This book faithfully recreates the world of Frazier Robinson and the Negro Leagues. Outstanding and fascinating. It would make a perfect gift for any baseball fan. Paul Bauer inserts nothing between you and his subject. It is a must have book for any serious fan of the game.

This is a wonderful book that needed to be written. I had the opportunity to meet Frazier while living and I am so glad that his stories live on in this book. It brings back the memory of the time when players played the game for the love of the game and not for what they were being paid. And worrying about what deal they could acquire in the off season. Also in a time when color mattered over talent it should remind us that never again should we engage in human exclusion

Being a baseball history buff (addict) for the past 42 years, I've read just about everything I could get my hands on. I cannot now think of an autobiographical book to which I could attach a higher recommendation that "Catching Dreams" by Frazier "Slow" Robinson. This true gentleman travelled the dusty roads that connected the sites of Negro League baseball during the 30's, 40,s and even the 50's. Although produced by the University of Syracuse press, there is no attempt to make the book erudite or complicate it with an assortment of exotic literary techniques and obscure words. Instead, the publisher and co-author, Paul Bauer have presented the story of Slow Robinson in language truly spoken by the man himself. When you read this book, you will feel that you are seated beside Mr. Robinson as he speaks with words, terms and expressions uniquely those of a man with little formal education, who gained his lessons in life on the fly and had to learn his own language. His ability to recall a voluminous list of names and anecdotal material from his experiences, and to relate them descriptively, suggest a man who would have had little trouble dealing with a formal post-secondary school education. His relationships with such Negro League stalwarts as Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Leon Day and Satchel Paige are detailed with humour, insight and compassion. He is forthright without offending his old friends, as in Ball Four by Jim Bouton. In his own words, his goal in life was to be remembered as a nice guy; he passed with flying colors. If you choose only one book to read on this subject, you simply cannot go wrong with Catching Dreams.

This is an exceptional book. Biblical, practical, lots of examples and useful tools. This book is excellent, not only for raising children who have anger problems, but great for raising any child.

The subtitle says "Practical" and the advice really is! Not pie-in-the sky psychobabble, but direct, concrete, specific steps toward figuring out what lies behind the anger and knowing how to address it. I especially appreciate how the book doesn't waste time trying to place blame or point fingers. It just helps the parent get to work addressing the attitudes and behaviors that need correction.

I have three little boys and I was concerned about some of their behaviors. Fighting, yelling, getting really mad at each other. This book answered so many questions for me it was great. He backs up everything he says with Bible verse and there are examples to help also. A lot of books hint at what could be the root of the problem but this guy lays it out in a way that is easy to understand and I have seen great improvement in my boys just in the first few days. It isn't just a book for children it is for anyone that needs to deal with an anger problem. I have felt a lot better after reading it. It heled me to see what actions I was taking that were upsetting the kids and giving them a bad example. It isn't a book that makes you feel you are a bad person. It just points out things that everybody does to some degree and just taking time to notice which things apply to you is a great help. I think everybody should get at least two of this book because it is the kind of book you want to give to a friend. If everybody read this book the world would be a better place to live in.

Bogle is brilliant on so many of the investment issues that matter most to individual investors -- investing intelligently, the fallacy of active management, how the investment-management industry screws its customers and gets away with it, etc. But as good as he is as an investment "guru," he is even better as a writer.

His writing combines a deft mastery of mathematics with the ability to lay it out on the page so carefully that you'll wonder how you didn't think of the idea. His prose is simple, concise, and often, funny. Bogle is best in speeches and essays, this book combines a very well selected combination of both.

I read other investment literature, and I frequently see the articles and speeches in this book cited. Any interested observer of financial markets, investor wanting to keep from losing his shirt, or professional in the investment management industry would benefit from reading this book. I heartily recommend it!

The first two sections of this book changed my investment outlook. I now intend for the majority of my investments to be invested passively using index funds.

His arguments that most mutual funds underperform their respective index is convincing. This coupled with the difficulty of picking the managers that will outperform the index over the long term in advance, has convinced me that only by investing in the index can you guarantee that you will be investing in one of the leading funds.

The other 3 sections while interesting are more ruminations from Bogle about life, business and the stock markets. Interesting but not world changing. In fact I suspect that most people would be better off buying "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" by Bogle.

I would heartily recommned this book to anyone who wishes to be convinced that they can maximise their return, while avoiding the risk of underperformance by investing in index funds.

In this 443-page compilation of 25 of his speeches over the last 25 years, John Bogle effectively addresses topics of interest to both investors and those in business. Fans of earlier books, including his Common Sense on Mutual Funds, and devotees of passive stock and bond index strategies, will enjoy this book.

It is especially interesting to read John Bogle's speeches delivered from 1-25 years ago and compare his predictions of the future to what has actually occurred. Comparisons to the market of today can then be made.

For example, in a speech given a year following the "great stock market crash of October 19, 1987", John Bogle on p.68 related his analysis of why the market downturn occurred, including these two reasons: (1) stock prices too high (p/e ratios hitting 23 for the S&P 500 index in 1987); (2) some deterioration in the economic outlook, with no progress being made to reduce the Federal buget defict and a whiff of inflation. Sound anything like 2000 and 2001?

A more recent speech included in the book, from January 2000, predicting that the market's heady optimism will depart and leave stock market returns of 5.2% or so over the next decade. As John Bogle readily admits, however, anything can happen in the stock market.

There are many sections which detail the evolution of, and triumph of, passive indexing over active management. Other speeches provide a historical overview of the founding of Vanguard and its rise over the last 25 years.

Business leaders will find inspiration from several speeches delivered with a more personal note, in which he provides perspectives on the need for persistence, the need for lifelong learning, and the desire to build meaning into life through devotion to commitments to others. Very moving is his speech following his receipt of a transplanted heart.

More recent speeches by John Bogle, which give you a sense of what can be found in this book (but not the added value of looking at speeches from years past and comparing predictions made to what has actually occurred), can be found at the Vanguard website. Look for the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center.

This is not the first book a reader interested in investing should tackle. That honor belongs to John Bogle's 2nd book, "Common Sense on Mutual Funds." Other books should follow, including, perhaps, those by Larry Swedroe, Burton Malkiel, and Bruce Temkin.

For those who have already read several books on investing, the speeches in this book provide added perspective and reinforcement regarding the role of passive indexing, the folly of trying to outperform the market over the long term, and the philosophical ideal of service to others through truth and fairness. For these readers I wholeheartedly recommend adding this book to your investment library.

The best fire investigation reference book on the market today. Thanks John.
Mark Howell
AIC-Fire
Denton, Texas

Written in an understandable, practical manner, this book makes a difficult subject comprehensible by even the unscientifically minded.
The author writes clearly and the book is very readable. The text is accompanied by great photographs & illustrations.
What a relief to find this book after attempting to plow through some of the other texts on this subject. Highly recommended!

The chief god of fire investigation has spoken. DeHaan wrote a complete and through text about fire investigation. If you are serious about fire investigation, this is a must book in your library. It is a tough book in read. So, buy it and review it again and again.

I read this book to my class every year and it is their favorite, over such greats as James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Students love to try to figure it out and I enjoy hearing their ideas. I teach third grade and for the next years they are finishing up the series. I read the first one as a read aloud and couldn't wait to finish the series on my own. John Bibee has a great imagination and knows how to use cliffhangers. I highly recommend this for families to read aloud. It will work well with third grade and up including middle schoolers. It may be too scarey for younger children. The discussions will be wonderful. It has a strong message and is a wonderful fantasy.

I cannot praise this book highly enough. It is the most satisfying Christian fantasy novel I have read since the Narnia Chronicles. John Bibee has a wild imagination and a way of creating cliff-hanger chapters which left my kids yelling for more. The christian symbolism is woven into the story, but never is preachy. The great plot and writing move the reader through an ordinary town beset by strange and creepy happenings, to an ultimate showdown with evil. I would love to see this made into a movie by a filmaker like Spielburg.!!! Do yourself a favor, and buy this book. You won't be sorry, but you will end up buying the other books in the series too.

This second book of the "Spirit Flyer Series" isoutstanding. It is easy to read, has an exciting plot that applies towhat kids deal with today, and the spiritual truths are profound. We read these aloud to our children and they could hardly wait to see what was going to happen in each new chapter. They likes them so much that they read the books again for themselves. We parents enjoyed them just as much. END

I used the 23rd edition of Stobo for my internal medicine rotation as a 3rd year medical student and also as a quick reference for several other rotations. I think it is the best mid-size medicine text I have seen. The content is broken down into bite-size chunks that are easy to read in one sitting--the short chapters make it easier to retain the material. Each section begins with an introductory chapter that gives a concise overview of the approach to take when evaluating a problem with a particular organ-system. Each chapter also ends with a list of summary points that are very helpful. Excellent tables are easy to reference. The actual information contained in the book is in more than enough depth for MS3 level, and the text emphasizes pathophysiology in many chapters, which helped me learn to integrate what I had learned in basic sciences and apply it to seeing patients in the clinical setting. The last section also has some good summary chapters for things that fall outside the realm of each organ-system section. This is a truly outstanding book. I highly recommend it, and I can't wait for the next edition.

Easy to read, contains pertinent info in a concise fashion. Great to study from, easily read during a clerkship.

I started my 3rd year medicine rotation with Appleton and Lange's Current Medical Diagnosis and Therapy but soon found this book to be more appropriate. It clearly and concisely explained pathophysiology of disease as well as clinical aspects, such as presentation, diagnosis and treatment. I also really enjoyed how each organ system began with a general approach to the patient. I am now using this books counterpart for my surgery rotation.

This is the best safety and rescue book with a wealth of information every boater should know. A must read, re-read and own it for reference.

We all know in any adventure sport there is a risk. Be prepared and and practice those skills in the event you ever need them. Those of you who know John Lull will reguard him as the "guru" of kayak safety and rescue. Get this book, practice what you read, and have the confidence in any situation.

John Lull's Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue is a "user friendly", comprehensive manual on how to kayak safely in a variety of sea environments. Offering step-by-step descriptions of real-life scenarios and numerous illustrations of key kayaking techniques, readers will learn how to competently assess kayaking risks, learn effective assisted self-rescues, develop group kayaking strategies, read weather patterns and currents, negotiate surf and ocean rock gardens, and deal with boat traffic. Highly recommended for personal and community library reference collections, Sea Kayaking Safety & Rescue is essential, "must" reading for the novice, and has a wealth of practical information to enhance safety and success for even the more experienced kayaking enthusiast.

While I wouldn't consider myself a "paperweight" fan, I admire Paul Stankard's work immensely.

For so long I've wondered, "how does he accomplish such wonderful things?". This book cannot show his unique genius nor how his imagination works, but it does show just enough of his techniques to sate my never ending curiosity.

You can see how a thistle is built. There are gorgeous pictures of how a glass bee is build and attached to a honey comb. Here are the dragonflies, the orchids and those amazing root people!

The book is filled with full color pictures, and many wonderful detail views. In Paul Stankard's case, "God is in the details".

I admired Paul Stankard's work before I read this book. I admire his ability ever so much more now that I've seen the immesurable detail that goes into each piece.

Filled with beautifully detailed photographs of Paul Stankard's paperweights as well as excellent closeups of the making of his flowers and other paperweight inclusions. It also includes an interesting background on Paul's career and philosophy, but the multitude of wonderful color photographs of his extraordinary work are what make this book truly special.

You will not be able to stop the "oohs" and "aahs" . The artist has developed a style unlike anyone else and the photographs are so detail you feel like you have become part of the piece. A work of art in and of itself.

This Christian fantasy fiction series is a great read for school age kids. The series shows some of the hard truths of being a Christian, and the ups and downs of the Christian life. In general, the characters do not develop throughout the series in a satisfying way (though some do) and each book wraps up a little too neatly for the real life Bibee is trying to portray. There always is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the book, a classic use of suspense to keep a reader going through the series. Overall, I recommend the series, especially to those with reluctant readers!

These books are great. They are fanciful, and yet teach lessons of faith. The characters are allowed to see into a deeper world, to see the spiritual battles that are going on around them. These books would be great for a child who would like to read the Harry Potter books, but whos parents are concerned about letting them. They are not only harmless fantasy, but they also teach good morals and important truths about the christan faith.

Super book for boys or girls, ages 9 and up. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fun Reading. Good lessons. Highly Recommended. Great motivation for reluctant readers.

Got this after a desire to collect the 9-11 comics as my ending run in comic collecting, and I must say I am impressed with not only the size of it, but the consitent and diverse work inside. Loads of unfamiliar work that perhaps wouldn't be seen on such a public level with such quality, and at 200 pages for the price its at, its damn good.

The stories themselves? Some make you think. Some make you wonder. All make you remember.

There's really not much I can say about this book. The stories contained in it are poignant and touching and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, and each and every contributor has given not only their time and talent to the project, but clearly they've also given a piece of their hearts. Being born and raised in New York City, the events of September 11th are especially painful to me, but I came away from reading this book feeling just a little more hopeful than I did when I started it. Kudos to all involved for a magnificent effort. (And all of the money goes to a good cause, too!)

The power of the comic book medium is that, by using drawings, they express emotions and reactions that are difficult to put down in words. Due to the extreme nature of this event, this is an excellent way to express what we have all been through.

The most impact is provided by the independent, i.e. non-superhero, writers who express what they went through with pictures and words. From the initial shock to the lingering malaise, the complete cycle is expressed. Reading this book brought back those feelings in me and, even though my emotions were swelling up, I kept reading. This event is now part of our collective experience and we are forever affected by it.

I recommend reading through when you need some perspective on what's important in life. Enjoy life, tell your friends and family that you love them because you never know when it may end.

This review doesn't get too into the content of the book but the impact that it had. As for me, that's the sign of a good read.