I love this collection of poems. The poems are well-organized and compelling. A good read! Not just for men--I'm female and enjoyed going through the book.

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There is nothing but water in the holy pools,

I know, I have been swimming in them.

All the gods sculpted of wood or ivory can't say a word,

I know, I have been crying out to them.

The Sacred Books of the East are nothing but words,

I looked through their covers one day sideways.

What Kabir talks of is only what he has lived through.

If you have not lived through something, it is not true.

-- Kabir, translated by Robert Bly (p. 282)

This eclectic offering of verse reminds the reader of what he has lived through. It illuminates forgotten & ignored experiences through rhythms and images of people who have made their lives' works out of committing the unconscious to the written page. These nuggets of truth find value as they elicit Truth from the reader's experience.

DON'T trace out your profile

forget your side view--

all that is outer sutff.

LOOK for your other half

who walks always next to you

and tends to be who you aren't.

-- Antonio Machado, translated by Bly, (p. 366)

It's difficult to flip at random through these pages, and not find an echo of something stirring deep, writhing in forgotten darkness. These words shine from the page to cast the shadow of that "Other" in sharp relief upon your mind. This is not a book of pretty verse, not poetry to read to grandma during the Christian Ladies Tea Party in the rose garden. These are words to sever the bondage to dysfunctional social programming: "We have been busy accumulating solace / Make us afraid of how we were." (Rumi, p. 135)

Although the subtitle says "Poems for Men," I'm certain women will find power & freedom in these words, too. Some poems specifically name masculine woes, sorrows & challenges. Where these do not apply directly to the lives of women, perhaps they will open a portal into men's souls for the other gender.

I've nearly worn mine out and will soon be getting another copy. If I only had one book of poetry to take to a desert island, this would be the one.

I have been hooked on the power of words in poetry -- secretly, of course, since I'm a guy -- since I was a little kid. I have absolutely no problem with reading an entire book of modern poetry and coming away with a single line, a single image that moved me, the hunger is that great in me.

I found this book back in '92 when it was first published. It spans the centuries and the continents; but has a healthy dollop of contemporary writing that is stunning. It's quite possible to imagine that all greatness belongs to ages past; this book proves that a lie by nestling examples of past excellence with their contemporary heirs.

My favorite pieces especially include "Becoming Milton" (p. 81), "The Colonel" (p. 89), "A Story About the Body" (p. 266), and "What Happened During the Ice Storm" (p. 249); which I have redubbed "A Sack Full of Ears," "Entombed in Tanks," "A Bowl Full of Bees," and "Frozen Pheasants," respectively. I just read the last one at a poetry reading in New Hampshire on the first Wednesday in January 2001. A third of the way into the poem, the entire room audibly gasped and tensed. At the end, I felt a tremendous sense of redemption and relief overcome the SRO room as they burst into applause. No credit is due to myself; it's entirely the power of Jim Heynan's words. If you believe, or need to believe, in good poetry, you should own this anthology and read from it frequently, as I do.

And the search continues ...

I enjoy reading good children's books even though technically I've "outgrown" them. This one was very absorbing and a wonderful story that every child should read - or have read to them by a parent or relative or somebody, because adults can enjoy it and benefit from it as well.

I won't say anything about the story, but the characters are all very nice. Jimmy's sister is helpful, his teacher and friends are kind, and Jimmy is ultimately forgiving and goes on bravely - very good role-models for young readers to acquaint themselves with.

I don't know exactly what else to say except that I recommend this book very highly.

This is a wonderful story of forgiveness. Jimmy is blinded by the careless act of a friend and must learn to adapt to a new life being blind. His whole life changes especially when he meets Leader, his four legged guide dog. This was my favorite book as a child. My 3rd grade teacher read it aloud to our class. I kept an old copy of it and have read it to all of my children. Everytime I see it at a garage sale I pick up another copy. I was glad to see that it has been reprinted and that so many other people are enjoying it. I have also recommended it to my child's second grade teacher and he has been reading it to his classes ever since.

This is one of the best children's book ever written. I read it when I was 10 yrs old and 39 years later I still remember it. As a child, the look into the world of the blind and how they learn to live and cope in ours, no pun intended, was a real eye-opener. I think i should be recommeded reading for all school-aged children(and some adults!)

...which is too bad. This is truly one of my favorite novels, when it first appeared in the early 90s. I was sad that it was out of print, until recently. But now that I have a new copy, I will be able to share this story with friends again. I loved the pace at which Tim and Pete made their adventures though Orange County and LA; it reminded me of my own un-real road trips. And much like Brett Easton Ellis' Glamorama, it is hard to fathom a group of gay artists-slash-terrorists; yet, their existence in an anti-gay society is not completely impossible. This book challenged my very safe notion of what it means to be gay--and that is never a bad thing.

I first read this book when I was fifteen, and five years later, I still love to read it all over again. It has never lost its appeal to me. "Tim and Pete" has the best damn dialogue I've read in a long time - it's sarcastic and witty, and you'll feel like you're living the characters' lives in no time. This book is funny and subversive, and has more than enough black humor to make a conservative person have a heart attack. I recommend "Tim and Pete" to anyone who's ever felt out of place or rejected in this world, be it male or female, gay or straight.

Tim and Pete is certainly the best gay-themed fiction I've ever read. The story concerns two ex-lovers and the day/night they spend together on the streets of L.A.. An apocalyptic AIDS-era adventure. This book is tops

Cliffnotes added greater depth to my understanding of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS; it did so by providing background information not available in the book itself. I enjoyed reading quotes by Maya Angelou regarding her life, the genesis of the idea to write an autobiography, and the process of the writing. The Cliffnotes points out that autobiography has become an important aspect of African American cutlure.

We had to read this novel by Maya Angelou and I thought it was a very good example of the way you should write. She used imagery and descriptives to show you,the reader, how it really was in her life. I LOVED IT !!!

Maya Angelou's written language is alive, and that's refreshing. There is a specific life-view from the standpoint of a black girl growing up, and it is uplifting how she meets her difficulties with confidence. Her humor in many situations made me laugh out loud. Yes, she is a gripping author, and the tidbits of wisdom shine through like rays of sunlight...

By far the most realistic of the Bond books. Fleming's description of the MGB (later KGB) headquarters in Moscow's Dzherzinsky Square, where the plot to lure British agent James Bond to his death is first revealed, is reputedly based on information to which he was privy in his capacity as a WWII officer in British Naval Intelligence -- likewise the recruitment and training of the psychopathic killer Red Grant, one of the most formidable of Bond's enemies (and the only one in the films who looked for a while about to kill Bond for sure! 007 meets his match in Grant!) This is the book behind what in my opinion is the best of the Bond movies, steeped in the atmosphere of the Cold War into which the Bond series was born. 007 travels to Istanbul in pursuit of the bait, a Lektor decoder which can read top secret Soviet military and intelligence signal traffic. Another form of bait is the beautiful Tatiana Romanova, an MGB cipher clerk allegedly in love with Bond, willing to defect with the Lektor if only 007 will come and fetch her. (Fleming takes yet another jab at the Reds by choosing this name for Bond's love interest -- Romanov was the family name of the last Czar of old imperial Russia, the family doomed to extinction by the Russian revolution.) Kerim Bey adds a bit of panache, mischief and mystery as "Our man in Istanbul," Head of Station T (for Turkey). A truly great and suspenseful plot!

Fleming seemed to have used his first four novels (Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, and Diamonds are Forever) to warm us up to the Bond character and used the same plot style for the first four novels. In From Russia, With Love, Fleming takes Bond and his writing style to a higher, more intellectual level. Fleming is masterful in setting the scenes without being too boring. Bond doesn't appear until the second part of the book (Part II-The Plan) and you hardly even notice. Another interesting note is that of the James Bond movies, From Russia, With Love the movie follows the novel pretty well, even in lesser scenes such as the gypsy fight. This, perhaps, is due to the fact that Fleming was alive only for the filming and release of Dr. No and From Russia, With Love. This book is clearly Fleming at the top of his game and an outstanding entry to the series.

Considered by many to the be the best James Bond 007 book of all time, From Russia With Love delivers the perfect formula for a James Bond novel. Originally, Ian Fleming's tales of 007 were not going so good, so he intended with this book to kill off James Bond once and for all. The end of this novel is quite a surprise to a first time reader.

The book begins by telling of the commanding rule of SMERSH. The leader of this organization is General Grubozaboyschikov. Also working is Colonel Rosa Klebb and director of planning Kronsteen, who treats real people as if they were chess pieces. The muscle of the group is a homicidal madman, who follows orders, and is in practically perfect physical shape, Donovan "Red" Grant. These evil minds have planned the perfect way to destroy the life and reputation of James Bond. Their plan is to lure 007 with the beatiful Tatiana Romanova and a Spektor cipher decoding machine as bait. Then Grant will meet up with them eventually and kill them both. However, SMERSH will take it a step further to lie to the public that Bond and Tatiana were in an affair, and that Bond commits suicide. It's a perfect plan.
Bond indeed does travel to Istanbul, believing that this girl wants to defect, and will give him the Spektor machine only if he personally helps her. 007 meets Darko Kerim, and a wonderful gypsy fight adds to the fun of the story. Bond and Tatiana travel on a train back to Europe, where he meets Red Grant and is told of the plan to kill him. An extremely bvrutal gun and fist fight breakes out between the men with 007 shooting Grant. 007 goes to Paris with Tatiana to catch Rosa Klebb in a meeting. However, Klebb releases a poison knife from her shoe and kicks 007 in the leg, before being taken away by the police. The story ends with 007 lying on the floor of the hotel room...

Perhaps the finest story of Ian Fleming, filled with the excitement and adventure to give this book it's reputation as on of the best 007 novels ever!

Everything you always wanted to know about bad behavior -but were too afraid to ask (or didn't know where to find it). Well, here it is! Spent all weekend reading Parish's lively tome about the Silver Screen's most famous rogues - from scoundrels to rascals - & truly, couldn't put the book down. In just under 300 fascinating pages, found out WHO did WHAT to WHOM. What's more, the author tells you HOW and WHY. A phenomenally fun read, and highly recommended.

I didn't know about you, but I thought Warren Beatty had a relationship with Natalie Wood. Not true, writes Jim Parish in his wonderfully entertaining Hollywood Bad Boys, Loud, Fast, and Out of Control. Author of dozens of books on Hollywood, Parish has a well-honed sense for the perfect anecdote to enliven his short bios of the Bad Boys. His list includes some obvious choices, Charlie Sheen, James Dean, Johnny Depp, and some suprises, such as Bing Crosby. If you want your dirt dished with clean and clear prose, I strongly recommend this book. Prepare to go from beginning to end without a break.

Hollywood has a long history of bad boys as this fascinating book shows. Bad behavior is as old as Hollywood,but this book is not a simple recap of tabloid stories. It gives an interesting background to the actors' careers, their missteps, and the consequences of their bad behavior. It can also serve as a cautionary book. So much of the bad behavior is a result of booze and/or drugs and in many cases derailed or destroyed very promising careers. I would definitely recommend this book.

All the surface details, references to mythology, history, politics, music, literature, etc, can be found in this book (Joyce's novel is not included within, just the annotations, but it still clocks in at 700 pages!). If you want to know exactly what Joyce was referring to--this is the place. However, it won't necessarily tell you what he MEANT (aheheh, some things must be left to the reader).

Of course, if you've never read Ulysses you don't need to know every obscure reference. Just pick up REJOYCE or THE NEW BLOOMSDAY BOOK, which have generalized overviews of the novel. This is for the deep scholars. But as Joyce said, all he expects of his readers is that they study his works for the rest of their lives.

This will keep you busy.

"Ulysses Annotated" is an essential Book for reading, and understanding Ulysses, and the previous four reviewers are right on the mark. It is impossible, even for a well read reader to understand Joyce's allusions without this extremely well presented, and well priced, Reference book.

Introduction, prefaces and notes explain how to use this book, and how it was compiled. Each episode is preceeded by a map of where the action takes place helping the reader to visualize the movements of Bloom and Stephen. Each entry is preceeded by the Chapter Number and Line Number according to the Gabler edition of "Ulysses". In addition, a fairly comprehensive index cross-references all entries. If the reader wants to find all allusions pertaining, for example, to the Book of Luke, these can be easily found. I found this Index quite useful.

Personally, I found the following method best for using the book. First, to skim through the allusions, marking those of particular interest, and then laying the book side by side with the Novel and reading the Episode.

As for realiability, I took Gifford and Seidman up on their offered Short Title List, and was able to find almost every reference, including "Thom's Official Directory of the United Kingdom and Great Britain and Ireland for the Year 1904", and have found them to be reliable in their entries.

This Book should suffice for reading, and understanding Ulysses, though many a reader may get caught up by Joyce, as I did, so that the following may be useful: Weldon Thornton: "Allusions in Ulysses", Richard Ellman: "James Joyce", Harry Blamires: "The New Bloomsday Book", Stuart Gilbert: "James Joyce's Ulysses", and of course "The Riverside Shakespeare", "The Oddyssey", and the Bible.

Ulysses Annotated is essential for understanding Joyce's seminal work, Ulysses. The Introduction, prefaces and notes explain how to use this book, and suggest why and how it was compiled. Each episode is preceeded by a map that helps the reader to visualize the movements of Bloom and Stephen throughout their journeys. It is somewhat difficult, even for a well-read student to understand Joyce's allusions without a reference guide book like Giffords.

Also recommended: REDEFINING THE 'SELF': SELECTED ESSAYS ON SWIFT, POE, PINTER, AND JOYCE by John Condon Murray

Robert A. Heinlein was one of the original grand masters of science fiction and this Reader's Companion by James Gifford professes to be the complete and authoritative guide to his work. Gifford has catalogued over 200 works by Heinlein and provides extensive cross-referencing along with an extended chronology of Heinlein's life and major works. Beyond the well known novels and short stories there are entries for every known Heinlein work, including his nonfiction articles and essays, films, rare and never-reprinted stories, unpublished works, and even the unwritten works known only from notes and outlines.

Clearly, the more you know about Heinlein's work the more you will find this reference work to be useful. Gifford's focus is more on detailing the background and history as well as providing critical insights into these works than in providing synopses. Granted, such synopses would make this book perfect, simply because only the most ardent scholar or fan is going to have read even half of the works that Heinlein wrote, but such an omission is certainly within the purview of a Reader's Companion. I am teaching "Stranger in a Strange Land" for my Science Fiction class this semester and picked up Gifford's book to find out useful background information to pass on to my students. But once I started researching that particular topic I quickly found myself paging back and forth pursuing various threads. Devotees of Heinlein's science fiction will find this book useful, not only in providing a fuller appreciation of what they have already read, but in suggesting other works to find and devour as well.

This is probably the best reference about Heinlein's works that's ever been written. One of the best thing about it is that it's complete and very well organized, so that you can find whatever you're looking for in a few seconds, very handy.
Since I've bought it I've consulted it hundreds of times, I couldn't do without it.

This is an absolute must have for any serious Heinlein fan. Gifford obviously put a lot of work and thought into crafting the Heinlein Opus list, which provides a complete compendium of everything Heinlein has written. There are also tidbits about Heinlein work not published as well.

Gifford's precise, clear, and unbiased commentary on nearly all of Heinlein's works is interesting and concise. It does a great service by providing a clear chronological progression of Heinlein as a writer, which gives the reader a fuller understanding of the works produced at a given time in Heinlein's career. I often felt nostalgic when going through commentary because I could remember the work and the period of my life that I read it, and the enjoyment that it brought me at the time.

This book is indeed a companion for Heinlein fans.

There isn't much to say except FIND THIS BOOK! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED! I really don't even want to tell you anything about it, as the surprises within might be diminished. Suffice it to say, this may be the most underrated, underread book of the 1980's. Find this book. Read it. Trust me, it's worth the effort. James Robert Baker deserves to be knighted for this work.

This past weekend, I read the first draft screenplay adaptation of James Robert Baker's FIEL-INJECTED DREAMS and was summarily BLOWN AWAY! I then obtained a copy of the book and was, impossibly, FURTHER BLOWN AWAY! To all fans of the book, the movie WILL do justice to the novel and I for one cannot wait to see James Robert Baker's vision fully realized on the silver screen.

Like the previous reviewer, I read the screenplay first (it is currently circulating throughout the Hollywood community) and I must say that the STORY of this book is amazing, as amazing as the almost perfect distillation of such in the screenplay. James Robert Baker is a force to be reckoned with and I hope we can all look forward to many years worth of subsequent genius work by him. Incidentally, FUEL-INJECTED DREAMS would make an excellent film and, if I have any say in it, WILL make an excellent film. Of course, expect a reprinting of the novel around the time of the film's release.

This is the first book which i read on Sufism and it taught me alot not just about this topic but as well as about life in general. The book teaches you how u can live a quality life. It defines sufism very well and then goes on with each chapter focusing on a different topic like love, prayer etc. Anyone interested in reading something quality rules of life must read this book.

The Sufi practitioner is a mystic. Sufi practices are the mystical practices of Islam. Many of those whom Islam heralds as saints and sages were Sufi masters. For nearly 1500 years, Sufi practices have co-existed with a diversity of other practices and cultures in which Islam has survived and thrived.

'According to many Sufis, the essential truths of Sufism exist in all religions. The foundation for all mysticism includes the outer forms of religious practice, plus a life based on moral and ethical principles. The roots of the tree of religion are founded in religious law.... The branches of the tree are mysticism.... The fruit of the tree is the Truth, or God.'

Edited by James Fadiman and Robert Frager, this book reaches from the very beginnings of Sufi practice to the present, and pulls together materials that are luminous and spirit-provoking, from prayers that have survived a millennium to contemporary poetry. Writers such as Ibn al-Arabi, Ahmad al-Ghazzali, Hafiz, Rumi and Attar fill this book with an enchanting sense of a divine presence in the curiously distant yet all-to-present reality.

Many of the teachings of Sufi are very basic and practical, much moreso than one would think a mystical framework would be. And yet, God is practical in many ways. God particularly expects those with wisdom to impart the wisdom, and this is best done practically for many hearers. Action is the final essential component of wisdom.

The task of the Sufi is to recognise the Truth, to learn and remember it, and secondly, to help others to the Truth as well. As the task evolves, it becomes one process, which infiltrates daily life, worship, and all of existence. Nothing is apart from God. The Sufi strives to recognise this wholeness.

'Oh heart, sit with someone
who knows the heart;
God under the tree
which has fresh blossoms.'
- Rumi

For many of the Sufi, the path to Truth is the path of Love. 'Whatever we wish to know well, we must love.' Yet, there is resistance and fear in this love. Love can transform us, make us unrecognisable even to ourselves, and this is worrisome. Yet God will always know who we are.

Sufi literature also has a humourous aspect to it; the Hodja stories of Turkish collections is illustrated here. These are interesting, because they always illumine more upon closer examination.

'I can see in the dark,' boasted Hodja one day while sitting in a tea shop.
'If that's true,' said his friends, 'why do we sometimes see you carrying a light at night?'
'Well,' he replied, 'I only use that lamp to prevent other people from bumping into me.'

Ultimately the goal of all mystical practice, and perhaps most especially the Sufi, is the experience of knowing God. The paths to God are as numerous as the seekers, the Sufi believe, which is why the path through other religious faith is not discounted. Through prayer, remembrance and service, the Sufi comes to know God, and join with God.

One day a man asked a sheikh how to reach God. 'The ways to God,' the sheikh replied, 'are as many as there are created beings. But the shortest and easiest is to serve others, not to bother others, and to make others happy.' - Abu Sa'id

The call of God is powerful, and Sufi practice is one of the most powerful responses to this call in the world. Sufi are an impatient lot, who long to see God now. May your journey be enlightened by walking some of their paths.

.....to Islamic Mysticism. I first became interested in Sufism when a friend told me she had been following the Sufi path for many years. She is a person who has faced very serious challenges in her life (which I greatly admire) and I wanted to know how she had done so with such poise and equanimity. The answer for her was Sufism.

This book does an excellent job of explaining the Sufi path. Prior to reading this book I knew literally nothing about the subject. Now I understand Sufism to be a deeply personal path and one that is based on love of God, a dedication to service, a search for spiritual knowledge, and uncovering one's pure self. The wisdom of Sufism is learned through art, prayer, poetry, stories, readings and rituals, all of which is guided by a Sufi teacher.

The history of Sufism is traced in this book and the beliefs and path of the faith are thoroughly explained. Discussed are: Sufism's four great books (Jesus' Gospels, the Quran, Moses' Torah and David's Psalms), the Five Pillars of Islam, the four stages of Sufi practice, transforming the self, the importance of a Sufi teacher and much more. After reading this book I feel I have a sound knowledge of the basics of this faith and an understanding of why my friend has found such peace in following it. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn about Sufism or who is on a spiritual path that is open to new discoveries.