciplines---more can be "therapeutic" by aligning with these "common factors." The authors give great review to the ingredients to effective interventions and behavior change. When I finished this book, I was left with the impression that although everyone may not be in the "therapy business" this book shows how many who "help" can now be far more involved in the positive behavior change business.

I read this with relish. A genuine "Thanks" to all those who contributed to this book. I can't say enough about it.

This book challenged what I was taught to do when doing therapy. The book inspired me--made me think about new ways to view "stuck" cases. The case examples were powerful and the writing was excellent. A bit of interspersed humor made the reading interesting. I highly reccommend this book to anyone in the field of therapy. In fact, I suggest reading this book before going in to the field so that one can avoid becoming pigeon-holed into any certain formal, traditional model of therapy.

Dr. Westheimer uses texts as diverse as Torah to Sephardic midrash from all ages to explain Jewish views and practices. In particular, she draws on biblical stories to illustrate laws and their contradictions. When appropriate she compares modern views from non-Orthodox rabbis to show in what ways Talmud practice has or has not adjusted over the years. As usual written from an utterly non-judgemental perspective, and as blunt in her stories and descriptions. A nice read to your partner on a Shabbat evening.

I read this book and was appalled by the Orthodox bashing and the inordinate amount of time spent on Orthodoxy and how it handles closet homosexuality. She said nothing about appropriate sexual behavior according to halacha. Furthermore, although she spent some time on the Laws of Niddah, most of that time was spent exaggerating the problem of impotence or premature ejaculation as a possible problem of Orhtodox observance of sexual practice. I was so glad that I purchased "heavenly sex" in a used book store and paid a fraction of what the cover price because the book itself was a TREMEMDOUS DISAPOINTMENT. All I can say is Dr. Ruth is tremendously ignorant about Orthodox Judaism.

This is a beautifully written and researched book. I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in Judaism, and especially its attitude toward sex. Dr. Ruth's main argument is that sex is a very integral part of Judaism. Although sometimes she seems to take that point too far, the book is nevertheless very interesting and educational. I especially loved the chapter on Sabbath. In a totally gorgeous language, the Jewish Sabbath is described as a great ceremony of seduction and sex. An enthusiastic two thumbs up!

This book was a regular in our house when my brother, sister and I were young. Everything about it tickled us. We went on our own adventures in the great outdoors, exploring everywhere. Luckily I have been able to borrow it through inter library loan so I can share it with my children. It should be re released, and in the original form, no updated illustrations for this one!It is fine as is.

It's a shame this is out of print, as it's one of my most fondly remembered books from childhood. It inspired my brother and me to set out on our own neighborhood exploration when we moved to a new city--back in the day when a parent could let a six-year-old and a four-year-old roam suburban streets without worry.

Unfortunately, it must never have been widely read. I've never met anyone else who remembers it. That's a sad fate for such a good book.

"Henry the Explorer" is a gorgeous picture book about an imaginative boy who, having read about polar explorers, takes his dog ("Laird Angus McAngus") and several flags with an "H" on them and sets out to explore the snowy town he lives in. Eventually he goes off into the woods, where he discovers a cave. Seeing some rocks shaped like a bear, Henry is frightened and runs outside. (There is much comic irony to this moment, as Henry is only frightened by rocks, while the viewer can see what he can't, that there are real though harmless-looking bears asleep behind the rocks!) Now it is dark, and a party of neighbors has been sent to look for Henry. In another comic twist, Henry goes around in circles while the search party follows in circles, and never the twain meet. Henry arrives nonchalantly home, and the search party shows up eventually to be welcomed in for coffee while Henry goes up to bed. There he reads about exploring the jungle, and we are left to wonder what ideas that will put in his head! My summary does scant justice to the beauty of the painted illustrations, the memorable images, the gentle humor, or the genuine excitement of this story. Kids will not forget it.

This book has been so helpful! I've read so many books that say "you have to let go" yet none of them told me how! Till, now! This book is a real good "how to" of working through issues and actually healing. I have always been an emotional person, and now I feel I have better tools to work through my feelings. I particularly like this book because as the author says, each person's healing process is unique and he respects that. Its not preachy like alot of self help books -and the author has been through it himself. I really liked the practical suggestions, such as writing, journalling, music and art to help heal. I highly recommend this book!

I wish I had this book when I was 21yr old! I had to do my own research to get my answers on emotionional healing. It's easy to say just "let go" but how do we really do this? Mark's book explains this in proper sequence and all walks of life can understand his writing style, which has a lot of humour in it! He explains the importance of laughter in our lives to be able to heal. I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to learn everything about healing your soul, from how your body reacts to unsolved issues to staying spiritually healthy. Bravo to Mark for doing the research for us!

Marks book is an excellent reference for people who are trying to heal

This book provides a VP of sales or sales manager with the behind the scenes research that went into Professional Selling Skills and other landmark training by Learning International. If anyone has a questions as to why this training vs. others - this answers the question! By the way, I would highly recommend their training also. The best consultative sales training on the market.

This is a very clearly written book that puts definition to what you are likely already seeing as your new role as a sales person in the 90's. I found it very applicable for my sales position in aerospace sales. It gives an outline of how to assess your customers and meet their expectations. It further spells out what skills you need as a sales person today and what customers expect from you. It stresses the changing role to business consulant from order taker. Good reading

Kevin J. Corcoran is my uncle, so I thought his book was down right cool. Maybe I think that all those related to me have that benefit. But seriously, this book presents some very significant business information with some flair. Check it out! I should be in sales... Brian A. Corcoran (brian@princeton.edu)

besides not finding a couple exotic ingredients at the local kroger- not a serious enough cook to order them- this book is absolutely, perfectly, marvelous! it's fun and easy to use and helps me to score when i invite a lady-friend over (or a guy friend). what else can you ask for out of a cookbook?

This is a remarkably coherent and inviting book: it holds together as an actual workbook in the kitchen, as a compendium of user-friendly recipes to take us around the world, and as a concept. No surprises here. David Ricketts for years has been a food journalist and a cook, i.e. traveling, running test kitchens, and mastering the editorial arts of food writing and recipe preparation. These skills are everywhere at work in Home Cooking. For example, each recipe begins with "a basic recipe that is familiar to the American home cook," such as chicken noodle soup or bread pudding. Then the variations (Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Asian herbs and vegetables; bread baked with cream, eggs, coconut milk, and candied ginger). But Ricketts goes one step further. As he puts it, he's less interested in creating a "chemical reaction" and more concerned to explore how international "home cooking" is woven into the textures of people's everyday lives; his recipes are "a window" through which we "catch a glimpse of a culture, whether our own or another." Thus the method--to begin with a "known" or "familiar" dish and to go from there. (A helpful glossary and set of notes on ingredients is helpful here.)

As a compass for international culinary voyaging the book is sensibly formatted and arranged; you get to your destinations and eating adventures composed and happy. Chapters cover poulty, beef, pork and lamb, seafood, vegetables, and desserts. Methods of cooking tend to favor one pot dishes (lots of soups, stews, braisings, and baked items), but the simplicity and variety is astonishing (some of my favorites: chicken legs in basque red pepper-prosciutto sauce; "Jansson's temptation" [a Danish edition of scalloped potatoes with anchovies, Vidalia onions, cream, and fennel seeds]; spicy corn and lima beans with tomato; baked honey-glazed mackerel; whew!). As I've been known to say to friends and family when I'm serving something I know they're going to moan over, "Grab it and growl, yo!"

I tasted some recipes from this cookbook at a friend's dinner and found them delicious and comforting. Looking at the recipes, I was thrilled by the premise of the selected recipes that based on similar fundmentals, even ingredients, the results can turn out tasting entirely different from one culture to the next. Particualrly apropos in a multicultural United States, Mr. Ricketts enables an American raised on our Beef Stew to make with the slightest changes, cross oceans resulting in a Vietnamese Beef Stew with Carrots and Star Anise. This wonderful cookbook truly expresses the shared humanity of us all in a delicious way.

I collect calendars. It's what I do -- and believe you me, I have seen my fair share of horse calendars. Aesthetically, this pleases me as much as my 1998 Antonio Banderas. Well, not in that way...but, it's that good, kids.

I was so impressed with these vivid images, I'd like to frame some of them! The horses pictured appear so alive and powerful, with coat and mane glistening. The photographer is clearly very talented.

A remarkable calendar of my most favorite breeds. I can't believe there are even some images of the Gypsy Vanner, which is very rare.

The accomplishments of Baker & Bellis, summarized nicely in this textbook treatment, are stunning and underappreciated. B&B present a strong case that our reproductive physiology and behavior evidence a degree of adaptive, strategic sophistication that should both thrill and embarass anyone who holds an evolutionary view of human behavior.

Thrill, because rarely in evolutionary literature have this many surprising details been assembled that argue so compellingly for an evolutionary view (and resist so completely the usual alternatives of random culture or passive socialization). Embarass, because this research plainly runs against the grain of the accepted gospel of American evolutionary psychology by showing that the unconsious processing of our evolved neural systems does not always consist of clucky, outdated, Pleistocene if-then routines, but can exhibit genuinely adaptive, environmentally contingent, creative, strategic intelligence -- even in the face of novel technological advances like modern birth control.

The only really unfortunate thing about B&B's work is that they themselves don't draw the psychological conclusions that seem to follow from their work. Here, as well as in Baker's popular books (Sperm Wars, Baby Wars, and the recent Sex in the Future), B&B are content to draw an odd distinction between the conscious agent and its body, and to assign our evolved strategies to the latter (leading to strange statements like "You may want to do this, but your body wants you to do that").

At any rate, mark my words: In 30 years those of us who are serious about evolutionary approaches to human behavior will list B&B's Human Sperm Competition among the most important works of the 20th century (and we will shake our heads the same way we do today about Mendel, wondering how in the world it took everyone so long to figure out that this stuff is a big deal). If you are engaged in research on mating or sexual strategies, do yourself a favor and get this book. And when you read it, keep one question is mind: What has to be true of human minds in order for B&B to have made these findings? It is a rare opportunity to glimpse the future of mind science.

An absoluting fascinating book. Although not all the conclusions and suggestions are entirely plausible (or at least not well explicated), the thrust of the book makes itself felt. So to speak.

Suddenly sociobiology comes to life! If you had any doubts about human sexual behaviour, or suffered from political correctness, this will set you to rights. It is indeed a seminal book.

Having read this book from cover to cover in 36 hours, it has been a long time since a writer has been able to pull me into a story so deeply, that I forgot about eating let alone sleeping. I could feel every excitable pulse, as well as the sadness. Mark Levine has managed to tell a tale so riveting, so shocking, so real that I doubt I can ever look at another presidential campaign again and NOT wonder.

I'm not huge into politics, but because of everything that happened in this year's election, I thought this book sound good. And, wow, it was awesome. I was immediately sucked in at the first page. I had trouble putting it down! The author continually toyed with me, making me think one thing would happen and then shocking me with something. The ending was wild! You won't go wrong reading this!

This book grabbed my attention at the beginning and never let me go. There are so many twists and turns in this book that just when I was sure one thing was going to happen, something else did. I felt like I was inside a presidential campaign! It was so real. I can't really say enough about this book. I loved it!!

After having one surgery, and just finding out that I need another one, I realized that I needed help! I found this book, and read it from cover to cover in two days. The great thing is that it's written not by a doctor or someone who writes in theory, but by someone who's been through this - a lot! ANYBODY who is going to be dealing with the medical community needs to read and use this practical book! Good Job Mr. Vass!

I must say, this is a terrific book. Until recently, I have had the privilege of enjoying a life absent of major medical problems. And, naively, I guess I thought that would just last forever. Not long ago, I had the misfortune of two back-to-back medical emergencies and nothing has ever made me feel so helpless in my life. Being suddenly treated in an emergency room and subsequently admitted on that first occasion, I was never so aware of how much I didn't know about my own medical coverage, my rights as a patient -- frankly, I was terrified.

Talking to a friend of mine who's been dealing with some recent hospitalizations of her own, I was turned onto Mark Vass' book. She told me that she'd stumbled across the book online and it had been enormously helpful to her, not only with regards to understanding her rights, etc., but also had really helped her on an emotional level. And it helped me too. Shortly after my first stay, I found myself needing to be rushed back in. As I laid there in the E.R. this second time, I felt so much more sure of the situation overall. Because of this great book, I was suddenly a knowledgeable participant in my own care. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Thank goodness I read this book before having surgery! This wealth of insight informs patients about what to expect during a hospital stay and what questions to ask if those expectations are not being met.

The author's approach is one of knowledge and empathy in a style easy to understand. His detailed checklists regarding pre-admittance, hospitalization, and recovery are worth the price of this book. The bounty of references and contact organizations gathered between these covers will ease the apprehension any patient will have before or following a hospital stay. If you're scheduled for any kind of surgery, first snatch up a copy of this book and become as informed as possible regarding what will happen to you, your family and your lifestyle throughout the process.