AS fate would have it, i was given this book at the tender age of 12 by my best friend's mother. Growing up in a house with 2 sisters i was clueless to the minds of young men..a mystery..never understood why the neighborhood tough guys felt the need to pelt us girls with grapefruits from the safety of their fortified clubhouses and armed camps. I love this book..Robert Smith has captured the innnocent and fearful thinking process of young boys that transcends the generations..haven't we all put our fists to our eyeballs in the dark of night to see the flashing lights??

Through it all he maintains a dry wit and subtle humor than endears the reader. I re-read it once a year just to get perspective on the youth in America...a treasure not to be missed..his narrative on losing at marbles to the town bully is a classic.....fears and joys..isn't that what childhood is all about?With a wry perspective and total honesty, Robert Smith manages to ring a bell of truth in this slice of life.

This timeless collection of childhood memories is a classic. It can be read at any age, because everyone, boy or girl, man or woman, can relate to its tellings of childhood memories, dreams, and shenanigans. This is the best book ever written, aside from the Bible.

As a young man, I found this book among some of my Father's collection. It seems it has been twenty years since I read it, but the images of life portrayed by the Author are still imprinted on my mind. I can remember the wholesome, innocent feeling that came over me, even as a rebellious youth, as I read each chapter. Even the detail of each story has escaped me now, but the impression it has left is inescapable. And now after all these years, Through Amazon.com, I am able to rekindle this friendship, between that old book and I. It is a "must read" and should be considered a classic for young people in school.

After the first few poems, I thought I'd made a mistake and should have borrowed another book from a friend who had pushed this one on me. You can tell that the first few poems were written by a teenager, and I was at the point where I was just going to put it down and watch tv instead. But then I read "Where Once There Was a Cage" and I found myself going from my cranky mood to just having a complete tearburst, and then I was hooked. I realized that the poems before that WERE written by a teenager, and that is the POINT of the book. It takes you from that awquard stage of adolescense and moves you forward, as if you were developing (not aging, so developing is the only word I have)from the perspective of the writer. Like, these are his thoughts and emotions from the most personal perspective that you can get in a book, as if you had the driver's seat in his heart and mind. And the book brings you places that I as a woman don't think men go to often enough, or at least I don't see it often enouth, but that's my issue!

There was some stuff that I thought he experimented with that didn't quite work for me. There are two poems that he frames into shapes, one of a dollar sign and one of a skull. I thought the dollar sign one was very funny, but it was gimmicky. The skull one was too bitter, but I guess that's an emotion too. The "Ode to a Rag Doll" poem was very touching, and for my whole life I wish someone had written a poem like "Forbidden" for me. And there are a couple of others in there like that, really good love poems. The two haiku poems were really good; one was very amusing and the other I just adored because my mom was Japanese and she loved eastern poetry and she would have liked that one alot. Theres probably more than 80 poems, so I can't review them all, and I'm not even mentioning my favorites (except for the Cage and the Forbidden poems).

The closing was very fitting. Someone else wrote that now she wanted to know what happens to the man next, and I hope I don't have to wait more than a decade to find out, either.

To summarize, I gave this book four stars because I think five star books should be classics or staples on everyones booksehelfs. But I am very glad that I read past the first couple of poems because it was so worth it, and it took me on a ride that I was in no way expecting. It was very emotional and fun. Each poem made me think about my experience through life, and like my life I didn't know what the next poem was going to be about, or how my life would turn. I related to it FAR more than I thought I would relate to a book of poetry written by a man. It wasn't an artsy-phartsy collection of poetry, it was just very open, honest, and I have to say really brave for the man to let you in the way he did.

I have read the book twice, and my advice is to pick up a copy and do the same. Bring kleenex and let a friend borrow it.

Fran

Read it. Loved it. Bought it. So that sounds backwards, but sue me, it's America. :)

I found so much of myself in this book, I thought it was about me. Sadness, happiness, rage, I related. I borrowed it from a friend at work, and it was really funny because the poems that she thought were going to me my favorites were really good guesses, but not my favorites. Poems like "Forbidden", "Saturday After Work" and "Antihero" hit me like a ton of bricks, but the ones I liked the best were the ones like "Day 11,736", "Regret", "Pretzel" and "Collusion" (oo, and "The Forgotten Words of God" too, very existential) were my favorites because they were a little more abstract and mysterious but still descript enough to draw conclusions by.

Anyway, I need to say also that although the title makes you think that the book is all about relationships, that might be a little deceiving. Some relationships are parent/child or other family relationships, some are about relationships with friends, pets, nature and experiences. There are a few poems that are just about fun. All of them put together are like reading a person's life as they grow up.

Anyway, pretty cool, and I think that this kind of writing should be looked at by high schools and colleges as a project for there students. I highly recommend the book because it's kind of like a movie that you can go back to and feel comfortable from watching it. I hope that made sense.

At first, I thought that "While Searching for Love and Self" was going to be some kind of "Sex in the City" style diary, denoting the author's experiences in dating. When I received my copy, I was surprised to open it up and discover that it's actually a poetic depiction of important moments in a man's life as he enters adulthood (I suppose the subtitle, "A Journal in Prose and Verse, 1986-2003" should have given me a clue). I was hardly disappointed! I read through it at a leisurely pace in two days. Then I read it again, from introduction to the back cover. I had at least a half-dozen epiphanies each time I read it. It didn't matter that I am not a man; the book centers on his (the author's) experiences, yes, but its themes are universal. It focuses on relationships, not only romantic, but also with family, relationships with friends, community, with pets (a poem that made we weep until my tear ducts were sore), and a rag doll he had as a little boy (which made me cry even though my tear ducts were sore).

The poetry is not complicated. It is easy to read and enjoyable, vivid, and what made it fascinating to me was that in reading it from cover to cover, you saw this man evolve from a seventeen year old to a mature adult. I have kept journals since I was 13, and reading this book made me wish that I had kept mine in poetic form too, or even better, made me think about taking my writings and converting them into poetry so I can relive my life in my words as I have relived his as an observer.

I highly recommend "While Searching for Love and Self" not only because I enjoyed it and will certainly enjoy it again, (and find more layers in it each time), I also recommend it because everyone will find forgotten memories and emotions in it. It's impossible not to.

This book is an attempt to bring to a general readership the idea that solutions to any number of human problems can, and are being, found in the wild. Thus farmers might discover naturally occurring pesticides, perhaps from the leaves of trees; doctors might use antibiotics manufactured by microbes or ants; and engineers, builders and manufacturers might learn how to make the super strong but light weight materials spun out by spiders and worms or secreted by mollusks.

(Or, more realistically, chemical conglomerates, pharmaceutical giants, and construction multinationals might better their bottom line and reduce pollution and the destruction of the environment through the use of ecologically viable solutions.)

The text, written by Australian biologist Andrew Beattie with perhaps more than symbolic assistance from famed population biologist Paul Ehrlich, is unpretentious enough to be accessible to high school students; indeed it seems in some respects, by using a minimum of jargon and technical language, to be aimed at young people. There is an emphasis on the positive aspects of bioremediation and biotechnology rather than sounding any alarm bells about our misuse of the environment. Thus when animals are to be employed as biological monitors of pollution (as the canary is used in the coal mine) the text assures us that rare or endangered species will not be used. Or when pigs are employed (on islands north of Australia) as sentinel animals that might warn of disease traveling south, we are told that they live in pens under "palm trees that rustle in the balmy sea breezes" and that the pigs "snooze or root about in the sand and coconut husks" and are tossed leftovers by passing villagers several times a day "from the family meal or some other delicacy." (p. 160)

The authors follow the introduction with these important words, "The majority of species on Earth have yet to be discovered." (By the way, those who think that the identification of species is like glorified stamp collecting, as I recently read in some book, are very much mistaken. An accounting of life forms, at the very least, will give us a basis for examining change.) Beattie and Ehrlich follow this up with an exploration of how species live in, on, and with one another, laying the groundwork for an understanding of biodiversity and ecology while showing how dependent we are on the smallest creatures for our survival. They recall the failed Biosphere 2 experiment some years ago in Arizona and use a thought experiment on what we might take to the moon to establish and maintain a natural community, thereby demonstrating beyond any doubt just how complex and connected and dependent are all forms of life. They evoke the concept "the natural internet" to illustrate this interconnectedness and to show how natural cycles, food chains, water and nitrogen cycles, etc., work. Particularly interesting was the chapter on garbage and how the myriad creatures of the soil break down waste and return it to use. The remainder of the book suggests ways that humans can work within natural systems to both our advantage and the advantage of the planet as a whole. It is sorely hoped that this message reaches a lot of people, which is obviously the intent of the authors.

The text is enhanced by appealing black and white illustrations of insects, worms, spiders, microbes, fungi and other living things by Christine Turnbull, done in a way that makes the creatures look almost lovable. Turnbull combines a serious attention to detail with the light touch of a cartoonist. Or at least this is my impression. I imagined, for example, that the immobilized ant on the title page with a fungus growing out of its body had an cartoonist's "x" in its eye; but that was merely a misapprehension; there was no "x." Yet the death of this ant eaten from the inside by a fungus seemed almost benign. Perhaps this is a felicitous way of understanding "nature red in tooth and claw." Furthermore, (and I mean this seriously) maybe if people in general saw ecology in something like the rosy way Disney depicted it in Bambi (but without the distortion) we might be the better for it.

Anyway I admire the attempt by the authors to show how the use of natural products and processes are preferable to the use of artificial and man-made ones whenever possible, and for suggesting the incredible range of what is possible. I wish that all high school students and CEOs of multinational corporations would read this book. Or better yet, heads of state (even dictators and ruling theocrats) and elected representatives whose education has been primarily in law, business and the military, should read this book. Maybe we ought to buy an extra copy and send it to our representative in Washington. Couldn't hurt.

Bottom line: the text is a little pollyannaish at times and the material is familiar to those trained in the life sciences, but the message is an important one, and that message is expressed in a vivid and easily assimilated way. The drawings by Turnbull are wonderful.

Wild Solutions is a beautifully written little book containing a well-reasoned, passionate argument for the conservation of all the creatures in the natural world, not just the ones that look cute on T-shirts or postcards. The over riding theme of this book is not that we should save nature because we can make a quick buck off of it; rather, we should save nature because the natural world is one big laboratory, available to humanity free of charge, that not only supports us with a variety of ecosystem services but also continuously shows us new and better ways of living. The message is that species must be conserved because it is impossible to determine which will be vitally important in the future. Humanity tends to judge the worth of a species based on its value to us now without knowing fully or even considering the role the species may play in nature. We really do not know what species will be important in the future. Moreover, we do not know yet to what extent how important the known species are in ecosystem processes. Too often we learn of the organism's role and importance in ecosystems only after it is gone. One important point of the book is that we do not realize or even appreciate the extent to which we are dependent on the natural world.

As the case of Biosphere Two clearly showed the world, placing a value on the importance of a species without knowing its role in ecosystems and food chains, merely based on arrogant and selfish notions of whether or not we derive some value from it is foolhardy. Biosphere Two also showed us that humanity can not do without Nature, but Nature, given its multi-billion year history, can and has done without us. The authors liken the world's creatures to a natural internet that is responsible for the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the rich fertile soil that we depend upon for the food that we eat. All of these gifts from Nature, unfortunately, are being tainted, damaged and destroyed by the greedy and selfish actions of humanity. Although many of the example organisms may not be new to some readers, the way in which these organisms interact, and the way in which Humanity has taken advantage of these interactions to enrich our lives gives all a deeper understanding of the importance of these and other organisms.

While some may criticize the call to save the natural world for economic gain, no one can argue with the authors' assertion that the natural world has served and will continue to serve as a basis for the development of new industries. Nor can it be argued that the natural world will become more important as a springboard for the solution to some of mankind's most pressing problems. While I firmly believe that the preservation of species and habitats solely for present or future economic exploitation is both arrogant and shortsighted, it tends to remain the only way to convince the world powers and corporate sultans to tread lightly around environments and habitats. Such a state of affairs is at once both deplorable and depressing, but I am optimistic that sane minds will rise above the current economically inspired rapacious environmental pillage and eventually prevail.

I fully acknowledge that our callous interference in natural evolutionary processes is a foolish gamble, and this book serves as indisputable proof. Many lifetimes of benefits are waiting to be discovered among Nature's bountiful gifts, and this book inspires me to find a few of them.

Beattie and Ehrlich propose that nature represents an enormous reservoir of capital in the form of chemicals and genes that, having evolved over millions of years, can serve people by providing solutions to such things as diseases, better crops, mining, and energy. In support of their thesis, they've written this book, which is filled with dozens of examples of natural solutions for such things as human illnesses and pest control. A secondary and supporting thesis is that natural ecosystems are complex, with hundreds of interdependencies that link sub-populations in the ecosystem in unpredictable ways. As a result, it's often difficult, if not impossible, to predict how a seemingly minor alteration of an ecosystem will ripple through at different levels.

It seems that one of their goals is to encourage the listing of natural ecosystems as valuable assets. Too often, they argue, the true value of natural ecosystems is lost in economic policy, with the serious loss of important natural solutions that might otherwise have greatly benefited humankind. While I agree that natural ecosystems should be appreciated for their capitalistic value, I think the book's arguments are only moderately persuasive in that regard, and unlikely to convince many capitalists to deal more gently, or responsibly, with earth's natural resources. I also think their argument places the environmental movement on a slippery slope. By asserting that natural ecosystems should be protected for their capitalistic value, they open the door to counter arguments that natural systems with limited, or no, capitalistic value need not be protected. I'm personally more persuaded by holistic and ethical arguments, like those of Native American culture, which views humanity as an integral part of nature; a part that cannot remain morally and ethically whole without showing respect and care for Mother Earth.

However, I'm not so idealistic as to think the Alaska wildlife refuge will be saved by appeals to ethics, beauty, solitude, and spiritual oneness with nature. So, in retrospect, I suppose if Beattie and Ehrlich can convince even a few Texas oil men in the new administration to go easy on the environment "for the money" it will have been worth it.

I didn't buy this book because of its main thesis. I bought it because it is chock full of interesting tidbits and information about how animals interact with each other and their environment. The book is easy to read, captivating, and well written. The illustrations, by Christine Turnbull, are abundant and add considerably to the book. Each is artfully composed in simple black and white with detail and clarity that brings additional insight to the text (there are 40 all together).

In one sense this book might have been called "The Second Earth." There isn't a whole lot about the big animals that people think of. There are no accounts of tigers or bears. Discussions about animals larger than a cat are few. Mostly its about bacteria, beetles, ants, worms, grubs, and things like that. The stories tell how these animals have evolved the most interesting interrelationships, and how the crucible of evolution has resulted in some truly amazing chemical and genetic solutions that animals use - and that we can adapt and use, as well.

Many of the accounts describe how natural solutions can be used to solve problems with crop infestation. Often, the stories illustrate how these natural solutions not only work better, but are also less expensive and less damaging to the environment. One example is found in the story of Opuntia, an ornamental cactus plant that escaped from Australian settlers and infested the countryside. According to the authors, the cost of clearing the land mechanically, or poisoning the plants, was greater than the value of the land itself. Furthermore, the cactus grew so densely that it crowded out indigenous plants. To solve the problem, Australian biologists went to South America to search for natural enemies of Opuntia. The solution turned out to be a cactus-eating moth called Cactoblastis, which quickly cleared most of the Opuntia from the countryside.

Another interesting story tells how Australian aborigines would take a cloth and hold it over a nest of bull ants. The ants would swarm over the cloth, whereupon they were shaken from it, and the cloth was then use to bind wounds. These aboriginal people had discovered that wounds bound in such cloth heal without infection. The reason? Bull ants, being social animals, suffer from diseases (much like our social species). To combat the microbe hordes, bull ants have evolved antibiotics that coat their bodies. Their swarming bodies transfer some of this antibiotic to the cloth, which then serves to protect the wound.

Overall, this is a great book, but I wish the authors had included references for some of the things they discuss. Several times I found myself beating back feelings of genuine aggravation when the authors would make claims, with no way to verify or expand on them through chapter endnotes. They do, however, have a generic list of recommended reading material and a useful index at the end of the book.

If you find nature fascinating, and love to read a well-written book on the subject, then I heartily recommend this one. It will make you think, and more than once, while reading it, I'm sure you will say, "Gee, I never knew that! How interesting."

Winnie the Witch has long been a family bedtime favourite in our house and my 4 year old and I were pleased to see Korky Paul's wonderfully zany illustrations of Winnie's latest exploits. As with the original book he guffawed at her outrageous exploits and Valerie Thomas' storyline.

It's a wonderful book. Every parent that has a child who needs glasses should have it. It's funny and like the previous book on winnie the illustations are just as funny. My son doesn't need glasses but we enjoyed it just the same. Pure enjoyment.

I read this book to my kids (3, 5 and 7) and they loved it. The story is funny and the pictures are wonderful. It's a very silly story and tons of fun. A must have for all home libraries

This is the first in this series of, "Kurt Austin NUMA", novels that have been presented to readers in a hardcover format attendant with a not insubstantial price increase. This series, which shares much in common with novels written solely by Mr. Cussler, have been entertaining and well worth reader's time and money for pure escapist fiction. With this upgraded price and format I believe it reasonable to expect even more from the series and I don't believe, "White Death", delivers.

Mr. Cussler's books have always been entertainment that has not taken itself too seriously. This time, with contributing author Paul Kemprecos, the tale reads more like a James Bond adventure than a typical Cussler adventure yarn. The villain is a bit cartoonist and when you add his, "Frankenfish," an occasional smile is part of this read. When one adversary meets one of these finned critters and Austin is asked what happened, his response is, "We had a disagreement and he went to pieces".

This is not a poor read and I believe fans of the series will enjoy it. I also feel that when readers are asked to separate themselves with substantially more money for the book, it should deliver more than this particular title offers.

In 1515, a Basque caravel sinks two Spanish war galleys. In 1935 a German zeppelin soars northward on a top-secret flight to reach the North Pole, but in the Arctic the Germans see a ship stranded on the ice. He goes to help. In the present off the Faroe Islands, whale rescuers try to stop Islanders from killing whales, but lose control of the ship to an overhead helicopter that sends the vessel crashing into and sinking a Danish cruiser with several crew men still aboard.

In the Berents Sea, the search-and-survey NUMA ship William Beebe led by Kurt Austin tests a new device able to attach to a sunken ship's hull and cut a hole in the frame so salvagers can easily enter. With this new device, Kurt and crew might save the lives of the trapped Danes whose air is running out, but they need rapid transport to go twelve hundred miles. Even with Russian help, Kurt will soon realize that the helicopter crowd has a different message in mind.

The forth "novel from the NUMA files" is an exciting seafaring adventure that never slows down until the final dinner date is arranged. Kurt retains his hero status as he and his crew desperately work to save lives reminiscent of the Russian submarine tragedy. Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos provide fans with an adrenaline-pumping thriller starring a likable champion though the villains' message seems gobbled in comparison.

Harriet Klausner

I am what you would call a MAJOR Clive Cussler Fan (all I need is a paycheck, and I'd be a Professional...) and I absolutely LOVE the Kurt Austin adventures--ALMOST as much as his counterpart Dirk Pitt. I MUST admit 1-tiny fact: I have enjoyed the last TWO Kurt novels MORE than the most recent Dirk Pitt tale ('Valhalla Rising'). I ALMOST feel dirty admitting that, but c'mon! It's TRUE! For those who continue to persist that Clive puts way MORE into his stories for Dirk than he does for Kurt, well I'm beginning to think othewise. Don't get me wrong, as long as Dirk Pitt lives on the pages of a Clive Cussler novel, he's got at least ONE die-hard reader. He has NEVER let me down. Sure, some novels are better than others, but they are ALL entertaining.

'White Death' is among his better releases (in MY opinion, anyway). I found one thing VERY interesting as I devoured this book: it doesn't contain as much action as the average Dirk Pitt/Kurt Austin novel--which ISN'T to say that the action is absent entirely. On the contrary, there is plenty--just not as much as I have grown accustomed to over the years--and this in NO WAY slows the story one tiny bit. I found 'White Death' to emphasize the plot more than action, which I enjoyed tremendously. There is never ANY doubt who will win in the end here--and as I read on, I found the topic of 'White Death' to be MUCH more entertaining than I would have normally thought possible: A modern evil Eskimo tribe plans to genetically engineer horrific 'Frankenfish' that will decimate the population of certain species of fish in the oceans--while stockpiling these same in 'Fish Farms', monopolizing the supply and making billions in the process. Simple plan, right? Sure--until you factor in a certain Kurt Austin and his trusty sidekick, Joe Zavala (absolute CLONES of Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino). Joe has a more subdued roll in 'White Death' than he has in his previous adventures with Kurt--but when he does make an appearance, it usually involves chases, explosions and even a little sword-play. Along for the ride we have a radical environmental group calles SOS (Sentinels of the Sea) and the dangerous and explosive company bent on total control of genetic fish engineering, Oceanus (a front for our evil Eskimos).

As usual, the beginning of the story takes us back in history, my personal favorite was an undocumented Nazi/Germany ill-fated trip to the North Pole in a massive Zeppelin. There is MUCH to like in the pages of 'White Death' but I HAVE to admit, one particular conversation between Kurt and the leader of the Evil Eskimos had me scratching my head...NOT because it was confusing, but because it seemed forced and almost comical in how the bad guy spoke and declared he was '...the instrument of your (Kurt's) death...', other than that, I truly loved this latest outing with Kurt, Joe, Admiral Sandecker and even an appearance by Rudi Gunn. I now long for another installment featuring Dirk, but I am thrilled that with the introduction of Kurt, I no longer have to wait a full year and a few odd months before I see something new from Cussler...All in all, 'White Death' is FINE brain candy.

In this book, Pam finds herself having trouble with Lightning that she doesn't know why. Soon, Lightning starts getting more dangerous and gives Pam a couple more bruises. That's when it's decided to get Pam's dad involved, but what's wrong with Pam's Pony? I liked that at the beginning for once that I didn't have a clue what the problem was. Even though I am getting a little old for this series, I like the fact that these books are well written and deserved to be read.

Pam, one of the Pony Pals, is shocked to discover that Lightning, her pony, is behaving oddly. He seems upset with her, her friends, and even the other ponies. Pam soon learns the problem is more serious than Lightning's hurt feelings. Readers will be just as anxious as Pam for a happy resolution.

This is the first Pony Pals book I have read, and I found it very enjoyable. While its relatively straightforward plot and writing style are clearly aimed at younger readers (well, younger than me, anyway), I still got caught up in the emotion. I was also impressed at the level of complexity shown in the friendship between the Pony Pals. Yes, they're all friends, but that doesn't mean everything is always sweetness and light. I'm surprised to find myself wanting to read other books in the series, and I'm sure regular readers will be pleased by this installment.

I don't usually have trouble with my pony Acorn but I know what it's like to fall out of the saddle.It hurts!
Pam loves her chestnut Connamara pony Lightning.She never has trouble with her.But lately Lightning has been acting very strange.Pam falls off her back more than usual and gets a lot of bruises.Pam's Pony Pals Anna and Lulu are worried.So then Pam's dad the vet is called in.The Pony Pals find out that what is troubling the poor pony is more than feelings.Can the Pony Pals help Lightning?A great book to read and find out for yourself!

This book may be small enough to carry as a primer on land navigation for folks venturing into the wilds without knowledge or experience of map and compass skills.

However, as a text on land navigation skills it was disappointing. Better choices would be the Land Navigation Handbook: The Sierra Club Guide to Map and Compass by W. Kals (excellent) or M. Ferguson's GPS Land Navigation: A Complete Guidebook for Backcountry Users of the NAVSTAR Satellite System (also excellent).

I have been teaching orienteering for seven years, and this book is everything I could ask for in an introductory text. There are more advanced books, it is true, but this book is reasonably priced, highly readable, and complete enough for the beginning through intermediate adventurer.

Clear, concise and complete guide to wilderness travel. Well written with appropriate practice problems. Excellent book which is small and light enough to be in ones pack. But you really should study the book before you go into the wilderness. Reasonably priced.

My biggest problem with this book was that it didn't cover alot of things I dreamed about. Great for a first time user because of the easy to use format and language. I myself could have done without the biblical references(after all we're not all Christians)

This is a very insiteful and valuable book. It goes into detail of all that is involved in the making of dreams. Where they come from, how they develop and how we can make sense out of their nonsense. Definitely worth reading a few times.

I found this book a great tool. It gives practical tools for breaking apart the symbols of your dreams. I bought this book two years ago and didn't read it right away. I did write down a few dreams at that time. Recently I picked up the book and looked back at those dreams and was blown away at the timing of the dreams to what was really happening in my life at the time. If you want a deeper understanding of yourself and a guide of being led by the Holy Spirit looking at your dreams is a must. As a Christian it was refreshing to have a book that spoke to me instead bordering on fortune telling that alot of dream books lead to these days.

An all-star cast was called to write this authoritative primer on modern techniques. There are contributions from Jim Loehr, Dennis van der Meer, Howard Brody (tennis physicist), Vic Braden, Jose Higueras (reknown clay court coach), Bruce Elliot (Australian biomechanist), Don Chu (strength and conditioning expert), etc. The graphics are quite good and the reseach is based on the latest in sport science. Some problems do exist, however. It appears that the book is written for the serious tennis player in addition to coaches and teaching pros. However, the use of language is dry and scientific in many areas. Even advanced players may find it too theoretical. Practical implications are often up to the reader to draw. The use of high-speed multiple-frame photography isn't exploited enough considering the resources of the contributors and editors. Disappointing sections are the backhand (Braden and Jack Kramer) -- barely an effort considering it follows a brilliant section on the forehand (Crespo and Higueras), volleys and overheads (van Fraayenhoven & Schapers) -- which attempts to cover too much in little details as possible (except for approaches), and tactics and technique (Herbst and Patrick McEnroe) -- also didn't seem very well thought out. Best sections include Revolutionary Rackets (Stan Smith and Brody) --which is written for the player(!understandable and enjoyable!), Kinetic Chain (Kibler and Van der Meer) -- well thought out analysis, court surfaces (Coe and Miley, ITF), specialty shots (Paul Dent and Patrice Hagelauer) and the forehand. A must for the serious coach/pro and a good buy for the serious player if you like reading analyses. Comparable in science for the teacher is the German Tennis Association "Tennis Course" series. Roetert and Groppel's book, however, is a rarity in that it analyzes top pro modern techniques rather than giving a template for beginners and intermediates as most books do.

The full color, high speed sequence shots have already helped my game. The in-depth analysis of each sequence preceding each major stroke have given me the confidence to go to the next level. I play for fun but it's nice to surpass those that I never thought I could beat before.

This book spends a chapter on such topics as forehands, backhands, volleys ( learned alot here), serves and returns, and the tactics of the overall game. From there, there are discussions on the kind of player you are, how to analyze your game and those you play. Other topics include what works for you and what to do when your game isn't working.

I certainly don't win all the time, but since purchasing this book my serve speed and has improved greatly and I've only lost once. That may have been due to the breaking of yet another string on my serve in the third game. Looks like it's time for a new racket as I've broken my fourth string since May. There is a discussion on racket designs in Chapter 2 of the book as well.

In World-Class Tennis Technique: Master Every Stroke, Paul Roetert and Jack Groppel have drawn from some of the world's top experts in biomechanics, tennis techniques, and coaching to provide the aspiring or practicing tennis player with a comprehensive guide covering every aspect of the game as it relates to technique. An in-depth analysis of each stoke is enhanced with full color sequence photographs. If you are an amateur player seeking a professional level of mastery, or an aspiring tournament contender, give a careful reading to Roetert and Groppel's World-Class Tennis Technique!

Paul Basden has written with clarity a book that will help churches to understand how the central role of worship in different congregations takes different but equally valid forms. Two values can flow from reading this book. One is a better understanding of the particular worship style of your own church. A second is the opportunity to evaluate other worship styles that might be more effective for your congregation. "The Woship Maze" is a practical addition to the genre.

For the confused worship-seeker, this book is first very well organized. The skeletal outline of this book is secure and provides to the reader a foot-hold to ponder particular worship styles. The author certainly writes within the context of our time; however, the progressive nature of worship and the future of worship styles are recounted in each chapter. I highly recommend this book for those needing the complex, emotional world of worship prepared in a digestable format that feeds the mind as well as the soul.

Dr. Paul Basden is a dependable guide through the difficult questions concerning forms of worship that many churches in the United States today are facing. He is both a pastor and a professor, and he is familiar with the rich worship legacy that all churches have inherited. His typology of styles of worship--liturgical, traditional, gospel, contemporary, and seeker--is a masterpiece of analysis. There is nothing extreme or thoughtless in his book, and his discussion of blended forms of worship is very wise and practical. I think that all churches who are reviewing their forms of worship would find this book very useful, as would students who want to learn the church's heritage about worship and the issues that churches today are facing.