a review from the author of DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF: A PERSONAL APPROACH TO DREAM INTERPRETATION; and DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DREAMS, DAYDREAMS, AND FANTASIES.

RITUALS FOR OUR TIMES is a well-written and lucid description of the importance of rituals in our lives, regardless of one's spiritual beliefs. In modern, Western, secular culture, many of us have forgotten the value of marking life passages in ways that speak to our individual needs. Well-organized and well-written, with helpful questions to guide us through planning a ritual and whom to include, RITUALS FOR OUR TIMES brings us back to the power and pleasure of even everyday rituals. Through their suggestions, we learn how we can plan rituals with forethought and conscious choice and without rigidity to old ways that no longer work. With touching stories, authors Imber-Black and Roberts demonstrate the potency of ritual to facilitate growth and resolve conflicts--old and new.

Evans's book on Rudolf II and his court revived interest in the period. Evans shows how Rudolf assembled a court of humanist artists, poets, scientists and alchemists interested in using the correspondences between the microcosm (the human being) and the macrocosm (the universe) to bring about a new age of peace. For Evans, this moment of Mannerist culture was the end of the Renaissance; it represents the dream of a generation dissatisfied with the religious strife of the Reformation, and hoping that a mixture of what we would call science and mysticism could provide a new culture based on hierarchical spiritual education. Instead of a new age, it saw its hopes dashed by increasing religious intolerance and the devastation of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Evans shows how Rudolf's court became a European center of learning; he attempts to illuminate the taciturn emperor's views on politics, religion, art, culture, science and magic by discussing the ideas of his associates. The books is extremely well written and includes an amazing amount of bibliographical information; it may prove a bit daunting for some readers, as some quotations from German, Italian, and Latin are not translated. There is a 1997 reprint with a short essay surveying more recent work in the field by Thames and Hudson

Book One of the "Winning the Battle" series, Running Deep: A Novel Of Submarines, SEALs And Souls by Robert Evan Stevens is a tense, deftly written nautical thriller with a cast of characters possessed of hidden secrets, agendas, doubts and fears. A superbly presented, high impact novel that capture's the reader's attention and holds it fast through trauma conflict, Running Deep is a very exciting read from first page to last.

"The Sacred Mushroom Seeker" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

My wife and I have found this a tremendous guide for athlete and coach alike. I may be her husband, but for ten 3 minute rounds I'm her coach, and the advice in this book forms the basis of my wife's mental approach to the sport. Since reading this her close work has been tremendous and her work-rate impeccable even though she still struggles against an opponent who can stay at arm's-length working a powerful jab.

Richard Schultes has once again managed to combine startling scientific intellect with storytelling prowess. His account of plants and practices in the Amazon is a compelling account of ethnobotany, showing us both that exciting popular literature does not have to be dumbed down an sensationalistic and that scientific work can be interesting enough for lay people. His tone is open and easy, which facilitates understanding of the sometimes complex subject matter. Overall, he exhibits his scientific knowledge through his artistic talent. The subject matter is riveting and sweeping. Schultes captures the essence of the Amazon people without the usual ethnocentric sterotyping. He is a model for both our commercial explorations and our treatment of other peoples. His scope of the subject is broad: it encapsulates the scientific minutiae as well as the anthropological background and mythologies and historical contexts. His student Wade Davis continues in Schultes's justifiably. Take time to appreciate this great man, Richard Schultes, as he is not able to persist in his role as an active scientist.

In the tradition of Dubos, McKeown, and Geoffrey Rose - but goes further and draws on recent data. By multiple authors. The early chapters make for exhilarating reading. "Producing Health, Consuming Health Care" by Evans and Stoddard in particular will be heavily cited for years to come. Later chapters, on implications for policy, come as a bit of a let down. Ultimately, the book is at its strongest in its account of what produces health but isn't as satisfying in its discussions of repercussions for practice.

Author Evan Thomas, Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek, has written several works of popular biography, and I especially enjoyed his The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA. Thomas's book about Robert Kennedy, the least-understood Kennedy brother, is characteristically well written, and Thomas covers the major events of his life in less than 400 pages, so the author's economy of style must be applauded. But Thomas presents little which is new, and, in that respect, this book is slightly disappointing. Admirers of Robert Kennedy probably will continue to believe that his assassination in June 1968, when he was campaigning for the Democratic nomination for president, left much undone, but I do not believe Thomas offers us much reason to believe we really understand RFK.

RFK was well educated at Portsmouth Priory, Harvard College, and the University of Virginia law school, but Thomas suggests that other events in his formative years and early adulthood were more influential. Kennedy just missed serving in World War II, in which his oldest brother Joseph was killed in combat and from which JFK returned a hero. According to Thomas: "Perhaps in part because he had never seen the real thing, Kennedy glorified war." In 1953, RFK briefly served as a lawyer on the staff of Senator Joseph McCarthy's permanent subcommittee on investigations. Thomas offers no reason to believe that Kennedy was offended by the substance of the work; his early departure was, instead, the result of a personality conflict with the notorious Roy Cohn. RFK eventually made a name for himself investigating corruption in the labor movement and the influence of organized crime on unions, and he later believed that the Mafia don of New Orleans played a role in the assassination of his brother.

After John Kennedy's election in 1960, according to Thomas, Joseph P. Kennedy insisted that Robert be appointed Attorney General to position him to serve as the President's "all-purpose consigliere." Some of RFK's assignments in that role were ugly, and Thomas suggests that the psychological effects were deep. It is now well known that Kennedy pressured the C.I.A. to "get rid" of Fidel Castro, and RFK also gave the F.B.I. authority to wiretap the telephones of the Rev. Martin Luther King, caving in to pressure from Director J. Edgar Hoover, who was almost pathologically obsessed with attempting to discredit the civil rights leader. If there is little in this book which is new, there is plenty to reinforce Robert Kennedy's reputation for ruthlessness.

The vicious Lyndon Johnson-Robert Kennedy rivalry, which pervaded their formal relationship from President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963 through the time of RFK's death, also attracts a good deal of Thomas's attention. Their now well-documented hatred for each other was profound in its ugliness, and this made it exceptionally difficult for holdovers from the Kennedy administration to serve effectively under Johnson.

Some of the most telling passages concern Robert Kennedy's limitations as a practical politician. During his 1964 campaign for election to the Senate from New York, according to Thomas, Kennedy proved that he "was not a natural on the stump," and, although RFK defeated a Republican incumbent, he ran 2,000,000 votes behind President Johnson's awesome margin of victory in that state. Once in office, Kennedy refused to exert himself with respect to the Senate's elaborate system of customs and rituals, and, according to Thomas, "in his three and one half years in the U.S. Senate, he lacked the seniority to pass any major piece of legislation."

Anyone who reads Evan Thomas's biography of Robert Kennedy will learn a lot about one of the most important figures in American politics in the 1960s, but I suspect that some readers will be left with the sense that they still do not really know the man.

Evan Thomas' extraordinary book about Senator Robert Kennedy's life brings a wealth of new information and surprising insights to the mythic figure of Bobby we all thought we knew. Thomas' careful research, gripping interviews, and well-honed writing make this a "page turner." Written by a prize-winning journalist who also happens to be Norman Thomas' grandson, Evan Thomas' insightful portrait of Robert Kennedy is nonetheless objective and balanced, showing us a political figure of conscience and, at exactly the same moment, hard-bitten practicality. Thomas has opened a new window into the complex and not-always-liberal character, RFK. His book is must reading for anyone seeking to understand the Kennedys and America in the l960's.

Evan Thomas has set an exceptionally high standard for political as well as historical biography with this masterful account of the life of a brilliant and tortured leader. Highly readable and meticulously researched with the added advantage of having unlimited exclusive access to Kennedy's private papers, this narrative brings to life a complex and dynamically forceful man.

From RFK's early days to his untimely death while reaching for the Presidency, Thomas gives us an unvarnished but at the same time a sympathetic look at the "ruthless" Kennedy. We see RFK molding his skills as the tireless/relentless campaign manager for his brother as JFK ran for Congress in '46 and the Senate in '52. His driven pursuit of Hoffa as a part of the Senate Rackets Committee brings RFK into the national spotlight and sets the stage for the monolithic JFK Presidential campaign and administration.

Awarded the Attorney Generalship for his work during the campaign, Bobby offsets the nepotism charges by becoming the most trusted advisor to his brother during one of history's most sublime and at the same time most dangerous Presidential terms. Thomas deftly covers the inside machinations of such historical events as the Bay of Pigs, the multiple assasination plots against Castro and the subsequent Missile Crisis. RFK's role is at once expertly and judiciously displayed as the manipulative bully who runs interference while JFK remains above the fray. Conversely, when challenged, he shows that he can become thoughtful and brilliant on the world stage as evidenced by his performance during the Missile Crisis.

Of lesser known historical events such as the burgeoning civil rights acts of the early 60's, the fight against the "mob" and organized crime and the constant and frustrating battles with J. Edgar Hoover, Thomas reveals RFK in the same light...the same intensity, the same propensity for error (notable in the tapping of Martin Luther King's phone)and the same caring leadership with his characteristically kindred feelings for the "underdog".

Following JFK's assasination, we see RFK's mythological transformation from follower to leader...Thomas covers his Senate election following that crippling "depression" period and shows how he slowly established his own policies and agenda. All this leads to the almost Shakespearian tragedy of the '68 campaign for the Presidency and a brilliant ending to the book where Thomas philosophizes on what a prospective RFK Presidential administration might have been: "He probably would have been devious in some ways, and it is not impossible to imagine him abusing the power of his office. But he would have surely tried to tackle the problems of poverty and discrimination, and he would have tried to end the killing in Vietnam long before President Nixon did."

A sweeping narrative of a fascinating man and a shrewd examination of his character, this work by Evan Thomas is both comprehensive and an entertaining read and should stand the test of time and be considered the best RFK biography of the many that are currently published. This is an essential read for any political or historical buff and I recommend it highly.

In many biographies, the authors try to explain why they were mis-judged and cast stones on the people making the accusations. Well, Robert Evans does some of that. But, to his credit, he casts dispersions on himself for his mistakes. Evans is a billiant producer, and when you listen to this book in his signature gravely voice, complete with expletives, you'll walk away (or drive away if you're listening in your car) with an incredible understanding of how Hollywood works. And...with some good advice for life in general. "You don't learn from your mistakes. You learn from what you did right." It's the kind of book you want to listen to more than once.

Evans tells it all, and it is all true about the inner workings of Hollywood, and his rise, fall, and plateau within the film industry. Evans, a man with virtually no production or business experience, along with the help of Peter Bart, then a New York Times Columnist, saved the Paramount Studio from becoming extinct. Their work persuaded Gulf and Western to keep the studio alive. Under their tenure, such films as Love Story, The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and the Odd Couple helped to bring Paramount back in business. Evans' account is a great historical romp on his superhero excess and success in Hollywood. As a 'Renaissance Man', he describes how he also started the Evan Picone fashion company with his brother. His life will teach many lessons to youngsters who are 'wet-behind the ears' and desire to work in the film business. Evans doesn't crucify people in his book like Julia Phillips does in hers. Evans tells the truth on how Hollywood can make you a hero for a year, and a vagrant the next. Evans' text indirectly warns readers of the dangers of excess.

Robert Evans is a master storyteller, which means he's a perfect fit for Hollywood. The man who went from Next Big Thing as an actor (after failing spectacularly in that regard) to one of Hollywood's most powerful executives as the head of motion picture development at Paramount, Evans had a hand in some of the biggest films of the '70s, including Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown and The Getaway. Anyone who believes the suits in Hollywood don't have an impact on the pictures they produce will have their world turned upside down by Evans's tell-all.

From his power struggles with Francis Ford Coppola and his tumultuous relationship with Ali MacGraw to his close personal relationship with Henry Kissinger and his downfall due to drugs and dubious family loyalties, Evans's life is the stuff of legend. He couldn't have devised a more cinematic story if he'd been paid to, though one gets the impression he tries -- a master marketer and charismatic manipulator, the truth may never be adequately divulged despite his best efforts. However, his candid recollection of the difficult times in his life, especially the end of his marriage to MacGraw and his strained relationship with Kissinger after his notorious drug bust, are admirable. Whatever he may have done wrong, Evans manages to avoid painting himself as either a saint or a villain, instead allowing us to root for him, envy him, question him, pity him and, in the end, empathize with him.

If all Hollywood lives were as interesting as the business they traffic in, everyone's autobiography would read like Robert Evans's.

War on the Saints (unabridged edition) is the absolute classic work on spiritual warfare and demonic oppression of Christians and non-Christians by the devil and his demonic forces bar none. It is the foundation of similar works by authors Mark Bubeck, Neil Anderson, and Kurt Koch on the same subect. If you will read and memorize the definitions in the beginning of the book, the book makes total sense. If you do not, you will be aruguing with the author's statements. I have ministered to countless "everyday" people that struggle with the exact same battles and issues documented in this book. It is an eye-opener for every believing child of God and a must read for all those who seek to biblically counsel and minister to others both Christian and non-Christian. An awesome work! Buy it and give it to your Pastor!

I liked this book, it sheds much light on demonic operations. The schemes of the devil, as well as the attributes of evil spirits and their way of attack is exposed.

I read this book twice, one time after the other. It is a difficult book to read, one that takes time because of the nature of the subject.

I agree with at least 85% of it, however it does not shed a favorable light on those Christians who manifest speaking in tounges, prophecy, etc.

The author is very conservative and that is o.k. but Charasmatic readers may find a tidbit of the author's analysis offensive.

Surely, as Christians we can look over those things we don't agree with, in order to learn more about the subject matter at hand.

This book is not for the "weak" Christian! It is replete with spiritual truth that will overwhelm those who are not well grounded in the Word of God. The faint-hearted need not read it, for with it will most assuredly come trials from the enemy of your soul who does not want you to appropriate these truths. I've read and studied both the abridged and the unabridged versions, and would recommend either - the abridged for younger (in the Lord) Christians, and the unabridged for those ready and able to handle the "meatier" spiritual matters. Arm yourselves, men and women of God, with the truth of this book and go out to do battle in His Name and by the power of His blood!