I read this book after a suggestion in Phil Whitten's book on swimming. It was hard to find, but very inspirational to me as I was getting heavily into serious swimming and athletics at 48, the same age as the author was when he got back into swimming. His adventures are thoughtfully described and his experience easy to identify with. The book got me interested in Jerome's other works, which are also very involving.

Well, I bought two books. The other one is about a guy who is trying to be a cross country skier. I am glad that I read the other one first otherwise if I read John's book first the other one will be super boring. This book is not just about how he becomes a swimmer but rather how people should deal with the inevitable - aging. I enjoy his writing so much that i bought 3 more of his books.

I was a swimmer throughout my younger years. It seems that only swimmers can understand why and how swimmers do what they do.... John Jerome, in his own style and grace, creates a book that really hits home. Super for: teenage swimmers, coaches and parents of swimmers.

It was a Christmas gift wrapped in bridal shower paper, but that's My buddy's sense of humor at work. "Truck" really struck a chord with me,as it will with anyone who has ever taken anything apart with the hope of getting it back together. One of those moments was when he'd reached the point of only being able to walk out to the garage and rearrange the tools,then go inside to have a drink and think about it. Man, have I ever been there. There are some similarities with Chris Goodrich's "Roadster", but Jerome is motivated by a sturdy thriftiness,while Goodrich had other issues to deal with. Great book, one of the best gifts I've received and a good addition to the "Auto as Metaphor for Life" section in a gearhead's library.

I've read the book five times since buying it, as the humor camouflaged some of the practical gems about rebuilding old trucks. A wonderful curl-up-before-the fireplace read!

It's much more than story it's an experience!

I was prompted to respond by the review from the individual in Virginia. He or she didn't like the Tooby & Cosmides chapters whereas I feel they were by far the most interesting chapters in the book. Reading their long essay (Chapter 2)is one of the best favors psychologists can do for themselves. Being a psychology major, I know that I was often confused about psychology before reading it, but their combination of cognitive psychology with evolutionary biology finally gave me an idea of where psychology should be going in the future. If only social psychologists and domain-general cognitive psychologists would read it, their research and approach might not be so sterile and boring. My only regret is that the book contained some chapters that were not as strong as the early chapters, but the importance of the good chapters greatly outweighs any weaknesses in the other ones.

It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance and uniqueness of this work. It is without question, the most comprehensive, most authoritative, most timely, most compelling, most interdisciplinary book ever written on the topic of evolutionary psychology. Practically all the major exponents of this new science are presented and accounted for (Buss, Symons, Daly & Wilson, Tooby & Cosmides, Barkow and Kaplan). In addition, many qualified and distinguished experts in other fields have made valuable supporting contributions (McGrew, Shepard and Fernald). It already stands as a classic in the field of evolutionary psychology and is destined to be a watershed in the development of psychological thought. However, readers beware: this book is not a light, bedside read. It is dense, scholarly reading. Although enjoyable, it is not appropriate for a lay audience looking for pop-psychology. But if you are a social scientists or serious reader who wishes to know what evolutionary psychology is about, there is simply no other book to read. My only question is when can we look forward to a second volume?

This book is a massive tome on evolutionary factors that influence human behavior. It begins with clarification of the kind of Darwinism the authors appeal to, so that everyone is on the same page, and considers the general psychological foundations of Darwinism on culture.

The book then moves on to discuss cognitive adaptations for social exchange, citing human and non-human examples. The book also includes the evolutionary psychology of mating and sex, examining preferences for mate selection and competition, mechanisms for sexual attraction, and the evolutionary use of women as chattel (something any Old Testament and Quran reader can relate to).

A significant portion of the book is devoted to parental care and children, examining how pregnancy sickness, patterns between twins, maternal-infant vocalizations, and child play in the form of chasing each other are all evolutionary mechanisms that continue to be featured.

Steven Pinker adds an essay on natural language and natural selection; Roger Shepard contributes an essay on the man's perceptual adaptation to the natural world; both of which demonstrate the interconnectedness between perception, language, and adaptation.

The book concludes with some of its most esoteric issues: environmental aesthetics, intrapsychic processes, and the theoretical implications of culural phenomena.

The whole book, while not necessarily over-academic, is ultimately dense reading. Most of the concepts and conceptualizations require mental work to apprehend, while the statistics and empirical evidence are clearly described. While drawing from many disparate areas of evolutionary biology, all the essays find their ultimate significance in how the mind, in particular, has adapted to environmental forces. A demanding, but facinating, read.

In this book Cecil Younger is hired by a 97-year old man to kill someone. He takes the case, intending to discover who was responsible for the killing of a single mother, Angela Ramirez. Along the way he travels from southeast Alaska to Centralia, Washington and learns about a massacre there in 1919 involving the American Legion and the Wobblies.

I've enjoyed the Cecil Younger series, but cringe at some of the violence. In this book I liked the problem of him taking his mentally challenged roommate with him to Centralia while investigating Angela Ramirez's murder. I especially liked learning the story of the Veteran's Day violence back in 1919. It was very interesting. Because of this story from history this book is my favorite in the series.

Cecil Younger is a alcoholic P.I. in Sitka,Alaska.He tries not to drink. He is under the care of a psychiatrist and lives with a roommate who is mentally challenged. His girlfriend has moved in and together they care for Todd, the roommate and Bob the young nephew with a missing hand. A 97 yr. old man is accused of murder and ask Cecil for help. Cecil frequently seeks guidance from the ravens and gets inspiration from the eagles;he loves the wilderness of Alaska. His investigation takes him from Sitka to Dutch Harbor and then to Washington state. He has to take Todd with him to Seattle which presents a set of unique circumstances. Eventually the mystery gets solved and a historical event from 1919 in Centralia,Wa plays a major role in the present day events. The wilderness of Alaska, the wildlife, the rain, the sea and the mountains all are vividly described. This is an outstanding novel of emotions and confusion, of desires and despair.

John describes the lifestyle of SE Alaska very well. I live near John and his books are easy for me to relate to. His writing is full of humor and humility. The main character "Cecil," is a modern day, somewhat incompetent, gumshoe detective. He as real as life and he takes the lumps and dissapointments with stride. The people who know Cecil personally respect him for his character and forgive his flaws, sometimes. If you want to get an idea of what its like to live in this part of Alaska, read all of John Straleys' books - a fine mix of fiction and reality.

"Every Child a Light: The Pope's Message to Young People" combines excellent full-color photographs with excerpts from the discourses of Pope John Paul II. The book is edited by Jerome M. Vereb. This book is full of visual appeal. The photographs, which show John Paul interacting with children of various ages, are crisp and full of life. The Pope is effectively depicted as a caring and joyful man.

The book is beautifully designed. The Pope's word's are arranged as poetry on the pages; this nicely complements the photos. The text is drawn from the Pope's global ministry.

The content of the words themselves is often rather bland and vague. Controversial topics are generally avoided. Sometimes the messages are a bit mixed. In one excerpt, for example, the Pope seems to be taking a multifaith tone, praising children for offering each other "a hand / with no regard for color, / social condition, or religion." Elsewhere he seems more theologically exclusive. For example, he claims that "a generous 'yes' to Christian faith / is the purest sense of the fullness of life"--a statement which I'm sure those of other faiths would dispute!

Still, many of the statements are relevant and inspirational to young people of any faith or culture. He tells young people, "The future belongs to you; / for you are the leaders of tomorrow" and challenges them to be "men and women of high principles / and hopes." But the book as a whole is, in my judgment, mainly relevant for Catholic children and adults.

Not only did the photographs in this magnificent production touch the heart, but the words of the Holy Father are emblazoned in our minds for all to see for years to come. His holiness shows his tenderness and love of children in the words and pictures, revealing his compassion, humor, and child-like love.

John Philips look (distorted?) back on his life is a real eye-opener of the trials and tribulations and traps of the 1960's rock-n-roll/sex/drug scene. A must read for those amateur contemporary historians with a voyeur mentality!

Wild account of the 60's
rock scene behind closed doors.
I read it 10 years ago and still
think of it.

I've been a pretty active amateur astronomer for the past 34 years. I would agee with the first reviewer "The Sky Observer's Guide" is dated and in need of new material covering Catadioptric systems (Schmidt-Cassegrain,Maksutov)and the just as popular Dobsonian now so ubiquitous among those who like me build their own systems. This has not occured I believe because possibly all the original authors have passed on. But after saying that, if your just getting into astronomy, this is still one of best guides to getting started with a small telescope around. It tells you what you can observe, how to do it, and what to expect. You could easily buy a dozen other popular guides now on the market that won't cover as much material, as clearly, as the Mayalls, Jerome Wyckoff,and John Polgreen put into the 160 pages of this little book. I still have the 1965 edition I bought when I was 12 in 1966, and though I've gone way past the material covered, I've kept it as a sentimental favorite because I probobly learned as much from it early on as I have from any other single source since then. So Golden Guide, if your looking at these reviews, add something about the two telescope types I've mentioned above and maybe something about CCD cameras too, but please don't drop anything from this still great little book!

If you just want a working knowledge of Astronomy, and you want it quickly and easily, read this book first. I think you'll be impressed with how much information is there, and how understandable it is. I know I am!

If you want comprehensive up-to-date coverage of the meterial, you can find other sources later.

When my children have a question about the sky, this is where we go. We were driving home one night and my son asked me if I had ever seen a shooting star. Actually, I was surprised he HADN'T ever seen one. I explained about Meteor Showers and asked if he wanted to know when the next one was. We got out this book and looked it up. He was so interested he read the entire book, and now I catch him explaining things to his brothers and sisters. This book has a TON of information.

I first read this book at the age of 13, just getting into astronomy. I would agree that the book could use a little updating: sections on catadioptrics, newer eyepieces, apochromats, and Dobsonians would be helpful. However, the core of the book -- how to navigate the night sky with a telescope and actually see stuff -- remains a very thorough and classic work. I re-read my dog-eared copy probably twice a year just to review the fundamentals. You really can't find as concise a introductory text to amateur astronomy anywhere.

"Let's see, what's the best way to tell this?" This is how John Jerome believes every piece of writing should start. "It should never make its way onto the page, of course, (except perhaps as a joke), but it should inform the writer's angle of attack" (84). This book is what you could call "thrown together," so I don't know what his angle of attack for this book would be. It is separated similar to how a journal or diary would be. It is written in a very informal and conversational manner about a variety of subjects, most of them not having to do with writing. The Writing Trade is a book about writing a book, but not really. Jerome tells what is going on in his life at the time he is writing this book. One entire entry might be, "It snowed today." He talks quite frequently about his dogs and taking them for walks every day. Interesting, but what does it have to do with writing a book? He also talks about types of books he would like to write in the future, again not having to do with this book. As I said before, this book is "thrown together." Jerome does give some helpful advice about what he does as a writer. This might prove to be helpful to writers seeking advice, but not answers. He never states which way is right, just how he does it. So, if you want definite answers to your questions, this is probably not the best book for you.

John Jerome, freelance writer and author of the book, The Writing Trade...A Year in the Life gives us a 12-month account of a writer's life. The book, written in diary form takes us through revisions, writers block, publication, and most importantly, it takes us through someone else's life. The book isn't just about how to write. Actually it really isn't about how to write at all. "The aim here is to show how a writing life works: A book about the workaday process of making sentences for a living." Jerome said. It's a book basically about someone else's life. Jerome doesn't just talk about his life as a freelance writer he talks about his life's experiences. He tells us about camping trips with his alcoholic father, about his wife C., and about his daily walks with his dogs around the loop where he does most of his thinking and gets most of his ideas. At the beginning of every chapter there are helpful and humorous quotes from famous authors. While the book might not be about writing per say it is filled with good advice and tips. Jerome does a wonderful job of showing the reader a life of a writer, something most of us know nothing about, I was flipping pages fast. If you are looking for a book for entertainment and advice about writing, then A Year in the Life is a worthwhile read. While it is a worthwhile read, it is a book to borrow from the library not buy.

I bought this book when it was new, and I'm now reading it for the fourth time. To me, a freelancer like Jerome, it's like a shot of Vitamin B-12. The late John Jerome loved writing, loved it enough to give up a steady income as a magazine editor to write what he wanted to write -- well most of the time anyway. Beginning in on a cold New Year's Day, Jerome takes us through a year of his life: struggling with words, revising drafts, reading galley proof (yes, remember when they had galley proof), while all the while contending with worn-out plumbing and a dying furnace, and a steady stream of bills. Was it worth it? That's what Jerome wanted to find out -- and share the discovery with us.

The book is a rather good introductory book upon behavioral genetics, covering various emotional and behavioral disorders. It is stimulating and interesting, and very academic in nature. To a reader searching for practical implication of behavioral genetics, there may be little appointment. No matter what, I do agree that the behavioral genetics is a subject that every psychologist, or even every person, should have some ideas about this new development in science.

I started by trying to read this book through at one sitting. It was the wrong approach. This is not one of these best-selling thrillers, which you simply cannot put down. That does not mean it is no good, though. The book rather grows on you, as you read it a bit at a time. A lot of what Jerome says strikes a chord because you realise it applies to life in general. Perhaps the way to describe the book is to call it a "thinking runner's book".