[Backcover Review]: "PEOPLE OF LEGEND by acclaimed photojournalist and author John Annerino is a stunning and evocative portrait of Native America and the mystical landscapes they call home. "This largely photographic essay...offers a rare glimpse of coming of age ceremonies and feasts, and vivid re-enactments of ancient dances."-San Francisco Chronicle. "Contemporary Native American culture is revealed by a photojournalist who spent over 20 years exploring the Southwest...a stunning visual display of modern tribes and people: a blend of cultural history and art book."-Reviewers Bookwatch. "Annerino's work is outstanding." -Arizona Daily Star. "PEOPLE OF LEGEND tells a history, in words and pictures, that we all need to know." -American Photo Magazine. "Extraordinary."-Sandia Review." [Backcover Bio]: "Praised by Newsweek as one of the finest photographers of the West, John Annerino has worked in the frontier of Old Mexico and the American West for two decades. The Washington Post has lauded his "reverant and ravishing photographs," The Denver Post described his work as "fabulous," Publishers Weekly calls it "stunning." Represented by Gamma-Liaison, Annerino's credits include Time, Life, Newsweek, and Scientific American, among many prestigious publications worldwide. The author of nine books, Annerino's works include the critically acclaimed 1999 border saga DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS and his new photo/art book on American cowboys and cowgirls, ROUGHSTOCK: THE TOUGHEST EVENTS IN RODEO."

Acclaimed author and photojournalist John Annerino is known for his high-risk journeys through the frontiers of Mexico and the American Southwest, seeking stories untold and photos unseen. For the past two decades, with his pen and his camera, he has told the stories of indigenous people -- their struggles and triumphs, their political strife and quiet dignity. His chronicles about the Tarahumara [WHERE SPIRITS STILL DANCE, in press] and Inde [APACHE: The Sacred Path to Womanhood, Marlowe & Co.], and his journeys across the desert with Mexican citizens looking for work in the United States [DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands, Four Walls Eight Windows], can be found in several books as well as in frequent articles. Annerino share[s] his journeys and experiences, reflecting on how indigenous cultures have retained their traditions while dealing with outside influences. -Heard Museum

PEOPLE OF LEGEND. Annerino's book examines Indians' ties to land...A dozen figures raise crooked sticks toward the twilight sky. In the shot, Annerino manages to bring an almost monumental quality to the circle of students at San Simon High School, on the western edge of the Tohono O'odham reservation, as they play the ancient stickball game. At first glance, it appears to be some ancient ceremony. In a way it is. "I wanted to show the spirituality of the game of toka for the Tohono O'odham," Annerino said. -Daily Star

This is one of the best books on our healthcare system that I have ever read. I learned a great deal from it. I cried while reading the ways pregnant women have (and are still) being treated by the medical establishment. I never knew statistics showed midwife births were safer than hospital births. This book was an eye opener in so many ways and I'm grateful to John Robbins for having written it. The history of the AMA is comparable to a horror story... I'll never see things the same again. If you are someone who doesn't take things at face value and seeks the truth, I'd highly recommend this book.

This provocative yet thoroughly researched and fascinating book explores the American Health Care. As an Australian, this book is still a must read as western society is still influenced by America's research and conduct in health care. Robbins explores the scandals and lies of the AMA, the tobacco companies, the chiropractors, the mid-wives and the battle between conventional and alternative medicine. I was shocked to read the conflict of interests in the tobacco companies and the AMA and the near-heretic persecution of Burzynski's anti-cancer treatments. Overall, this book awakens the reader not only to alternatives and politics in health care but also the important message of taking responsibility for one's own health. The health care system isn't perfect; doctors are not gods; drugs can't cure everything yet the human body has powerful, natural healing powers which can be enhanced. We must pursue a path of health which concentrates on prevention, integrates the best of both conventional and alternative but ultimately a path where we take the responsibility to make informed decisions on our health. Healing is within us.Well written, this book will open your eyes. A must read.

John Robbins has done it again! After reading his book "Diet For A New America" my life was forever changed. And now, "Reclaiming Our Health" has shattered my world view once again.

Though non-fiction, this is a powerful book that I could not put down. It exposes the problems of the modern medical industry and shakes it to its very core. This is a must-read for every woman, cancer patient, AIDS victim -- anyone who has every dealth with personal illness or that of a loved one.

After using a customized filemaker pro solution for two years at work, which the company had outgrown, I decided to start from scratch and create my own. I have purchased several filemaker books over the past few months and this is the only one which supplemented the filemaker pro manual. It says it covers Filemaker Pro 3.0 and 4.0 but everything applies to Filemaker Pro 5.0 also.

Absolutely every technique I was trying to do was described in detail here. This book explains some of the workaround techniques that are not instantly built in to Filemaker but are possible with a little work. The supplemental CD has each technique as a seperate database file making it easy to analyze and adapt to your own database.

Filemaker Pro is much easier to use than Access and superior when creating both an interface and printed reports, especially graphic intensive reports such as catalogs.

Read the Filemaker Pro manual, then buy this book. The high price of the book is completely covered in the fact that it is so comprehensive and covers advanced techniques in such easy to understand language.

I got a lot of ideas for my own databases from reading this book and was highly impressed by such detailed content.

If you are deciding between Visual Quickstart's Filemaker Pro (it only covers what is covered in the Filemaker manual), Filemaker Pro Bible (hardly comprehensive enough to be called a bible), Automating Filemaker Pro (more theory and description than how to automate it), and Scriptology, ONLY buy Scriptology. It will save you a lot of time and money (unless you are stupid like me and buy all the other books first).

When I first started doing database development back in 1995, I searched long and hard for a good book that'd teach me all about many of the "hard to get your head around" features of FileMaker Pro such as advanced scripting, understanding calculation formulas, dealing with related data and portals, and how to build killer user interfaces. At the time, there were no good books (to my knowledge). Later, after I'd finished my first subcontracting gig as a FileMaker developer and started my own company, I stumbled across Scriptology. I don't even remember where I found it (it was some unlikely place like a mall bookstore or something.)

I have to say that the book helped a great deal in my efforts to become a professional Filemaker developer, an advanced scripter, and a careful database planner/architect. I had already learned many of the techniques illuminated in the book by the by...from colleagues or by surfing the Web, but never before had all the greatest tips and techniques been collected in one place. Enter Scriptology.

One point, though. While I'm sure John and Matt are putting together a new edition as we speak, the book is dated in some respects (it doesn't cover FileMaker 5's new features). It also doesn't cover some very advanced FileMaker topics such as ODBC connectivity, Web development, or the use of plugins. For these reasons, the book seems pricy, but it'll still add a great deal to any developer's FileMaker database-building arsenal.

A MUST for any and all Filemaker developer. Much more than a simple 'how to' book. Gets to the heart of how to create solutions with FileMaker Pro.

The Rules of the Game adds to our under- standing of those factorsin the battle of Jutland which make it such a fascinating example of the "fog of war" and the mind-sets of commanders hobbled by tradition and their own preconceptions. Gordon explores the backgrounds of the various British admirals -- Jellicoe, Beatty, Evan-Thomas, etc --who commanded elements of the Grand Fleet. The book's format is unusual: it begins with an account of the opening phases of the battle, then backtracks 100 years, delving into the personalities and events which shaped the Royal Navy after Trafalgar. The author has his heroes and bete-noirs -- those who attempted to bring realism into fleet maneuvers and those who could see no farther than the shine on a ship's binnacle. The Victoria sinking of 1893 and the deqath of Admiral Tryon played a major role, according to Gordon, in arresting evolutionary practices in ship handling and signalling. Midway through the book, we get back to the battle, which is clearly described , although not in such detail as accounts by Corbett and Marder. The author obviuosly has access to new material, which he utilizes to present us with new perspectives on both British and German command decisions. I highly recommend this book to any student of naval history for its intelligent use of sources, clarity of writing, and thoughtful conclusions

This book is not just about the battle of Jutland: it's a critical and outstanding representation of the birth and evolution of British Navy's tactical doctrine from the middle of the XIX century till 1916, with significative glimpses beyond that date. The widening gulf between the peace-time ethos and training of the officers' corps (strict repect of the authority and slavish attention to goose-step fleet manouvres) and the requirements of a war-time Navy (initiative and skill at gunnery) is well presented, with many stimulating references to the psychological, social and cultural context of the Victorian Navy. The examination of the battle reflects to some extent the more general aim of the book and, as a consequence, is not as detailed as it could be (see for that John Campbell's "Jutland, an analysis of the fighting"). But the many still-debated episodes of the clash of the two fleets are thouroughly discussed and illuminated by the vast knowledge of the author. A captivating narrative and a final chapter on how the example of pre-1914 British Navy can teach a modern military service to avoid committing the same errors complete a masterful historical work. I totally agree with the previous rewiers in regarding Andrew Gordon's book as a major contibution to the history of British Navy in the First World War.

This is a quite epic narrative history, which reads with the facility and pace of a well-constructed thriller. It is at once a social history of the Royal Navy that spans the Ironclad, Dreadnought and Great War eras, a dissertation on naval signalling and fleet-handling in a period of unprecedented technical innovation, a reflection on the challenges and stresses of leadership and a thrilling account of the Battle of Jutland from a British perspective. The book opens with a quite thrilling account of the opening phase of the battle, in which technical and human complexities are treated with equal aplomb, then breaks off - leaving the reader all but white knuckled - at the moment the German High Seas Fleet appears on the scene and forces Beatty's Battle Cruiser Force and Fifth Battle Squadron to turn northwards. It might seem an anti-climax to be diverted from this drama to the controversies that dominated the Navy in the Late-Victorian and Edwardian periods but this part of the story, with its splendidly delineated cast of larger-than-life characters, is no less gripping, especially in view of its ultimate relevance to command and control decisions at the potentially climactic encounter at Jutland. The third part of the book returns to the battle itself, with the arrival of Jellicoe's Battle Fleet, the main clash and the subsequent night action and German escape. The complexities of naval manoeuvre have seldom been so clearly portrayed in print, with excellent use being made of simple diagrams for illustration, and colour and pace are lent to the narrative by many well-chosen extracts from survivor's accounts, ranging from the light-hearted to the outright ghastly. This was indeed a battle where there was no mid-point between unscathed survival and horrific injury. The story is told almost exclusively from the Royal Navy viewpoint - that indeed of a British participant - and, thought this adds great immediacy, readers will need to look elsewhere for a more detailed account of the German movements. The final part of the book is in many ways the saddest, detailing the recriminations, self-justifications and personal tragedies involving the main participants after the war. A postscript that deals with the problem of intelligence overload as a purely Naval concern will be found by many readers to have singular relevance to large modern organisations employing E-Mail! This is, in summary, a quite magnificent piece of work and a delight for enthusiasts of naval history. The only mild criticism that might be made is that the writer has omitted to discuss how experience from the Spanish-American and Russo-Japanese Wars might have influenced Royal Naval thinking on visual signalling and fleet control under battle conditions. Japanese experience might be assumed to have been of particular relevance in view of the strong Royal Navy influence on Japanese naval development - and of the presence on Togo's flagship at Tsu-Shima of Captain William Packenham, who later commanded the 2nd. Battle Cruiser Squadron at Jutland. This minor gripe aside one can but long for more from the pen of Mr.Gordon.

"The human race, without intending anything of the sort, has undertaken a gigantic uncontrolled experiment on the earth. In time, I think, this will appear as the most important aspect of twentieth-century history, more so than World War II, the communist enterprise, the rise of mass literacy, the spread of democracy, or the growing emancipation of women." (J. R. McNeill)

Over the past few years there have been a spate of histories of the 20th century. Most of them have been written from traditional, often Eurocentric, historical perspectives that focus upon political history set in the context of socioeconomic development and ideological and military conflict. J. R. McNeill's *Something New Under the Sun* replaces the political narrative, usually found at the center of histories, with an environmental one. It invites readers to reevaluate the legacy of the 20th century.

By any measure, the 20th century is, as McNeill characterizes it, "a prodigal century." In terms of growth of population, economic development, and energy production and consumption, it is a case of 'quantity having a quality of its own.' On the one hand, it is a triumph of the human species. (McNeill suggests readers consider that over the past 4 billion years of human history, 20% of all human life-years took place in the 20th century.) On the other hand, this prodigal century - this triumph of human ingenuity - has also exacted an unprecedented environmental cost. It is this trade-off that McNeill's book explores.

McNeill's approach is interdisciplinary, and the book is divided into two sections. The first section is organized around transformations to the lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, and the resulting pollution and resource depletion. Each topic includes a (very) brief conceptual introduction, case studies from around the world, (black and white) photos, maps, and tables. This section also includes the best example of unintentional environmental consequences. McNeill introduces Thomas Midgely, the inventor of leaded gasoline and Freon, "[who] had more impact on the atmosphere than any other organism in earth history."

In the second section, McNeill introduces the 'engines of change" - 1) population growth, migration, and urbanization, 2) energy, technology, and economic growth, and 3) politics and environmental awareness. The pulses of 'coketowns' and 'motowns' take place amidst the tumultuous social, economic, and political events of the 20th century. Environmental awareness doesn't take root until the 70's - a critical period for women as well. (His examples of Rachel Carson and Wangari Maathai were well chosen - and gendered.) In his epilogue (So What?), McNeill's history portends an environmental crunch, a change of circumstances - a dilemma unlike the world has witnessed so far.

"With our new powers we banished some historical constraints on health and population, food production, energy use, and consumption generally. Few who know anything about life with these constraints regret their passing. But in banishing them we invited other constraints in the form of the planet's capacity to absorb wastes, by-products, and impacts of our actions. The latter constraints had pinched occasionally in the past, but only locally. By the end of the twentieth century, they seemed to restrict our options globally. Our negotiations with these constraints will shape the future as our struggles against them shaped our past." (J. R. McNeill)

*Something New Under The Sun* is written in a popular style well suited to both non-fiction readers and students. Readers of environmental historians like William Cronon, William McNeill, or Alfred Crosby will certainly find McNeill's book interesting. Personally I think that McNeill's global perspective of the 20th century will stand the test of time.

For a throughly researched, densly written , book of facts to be readable is almost a contradiction. Yet this is exactly what J.R. McNeill has accomplished. He is a Historian, most interested in change, objective in his assesment of those changes (Who and What benefits, Who and What doesn't), anthropocentric(a viewpoint too often missing in environmental studies), and broad-minded concerning possible approaches to problems (the shark has done very well for a very long time).

What makes this such an important book aside from its readability and penetrating analysis, is perspective. J.R. McNeill considers history without consideration of the life-support system of Earth or ecology that neglects social forces, incomplete and capable of leading to dangerous conclusions. Further, "Both history and ecology are, as fields of knowledge go, supremely integrative. They merely need to integrate with one another."

Having grown up in Pittsburgh, Pa., I can attest to the author's history of Pittsburgh and to his grasp of the complexity of problems there (for instance: Andrew Carnegie found the level of pollution intolerable, later some unions fought smoke-control). In today's world, no matter where we live or what work we do,environmental issues will arise.

This book by elucidating the processes and trends that underly today's world, gives us a foundation on which to base our opinions and choices, working toward the day when we , in the author's words, "Make our own luck, rather than trusting to luck..."

McNeill's basic thesis is that in environmental terms, the 20th century has been unprecedented in human history and planetary history in general. He points out that the impact of humankind's breathtaking technological advancements in the last 100 or so years can be likened to a major cataclysm, like an asteroid hitting the planet. The book provides a wealth of background information on a number of major technical/technological developments, and how they have improved the lives of many people but also damaged or imperiled the air, water and soil that sustain all life. McNeill is hardly a Luddite or a primitivist, but he does make some reasonable calls for restraint and, perhaps, a worldwide assessment of where human economic/industrial/technological activities are taking the planet. Interesting in this vein is his consideration, toward the end of the book, of how the economic thought of the last century, with its adherence to the concept of unlimited growth, has played a key role in preventing such an assessment. As he points out, overcoming this way of thinking represents a daunting task, since these (Anglo-American) economic doctrines have assumed the status of irrefutable dogma - like any system of religious beliefs.

Aside: Doesn't Maxwell look like the teacher/monitor from the 80's movie, The Breakfast Club? Anyway...

I applaud John Maxwell, who writes books integrating Christian principles into non-spiritual topics, like leadership. In this book, Maxwell brings up three things that we need to understand in order to be a success: 1) To know our purpose in life, 2) To maximize our potential, and 3) To sow seeds that benefits others.

In defining success within these three principles, he defines what success in NOT, namely wealth, power, or a number of other things that we normally equate with making it in this world. He brings up some good examples of the wealthy and powerful industrialists of the early 20th century who died penniless or miserable.

Principle #2 really spoke to me. Maximizing potential is something, by nature, that I constantly strive to do. Maxwell's chapters devoted to this principle were the most beneficial to me. The inevitability of change in our lives brings us to the point of what decision we will make. It's not like we can avoid change, we can't. This becomes an inflection point in our life and can determine what will happen to us over the next one, five, ten years. We can go into the unknown (which is hard to do) or keep the status quo.

Principles #1 and #3 also brought up some good things for me, but I have to say that the chapters relating to maximizing potential were the most interesting. But that is where I am in life. Perhaps the other two chapters are more suited for you.

The pits of the book that I feel compelled to highlight are few, but nonetheless present. While the material is useful, I found it rather simplistic. Some chapters had a bullet point list of "fix-it" solutions. Abstract areas like leadership are rarely solved by concrete methods of A, B, C, etc., although it can be a good start. I wish it would have gone deeper. Also, this may be a pet peeve, but Maxwell uses a lot of insightful examples using references like, "It is said that Abe Lincoln said this..." or "According to a 13th century monk..."

Like I said, the examples are useful in illustrating a point, but these roundabout references lose a little bit of legitimacy to me. I'm sure that he has a good research staff, but I am used to seeing more solid citations when referring to a story or person.

But this is a good overview of success, which is not derived from wealth or power, but of knowing the purpose that God created us for and to actually go out and realize it.

I really enjoyed this book, and learned a lot about my journey towards a successful life. John Maxwell has put together years of research about leadership, and the pursuit of success for this book. He uses a very straight forward approach towards the subject of success, and what it really means. Additionally, he reinforces his ideas with many quotes and stories from people of every walk of life.

Although some of Mr. Maxwell's thoughts and concepts were not new to me this book really challenged me to take an honest look at my life and where I am heading. Since I am currenlty in the middle of a huge career change (and trying to focus my thoughts on what my future should look like), I think that I discovered this book at the perfect time. It has helped me gain focus and motivation for the upcoming changes.

I especially enjoyed the practical exercises that are at the end of each chapter in the book. You can't just read this book and expect your life to change. You have to do some work, and the author constantly reminds you of this fact throughout. When I forced myself to answer some of the tough questions that he throws at you, I gained some real insight into my life's work, and where I am heading.

I also liked the fact that John Maxwell includes an entire chapter about family relationships and the fact that you cannot be successful, unless you are successful at home first. I have seen too many people make this mistake, so I am glad that he included this angle in the book. My wife and I had a great discussion about what we value when we completed the exercises at the end of this chapter together.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for insight into how to fulfill your dreams, how to become successful, or just want to improve their outlook on life. It can help give you a new perspective, and gives you the tools for an honest assessment of where you are, and where you want to go.

it changed my lifelong, discouraging concept of success. I was encouraged to see my life with hope again. please write more books like this. i have been telling my friends to buy the book. my negative attitudes are changing. best of all, this is so God-inspired. i just chanced upon this book, not realizing how much it was going to help me change . thank you. the bookstore said it's so hard to obtain it and i just didn't let go of it anymore at the store. hope i didn't say too much.

This is an awesome book about the awesome task of an awesome God.

Piper relates missions to the supremacy of God by insisting that missions is not the chief end of the church, worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship therefore is the goal of missions. But even more than that, the impetus behind true missionary zeal is a heart that is satisfied in the glory of God above all things. Therefore, worship is also the fuel of missions.

Then Piper shows the key role that prayer plays in missionary effort. Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie given by our Commander-in-Chief so that we can call Him for air cover when we are on the frontlines of the battle. The problem with most of us is that we have turned this wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom by asking for more worldy comforts instead of help for Kingdom work.

A third chapter (in part one) shows the role that suffering plays in missions by expositing texts like Col. 1:24. This is a powerful and insightful section that will inspire and encourage you - as well as make you count the cost of following Jesus down the hard road of love.

The second part of the book deals with theological issues that are essential to a Biblical understanding of missions, such as the eternality of hell, the necessity of the atonement, and the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation. This book is a Calvinistic call to missions that exceeds anything I have ever read elsewhere! I recommend it heartily!

I definately agree on the excellence of this book. Piper is obviously a man after God's heart, and listens when His father speaks. Piper gives a rather untraditional, yet much needed view of "missions." The idea that missions is for the glory of God, and NOT because the missionary has a love for a certain people or country, makes this view functional. It is a blatant and biblical answer to the high degree of missionary attrition as seen in today's sending organizations. Following this model, and heeding to the other exhortations regarding prayer and suffering set forth in this book will allow worship to resound and God to be glorified. It is a must read!

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church, worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." This is the opening line of this book, and it is the foundational premise on which it is written.

Piper writes about a God who is worth serving, worth going to the nations for, and who is worth suffering for. There is no greater cause in all the world than the glory of God and Piper eloquently describes how Missions is intimately connected to that cause.

Perhaps the most striking point in the book is the idea that God is passionate for his own glory. In fact that God is passionately establishing his glory in the nations. It is not that God is in constant need of affirmation, but that He knows that His glory is the "chief end of man"...and of God.

The chapter on Suffering is incredible. Piper's writing is as convicting as it is motivating. The reader is left asking the question "Do I believe in a God like this? Do I serve a God who is worth suffering for?"

God has honored his church with the privelege of joining Him in his work in the world. Piper is a man who understands this privilege, and who invites us to join Him as well.

I am the Boris in John Derbyshire's brilliant first novel. I have had the priviledge of having Mr. Derbyshire work in my Department at a Wall Street firm allowing him to write his novel at the office. What has John done? He has put together a masterful novel of a Chinese immigrant who comes to this country with his Chinese wife and as many of us do, fantasizes about a former girlfriend who has also immigrated to this country. Unlike many of us husbands, he visits her. He then weaves in the 30th president of the United States who helps preserve his marriage. It should be noted that Mr. Derbyshire is English, went to China to teach and fell in love with and married one of his students. He does have a genuine fondness for Mr. Coolidge. We have debated to what extent the book is autobiographical, which he vehemetly denies although his wife hates the book. So be it. If you want a good, thoughtful read, try this acclaimed book.

Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream is a fine work, quite amazing in weaving together such different strands as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the pain of regret and lost love, the terse, no-nonsense wisdom of a vastly underrated President and individual, and the question of making moral choices. A book very deliberately against the modern grain. In short, just what we need in an age when art so often fails to elevate.

I understand this is the author's first published novel, and it is a masterpiece. The Englishman manages to capture the cadences of both Chinese immigrant and Yankee Puritan with aplomb. The use of language is breathtaking, the analogies awesome and the story itself charming, funny and totally uplifting. In the process he manages to paint a wonderful portrait of the most neglected President of the twentieth century, the magnificent Calvin Coolidge.

On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio is a must-have for any Old-Time Radio buff. The book has already helped me arrange my collection of shows. If it had pictures, the book would be even better, but the facts and obvious love that John Dunning has for these shows makes the book an incredible read.

If you only want to purchase a single book on the subject of old time radio then this has to be it. The alternative is probably Swartz & Reinehr's Handbook of Old-Time Radio. The latter covers a lot more different series than the Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, but there is only a brief amount of information on each one. In this John Dunning masterpiece there are comprehensive details on ALL of the major shows, hundreds of them. The reviews range from a few lines up to full-blown essays that detail everything from the history of the show through to the leading stars, directors and even sound effects personnel. Dunning manages to do this in a style that is anything but dull. He manages to make even the most mundane of shows seem worth listening to and his passion for this medium is evident on every one of it's 800+ pages. It isn't a cheap book, but to the old radio show fan it really is worth it's weight in gold (maybe that's a slight exaggeration as this is a BIG heavy book that could double-up as a door-stop). Happy listening! Ned Norris, Webmaster of RUSC Old Time Radio Shows...

John's 1976 "Tune In Yesterday" is a classic. "On The Air" is more than just a revision of his earlier book. Some 1,500 radio shows presented in alphabetical order. There is extensive information on each show's length of run, cast, writers, and directors. A comprehensive bibliography of Old-Time Radio (OTR) literature is included.

What really sets this book apart from other OTR books is John's insightful writing about the shows; he writes from the heart and with passion. John is an acknowledged expert on OTR; he had OTR shows on various stations in Denver, CO for over 20 years. John is also a best-selling author - his two novels on, cop-turned rare book seller/detective, Cliff Janeway are very readable.

If I could only buy one OTR book, this one is it!

This 3rd exciting novel takes you back into the adventurous life of Ben Gannon and his girlfriend Sass as they embark on yet another action-filled adventure. John McKinna's series is always a delightful read with stories filled with action and adventure but also filled with delightful and colorful characters of both good and bad persuasions. Ben is drawn to his lost friend by a vision and the man's wife to save him from an island prison that is not only underwater but - you guessed it - surrounded by man-eating sharks! With a badass sidekick named Naji and a throw-away stoner named Head, they fly away into high adventure and a rescue that was very fun and exciting to read. This writer is never boring to read and is just getting better and better as he goes along. The whole story was well executed in terms of great range of characters and storyplot. This is a must read for all. So strap on your underwater gear and dive in!

Simply another great entry in the action-adventure sweepstakes from author John McKinna. The third novel in the Ben Gannon deep-sea diving series, this one ups the ante from the previous books, Crash Dive and Tiger Reef, even further, and keeps the action, plot twists, and black humor coming thick and fast. McKinna has selected a disintegrating African country as a backdrop for what may be his finest book yet: an immensely entertaining prison break from an island fortress with enough wild action and funky characterizations to rival Indiana Jones and Dirk Pitt combined. Believeable, though. His heroes and heroines are very human. A great third effort from an author to watch. Bravo!

Excellent book. This is the third Ben Gannon book I've tried and it continues the high standard of entertainment established by the first two. Diving and mercenary action in a Rwanda-like African country with two opposing tribes trying to cut each other to pieces. Diver Ben Gannon is out to save an old friend imprisoned by a diabolical South African mercenary--a classic McKinna bad guy--and has to swim at night through a shark-infested inland lake to do it. Heartstopping inwater and onland action to go with the crazy characters and plot twists. Humorous sometimes too. Excellent adventure fiction which should be made into a movie any day now.