Do wish that things could always remain the same? Have you found that they don't? Are you afraid that you lack the strength and ability to cope with on-going change in your life? Ms. Moore offers the concept that changes are gifts from a loving God, and invites us to consider the benefits, the inherent blessings contained in these gifts. She shares her own personal experiences in surviving cancer, and bankruptcy, just to mention a few. She also includes refreshing, insightful exercises to help one surpass the "helpless victim consciousness", and re-gain mastery over any situation. The book is further enhanced by true experiences of many of Ms. Moore's friends. Each recognized their need to change, for personal and spiritual growth. I especially liked the "Daily Problem Solver" passage, and the "Asking God a Question" exercise on pages 117-118. They are among the many tips presented in this remarkable book to help anyone handle life's difficult moments.

I keep referring to this book because life is made of constant change. The author gives practical advice for going through change gracefully, gaining power as we go. She also gives examples from her own life to illustrate and inspire.

Through the honesty and courage expressed in this book, Mary Carroll Moore helped me facilitate change in my life! The exercises are simple, practical, and life-changing. It has become a handbook for me--every time I find myself facing a new level of change, I pull it out. Invariable, I put my hands on exactly what I need!

This book gets one excited about physics. Common physical phenoman like rate, speed, mass and force are explained in very ingenious ways. What is more the writing is good and to the point. Even though there is not much math to speak of the author explains things in a concise manner. What got me hooked to this book is that it does require thinking on part of the reader. One quickly finds out that what may seem intuitive and common sense is in fact precisely the wrong answer. Another major advantage of the book is that you do not have to read it from page one onwards. Turn to any segment and you are sure to be sucked in. Page after page is filled with nice little nuggets of fun. Get this book you will not regret it.

If you ever took a college class in physics, or maybe even high school, or ever wanted to understand physics, this is the book for you. I'm an electrical engineer, and my physics classes were 20 years ago, but I love this book. It really does make you think!! Buy it now (and get one for your friends).

This is a jewel of a book. The latest second edition includes additional material on waves, which addresses a lack in the earlier edition. There are sections on optics, momentum, kinetic and potential energy, etc..

My favorite problem, and this is typical of the sort of material presented, is to decide whether or not a car suffers more damage in

A. hitting an immovable brick wall at 50 m.p.h.

B. having a head-on collision with an identical car both travelling at 50 m.p.h. ?

The usual response is to say B. However, Newton's 3rd law of motion, ("forces always act in pairs; if a exerts a force on b, then b exerts an equal and oppositely-directed force on a), maintains that the damage is the same, i.e., the wall strikes the car with the force of a head-on collision. This problem, by the way, is particularly juicy - I remember the head of a university physics department discussing this one at considerable length with two other physicists! (They more or less agreed, with provisos, that B. is indeed correct.)

The author encourages thinking without mathematics, to come to terms with the physical reality of what is occurring. This approach closely mirrors that of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell, who felt that mathematics was useful only as an adjunct to science and no substitute for clear thinking... A marvellous book.

This is a history book like no others. The author developed a detailed model of civilization life cycle analysis. According to him, civilizations pass through 7 predictable stages. Typically the 7th and last stage of one civilization is the first stage of another one that is succeeding the first dying civilization.

Using his model, he analyzes in detail the life cycle of several major civilizations, including: the Mesopotamian, Minoan, Classical, Russian, and Western.

Reading this book almost feels like uncovering a manuscript of secret knowledge. Although I have read quite a bit on this subject, other historians and authors rarely refer to Quigley. Yet, I feel that he is the giant within his field of historical analysis. And, that his model could serve well in better understanding current affairs.

This is a fascinating book and definitely worth the time and money. In the beginning of the book, Quigley makes the case for the introduction of the scientific method to the social sciences. As a matter of fact, the first 170 pages of the book lays the rationale behind and need for analytical tools to study history. He states that the alternative would be just the presentation of facts with no explanation for what is actually happening. One needs to know what is happening to be able to determine which facts to present, which requires analytical tools. The first 170 pages also deal with distinctions between societies and civilizations, as well as between parasitic and productive societies. He defines civilizations as producing societies with an instrument of expansion
He then states that civilizations proceed through the following stages:
1. Mixture - different societies come into contact and produce a society with an outlook different from any of the parts.
2. Gestation - the period of time between the mixing of the different societies and the expansion of the civilization.
3. Expansion - the surplus generated by the society is invested in activities that benefit the civilization. This can include an increase in knowledge, increase in area, technological advancements that increase efficiency, etc. Civilizations have different instruments of expansion. He calls a social organization or unit an instrument if it meets social needs.
4. Age of Conflict - The rate of increase using the social instrument slows down which brings interesting times. The instrument can be reformed or a new instrument consistent with the civilization's outlook can circumvent the old instrument. If reform is achieved, a new age of expansion begins. If the vested interests of the previous instument of expansion increasingly consume resources while serving no social needs, Quigley says that the instrument has then become an institution. Expansion can continue, but it is at the expense of neighbors, which leads to imperialist wars. When the vested interests have crushed all internal opposition, the next stage appears.
5. Universal Empire - typically a state or politcal unit on the peripheral of the civilization gains power over the whole civilization. The illusion of a golden age appears. The social organization remains stagnant.
6. Decay - lack of belief in the civilization's outlook or inability to meet needs of the people leads to people opting out of the system.
7. Invasion - external forces disrupt the civilization's social organization and it is unable or unwilling to defend itself. That spells the end of the civilization.
The civilizations that he analyzes are the following: Mesopotamian, Caananite and Minoan, Classical, and Western. His examples are excellent as is his analysis. I particularly liked his example of the the Pythagorian rationalists love for rationality went beyond their love for the truth, as a disciple of Pythagoras proved the irrationality of reality using the Pythagorean theorem. We have that lot to blame for discrediting the scientific method for about two thousand years!
A very enjoyable read!

This is a striking book. When one is past the formative years, it rarely happens that a single book can substantially change one's view of the world. For me the "Evolution of Civilizations" influenced my understanding of history more than anything I've read in many years.

The most important author's contribution to historical analysis is identification of the growth mechanism - "instrument of expansion", which can be quite different in different civilizations. It must include two necessary conditions - generation of surplus output, and its investment in productive economic activities. Later, this "instrument of expansion" becomes institutionalized, when surplus is spent on maintenance of status quo of ruling elites and various vested interests, and a society enters "Age of Conflict".

One of the distinctions, which Quigley attributes uniquely to the Western civilization, is that it passed through the "Age of Expansion" and reached the "Age of Conflict" three times in its history. First - during Middle Ages (he specifically puts dates 970-1270) with the feudalism as an instrument of expansion, which became institutionalized as chivalry and municipal mercantilism. The second period is the Renaissance era (1440-1630), with the commercial capitalism as instrument of expansion, which ended in the "Age of conflict" of the brutal Thirty Years War, absolutism, and state mercantilism of the emerging nation-states. The third "Age of Expansion" is associated with the Industrial Revolution, beginning in the second half of the 18-th century. It had the industrial capitalism as an instrument of expansion, which became institutionalized in the monopolistic capitalism and imperialism.

Quigley puts the end of the third "Age of Expansion" specifically in 1929, with the Wall Street crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. This is an americentric view; in fact the process of institutionalization and monopolistic excesses can be traced to late 19-th century, and by early 20-th century they were plainly evident. Western economies still expanded, but financial crashes, increasing in frequency and magnitude, underlined new fragility due to the exhaustion of the expansionary mechanism. In this sense the WWI was a typical "Age of Conflict" war, similar to the Hundred Years War and the Thirty Years War of the previous "Ages of Conflict" in Europe - not a clash of civilizations, or the conflict between the old and the new. Instead it was pointless, horrible slaughter underlying the conflict between vested interests of various elites and countries belonging to one civilization, and largely devoid of irreconcilable ideological differences.

Yet, contrary to the author, it is unlikely that the Western civilization is unique in this sense. The ascendance of every civilization includes several distinct stages. In fact it is more historically consistent to talk about the probability of the civilization's survival after a period of crisis, brought by institutionalization of the "instrument of expansion" and solidifying status quo. One can argue, for example, that the Islamic civilization experienced at least two distinct "ages of expansion" - the first centered at times of Abbasid Caliphate, the second - during the ascent of the Ottoman Empire, in 14-16th centuries.

In the case of Orthodox Christian (i.e. Russian) civilization Quigley puts the "Age of Expansion" in the interval 1500-1900, and then - a new one beginning with the Soviet era. In fact, just like Western civilization, the Orthodox one experienced three very distinct stages of expansion before 20th century. The first one was Kievan Rus, which flourished along the North-South trading routes between the Baltic and Black seas (hence the duality of the most important cities - Kiev in the south and Novgorod in the north), which entered the "Age of Conflict" near the end of 12-th century and was conquered by Mongol invasion. The next period of expansion probably began around 1350 (its first show of strength was the victory over Mongols in Kulikovo Pole in 1380) and was centered around Moscow. It lasted probably until institutionalization of the part of the boyar elites loyal to Ivan IV (Grozny), around 1560. Its instrument of expansion was oriental-style autocracy, based on the ideas of civil and military administration borrowed from China, Golden Horde and Islamic countries. The subsequent "Age of Conflict" included terrible repressions of later-stage Grozny period, "Time of Troubles" in early 17-th century, and early period of the Romanov dynasty. The next stage began with Peter the Great, and was associated with St. Petersburg period. Its instrument of expansion was European-style absolutism, with westernizing aristocratic elite and bonded peasantry. It reached its zenith around 1815 with the victory over Napoleon, and began to stagnate around 1830.

I would argue that Quiglean interpretation of the subsequent period included unsuccessful attempt at the new instrument of expansion (western-borrowed industrial capitalism) in late the 19-th and early 20-th century, which was aborted and instead a new civilization was born. This socialist (or atheistic) civilization rapidly expanded to about the third of the globe and exerted strong influence on the western world. Its "instrument of expansion" included Communist party as an organization responsible for investing economic surplus (which later became institutionalized in "nomenclatura") and social engineering, which allowed rapid industrialization and development of education and health care. It reached its zenith in victory over Hitler, launch of the Sputnik and Gagarin's flight. This civilization entered its first "Age of Conflict" around 1965, apparent in progressing economic stagnation, intra-civilizational tensions with China (including a small war in 1969), one of the first manifestations of its crisis was defeat in the Moon landing race. Soviet regime collapsed around 1990, but the civilization did not, which is evident in strong economic performance in China throughout 90-s (which can be viewed as Quiglean "geographic circumvention") and the fact that Russia, despite some religious revival, remained overwhelmingly secular and didn't revert to many previous monarchic and religious traditions. After a period of painful reforms it will have the potential for the new "Age of Expansion", probably based on some western and some of its own ideas.

At 26, Marilyn Monroe was on the brink of stardom as she filmed her first leading role in Niagara. Canadian photojournalist Jock Carroll spent weeks with her at Niagara Falls during the on location shooting, and took almost 400 photographs. He also interviewed her throughout these weeks, and captured a lot of her activities on and off the set. He was preparing for an article called "Marilyn's Not So Menacing" that appeared in an August 1952 issue of Weekend Magazine, Canada's largest periodical at the time. You will see more candid photographs in this book than in any other source. Mr. Carroll died in 1995, and these photographs were located then. The photographs are well reproduced in this book, and bring her to life in both her glamorous and nonglamorous roles.

I was attracted to this book when I realized that it contained extensive interviews of Marilyn Monroe when she was 26, just before she reportedly drafted My Story. That autobiographical book has come in for many challenges concerning its authenticity and the strong stories contained in it. Reading the interviews in Falling for Marilyn provides a useful contrast in terms of what she says about herself and how she says it.

I was surprised to see that the stories she tells are almost identical in both books. That similarity argues for either for her being the author of My Story, or Mr. Carroll being the author. Interestingly, she tells a story here of having been recognized in school for her fiction as a child, and wanting to become an author. The most significant difference between the books was that here she claims to have needed the $50 she got for shooting the famous nude photographs to pay rent while in My Story, the money is used to retrieve her repossessed car. A minor discrepency comes in her asking Mr. Carroll a lot about Korea because she was thinking about doing a USO tour there. In My Story, she claims that this came up for the first time after she and Joe DiMaggio were in Japan on their honeymoon. There could be truth in both versions of these two stories.

There is a Zsa Zsa Gabor story here that is almost word-for-word the same as in My Story. This is true, as well, for one about being molested as a little girl by a boarder who paid her a nickel to keep quiet.

To me, the most telling comparison was in what Mr. Carroll observed about her. Even though she was making a fine salary at this point, she was always short of clothes while he was with her. This is something that she talks about a lot as being a function of her poverty in My Story. She also was always studying scripts or reading intellectual books, which is consistent with My Story also. She also made self-destructive comments about sleeping pills to Mr. Carroll as she does in My Story.

What was a pleasant surprise for me was Mr. Carroll's descriptions of his reactions to her. Those are missing from most books about Ms. Monroe. He had just come back from his own honeymoon a month before. He found himself strongly attracted to her, despite this. "The effect on me was cataclysmic." " . . . [W]hen she looked directly at you, it made you feel as though . . . you were sharing some naughty secret."

The photographs themselves are certainly sexy, but not revealing in the sense that we think of revealing today. They were daring, however, for 1952 in showing a little cleavage, a loose blouse, and sometimes erect nipples through her clothes.

She consciously worked on achieving this effect for these photographs. During a tour of a silverware factory, "Marilyn brightened [these] . . . photos by loosening the straps of her blouse, leaning over . . . to give . . . a good view of her breasts . . . ."

On the other hand, she was very protective of her relationship with Joe DiMaggio who did not want any publicity. She refused an interview where the interviewer was trying to worm in questions about the Yankee slugger.

My favorite photographs in the book include:

Reading script in bed (two page spread), located in the book's very beginning

Posing in front of the falls, p. 19

Visiting the silverware factory, p. 33

Combing her hair, p. 48

Arranging her hair, pp. 52-53

Laughing, pp. 84-85

Looking at Jean Peters' suit, p. 87

Smiling, p. 102

Seeing the vibrancy of this woman makes the sadness of her life all the more poignant. Be sure to read My Story to pick up on that contrast. Regardless of who wrote it, that is how Ms. Monroe saw herself and her life.

Consider how you can lift someone's spirits every day. Look for the hurting heart behind the naughty or haughty eyes . . . or any other strongly affecting mannerisms you notice. They are just part of the cover up.

'Niagra' is known for the movie that made Marilyn Monroe a star, and this book shows every moment of her life during the filming. As a true Monroe fan, I'm more interested in the casual candid photos of her more so than the made-up studio photography. My favorite photos of her in the book are the pictures taken of her while she was learning how to smoke a cigarette for the film. She had never smoked before and had to look like a natural within a few hours. These are photos you wouldn't see on a billboard or in a magazine. They show her true nature. They show her being a real person, vulnerable and timid.

Wonderful, oversized hardcover book with lots of black and white images of Marilyn while at Niagara Falls, shooting her first mayor movie "Niagara" in '52. I enjoy all the photographs, my favorites are where Marilyn practices smoking. There are also pictures of her with Joe Dimaggio before they were married, pictures of Marilyn without her make-up on and her face covered with vaseline as she liked to do. Reading her script while relaxing in bed. These are priceless photographs, showing Marilyn at the very brink of superstardom.

I thought this was an awesome book explaining Rodney Carroll's life and way to becoming a person who is very successful. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would encourage anybody to buy and read this book!

Rodney J. Carroll, the author, describes being raised by a neglectful mother in a poverty-stricken area, his pitfalls and prmotions within United Parcel Service, his pilot project which showed UPS the work potential of people on welfare and his experience standing on the podium with the President of the United States.

While reading the book, you feel like you are right with him. For example, he describes the story of his first day of work where he isn't trained and makes significant mistakes. He leaves the rollers in the truck, fails to sort the packages, and comes close to losing his job. He doesn't hesitate to tell the reader about weaknesses- giving you a sense he is a well-rounded real person willing to share of himself.

This book also avoids many of the cliches and unreality of the typical "rags to riches" autobiography. For example, he speaks of two times in his life where he basically gives up and becomes apathetic. At one point in high school, his counselor tells him that he is not smart enough to go to college. He internalizes that message and partially believes it. He flirts with gang activity and drug dealing. He also gets turned down for promotions at United Parcel Service and makes the decision that many people make in that circumstance- to do his job, but not try to do more.

In each of these cases, he gets his ambition back and his life on track. A friend of his tells him about the Basic Educational Opportunty Grant which he uses to get his tuition paid. And, he is promoted at UPS four years later to be a division manager at the Lawnsdale Hub.

We are spared the usual impression of a person who remains totally determined and courageous under all circumstances.

Yet, he also speaks with detail about motivating employees in a union shop where the work is monotonous and the lifting is heavy. He describes the internal politics where he persuades the managers to hire people on welfare.

There are many lessons here- and it's very entertaining. I read it three times.

Awesome - I believe that Rodney, in the course of his remarkable career, has indeed changed our world for the better with his compassion and belief. I also truly believe this book should be a mandatory read in all high schools and colleges. It gives much food for thought, including the responsibility each of us has to help address and solve the welfare problem Corporate America is living today. Most of us know little about the demeaning lives the people on welfare are forced to live, or the almost impossible task of improving their lives and Rodney, through his telling of his own experiences exposes the readers to their plight. I found this book an endless source of inspiration for me as a pacifist and believer in justice and equality for all. Rodney's skillful representation of welfare today reminds me of the unforgettable words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King where he prophetically penned: "We cannot have an enlightened democracy with one great group living in ignorance...... We cannot have a nation orderly and sound with one group so ground down and thwarted that it is almost forced into unsocial attitudes and crime". Like Dr. King, Rodney has forever altered the consciousness of America, like Dr. King, Rodney understands that love of God and love of ourselves are the necessary first steps on the road to freedom.

One of Rodney Carroll's greatest aspects is his commitment to his very own thoughts and thus, speaking his mind. He doesn't necessarily say what America's majority want to hear. That is why he is so phenomenal, so involved. His urgency in helping America's welfare recipients create themselves a better future, oppressed people world-wide; and his logical prioritising of human rights before civil rights, are evidential of his deep complex understanding of human nature.

Rodney's searing story belongs on the small shelf of great autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with which he recounts his transformation from a black kid trying to survive in the ghetto's of America finest into the exemplary, courageous and articulate man he is today. His honest portrayal of his life is a morally uplifting story, but it is also a fun read. This book will make you think, laugh and cry. It is also one of the most entertaining stories I've ever read. I've read it twice and in a few years, another read will be time well spent. All will be enriched by this fascinating book. It's a MUST!!

Rodney you're the BEST. Keep up the good work.

This book is easy to read and interesting. The editors notes in front of and behind almost every letter really make the book that little bit more. I found all of the letters interesting and many of them quite moving. Many of the letters illuminated subjects about which i was familiar but did not know that little part of the story. I recommend this book for any and every one. You do not have to be American (although much of the information is perhaps from an American perspective) to feel the things that are brought forth by the reading of these letters.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the inner qualities of our nation's most well-known and respected figures and the lesser-known, who were the people who shaped our country. From the early settlers and our founding fathers to people of the present, this book offers a touching and rewarding look into the lives of people during war, hardships, family life, and many other aspects of life. Letter writing truly reveals the inner part of ourselves. A wonderful book!

What a fantastic book. The letters I've read have brought voices to America's past. It's like reading a hundred stories in one book. For me, it's been an emotional read. The voices of people-slaves,soldiers, presidents and mothers that helped shaped our nation are still ringing in my ears. I'm recommending this to all my friends. A great trip though history.

Initially, I must alert that this book is not a detailed analisys of the spanish civil war, but a sum of the main events occured during the first half year of that same war - July to December 1936 - from the traditionalist roman catholic point of view shared by the author - Warren Carroll. Telling no falsities, the book sometimes falls in excessive simplifications like overemphasizing the role of the Carlist Militia, a traditionalist catholic guerrilla group that roots his origins in the 19th century, or ridiculously presenting José António's Falange almost as a group of modern hooligans. Really, Falange was an antimarxist, antiliberal and antiparty system political association, deeply influenced by Catholic Church's Social Doctrine, but not possessing the old fashioned "patine" typical of the Carlist Militia.

Nevertheless, Warren Carroll's book has two great and essential points:

1º) Remembers that the second Spanish Republic drove Spain to the chaos, leaving the real political power fall in the streets to be exercised, summarily, by communist and anarchist mobs (by the end of 1936, communists took complete control over the republic, now totally dependent on Stalin's U.S.S.R. economic and military aid, President Manuel Azaña being no more than a Moscow's puppet;

2º) Very especially, relates the brutal religious persecution moved in that same period by those communists and anarchists against the Catholic Church, one of the major causes to understand the 18th July 1936 nationalist sublevation (13 bishops and 10.000 priests were cold bloodly murdered in one of the worst 20th century's religious persecutions).

Dr. Carroll's book is particularly enlightening on the zeitgeist of Spanish culture that led to Franco Nationalism. This is quite in contrast to the conventional wisdom about Franco and the Catholic Church during this period. As recently as The New York Times A.P. report on the Pope's recent visit to Spain (related to the beatification of some of the 1936 martyrs), the revolution is ideologically rewritten to suit leftist revisionism. The order of events is, for instance, characteristically jumbled to suggest the Church was attacked BECAUSE of Franco; while Dr. Carroll's scrupulous work shows that, without question, the pogrom against the Catholic Church by a coalition of anarchists, socialists, communists and other indifferent leftists began long before the Carlists and other traditionalists struck back in defense of their faith. And, in Times fashion, Franco's "fascism" is questioned, without any mention of the Communist puppet regime Spain was becoming, even though the Spanish national treasury was looted and sent directly to Moscow, where Stalin bragged that the Spanish would have as much chance of seeing their gold again as a man has of seeing his own ears. This information is a fascinating rejoinder to histories that insist that on a simplistic view of a complex revolution.

An excellent book. You did not learn any of these facts in your history class. However, this is truly history. I am still searching for something that ties the whole attack on the Church during the last 500 years in philosophical terms. The closest has been Belloc. Enjoy the book, it is worth every cent.

I decided not to take any books on my (solo) vacation this year -- preferring instead to see what I would gravitate toward 'on the road' (my way of living dangerously -- such an exciting life I lead!). So it was, in one of the bookstores at Logan Airport in Boston that I came to be standing in front of the philosophy/self-improvement section. No -- PLEASE no self improvement (I said to myself). Aren't vacations supposed to be a respite from such relentless work?. But something (probably the link between my impending 37th birthday and the book's idea that a spiritual journey is natural in mid-life) intrigued me too much to let myself put this book back on the shelf.

When I reached my destination, I was still reluctant to start such a deep-sounding subject, but I picked it up anyway -- just to read a bit to get myself to sleep. Three hours later, I was still in the midst of this engrossingly descriptive guidepost to maturing spirituality. Reluctantly I put it aside to get some sleep, but the next morning I finished it -- somewhere between breakfast and lunch. Like another reviewer said, now I know what several friends will be getting for birthdays/Christmas presents!

I suppose the thing that touched me most was the inclusionary (rather than exclusionary) nature of the examples of different stages of 'the journey' -- tapping many different faith traditions rather than one particular dogma. Well, that and the idea that I have something 'new' ahead of me as I hit my forties and beyond, rather than more of the same old thing. I'd like to read it again soon (and I have a feeling I'll want to read it several times in the next couple of decades), but I'll have to get another copy -- my 'original' has been on loan since returning from my trip!

Rarely has a book affected me as profoundly as The Five Stages of the Soul. Like the mythic lighthouse beaming brightness into the dark, authors Moody and Carroll bring illumination into the deepest recesses of our souls and provide insight into the challenging and difficult struggles of life.

Actually, this is the first book that I've read suggesting the concept of stages in soul growth, especially during one's middle years. Those of the "baby boomer" era who are also caring for elderly parents may identify with many of the stories artfully woven into each chapter. While the content of the book is deep and thought provoking, the material is presented in language and style that is understandable and inviting.

Giving meaning to our daily lives, encouraging growth through struggle, and offering hope through spiritual commitment are a few of the gifts laden in the pages of this book. Perhaps you may even find, as I did, answers to questions unformed yet ever present and waiting.

This is a wonderful book.

I've just completed it a second time, in between readings buying copies for friends and loved-ones.

This is a book that normalises the feeling I, and as the book shows, amny, feel about there lives ... "Is this all there is?".

The book is full of spiritual wisdom, drawing from a broad range of traditions, religious and secular.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes there is more to life and as the author reminds us, there is still time.

Enjoy.

This book in unquestionably the bible of motorsport set-up. It is an absolute must for anyone who considers themselves a professional in this industry. .... He is one cool guy and a heck of a guru!

I bought Carroll's whole set of books with skepticism, but they helped me improve my game as a driver, and I am much more able to discuss with my engineer now. My engineer gave me his old ratty copy (it was obviously very heavily used) and ordered me to get a copy of my own. I AM VERY GLAD I DID.

I learned more in the preface about racing than I have in years and thousands of dollars of engineering and racing schools! The reason is that all of the pertinent information is directly provided to you - right up front. It is concisely organized to help you get the most out of yourself and your racing machine.

I enjoy driving my car - in the most active sense. I enjoy being involved in the experience, and I like to know how things work in general. Although I spent a little time as a mechanic, I am certainly not an engineer, nor am I interested in racing as a participant. I do enjoy driving my cars on the track - but I compete against myself. I LOVED this book.

Tune to Win was at once educational and entertaining. I expected the education, but the entertainment was a pleasant surprise. Smith writes very well, making otherwise extremely dry material absolutely fascinating. Even though this book is now quite old, it is still very relevant. The descriptions of vehicle and tire dynamics, as well as the effects of suspension design upon them, were "just right" for me. They were technical enough to satisfy me, and at the same time they were light enough that I could follow them. There is some math, but high school algebra is sufficient to follow every example.

Smith's approach combines carefully explained laws of physics with pragmatic sensibility when it comes to where and how one might realistically effect a change in their car's performance

For all of the guys out there adding strut braces, sway bars, after-market springs, changing ride heights, wheel offsets - all without truly understanding what all the implications are - this book should be required reading.

Ever heard that phrase before? That's exactly what Mr. Smith has done with "Tune to Win". The breadth of his experience becomes obvious very quickly. Yes, it was written in the seventies, but, the last time I checked, Newton's Law of Gavitation (1687?)was still applicable. Mr. Smith has saved the 95% of racers who haven't turned pro at least five years of research and development time. Thinking of changing your car's suspension geometry? Why do you need to keep the roll center height low? Loose is fast, but how loose? Where does understeer drag affect the car the most? Considering all real professionals are continously looking for every little thing that will make their cars faster, I'm sure they read this book as soon as it became available. "Tune to Win" will show you how to find the best set-up for your car and conditions and driver. There are many suspension books on the market, but this one goes far beyond "to reduce understeer, soften the front anti-roll bar". If you haven't read it, and you want to win, you need to. My highest possible recommendation.

Jamaica and Canada are the backdrop of the thirteen short stories contained in author Bernadette Dyer's "Villa Fair." The characters in the book are of various ethnic backgrounds and classes.

Of the thirteen stories in the book there were two that stood out in my opinion. These two stories are entitled "Driving Through Red Lights" and "Roberta on the Beach."

"Driving Through Red Lights is about Kamla, the child of Hindu Indians who have immigrated to Canada. Kamla was born and raised in Canada therefore she know more of the western culture than she does of her Hindu heritage. This is something that causes her parents great stress. Tradition states that women should marry fairly young, so at twenty-three Kamla is considered an embarassment and disappointment to her family. Tradition also states that the marriage must be arranged.

One day Kamla's aunt Rashna comes to visit from Bombay, India and she announces that she has found someone to marry Kamla. Kamla's husband-to-be, a future doctor, is named Lachman Ramsingh. He will come to Canada in two months to claim his bride and take her back to India. She does not want any of this, she wants to marry for love and live in Canada. The many twists, turns, and emotions make this a very enjoyable and touching story. As a reader I felt drawn into the story.

"Roberta on the Beach" is the story of the Douglas family, a poor working class family from Montego Bay, Jamaica. They are a family of ten, with eight children: Slim, Caleb, Sheila, Georgina, Elaine, Lorraine, Maggie, and Roberta. Roberta is the oldest girl in the family. When she turns eighteen and graduates from high school Roberta is contemplating her future, when fate intervenes. Roberta's aunt Melanie, who is her mother's sister, has written a letter advising her sister that she would like to provide a college education for one of her children. Roberta's parents quickly decide to give Roberta the opportunity of a lifetime. Little do they know that this decision will alter the course of their family forever. "Roberta on the Beach" is a good lesson in family and the strength that families must have to survive.

"Villa Fair" was a good read. The stories were good but not great. "Driving Through Red Lights" and "Roberta on the Beach" were excellent and if these two stories were complete books I would definitely read them. On the RAW scale this book is a 3.5.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

Villa Fair is a wonderful collection of stories that have common universal themes integrated in a multicultural context. The themes of love, identity, tradition versus modern beliefs are woven well in stories such as Ackee Night in Canada, Segovia's Stories and Driving Through Red Lights. These three stories had characters of mixed heritage. Thus it was quite interesting to read how these themes were developed from a different cultural perspective. These stories were even more interesting because the endings were unpredictable, yet believable. Ms. Dyer writes very well. Her poetic and lyrical style engrossed me in her stories. I enjoyed the stories immensely and look forward to reading more from her.

From the Library in Toronto where she works to the neighborhood in which she lives, Bernadette Dyer sees much go by representing Toronto's multicultural panoply. This clearly inspires many of the takes in "Villa Fair," her collection of short stories. Other tales in the book are the germinated seeds of her own multiracial, multiethnic Jamaican and Portuguese Jewish ancestry. The people in her stories mirror her own ancestors --emigrés from somewhere else, establishing roots in new lands, living through generational conflict fueled by the meeting of old with new, yet influencing the host country and/or culture which is richer for it, and will never be the same. For example, there's Kamla, the twenty-three-year-old Indian-Canadian narrator of "Driving Through Red Lights," in love with a young Canadian man, while promised to an arranged marriage with someone from India. A surprise ending has Kamla's parents and aunt facing cultural change on two continents. In "Segovia Nights," Carlos Fernandez captivates his listeners with legends, reinvented stories about a mythical family and past. The tall tales are indicative, however, of a far deeper problem. One senses that the author and librarian in the story are one. Jomo, from "An African Out in the Cold," is lost, then found again while visiting Toronto, as, unknown to him, his host has suffered a heart attack. His isolation and cultural shock are palpable. Then there are tales coming from the richness of the author's Jamaican memories. The story "Man Man" dances back and forth from spirit world to "reality," as the ghost of a drowned seven-year-old boy moves comfortably among the local people of a plantation, until a new anglo mistress comes to stay. Another from the Jamaican collection, "Ackee Night," show how a much aggrieved woman, whose man has threatened idly to leave for years, calls on a Jamaican culinary secret to keep him permanently from other women -- and herself. The ending takes the reader by surprise. The title story, "Villa Fair," also catches one off guard, yet this reader felt puzzled by its sharp, unredeeming ending. Is Thunder, the chief male character, destroyed as a punishment for straying from his promise? Does the exotic, the magical always win out over the more conventional path? "Leaving Faro," the final tale, is a paean to Dyer's Portuguese Jewish ancestors, who fled to Jamaica to escape persecution. The mythical and the magical touch many of the stories. "Close the Blue Door" tells of mermen who lure their chosen loves to disaster, while in "Six Little Sparrows," the same number of Pakistani children and their mother shape shift into the title. The author's Jamaica and Canada are pulsing, vibrant settings where her characters don't want racial barriers to exist. Her families are strong and loving, evidencing the blurred lines of racial identity. Several of the stories, such as "Man Man" and "Roberta on the Beach," satisfy in their present form, yet would benefit also as longer fictional works, with some of the characters developed further. "An African Out in the Cold" seems a fragment, and one wishes for more. "Villa Fair" is an entertaining collection of well-told tales. We await future works with interest.

(originally reviewed in Halapid, Vol. VIII Issue 2, Spring 2001)