I enjoyed reading ANDERSON'S FAIRY TALES by Hans Christian Andersen. My favorite stories in this book were The Mermaid, and the story about the Dustman. I loved the vivid language and the way the stories came alive, seeming to burst like balloons from the pages of the book. I also enjoyed the way common household objects and animals were personified. I found fault with the story that had the better part of its setting in the Garden of Eden. The winds from the ends of the earth were personified well, but one of the winds dispargingly referred to Africa.

'The Snow Queen' is possibly the greatest short story I've ever read. Although its message is essentially Christian, its means of getting there is staggering, Surrealist and far from dogmatic. There is an Alice quality to the heroine's narrative as she seeks her abducted playmate, full of singing flowers, helpful crows and robber barons - the songs of the flowers are full of sexually loaded and enigmatic imagery. But the word-pictures as a whole are haunting, the blazing sheen of the snow, with the suggestive reds dotting it throughout. The final puzzle is worthy of Borges. Wow.

I believe that the path to a well-rounded child is the truth. Too often we sensationalize and sugar-coat the truth when it comes to our kids. This book is a good example of the way things are. My favorite tale from this book would have to be "The Little Mermaid", and it will be the first tale I read my children when they are born. Mr. Anderson was a firm believer in drama mixed with the hard knocks of real life.Here he has just transformed them into a fantastical story that every child needs to be told. The elements of the story are very powerful, from the loss of innocence to the loss of love,and sometimes we need a good dose of something that isn't wholesome. I recommend this book to everyone, children and adults alike.

This book is full of Andy Lakey's spiritual three dimensional art, featuring mostly his angels. Besides the full color prints, included are personal insights into his journey that led him to creating his art (he was a car salesman before) and various testimonials about the impact of his art. Skeptics might be turned off and discount him as just another new age spiritualist. However, the fact of the matter is, he has had a positive impact on many people and that is what this book and his art is about. His now famous 2000 angel series for the millenium was the impetus for his effect on countless people. The book is very easy to read and often repetitive, hence the minus one star, but the message is clear and his art shines and brightens the hearts and souls of many people. The oversized print is a background to the dazzling visual imagery Lackey employs with his angels. Of particular interest are the various stories of other people who have been touched by his art, most notably the blind, including Ray Charles. His art is collected by many people, including such luminaries as former Presidents Carter and Ford, Ed Asner, Gloria Estefan and Pope John Paul II, amongst others. This is primarily an art book but the related included stories are an additional bonus. This would make a great gift book, especially but not limited to someone who likes art or needs uplifting guidance. The angels and three dimensional art that come in the book can be enjoyed many times over. The stories will astound you.

ANDY'S BOOK WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST ANGEL BOOKS I EVER READ. I ORDERED & CARRY WITH ME EVERY DAY A MINIATURE ANGEL PAINTING PIN THAT ANDY MADE ME. THE PICTURES OF HIS PAINTINGS & ARTWORKS BRING TEARS TO MY EYES & HAVE OPENED MY HEART TO NOT TO ANGELS,BUT MIRACLES,SAINTS ,ETC GOD BLESS ANDY FOR WHAT HE DOES!!LOVE ,MARSHA LAMPERT MBA WANTAGH NY

After being burnt out on intellectual self-help books I was guided by a dear friend to read Andy's well-illustrated book of angels. At first I thought it was doctrinaire, in a dry theological Sunday school way. I was in for a surprise, as the gentle, truly spiritual (as opposed to pious or religious) description of ever-present Angel guides began to take shape. Free of worn-out cliches and aphorisms; it left me with an exhilarating, playful awareness of Angels standing by us in our most everyday activities. A beautiful, sweet and visually trippy book. -J. Alan Rosenstein

This is defintely a must read for new missionaries heading out onto the field. It brings to light topics that can easily be missed during preparations, yet you desperately wished were discussed at candidate school!

This book was written for missionaries and missionary prospects, and by a former missionary. Hiebert is a 1st class scholar in the area of cultural anthropology. Hiebert is big on charts and illustrations, so be prepared to look at charts which resemble the game board for a football play.

This book is divided into 4 different parts:

Part 1: The Gospel and Human Cultures Part 2:Cultural Differences and the Missionary Part 3: Cultural Differences and the Message Part 4: Cultural Differences and the Bicultural Community

Much of the anthropological information could be applied to living at home, or abroad. The key to using cultural anthropology as a missionary is to better understand how humans function culturally in order to provide a more efficiant way to communicate with them, which is exactly what the Christian missionary wants to do. The reader will gain a better appreciation for the job of the missionary, be more culturally sensitive, and have a better overall perspective on why man behaves the way he does.

Hiebert uses illustrations from his mission stint in India which drive home the points he is trying to make academically. One thing of great importance for the missionary is the study of cultural anthropology is never a waste of time, especially when trying to minister cross-culturally.

The missionary who reads this book will be better equiped to present the gospel message in a culturally relevant way. I recommend this book to all who will work cross-culturally, be they missionary or not.

While living in the Middle East I did a survey among missionaries living in a muslim environment, asking them what book had been most helpful in their preparations before coming over. This book was mentioned many times and had a great impact in their lives! As a teacher in a mission department of a christian seminary this book is a must for all students who consider going into missions. The book gives very good insights on the problem of cultural differences and shows clearly how your own faith has been effected by your culture. It also gives a very good model of contextualization which is applicable in all times and places. The examples Hiebert gives are practical and illustrate well the points he wants to make and make the book lively and accessible. Just read it!

This book is rather tall making it awkward to fit in most libraries. The photographs are great. This is an atlas with nice, detailed captions for each photograph.

This is a great resource for residents. A major problem with most atlases is that pictures of subtle findings are not properly annotated, so that the reader may miss the actual focus of the picture.

This atlas fixes the problem rather ingeniously: most pictures have an accompanying drawing that highlights and delineates each important finding and detail seen in the picture. Using these drawings, the reader can learn to identify these subtle but important features.

The use of such drawing makes so much sense that one wonders why more atlases do not employ the method.

I love the atlas for the great pictures, accompanying drawings, and good explanations.

If you are a student of Ocular Pathology and can only buy one book, it should be this one. There is at least one picture of everything here, from glaucem fleken to schlerql staining. Also, all the pictures here are available as a slide set from the same publisher.

This is an excellant book with very useful diagramatic and grapic details of operations and good descriptions of both old and new procedures. Most chapters have been written by pioneers in the field and there is a lot of practical advice added to make the book a valuable addition to the library of urologists and trainees alike. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to be in the library of all urological institutions and practitioners alike. The book is also reasonably affordable.

This is the best adult urology atlas. It covers most of the basic urologic procedures and a well put together way. If you do surgery on the GU tract, this is a must have book.

This volume is an essential guide to every surgeon who practices urology. Also great stuff for residents in urology. A must-have.

Jay Rosenbaum is for some people just an ordinary conservative rabbi doing his job. A year spent with him by the author reveals another aspect of the man who struggles with trying to get his congregation to live an observant life and enjoy the full spiritual richness of Judaism.

We get the opportunity to witness the day by day ups and downs in the life of Rabbi Rosenbaum's family as well as congregation. Rabbi Rosenbaum has his own hopes and dreams for his congregation but will they follow along with him? Or will they resist any changes and insist on staying at their comfort level? The Rabbi has a great challenge ahead of him which I found most intriguing in this book.

Rabbi Rosenbaum's story is the story of the current crisis in American Judaism. Through the tracking of his one year we see the intrigues and infighting going on with the congregation. The issue of declining membership and inter-marriage permeates through the story. Another great issue is that of clergy burnout. The Rabbi puts far more into his commitment than the congregation's leadership is willing to compensate him. Yet through it all, Rabbi Rosenbaum maintains his hope and desire for his people to become a true community of Jewish faith.

His struggle with faith becomes your struggle.A congregational trip to Israel confronts him and them with their true sense of spirituality. I enjoyed the tension of the Rabbi and the members who had to make a stand as to what they wanted for their lives.

While reading this book you will gain a deeper appreciation of the work of the Rabbi, the need for Judaism to serve the needs of its new generation without compromises and the need to find ways for Jews to survive in an enticing American secular culture. Rabbi Rosenbaum shows us a little light in which these issues must be confronted and resolved if Judaism is to be a relevant force in the 21st century.

I grew up in a Conservative Jewish congregation very similar to the one Wilkes described, and I always wondered about the "priestly" status of the typical Conservative rabbi. In the Conservative movement, rabbis are generally observant of traditional Jewish law while their congregants are often not even aware of it. I've always figured that was a lonely and frustrating life. Wilkes did a great job of showing me exactly how lonely and frustrating it can be.

Now, that may not be true for every Conservative rabbi, and Wilkes does a good job of pointing out the occasional rewards that go with the job, but in general, I'm amazed anyone would choose that kind of a vocation.

While other religions sometimes differentiate between clergy and laypeople (most notably Catholicism), Judaism has always taught that anything the rabbi is expected to do, his congregants are as well. But when those congregants are otherwise committed to a busy American lifestyle, the rabbi often lands the thankless task pointing out their Jewish responsibilities.

In one of the most touching threads running through this intricate book, Wilkes describes the rabbi's struggle to organize a congregational trip to Israel. The congregation has many families who are willing to come along but only -- it seems -- if their rabbi doesn't accompany them.

The rabbi, to his great dismay, discovers that the families don't want the rabbi along to enforce standards of Jewish observance like the Sabbath or kosher laws. They want spirituality, sure, but on their own terms, not "his."

This book describes with eerie precision the "observance gap" between clergy and laypeople in the Conservative movement that has led me -- and many other Jews -- to look for spirituality within other movements of Judaism.

I can't even begin to imagine the extent of the research Wilkes must have done, but he's managed to get every detail of this book exactly right... you find yourself forgetting it's not written by a Jew.

There are many touching moments in this book, particularly when Wilkes focuses on the rabbi's chaotic family life and the sacrifices which, he fears, will all amount to nothing. Yet it ends on an optimistic note, leaving the reader with the possibility that it will be alright after all, for the rabbi, his family, and for all Jews, wherever they may find themselves.

Disturbing, yes, but eminently worthwhile for its unique insight.

Paul Wilkes' report of a year spent with Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum in Worcester, Mass is compelling and gritty. The book is honest and gritty and displays both the good and the bad aspect of the Rabbi's life. The book is easy to read, honest and really makes you think.

The book if 400 pages long, partly because it takes 20 or so pages to describe what normally takes one page to describe. It is a waste of space. It could have gotten much more deep into trigonometry in the same number of pages that it used. It goes over the obvious a lot, and doesn't go over the more advanced things.

At first I tried the Trig The Easy Way book, but the magical story method of teaching was rather annoying. I'm an adult, teaching myself math and phsyics.Because of the previous review, I bought this book, and it is simply wonderful. There are eight chapters, and I've only started the third, but all the trepidation I had about being able to understand trig is gone. The author really takes his time, using clear examples and much repetition, in a way that shows he understands you are starting from scratch, but does so without talking down to you. There is room on each page in the right hand column to work in, and the answers are on the same page (thank goodness!) but just below eye view. Every three or four subchapters has a short test, and then a longer test at the end of the chapter. He also provides real-life applied problems, to make the reason you use trig come alive. What a super, super teacher! I highly recommend this book, for anyone wanting to learn trigonometry!

I, like many people I suspect, did not find math particularly fun to learn when I was in school. As time went on my jobs and my hobbies required me to learn Geometry and Trigonometry. When I discovered this book I figured that this was just another book that was going to do a so-so job of instructing the reader in how to do trig. Was I wrong!!! This book is written for the person who wants to learn trig but doesn't like it when the author talks (or writes) as if you already knew the subject. This book takes you step by step through trig from the basic triangle all the way up through sine wave functions. The writing of this book is easy to understand and there are hundreds (if not thousands) of sample problems to work. When you finish a chapter in this book, you really feel like you understand the material. THIS BOOK SHOULD BE USED IN EVERY SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY AS A TEXT BOOK FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN TRIGONOMETRY!!!

This would have been a better book if the author had given more examples of the aspects of archeology of which he spoke. For instance, Bahn wrote about theoretical archeology, but he never described an instance in which a researcher used theoretical archeology to arrive at a particular conclusion.

The book was easy to read, but I did not learn that much from it. Mostly what I got out of it was that carbon dating does not assume that the levels of radioactive carbon have been constant throughout history. Varves are a way of dating that involves counting the layers of annual sedimentation deposits in certain frosty locales.

The book needed to be short, but I thought he should cut back on the breadth and provide more specific info about what he does discuss. Some of the discussions are pointless. He goes on at length about archeology's obligation to teach us about the past, but we all knew that anyway.

The humor was mildly amusing, but the writer is not a gifted comic.

It is a very good book if you want to learn about Archaeology, but not if you want information about the subject. It is a VERY quick overview. Nothing radical or extreme, and very objective.

Extremely funny and interesting introduction to the subject. I'm still reading it and I feel sad thinking about the moment when I'll have read it. Even if you're not interested in archaeology, believe me, when you're through with this, you'll run for the first book on the "Further reading" list. Especially if you're in high school, like me, and are not sure what to do with your life, like me, READ THIS AND YOU WILL SEE THE MEANING OF LIFE!! THIS IS IT!!!

That would be all from me; read this book and write me and we can discuss it together. Au reservoir!

I first read this book about 10 to 15 years ago when I was pretty young. Unfortunately, I didn't remember the author's name or the title of the book. I happened across it in a used bookstore and the title and cover tugged at my memory. Sure enough, it was the book I had enjoyed so much all those years before.

The characters aren't very well developed and the storyline is really fast paced and simplistic, but I still enjoyed reading it again. Maybe it was just nostalgia. Anyway, I think it's a very enjoyable book. Younger kids will love it, while adults may find that it reminds them of some of the fantasy books they read as children.

If you're looking for a quick read that doesn't require too much concentration, this book will fulfil your every need.

I read this when it first came out on the urging of the author's cousin. It's a pretty good book, so are his others, if you can find them. Middle-reader books, but if you're like fantasy, even adults might like them

Before Harry Potter, there were other children's books out there that didn't talk down to young readers. This is one of them. It deals with real issues: family, growing up, destiny, (and death). I read this book for the first time when I was a young teenager. Since then, I've read it so many times my copy is falling apart. It's the first in a three-book series, so be prepared to have to read the other two. And, for adults who might be worried about what their children read, there's nothing "too" grown up here. Just a good story that teaches that good stories don't always end with "...and they lived happily ever after."

I've heard that the point of the statement of "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" is that it does not refer to taking revenge, but to make a punishment fit the crime.

Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, placed limits on revenge in ancient times. They once wanted to do much more. It is also a directive to government, not to individuals, effectively taking the perogative of personal vengence away.

Turn the other cheek is a directive given to individuals, not to governments. Both compliment each other in the sense that they remove the perogative of personal revenge, and place the power of justice in the hands of governments, and stipulate what that just punishment should be.

So what we have hear is a category error demonstraiting a woeful ignorance of scripture.

This book tells you to use adapt the "eye for an eye, tooth for tooth"-philosophy, while at the same time telling you to "turn the other cheek" and not strike back. Now how are you supposed to do both?

I think the main reason for this, and many other inconsistencies (did I spell that right?) comes from the fact that it's not really one book, but a whole lot of books, written at various times, and then hastily thrown together by the monks/priests or whoever it was that was supposed to be the editors of this short story collection.