I loved this account of Aviators. Rock On

I saw some of these pieces before in Spleen magazine in Seattle, and they struck me as odd little manifestoes, with fangs and humor ringing together in each poem. "The Doormat of the Labor Industry", especially, is a hilarious and heartbreaking ode for the downtrodden working stiff. Sometimes the feel of the writing can be airy and imaginitive, like in BAD MATERIAL (one of my favorites): "I sip the clear fluid bitterly./ the olive, a lobotomy;/ I use my teeth. 124 days into the fiscal year, months are boulders, or tubas." There are some real great moments, heavy doses of truth, in some of these poems. He's not afraid of exposing a philosophical revelation within a description of taking a crap, say, or watching a woman towel off in the bathroom. Passer seems to live in a very strangely compelling universe, and he has the sharp perception and sense of humor to describe it quite well. Sometimes it feels like he is showing off, but even then, there's always a reward by the end of the poem, sometimes a big payoff. If this isn't Passer's break-out book yet, I can't wait until his next one. Strongly recommended for all who enjoy Bukowski, Rimbaud or Henry Miller.

How closed did David Crockett come to being presidient of the United States? Closer than you might think.  That's one of the many interesting issues covered in "Three Roads to the Alamo" This book is deep and well researched.  The foot notes were as interesting as the book itself.  Most Bubba Texas history buffs never considered Crockett, Bowie and Travis until they bite the big bullet.  We sometimes forget that Davy Crockett was not much more than a tourist.   He had just lost an election and  made one campaign promise that he kept.   He said, "If I lose this election I'll either go to hell or Texas." He chose Texas.  His travels led him to San Antonio at a time that coincided with the defense of the Alamo. James Bowie was a land swindler that forged a lot of Spanish land grants in Louisiana and did a poor job of that.  He was kind of hiding out from creditors and enjoying his new squeeze, a pretty local girl from a influential San Antonio family.  She died of typhus that rampaged the area and Jim went into a depression that kept him from a timely exit from San Antonio. William Travis was thriving in Texas with a law practice.   Only after he had sneaked out of Alabama leaving a family and lots of debt.  This book does a great job of explaining how these three men came together and rose above their short comings to lead a brave defense of the Alamo.

Three key figures in the Alamo legend, three biographies intertwined into a single story. Davis is able to write parallel accounts of the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis, so that the reader knows what the others have been up to while reading about the third. Meticulous research, and Davis does not bog down the narrative with long explanations about sources. However, he does supply adequate information in the notes at the end of the book, for those who are fond of reading them. Perhaps the most interesting information to come from the book is the shattering of myths surrounding these three men. Travis was a failure in life, whose law career didn't pick up until he abandoned his native Alabama--and his wife and family--for Texas. Bowie was a swindler, who forged documents claiming to be Spanish land grants for land in present-day Arkansas and Louisiana. And Crockett was the Jesse Ventura of his day, an unlettered self-promoter who became nationally known in the early 1830s and parlayed his fame into a political career that eventually collapsed for lack of substance. A great American story, "Three Roads to the Alamo" can be enjoyed by anyone--even Texas newcomers like me.

This book combines the best in historical detail and accuracy with a bold, dramatic narrative that propels the reader forward. Travis, Crockett and Bowie are revealed as full human beings not caricatures or tall-tale characters. The research is exhaustive and the portraits of the men are clear and strong. One knows the tragic event that sealed their fate, and Davis debunks some of the myth clouding the Alamo and the three men inextricably linked to it. It is also a book about a young country and the unique and fascinating men that forged the American West. Not just for Alamo enthusiasts--there's plenty here for everyone! It contains the exhaustive research, humor, attention to detail and "readability" that characterize Davis' books. If you've read his Civil War books--give this one a try! If you've never read him, it's a great introduction to his style. Quite Simply a GREAT read.

I recieved this book and was very disappointed. I have a 2 year old who is becoming very curios about his body and I wanted to purchase a book that would help my husband and I to teach him about healthy sexuality. Since it shows a toddler on the cover and when we purchased the book there wasn't any customer reviews at the time, I purchased the book. However, when I received the book, I was very disappointed. Not only does it not give any truly helpful information, but I found it almost pornographic. It is not a book that I would want to share with my 2 year old child and probably wouldn't want to until my child is a teenager. Bodies are a beautiful creation, and this book should have a description stating what this book actually entails....pictures and very little information. It is not a book that will help people who are wanting to read plenty of information on helping to mold their children's ideas on healthy sexuality.

Some people think this is a "sex education" book for kids. I don't, necessarily -- although it certainly is a great item in the toolbox parents can have for this topic.

"The Curiosity Book" starts with a nice introduction by the author, which is helpful, but he then does something wonderful: he stops the wordy text, and lets beautiful photos and carefully-selected captions and quotations carry the message. [In fact, this could almost stand alone as a photobook.]

Old and young; white, black, yellow, brown, and all shades in between; male and female; clothed and nude. The beautiful black-and-white photos present a wide array of people from all over the world. They are presented as they are, with no explanations or apologies for how they look, what they wear, who they are. The accompanying captions reinforce the message that we are all wonderfully-created, we all share similar bodies, and we all deserve respect. This is not so much "sex education" as "self education."

If only we could all receive this message every day!

Enlightening...Insightful...Compassionate...Courageous. These are some of the attributes which, in my judgment, describe The Curiosity Book. Calling upon his diverse and rich professional experience with children and adolescents, the author, James Hunter, has developed a unique and extremely practical guide which should be of invaluable help to both parents and a wide range of professionals within the mental health and education fields. The Curiosity Book is written with a great deal of sensitivity and respect for the human body itself and, more importantly, the need to promote positive attitudes involving the human body. It is ironic that while most of us in today's society who consider ourselves to be caring adults frequently encourage children to be curious about their learning, their environment, and their friends, we, at the same time, typically discourage, ignore, or even punish children when they express curiosity about the human body -- their own or others. Thus, many children learn to view this type of curiosity as bad or as shameful. The Curiosity Book provides specific, sensitive suggestions whereby parents and child care professionals can engage in effective, healthy communication with children about the human body - developmentally, attitudinally, and spiritually. The photos contained in this book have been carefully selected to convey tolerant, respectful, and meaningful messages. They are inspiring and beautiful both in their simplicity and in their poignancy. As is the case with the narrative material contained in this work, the photos reflect a very well-balanced perspective relative to attitudes involving the human body - age, gender, and cultural diversity. I enthusiastically recommend The Curiosity Book to all parents and to all professionals in their efforts to help children develop more positive attitudes toward, and a more respectful appreciation of, the human body. William E. Davis, PhD Director of the Institute for the Study of Children At Risk University of Maine Orono, Maine

I teach High School English and am always looking for new ways to help the students understand Shakespeare's words. This collection of teaching activities has been very useful. Dr. William Liston's Entry on paraphrasing Hamlet is now a daily activity in my room. There are writing and project ideas that are appropropriate to all secondary and college levels .Great production ideas, and role playing activities too.

I have taught scores of classes over the years in basic munition recognition and bomb threat and search procedures. One of the problems has always been finding good, basic instruction materials for teaching PDs, FDs, Schools, Hospitals, etc. Mike Pickett has filled the void. While too simple for the experienced bomb tech, this book covers the basics very well for the novice, especially when used in conjunction with the video series. The photos could be larger, but are clear, numerous, and well colored. I would consider these materials a valuable tool for any emergency response training section.

Mike Pickett has written a book that should be in the hands of every First Responder. The book not only gives clear guidelines on what to do when responding to bomb threat calls, it also has good color pictures of some of the different explosives that maybe encountered. This book does an excellent job of introducing First Responders to explosives on an awareness level. It will get the reader thinking about safety and how little the average person knows about explosives and handling them.

As a professional firefighter tasked to teach our top Chiefs in awareness of explosives and terrorist treat preparedness the book was invaluable. In a concise manner Mr. Pickett shows what they look like, how to deal with them and when to call for help. The book is designed to save lives, both civilians and responders.

I found this book exremely biased, especially on its treatment of ethics and environmentalism, which were extremely collectivistic and altruistic. I felt like I was also overcharged for the text book, for something so vaguely written.

Most textbooks do a very poor job of addressing current issues in a clear, accurate, concise manner. This book, however, is to be commended. I especially found the resource information and discussion cases to be a tremendous benefit. The discussion questions and current event topics encourage the students to explore these issues outside of class, in their businesses and in the community. Business and society is a topic of extreme importance. Unfortunately, it often goes overlooked in so many universities and colleges. Overall, I rank this book as a worthwhile investment and hope the authors continue to explore these important issues in business and education.