I loved this book!! It helped me confirm that my ordinary life is really quite extraordinary....wait...or is it the other way around...?!! I will recommend it to all of my friends.

Lee's writing has that "every woman" quality. Just like Bruce Springsteen has the ability to sing just to me in a crowd of 60 thousand, Lee's writing gives me goosebumps as it seems like she somehow found my life's collection of journals. This book is a feel good, feel real gem. I love her honesty and genuine appreciation for all the little things in life that make up our one big experience here on earth.

This book shines from cover to cover. With its careful treatment of humor, depth, the gamut of emotions, _Grace in the First Person_ leaves the reader, regardless of age, reeling. At moments I laughed so hard that unsettling flashbacks to grade-school-lunch-table-milk-out-the-nose-laughing-because-of-a-potty-joke episodes entered my mind. THe author has the ability to keep the reader rapt, and rapped around her finger while taking us through her life in middle-class suburbia. Fine writing. Really fine.

The topic sentence of this book is "We see human civilization as having risen to eminence among other species through political, scientific, and technological innnovation." This sets the tone for a humanistic course the the forms of creativity through history. For someone who comes from a technology background (read: geek), this book was an unexpected suprise. It gave a social context to the value system that the technologist depends on, and the legacy that supports the innovator of today.

I was inspired me over and over again. I kept on finding gems, and thinking "that's a creative way to get unstuck." For something that has so many references, it's balanced well with the discourse. I've got a reading list now, and a few biographies to read.

There was a spiritual quality to this book, grounded in history and human experience. In comes through in the sense of reflection, and the connection to great humanists through time.

A note of caution. The wordsmithing in this book is tight. While not a bad thing, that may lesson the appeal of this book for some. Also, the title doesn't exactly reasonate, since the theme of "grace" is never dealt with, and while Creativity is one of the great natures, it seems a stretch.

Had I not met the author in person, I would have never considered reading this book; Now, I wonder if it would be possible to take a class from him.

If you are looking for an exceptional find, this is one.

This book is a study of creativity in the social and ethical contexts, and of creativity as a result of innovation. It can also be used as a guide book for leading a life promoting innovation through creativity.

The book has three distinct but closely related parts: The Creative Mind, The Ethics of Creativity and The Politics of Innovation, explaining how the building blocks of creativity - inspiration, imagination, sense of beauty, integrity, persistence, vision and learning - all lead to innovation. While one could use this as a resource for inspiration and as a guidebook for practicing and promoting creativity in everyday life, the author makes no efforts to sell the book as such. Instead, he has opted for a conversational style that aids critical reading, and inspires further thinking. This helps to frequently stop and think about the material, and to inquire the logic. The language is very crisp and to the point. The editing is very sharp. One could read the book just for the anecdotes, both historic and the contemporary ones, which are plentiful in the book. The notes at the end is really an annotated bibliography, which can also be very useful.

This is a great antidote for the current day world where success is often wrongly equated with "fast", "immediate", "creating powerpoint slides", ... and the likes; where, the examination of things is becoming increasingly superficial, and the critical evaluations are frequently regarded as a hindrance to "productivity", and where the incompetence is frequently promoted for the resulting political expediencies. Dr Grudin explains why some people despise the concept of "working the system" to your advantage, and why they often take routes that look more elaborate and longer. He explains what is it that some people who get paid for forty-hours but seem to be always at work, are seeking and what drives them to voluntarily opt for such practices of hardwork and dedication. He explains why some people seem to take so much interest in every project around them, and seem to bounce back to success and happiness, from every failure they encounter. And, finally, he convinces us how creative work, even at the modest levels, can be the key to happiness.

By not casting its title with something like "N-practices of super-creative people" or something akin to that, and instead giving it the current title, and thus choosing honesty and class over marketing, Dr Grudin has put to practice what he preaches in the book. But if that makes you not consider this book, it's your loss!

A great baedeker for people and organizations wanting to promote creativity, and through creativity, innovation.

Robert Grudin is one of my favorite writers, consistently presenting deep topics, such as the meaning of creativity and the dangers in liberalism that even liberals must eventually admit. He writes with a clarity and wit that is all to rare these days, and this is his best book.

Health Intuition is a practical, effective book. Days after reading it, I was able offer valid readings on other people. I cannot thank Karen Grace Kassy enough for having the courage to write this book, which, in turn, gave me the courage to do readings on others. If you are serious about developing your skills, this is a must read.

I have read Ms. Kassy's book. It is easy to read and packed with wonderful insights and suggestions. Because of its tone i contacted Ms. Kassy and received a most empowering and helpful health "reading"- (way) beyond my expectations!
I hightly recommend her voice in the wilderness of intuition and health information and misinformation. It is clear, concerned and informed- on the page- as well as on the telephone.
Thank you, Ms Kassy!

I remember walking into a bookstore and like a beacon going over to the display of this book when it was newly released. After reading the back I knew it was for me. Fast forward a couple years and I have finally read the book. If you are a fan of Caroline Myss and alternative health, this is a must-read.

Unlike some other (medical) intuitives (it is a growing field), Karen's approach is unique. Her kind and gentle manner come through in her writing. Her advice is excellent and she is experienced in this field. The book weaves personal stories of clients throughout her own personal story and development of her gift of health intuition. This means she is able to understand your personal health issues by knowing your name and age. She practices a holistic view health, meaning she is concerned with the mental and emotional aspects of health and healing as well as physical. Her book is well written and you can easily grasp which areas of health might be ones for you to work on.

I also had the opportunity to receive a health intuitive reading from Karen most recently. She was right-on about many things with my own health and offered suggestions I had not considered. Her website has more information on how to contact her: ...

-Catherine Carlson

I'd strongly recommend Mr. Rosenthal's work to anyone who is interested in the devastation suffered by those in the South Bronx during the 1970's and 1980's as well as those who have an interest in "urbicide."

Based on what was available, I felt for a long time that there was a great gap in books available on the Bronx; either they spoke of the grand old days or focused solely on the destructive elements of the Bronx experience. Or, in other words, there was little on the lives of those who were trying to make a "go" of the place, despite the inexorable forces arrayed against them.

Mr. Rosenthal's work fills that gap in a diligent and eloquent manner.

Rosenthal has produced an excellent book about one of New York's most troubled neighborhoods.Working in the South Bronx for many years I've witnessed firsthand the struggles of area residents against the tide of arson and crime.Rosenthal's photographs tell the story of the survival of the human spirit in one of the most devastated areas in the country and the efforts to rebuild it.

"Not since Eudora Welty photographed rural Mississippi in the 1930s has anyone caught so memorably a people and a place as Mel Rosenthal has done in this unforgettable record of the South Bronx." --Willimam Jay Smith, former Poet Laureate of the United States and author of The Cherokee Lottery

"Rosenthal's disturbing stories and portraits of life in this neighborhood during the 1970s and 1980s are the work of an activist's committed lens, revealing how public money does not always result in public progress." --Doubletake

"Rosenthal's protraits convey the still vibrant life of a community hurtling toward ruin." --Erin Christman, Ruminator Review

"The photographer doesn't just give readers the clichés of burned buildings and homeless people. We see the richness and complexity of life that the South Bronx supported, even during its darkest day, and that may be the book's most significant accomplishment." --Damaso Reyes, The New York Amsterdam News

"Whatever historians may conclude about factors involved in the deterioration of the South Bronx, the juxtaposition of photographs of burned out buildings with vibrant portraits of South Bronx residents makes Rosenthal's book a provocative historical and sociological document." --Leslie Cohen, The Jerusalem Post

I really didn't know much about Dipa Ma except that Sharon Salzberg had studied with her. But when I read an excerpt from this book in Tricycle, I went out immediately and bought it. And my God, am I glad I did.

I have been meditating 2-3 hours EVERY DAY since I read this wonderful book--it just takes away any reluctance to immerse yourself in the practice. Dipa Ma's story is inspiring, but more than that, there is more incredible wealth of practical, inspiring advice in this little volume than in ten books twice its size.

Please buy and read this book--you won't regret it!

A good friend of mine in San Jose recommended me to read this book, and she said she would reimburse me if I were not satisfied. Well, I have read it again and again, with footnotes, translation into Vietnmese for friends; and I have already ordered ten books to send to my firends as a "token of my gratitude" to them. I have also e-mailed to friends everywhere telling them to read it to "strengthen your self confidence that laypeople can also gain the highest jhana, and a poor, uneducated woman can also become a Saint". I will also write a book review and ask my good friend Dr. Jane Rand to write the Review in English to be published in the bilingual (Vietnamese-English)in the Dat Lanh Buddhist Review Magazine in San Diego.
With deepest gratitude to Ami Schmidt for her excellent work. We all expect you to write similar books in the future.

"Knee Deep in Grace" is an insightful look into the consciousness of a loving individual who attained a deep level of realization. It is written with warmth, humor, and insight by someone whose heart and mind is in accord with Dipa Ma's teachings.

This book is extremely good if your are planning to visit Korea for personal or business reasons, or if you are learning the language and would like to enrich your Korean repetoire. The first part of the book has common expressions, greetings, daily interaction terms, business and travel terms, emergency situation terms, and terms to let you express nearly everything your can think of quickly and easily. The book has the english phrase on the left, its Korean counterpart is then written on the right hand side with the way to pronounce the phrase next to it. In addition to having these phrases, the book takes time out to teach a little about Korean culture, tradition, and etiquette. The second part of the book is a very good dictionary that has a ENGLISH - KOREAN section and a KOREAN - ENGLISH section. The book's small size and the fact that it has a clear, vinyl-like covering makes it the perfect book to take with you.

Excellent
This is all i need to say

I found this book to be quite helpful. I just came back from Korea last month and the book helped me a great deal. I taught myself Hangul and I learned quite a few words from this book. The grammar section is also helpful. And even when I didn't know how to say something, my hosts would pick up the book and look for the phrase in Korean and then point to the English equivalent for me. Between that book and there Korean-English Dictionary, we did quite well.

This is an outstanding Spanish program! The book alone is wonderful( beautiful illustrations, activities and explanations) but combined with the CD you have an unbeatable approach to learning Spanish. The music is upbeat and very easy to understand.The songs are to tunes that are easy to memorize. My 2 year old loves to sing "Buenos Dias"! Our family is learning Spanish together ( ages 2-11) and loving it!

I wasn't sure how I could add one more thing to my busy schedule. I have five children. When I told my oldest two boys that part of their home school curriculum this year would be learning Spanish, the oldest said "I don't like it!". After his very first lesson, he announced "I love Spanish, it's the best!"
Learn Spanish With Grace is beautifully designed to create a desire to learn Spanish in the children. The instructor on the CD is very positive, the activities the children do are fun, and the songs are an excellent way to reinforce the vocabulary! Even my four and two year old are "singing" Spanish.
One last comment: The four oldest children are boys. I wasn't sure if they would sit for lessons. My seven year old sat over two hours by himself one day because he wanted to keep practicing and doing the activites. This is definitely a child friendly program!

This book is wonderful! Our whole family has learned Spanish in the easy, fun lessons.

Jenny Curtis' "Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures" is a must for Grace fans. Lovely reproductions of some of Kelly's most enchanting photos fill the book. It is a pleasant addition to any collection, and it is exactly what it is entitled, a life in pictures...nothing more and yet, nothing less.

This is simply the best Grace book I've ever seen. Wonderful and the most complete. Very highly recommended to all!

Lovely pictures and interesting text make this book well worth buying. It showcases Grace's life from early childhood to her untimely death.

I found this book to be a pretty good read. I was looking for something to reaffirm our decision to homeschool, and it didn't do tha for me as much as I would have liked, but it was really interesting, and although it doesn discuss the bad aspects of going to school, it isn't down on school at all-- just helps people recognize where problems might lie and helps to address those issues.

I think this is a great book for all parents, those homeschooling and those traditionally schooling-- any parent that is interested in helping thier child learn to love to to learn will find this book to be full of good information.

"This book helped me relax and do less about my kid--less worrying, less trying to cram information into him when he wasn't responding as I wanted him to. Using the approaches recommended by Llewellyn and Silver, I now have fun observing my little boy, guiding him gently, and enjoying his forays into the world as he explores and learns on his own."

For most of us who grew up inside a public educational institution, it is difficult to imagine alternatives. Indeed, it may difficult to imagine anything at all. After twelve (in my case 19) years of absract inundation, most of us have lost the trees in a forest of abstractions. We inhabit a vacuous matrix of unispired, cynical defeatism, where teachers can't level with us as human beings and test questions bear no resemblance to reality. Until graduation day, that is. Then the world opens up before us, free for the plunder of active, self-interested engagement. What if we had never left that world from start? What if from birth to grave our lives were naturally interesting and piquant? What if we didn't educate ourselves for the test, but instead focused on the context of our life and followed our natural curiosities? Einstein (a college drop-out) certainly thought this was the right approach to education: "It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet strangle the holy curiosity of inquiry." This book a refreshing, imaginative, and likewise extremely practical guide to context-driven education. All my life I had been vexed with the notion that contemporary education is utterly wrongheaded and thwarting, but until now I had never had the language or facts to back up my intuitive, gut feeling. Whether you are thinking of making the great experimental leap and homeschooling your kids, or whether you simply want to better understand how to get the most out of your local educational institution, this book is essential. Although you cannot relive the wasted years, it will send you in the right direction for future learning, and help you give your children an education that will truly unlock their deepest potential. Isn't that what education is supposed to be about: unlocking our native potential and stimulating genuine growth? With this book the relationship between information and the world becomes transparent again, as it should have been from the very beginning.

The ritual of prayer is as old as man. We all have our own words, we recite bible prayer and dictated prayers from various religions. But Loder's Guerillas is truly a refreshing collage of prayers that are contemporary and yet soulful. They direct our minds, but give us plenty of room to make the prayer our own thought. For those who shy away from organized religion or who are faint of heart in searching for the right prayer, Loder's book is a kind companion.

It is not unusual for a church meeting here at Foundry United Methodist Church to begin with someone reading a prayer from Ted Loder's "Guerrillas of Grace." I am especially delighted that our Finance Committee chair has used Ted's prayers again and again to set the spiritual context for her committee's work.

Here at Foundry, our laity are looking for ways to connect their commitment to social justice with their spiritual lives and our biblical heritage. They are looking for spiritual authenticity that goes beyond both superficial piety and simplistic secularity. Ted's prayers do this, so our folk receive them gladly.

This is a helpful book for church leaders to use in their spiritual lives.

Ted Loder can write, no doubt about it. But with Guerrillas, the Spirit speaks through him loudly and clearly. This book of prayers is unlike any other I have ever read. Mr. Loder's prayers give us permission to speak as freely to our God as we would like, to use our weak and imperfect selves to achieve great things. Your heart and soul will never be the same once you have used this book. And do use it. It will help those who have forgotten how to talk to God, to once again do so. It will guide those who never tried to talk with God, to make a stab at it. Those who are more comfortable will traditional prayer styles will find these prayers a challenge. But what would life be without a challenge?