As a counsellor who has studied behavioural psychology, I can attest to the fact it is important for an individual to hold onto their own identity and not live in the shadow of someone's expectations. There is also truth in the fact one must love themselves before they can give or receive love to the fullest. However, it is also equally fulfilling to have someone to share your life with. That is not to say everyone needs a partner to be fulfilled, and in cases where the relationship is not a happy one, life may be more fulfilling without that partnership. The importance is not in finding a partner, but in finding the right partner, a soul-mate who has no desire to control, own or manipulate your life....but to share it.

Those who do have partners and happy, fulfilling relationships will agree that sharing your life with someone is one of life's greatest pleasures and richest treasures. That has been the way of mankind, since the day's of Adam and Eve, and the universal way of telling us we do not have to walk through this life alone unless we choose to do so. This book traces the path of ancient culture and wisdom - the joys and rewards of partners and sharing. We truly do reap what we sow, and the more love we give and share with others, the more we are destined to receive.

In addition to this book, I also recommend reading "Surrendering to Marriage" by Iris Krasnow (which is really not about surrendering but sharing) and "The Mastery of Love" by Miguel Ruiz - both are excellent books on love, sharing and fulfilling one's dreams.

Dr. Pearsall was a guest on Montel Williams (4/20/2001). What he had to say about marriage made a lot of sense. We definately do suffer from a me, me, me type society. When married, a couple needs to view themselves as we/us instead of I/me. This is a definate must get book for us (I'm one half of a married couple).

What a joy it was to find and read this book. I'm tired of reading books that are all about me, me, me. I have found that people who are so concerned about their needs, wants and desires are some of the most unhappy people I know. As this book points out, it is those who unselfishly give and share with others are usually full of love and contentment. I found a great book earlier this year that helped me to be more loving, The Romantic's Guide by Michael Webb. I'd highly recommend both books if you really want to improve the love in your life.

This book is truely a wonderful learning experience about how people should treat and live their life. Its words of wisdom are stated by an old dying man named Morrie Schwartz suffering from ALS which helps him better to understand himself and add to his prospective of living and dying in addition to his other life experiences. They boil down mainly to being more open and loving(telling more would ruin the magic of reading it). I am a living testament that the advice Morrie has to offer works like a charm for it has made me a better person to myself and around others by practicing what he says as much as a can to a certain extent. As a book it is very easy to read and understand. However what took one point of this book is its originality(thanks to Tuesday's With Morrie, which has almost the exact same theme and lessons).

I read "Tuesdays With Morrie", but this book is much more meaningful as it was written by Morrie himself. I read it quickly, but marked a lot of passages.

End of life experiences and dying are subjects that I deal with each day. How I wish that people would read Morrie's book and put things in proper perspective. It seems that people die without really living. Morrie didn't and for this I thank him.

This should be required reading for anyone who deals with terminally ill persons.

I've got "Tuesdays with Mirror" as a gift from my ex-boss when I quited from the previous job. Now I do want to thank you her. It's such a wonderful gift. Actually, I'm a kind of person who doesn't normally read a kind of book like this but when the first time I read it, I could hardly put it down. Morrie got me as like he got Mitch. While I was reading, I was curious what will happen in the end and questioned to myself if there was a man kind like this in the World!! Yes, there was. Here he is. Morrie is sweet, gentle, nice and worm. That's the way I felt from the book. His words are so simplicity and do touch my heart. I wish, for the rest of my life, I could live and see the world like him just some of his parts!! Thank you Morrie & Mitch for a wonderful thesis and thank you again, Mitch, for letting us touch his soul and know this wonderful old man, Morrie Schwartz.

Just Your Type, the newest book written by Paul D. and Barbara Barron-Tieger, is a wonderful addition to their growing list of helpful books applying Personality Type theory to our personal lives. As a marriage and family therapist, I have recommended all of their books to my clients, family and friends and received very positive feedback.

I know that this newest book will be very helpful to many couples as they sort through relationship challenges. One of the important benefits of this approach is that it deepens understanding and awareness of human behavior, in a way that takes it out of a pathological framework. Further, the authors then give suggestions for alternative ways to respond to specific behaviors. I feel that it gives people a new, fresh perspective for looking at their problems, which then gives them hope for a solution. This is done in an easy to read, easy to understand style.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of their partner and their relationship.

Congratulations to the Tieger's. Their common sense in following the premise that people have individual personalities which influence relationship needs beyond gender is right on target. The research and conclusions drawn by the Tieger's provide the insight needed to answer many of the oversimplified gaps left by gender typing alone. The Tieger's have removed the obscurity, complication, and mystery from personality tests and brought them to the public in an easy to follow format. The book provides clear insight into the challenges and strengths of different relationship combinations and serves as a compass for finding the combination that suits you. Combine this book with their "Do What You Are" book and your life will feel like a fairy tale. Why? Because you will be living consciously and will understand your needs and desires and how to apply them in life. I have read through so many of the self-help books on relationships and making your dreams happen and no others have provided me with such clarity and concrete support.

If you are into understanding yourself and your relationships with others, you will love this guide.

After decoding myself (ISTP), I decoded everyone I know well, and it helped me to understand how and why each of my relationships differ. I shared the book with my ESTP boyfriend and we laughed so hard we nearly cried, because the book described our relationship SO EXACTLY it was scary.

We all communicate and make decisions differently. This book explains how YOUR type and THEIR type interact, and how to avoid common pitfalls. It's not only helpful, but very eye-opening and fun.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds, is just as interesting as its title is if not more. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this book illustrates the story of Tillie, a young girl who escapes through science the bitterness of her surroundings - her featherheaded, thanatophobic sister Ruth, the unstable mother Beatrice who doesn't seem to find any meaning in life. The author, Paul Zindel, takes you through a short play of laughs and tears as you realize that beautiful marigolds can bloom from compost heaps such as Tillie's home... and the story behind the compost heap.

"Atom... ATOM... what a beautiful word." - Tillie, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" by Paul Zindel.

So, I liked the book; I could relate to the characters, just because they seemed so real and not fake. Paul Zindel I believe Is an author with true talent, and links real life into his books, to make his characters come alive. The title alone got me interested in it. it took me an hour and a half to read it because it was so intreging I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I It really upset me when their mom killed their rabbit though. So it's filled with laughter and tears, murder (the rabbit), and lieing. Truley a surreal book.

So, I liked the book; I could relate to the characters, just because they seemed so real and not fake. Paul Zindel I believe Is an author with natural talent, and links real life into his books, to make his characters pop alive. The title alone got me interested in it. it took me an hour and a half to read it because it was so intreging I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I It really upset me when their mom killed their rabbit though. So it's filled with laughter and tears, murder (the rabbit), and lieing. Truley a surreal book.

I read with intererst the story of the Del Buono family as they fought for services for their son/brother. Barbara obviously has tremendous faith courage and strength. Her husband and children, esp. Mary, are also amazing. As the mother of a brain injured son I also am caught in the maze of TBI--and it is not pretty. Barbara has done a good job describing nursing home situations. Even though Nick's nursing home experience was years ago conditions in these homes, at least in Indiana, for TBI survivors has not changed enough. Reading this book has helped give me the strength to continue to fight for services for my TBI son.

It is an excellent resource which can help us all to deal with the difficulties of life and use them to create a better world where the wounded are cared for with heart, not just hands.

I had to have this one - an intersection of two writers I've admired for some time. Fussel is probably the ideal person to write such an appraisal. As mentioned above, the lack of critical theoryspeak is most welcome. The interpretation of Amis as a moral satirist (which isn't a category that you see very much) provides a useful key to most of his work (fiction, poetry, and prose alike.) If you're a fan of the work, you'll enjoy this - it's like having a chance to sit down across from an intelligent, perceptive reader who likes the same things you do.

"For all the sometimes rowdy comedy attending Amis's depictions of meanness, his understanding of its psychology is complicated and serious. It is, if funny, also immoral, so little and minimal, practiced by wee men only. And it betrays neurosis, implying constant "paranoid" watchfulness lest one be had. It keeps one on a constant stretch of attentive calculation, and this finally becomes a substitute for thought, as well as replacing an objective interest in things outside oneself."

"I feel STRETCHED", Bilbo Baggins after having the One Ring for a while.

This book, as the title suggests, concentrates on Neanderthal finds, fossils, and tool-making, and it goes into a great deal of detail on the current state of our knowledge. In fact, I would say it's probably the most thorough discussion I've found of all the important Neanderthal finds, along with the many intermediate fossil discoveries that show the evolutionary progression of the Neanderthal line.

These include finds such as the Spanish Sima de los Huesos fossils, and the Greek Petrolona fossils, both of which strongly seem to represent an early, archaic form of Neanderthal in their heavier brow-ridges and smaller (about 1200 cc) braincases. Along with these, there are discussions of the several classic Neanderthal finds from France and Germany, too. As I mentioned, the author goes into a fair amount of anatomical detail discussing and comparing the fossils from the many different sites, and so this book may be somewhat difficult, dry, and technical for the non-specialist. Overall, however, it's a very thorough and detailed discussion of the state of our knowledge about this important homonid. The average reader, however, may find the author's prose a little turgid, and the overall technical level a little rough going, but in general, I can't fault the writing too much given the level of technical difficulty of the book.

In addition to the comparative anatomy, the author also discusses Neanderthal tool-making and cultural artifacts, such as the Mousterian industry, and others.

Given the difficulty of the book, I would recommend that many people read Richard Klein's The Dawn of Human Culture before tackling this book, unless you're already somewhat knowledgeable about human evolution. This is a more accessible and very readable book that discusses all the early pre-homonids and homonids from Ardipethicus ramidus up to Homo sapiens, giving much more equal weight to the different stages in human evolution. It will give you a better perspective on the entire line of human evolution before reading Jordan's more specialized volume, which heavily emphasizes Neanderthal. Jordan does provide later chapters discussing earlier and later fossils, so eventually he places Neanderthal in the context of the other homonids, but you don't find these until about half-way through the book.

Another nice point about Klein's book is the interesting discussion of high-tech dating methods and how they're being used, such as radio-isotope methods, luminescence dating, ESR or electron spin resonance techniques, and so on. Klein is also careful to discuss the pros and cons of each dating method, and what the difficulties are in using each method.

Overall, Jordan's book is an excellent, thorough, and fairly technical discussion of the subject which is worth reading despite being somewhat tough going for many readers.

Paul Jordan provides a lot of detail as far as comparative anatomy and the location of various discoveries. He, essentially, has his facts straight and, at times, provides the reader with interesting insights and a discussion of the issues. But the book "Neanderthal" is not well organized and his style of writing leaves much to be desired. His very last chapter, the "epilogue," is the only one in the book where a readable style is apparent. Consequently, I would view this more as a reference work as it is not enjoyable reading. There are many pictures of skulls but almost none have explanitory notes as to what we should be looking for. One is left searching through text to try to make them useful. A few explanatory charts or graphs would have been helpful to try to make sense out of the wealth of factual material he presents. And his discussion of the "Out of Africa" vs "Multi-Regional" hypothesis is strewn all over the book and difficult to come to grips with for those uninitiated. His discussions of DNA testing etc can be mind numbing.

All in all, I wanted to give this book three stars, but I had to relent and give it four due to its discussion of many of the important issues of human evolution and its wealth of detail. Oh, and also, if you are looking for something specific to Neanderthals...less than half this book deals with them. You can do better on Neanderthals with other authors.

This book has it all, from fossils to DNA tests. Paul Jordan knows his stuff and has the facts all at his finger tips as he takes us on a tour of the world of the Neanderthals AND the history of their discovery. The only complaint I can say is that it is a tad disorganized in format and might confuse people new to the subject. Lots of photos, but few charts or timelines to help the readers.

People just beginning might wish to read IN SEARCH OF THE NEANDERTHALS by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble. Being published in the 1993-4, it is already outdated, but most of the basic information on fossils, camp sites, food sources and stone tools are still valid, aided with maps, charts and timelines. THAN come to Paul Jordan's book for the updated data and ideas.

If you're like me and you thrilled to accounts of pirates and blood and thunder on the high seas when you were a kid, this book will get your pulse racing. It's not only an intriguing tale of Black Sam Bellamy, one of the most fascinating buccaneers ever to sail the Spanish Main, but a modern adventure tale about the finding of Black Sam's treasure. Treasure-hunter Barry Clifford--a tough ex-athlete with a nose for lost artifacts--and co-author Paul Perry, a member of the expedition, lived out a story that will capture the imagination of any adult trapped in the blandness of a high-tech world. Clifford became fixated on finding the Whydah, an English slave ship commandeered by a pirate crew under Bellamy that had sunk in a ferocious storm off Cape Cod in 1717. It took Clifford years of struggle to do so--raising the money to back his venture, fighting with gold-crazed partners, dealing with so many failures that it seemed the ghosts of the dead pirates were out to defeat him. The book is packed with photos and drawings, recreating for the reader not only the swashbuckling era of piracy but the life of a present-day Indiana Jones who wouldn't be stopped until he plumbed the secrets of the deep.

The author's enthusiasm for the ancient outlaw lifestyle is contagious in his new book about his search for and discovery of Bellamy's galleon, the Whydah, which came to its dreary end in 1717 off the shores of Cape Cod after a brutal nor'easter."Expedition Whydah" teems with a wealth of insight into life on the high seas as Clifford reveals all you would ever want to know about Bellamy's adventures.In the end, Clifford's search for the Whydah makes for an entertaining tale that of a likeable rogue moving ever closer to uncovering the history of a time long gone, a time when pirates roamed the eastern seaboard proud and free.

I picked up Expedition Whydah with the intention of simply skimming it, looking at photos and drawings and the index, the way I generally approach a new book. The first chapter title caught my attention: "The Stuff of Daydreams"; and further on, the names of pirate Sam Bellamy and his lover Maria Hallett. I knew I was hooked. Five hours later that Saturday I finished the last chapter. During that time, I had travelled with salvor Barry Clifford through childhood on Cape Cod where his Uncle Bill first told him the legend of Bellamy and the wreck of the Whydah. I had gained an understanding of Clifford's ability to conceptualize and create an expedition that would require fund raising, crisis management, and crew handling before the legend became a reality. I had gained insight into the lives of Bellamy and his crew, brave, democratic yet impoverished seamen who had turned to piracy as a means of survival in the 1700's.The story will appeal to a wide reading audience, especially those who appreciate the uniqueness of the days when pirates robbed from the rich and gave back to the poor! It is painstakingly researched and gives a realistic perspective to romantics and would-be salvors who glamorize the life of treasure hunting. The photography, including underwater shots and many careful renderings of actual bounty...pieces of eight, gold jewelry, weapons, nautical instruments -add to the drama of the find.

Former Mayor of Boston and U S Ambassador to the Vatican, Raymond Flynn draws a very personal and intimate portrait of Pope John Paul II. Through the various events, incidents and celebrations narrated with meticulous detail and color, the personality of the Pope comes alive to the reader. The impact the Pope has had on the average American public is truthfully brought out. This book will be of interest to an American Catholic who would be able to identify the personalities from American politics and Catholic religion, at the same time can feel along with Flynn in his admiration for this man of God. Indeed it's a smooth and delightful reading worthy of the Pope as well as of the Ambassador.

I have read many books about His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and this is by far the BEST book I have read about the Pope. It is very easy to read. Infact, once I started to read I could not stop until I finished the book. When I was done...I could not stop crying. Former Ambassador Flynn did an outstanding job in giving his reader a rare and personal glimpse of the Pope, that other authors who have written biographies about His Holiness simply cannot convey. I especially found the stories of the mother who lost her son, and when the Pope offered Flynn money stating it was not church money, but the Pope's own money to help pay for the medical bills of Flynn's oldest son very moving and touching. For those who have never met the Pope...after reading this book you will feel as if you not only met him, but have known the Pope as an intimate friend for years.

Ray Flynn has taken from his many experiences with Pope John Paul II and put together a highly interesting read. This is not your typical biography, although each stage of the Holy Father's storied life is mentioned. This book gives you the Pope up close and personal, in both his public and private dealings. What an absolutely incredible man this Karol Wojtyla is!!

I read Paul Rosa's first book of idiot letters a few years ago and enjoyed it so much my friend and I got kicked out of the library. We then proceeded to write our own "idiot letters" and got quite a lot of loot - I cherish my "Citgo" T-shirt to this day. Rosa's 2nd book is just as funny - just make sure you don't laugh too loud in the library.

- Zuzu - An "idiot Letters" fan.

Paul Rosa has a unique gift for intentionally misconstruing some things, taking others too literally, and generally (ostensibly) missing The Point. Reading his book not only guarantees hours of laughter, but also offers a most singular perspective of the buisinesses with which we interact every day. Sometimes the funniest parts are the letters written by the unwitting butts of his jokes--it makes you wonder who's writing the real "idiot letters."

A caveat: If you loan it to your friends, don't expect it back any time soon.

Heather Hewitt

Paul Rosa has a sense of humor that is out of this world. I love his letters! I actually read the book and tears streamed down my face from laughing so hard! I definately recommend this book to everyone! Kudos Paul! (Hey, can you send me an XL t-shirt for my eloquently written review?)