I have read all 9 books several times. With each reading, I not only pick up on things that I have missed before, but I come to a much better knowlegde of who I am, and the things I stand for. Althought the Steeds are a fictional family, everything that they experience is something that a pioneer family experienced. Gerald N Lund not only tells a fantastic story but he tells an historically correct story. My life is better for having read this series. I would recommend Fire of the Covenant, and his new series on the life of Christ. They will make you cry, laugh, and feel more than you can possibly imagine.

I love this series. I have read the first 4 books so far and my testimony of the Gospel has grown so much. I'm sixteen years old and I recommend this series to anyone and everyone, even if you aren't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They are wonderful books and everyone should read them.

I'm not one that enjoys reading at all! I got the itch to read the Work and the Glory. I only have the first 4 volumes. I COULD NOT put the book down! I read all 4 in one month, which is totally amazing to me! I felt like I was part of the Steed, Smith families, I cried and laughed, I really felt like I was one of them. It really makes you appreciate all they went through for us! Thank You Mr. Lund for opening a whole new world of reading for me.

Horror stories just do not get any better than this one.

I read Deus-X a few years ago and had waited to read more of Citro's work. However, there has not been much out, but I was glad to see the re-release of this series. Shadow Child is the first book of three that are all being re-released.

I greatly enjoyed this book, it is an excellent example of a frightening book that is somewhat based in fantasy and reality. It is un-nerving and impossible to resist. If you like horror that leaves you double checking the locks on the back doors when you go to bed then this is one for you.

Joseph Citro has written a masterpiece in keeping me up all night to finish Shadow Child. This book has you engulfed in the content of the story with every sentence. Soon after your Eric's arrival in Vermont, you will not know whether or not anyone will make it out alive from this rustic New England town. All in all, the best book written in years by any horror author. You will be checking the locks on your door(s) before you turn in for the night.

Joseph Helms is a giant in the field of Medical Acupuncture. This text clearly spells out the French Energetic method of acupuncture, and the six energy axis. A distinct set of fictional personalities are described in order to help the reader understand the concept the the "functional biopsychotype". The text also describes other fundamental acupuncture concepts, such as five element theory. The binary code of the trigrams associated with each acupuncture meridian is addressed in the later chapters. Read it and read it again and again and again.

Acupuncture Energetics: A Clinical Approach for Physicians is an outstanding text. After taking the course I am using acupuncture in my dental practice for oral and craniofacial disorders. I have two copies of the text, one in the office and one at home. It melds, in a wonderful style, both eastern and western concepts and contains all that I need to know to feel confident in my approach to patients. Neither copy gathers any dust on the bookcase!

Acupuncture Energetics by Joseph Helms is a very comprehensive textbook on medical acupuncture for physicians and practitioners with western training. It also encompasses most aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. For the western practitioner learning acupuncture for the first time, it brings you from a foundation of western medical knowledge and experience into the eastern paradigm. The book provides clear and precise anchors of knowledge and clinical examples illustrating the energetics of acupuncture in the context of TCM.

Excerpts from a letter from Dr. John P. Cooke, MD., Ph.D., to the author. Dr. Cooke is an Associate Professor of Medicine and is the Director, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine:

...I have to tell you that I learned a great deal. I read your book at one sitting, on a flight today to give a talk in the Midwest. I learned a few things from you which I will begin to incorporate into the care of my diabetic patients, and into my advice to my diabetic father.

I found most touching the passages describing your own struggle with diabetes, and quite compelling your anecdotes regarding friends and patients with diabetes. In your next book, these anecdotes should be increased in frequency throughout the text to improve readability for the lay person.

This book is a tour de force, and I congratulate you. I look forward to the sequel...

Chapter 12 is outstanding. I was transfixed by the description of your personal experience with a severe diabetic complication...

I enjoyed your section on nutrition and dietary supplements. You may wish to expand this section, and perhaps work with a dietician on some suggested menus for diabetic patients.

I enjoyed your chapter on diabetic impotence, and chapter on diabetic feet...

Joe, congratulations on a superb book. I admire your drive to help others with diabetes, and your tenacity to complete this book. Thanks again for allowing me to read it. I will recommend it to my diabetic patients.

John Cooke

In Dr. Juliano's books, whether we are male or female, (female in this case) we are taught to live healthy lives. As the expression goes, "It takes one to know one." Either sex should carefully read the information in this powerful book. We are all living together with diabetes and must learn from each other. Thank you Dr. Joe!!!

Dr. Juliano's book was quite a pleasant surprise for me. This book covers an array of very important diabetic issues that are discused in a very intelligent format. Dr. Juliano is an Endocrinologist and a diabetic himself. This first hand experience from the age of 15 allows Dr. Juliano to share personal knowledge based on his own trial and error. The discussion of new and alternative treatment methods is what makes this book great. Dr. Juliano incorporates traditional western medicine with Nutrition and Acupuncture. By pointing out that Western medicine, Nutrition, and Acupuncture should be used together to improve a condition is a quantum leap for health care. Unfortunately most medical doctors have no understanding of nutrition and proper vitamin/mineral supplementation. This lack of knowledge limits the treatment options medical doctors offer us. It is quite refreshing to read a book by a medical doctor that addresses alternative medicine. This book is a wonderful compilation of the healing arts! Sincerely, Rick Womack President & CEO Progressive Research LabsEND

the student mastering counterpoint cannot go through without 'The study of Counterpoint' by Joseph Fux

ray.sant

This is a really fun book. It teaches counterpoint, yet I could read it for leisure reading. It is written as a conversation between an instructor and a student, and there are many, many examples... based on these teachings and recieved great feedback on them.
A highly recommended read for anyone who has ever written a song.

[reprint -- sorry]

At one point in the text, Aloysius pretty much says it all: "These lessons are not worked out for actual use but for exercise. If one know how to read one need no longer bother with spelling; similarly, the species of counterpoint are given only for purposes of study."

I have been working out of this book (which is really an excerpt of a larger book called _Steps to Perfection_) with a private tutor for a year, and it has been a difficult but rewarding experience. Essentially, the species provide a platform to learn how to compose concurrent melodic lines. Each following species builds upon the knowledge of the previous. Rules that begin absolute slowly become contextual. While the book's original title is anachronistic, the program within encourages steps towards the understanding of basic tonal principles that have formed the foundation of the grand tradition of western music.

I'd recommend keeping an open mind about the rules. These are treated as the "rules," but are expected to be broken with time and experience. After all, the rules are no more than the collected general tendancies of the great composers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Fux's book provides an introduction to composition based upon the limitations--and, accordingly, the beauty--of the human voice. This book does not deal with the embellishments and ornaments possible on all instruments.

More caveats: One, I would recommend studying this book with an experienced teacher. It's like a beginning yoga text: basic, but someone with experience will put things in perspective. Two, the exercises, especially for three and four voices, are difficult and require commitment and discipline. (Again, like yoga.) There is no need to rush through the exercises. Three, Fux's book should be part of an integrated tonal curriculum that at least includes four-part writing and ear-training.

And Fux's book is hardly the last word even on counterpoint! At the very least, study 18th century and 20th century counterpoint, because those broad styles used Fux's treatise as their basic foundations. Those who criticize this text do so because it does not immediately apply to modern music situations. But they often fail to see how the text fits beautifully within the broad spectrum of composition. This book reflects the basics of tonal architecture. No more, no less

Ever since my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer I have read almost anything I can get my hands on regarding this dreadful disease. This book is by far the most outstanding I have read. I wish I had looked here first. Joseph Keon's 7-step plan is remarkable and so very easy to read. I've read it from cover to cover 3 or 4 times and have tried almost all of the recipes he suggests. They are just fantastic. I've watched my weight and exercised regularly most of my life....now I feel that, with his help, I'm on the right track with nutrition, too. If only we all would follow his advice, maybe there would be less people having to deal with breast cancer. I highly recommend reading this book.

The Truth About Breast Cancer: A 7-Step Prevention Plan is a soundly researched and highly accessible work that offers practical, useful information about breast cancer and what those at risk can do to prevent it. Joseph Keon surveys and explains the risk factors for breast cancer, offers a complete seven-step approach to preventing breast cancer, and four chapters dedicated to "Cooking for Health" and transitioning to a risk-avoidance dietary life-style. Enhanced with resource lists, extensive notes, and an index, The Truth About Breast Cancer is highly recommended, life-saving reading specifically and successfully designed for the non-specialist general reader.

Dr. Keon's book should be required reading for everyone: women, men (and especially) doctors.

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer before Christmas '99 and has healed herself with the information contained in this life-saving book.

not as bad as the title sounds...maybe 4 3/4 stars...trys to get you to focus on what is right and not what will continue to distract you...a guy gave me the book to read that used to throw clubs when he was unhappy...said it changed his whole approach to the game...i havent seen him throw a club in 6 months so i thought I'd try the book too.
I never threw clubs and now I figured out why....same indian shoots all the arrows...why be mad at myself..?

What's the point of golf? What are we trying to achieve while we're out there? Simply put, the point is to get the ball in the cup as quickly as possible and enjoy the process. I played a round early this summer, had an awful time, came off the course stressed and feeling bad about my behavior. I was literally hyperventalating over putts. Turns out I scored well. So something was amiss, right? This book has me enjoying the game again. Zen Golf is not a deep and difficult treatise of the deeper meaning of life and golf. It is closer to an instruction manual on how to play better golf and enjoy the game more. It addresses concepts like trust, confidence and positive thinking. I now enjoy those 3-iron punch shots out of the trees. I'm learning to enjoy those 5-footers. Every shot is an opportunity and there's no need for fear or negativity. My "evil caddie" seldom comes around, and when he does, I know what to do. This is simply the best golf book I've ever read.

As an avid, yet struggling golfer I was ready for just about anything that could improve my game, including a lobotomy. Zen Golf was not only straight forward, but incredibly useful. Shortly after reading the book, I went out and "trusting" my swing not only hit a lot of great shots, but actually began having fun again. I enjoyed myself so much that I scheduled a full day lesson with Dr. Parent. Talk about a book brought to life. He was wonderful. Not only was he full of insight and stress relieving approaches, but he was really fun to play with. In the last year or so, I have been shooting a lot of 80's and even some 90's. Employing Dr. Parent's concepts I shot 77 AND had a fun time. I don't dread golf anymore. I highly recommend the book to every golfer looking to play to their full potential and take the hernia out of the game. For those luckier still, I recommend a lesson with Dr. Parent. If you are struggling with your game, either take up tennis or get this book.

Mom always said to eat your vegetables. But if she failed to convince you, "The Color Code" takes up where Mom left off. This book is a compelling and well-researched argument for the many ways in which vegetables-and fruits-contribute vitally to health.

We should all eat a rainbow of 9-10 brightly-colored fruits and veggies daily, explain co-authors Joseph, Nadeau and Underwood-not just strive for "5 a day" while repeating the same limited repertoire of pale foods. Color matters because many of the most amazing nutrients are in the pigments that color fruits and vegetables.

You may have heard of some of these pigments, without realizing they were actually pigments. Beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps the body manufacture Vitamin A, is the orange pigment in carrots and sweet potatoes. Lycopene, touted in the media with headlines like "tomato sauce prevents prostate cancer," is the red pigment in watermelon and pink grapefruit as well as in tomatoes. Lutein, which studies recently tagged as key to eyesight, is found in greens like spinach, kale and even parsley. Once the authors explain that each pigment color has different health-giving properties, it's easy to understand why "eating the rainbow" is important.

Most of these pigments are antioxidants. If you've heard this term before but have had trouble understanding what antioxidants are and why so many diseases are linked to oxidative stress in our bodies, read "The Color Code." It caps a very understandable section on antioxidants with the following paragraph:

"If you want to see antioxidants at work, one place to look is your own kitchen. If you've ever sliced an apple and watched it turn brown, you've seen the effects of oxidation. But what if you dip the apple slices in lemon juice first, as many recipes recommend? Then you can boldly let the apple slices sit out and dare them to turn brown. The vitamin C in the lemon juice is a potent antioxidant, and it will intercept the oxygen before it can strike the fruit. [p. 12]"

As this example hints, "The Color Code" is well-structured and engagingly written. The three authors-Jim Joseph, a nutrition researcher at Tufts; Dr. Dan Nadeau, a diabetes specialist; and Anne Underwood, a Newsweek health reporter-introduce themselves early on, giving the text an approachable personality. Tight writing and solid scientific references balance the folksy tone, ensuring that "The Color Code" doesn't read like a fad diet-guru book.

After the introductions and overview are chapters on each of the four pigment-color groups: red, orange-yellow, green, and blue-purple. Within each of these chapters are separate entries for 8-14 different fruits or vegetables. Each entry lists the food's pigments, its other phytonutrients, and its vitamins, then proceeds with a sales pitch including everything from scientific research to cooking tips-whatever the authors think will convince you to Eat This Now. Who knew that blueberries could reverse the effects of aging in rats, or that lemon-zest may prevent skin cancer?

While the book recommends a "semi-vegetarian" diet, its authors readily admit that you should eat more than just fruits and vegetables. A general chapter on nutrition advises that whole grains should cover half your plate at mealtime, with vegetables making up another 30-40% and the remaining 10-20% given to healthy proteins (legumes, fish or poultry). Sensible advice on essential fats, portion control and exercise rounds out this chapter, which ends with a sample 7-day meal plan.

Since it's easy for good intentions to slip away from us, "The Color Code" includes a scoring system to help reinforce new "rainbow eating" habits. The goal is to score 100 Color Points every day. You get 10 points for every serving (serving sizes are roughly 1/2 cup). But, since variety is important and some foods are healthier than others, you get 5 bonus points for a) eating something from the authors' Top Ten list b) covering all four color-groups in one day c) drinking two cups of tea or d) eating a fruit or veggie you haven't had in the previous year. It's a catchy system that may appeal to some folks, but others may prefer the simplicity of just remembering to eat lots of different brightly-colored fruits and vegetables.

The book concludes with about 75 recipes and a bibliography detailing the many research studies referred to in the color chapters. My few minor criticisms of The Color Code stem from these two sections. The recipes are simple and easy, reproduced from other sources in most cases (appropriate, since the authors aren't dieticians or cooks). But I'm surprised to see white rice-even high-glycemic sushi rice-included several times despite the authors' earlier exhortations to eat whole grains. The recipes are sometimes a bit hard-core satfat phobic, too, calling for egg substitutes and no-fat salad dressings, where I'd be inclined to use a real egg and a dash of olive oil. As for the bibliography, it's useful but actual footnotes or page references might be even more helpful, allowing those intrigued by the text to more readily research the original study.

I highly recommend "The Color Code." While its authors readily admit that some of the research cited is preliminary-scientists are just beginning to learn about plant pigments and phytonutrients-I'll happily eat more fruits and veggies now, rather than waiting for long-term double-blind studies to be completed.

The authors say it best: "...if greengrocers had the marketing muscle of drug companies, we would all be racing to try this miracle regimen. Patients would demand that their doctors prescribe it. Consumers would flock to the produce aisles to snap up these lifesaving foods....Again and again, the same bottom line emerges: whole foods-colorful foods-deliver protection against a broad range of ailments."

This book is so simple to read and once you start you don't want to put it down. The first few pages make you want to run out to the grocery store and hit the produce isle. It honestly makes you change your entire way of thinking when it comes to eating. You'll want that fruit salad rather than the candy bar. It's just such' a GREAT and easy to read and so easy to absorb book! Everyone is getting one for christmas!

Happy eating-

I see Dr. Nadeau for assistance in my weight loss & I use his book as my guide when he is not available for answering my questions. It is an awesome book. I am losing weight with excersizes he has recommended for me & the diet he has worked out for me personally. You will not be disappointed in purchasing this book.

Joseph Berger has written a story that needed to be told, but he has included too much extraneous material about his own life. Much of what he tells reveals what it was like growing up as the child of a refugee, but who cares whether or not he dated in high school?

The best parts of this book were those about his mother's life and about how she managed in the United States as a refugee. Berger's writing is more journalism than story telling. He's got all the facts, but none of his descriptions flare above the mundane. His mother's reminisences are far more artistic, and reveal more than the words on the page.

i loved this book. i felt as though i was right there with him and his family through every phase of their lives. this book had everything going for it, sadness, chaos, happiness, tragedy. it was so personal and you just felt as though the author let you in to share with him.

New York Times journalist Joseph Berger has created a masterful, evocative and moving account of the ever-present duality of his life: his identity as an acculturated American child of Holocaust survivors. This duality gives his account of his mother's life and his own evolution from a bewildered refugee child into an accomplished American a poignancy and power. "Displaced Persons" will stand as an important contribution, not only to our understanding of the long-term implications of being a survivor of the Holocaust, but of the unique burdens, pressures and responsibilities children of survivors inherit from their parents.

Berger is acutely aware of "the unmentioned sorrow that was the subtext to everything [his] parents said or did." Haunted by memories, devastated by enormous loss, handicapped by their arrival in America in their twenties and driven to provide security for their families, Holocaust survivors often perceive their children as replacements of beloved family members who perished and as repositories of hopes and dreams denied them. Worried about their children's safety, happiness and future, Berger muses about his parents' perspective, "What could I say about the dread and suspicion with which they encountered a world that had proven maliciously fickle?"

As the author emerges from childhood, he begins to chafe from his mother's protective, controlling instincts and desires to assert himself as his own man. Berger's wrenching analysis of his status becomes the overarching theme of his memoir. "I saw myself now an an American...I would no more be the timid refugee boy with one leg planted in the fearful shtetls of Poland, with a mother ever vigilant that no more perils come to the remnants of her kin." It is this unspoken loving tension between Joseph and his mother, Rachel, that gives "Persons" its dynamism.

Alternating between two narratives, one his own and the other the gripping account of his mother's survival, Berger deftly intermingles past and present. Aware of his distinct heritage, the young Berger recognizes others in his impoverished Manhattan neighborhood who share his background. "We knew one another, knew in our young bellies that our parents were the same dazed and damaged lot, had the same refugee awkwardness, the same whiff about them of marrow bones and carp." Now attempting to wrest coherence in America, Holocaust survivors tend to frustrate Berger with their problem solving techniques. Berger prefers the American way of standing up directly; survivors "were always scraping by on a willingness to do what was necessary to survive, even if that meant surrendering pride or principle."

Raw emotion floods "Displaced Persons." Rachel's symbolic mourning of a dead child in Warsaw at the onset of World War II serves to remind us that she has no "mental picture" of the actual murder of her family. Unspoken grief undulates throughout the memoir. Berger's stoic father Marcus scarcely articulates his unfathomable sense of loss; nearly half a century passes before he can utter the names of his sisters. Guilt ebbs and flows in Rachel's description of her survival. Anguished over refusing to bring non-kosher food to her hungry brother during World War II, she has never forgiven heself, calling it "the worst thing I ever did in my life."

Yet life surges and humor emerges in Berger's descriptions of growing up in New York City in the 1950s and 60s. With both parents working at dreary, tiring jobs, the author experiences a freedom of movement he admits he would never conceive of allowing his own daughter today. His descriptions of his initial exploration of Manhattan reveal the sheer joy of discovery, the incredible exuberance of youthful hopes and the awesome sense of possibilities Berger recognizes in his new home. Berger's frantic disposal of an illicit girlie magazine carries universal appeal; he becomes an American everyboy. His struggles with self-confidence, academic competition and sexual frustrations are those of not only his generation, but of those before and after.

Written with conviction and compassion, "Displaced Persons" is that kind of memoir that not only describes, but instructs. Through the author's descriptions of his resolute, stubborn and proud mother, survivors attain an identity beyond that of suffering and loss. His own life's story shapes our understanding of the purpose of our national experience and the sacredness of an American identity. Treating both the Holocuast in its past brutality and its implications for the second-generation children of survivors, the memoir blends sorrow and joy, heartache and hope, pain and redemption.

This is one of those books that can change your life. It was given to me by a dear friend , and I turned to it when my life made no sense. It helped me make sense of my life then, and it still makes wonderful sense today; 20+ years later. I have "passed it on" to many people and will probably do so as long as it's in print. I hope that this one will stay in my library, but if not, I know it will serve a purpose for someone that I care about - A great book to help you help yourself.....

For many years, I wondered why some people abruptly shifted their eyes away from my eyes. I also wondered how it would be possible for me to acquire the charisma that I admire in many public people.

This book is the answer.

People who shift their eyes from my eyes fear that if I notice who they are, and if I don't like who they are, they won't be accepted, because, to them, that is all that they have. I learned that those people have a self-concept that is based upon anticipating what others will think of them.

And to become as charismatic as those I most admire, I've learned that by first accepting everything about myself, I am free to emulate them, without losing myself.

This little book has so much information for anyone who desires to be their best.

Read this book to become more than comfortable in your own skin.

Any person who desires to understand himself in regard to personal growth and relationship with others must read this book. I have read and reread this book and use it to counsel others. Powell deals with the topic of human growth and development with acute precision and accuracy that informs a picture of the well-integrated, whole individual. He communicates this person in the honor of the image of God, not in a preachy tone but such as to reflect the dignity of humankind and his own vast understanding in religion and classical studies. He also touches at the nerve of why individuals mask themselves from others and the care and caution that we as counselors need to take in dealing with these people. His catalog of games and roles is so descriptive that even emotionally healthy persons can identify the weakend emotional tendencies that characterize their life. The principles in this book can be communicated to adolescent and adult alike. Simply indispensable.