This comprehensive 600 page book showed me in detail how to set up, operate, and manage a restaurant business. The author covers everything there is to know about the very risky business of running a restaurant.

As a caterer looking to open a restaurant I also found the book very helpful. I didn't need recipes or help in sales - I needed help in running the financial aspects of my business.The chpater on computers was very helpful as well.The book is very easy to read and understand. Complicated accounting subjects are simplified, easy to understand and ( almost) fun to apply.

The books nineteen chapters cover the entire process of a restaurant start-up and ongoing management.The companion CD rom which contains all the forms is worth the modest price of the book alone. I would highly recomend this book to anyone in the industry now or who wants to get started with sound financial planning. Also the extensive resource guide in the back of the book helped me locate a manufacturer I needed a part from - I will use this book often.

This comprehensive and massive 600 page new book will show you step-by-step how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful foodservice operation. The author has left no stone unturned in explaining the risky business of running a restaurant. Operators in the non-commercial segment as well as caterers, and really anyone in the food service industry will find this book very useful.The books nineteen chapters cover the entire process of a restaurant start-up and ongoing management in an easy to understand way, pointing out methods to increase your chances of success, and showing how to avoid the many common mistakes that can doom a start-up. The new companion CD rom contains all the forms demonstrated in the book for easy use in a PDF format.There are literally hundreds of innovative ways demonstrated to streamline your restaurant business. Learn new ways to make the kitchen, bars, dining room, and front office run smoother and increase performance. Shut down waste, reduce costs, and increase profits.

Now in a completely revised and thoroughly updated third edition, The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How To Set Up, Operate And Manage A Financially Successful Food Service Operation by Douglas Robert Brown is a solid, no-nonsense, all-encompassing curriculum to teaching oneself the basics of the restaurant business. An exhaustive compendium of step-by-step instructions, advice, checklists, legal issues, as well as encompassing an extensive listing of state restaurant associations (and so much more!) fill the pages of this "must-have" reference for anyone with a serious and dedicated interest in the dynamics of food service oriented small business ownership. A companion CD-ROM with printable versions of all the handy and useful sample forms is included.

Robert Burnham's classic work could rightfully be called the Bible of American amateur astronomers (in Europe, the Webb Society handbooks probably earn that title). Volume 1 begins with an overview of various aspects of observational astronomy, focusing on the various cataloging and classification systems used to describe stars, nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. The remainder of the three volumes consist of chapters for each constellation. Each chapter begins with a table that give a rundown of all objects of interest in that constellation. What follows are detailed descriptions of all notable objects in the constellation. Burnham did not confine himself to scientific facts - religion, archaeology, literature, and art all find their way into the text. Time has had a toll on the accuracy of the scientific facts that Burnham gives - many distances are wrong, and the discussions of some objects, particulaly remote or highly energetic ones, are seriously outdated. Still, these three books form the backbone of my astronomy library, and have grown battered with heavy use. They make for fascinating reading both beside the telescope and in the living room.

Being an amateur astronomer I bought this and the other two volumes recently and I have found it indispensible. Im writing this review keeping solely the tyro's in mind, since one knowledgeable in astronomy would have already had this book. If you are getting interested in astronomy, this is the book to buy - it will surely deepen your interest. Get the book and take a journey through the starts that Burnham offers you in the first few pages.

There are plenty of astronomy books for amatuers with fantastic photos. And sometimes it can be intimidating to know what to buy. Burnham's book is worth every penny (and it doesnt cost much either). It does not contain colorful photos (though contains plenty of b&w photos taken from Lowell/Palomar and other observatories). All 88 constellations are dealt with in detail. First a list of double stars are given in each constellation followed by details of each bright star (including spectrum analysis for some). The book is set in "type-writer" font, so it gives a special feeling of reading some research paper.

A unique feature of this book, which is probably not found in any other astronomy book I have come sofar, is that, it also contains a perspective of a given constellation or star by several different cultures. Most astronomy books stop with Greek and Roman myths - giving a feeling that no other culture was knowledgeable in astronomy. Coming from Indian background, I found it very intriguing that Burnham mentions several stories and myths from Indian folklore (including those that I heard from my granny!). For eg, Varahamihira (c 100 AD?) in his "Brihat Samhita" compares Ursa Major (aka called "Seven Sages") to string of pearls. I was surprised to see Burnham mention this.

One other way I use the book is to first locate some star in the telescope (by lazily moving it around), notice the color, constellation and other characteristics, then look into the book about the details and compare with what you saw. Thats a fun way of learning.

Though more experienced astronomers would observe that some Burnham's values are of older epoch, this should not really bother a beginner. Burnham has certainly packed a wealth of information into three volumes. Again this is a book that will accompany for life on observing the wonders that are up above the sky.

Burnham is a "given" among amateur astronomers. Until quite recently there was no work other than this that contained so much useful information in one place. It's also much more than just a reference. Despite his twenty years at Lowell Observatory, Burnham seems to have remained an "amateur" in the highest sense. His love of the night sky is plainly communicated not only in his entertaining digressions into myth and poetry but also by the obvious effort he put in before the days of PC's and word processors. I began by using these books to get information on objects I already had in mind, but very quickly, the inconspicuous and the usually overlooked began to take on a "real identity" when Burnham spoke about them. The sky became immeasurably richer. Burnham died destitute in 1993. I'm in his debt. He's that wise and experienced friend standing at my side sharing what he knows.

This book was so special to me becuase I have known George Burk for over 5 years. All of us have bad things happen to us. Usually these are short lived. George was in a plane crash that has lingering effects that will be with him always. Yet he is one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever known. He has a wonderfully positive outlook on life. As I always tell him, he is MY TRUE HERO. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Read the story of a man who went through a tough situation and survived to become a wonderful human being. I have given a copy of this book to many friends and relatives as gifts. A MUST READ!

This story has been and will continue to be a true inspiration to anyone who reads it. I have known Captain Burk for thirteen years and was familiar with his experiences. The book provided me an in depth realization of the chain of miracles that lead to Mr. Burk's survival of such a tragic event. The Bridge Never Crossed causes the reader to reflect on what is really important in life and realize that God has a plan for each of us. I have purchased several copies to share with family and friends. George has been one of the most influential people in my life. He is constant reminder that each of us control our own destiny.

This wonderful, courageous and inspirational story makes a perfect gift for anyone on your list - mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, co-workers, friends, enemies, ANYONE! Capt. George Burk is a truly remarkable, amazing man with a truly remarkable, amazing story...a story that I defy ANYONE not to be moved by. Capt. Burk was a recent guest on our radio show...and never has any guest had the impact on my me and my co-host, Debbie...but our producer, the engineer - EVERYONE IN THE BUILDING! George Burk is one of the most incredible people I have ever had the great opportunity to come into contact with. I will say right now...if you haven't read this book - read it NOW!! You will not be sorry - you will be changed.

O'Reilly sets the standard by which all other technical publishers should aspire; their books are technical, dense, and personally, I love the pithy, no nonsense tone. I have never been disappointed with an O'Reilly book. This book continues the tradition of above par books and I can attest that hands down, this is the best book available on Samba.

Remarkably, the information inside is aging very well. While it doesn't cover the most current version of Samba, this book is by far the most informative and helpful on the subject available.

While the book is fortified with examples, screenshots, and an easy to read style, by far my favorite portion is on troubleshooting (complete with a "fault tree"). It is just a way of systematically approaching connectivity problems in relation to the samba server.

I mean, really, what exactly is "System error 53?" This book won't tell you outright, but it will help narrow down the problem to solvable proportions.

The included CDROM also includes a mirror to the official Samba FTP site, including sources, binaries, documentation, and utilities.

When I have Samba configuration problems, or questions pop up about Samba, this is the book I reach for. If pressed for time and pressed for answers by coworkers, I have been known to pull it off the shelf and lend it out.

Samba is one of the wonders of the Open source movement. A small bunch of guys in out of the way Canberra, Australia develop a product that emulates a Windows Server Message Block (SMB) server. They do such a good job that within a couple of years they have sponsors assisting programmers around the world in bringing out a product that does a better job than anything Microsoft offers.

I've installed Samba in a number of different environments and used it both as a server and client. I wish I'd had this book. It does a good job of explaining how to set it all up, get it running and maintain it. Nothing else does as good a job. While you can (probably) install and run Samba using just the online manuals you will find it a lot easier if you buy this book. It certainly saves me a lot of time.

It is well written, easy to read, thorough and well paced. It contains a large number of examples and goes through the almost monolithic smb.conf file till it feels like an old friend.

While it does cover some of the underlying network protocols it does not unnecessarily dwell on them, it is a good mix of explanation and getting your hands dirty examples.

The book is well structured, starting with simple configurations and proceeding through to complex ones involving printers, domain controllers and the like. A marvelous way to learn, at the same time it is easy to find particular snippets of information when you require them. I find Appendices C (a configuration option quick reference) and D (a summary of the command line options for the daemons) and the fault tree in Chapter 9 particularly useful.

I would recommend this book to everyone who wishes to integrate Samba into a Windows environment, regardless if it is a small home network or an entire office building. And yes, you can download the entire text for free - the Samba team have now adopted it as part of the official documentation thanks to the authors and O'Reilly, but call me old fashioned, I like having the paper.

Network administers will invariably face the task of integrating Windows systems with Unix or Linux ones. Samba provides an excellent solution to this problem, but for people starting out, Samba seems like a daunting task.

Not so with this book. Prior to reading this book, I had no experience with Samba whatsoever. Before long, I found myself setting up Samba on a linux server and setting up file shares to Win2k systems. The massive smb.conf configuration file no longer looks menacing, but rather, its easy to read now.

I see why this has been adopted by the Samba team. Its very easy to read, very relaxing in its pace, and very thorough in its treatment of Samba topics. I do not believe there is a more comprehensive on Samba to date. Even the reference sections in the back are very nicely organized, and very easy to use.

What really tops this book off though is its treatment of Windows networking. For those who have little or no understanding of Windows and how networks are organized, this book covers the topic very well. Unix/Linux administrators will be glad they read this chapter.

In closing, I strongly recommend this book to Network Administrators, particularly those using Unix/Linux. This book is very comprehensive, but very easy to read.

What a good read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ROGUE gripped me with the first sentence. I love the way the setting is as integral as the characters.The characters are real. They produce sympathy and ire. Even the dog is real! The surprising and intricate twists and turns of the plot kept my attention from start to finish. The description of jungle and urban scenes in Texas, Yucatan and Europe put me right where the events took place and gave me the feeling of being an eyewitness. More! More! More!

Excellent first novel! This is a slam-dunk for those who are looking for a change from the normal Clancy-esque 500-page paperweights. Hector (code name "Cheetah") is a spy who comes closer to the real thing than your normal "Ops-" type hero. Story line is absolutely refreshing, compact and reminds me of the original short thrillers of the '50s and '60s by authors such as Fleming, MacLean and Le Carre.

Walker creates interesting and volatile twists in the plot to keep you turning pages, and then neatly pieces it all together in an ending you won't forget. His fight-to-the-death scene is one of the best I've ever read, where you see and feel the pain, the cold, the adrenaline. Throw in the crisp descriptions of European scenery and background and characters who help fire up the plot and you have a marvelous book in your hands that you absolutely can't put down.

Pour a cold one, kick back, and enjoy the ride of your life! Robert Walker's Rogue: The Cheetah Files will catapult you around the world, forcing you to taste the sweat and smell the fear experienced by his characters. You dare not blink nor close the book before finishing this excellent read, for fear something will happen on the pages that you will miss. You will relish experiencing the chills and terror of those ensnared in a web of intrigue not unlike those spun by Ian Fleming. Move over James, Hector is the spy who loves us now!

Each time a re-read a chapter of this book, it is further enriching. I had no background in business finance and only an introductory accounting background prior to reading this book. It is approachable and quite deftly introduces one to the field of finance. Broad coverage of major topics such as financial forecasting, management of growth, debt vs. equity, financial instruments, valuations, discounted cash flow, and drawing from financial statements. Higgins places things in proper context and builds upon knowledge at good, steady pace.

This book was required in my William & Mary MBA program. It covers everything from discounted cash flows to ratio analysis to business valuation. My brother liked it so much he "stole" if for months. I took it back and now he wants it for his Christmas gift. So, here I am buying it for him. The net present value of this book is -- real high:) I highly recommend it for business owners or anyone involved in finance and accounting.

This book is required at Harvard Business School and is used at top B-schools and bank management trainee programs around the country.
I used the book during my MBA program, even though it was not required. My study group members always requested that I bring it to group meetings. I even had a classmate approach the author (who happens to be my father) at my graduation and ask for his autograph.
The book introduces complex finance concepts like net present value in non-academese language and the real-world examples reinforce the concepts.
I strongly recommend this textbook to anyone preparing to enter business school or embarking on a job in financial analysis.
Professor Higgins is a beloved teacher at his home institution, the University of Washington. You can share in a little of his vast expertise and gift for teaching by reading his book, Analysis for Financial Management.

Imagine you1re living in the midst of the 19th century. You1re 19, far from friends and family, and to top it all off, your husband dies and you are two months pregnant with his child.........

Love Comes Softly is an eight book series written by Christian author Jannette Oke. I thought when my mother-in-law tried to get me to read her books, that I was in for another mushy Harlequin Romance novel, filled with people involved with three, four or five men, and definitely no sign of God in their lives. Boy, was I in for a VERY pleasant surprise. Mrs. Oke leads us through the life of a very young Marty Davis, who has just left her family in the east, to travel west with her new husband , Clem. Clem and Marty had been living out of their wagon, eating pancakes and drinking coffee EVERY day, because that1s all that Marty knew how to make. Unexpectedly, though, Clem dies, and Marty is left alone with child and no home, no money, and just what she has in her wagon.

The Love Comes Softly series then begins to take us through the struggles Marty has to overcome and Mrs. Oke guides us so beautifully, that we feel like we are right there with Marty. The eight books lead us through 40 years in Marty and her family1s lives. I enjoyed every minute of the readings. Never has a book so captured me like Mrs. Oke1s did.

I try to count my blessings every day, but after reading this group of books, I found more to be thankful for. I never stopped to realize what the generations before us went through. With Marty, I learned what is was like to bear a child with no husband and no doctor around--just a local lady that had delivered many babies. I learned what it was like to leave family behind, knowing that you will probably never see them again--or even hear from them again.

The funniest part of the series was in the very first book. Marty decides she will try to make her new husband a chicken and dumpling meal. Well........she goes to the chicken pen to try and catch one. After tearing apart then pen, she finally catches one of only two roosters (she didn1t know she was supposed to only kill the female). Once she gets him, she has no idea as to how to kill him, so she decides to tie him up and kill him--that didn1t work, and she wound up cutting off the beak of the prize rooster. When her husband, Clark comes home, he finds the pen in disarray, and sees his rooster with no beak and he comes to find out that Marty was just trying to cook him his first real meal. This part cracked me up, along with the part where she tries to fix biscuits and they turn out as hard as rocks.

You have to read the books in order. They just keep continuing with this saga. The best book in the series was book four. I can1t tell you why, for it would give the ending for the rest of the series, but it was the book that kept me the most fascinated. The hardest part about the series was the way she wrote it. She wrote it with the accents as they would have said things. It was hard at first, but I got used to it by the second book. I highly recommend her books, and am looking forward to the next series I am about to read. The new series is from the Canadian West. It involves new characters, and therefore new lives.

I would really appreciate hearing from others who have read her books--especially the Love Comes Softly series. It would be enjoyable to talk with others about Jannette Oke1s books. You can find her work at any Christian bookstore or even the library. They are expensive, between $9-13.00, but they are worth their price. I found twelve of her books at the library, though. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. It is definitely a series I would read again and again, and I look forward to my two daughters growing up and wanting to read them as well. They are written in the same manner as the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. ENJOY!!!!!!

This is a wonderful story about family life at a time when people did not possess much material things but instead loved and cared for one another unconditionally. The story begins with Clark and Marty and goes on to include the lives of their children. What drew me to read and reread this series of books is the way it is written with so much love and understanding. There are many moral issues dealing with the Christian God and how the righteous man would behave. It is therefore also a book of learning. I would highly recommend this series. This is one of the few series of books that I would consider to be worth spending money on. I know that I will reread it many more times. Janette Oke is an excellent storyteller.

My aunt suprised me one day with the LOVE COMES SOFTLY series she had had for a couple years. I put off reading them for a couple years because I was only eight! I started the first book when I was 11 and just could not put it down! I read the whole series and it had a very big impact on me. I've read the first three books at least ten times each, never getting bored with them and the rest of the series at least three. Please consider these books. They are the bomb!

I am so glad there are several doctors and researchers out "there" who are willing to attest to the healing power of nutritional supplements! Dr. Atkins has once again done a superb job at clearly explaining the types of supplements and the ways they can be used for optimum health. I have long been a follower of this man's work, but have been slow to get around to praising it here. Shame on me because Vita-Nutrient Solution is worth it. Many of the supplements he refers to I have found available for good choices and prices at a site, iHerb which also has a great deal of informational documentation. I suggest you read through Atkins' book and get convinced that nutritional supplements are what the body needs in this stress-filled, near-toxic environment. Then search the web and see that iHerb offers the best prices.

Only an overpaid doctor would recommend a zillion pricey supplements for a single condition, (28 for vascular health alone!) But Dr. Atkins does this with authority in a book which is well organized and clearly expressed. He truly knows his subject and gives the reader confidence in following his advice - if it can be afforded! I got the hardback edition because it will be in use for a very long time in my home.

I am in the "health food" store industry, and I can honestly say that Dr. Atkins' "Vita-Nutrient Solution" is hands-down the best book ever written about nutritional supplements.

Unlike most other books, which are based more on speculation and are not well researched, Dr. Atkins writes from a very unique perspective - he has used these supplements on tens of thousands of people in his own health clinic!

Whether or not you agree with the "Atkins Diet", the fact is Dr. Atkins knows his supplements!

His book is loaded with information on all of the key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids & many other supplements found in every health food & vitamin store. It contains essential information about supplements that you will not find in other books.

For example.....
Do you know that there are EIGHT different natural forms of vitamin E?

Do you know what the most effective form of vitamin B12 is?

Do you know that a special form of a B complex vitamin significantly lowers cholesterol & triglycerides - with absolutely no side-effects what so ever!

This is only a sample of some of the "secrets" you'll discover in "Vita-Nutrient Solution".

You'll discover supplements that 99% of the public has never heard about that can perform "miracles" for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's & many other
"incurable" disease of our times.

If you take vitamins, are considering taking them for the first time, or if you want to address specific health problems without having to rely on over-priced, highly toxic pharmaceutical drugs, then you must read this book!

Through long, arduous practice, Buddhists believe it is possible to remove the lens of self-interest and dogma to perceive "absolute reality," with "automatic compassion." After reading Robert Cooke's biography one believes that Dr. Judah Folkman has never looked at medicine any other way.

But the emperors of the scientific establishment have never dealt kindly with the boys who can't see their robes, as Cooke points out with several examples. (The Hungarian doctor who demonstrated that deaths from childbirth fever could be eliminated if doctors washed their hands was hounded by his colleages to suicide.) Dr. Folkman's heresy was the observation that tumors can't grow without stimulating healthy tissues to supply new blood vessels.

Fortunately for all of us, Dr. Folkman's vision has been matched by his persistence in pursuing it. In following Dr. Folkman's path from his boyhood in Ohio as the son of a rabbi, to Harvard where he gained his self-confidence, to the Navy research lab where his angiogenesis hypothesis first formed, and back to Boston as a pediatric surgeon-scientist, Cooke makes what might have been a difficult and technical story into an epic adventure.

In keeping with the fashion that writing a biography in chronological order is boring and passe, Cooke instead follows parallel thematic threads in Dr. Folkman's storied career. I personally found the resulting forward and backward jumps in time distracting, but not insurmountable.

It would have been enough if this were merely a story of scientific progress and the triumph of a new idea over entrenched dogma, but it is also the story of a man whose vision is matched by his devotion to his patients. It should be required reading for all prospective medical students.

Now angiogenesis-based therapies for cancer, atherosclerosis, blindness and arthritis are on the verge of exploding on the scene and Dr. Folkman's lab at Children's Hospital Boston is ground-zero. He and the generation of doctors and researchers that he has helped to train are revolutionizing huge swaths of medicine. When it happens it will seem like it was overnight, but those of us who have read Robert Cooke's book will know it was a lifetime in the making.

This book clearly deserves many more than five stars.

Dr. Folkman's War contains many valuable insights including how to: Raise children to be outstanding people; be an astute observer about nature to unlock new lessons; pioneer in a new field of science; and be persistent about something important. When the history of medicine in the twentieth century is written, Dr. Judah Folkman will be considered one of the most important figures. This book is the most accessible and complete source of information about his remarkable life and accomplishments.

Dr. Folkman's research to date "has found applications in twenty-six diseases as varied as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, psoriasis, arthritis, and endometriosis." "Ordinarily, researchers working in any of these fields do not communicate with each other."

Angiogenesis looks at the way that capillaries are formed in response to the body's biochemistry to help and harm health. Tumors depend on this action to get the blood supply they need to grow. Wounds also rely on a similar mechanism to grow scar tissue.

I have been following Dr. Folkman's career for over twenty-five years, and heard him speak about angiogenesis just a little over two years ago. Because I felt I was well-informed, I almost skipped this book. That would have been a major mistake on my part. Dr. Folkman's War contained much new and interesting information that helped me to better understand the lessons of Dr. Folkman's life, as well as the future implications of angiogenesis.

Unknown to me, Dr. Folkman had also played a role as an innovator in implantable pacemakers, time-released drug implants, and specialized types of heart surgery before he began his serious assault on angiogenesis.

The discoveries had their beginning in 1961 when he was a draftee in a Navy lab in Bethesda, Maryland. He noticed that tumors could not grow unless they first recruited their own capillaries to bring an increased blood supply. "Over time, he convinced himself that there had to be some way to block the growth of those blood vessels." He was right, but it took a long time before he knew any of the answers.

In brief opening comments about the book, former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, M.D. and Sc.D. observed how this new science evolved. "In the 1970s, laboratory scientists didn't believe any of it." " . . . [T]he critics' objections were hushed for good in 1989." "In the 1990s, the criticisms came chiefly from the clinical side, and the pharmaceutical companies didn't want anything to do with angiogenesis."

The story is a very heart-warming one. Dr. Folkman's father was a rabbi who asked each member of the family each night what she or he had learned that day. He also constantly implored his son to "Be a credit to your people." His father clearly thought that Dr. Folkman would also become a rabbi. Having announced his attention to become a physician, his father told him, "You can be a rabbi-like doctor." This injunction was one he took to heart, often seeking out his father's counsel on how to console the families of his patients.

His first taste of how close mortality is to all of us was when his first two children inherited cystic fibrosis. The younger of the two died, and the older one needed lots of special care to deal with infections. This probably made him a better doctor, by helping him see things more from the patients' points of view.

Space constraints keep me from discussing the book's description of how angiogenesis developed, but if you like stories about trail-blazing research, you will be amply rewarded. The key hurdles are described, along with the blind alleys that were followed. Anyone reading this will see how important it is to add new skills to the study of any new subject.

I was particularly interested in the way that press reports tended to harm the progress of angiogenesis, either by annoying other scientists, attracting hucksters, or delaying key deals with potential partners. We often think about freedom of speech being helpful, but here the case is a mixed one.

My only disappointment with the book is that it does not provide as much clinical data about the drugs under testing now as has been made public. That material would have made for fascinating reading. There are also natural substances that can cause a tumor to shrink, and clinical studies have been very successful in growing and shrinking tumors for some time.

I suspect that some member of your family will live a longer, healthier life due to future treatments soon to be available using angiogenesis. This book is a great way to learn more about the subject now, so you can encourage exploration of these experimental therapies where possibly appropriate. If anyone in your family now has cancer, this book is must reading for you!

Dr. Folkman summarized the book nicely as follows: "Success can often arrive dressed as failure." "If your idea succeeds everybody says you're persistent. If it doesn't succceed, you're stubborn."

May we all live longer and healthier lives due to the emerging medical treatments using angiogenesis . . . that were helped by Dr. Folkman's persistence!

For a class assignment, I had to write a book review of a biography of a scientist. Being a cancer survivor, and particularly in touch with the issue as a good friend of mine died from a relapse this summer, I was interested in cancer research. When I chose Dr. Folkman's War, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely better than what I had planned. As I began reading the book, I found I could not put it down! The lack of perfect chronology at times confused me for a minute or two, but it's not hard to pick up on. Anyone who has had their life touched - directly or indirectly - by cancer should definitely read this book. It takes you through a basic history of cancer research, and, having been written this year, ends with very current and pertinent information for anyone interested in the current direction of cancer treatment. For people struggling with a terminal illness, it is quite heartening to realize that there is a person out there who is working so hard to make you feel better. My favorite part of the book is at the end where Dr. Folkman tells some of his young proteges and interns to never ever tell a patient that nothing can be done. It may be small, but you can hold a patient's hand, and look out the hospital window with them, point to the research building and say, "Do you see that building over there? That's the research building. We're working on it."

I've read this book three times and took Shambala Training. Many years ago, I saw a young girl sitting on a park bench reading this book. I thought "uh-oh!" Chogyam Trungpa was considered one of the greatest meditation masters in American Buddhism. The Karmapa approved of him totally. He was a brillant man who understood the inhibitions and neurosis of Westerners possibly better than any teacher who has taught Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He helped me a great deal. I no longer became embarrassed about being a human being. His books are and were great. But sadly enough, we have to face facts. I have talked to many many people in the last twenty years who knew him. His conduct was, to say the least, deplorable. He constantly violated four out of the five Buddhist precepts. Buy the book. All of Trungpa's books and his teachings were fundamentally kind and compassionate. Just do what the Dalai Lama suggests. Be wary with any personal teacher. Best of luck.

such as 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism', which is a very good read. His words in this book are not very concise and he never goes deep into his topics. It is much like a cliff notes for 'The Road Less Traveled' - by Scott Peck. If you want to read about how to live everyday life, go for Scott Peck. If you are looking for a book on Zen or meditation read 'Zen Mind, Beginners Mind'. Shambhala wasnt a terrible book, but it wasnt a life changing, thought inspiring one either. Hope this review helped!

"The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world's problems. This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come only from the West or the East. Rather, it is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures at many times throughout history". - Chogyam Trungpa

The book looks at the principles of warriorship, and this is non-aggressive, no swords and daggers here.

I read this book and it was like having spent my whole life walking from place to place. Then one day being given a bicycle to travel around. And one night, whilst asleep, dreaming of the awesome speed I was now able to travel at, someone sneaks into my garage and fits a turbo charged, jet powered, rocket engine.

I would recommend this book to anyone, and have been doing, if you are reading this now then your search is complete, there is no need to go any further. Put it in your shopping basket and get ready for the rollercoaster ride of your life.