I was in my early twenties when I first read this classic tale by Paul Brickhill about Britain's WWII R.A.F. "legless," ace-fighter pilot. In re-reading the book many times since, I can sense and feel the heroic determination of Bader and the pilots of the squadrons that he led. If any reader wishes to know why Winston Churchill was moved to perpetuate the heroism of these men in his famous, "Their Finest Hour," speech, this is indeed the book to read.

I read this book when I was 13 years old - have read it atleast 20 times since then. And it has never failed to inspire me - time after time it has helped me to rise over circumstantial setbacks.

Sadly the copy I have is over 40 years old, and pages are falling apart. Wish that reprints were available.

Douglas Bader had become sort of a role model for me.

I also read this book as a teenager- for a book report in Health class. I have kept the book for over 20 years and still find it excellent. If it were in paperback, I would give it to others as it shows what a person with disabilities-even way back then -can do. Douglas Bader is certainly one of my heroes.

I read this book and watched the TV series around 1990. I credit Growing a Business, as much as anything I ever read or heard, for the success of my company today.

In 1992 a group of first-time entrepreneurs started a company together. Some of the group had a blueprint of how a company is supposed to start. Get capital. Build something. Launch it. Succeed. They had not read the book, or they had but did not believe it spoke to us.

Some of the group had a more organic idea, inspired in part by this book. Each company has its pace, its flow, its learning curve. The CEO is the clock, the pacer, the navigator. There is a constant calculator going on each decision, each day, extrapolating payoffs, comparing the costs and benefits. And there is a recognition of what we are going into business for and structuring the business to support those objectives.

For example, we wanted a great place for employees. Each employee would share the experience and benefits. The "Startup 101" types of books treat this topic as an add-on after you do all the important things. Hawken makes it primary. It is primary if you want a place for the best people to do their best work. Structure your company around the employee experience and all else falls into place - if that is the kind of company you want.

An important lesson from this book is serious initial capital for inexperienced entrepeneurs can be a mistake. Hawken describes this. So important. So easy to overlook.

Large amounts of startup capital allows you to outsource parts of a company you may not totally understand yet. It makes some mistakes very expensive. It dulls the creativity at times, the innovation to do more with less. It might encourage one to do things just because you see other companies doing them. It tempts you to make large steps, when it is critical in modern markets to learn to make many smaller steps.

And so on. This book may not fit every entrepreneur. It certainly does not provide all the information you need for growing a company. But for some of us it describes a pattern for growing a good company.

If you are thinking about starting a company, or are in the early stages of a startup, I recommend this book. It might change how you do things, and you might get more satisfaction from the adventure as a result.

This book was written by someone who really built a business from the ground up. Mr. Hawken gives some great advice and makes it seem like anyone can succeed in business if they treat people right. This book was one of the first business books I read eight years ago while planning my business and I still consider it one of the best.

Mr. Hawken - if you read this, Thank You for a great book!

A "humane" treatment of business. Hawken demostrates that business as practised by "corporate" America, where the interest of the shareholder is supreme, and where the employee is an"afterthought", is the reverse of what it should be. A farmer can't force his crop to grow too fast, or slow it's development: his crop has a speed that is just right. So with business: too much forced growth (with excess capital, for example) can be just as dangerous as too slow growth. This book should be read by anyone desiring serious longterm success

Paul Thomas Anderson shows us, yet again, how he can bring together many different characters, involved us in their different circling stories, and not let us lose touch with any one of them.

The shooting script is brilliantly written -- Anderson has developed a wonderful way of describing things and writing dialogue, which can, at times, sound shockingly realistic.

It's a delight for fans of the film, like myself, to read scenes that were deleted from the film, most notably, Stanley Spector meeting the mysterious character "Worm". After reading this part, you understand how it fits into this film.

This is a really well-crafted work of a story, which complements Paul Thomas Anderson's creative talent, and showcases everyday problems like regret, love, fear, and loneliness and shows how touching they can really be.

The pictures at the end of the book are very colorful and gorgeous to look at it, because the capture the feeling of the movie so well.

But, I'm a little dissappointed with the interview with Anderson, which comes after the screenplay. It's interesting to hear him talk about the inspiration for the story and characters. But, it doesn't feel very satisfying, because it feels severely edited, leaving you wanting to know more.

But, that's okay. The screenplay explains it all, giving you a wonderful, heartfelt story about real people struggling with the problems and unusual circumstances in their lives.

If you enjoyed the movie, this book will only make you love it more.

MAGNOLIA is the brilliant 3-hour intimate epic of Paul Thomas Anderson, writer-director-genius-walking God-auteur-idol.

It's the story of redemption, loss, lonliness and apocalyptic cataclysm over the course of one day but you can't begin to describe in words anything about what it's truly about even after seeing it.

MAGNOLIA was a brilliant film. At 3 hours and 8 minutes, MAGNOLIA is a vast film of such brilliant and breathtaking vision, it makes you wish they gave an OSCAR for BEST SCOPE.

I've read the screenplay by ANDERSON and bought the book and it too is brilliant, just like the film. But I suspect because of the publicized editing in the film, ANDERSON'S SHOOTING SCRIPT that is the book is actually more in depth in the nature of certain characters and scenes. The film neglects to explain fully some of the plot threads and the script scoops them up and cradles them in light.

It's a self-affirming jolt of a movie that is sure to be unpredictable by everyone. I do recommend both to everyone who can understand the pain of the characters.

"Magnolia" is a film that should go down in history. And for the mere reason of Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson's brilliant screenwriting is seen the best through his characters. By this talent the piece truly is an ensemble film, for no character outshines the next. Linda Partridge and Claudia Gator, my personal favorite characters, go through the gamut of emotions throughout the script, while likewise staying true to their original motives and feelings.

Basically, the thing that makes Anderson's characters real is that they ARE real. They are normal people whose lives have, along the lines, come apart at every possible seam. No people live absolutely perfect, happy lives, and this is what Anderson gets across. Many of the characters in the script on first look seem invincible, strong, glorified, and beautiful. It does not take long for the reader to see, though, that the most perfect people have the weakest constitutions and strength.

The film is superb. The actors and actresses Anderson used were the ones that could get the job done, not just the big names (okay, despite Tom Cruise and maybe Julianne Moore) that would pull in the crowds. Anderson's direction is also brilliant, for you see that he and his script pulled every ounce of his characters out of his cast.

Anderson is somewhat like the Mel Brooks of the modern, dramatic realm of film. He writes his scripts, does the directing, and he uses the actors and actresses that he knows will deliver. Many of the castmates in Magnolia also appeared in Boogie Nights, and some even in the earlier Anderson film, Hard Eight. He...in truth...is brilliant, and this script is his best one yet I think. My fingers are crossed for him at the Academy Awards this March for his Screenplay nomination, but I'm only upset that no more than three people (Anderson, Aimee Mann, & Cruise) were recognized by the Academy for their amazing performances in the film (especially Melora Walters).

And the bottom line...Anderson is pure brilliance and is one of the next great film makers of our time, and I cannot wait to continue following his career.

The weirdest thing about this book is that the beginning is so true-to-life. The book was written several years ago, but the story is very much in sync with what is going on in the world today. This is my fifth Marcinko book and it's one of his best. It's his second fiction work, a follow up to Rouge Warrior: Red Cell, which is the main reason I didn't give it five stars. The action scenes in Green Team are much more exciting than Red Cell, but the plot just doesn't stand up to the latter. It develops at a break neck speed, but its quality fluctuates right up to the end. First time Marcinko readers will probably get hooked, just like I did with Rogue Warrior: Task Force Blue, only to be more pleased with the discovery of his first and second books. Marcinko's crossing of the thin line between reality and fiction might annoy some readers who are not used to his style, but I think it's a very original welcomed breather from the "2+2=4" formulas of other action books. Marcinko is not the writer Tom Clancy is, but then again, Tom Clancy is not the warrior Marcinko is.

Marcinko lives large and plays hard. This book, along with the rest of the Rogue Warrior Series, is hard hitting and action packed. This dude does it all, says it all, and doesn't take crap from no one. Execellent reading for someone whose tired of the slow moving far fetched action of most fiction books out there. I read Red Cell just three months ago, and I've read almost all his books to date. It's KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) read the book and get hooked!!! Anyone for a Bombay?

I'll admit to this guilty pleasure: I love the Rogue Warrior books. Not because they're great literature, but because they're just plain fun. I'm a Marine combat vet, so I can usually detect the (very) fuzzy line between military fact and fiction, but with Marcinko's books I throw up my hands in the amphibious salute and just go with it. Demo Dick's literary swagger is intoxicating, and his larger than life character is THE male archetype. All of us guys want to pump iron at Rogue Manor, throw down the double Bombays, and go shooting and looting with the SEALs' best.

It's not "the best book I've ever read," nor is it the SPECWAR primer that Rogue Warrior is. But for some unadulterated macho fun, Green Team (like the others in the series) can't be beat.

When British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was busy saving his crew after a shipwreck in the Antarctic in 1914, you would guess that he wasn't thinking much about teaching leadership lessons. But author Dennis N.T. Perkins uses Shackleton's expedition to show how the leadership principles the explorer exercised can be applied to your work. He even adds modern case studies as illustration. This excellent book is at its best when it describes Shackleton's courageous rescue. He led his men to safety through a frozen wilderness by focusing on the ultimate goal of survival, setting a personal example, overcoming conflict, minimizing status differences, stressing teamwork and applying other essential leadership qualities. Though the principles may sound familiar, the book provides a dramatic new view of them, and it is written in a clear, crisp style. We at getAbstract.com recommend it to all corporate explorers.

Dennis was interviewed about this book on FoxNews, and he was captivating with his story of Shackleton and what he learned of leadership.

Perkins has applicable background, in Vietnam and management consulting and teaching which make this book doubly fascinating.

I found his style and wit so easy to read and yet remember the points being made. There are many one can take away from this and use, however two that stand out in my mind are: great leaders don't enter knowing everything, e.g. Shackleton had never even slept in a sleeping bag before, much is learned; second, in At Edge experiences, overcome uncertainly with structure and distractions.

So much more could be said about this excellent contribution to leadership. It is well structured with Shackleton's lessons first, then biz cases which are each unique and contribute to illustrations of these leadership lessons. After each section there is reflection, while at the book's end, more intense follow-up excercies and resources to be pursued.

One great leadership adventure!

This outstanding book is a collection and analysis of leadership lessons from Ernest Shackleton's heroic 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition at the edge of survival. Shackleton's amazing adventure saga alone is a great read, but it is the leadership insights that make this book a "must-read."

Perkins carefully organized the book into four inter-related parts. After briefly summarizing the Shackleton expedition, in Part One Perkins presents his 10 strategies for leading at the edge:

1-Vision and Quick Victories: Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives.

2-Symbolism and Personal Example: Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.

3-Optimism and Reality: Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.

4-Stamina: Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go of guilt.

5-The Team Message: Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one - we live or die together."

6-Core Team Values: Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.

7-Conflict: Master conflict - deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggles.

8-Lighten Up!: Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.

9-Risk: Be willing to take the Big Risk.

10-Tenacious Creativity: Never give up - there's always another move.

Interwoven with these strategies are detailed accounts from Shackleton's expedition and real world business examples to fully illustrate the strategies' applicability to today's leadership environments.

Part Two is case studies of four organizations that successfully applied the strategies and achieved remarkable success. In Part Three, Perkins "outlines a number of qualities and actions that...contribute to living, learning, and thriving at "The Edge."" Part Four provides the reader with some tools to further develop individual leadership skills.

Written by a former combat Lieutenant of Marines in Vietnam and current "President of The Syncretics Group, a consultancy that focuses on effective leadership in demanding environments," this book was a very enjoyable and informative study of leadership. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about, and seeing if they have what it takes for, leading at the edge.

Philip Gulley's books give me a sense of peace, calm, and quiet seasoned with a generous helping of humor that always lets me end my day on a happier note. I've read most of his works and especially enjoy the characters who make me think, "I KNOW that person!" "Front Porch Tales" has joined my other favorite book, Clyde Egerton's "Walking Across Egypt" as my gift of choice to dear friends and loved ones.

Philip Gulley does an excellent job of bringing us the stories of his life. He has a wonderful sense of humor and brings his relationship with God into perspective each time. He has a very interesting writing style that makes you want to know the man and read on. His other book is great too "Hometown Tales". I hope he puts pen to paper more often...

I'm 13 and I'll admit I only bought this book because I had a gift certificate to a local Christian bookstore and I couldn't find anything to buy in the young adult section. But after being bored one day I picked it and it's dusty cover off of my bookshelf and started reading it. I'm glad I did. Philip Gulley writes in an easy manner that anyone can understand, even a teenager like me. His stories make you laugh, even though I don't think he tries to be funny. It just comes out natural in his writing. I've read the book twice and got my mom to read it and she liked too. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read mini-stories, because that's what the book is. You can put the book down and not have to worry about remembering characters' names or other details. It's full of stories that will make you laugh and also warm your heart. So why are sitting here reading my review? Buy the book on Amazon today! If I'm 13 and I liked it, I think you'll like it too. Thanks for reading my review. Bye!

I first read this under the English title 'Jenny' years ago and it remained in my mind - especially "When in doubt, wash" - and I have just reread it. My memory hadn't played ticks on me with the passage of time, and it remains the treasure I remembered from way back. All of Paul Gallico's books are wonderful, and no-one should miss 'The Snow Goose' and 'The Hand of Mary Constable' (sadly, I think out of print!). Also, his Mrs 'Arris series.

Gallico has entered the mind of the cat without destroying their integrity, mystery and independent natures - there's nothing Walt Disney about this book - and the way he writes is deceptively simple. You can read this book at face value and enjoy it as a 'nice' story, or appreciate it at a deeper philosophical level which is more rewarding.

More than a book about 'cats' for 'cat lovers', this book says a lot about humanity and the lack of it without without preaching. It creeps into your heart and head without any effort at all and, more importantly, without the cloying sentimentality that many writers about animals descend to.

Be warned, though! If you don't like cats, you probably will after this!

This is not a 'new' book, but has been around for many years. I first became aware of this touching novel through excerpts that appeared in several articles, beginning in the 0's I believe. The book was out of print at that time, prompting me to hire a search firm. After several months I acquired a hard cover edition, which I have treasured ever since. Several months ago I let a friend borrow my 'treasure', and I moved. In unpacking my nearly 2,000 books I did not find "The Abandoned" -- much to my horror. The friend has confessed that she has it and will return the book, but it is a comfort to know that if it ever goes permanently astray I can get it through you. The book itself is a perfect gem, full of adventure, love and triumph. It is enjoyable for readers of all ages. I re-read it every few years just for the joy of it. Mr. Gallico displays a fine understanding of children and of cats. His imaginative story-line will hold the reader's interest while the humanity of his characters, cat or human, touches the heart. Paul Gallico is a fine author and I recommend many of his other works including "The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun." Readers who enjoy this book should also seek out "The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread" -- another charming, heart-warming story of a young boy in a very unusual situation.

My first reading of this story was as a teenager, I found it in a musty box of paperbacks in the attic; in the throes of teen angst, I immediately identified with the cats who are so seemingly independent and so terribly frightened always. Over and over through my teen years I read the tale, always gleaning some new insight, some new power with which to show the world I could take care of myself independently (When in Doubt, Wash!). I lent it to a friend when I was 17, a virtual cat-hater... not long afterward, he had a cat, and my "mother's book" had disappeared. ... and so began my tale of a long list of missing copies... I would really like to get one of them back...

I have two copies of this incredible book. If you are truly committed to your health and wellness, read and live this book's philosophy.

In America, we are always looking for that magic pill that will fix our bodies. It doesn't exist. Paul Pitchford combines body, mind and spirit in a unique way. Learn to care and nuture your body and spirit. This book will change your life and how you live it if you truly follow it's approach.

This book literally changed my life! I was desperately seeking an alternative to doctors and drugs and happened to choose this book at the bookstore. I couldn't put it down. The Oriental approach was fascinating and captivating. I've applied what I learned and my health and life has dramatically improved. I no longer rely on modern Western medicine. I feel that I am in charge of my own health through eating properly. I have read it cover to cover once, but I am (almost daily!) constantly referring back to it for information on certain foods and their effect on our condition. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in taking charge of their own life and spirituality and health.

This is quite simply one of the best books ever published on the subject of health and whole foods.
There are no platitudes in this book.

The symptoms of both health and un-health are delineated; the technical workings of the body are explained; the solutions to physical health are presented.
Whole foods in all their forms are described -- what to eat, how to prepare them, recipes, how they work in the body, what they fix.

This book is two inches thick, and probably contains enough information for a degree in nutrition.
It is extremely readable, but don't think you can read it without a good dictionary. The author takes care to define technical terms, but that's no excuse for not clearing up words you don't know as you read.
Published in 1993, the book contains up-to-date nutritional research as well as traditional herbal remedies.
A good index helps you find exactly what information you need for specific conditions.

While the emphasis is obviously on a vegetarian diet, the author treats meat products as therapeutic for particular nutritional problems, and describes how to use meat products in the most ethical manner.
The book even gets into subjects of health such as root canals, parasites and microwave cooking.
Wherever possible, the author compares Oriental and Occidental viewpoints on health and nutrition, leaving the reader with insights that just are not available from references that only consider one or the other.

I hope I've stimulated your interest. Following recommendations in this book will most certainly improve your health.

Paul Feig was the poster boy for nerd and geek in high school, junior high and elementary school. If these stories are really true, then it's amazing that he got out of adolesence still alive! You're laughing while you're hurting for Paul - it's a quick, easy read - entertaining in a sort of sick kind of way - sort of like watching a car accident - you don't want to watch but you can't take your eyes away!

If you liked the show "Freaks and Geeks" then by all means, read this book. It's funny.

From gym class skirmishes, to awkward first kisses, Paul Feig takes the reader through his disjointed adolescence in his memoir, "Kick Me, Adventures in Adolescence." His humerous tone is set during the first pages of the book, as he brings up the terribly agonizing names one could be planted with in life. Each chapter illustrates an in-depth, obviously a tad embellished, memorable time in the life of a boy, titled with the nickname Fig Newton. Falling in love with his female alter ego at one point, and giving away a valued family heirloom to an unattainable eighth grade crush during another, "Kick Me" explores the true thoughts of a developing boy. Through his experienes, the reader is able to sympathize, empathize, and practically dash under the covers as Feig reencounters his humilitating, unimaginable traumas. If you are a fan of old Monty Python movies, Leave it to Beaver episodes, or any old TV shows and movies, you'll travel back in time reading this twisted, even nostaligic narrative of a naive, paranoid, and absolutley hilarious adolescent.
I give this book five stars, ten points on the scale, two thumbs up, and a dozen cookies for Feig's humerous tone and courageous ability to remain unhaunted by humilation as he reecounters with unbelievale times. For his sensitivity, although indirect at points, but noticed through his sentiments and exaggerated feelings that were coated by comedic, often sarcastic jokes. And for his broad use of diction, who knows, you may even pick up on a few SAT words while laughing yourself silly...
Paul feig takes us through his encounters with drinking, changing for the first time in the gym locker room, CPR lessons, the anxities of crushes, and ends his journey with his senior prom; periods of adolescence in which we all can relate to. I felt connected with Feig throughout his growth from beginning to end, and even felt like helping him out during certain times. Paul Feig is a guy in which you grow to love, through his comedic and outragous expeditions. Even when your mind tells you that things can get no worse, they do for poor Paul. Read it, on days when you want assurance, wisdom, or simply a mere dose of laughter. These stories are prone to put a smile on your face, possibly along with a cringe...and maybe even touch a tender spot in your heart!

Paul Feig is a gifted writer and director. As a fan of his work on Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, I was excited to read his memoir. His book is actually better than most of his TV work. There is a poignancy to the writing that really stands out (and could be found in some of his TV work too), but the book is always better than the movie anyway. The book is hilariously blunt. Most of us had one or two of these embarrassing events happen to us as children, but how many of us had 278 pages worth? You will indeed laugh so hard that you will cry and perhaps even want to cry. Feig is clearly one of the good guys. He remembers a time that was indeed simpler--but not one that has gone away. Every kid has his traumas reading about his make your own more endurable. I'm recommending this extraordinary book to everyone I know. If only more people had his honesty and insights, the young adult world would be a better place. Nevertheless, kids like Feig make super adults.

I must speak a dissenting voice to all the glowing reviews of this book. Mowat is, no doubt, an excellent naturalist, and many of the adventures described in the book are very entertaining. However, I am very disturbed that, although the author is ready to defend HIS pets with his shotgun against other animals, he pretty much gave his own animals not just free rein but also encouragement to kill the pets of others. Mutt the dog is deliberately set on a woman's cats, and the "secret cemetery" of neighborhood cats filled by his pet owl is described with almost pride.

Also disturbing to me is the author's attitude toward women. Any complaining woman is described as "spinsterish." The "Cat Lady" whose cats the author set his dog on to attack and kill was described as harboring "yearning hope" for a male intruder to come and presumably do things to her that I don't want to refer to in a review that children may read -- the implication is pretty strong, with a reference also to the Sabine women.

I may get flamed for this review, but I feel that these are very poor attitudes to be subtly or unsubtly conveying to children. I find it very unfortunate because I endorse the author's work as a naturalist.

i am reading this book with my dad and having a fun time.mutt,comes to this family for only a penny but brings a millon laughs.he did not think he was a dog so he did not ACT like a dog.when he didn't want to do something he pretented not to hear it.he would put on an expression that said,''i'm sorry,were you speaking to MOI? my two favorite parts are when the dad turns mutt blue and when the dad shot his gun and fell into the dich.you will have to read the book to find out the rest.

This is one of the funniest books that I have ever read. Mutt, the dog, comes to the family in a basket filled with ducks. The father in the story wants an expensive pure bred dog for hunting. However, mother circumvents this by plucking out the dog, paying one cent, and saving lots of money. There are plenty of misadventures in the story, from mutt retrieving a stuffed pheasent in the city (after father pointed his shotgun and said bang), to climbing a ladder into the eccentric womans house filled with 50 cats. There was the encounter with the skunk (in the basement of the house) and the time father accidentally used bluing to clean the dog. The part about the owls is funny and interesting as well. Needless to say, Mutt has many adventures, all of them hilarious I have read this book many times.