Peter really gets to the point of self-differentiation with his newest book. Personal branding is a topic the author knows well and shares with the reader the essential how to's. The topic is timely as well as easy to follow. This is a MUST HAVE book on how to MARKET. It should be the only book you read on Marketing.

Whether you are an independent professional interested in marketing your identity and services, or someone who is interested in improving their perceived worth at home or work, The Personal Branding Phenomenon is an invaluable tool.

Montoya points out clearly in his book how you can use your own strengths and identity traits to promote, improve, and shape a Personal Brand.

And it makes sense.

I can see how harnessing the power behind Personal Branding will be an awesome way to position myself to increase my freelance career and move up the corporate ladder at work.

As a manager, I can see how Branding can help my employees and make them more successful.

It's organic. It's natural. It's great.

Also, the book is very well written. It has great examples and comparisons that give readers an even better understanding of the philosophy.

This is a must read for small business owners.

It's a great book and well worth the money.

Not being one trained in marketing, I hoped Peter Montoya's book would guide me in developing a marketing strategy for my small business. It did much more than that. I now see how every area of my life influences my personal brand whether I am aware of the principles and insights in Peter's book or not. It has inspired me to take action.

I expected a serious book such as this to be work to read but it entertained me throughout. I particularly enjoyed the insight into why the personal brand of a person like Martha Stewart is vulnerable to revelations inconsistent with their image.

Nobody writes more evocatively or enthusiastically about 17th-century Holland as Simon Schama. His 1987 masterpiece of interpretive social history, The Embarrassment of Riches, brought that age throbbingly to life. Throughout this hefty tome Schama is, as the title suggests, desperately keen to see through Rembrandt's eyes. He achieves, with a verbal abundance and an appreciative delight of textures, the world Rembrandt's paintings so lucidly evoke. The chapter entitled Amsterdam Anatomised which describes the port-city, in probably the most eventful era in the entire history of art, the Dutch Golden Age, is itself worth the price of admission.Rembrandt himself steps on centre-stage only on page 202. Schama devotes the first 200 pages to Peter Paul Reubens the Flemish painter ( this could easily have been an entire book on its own! ) as Schama contends, convincingly, that it is impossible to understand Rembrandt unless we understand his desire to emulate Reubens. Why does Rembrandt matter? To Schama and to us? Because, as Schama affirms, Rembrandt is the greatest painter of the human experience ever to have lived - "Which is why he will always speak across the centuries to those for whom art might be something other than the quest for ideal forms; to the unnumbered legions of damaged humanity who recognise, instinctively and with gratitude, Rembrandt's vision of our fallen race, with all its flaws and infirmities squarely on view, as a proper subject for picturing, and, more important, as worthy of love, of saving grace." Eschewing the arid dogmas of academia that infect and stultify art biographies, Schama celebrates all his emotions and beliefs about Rembrandt in this overlong and memorable book. It should be essential reading for anyone who has ever set eyes upon a work by Rembrandt. Take a bow, Simon Schama.

As usual Schama writes brilliantly on a great subject and a great painter.His prose is lucid,beautifully composed and highly enjoyable. He certainly succeeds in bringing the master of Rijn to life and there is great analysis of the paintings-and there are some simply stunning portraits-like the one of his wife 'Saskia in a Red Hat'-I really can't get over how beautiful this painting is.In addition we also get an equally vivid portrait of Peter Paul Rubens and the cornerstone of the book is Rembrandt's continuous dialogue and competition with his artistic adversary-Rubens all colour and surface finish-Rembrandt the master of dark, monumental browns and blacks,effortlessly bringing his subjects to life.Rembrandt emerges as the better painter but I did find this duel absolutely gripping-in particular be prepared to be moved as I was by Rembrandt's incredible reponse to Rubens's 'The Supper at Emmaus'-never has such apparent sparsity in a canvas said so much. I wouldn't hesitate over this book-my only little niggle is that sometimes Schama's immense knowledge of Dutch culture sometimes clutters the narrative-but this is a very minor point-his analysis of the paintings is simply magnificent.

Simon Schama's REMBRANDT'S EYES is undoubtedly one of the authoritative works on Rembrandt's life and paintings. Schama vividly depicts the unparalled and tortured genius of Rembrandt, a man who was brilliant in success and even more so during tragedy. To understand Rembrandt's paintings is to understand the man behind each brushstroke: strong-willed, prideful, and uncompromising in his art. Schama conveys the essence of Rembrandt with such force and effectiveness that we cannot help but appreciate Rembrandt's tragic life and artistic genius.

REMBRANDT'S EYES contains beautiful illustrations of all of Rembrandt's major works; the analysis of each is detailed, clear, and interesting. Through the course of the book, you will be fascinated by Rembrandt's self-portraits and the level of understanding with which he painted himself. Perhaps no other artist has given us such a powerful autobiography without the use of a single written word. This deep understanding of the human soul is evident in all of his works. Schama explains Rembrandt's paintings and his techniques in a comprehensive and powerful manner. If you are interested at all in the truly unique and fascinating genius of Rembrandt, REMBRANDT'S EYES is a must.

I would highly recommend REMBRANDT'S EYES to any person interested in art history, Dutch painting, or just Rembrandt. This book also serves as a powerful autobiography of a man with a very interesting story. Be forewarned though: this book is very long, and putting it down may be hard.

I read the first edition of this book and it rapidly became my X-Files Bible. Just recently I found and read the latest version, covering thru Season 5 & the movie. Yes, these three authors are obsessed, complain a lot, and often have nothing nice to say. I completely disagreed with them on many occassions! I also found their personal opinions to be thought-provoking, or sometimes just plain provoking. But wasn't that their point? And, where else can one find an episode guide that is neither a mindless recital of dialog, nor a useless catalog of trivia? The extra bonus is the often hilarious information found in sections like 'Phwoar!', 'That's a Mouthful', and 'Don't be in the Teaser'. The fact that these three men made a truly heroic attempt to disentangle the show's Byzantine Mythology, even going so far as to retro-actively update what they got wrong the first time around, is what makes this book so special. For that alone, it's worth a look.

Together with the "X-Files and Conspircay Timeline" (availalable online), is this without doubt the most ressourceful collection of information ever published about the X-Files.

This book covers the first 5 seasons and the motion picture:

Every episodes is shortly described, it is put in relation with the series in general, and in more detail with the Conspiracy going on. We do get some nice soundbites of characteristic X-Files elements, ranging from "Dialogue triumphs" to "x-files politico-babble" as the authors liked to put it out. And of course, we can also read about the personal opinion of each of the three members to each episode.

Their analysis of the X-Files and especially of the conspiracy is extremely accurate and detailed and revealed a lot of new elements to me and gave me a much better picture of the whole series.

All in all, this book should be part of every library of an X-phile! It's much better than the official guides. Unfortunately, the authors announced in the book that there wont be a new edition to include future seasons... I still hope that they will change their opinion about that...

As many of the previous reviewers stated, this book is the *perfect* companion to any X-Files fan. It makes me chuckle out loud each time I reread it, often with one eye tuned to the FX rerun of choice. I reference it constantly. And so, all I ask is, PLEASE do an updated edition! Four seasons short now, and there are a LOT of questions they could help answer...and it ought to be messieurs Cornell, Day, and Topping again, for their wit and insight are what made the book.

While the movie adaptation of Alive depicts the major events of the ordeal fairly comprehensively, only the book contains the complete account. Piers Paul Read's book is very complete and detailed, more fully describing the daily sufferings and routines of the survivors. In particular, emotional stresses, individual personalities, and the grisly task of obtaining flesh are related in depth.

It is frightening to consider how easily we can be thrust into a situation as horrifying as that the Uruguayan travellers in this book had to endure, but their story should not be avoided because it is upsetting. There is much to be learned from this account: the value of resourcefulness, of ability to do the agonizingly difficult, and of courage in frightening circumstances. Furthermore, to recognize how nearly hopeless a situation can be, and what extraordinary effort is needed to escape it helps us recalibrate our perceptions of difficulty, misery and pain to more accurate levels.

Though the survivors requested and evaluated this book, it is completely frank. Read gives an honest description of each survivor, including personality failings which made some survivors a further hardship to the rest. The growing despondency and physical withering of the survivors is told with harsh vividness. Describing how dead bodies were utilized was surely the most difficult task, but Read writes of this area with as much detail as any other. Corpses were not only stripped of muscle, but also internal organs, then bone marrow, then the skulls cracked for the brain within, as corpses available for food became scarce, ocasionally requiring that the grisly, partially eaten bodies be exhumed. In addition to the ordeal on the mountain, also included are: a brief description of the emotional outcomes of the experience; the media bombardment; the personal search conducted by parents for the crash site. Maps are included to place the story, but these are not scaled.

This account does leave one disturbed. The truth of our defenselessness but for the blanket of civilization is a valuable lesson that can only be shocked into our conditioned minds, however. There is a place in everyone's reading for such material, and furthermore, this incredible story takes only two or three days to read.

The book Alive survival in the Andes by Piers Paul Read was a very action pact book and was very well written. This story is about a rugby team and how they are on a flight over the mountain and the plane hits a couple of air pockets and ends up hitting one of it's wings on the side of the mountain. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes actions books or a good nonfiction story. The book did start off a little slow but picks right up. The more I read the less I wanted to put the book down. I hate to read and I loved reading this book. The book was interesting and detailed about what the people did while they where stuck on the mountain. I read this book for my World Lit. and Comp. English class and found it very easy to read. This book also taught me that given a bad situation you have to do whatever you can to survive because at that point in time, your survival is the most important thing. I also have much respect for these people and what they went through. The book helped me realized just how cold and how difficult it would be to survive up there even if your plane didn't go down, and you were just a mountain climber. I will tell all my friends about the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a reader because I think that it is such a well written book anyone would love it.

Excellent book!!! Paul Piers Read writes Alive based on a true story. A Uruguayan Rugby team crash lands in the Andes mountain. This book is wrtiten in complete and vivid details, form the crash to the taist of human flesh. This book is exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat. This book will make you realize that anything can happen to anytbody at anytime. So what would you do to stay "Alive"

The author shows you that it is possible to get out of the rat race at an age much younger than the norm; all it takes is an idea, a goal and the commitment to not listen to the din of consumerism.

His book is a bit dated in 2002, CDs aren't paying as much and houses in most parts of the country aren't appreciating like they once were. But it's the idea that you can escape that makes the book such an interesting read.

I would also recommend Possum Living, Your Money or Your Life, and Rental Houses for the Successful Small Investor. All three touch on the same subject though on different aspects of it.

Some people are happy with the traditional "9 to 5 'til you're 65" routine, and that's OK. But in poll after poll something like 70 - 90 percent of us would leave our present job given the opportunity. I think that fact is a function of the nature of the beast; I don't think we were evolved to end up living within the constraints of most typical employment.

Financial independence is not a pipe dream it is simply a goal that requires planning and execution the likes of which is simply beyond the attention span of most of us caught-up in the pleasures of immediate gratification at the expense of life-long servitude.

Our financial lives have failed to evolve. We spend our money, percentage-wise, almost exactly like people did 50 years ago. What is up with that? But I keep the faith, as we are a nation of pioneers. If we are ever to cash-in on the promise of our increased productivity (in the 50s they thought we'd only be working 24 hours a week by now), we need people with the fortitude to figure it out and pass it on.

Good luck if you're one of the pathfinders, I hope to hear from you.

I first read this book about six or seven years ago (1991-1992), and to say it "hit home" with me would be an understatement. It is practically my BIBLE for mapping out my retirement plan! I especially enjoyed Paul's four areas to focus on in your life to accelerate you to where you want to be. He does exceedingly well at helping the reader visualize not only where he was and where he is now --- enjoying life more fully --- but ALSO helps you create your own vision given your own circumstances. Furthermore, some hard numbers are provided to see how he was able to turn what some might deem a fantasy into reality. One final comment: although the 8% rates he uses for bank CD's no longer exist, he *does* specify contingency plans, daily support amount necessary per child, and geographical/travel considerations. (Note: I have found the "Morningstar Search" on AOL, searching for low risk/high return funds, to be an excellent "alternative" to Paul's CDs.)

All in all, it is a book I do not want to be without while planning (and heading) for early retirement!

I read this book after realizing that I didn't want to travel 100% as a computer science software consultant for the next 30 years and work 80 hours a week. My father still works a couple of projects and my mother worked as an occupational therapist for over 30 years. She just retired. I wanted to avoid the stress of a prestigious lifestyle and the constant need for money. I have curbed my desire for the new BMW & uptown condo. I have instead focused on saving at least 50% of my six figure income. I'm 25 and dedicated to retiring within the next 10 years. I will be married eventually and do plan to have kids. My plan is to retire with enough (500 - 750k) so that neither of us has to work, but rather work because we want to. I'm still trying to convince her it's the path to hapiness. It's definitely the road less taken...coming from a family of lawyers and doctors, it's tough to make people understand the true joy of living. May we celebrate the significance of birth and the joy of living. This book will teach you how. You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

I first read this book in high school, then in seminary, in graduate psychology classes, and several times since then. Each time I read it I gain insight and growth. Tillich will challenge your intellect and force you to think. He defines courage in a way that will change you if you take it to heart. This is a book that you will need to read several times to apperciate it's depth, but it is well worth it. I often feel I obtain a higher leval of consciousness and often I feel in an altered state after reading and pondering Tillich's writting. Tillich outlines fundemental concepts for existentialist and modern theology. Starting with Tillich's books of sermon is a good work up to this book.

Though not an easy read, The Courage to Be is definitely worth the struggle. I'll admit that I originally read this book as required for a class, but I have to say that it was one of the best experiences of my academic career. I am an avid reader, but was glad to have my professor's guidance and class discussions to help me see and understand things I might not have otherwise. I don't think Tillich has to be lumped into any kind of category in order to be worth reading-- his ideas transcend any one category. After reading this book, I knew what I had always felt about God and religion but never had the words for. The Courage to Be made me the Tillich fan I am today, and though it can be frustrating at times, I wouldn't trade my copy for anything!

This book has more good ideas in it than clam chowder has calories. It's packed into every page, every line. Tillich is concerned with how the question of finding the courage to face up to existential doubts about death, meaninglessness, and guilt are tied to the ontological questions of being versus nonbeing. How can we affirm our existence when it seems so temporary, meaningless and full of moral failure? Tillich explores with incredible freshness and insight age old strategies, from Spinoza to the Stoics (his discussion of the Stoics alone is worth the price of the book). He gives a brilliant account of how people find the courage to overcome existential anxiety through particpation in groups and through individual strategies like existentialism. Finally, he explores the theological implications in a way that may challenge anyone who has stereotyped Tillich as a mouthpiece for Christianity. The book is excellently written, never dumbed down but always graspable. He also litters the book with brilliant asides on subjects like the history of existential angst and its relations to social relations and a great exploration of existential art. Don't pass this one up.

The theme here is 'process' and round-trip engineering using a tool (Rose). Although it assumes knowledge of UML and Visual BASIC it spends some time introducing its OO aspects and how UML maps to VB. The focus of the book is the Synergy process that uses the UML notation and applied here in VB. Personally I believe that each developer or team should have their own process depending on the domain and type of project but nevertheless there are some great techniques to borrow from Synergy and add them to your own. In particular the discussion on use case analysis and the progression to class design from that is very good. Weaved throughout the chapters is the use of Rose for keeping code and design in synch so if you are not a Rose fun this might get in the way. Worth noting is that the case study is taken through the whole project life cycle stages and the climax is the translation of the same code/design of a standalone system to run in MTS and then a further iteration is described for giving the application an ASP web interface - excellent stuff if you are interested in Microsoft's component technologies.

This book is one of the most useful books I have ever owned. Buy it, read it and place it in your inventory next to the other classics on the top shelf because you will reference and recommend this one again and again.

Process and structure are increasingly important as VB rapidly moves into the backoffice of corporations and becomes the de facto development platform for more and more business critical applications. Couple this with the fact that the Microsoft-based technology landscape causes us to rethink our application domain on a daily basis and process and industry accepted approaches become an absolute necessity.

Mr. Reed outlines a pragmatic approach to using UML within a process (Synergy process) with VB development better than anyone else. The book covers UML techniques in the proper depth without making the reader muddle through pages of useless text. The example outlined in the book is solid and provides an understandable story anyone can follow and instantly apply to their own situation.

Mr. Reed's experience lends creditability to the concepts in the book and helps the reader understand how to apply these concepts. He distils the copious topics of UML and using a development process into a single book that would otherwise require the reader to work through several books in order to understand these topics.

Hopefully the next version will be in hardback in order to endure its years of use.

Visual Basic is the wild west of modern software development tools, supporting RAD (rapid application development) and seemingly promoting a ready, fire, aim approach to developing applications. UML, the Uniform Modeling Language, and a software process aren't always easy to use with VB, and most UML books take a high-level view that make it hard to apply to VB development.

Developing Applications with Visual Basic and UML breaks ground in an area where I've seen no other book yet do a good job, applying UML to VB. UML is a complex design notation that works best with object oriented design and programming tools, but VB 6 is at best object-based. Reading most generic UML books requires, at the very least, an advanced degree in computer science, keeping it to the intellectual elite of the software world. The author has bridged this gap effectively, relating the various diagrams and tools in UML to VB applications, demonstrating how you can apply them to real applications. And relating terms and concepts in VB to those in UML is a big help as well.

This is a complex, in-depth book, and it would be easy to get lost in the conceptual discussions and sample project. But between the clearly marked process diagram used consistently throughout, goals and checkpoints that start and finish each chapter, and constant relating of new concepts to those covered before, the author helps the reader stay clearly focused on the big picture and which part is being discussed.

Rational Rose is used as the sample design tool throughout the book. This might annoy readers using other tools, but the Rose-specific discussions were light enough that you should be able learn the technique well enough to apply it with other tools. The author sometimes gets bogged down in a few too many step by step listings to accomplish a given task in VB. Anyone picking up this book had better have a pretty good feel for VB already, or will become quickly lost.

The one thing that mildly annoyed me is that the author introduces yet another design process methodology, his Synergy system. Synergy seems reasonable enough-I haven't yet given it a work out-but I'm not sure that the world needs another methodology.

I'm not sure that you could sit down, read this book, and emerge an effective design engineer for enterprise applications using VB. But if you have a good feel for what it takes to build robust applications, have some familiarity with software engineering concepts, and have struggled applying them to VB projects, the book provides an excellent bridge between VB and UML. Certainly the best I've seen so far, and applying the techniques are sure to improve your development projects.

At the beggining of Reef of Death, I felt like putting it down and not looking back. It seemed like a very poorly put together book and Pual Zindel seemed like he put very little research and effort into it, yet I kept reading. Reef of Death is about a teen nicknamed PC. He gets a call from his uncle inviting him to accompany him with a treasure hunt, pretty original huh? But it gets better. It's not pirates treasure, it's an old Aboriginal fortune that was saftley hidden a long time ago in the waters off of Australia. Now the Aboriginal village needs the money because they're getting kicked off their own land. PC, his uncle Cliff, an Aboriginal girl fom the village, and a few others set out to find the treasure but there is a strange freighter next to where the the treasure is supposed to be, and every time someone goes diving, a mini-whale-of-a-fish comes after them. This book picks up in the end and it makes you feel like Zindel is maturing in his writing the farther you read.

According to legend the only thing that will save a small Aboriginal village is a secret that lies at the bottom of an Australian reef. The reef is also home to a creature so monstrous that words can't describe it. A beautiful Aboriginal girl and a smart American boy meet by fate and soon begin to realise that the monster is not the only problem in their way to save the village. Only Paul Zindel can write a story with just enough humor and terror to make it enjoyable. I think that it was a really good story. It has alot of twists in it to keep you interested. I think that its theme is to never give up. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes terror and humor in a book.

I am a HUGE Paul Zindel fan, and when I picked up this book and started reading, I almost fell asleep! I mean, a kid gets invited to look for treasure with his uncle. Sound familiar? I mean,how old is that? But after the first 20 pages or so, this book gets good.Really good. People geting eaten, torture chambers with people inside (That was REALLY gory)and an evil, man-eating fish. I mean, what more can we ask from life? HOW MUCH BETTER CAN A STORY GET?!?!?!?![.]

It's clear that Lonardo has talent and promise, but The Apostate is not what I would call a stunning first novel. The story line is intriguing, but the novel overall suffers from some very common "first-time-author" problems that Lonardo could have cleared up with a few more writing classes or a good editor. For example, at times he's got the subtlety of a sledgehammer--"Chris" turns out to be Christ? Wow, I never saw that coming! And Saney the psychiatrist? Oh, I get it, Sane-y, Sane!--and at other times he's got much better control, as in Julian who is named after the "last pagan emperor" of Rome, known as Julian the Apostate (subtle, but meaningful). Some of the dialogue is good, while other parts are clumsy and amateur-ish (for example, when Julian finally decides to declare his love for Saney, he says "I've been running from people my whole life" (okay, good so far) "I have avoided forming lasting connections" (sorry, nobody talks like that)). The Apostate is a quick read and an enjoyable story. If you're not too picky about the occasionally poor writing and plot holes so big you could drive a truck through, then you'll probably really like this book.

I just finished reading "The Apostate". I've read 100's of books from the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genre. This one was refreshingly different; although a quick read. Lonardo did a magnificent job of mixing psychology and environment, with a Faustian twist. The characters, good and bad, are believable, and I found myself devouring the book in one evening. I thoroughly enjoy his writing style, although he needs to fire his proofreader. The ending still has me perplexed; but that's a good thing. If you're looking for something exciting to read, that hasn't already been beat to death; this book is for you. I look forward to his second book.

Remember when you read for the first time a book written by, say, Isaac Asimov, or Stephen King, or Harlan Ellison? And when you decided to collect all their books, going all the way back to their earliest published works? And when you wondered what it must have felt like to actually discover these amazing writers, back when they were just starting out, struggling to have their work known?

Well, here's your chance. Paul Lonardo's first novel is a wonderful showcase of his talents. He creates well-written, detailed and believable characters, placing them in an eerie and unsettling world only one step away from the one you and I inhabit. His work is quick-paced, the story flowing as easily and naturally as his characters' dialogue. It pulls you into the story, as situations and memories, readily identifiable and perhaps even common to the reader, present themselves one after another.

The Apostate is a book you won't be able to put down until you finish it; chances are you won't be able to stop thinking about it until much, much later.

I recently completed The Rapture Trap, and I thought it was excellent. I want to say thank you to Paul Thigpen for writing a succinct, informative and well-documented refutation of the rapture theory. Finally there is an answer to all those Fundamentalists who refuse to open their eyes to the truth of the written word and sacred tradition.

I have been searching for this type of book for years, and now Paul Thigpen has written a work that demolishes the rapture theory. I have cringed through books by such authors as Hal Lindsey, Chuck Smith, John Walvoord, Dave Hunt, the "Left Behind" characters, and a host of others. None of these authors completely agree on anything, but they all have one thing in common - to satisfy their own agenda, rather then God's agenda. If they read Mr. Thigpen's book, perhaps they would retract their Catholic attacks and embrace the truth he so skillfully communicates.

Mr. Thigpen exposes the dangers of private scriptural interpretation and the complete lack of evidence of any rapture teaching prior to the eighteenth century. He provides interesting insights into the errors of the Scofield Bible. He also reminds readers why such a "Rapture" teaching is so popular - it allows people to avoid punishment and consequence for their actions.

Leave behind "Left Behind", and venture into Paul Thigpen's work; you'll do yourself a great spiritual credit, and keep the second coming of Christ in balance with the truth. Thanks again, and thanks to Ascension Press.

Dr. Paul Thigpen has written a helpful book that is clear, concise, and charitable. And that is quite a feat considering the subject matter. As a former evangelical Protestant Dr. Thigpen understands both the inner logic (so to speak) and the strong appeal of the belief in the pretribulational Rapture. The Rapture Trap emphasizes the Big Picture: Why did Jesus come the first time? Why will he come again? What are Christians to be doing in the meantime? What is the purpose of suffering and tribulation? Who has the authority to rightly interpret Scripture? These and other crucial questions are handled adeptly and with a firm foundation in Scripture and Church teaching.

The Rapture Trap exposes the overt anti-Catholicism of Tim LaHaye, creator and co-author of the wildly successful Left Behind books. Dr. Thigpen documents LaHaye's ridiculous and laughable attacks on the Catholic Church and shows how this anti-Catholic bent is not simply compatible with "left behind" beliefs, but is a natural outgrowth of those misguided notions.

As an added bonus the book contains a chapter about private revelations and Marian apparitions. Dr. Thigpen provides a commensensical list of questions to consider in evaluating the validity and importance of apparitions.

Highly recommended for both Catholics and non-Catholics who are looking for an introduction to this important topic.

I found this book to read like a good suspense novel. I could not put it down. Aimed at a Catholic audience, Mr. Thigpen gives a thorough and exhaustive explanation of the history and developement of the relative new "rapture" doctrine embraced by most Fundamentalists and some Evangelicals. Catholics will love the book (that's who it is written for)and premillineal rapturists will hate it. For Catholics it will give them a thorough knowledge of what the "rapture" hub-bub is all about.