Perhaps the thing I liked the best about this book is the tone of reverence that Dr. Wilson has for the subject of his life's work - the hand. Clearly there is a lot at stake for the author in his work - it comes through in everything in this book - and that's the thing that I found inspiring about it. If only we could all (or at last many of us!) feel the same way about the focus of our work.

I "dinged" it one star for two reasons - I would have liked to have seen more attention played to the concept of how "the hand shapes the mind." A lot of the book seemed like a very well written elaboration on the standard neurologic model of "motor programs" and the brain's role in controlling the hand, etc. The idea that the "history" and "education" of the hand has a reciprocal role in shaping the mind is a very exciting concept, and I would have liked to have seen it explored in more depth.

Second, I thought the book rambled at times. Dr. Wilson tended to bounce around a lot between neurology, anthropology, educational policy, etc. and it wasn't always clear what was driving the transitions from one area to the other.

On the whole, this is an excellent book offering a very unique perspective on the mind and human nature through the investigation of the miraculous but little appreciated hand.

As a neuroscientist, educator, and a Deaf person, I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Wilson's insights into how the hand shapes our lives and our brains. He raises a lot of questions yet to be investigated about how crucial the manipulation of the hands are to cognitive learning. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the questions he's raised both for normal people and those of us who use manual language over speech, and whether those choices in means of communication cause the brain to be mapped differently. Dr. Wilson writes with humor and gives fascinating insights into the worlds of people whose advocations depend upon their hands. This long neglected part of our body should now receive the attention it deserves in shaping our minds.

I haven't read this book yet, so this must be a pReview. I did see the PBS evening news interview with the author and was intrigued enough by that discussion to move The Hand to the top of my To Be Read List here at =Rick's Internet Cafe=.

This book was decent and also funny.When Song Lee brings in her frog to school and feeds it liver, Harry falls in love. They pass love notes in class. the give each other gifts. Harry's best friend Doug wants him to stop all the love stuff. Will Harry listen to his best friend? Well to find out read Horrible Harry's Secret.

I thought it was an awesome book. All those 6 characters put in one book makes it absolutely hysterical. I liked when Harry sends the letters to Song Lee--you can find the letter on page 9. My favorite character is Song Lee because she is different from Mary, and she likes Harry. You'll have to find out the rest....

When Song Lee brings a water frog to school, and Harry sees that Song Lee feeds it liver, Harry falls in love with Song Lee! Harry gives her a letter that says: Dear Song Lee Do you like me? a. a little b. some c. a lot d. None of the above I like you. Harry. Then, Song Lee writes a letter back. Harry looked sick. Song Lee had marked d- none of the above. Then, Sidney makes Harry mad, and Harry is going to punch Sidney in the schnozzlola. Song Lee's letter also said: Dear Harry, I will like you if you don't fight with Sidney. It is bad to fight. I know because my Grandfather Bong die in Korean war. Song Lee. Then, it starts to snow one morning and on the way to school, Harry and Doug throw snowballs and have a deadly snowdown. Then, as they race across the playground, a red foil present falls out of Harry's pocket. Then, the class is drawing a mural of the joy of the Christmas and Chanukah season. When Sidney and Harry team up and draw a graveyard. Then, Song Lee writes a new letter that said: Dear Harry Remember your a, b, c, d letter? My answer is c. Song Lee. Then, Harry gives Song Lee the gift and inside is a necklace of gold ribbon with five burnt- out Christmas tree lights. Then, everyone draws a picture of a friend with the things they like for a border. Doug and Ida are a team, and Song Lee, Harry, and Sidney are a team. Song Lee drew Sidney with sticking up hair and put a border of canary stickers and Tinkertoys. Sidney drew Harry with a moustache and a beard and horns. Harry drew Song Lee with a border of frogs, liver, and toothpicks around it. Then, Harry hasn't flashed his pearly whites. Then, Song Lee draws Bong and gives it to Harry but it doesn't make him happy. Then, Doug sees Harry drop out 2 dollars. Is Harry a thief? Sidney, Doug, and Song Lee have tried everything but nothing will work. Then, Harry tells them he ran into a wall and his 2 front teeth fell out and the 2 dollars was the money that the Tooth Fairy gave him. Then, Sidney, Doug, Song Lee, and Harry go to the donut place and buy donuts with Harry's money.

Messieurs Picquet and Shanty have produced an impressive compilation of terrorist incidents for the year 1998, outlining event criteria and event descriptions - some 398 incidents in all. What we don't know about terrorist events that occurred in 1998 could fill a book, and this is it. They have performed a useful service in describing in detail this violent international phenomenon. Turning this work into an annual series will be public scholarship of the highest order and will do much to further our understanding of terrorism.

Ray Picquet and Frank Shanty have produced in International Terrorism: An Annual "Event Data" Report, an extremely useful tool for the terrorism researcher, policy analyst, or anyone interested in this timely and important phenomenon. This study of international terrorism events occurring in 1998 is presented in a very well-conceived format with the reader clearly in mind. The introduction is very thorough and includes excellent information on terrorism definitions, source and collection methods, event criteria, and provides the reader with detailed, yet simple instructions for navigating and using the chronology. Following the introduction is a very useful, global overview of data, complete with easy to read charts showing quantitative rankings and regional reports to provide the reader with concise geographic snapshots. It is evident throughout that Picquet and Shanty have gone to lengths to cross check data reliability and to provide a "street level" perspective on terrorism...especially helpful to this analyst's own counter-terrorism assignments. Also helpful are the numerous criteria which compose each incident, providing the particulars that too often stymie detail-oriented research. Finally, the heart of the "Event Data" Report provides six excellent chronologies of terrorist incidents for all the world's major regions. Any researcher or analyst will tell you that the comprehensive and user-friendly format presented by Ray Piquet and Frank Shanty is the most helpful in finding information. Coupled with extensive findings and a solid methodology, this report will be a frequently consulted resource.

Thomas M. Sanderson Defense Analyst Science Applications International Corporation

International Terrorism: An Annual Event Data Report,1998 (Cobra Institute Studies on Terrorism #1) is a simultaneously comprehensive and concise database of terrorism for 1998. The authors' extensive backgrounds in the intelligence, national security policy, and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) weapons fields have contributed greatly to its quality. It is thoroughly researched and provides more information than any other I have read on the subject. This annual review of terrorism is sure to become a standard on every professional's bookshelf.

Dr. Bosch is a Biblical apologist who has been researching the Mormon faith while living in Utah for the past ten years.

Jews and Mormons is an example of two religious paradigms based on distinctly different presuppositions, using "same words with different meanings," and George Orwell's "doublethink" (which he defines as "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them") while attempting to initiate Jewish-Mormon dialogue.

The book is a none confrontational cursory introduction of the [modern] Jewish and Mormon faiths. Rabbi William J. Leffler and the Mormon High Priest Frank J. Johnson have provided a general overview of their respective faiths. The authors' treatment of the subject refrains the book from being an apologetic treatise. It is a simple overview of the Jewish and Mormon faiths without discussing in-depth particulars involving theological defenses.

The reader is left questioning the age-old paradox of inclusiveness or exclusiveness and faith correctness. That is, is it possible for two faith paradigms that allege to be true, based on distinctly different presuppositions, be true? If one were to apply the principles of logic to decide the likelihood of a faith being true, one might think: if two religious traditions professing to be teaching the truth hold contradicting positions about the particulars, either one religious tradition is true and the other is false or both may be false. However, two contradicting positions professing to be true cannot be true. If nothing else, reading this book reminds the reader to differentiate between "engineered" communities of faith and true faith.

Both authors spend many years writing to each other sharing opinions about their religions. Finally, after all these years, they decided to share their opinions with the rest of the world.

Some people would say that the relationship between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Leffler could not be classified as friendship. Some might even consider them to be opponents, like two tennis players on the opposite sides of a court. But I would call them friends because deep down inside they are very much alike, even though they might never admit it. And this relationship between them is what makes this book so interesting.

This is an excellent primer for anyone who wishes to know where these two great world religions are coming from. Is Mormonism Christian? The reader will find out. What is its connection with ancient Israel? There are many surprises on this score. The text is very readable and the differences and similarities between the two religions are clearly spelled out. The book is quite unique in having as authoritative authors both a Mormon and a Jew who were college roommates and remain goods friends despite their religious differences.

A young rabbit and his mother go to the store to pick-up a few things: carrots, peanuts and worms (!). As the mother rabbit picks up different quantities, the young rabbit whines and complains (in a cute way) about the amounts. The mother rabbit compares the amounts to other shoppers in the store using the terms more, fewer and same. Graphics summarize the terms for each item.

The rhymes strike me as clumsy, but the book is fun to read with various voices for the mother and young rabbit. The young rabbit's facial expressions and gestures lend nicely to telling the story.

One part that might be of special interest is the young rabbits enthusiasm for carrots. He *likes* to eat them and begs his mother to buy more. For children who don't like carrots, this might just encourage them to "munch, munch and crunch" along with their rabbit friend.

Both my boys enjoy the book, but my 18 month old seems particularly enamored with it. It's a bit too basic for my three year old, but he still has fun with it.

A wonderful way to introduce the math concepts of comparing amounts.

My 26 month old daughter loves this book. We only bought it a few days ago and have already read it at least a dozen times. I like the rhyming too. There are some books that I don't enjoy reading over and over again, but this one is fun to read. It flows nicely and the illustrations are adorable. I especially get a kick out of the little rabbit's eyes as he pleads with his mom to buy fewer peanuts :-) We're looking into getting more of the Mathstart books because we like this one so much.

Froggy wakes up full of enthusiasm for a day's bike ride and picnic with his dad, but his disorganization keeps them at home until the end of the day. In between, Froggy looks around for assorted biking/picnic items (e.g., a ball, a helmet), slamming and bonking around, and finding them in the most unusual places (what ARE those peaches doing in his bed?!). Each time the two are ready to leave another forgotten item must be found:

"Frrrooggyy!" called his father. "I'm re-e-a-d-y!" yelled Froggy... "But Froggy...you need your bicycle helmet!" "I don't know where it is!..." "It's wherever you left it!" "I forget!" "You have to LOOK for it!" This little routine will sound familiar both to children and those who raise them! There's a happy denouement as both Froggy and his dad finally set out (after deciding they're both so hungry they'd better eat the picnic first-at home!).

Bright, uncluttered pictures, 27 pages, lots of word repetition and cool sound effects make this a treat to listen to and read. A toddler who loved the listening to this book will enjoy returning to it as an older reader (perhaps around grade 2-3).

My children love this book, the sound effects part of the book keep them laughing from beginning to end. A great introduction to the Froggy series. I would recommend this book for children aged about 4-7.

This book has become my 2 and 4 year olds favorite story. They love to see froggy looking for his misplaced items and it has taught them to look for their own items when they are lost.

I read this book on a whim - it looked interesting in the new books area of the local public library - and was enthralled. Tallis begins with the Locke/Leibniz disputes of the 18th century and moves to the present. I especially appreciated the attention he gave to Romanticism's views of the unconscious - I had ascribed much to Jung that actually began long before Analytical Psychology - and the career of Janet, whose immense contributions to the concept of the Unconscious have been undervalued as Freud got most of the attention. I enjoyed Tallis' observation that Jung's final personal apotheosis into something like the Wise Old man was the kind of inflation that he tried to cure patients of! All in all, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone wanting an overview of concepts of the Unconscious- it's only deficiency is that it's too short - less than 200 pages, but packed with information, analysis and human insight.

Frank Tillis has done a noble job of showing just how important the idea of the unconscious has been in philosophy and science since the time of Plato. He traces its articulation through Romanticism, psychoanalysis, information theory, computer modeling, cognitive and perceptual studies, and neuroscience. Not only has he got it right, but he shows that at least some aspects of Freud's work have been vindicated by the seemingly contrary empirical approaches of the latter half of the twentieth century. Of course, the term "empirical" is a loaded one, and its authoritative presence is often invoked without deep philosophic reflection. For example, why is a phenomenological analysis of dream material less empirical than a study of the delay response between a brain stimulation and a conscious correlary to that stimulation? Or why is a reductive information model more empirical than one that deals with archetypal formations within the unconscious? Tallis seems to assume an implicit (and narrow) understanding of conceptual and experiental warrant (i.e., the empirical) that philosophically reduces the self to a passing cluster of febrile forms of consciousness that quickly return to the dark origin from which they have come. Specifically, in his conclusion to the book he quickly dismisses quantum theory and its evocation of non-located consciousness as entailing a reductio ad infinitutum that posits something analogous to a conscious homunculus within the brain that stands behind the curtain generating macro-consciousness. Further, he argues that neuroscience and the Buddhist doctrine of an-atman (no self) are conceptually isomorphic. But what about a Hindu notion of atman (infinite self) in its stead, which could really explain the out of the body experiences he mentions? In fact, it may well be the case that quantum theories of consciousness can only work on a Hindu model of the infinite realm and scope of consciousness within and without the finite self. And what about the correlation of the unconscious and telepathy (fairly well documented)? I do strongly agree with Tallis on his call for a unified theory of the correlation between consciousness and the unconscious, although it will most likely come from philosophy rather than the conjunction of dynamic psychology and neuroscience. And I further agree that the evidence for the unconscious is so overwhelming that it has the same status as the evidence for evolution. If fact, evolutionary psychology, which he describes very well, is one place where we can expect great advances (in spite of some crucial gender issues that must be dealt with). My suspicion is that the unconscious is much bigger than Tallis believes, and that the prospects of consciousness are less confined than he asserts. His constricted view is seen, for example, in his slightly distorted understanding of Jung's probes into the unconscious. Specifically, he accuses Jung of being a victim of psychic inflation rather than being a thinker who actually probed its power and worked through and out of it. His total neglect of Wilhelm Reich is even more astonishing insofar as Reich is the one psychoanalyst who really did attempt a unified theory around energy dynamics and sexuality, thus, in many respects, outdistancing Freud. But these comments are somewhat minor irritations on my part. Tallis is a fine writer and every sentence is lucid and well crafted. His rich historical and conceptual knowledege has really nailed home the argument that the unconscious is here to stay. I would urge psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers to take this book to heart and gain some perspective on the depths of the self that are so often ignored, repressed, or denied.

Hidden Minds is a history of the unconscious offering the non-specialist general reader with a fine synthesis which argues that the unconscious is one of the three big ideas of modern science. It may have lost favor recently, but new research in neuroscience and psychology has supported not only the concept of the unconscious mind, but identified its importance in psychology and the arts. The history of efforts to identify and classify the unconscious mind makes for an involving account.

I was disappointed in the way that the book was written. It was hard for me to stay interested because they just jumped from one thing too another and some things that you had already read were repeated.

Jacob Frank speaks with a voice that comes from an ever distant time and place. He grew up in Poland, in a Jewish Society that was almost totally destroyed during the Holocaust. Out of the sixty four members of his family in Poland, Jacob Frank is the only one that survived. The only physical remnant of his entire family that still exists is a single photograph of Jacob Frank and his wife Dora. Mr. Frank carefully sewed the photograph into his clothing, and kept it hidden during nearly six years of survival in concentration camps and prisons in Poland and Germany. He wanted always to remember his wife and family; and to keep their image in his mind and heart. The poignant photograph of Jacob and Dora Frank is included in the book. With great courage Jacob Frank tried to protect his family and to help other people in the concentration camps, but he was trapped in a nightmare world where life had little or no value. There was not much that he could do to protect himself, or anyone else. Jacob Frank was valuable to the Nazis, because of his great skill as a master tailor. They needed him to make uniforms and suits. Because of his forced duties as a tailor, Mr. Frank often came into close contact with some of the leading Nazis; including Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Eichmann. He felt intense fear when he was in their presence, and sometimes he could not bear to look directly at their faces. He could only see shadows of evil when he glanced at them. As one who was there and survived, he speaks with a deep and unique insight into the Holocaust. He helps us to understand what really happened; and the men capable of carrying out a plan of genocide on a huge scale. He helps us to understand the great tragedy of entire families being murdered and lost forever. The witness and memory of Jacob Frank provide a valuable service to the world. His important book sheds light on a time of great darkness, and helps to stand guard against any future Holocaust.

I loved the book...I hated the book. What can I say? It's a wonderful story about a terrible time. From the time I picked up the book I found it difficult to put down. Knowing that Mr. Frank is indeed a survivor, I needed to get to the part where he was safe. I especially liked the way author Mark Lewis presented the very essence of Mr. Frank by not altering his accent, his syntax. The question and answer format was interesting. Not too many questions, rather, enough to help clarify certain points.

As the story begins, Jacob Frank a youth full of hope and dreams embarks on his journey. Who could imagine that choices, decisions made at such a tender age would so dramatically impact his life? As the years pass, the hope, the ambition, the joy of this wonderful young man is slowly, systematically robbed from him. It is a story too horrible to imagine yet Jacob Frank recalls every detail. He describes these events with simple details-not so dramatic as to be unbelievable. The idea of the Holocaust is unbelievable, unfathomable. Thankfully, for survivors like Mr. Frank, the world will know the horrible truth.

I found the book interesting, probably because I could see myself as the author. A desperate seeker of life and love, always coming up empty handed. It was evident that the author was obsessed with his quest. Unfortunately, he will never find what he is looking for outside of himself...it's within. I am a female Frank Spataro but I do not have the courage to put my obsessions into print. I am now on a gentle journey discovering myself and it's not always fun. Thank you Iosulo...you were a mirror.By the way, it was nice meeting you at Borders and I just got a computer.

I can't wait to read this book, it's on order!! I knew Frank while he was writing this book, and lost touch after that. I would love to get in touch with him again...so if anyone can help please e-mail me at roccella@zensearch.net

Haha this is phat. I just stayed at Frank's house! Anyways I think everybody should read this book. I'm not just saying that! PEACE! I'll seeya this summer Frank! Say hi to the family!

Like many people (too many people, perhaps) I grew up with The Wizard of Oz only in movie form. For many years I didn't even KNOW it was based on a book, and I certainly didn't know anything about its creator, L.F. Baum. Though I knew there were other books written by him in the Oz series, I had no idea, until reading this biography, that there were over TEN other books in the Oz series alone. I guess ya' learn something new every day...

L.F. Baum had a pleasant childhood peppered with some unhappy experiences and generally was in poor health. Like many creative people (especially in the early 20th century) he was considered a dreamer and would probably come to no good, squandering his life and his money away on frivolous things. Time has proven this to be fortunately incorrect.

One of the first males to be deeply involved with the women's' suffrage movement, he started his own newspaper as a young child, borrowing news from other papers and news sources and creating poems and puzzles for his readers. He went on to work newspapers most of his life, on and off, doing a wide variety of jobs, including selling axle grease. All during this time he continued to tell stories and write. Indeed, he was one of the first authors to write stories geared specifically to children, and could even be considered the father of the modern children's book.

"L. Frank Baum" is packed with details of this little known man and shows a tremendous amount of effort and attention on the part of the author. Anyone above, say, 5th grade could easily use this book alone as the sole source on his life and times. However, it should be noted that the writing is rather dense with information and could be considered uninteresting reading-for-pleasure material for students who are merely curious about his life. Though richly illustrated with photographs, posters and book excerpts from Baum's life and books, a good deal of these illustrations are very teeny-tiny, making the details difficult to see. They would be more effective if enlarged even by 25%.

There is an excellent chapter on "Oz and the Censors", which is offset by a whole chapter just about a months' vacation. This sort of disjointed discussion of Baum's life and overemphasis on certain details shows up every now and then, causing the reader to sometimes say, "huh?" or forcing one to reread for greater clarity.

As far as school-aged children go, I would fancy that this book would serve more as a resource for paper writing than for sheer enjoyment due to the volume of facts and the dryness of the text. Still, it's an excellent book, meticulously researched, and it sheds some very much-needed light on the man whose book was the basis for one of the best-known movies in 20th century America. When we all listen to admire Ms. Garland singing "Over the Rainbow", or cackle like the Wicked Witch of the West, or laugh at the antics of the Cowardly Lion, we should stop and remember the kind, gentle man who gave the filmmaking world the idea for these characters.

Well, definitely informative and helpful. Well-written. Text is accompanied by wonderful photos, but some of the info. is not always correct (just minor parts). It is not balanced either, sometimes they spend a chapter on a decade, other times a chapter for a five-week vacation...

Wonderful! It brought me into those little places in Baums life that made me feel like is friend. I love the photos (sometimes I think Groucho Marx copied Baum, hehe) and the text is excellent. If you love Oz, you just HAVE to read this book.