Little Johnnie and Betsy and Allison will no longer spend mindless hours coloring bunnies and squirrels- now they can learn important American history lessons from the comfort of their own kitchen table. I'll tell ya- these pictures are going up on the frig!

I can't say enough about this one - this is way beyond your usual coloring book. Are your kids tired of coloring simple bunnies and trees? This is beautifully drawn and has an educational edge as well. A good one!

I just finished this book, and I would recommend it to anyone with a spinal injury, especially those who were once athletic. If you ever feel like "giving up", then you MUST read this book!! Matter of fact, I plan to read it again. Inspiring! The book reminded me I MUST keep moving!! Never stop!! Don't give up!!! As long as you keep moving, you'll get better, day by day. Don't ever let the "inner you" die; for THAT INNER SPIRIT is what will keep you and your body alive, and make life meaningful.

In November,1994, was wife and I were involved in a motor vehicle accident which left her a C-6 quad. Ever since the accident I have attempted to create a life which may have resembled that which we used to enjoy yet I was never quite able to find the "magic bullet". When I read the review of Heidi's book I felt I had nothing to loose but to purchase it. I have to tell you, it was Good Medicine! My wife poured through the book several times and with each reading felt more inspired to never end for quest for the cure. In addition to a renewed zeal to live life again Kathleen began to exercise religiously and see progressas aeach week passed. kathleen continues to this day to inform me that "Heidi would do this each day and eventually........" In a nutshell "My Soul Purppose" is a painfully truthful account of a young woman who has sustained an injury which only those who too have sustained a SCI can have an appreciation for her personal tale. Rather than painting a picture of woe Heidi provides personal experiences which provides hope and inspirastion for those individuals who have sustained a SCI. To see the smile and sense the inner peace which my wife experienced as she read "My Soul Purpose" made me accutely aware that the healing which occurs after a SCI is clearly more spiritual than physical. Suffice it is to say that this book has provided the direction to heal the psyche, now it is just a matter of being patient for the rest of the healing to occur!

A really good piece of scientific writing that is not only good, well researched science, but is also well written. Dean Hamer has proved something that I'd already known since I was knee high to a grasshopper, but its good to see proof for those who dont already know this from personal experience.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot from it both about the way in which these particular researchers are going about their work and about genetics in general.

Hamer is the Chief of the Section on Gene Structure and Regulation in the Department of Biochemistry at the National Cancer Institute. This book describes in lay terms the work that led to the publication of the scientific paper entitled "A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation". The goal of the study was to determine whether male sexual orientation was "genetically influenced" and what they found was "a statistically significant correlation between the inheritance of genetic markers on chromosomal region Xq28 and sexual orientation in a selected group of homosexual males." The statistical significance was strong: the odds of the correlation happening by chance was only 1 out of 100,000.

Before they started looking at genes, Hamer and his group considered the family histories of the pairs of gay brothers who he used in his study. The researchers found more gay men on the maternal side and eventually realized that this was due to recessive X-linked inheritance. "X-linked traits always are passed to men through the mother's side of the family, which is the pattern we were seeing for homosexuality."

The book carefully explains how the research was done and what conclusions could and could not be drawn from it. They did not find a gay gene; they only showed that one exists. It does not "determine" homosexuality; it is only one factor in the makeup of those gay men who inherited it. There may be other genes that play a role and there are surely many environmental factors that influence the expression of homosexuality. Some of the evidence from Hamer's study "suggests that Xq28 plays some role in about 5 to 30 percent of gay men."

The book closes with a chapter on the social implications of this research. There is also an interesting chapter addressing the question "How could a gay gene survive consistent with the facts of evolution?"

it helps you learn how it sunk and it really is a good book to get.

A book that invites children to color in scenes from a well-known disaster is probably as horrifying, as sinking in the ship itself. After being exposed to the media hype and all of the other coverage surrounding the film release and the Oscars, the last thing I would want is for children who color, which means they are usually of pre-school age, let their imagination run wild with a box of crayons. Studies have shown that children are attracted to color, and I can just imagine the 64 crayola packs famed magenta coloring the dresses of the woman jumping into the life boats. The cries for help written in block letters and sky blue for the bitter cold water that took so many lives. Maybe they can start a companion series and have children color in scenes from Kobe or perhaps the fateful plane crashes on the twentieth century. This coloring book makes me worship teletubbies, as I pray to Barney for salvation.

Adventures of the Rat Family is one of Verne's most unusual stories, in which he diverged from his usual formula to write his only fairy tale and one of his few pure fantasies. First published in France over a century ago, it is now published in an elegant children's edition by Oxford University Press (72 pp., ...). Included are all 17 original color illustrations by Felician Myrbach-Rheinfeld, reproduced from the January 1891 holiday issue of the fashionable Parisian journal Le Figaro illustre.

Adventures of the Rat Family was not published in book form until after Verne's death, with the
appearance of the 1910 anthology Yesterday and Tomorrow, containing only a few of the engravings and a text revised by Verne's son, Michel, his literary executor. The Oxford edition is
the first time that Adventures has been published in book form in any language with all of the original illustrations.

As Adventures of the Rat Family attests, Verne's writing is far more diverse than his reputation as the father of science fiction suggests. He wrote more than 60 novels, as well as numerous short stories, plays, articles and poems, covering a range of genres and literary forms. He was actually most prolific in the genres of adventure, mystery and comedy.

Adventures of the Rat Family deals with evolution, a problematic and controversial idea when the story first appeared in 1891, and one that was surely prohibitive for American publishers. This was especially true since Adventures of the Rat Family was also one of Verne's few stories accessible to a very young audience. However, like many fairy tales, its larger significance requires more sophisticated adult reading.

Verne portrays a magical movement up and down the evolutionary ladder, as a close-knit family of rats is transformed into various lower forms of life, from mollusks to birds. The instigator of these deeds is a genie, hired by a cruel prince who desires the family's daughter, although she loves another.

Verne both recognizes and mocks the idea of evolution by having his characters change from one species to another, finally making a metamorphosis into men and women. Added amusement is
provided by one cousin who never quite catches up as he makes each transformation, always retaining a feature of his previous incarnation, until finally he has a donkey's tail even after
becoming a man.

Verne had long been interested in evolution and basically accepted the theory. His 1858 play, M. de Chimpanze (untranslated), is of a chimp that readily adapts to high society, and a giant prehistoric man is sighted in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Verne portrays a "missing link" species in his 1901 novel, The Aerial Village, and speculates that the tribe will be incorporated into an imperial colony. "The Humbug" is the story of a P.T. Barnum-like character whose successful hoax convinces New Yorkers that he has unearthed the bones of early man near Albany.

By cloaking his use of the evolutionary theme within the fantasy of Adventures of the Rat Family, Verne hoped to circumvent disapproval of his more serious and controversial subtext. He had first related the story during a European lecture tour in 1887, and he was so delighted with the idea that he enlarged it into a novella. He cleverly imbued it with his satirical expertise, lending it a light touch that concealed much of its bite. Verne was skilled in comedy, especially when it involved bizarre characters in unusual locales, as demonstrated by his treatment of the stuffy British travelers in Around theWorld in 80 Days.

Adventures of the Rat Family is a rewarding, one-of-a-kind story that will be enjoyed in different ways by all ages.

"Civil War Uniforms" by Copeland is one of my favorites. The color guidelines and details of the uniforms allow them to come alive. Each page tells about the unit that the soldier would have served with. The pictures are very detailed, yet can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. I have become a collector of coloring books, and this one is certainly at the top of my list.

Really nice drawings, much more detail, interest and discussion than with regular coloring books. Nice write-ups about each park and a map of the US with parks located on it.

I had to read Macbeth for school and I didn't understand it. I read this book and it made Shakespeare fun.

This book is more than a war story. It digs deep into the discrimanation women still face in the military. This Army Major had to fight to be part of a combat unit and volunteerily went to Desort Storm. She is a Doctor and Pilot, who cares deeply about the military and her patients. She realizes she could make more money in the "civilian" world, but her love is with the Army. This story tells what she went through with her family and fellow soldiers while enduring the hardships of war and being away from home. It also tells the story of her being one of only two women POW's of the war. It is a great story that definitely inspired me to be the best Marine I can be. Read this book. Semper Fi!

Having read her story and heard her speak, I admire and respect Col Cornum. She comes across as a true military leader, someone I would enjoy knowing. This is a well-written book and definitely a worthwhile purchase. Being a military leader myself (as described in "Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born"), I recognize the good ones when they come along.

Truly an excellent and moving description. I served with now COL Rhonda Cornum and I can vouch for her exceptional leadership and that she IS a real life American Hero flesh and blood.
I read this book in 2 sittings. After reading it the next time I saw her made me want to give her a hug. Instead I made due with a crisp good morning salute. To Army leadership: This IS a MUST read.

This book makes a decent attempt to describe the relationship between genes and behavior. Its cover describes this book as "groundbreaking", but it's not. In fact, it's really quite light. In a fashion typical of psychologist, it tells many quaint stories about people that the authors seem to believe makes their discussion more interesting, but really just insults the readers' intelligence.

It's a good place to start. But it reads like it were written for first-year college students, and merely restates things that are much better stated elsewhere. If you want a book that does a MUCH better job, and is much better written, try Matt Ridley's excellent book "Genome", or his more dense "The Red Queen". And for serious books that truely are groundbreaking, try E.O. Wilson's "On Human Nature" or Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene". Each of those books are significantly better than "Living With Our Genes."

Dean Hamer, while working in his laboratory at the National Institute of Health, made headlines around the world when he discovered a genetic link to male homosexuality. From such notoriety comes this book, the essence of which is that ones behavior is much more a function of nature/genetics than it is of nurture or whether mother's dominance warped you for life.

Hamer goes through the effects of your genetics as it relates to your personality; your propensity to seek thrills; your tendencies toward aggression, anger and violence; your capacity for addiction; your needs in regard to sex and love; your body weight and eating habits; your rate of aging; and your emotional temperament. And, guess what? The odds are about 70% genetic and 30% upbringing and character as to how you'll turn out as an adult.

This book doesn't try to mystify the reader and is, in fact, easy to read. Hamer weaves in the stories of individuals in order to keep the reader glued to each individual's saga. The sine qua non comes with the twin studies. They've multiplied over the years and today offer an abundant body of proof in support of Hamer's assertions. The factual evidence is overwhelming in favor of genetics as the deciding factor in behavior. Read it and you will see.

This book was published in 1998 which makes it quite old in the rapidly moving world of genetic research. Let me give you an example of what has happened in the interim. Not only have genes for fear and confidence been revealed, but a gene or constellation of genes has been posited for one's proclivity for belief in a higher order being, God. The Darwinian selection for such a trait comes from man's need to organize and work together in groups, in arduous circumstances, over long periods of time. Wow? I knew that profound unshakeable belief had to be genetic after talking to so many "true believer" anti-war protestors. The whole concept gives a new slant to Eric Hoffer's classic, "the True Believer".

I've written often about man's seeming infinite capacity for self deception, but now I have, presto, a genetic component where none was available prior. The other half of this juxtaposition is man's inexhaustible need to feel morally virtuous, a way of puffing one's self-importance or so it seems from here.

After you read this book, and if you've never read much on the genetic influences on your behavior, you might see yourself and many of your friends in a completely different light. I really enjoyed the experience of reading what Hamer has to say, and I believe you will too.

excellent evidence presented to support view of genetic role in predisposed personality development. includes how our genes might influence sex, addiction, hunger, disease, novelty-seeking, etc. conclusion on altering genetic tempermant is incredibly stimulating on the topic of bioethics.