I am 27 years old and my father passed away in March at the age of 52. He died very unexpectedly. I really enjoyed the style of this book, but the personal stories seemed a little out of date for a younger person and also for a daughter. I would suggest this for a male in his middle life, whose father died as an older man. That seems to be the main focus of this book, as that was the author's experience.

This book helped me in the most difficult time of my life. When my father passed away I was looking for a lot of answers to many questions and this book helped me in that regard. I have bought this book five times because I keep giving it out when someone close to me loses their father. Everyone seems to get a lot out of it. For those who have just lost their father my heart goes out to you because you now know the feelings that come with such a loss and I hope reading this book helps. God Bless

I lost my father very suddenly two months ago. For a seemingly healthy man to go like that, I was devastated.As a nurse it was even harder to accept than it was as a daughter. My husband brought this book to me about a week after his death,along with another equally helpful book. For some reason I found myself coming back to this one to read over and over. I sent copies to both of my siblings. To say that this book brought me peace would be the best way to describe my feeling whenever I started to read it. Thank you for putting my feelings into words to help me cope as well as validate the emotional rollercoaster that I am still riding.

These various tales of women growing up queer and as tomboys in the Yukon are all amazing in their wit and their power. Coyote is a member of Taste This, whose book "Boys Like Her" is still one of my favorites. Two of my favorites in the book are "You're Not in Kansas Anymore" where the narrator (Coyote) faces the name she was given at birth and finds one that reflects her real self, and the last story, "Red Sock Circle Dance", which concerns families of choice and a sort of passing the queer torch to a younger generation of queers. I wish this book were longer!

ivan's is a clear and tender voice that is never sentimental. as a feminist what i found consistently striking was how powerful an unanalytical voice can be when it simply details again and again what it means to experience life as a girl when your imagination is hungry enough to identify and crave the different sorts of freedoms that boys have.

ivan is a performer and each story lends itself to being read aloud . try reading one aloud to yourself and be something new - or remember something lost - in your own imagination.

i recommend this volume to educators looking for appropriate stories for grade and high-school exploration of gender, sexism and homophobia. there is wry gentleness here - an open style that lets the reader choose to do as much work as each is ready to. start with "no bikini."

Ivan E. Coyote is a member of Taste Taste, the lesbian performance collective that published the amazing book Boys like Her a few years ago. This is her first solo story collection, and they're amazing: about growing up as a dyke in the Canadian North. A strong, intimate voice!

I think this book is a fairly good inventory of design works by the giants. Some of the works displayed have dated and it seems there could have been better editorial choices. Nevertheless, i think its a good starter for the begginer, and is a fun way to kill an hour.The print quality is exellent, giving vivid colors, but the cover design is...well- a shame.

This book is exactly what I hoped it would be: a visual parade of the works of designers who are arguably considered superstars in graphic design.

The various graphics are seen applied to print (magazine/book/poster), signage, film and sculptural media.

The examples span several decades, from the early 40s to the mid-90s. The great thing about seeing superb design in the years before the 1980s is that design during that period was accomplished without the use of computers; as a result, greater emphasis was placed on composition, shape, typography, color and imagination. The result was design that was simple, bold and highly communicative. It's a far cry from the over-stimulated design that almost everyone with a computer is capable of producing -- and has.

The back of the book contains an index to the graphics with a descriptive label and the year in which each was produced. Each designer's section starts off with a few paragraphs of introductory text, and ends with a brief bio.

The graphics are displayed one per page, and speak for themselves. Designers should pay attention to the message in this body of work.

Great works by the great designers, including my fav. Saul Bass's anatomy of a murder, it's simply a designers inspiration in carry size.Don't strain your eyes - it's picture only.

As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a truly nonwestern work. In its tone, its narrative devices, and in the world it presents, this is a work that is clearly "other" from traditional Western fare. While sharing the same structural shell as the Western novel, its story is largely outside the limits of Western expectation.

At its heart, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a song sung in retrospect by Lady Sarashina. This is a song of denied dreams that always just barely seem to fail.

The one constant of the narrative is sadness. Whether Sarashina's life was really so melancholy or whether she wrote this looking back through the lens of bitterness is speculation. Yet the sadness is palpable. Sadness hovers over each scene. When happiness breaks in, it is an unexpected and short-lived guest.

The narrative covers most of Sarashina's life. It starts in her childhood and leads up to her later years. She lives a very sheltered life in her father's house. So much so that it, in some ways, could be described in non-religious terms as a cloister. All the young Sarashina has to occupy her time is her love of tales and the hope of a more fulfilling future.

The genesis of Sarashina's great unhappiness is the glimpse she gets of the greater life around her--a life that she is never capable of partaking in. In all her travels she is never able to break free from her own internal solitude. She will not allow herself to live in anything more than a "dream."

For me, the extremely episodic nature of the book made it hard to get deeply involved as a reader. There were long spaces in this book where the author dwelt on seemingly unimportant matters. There are also quite a few brief sections where the author skips ahead a number of years. This made things difficult for me to follow on a number of occasions.

The one part of the book that I enjoyed was the poetry. I greatly enjoyed the poem that the author's father had his daughter compose to send to his ex-wife. The moment was both touching and insightful into their relationship.

The native Japanese worldview was wholly foreign to me. All the pilgrimages, priests, nuns, and what I would term "superstitions" struck me as convoluted and semi-capricious. The mother's taking of vows while still living within the house, yet being separated from the household, was a truly odd moment.

Though sometimes hopeful, Sarashina has no true hope. In its place Sarashina resigns herself to the idea that all the bad things happening to her are the result of Karma.

I have a hard time swallowing this much hopelessness. There is an endless sense of wallowing about As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams. I wanted to talk to Sarashina--to tell her that no matter how deep the darkness, it only takes one point of light to dispel it.

While this book may have value in being representative of the Japanese Literature of its day, it is not something I would choose to read again. The problem with As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is that no one ever crosses the stinking bridge.

The Sarashina Nikki was written by a Lady depressed over the death of her husband and anxious about the future of her children. As grieving people often do she tries to find a reason for her affliction and decides she is being punished for prefering frivolous literature to serious religious study. Lady Sarashina was apparently not only an enthusiastic reader of romances, such as the Tale of Genji, but authored tales of her own though none have survived. How she wasted her youth reading and writing fictions is the theme of her retrospective memoir. I like to think the Nikki reflects a passing mood, that Sarashina eventually recovered from her losses and took a more balanced view her past life and involvement with literature.

This work was likely written as a warning: don't get caught up in fiction! Almost like a Madam Bovarie from 800 years ago, the author looks back over her own life, remembering the ups and downs fondly while carrying overtones of Buddhist thought. Enchanted by the Tale of Genji and other popular fiction of the time, her youth was spent longing to be able to go to the capitol (Kyoto today) so she could lay her hands on the volumes upon volumes of novels. Her father's work takes him back there briefly, and the author wraps herself in constant reading... at the expense of Buddhist study. Her own "Prince Genji" even appears, but this love ends and she herself is swept along to another destiny. Written in retrospect, this makes a lovely book to read along side both fiction and non-fiction alike. Also, the brightness of the naration will no doubt keep one's attention focused while the eventual "message" seeps through. This translation has few problems, but it might be interesting to see what someone else can do with this well-loved classic.

These comments are ref. to the second edition.

Simply a great primer for a new Design Engineer. Explains clearly the basic prinicipals and equations used in Radar technology. If you get to know the stuff explained in this book, you will not have any difficulty about the terms used by the Radar gurus, such as Radar Cross-Section, Radar equations, radar signal returns, received power, fluctuations in Radar Cross-section, S/N ratio of the received signals etc. Virtually everyone that works in a Radar industry would have read at least some sections in this book.

I was in the USAF for 9 years and am now studying for a degree as an electronics technician. While in the service, I worked a variety of radar jammers and receivers and this volume has pieced together very well that is going on at the other end of the radar. While I learned how radars worked, I learned more how to exploit weaknesses, not the ins and outs of how exactly they were supposed to work. This book was very helpful in enhancing my knowledge of radar, and is an invaluable reference in my library.

This third edition is much more readable than the second edition. A vast improvement in the breadth of topics, and also the depth of topics over the second edition. A good introduction to radars and how they work. For the die-hard technical person, however, the Radar Handbook (also by Skolnik) is still king. This book does not get into the detail of the Radar Handbook. However, someone just learning radar would find the extreme detail of the Radar Handbook too confusing. This book is a good starting place. Even if you own the second edition, you might want to upgrade to this one - the format and topics have improved that much.

This book (5th edition) cover the topics of undergraduate number theory well. The chapters are -
(1)divisibility
(2)congruences
(3)quadratic reciprocity and quadratic forms
(4)some funtions of number theory
(5)some diophantine equations
(6)farey fractions and irrational numbers
(7)simple continued fractions
(8)prime estimates and multiplicative number theory
(9)algebraic numbers
(10)partition funtion
(11)density of sequences of integers.
It also contains basic cryptography, basic group theory and basic elliptical curves in some of the chapters. The authors give notes on the end of each chapter about some research results, which I enjoy reading.

However, the author give too much hints spoling the fun of solving the problems. Eg 32-36, 40-3, 59-53, 108-36, 136-17, 312-8, and most of the problems in chapter 8. The author should put these hints at the back of the book. I suggest you look up IMO (imo.math.ca) for problems suitable for chapter 1-7 because IMO is well-knowned for its excellent number theory problems (especially 1990-3).

Overall this is an excellent book. I give it a rating of 4.5/5, I don't give it 5 because of the author give too much hints to problems instead of putting hints at back of the book.

I have started my studies in Number Theory reading this book from the preface to the last word. It is amazing! I think it is a better introduction to the subject than the classical Hardy and Wright...it is "more objective" and almost 100% elementary...a good high school reader could do well with it. The chapter of diophantine equations has some divine proofs, very clever and very beautiful. And there is an easy proof of the irracionality of Pi. The only negative point is the existence of some points where the authors could be less concise and a bit clearer, stating the theorems before giving the demonstrations, instead of saying at the end of the paragraph "we then have proved the theorem of..." Its a good book for self-study. It has many exercises.

This is a fantastic book on number theory. It covers far more ground than most introductory text (comparable to Hardy and Wright in depth with much less concern for the big O). It covers material usually only available in separate texts: Rational points on elliptic curves, the partition function, and Dirchlet series. Quite readable chapters, well motivated theoretically, although the historic motivation for the subject matter comes largely in the end-of-the-chapter notes. It's an excellent refresher and reference for non-specialist who find themselves using an algorithm or formula they've forgotten (number theory now playing a role in physics and CS, like never before). It is well cross-referenced with regards to methods of proofs the can be accomplished in different section by different methods - this again making it an excellent reference.

Alas, it is pre-FLT. So you'll have to look elsewhere for that.

I was disappointed with the book, perhaps because I may not be the target audience. I am in my mid 30's, and have realized that my memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Hence my interest in this book - I picked it up hoping for some non-obvious tips on how to slow down deterioration of my brain. Perhaps there was relevant information in this book: if so, it was very difficult to find.

Dr. Victoroff appears to have followed the same strategy that many school and college students follow when writing a paper for which they lack material: state obvious facts, repeat information, present information that is only vaguely relevant, all to ensure that the required "length" requirements are met. This book is far too long. There is too much of information on the physiology of the brain. Many of Dr Victoroff's recommendations appear to be self obvious (eat right, exercise, avoid stress).

Had the book been about a third of its size, it might have been interesting. As it is, it is extremely dry.

In the end, I ended up skimming thru the book to get to the "juicy" part that could actually help me: unfortunately, I found nothing.

This book is full of excellent, useful information.

Surprisingly, it is also clearly written and fun to read!

A must for anybody with a brain.

It is very seldom that I read a book and then decide to start a second reading of it. This book is so good I felt the need to read it twice, to better absorb the information. Of course, having read the description of the maturation stages of the brain, I knew that I would need that second reading to hope to retain as much as a 16 year old would on a first reading.

Dr. Victoroff gives you current information on a vital subject. This book was published in July of 2002 and it draws upon over 14,000 studies in the last five years - some from early 2002. He even refers to the impact of the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

I especially liked his technique of presenting both point and counterpoint studies for the impact of most of the herbs, hormones, diseases, exercises and general lifestyle factors he describes. He makes it clear when a statement is based on solid facts, when it seems likely based on some but not all studies, and when he is speculating - giving his personal opinion. This type of honesty is sometimes lacking from the medical profession. One of my favorite sections contains a quote from the head of a medical school who tells the incoming students that half of what they are about to learn is false; but that unfortunately, we don't know which half.

I came away from this book with a much clearer understanding of how my brain works, what can happen to keep it from working optimally, and what I can do to help protect it.

Since the research on herbs and drugs is changing so rapidly, much of this book will be out-of-date within a couple of years. It's my hope that Dr. Victoroff will write frequent revisions to keep us informed about these changes.

In 2002, this book is a must-read for anybody with a brain, who wishes to keep it functioning.

AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER is a sweet tale of a man lost after losing his love two years ago. He is given a chance to live a dream by a Saint named Jack to become one of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955, the year they won the World Series. Sam enbarks on a journey to heal his wounded soul and discover a new love. Definitely a tale to delight by many readers, especially if you love baseball, as it plays a key role in the book. This reader highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Mr. Scott is a voice to watch.

Review written by Miriam van Veen

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. IVAN SCOTT WRITES WITH GREAT PASSION. THERE ARE MANY TWIST AND TURNS THAT KEEP YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A MOVIE MADE OUT OF THIS BOOK. I HAD A WARM FEELING WHEN I FINISHED THIS BOOK. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE OF IVAN SCOTT'S BOOKS. I THINK THIS AUTHOR WILL BE REALLY BIG!!

I read Ivan Scott's debut novel, An Invincible Summer, and I have to say how much I enjoyed it! The interaction of the characters, who all have had their hearts broken through life's trials, is enthralling since they all bring their pain to the table, and work with each other to overcome adversity. I also liked the theme of living life to the fullest since we never know when it could be taken away. This is a good one!

I have read several of Troyat's biographies. I generally like this one but was bothered by the author's constant references to Ivan's evolving relationship to God. If Ivan explained himself in letters, then OK. But I don't like a biographer telling us "Ivan decided God had reconciled with him", an unsubstantiated inner state. Troyat is not this kind of biographer, but I would love to have had a few pages on what sources he used and how much material still exists. I actually read this on books on tape, but they usually include everything the author provides.
Other than that, what was it about east Europe of the era? We have Vlad Tsepes, Elizabeth Batory (sister of the Batory mentioned here?), and Ivan to name a few of the more notable monsters. Western Europe seems to lack the unbridled scale and variety of the east.
I found it remarkable to learn Ivan compiled lists of victems and sent them to various monasteries. I wonder how many are still extant? I found his flirtation with England to be pretty amusing. Subtle he was not. I also enjoyed the excerpts from the long-running flame wars Ivan conducted with some of his enemies.
For what it is worth, in my Russian class long ago, they said Ivan Grozny means "awe inspiring" and that he picked it himself
I recommend this to other readers, in addition to his work on Peter and Catherine. After reading this, go find the Sergei Eisenstein film in three parts on Ivan, for a really interesting Stalinist era twist on this bit of history

Lately I have been reading a lot about Russian and Soviet history and one thing that becomes very clear, is that for centuries the Russian people have had to endure some of the most barbaric, inhuman rules ever to roam the earth. During the mid-1500's, Ivan the Terrible decimated cities simply out of boredom or jealously. People around him died for no other reason than he wanted them to. The Russian populace endured almost unbelievable cruelty, yet always believed in their "father" and never really questioned his authority or even his sanity.
Author Troyat does a magnificent job of making Ivan a real person. Orphaned at a young age and mistreated by the boyars around him, Ivan spent his adult life as a pious mass murderer. Ordained by God to rule as he pleased, Ivan never questioned his cruelty and went to this death blaming others for the events that he himself caused. I have read several other Troyat biographies of famous Russians, and his is one of his best.

I had my hopes on this book and i wasnt dissapointed.The author gives a direct,impartial account of Ivan.The authoor goes into the Tsar's mind with clarity without trying to explain the whole thing. The way the author presents the story is sophisticated and full of images and action.The description of the russian court is excellent and the way it is explained is very good.I recommend this book for anyone who wants to study the life of Ivan and his times

The narrator of this book, the "author" of the diary is a man anticipating death within a week. Chulkaturin is alone - only an old woman caring for him - facing death without family or friends. He begins writing a diary, an accounting of his life. What begins as a biography beginning with his childhood, becomes the narration of a single event, an event he believes illustrates beyond all doubt that he is a "superfluous man". This event is a one-sided love for a girl just becoming a woman. In this story Turgenev presents us with alienation - 1850's Russian style. For those of us raised on existential alienation, this book is an excellent reminder that alienation is a far more universal literary theme - a theme well executed in this book.

This early work (published when he was 32) presents an author who is already a master of metaphor and simile as well as a great story-teller. It is a short book, not quite a novel one could say, but an excellent exhibition of the young Turgenev's skill and artistic sensibilities.

The story itself is in the framework of a diary of a dying man. More than an actual diary, it is actually an account of a desperate man, hopelessly in love with a young girl. It is the story of his unhappiness and jealousy, which make him a superfluous man without use and objective.

Turgenev's novella about a dying 'superfluous' man . In a way, it's an update of Lermantov's "A Hero of Our Time" (without the tricky narrative structure) or Goethe's "Werther." Turgenev's story is notable for its more humane perspective; he truly was the "greatest French novelist writing in Russian."

The only downside to this volume is its length: "Superfluous Man" is more of a long story or novella than a book in and of itself. Look instead for a collection.