This is an outstanding book for men!! It covers just about every aspect of being a man in today's society and utilizing the information to be a positive apsect in their community. From penis size to smoking, making love to reading magazines, and health issues. The preface by Tavis Smiley is very good and straight-forward especially on the "endangered species" aspect. This book is easy to read and the type is a decent size. The format is extremely solid and a definite page turner!! I highly recommend this book to all men!!!

I have to say, this is the book that is going to set a lot of brothers free from feeling they have to play the unrealistic role society has told them they must play. I read the hardback version of this book last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave a copy to my father, and he did too. But this updated edition is even better. It includes a great deal more information on men staying healthy, dealing with their emotions, staying faithful to their wives or girlfriends, and being a real man in 21st century. And a whole lot more.

The principles in this book are amazing. The author tells it like it is, and he doesn't hold back. Man, he is a bold brother. (It is not for the faint at heart!) It is well written, and is a got-to-read for black men and women. Even a lot of our young African-American boys growing up today will get a lot out of it (if they read it). It will prepare them for true manhood as they grow into adult men. It just needs to get into their hands.

This book will change its reader's life. I suggest if you want to change your life, buy it here and read it, because it will make you look honestly at yourself and your life, and will inspire you to change it for the better.

Highly recommend it!

With his subtle, yet powerful, words, Oglesby has effectively delivered tangible guidelines by which to pattern our lives. While reading, I realized that the author has truly discovered the secret to the success of the Black man in America: Success begins with how we feel about ourselves, how we think about the world, and how we act upon those thoughts. With so much negativity being attached to who "we" are, it was a great pleasure to read such positive and insightful comments about what "we" can be. The book's easy flow is a testament to Oglesby's obvious commitment to integrity and genuineness; unlike many authors who like to flaunt their pseudo-intellect, Oglesby's motives are seemingly clear. I felt that he wanted the reader to gain and benefit from the knowledge that he was presenting.
This was an excellent read. Furthermore, I will definitely continue to recommend this book to my friends, family and work associates.

J. Hunter, National Association to Broaden and Enhance Images, Inc.

This book collects together Paine's Common Sense (which was instrumental in collecting and gathering America's attention to the benefits of strict independence from Great Britain); his letters or series entitled "the American Crisis," which galvanizes his previous topics; gives a brief account of his engineering work for arches bridges; provides another span of letters on his involvement in the French Revolution, and finishes with his Age of Reason, in which he examines and debunks the Bible. Though his reasoning and conclusions may alarm some and even offend others, his thinking and writing is lucid and cogent, and for reflective minds will provide much food for thought. Accused of sophistry and impudence by some of his contemporaries, his reasoning is normally sound and simple, as he inquires into the root of things, and only seldom does he make debating points fit only for the playground. A sensible and likable man, Paine's writing should engage any American for its historical sense, any lover or researcher interested in human rights and the hope of removing human misery, and any person interested in reading the entertaining but vital arguments of a man whose love of liberty and order forced him late in life to become one of America's most influential revolutionary and socially-minded voices.

This volume is of great value to anyone who's interested in the foundations of this country. Paine was far ahead of his time in so many areas, for example in his vocal criticism of slavery. This country owes a debt to him in the profound impact he had on those who wrote the constitution and declaration of independence. The closing work of this volume, The Age of Reason, was, for its time, a very courageous indictment of the bible. It was written toward the end of Paine's life. There have been many men of courage and conviction, but Paine also had a profound honesty and the gift of a great intellect which allowed to express his ideas clearly.
The binding, cover, and paper of this volume are of the highest quality. The volume is smaller than the typical bestseller hardback, both in length, width, and thickness. But its slenderness is due to high quality of the very thin paper--the book has over 900 pages. I liked its small size because it makes it comfortable to read.

At the height of The Age of Reason, The United States of America was created by men such as Thomas Paine and many others who held Man above all other philosophies long enough to get the idea "Individual Rights" down on paper in the form of The Constitution of the United States of America. Paine's contribution to this end is well known. Paine noted in this book that "we have it in our power to make the world over again", and they did. Man has a right to his own life, and there is no law above this. No one has a right to another man's life, not God, not the Race, not the dictatorship, not the proletariat, not The Great Society nor the New Deal. Thanks to Thomas Paine and men like him we have it in writing "We own our own life and we are free to dispose of it in our own way". Let's work together as free men and women to keep our freedom and to spread it around the world to our oppressed brothers and sisters. To the Glory of Man!!

This is a good primer in real Cajun Cuisine. The recipe for Tarte Ala boullie is worth the price of the cookbook alone. This is a custard pie with a risen, sweetened crust. Le Gateau Au Vin, or Cake of wine is also an excellent dessert as is the fig cake which is so sticky, and sweet that even after one puts plenty of flour down on the pan, it still sticks to the pan. I say this is a good primer, because many of the recipes are simple, but they provide a good beginning when creating a dish. For example, there is a recipe for beef and cabbage jambalaya which is simply ground beef, cabbage, and rice, but it gave me the idea to kick it up a few knotches. I use beef stew meat that I cut by hand, real homemade beef stock, bay leaf, and tomato. I created an excellent dish based on the original. Of course, there are plenty of very good shrimp recipes in this cookbook. Corn soup with shrimp, shrimp sauce picante, and shrimp potato balls all turned out to be recipes worth repeating. The only bad part about this book would be that even bad Cajun recipes are included. One was chicken-okra gumbo. It was so heavy on the okra that it became a bowl of slime. No one, not Justin Wilson, or even Emeril Lagasse know how to properly cook okra. Unless it is to be fried, okra should never be sliced. It should always be cooked whole to prevent the sliminess that repels most people from eating okra. I also believe that only butter should be used when making a roux, and in a dish like gumbo file, it should be cooked a day ahead of time, and refrigerated. The following day the grease should be spooned off the top before reheating, and serving.

There is a very good reason that this book has been in print for these many years, it is sound and complete! Before it was all the rage, before TV chefs and countless others were jumping on the Cajun food bandwagon, this book was there! As a Louisiana cookbook author myself, I must admit, when all is said and done, this one has not only become the granddaddy of them all, but it is the most thorough and it's still the best HANDS DOWN! (Don't Take My Word For It, check it out!)

I have spent my entire lifetime eating cajun food, and most of my adult life cooking it. Many of the recipes used by my grandmothers and my mother were lost to me, but since I discovered CAJUN CUISINE, I have recovered many of them. I have eaten, at one time or another, almost everything listed in this book, and as a bonafide cajun who grew up in the country where money was scarce but food was not, I can assure any reader that these recipes are as authentic as the cajuns themselves, and were designed to feed families well with tasty, inexpensive, and plentiful food products. BRAVO to Mr. W. Thomas Angers for a job well done.

I really liked this book because it was about a kid named Gregory who moves to a new town with his mother and father. It is bad enough moving without having any friends, but not making any new ones is pretty bad too. Everyone was given some seeds to plant a garden. But at his new house he doesn't have much of a yard so he can't make a garden. Behind his house is a burned down chalk factory, so he draws a garden. If you want to find out if he makes any friends read this book.

If you want a book where you can slip into the person's shoes,and feel like you know the character, then this is the book for you. Gregory was staying with his Aunt Grace for his birthday, because his mother and father were moving to a new house.They hade to move because got fired and found another job on the other side of town, so they hade to move.
Then when Gregory's mother and father got to Anut Grace's house they hade to get back home.When they got there Gregory asked do I have my own room? He did and he was so happy he said "This is better then a party and cake this is the best Birthday ever!" The next day he started the first day of school, in his new school. That day when he came home from school he was walking around and found a gate to a burnt down building. He cleaned it up a bit and found a box of chalk. That at school Mr. Hiller, a friend of Miss.Perry, came in and taught Gregory and the rest of the kids all about plants. When Gregory when home that night he said to his mother,"We don't have any grass around here". So he started to draw plants in the building. His mother and father did nit want to see.They were too busy.Don,t worry the end gets gets better.
I could not put the book down because the book never ended,and you would most likely would want to stay up and read it.You will like the book but you have to read it to find out!!!

This book about Gregory tells how a child learns to express himself and win the admiration of his family, teachers and classmates. We have a copy for each of our second graders and use it as a reader. ....

I have used this book both for Dermatology class, in my dermatology rotation and in other rotations. It is a great resourse to just look up information. It has great pictures and is easy to sit and read and understand.

I can say I have definately gotten my money out of this book.

...for it is easy to use, written very clearly and it has wonderful pictures.
From the moment it was recommeded to me as a student to now, I have used it just about everyday.
Just as an example, Habif has a wonderful chapter on Acne that allows the primary care provider to manage this condition from its mildest to the more complicated forms. He describes the condition and the treatment options giving us a great resource for care.

This book receives a rating of five stars. It is clearly written, easy to understand, comprehensive, and contains practical information accompanied by hundreds of clear color photographs. This book is very helpful to me in my practice and I refer to it often. It really is a standard of excellence. I can't recommend the book more highly.

This was given to me as a present. I had never heard of the book before, and indeed, when I told people about it, I always got strange looks. But the 52 capsules of people's lives--not all of them well-known but they're people you should know about--are fascinating. Some personal favorites are the guy who invented the U.S. zip code and the founder of an AIDS group in a small town.

An enjoyable collection of obituaries written my Robert McG. Thomas Jr. These short (2-3 page) obituaries will make you smile and wonder what would be written about yourself. Some of the people you will recognize, most you will not, but you'll gain an understanding and appreciation for their time on this planet.

Recommended

When this book was first recommended to me by a friend, I must admit I was a little put off. A book of obituaries? Now there's a fun read! Although I know there are "die-hard" obit enthusiasts out there, I certainly don't count myself among them. All of this is leading to the further admission that I ordered the book with some trepidation. I needn't have worried. This book is an absolute joy. To say that it is well-written would be an understatement of Homeric proportions as Mr. Thomas had a subtle way with words that hints at Twain (I know! I know! They're "just" obituaries, but this gentleman could turn a phrase with the best of them!). Far from being ghoulish or depressing, these 52 McGs are fascinating celebrations of everyday extraordinary lives. Most importantly, each humorous account is filled with such warmth and respect that you don't get the feeling you're snickering at some poor dead guy "behind his back". 52 McGs falls into the category of "little discoveries that you can't wait to share with other people." Heartily recommended as an addition to your library or as a gift to anyone that enjoys highly skilled writing.

A superbly written insider's look at the Russian revolution. Babel can convey the horrors of war with very few words. I enjoyed the best his sarcastic treatement of the bombastic communist rhetoric in such stories as "Salt" and "Treason" (maybe because I was exposed to it myself at one time).

I stumbled across Isaac Babel because of a single line quoted in Paul Johnson's "History of the Jews". And then I was forever hooked.

First, a caveat. Be sure you understand when reading Babel's short stories that you are not reading his autobiography or journal. He did in fact listen to our creative writing teachers; he wrote what he knew. He knew the Russian revolution. He knew the Cossacks. He knew war. He knew living inside and outside the pale. His world jumps off the page because he lived it first.

The stories contain autobiographical material, actively mixed with the yeast of fiction. Use this aspect of his writing to chase rabbits. Follow up this book with his biography or find out more about the Russian revolution. Both of those topics will make more sense after reading his collected stories.

As a writer, I stand in awe of Babel's stingy use of words. Some scenes are so hugely horrible that I would have been tempted to throw in appropriate adverbs and adjectives in an attempt to convince you, my reader, just how hugely horrible it really was. Babel simply tells the story, and you gasp when you are done, horrified when you peak through the keyhole (and I would have blasted a hole in the wall).

When you read Babel, you must be willing to go at the stories with an open mind, not expecting him to flatten the Commies, defend the Jews, or paint the picture the way you want him to. He will not do that, no matter how many times you try to make it so. You will hear no overtones of right or wrong, get no definitive answers about the people on either side of the Russian revolution.

For that, I am most grateful to Isaac Babel. Nothing about our world can be easily distilled into sharp black and white. His stories give us the real world in astounding color.

The frightfully ugly picture on the cover of this edition (what in the world were the publishers thinking?) might keep a lot of people away, but the few brave souls that look inside will find one of the great 20th century craftsmen of prose. I can't think of another writer than chooses his words more carefully, that can pack more into a single sentence. "Pierced by the flashes of the bombardment, night arches over the dying man." Single words can take your breath away - the choice of "arches" is the one that does it for me - but you'll probably have others. The brutality of the world he describes may seem foreign, but it never becomes oppressive, mainly because the writing is so good. The stories themselves are rather difficult to love - there is very little hope to latch on to, there are very few characters one can feel close to; there are very few real characters at all, except the narrator. Even under these horrific circumstances, though, Babel creates emotions than one can identify with - pride, love, lust, anger. He has a thorough understanding of human character. It is apparent that the circumstances of war don't create new emotions, they just amplify things we feel anyway.

This book is a necessary read for anyone that wants to learn how to write poetically without being florid, compress pages of description into a few words. This compression is one of the reasons that the stories stay in mind long after they've been read. Buy the book - or get the other edition in a used book store, so you don't have to look at that awful picture.

I have started looking for my own trailer and this book has really answered a lot of questions that have been going through my mind as I have been shopping. It also has valuable information on the safty aspects for the horse. I have learned a lot and have been with horses for around five years. Highly recommend to anyone who currenly owns or is going to buy a trailer.

This books points out so many issues regarding trailers and horses that should be "common sense", but are overlooked by the majority of trailer manufactures and unknown to the majority of horse owners. It debunks many of the current trailer fads and supports its positions with strong research and fact.

After reading this book and recalling what I've seen in the past; I will not put my horses in half the trailers out there (including ones I've used in the past).

Every horse that is transported deserves the benefit of the knowledge and advice in this book. You owe it to your equine partner!

This is truly the complete horse trailering book. Whether you are looking for a new or used trailer or already have a trailer, whether you like what you have or want to improve it, this is a very valuable reference you'll return to frequently. It considers the horse's viewpoint as well as yours - safety, good investment, ease of towing, loading, maintenance .... Its well researched, full of pictures, diagrams, hints, lists....

Deaf Like Me is a story of 2 young parents struggling to raise their deaf daughter, Lynn, in a hearing world. Written by Thomas Spradley, Lynn's father, the book begins before Lynn was born with her mother's fear of rubella. The book takes you through the fear and waiting for the pregnancy and the eventual realization of Lynn's deafness. The story is written in a simple, straightforward manner, yet conveys the emotions of the new parents. The descriptions Thomas gives are often lacking in vibrancy and inventive vocabulary, but at the same time he conveys honest, true-to-life emotion.
The first 80% of the book is focused on the Spradley's attempts to raise Lynn to succeed in the hearing world. Thomas agonizingly describes the auditory training and constant schooling that he and his wife give Lynn, only to have her barely speaking 4 words at the age of 5. The constant movement of the family portrays varying experiences that Lynn and her parents go through as they try to teach her lip-reading and speech. It is not until the last 2 chapters that the Spradleys finally realize that communication with their daughter is more important than their dreams for her success as a 'normal' hearing person and begin teaching her sign. These last two chapters show Lynn's character developing its own independent personality. Lynn also begins to explore a new deaf culture that neither her nor her parents have any experience.
My fault with the book as that I feel it ends just as the story becomes interesting. The eighteen chapters of oralism, which are shocking and disturbing, are painful lesson in futility. An impatient reader would most certainly give up on the book after the seemingly thousands of failed attempts at oralism. The dedicated reader however, is rewarded with touching moments of a family that finds its 'normalcy' through the common language of sign.

Tell-alls by parents of disabled kids is a genre now, but when Deaf Like Me first was published, it was an unusual book for the market. The story is of the Spradley family, and daughter Lynn, who is one of many children born Deaf in the US in the late sixties and early seventies, the result of an epidemic of Rubella (German Measles).

At the time Lynn's deafness was diagnosed, the common wisdom among hearing professionals was that children born deaf should not be exposed to any kind of sign language, and instead should receive intensive tutoring, even as infants, in speaking and speechreading. Although the tide would turn soon, the Spradleys had no way of anticipating that; they embarked on an odyssey of trying to teach Lynn to speak, and with a hearing aid, and by watching intently, to appear to listen as a hearing child.

After many years of pouring words into Lynn, with the promise from the experts that one day Lynn would finally pour the words back out, the Spradleys are frustrated with not being able to talk to their daughter. Lynn is several years old, and becoming a discipline problem.

Then one day, the Spradleys meet a five year old, signing Deaf child, a child who not only communicates with her parents, but makes jokes. The Spradleys are forced to reconsider years of expert advice balanced against one little girl who can talk to her parents, where their daughter cannot.

How the Spradleys learn to stand on their own, and disregard the experts, even in the face of some heavy censure, is the story of heroism. This is a book to own, because you will want to return to it again and again.

This is an amazing story of a family who strugles when they realize that their little girl is deaf. The story they tell is so true of so many hearing parents of deaf children (90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents). I am a student at Northern Illinois Universtiy and am studying to become a teacher for deaf children. The whole time that I read this book I just kept saying to myself. LET HER SIGN!!! They it made me laugh when all the parents came together and started to talk about the behavior problems their children had. I sat back and said to myself.."do you think it is because they can't communicate what they want and are frustrated?" This is a must read for any parent of a deaf baby!!!!