Truman Capote combines a real life event and all of the components of a novel into one beautiful and emotional thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. By his use of the suspense, Truman electrifies the atmosphere and keeps the emotional roller coaster at mach three. Gruesome detail leaves the reader feeling as if he had witnessed the crime in first person. Although Capote could have pictured the murder at the very beginning of the book, he continually switching back and forth between the narrator and the different characters. By giving the narrator omnicient abilities the reader is able to probe into the mind of a maniac. This also gives the reader a sense of fright and unsettlement, the likes of which are only known when watching "Psycho." Capote takes on an entirely different and untested writing style in "In Cold Blood." He calls his new style the "non-fiction novel." By writing about a real life murder in novel form, Truman achieves in making the hair on the back of the readers neck stand on end and not lay down for days after the completion of the book. I believe that everyone should read this book. First for the sheer blood curdling entertainment and second for the great and almost frightening writing style that includes ever so colorful language and such suspense that will leave the reader screaming into the book to tell him what happened that faitful night.

After reading In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, the formerly obscure vision of "natural born killers" is finally illuminated by their own words. To paraphrase Perry Smith, the killer of the Clutter family, somebody had to pay for all of the cruelty he had suffered during his life, even though these people were completely unknown to him, innocent of any wrongdoing, and admirable from every point of view.

The book chronicles the crime of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who, acting upon information provided by one of Hickock's former fellow inmates, drive off to Kansas to pursue the contents of one Mr. Herbert Clutter's alleged home safe. Mr. Herbert Clutter, an immensely successful and humble Kansas farmer, and his wife, teen-aged son and daughter are spending a typical quiet Saturday evening at home. After the family retires for the evening, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock walk into the house to make their big score. Upon discovering that there is no safe and precious little cash at the Clutter residence, Smith and Hickock systematically murder each member of the family. Each of the victims is tied up and shot in the head. So ends the lives of a fine, decent American family and so begins the examination of the crime in the seamless, highly readable account by Truman Capote.

Truman Capote takes the reader with the murderers on their long journey to the hangman's noose in the most intelligent manner of any crime writer to date. He doesn't leave anything out of the events and lives of the murderers and yet there is nothing superfluous or gratuitous about the account.

In Cold Blood is quite a departure from Breakfast at Tiffany's, to say the least, but for anyone who has read Answered Prayers, it is easy to look back with that good old twenty-twenty hindsight to see that Truman Capote never shrinks from an unpleasant topic. He, in fact, embraces it with his customary gusto and stylish restraint. However, In Cold Blood, presents the reader with an array of issues to ponder and inspiration to learn more about the trial. Mr. Capote addresses the possibility that the two killers were denied a fair trial since the venue of the trial was right in the heart of the region where the Clutter family were known and loved by so many. There was serious questioning about the competency of the prosecution and defense attorneys, the impartiality of the judge. All kinds of good stuff to chew on, to this day, if you are a hard-core advocate of the rights of the incarcerated self-confessed murderer. There is also some rather toothsome stuff for those who fervently believe in capital punishment (but would be content with plain old punishment) in cases such as O.J. Simpson. There is a twisted form of satisfaction, a faintly amusing irony, to be derived from the notion that Perry Smith and Richard Hickock paid with their lives for the future celebrated murderers who got off Scot-free. I wonder how Perry Smith would feel about that? Could his twisted sense of justice make any sense of that concept?

In Cold Blood is deftly written to leave the determinations of the outcome of the case to the reader. It would have been so easy for Truman Capote to slide in his own sentiments about the case but he stuck to excellence in writing, in reportage, and creating another one of those "can't put it down" books of my summer of 1999.

You won't be able to put this book down, and when you're done with it, you'll sit for awhile, deep in reflection of the journey you've just made.

I find this book very inspiring. She's a very strong woman

If you are a little suspicious of the medical profession and if you fear the day when you have to take a loved one to a hospital please read this. Or better yet, give it to whomever might be taking you. This is not only alarming but it is a wonderful personal love story. It puts it all in perspective. If you want to read a great book that nobody seems to know about, this is a great discovery.

When we're sick, we need to think the doctor knows enough, and cares. But something went horribly wrong in the medical treatment of Monroe Hirsch. The change in his personality was sudden, unexplained, even denied by the health professionals who did know the reason.

This is a love story and true, told by Monroe's wife. Seeing the man who'd loved her replaced by a beligerent and distrusful stranger, she tells how she sought to find answers, and any way at all to help him.

Winnie had every reason to expect competence and honesty from doctors, having seen it at work for so long. Monroe was an eminent optometrist, Dean of the School of Optometry at the University of California at Berkeley. Winnie had worked with him in his practice and knew the demanding standards he set for himself. But professionalism is like every other form of goodness -- an ideal to build again every day. The best of us admit to falling short somehow, daily. This story reminds us that some don't admit to falling short.

Deliberate lies and false hopes make dirty wounds. The cruelest aspect of the deceit Winnie faced was that it turned her own strengths against her. In situations of alienation, fair-minded people look first to themselves. In the face of difficulty, responsible people try harder. With intelligence and courage, Winnie battled alone and lonely, often against herself, for something already lost.

There's redemption here too. Winnie did find answers, and did have some last months of better knowledge and a kind of peace before her husband died. And now her story carries a powerful message. Even in a medical crisis, we must trust our own persistent convictions. And we're entitled to stay in control.

I was moved by this book -- angered, inspired, saddened and empowered. I wish everyone, particularly every woman could read it.

This book has very nice color pictures of the animals. It is not just a reference book. It has more detail about the Invertebrates (distinctive characters, range, habitat, life history, interactions with other species, economic importance ...etc.) It really fulfills the curiosity of the person who is interested in the marine invertebrates.

This book, though having a publication year of 1980, is still absolutely the best compilation of information about invertebrate animals that are found along the California coast. Many of the animals included in the book have geographic ranges that extend well to the north and the south of California, so this book is useful to anyone who lives, visits, or works along the west coast of North America.

This is not a book of taxonomic keys, like Light's Manual. It is, rather, a book that provides a summary of the biology and ecology of invertebrates of the west coast. The authors provide lists of the best research literature for each animal (up through 1980), as well as photographs and line drawings that show what the animals look like.

This is not a field book, per se, but copies of this book are found on the shelves of most marine biological laboratories in the world, and on the shelves of most invertebrate zoologists who have visited the west coast of the USA.

A professor of mine once said, "That is a 'big boy' book." And, as books on invertebrates go, he is right.

This book is well worth the price!

Intertidal Invertebrates of California is one of the well written book on the invertebrates that live off the cost of California. The picture of the invertebrates are amazing along with the through explanation of them. If you are a person who wants to know about marine life, you will love this book.

In the mid-70's, I attended a slide lecture by Smith at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. I didn't know a thing about him, but the presentation haunts me still. He was helped onto the stage, a very old man, and quietly, he narrated the Minimata work in a slide show. The audience, a bunch of party school undergrads and townspeople, were completely silent the entire time. It was almost as if Smith knew that if the slightest emotion showed in his voice, his audience would be lost in sobs. He didn't editorialize, he just spoke, simply and quietly. At the end of the show, he put up one last slide. It was of a blackboard with the words in chalk, "Thank you, all you lovely people." It brings tears to my eyes almost 20 years later.

The life of W. Eugene Smith is none the less; inspiring yet depressingly so... A reflection of the truth in life, man and society.

In the fall of 1985 I drove down from Northern New Jersey to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the retrospective show of W. Eugene Smith's work for which this book was the catalog. I walked through the rooms and people stood in front of his Minamata photographs, weeping. Smith paid for those pictures with his eyesight, probably the better part of his sanity. If he drank before, the stories are that after his return from Japan he plunged into the bottle full-bore. If one can talk of a man's life and work in religious terms, W. Eugene Smith's career was a prolonged and self-willed crucifixion, a sacrifice in the name of a Truth that I'm not sure we're ready for yet.

I haven't photographed seriously in quite a few years, but whenever I made a print, there in the darkroom I could feel Smith's presence saying two things to me: "You're lousy at this" and "Don't ever stop."

The author has done an amazing job of bringing Kriya Yoga out from under the veil of mystery, in a manner which is consistent with and can be easily understood by the modern western mind.

Investing your heart and mind in this book, the readers who use it as a guide to and a prelude for meditation will, with a little effort, understand beyond question not only what is meant by the title, "A Life Surrendered In God", but can experience the joy of that surrender for themselves.

The Author is a disciple of the great Kriya master, Paramahansa Yogananda,who was reponsible for bringing Kriya and Yoga medetation to the world beyond India in a lasting and widely effective way. For more data on Babaji and Kriya Yoga I recommend reading, "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda, from Self-Realization Publishers via Amazon.

Written by a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, this book supplies with information about Patanjali's Yoga Sutras with commentary and explains routines for meditation practices. I would suggest this book to people really interested in spiritual advancement.

Nineteenth-Century America had its Henry Clay. His European counterpart was Georges-Eugene Haussmann. Emperor Napoleon hired Haussmann to make method out of the madness of post-Medieval Paris. Haussmann is principally responsible for the City of Light as we know it. "Today," the Baron's recent biographer stresses, "his hand is everywhere." Part of Haussmann's effort consisted of bringing pure water to Parisians. In the process he wiped out the cholera that was endemic to the City. Throughout life he modernized the ailing French infrastructure. Wherever he was posted, he brought in roads, canals, and rail lines. How odd it was that in a country so obsessed with pagentry and glory, Haussmann's funeral went by in a small church, virtually unnoticed.

This illustrated biography of Georges-Eugene Haussmann is a highly recommended pick for any who relish accounts of early Paris: The Man Who Made Paris Paris examines the life of an administrator who rebuilt Paris as a capitol "worthy of an empire". Vintage black and white photos of early Paris accompany a biographical coverage of the man who transformed the city in only seventeen years.

This book helped me understand how really Paris was before Haussman did his work. I recommend this book to any person who is interested in Paris and it's history

This book is an excellent rendition of the Old Testament Prophets. Like the other Message translations of the Bible, it's written in street English, or what some call "Wal-Mart English." Peterson takes what many people call a boring section of the Bible and makes it comprehendable and relevant for today. Peterson doesn't change the what God intended to say. He merely makes the Old Testament Prophets readable, understandable, and enjoyable.
Mind you, this is not a good study Bible for seminary students or those into weighty theological issues. To those people I'd recommend a study Bible or perhaps the Amplified version. However, if you want to read and understand the Prophets or if you're trying to explain certain Old Testament passages so that people can understand it, this book will be extremely helpful to you. I highly recommend this book to every Christian!

Buy it! Read it!

Though one should be aware that it's a paraphrase rather than a translation, it does convey the message in a terrific manner. It will grab you in ways that reading a more strictly rendered translation may not. I enjoy reading it side-by-side with another translation with which I am more familiar.

As with the past installments of Peterson's rendering of the Bible, The Message: Old Testament Prophets communicates through the static of cultural and language shifts since the biblical narratives were first put to papyrus and scroll. This crisp rendering of Israel and Judah's prophetic voices lends an authentic credibility to the living Word of God in the hearing of those shaped and formed in a post-Christian millieu. Peterson has blessed us with his scholarship and skill as an interpreter of Scripture and modern culture, but mostly, we have been blessed in The Message by a sensitive pastor with a heart that aches for the written word of the Bible to become an indwelling Word in the human spirit! The Message accomplishes what it set out to do, i.e., it communicates clearly with authority the ancient narrative of the One who speaks life and is willing to do whatever it takes to secure that life in those God loves.

I bought this book used off of the internet in 2000 (I became interested in this book when a friend had given me The Message New Testament as a gift). I enjoyed this version of the Bible more than any other I've read. Let me explain why.
I'm an ordained minister and have also been a daily Bible reader since April of 1993. To this day, I still enjoy reading the Bible. However, there are some versions that I don't really enjoy as much as others. This one I like because it's in simple layman's terms, or what is sometimes referred as "Wal-Mart English." That makes it easier for me to explain passages from the Bible, especially the Old Testament. This version takes away a lot of the stuffiness that people often associate with the Old Testament.
My favorite book in the Entire Old Testament has always been the Psalms. Since I'm not a natural prayer warrior, the Psalms has been helpful with my prayer life. My own prayer life has grown and changed over the years. This version of the Psalms has given me an understanding of God and prayer that I never had previously. And incidently, my prayer life is still growing and changing, too. I hope my prayer life never stays the same, either!
Thanks again to Eugene Peterson for this version of the Old Testament books of wisdom. This book should be a must for every Christian prayer warrior!

In Christ,
Pastor Roger

Every Christian should read the book of Job from this translation when he/she feels like their world is coming to an end. Also, Ecclesiastes is the perfect preparation for the good news that will come later in the new testament.

Think the Bible is boring, you need to read this.

Once again Peterson gives a fresh and current paraphrase of scripture. He puts the pith back into the pithy sayings of Proverbs. You can identify all the more with the writers of the Psalms. This is an outstanding paraphrase to use with youth who have never heard the wisdom books before, as well as with adults who have herd the passages so many times that can not hear the meaning anymore.

I have heard Eugene Schwartz lecture in many settings, and I always assumed that his remarkable combination of erudition and hipness, intensity and humor, could never be captured in a book. That is, until I read "Millennial Child." This is a book that places the "alternative" Waldorf schooling method squarely in the modern world. The first part of this book is a powerful and insightful critique of twentieth-century childrearing theories, with a look to the cascading damage they have done our children. The rest of the book examines the contributions that Waldorf schools may make towards the healing of today's children.
If you can read only one book on Waldorf -- or on education in general - this is the one!

This is a brilliant book that provides an answer to our pressing educational crisis. Anyone who has been teaching for ten years or more recognizes two things: that standardized tests are putting more pressure on kids, teachers, and parents; and that the kids coming into classrooms these days are different than they used to be. There ar more and more books being written today about how to deal with "the spirited child" emphasize the will, more than thinking or feeling. At the heart of our crisis is our failure to recognize the differences between thinking, feeling and willing. And that our stress on intellectual development, depriving children of their childhood, actually does more harm than good in the long run. He proposes a new curriculum based on doing, rather than passively absorbing intellectual material at an early age. The children play, do handwork, and listen to stories when young, and then move through a cogent and age-appropriate curriculum as they grow older, nurturing each level of development before passing on to the next. This is a kind of organic education, based on the insights of Rudolf Steiner, who developed the Waldorf system of education, among many other things. Every page lights up with insight after insight. But these are not merely theoretical. Schwartz backs up his insights with dozens of practical examples taken from his long expereince as a Waldorf teacher. This book could be for education what "The Silent Spring" was for the environment.

This book is essential reading for anyone seriously interested in understanding the crisis in education today and what to do about it. However, the book requires an open mind because the educational philosophy presented runs counter to the mindset controlling today's school systems and the proposals dominating the political races. Schwartz sees that the path to educational reform is not to teach to fulfill centralized testing requirements but to recognize that children need something far more comprehensive. Schwartz's thesis is based on the pedagogy of Rudolf Steiner which is relatively unknown or misunderstood in the United States today. This educatinal philosophy is based on a very deep understanding of childhood development and the appropriate curriculum and methods for each stage. There has been very little study of his "Waldorf" method on the university or teaching-college level in spite of the rapid growth of Waldorf and Steiner schools in North America.

The book is part anecdotal and part scholarly so as to be able to describe the "education as art" methods suggested. Nothing less is needed to prepare our children for the future in the increasingly technological age.

NeuroTheology is an excellent, comprehensive, scholarly text which begins at the beginning (the Creation) and ends at the end (Armageddon). Some of the best, most daring minds in the science of religious experience, have chapters included in this book, including Newberg, Persinger, Alper, Albright, d'Aquili, Bruce MacLennan, and Fraser Watts of the University of Cambridge. ... this is otherwise an excellent, comprehensive text which deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious scientist.

This is a provocative and ground breaking book. NeuroTheology contains 34 chapters written by 20 different experts, including Michael Persinger (who many consider the father of the field), Rhawn Joseph (who Newberg refers to as one of the founders of the field), Dr. Paloutzian (the editor of the International Journal of the Psychology of Religion), Dr. Albright (the former Executive Editor of Zygon the Journal of Science & Religion), and a host of others including those who do not believe in NeuroTheology. The value of this book is that it offers so many different perspectives. It is 644 pages in length, contains over 100 pictures, and addresses and answers many provocative questions regarding the nature, origin, and scientific basis of spirituality and religious belief.

This is a great and wonderful, sometimes disturbing book. It is clearly ahead of its time. The chapters range from discussions of the big bang and the origin of life to the coming of the "anti-Christ" --an astronomical event which, according to the author, has to do with "precession" and the slow progression of the equinox from "house to house" i.e. the Age of Pieces (the Fish) and the Virgo (Virgin) being replaced by the Age of Acqurious and Leo (the Beast). I also enjoyed the chapters by Newberg and Persinger which provide an overview of the neuroanatomy and neurochemistry of religious experience. The chapters by Alper were also very interesting. I guess what I liked best about this book is that it is very scientific yet offers a variety of opinions from a number of different scientists. There are over 30 chapters. The only major flaw in this book, were the rather superficial and boring chapters by "pop" writer Susan Blackmore. Why anyone takes her serious is beyond me. I highly recommend this book. It has something for everybody.