Joseph Ton's book, Suffering, Martyrdom, and Rewards in Heaven, is a rare jewel. This book is nearly 500 pages, and is not light reading, or a devotional. In this book, Mr. Ton presents the an in-depth study of the biblical and historical doctrines of suffering for Christ. He begins in the Old Testament and comes forward to the modern era. He recognizes this subject is rarely taught. While many authors like to present the promises of God, Mr. Ton clearly points out that many of those promises are presented in the context of a persecuted church. This book is so rich, I had to frequently stop after several pages to digest what was being taught.

This book is different from other books on suffering. Most dwell on the suffering and types of persecution used against faithful Christians. Mr. Ton focuses upon the eternal results, rather than the temporal challenges. For those interested in this subject, or in preparing for the trials to come, this book is a must read.

i seen this book atlast and i know that is about ultrasonic testing and it is a compelet refrence in ut matter.

I received this cookbook as a gift and have made almost ever recipe in it...each one is truly amazing! The cookbook has recipes ranging from easy to more complicated, but the outcome of each is a dish which you will swear was made in a five star restaurant. This book will compliment the library of any person with a taste for fine (vegetarian or not) food. It is the perfect companion to a Vegetarian Cookbook which provides many of the necessities, but lacks in originality. I highly highly recommend it!

This is the daily diary of the man who was the head of the Judenrat (Jewish Council) in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation and most of the ghetto period. Czerniakow was misunderstood by a lot of people, and to avoid this I suggest some background reading about the ghetto first (Emanuel Ringelblum's Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto, Bogdan Wojdowski's Bread for the Departed, John Hersey's The Wall (fiction)). This is because Czerniakow does not give a lot of detail about life in the ghetto (and occupied Warsaw before the ghetto) for the ordinary person. It does not at all mean he was unaware of conditions; he was trying to do an impossible job and please everyone at the same time: the ghetto residents, the other council members, the profiteers, the Polish city administration, the German army, and the SS. That he accomplished any positive goals at all is remarkable and his story must be looked at from that perspective. It comes across clearly that he acted according to his conscience and put his personal concerns last. Without the introductions and the supplementary notes the diary might be difficult to understand, as Czerniakow did not always put down full names or explanations and kept entries brief. It was suggested he may have been afraid of it falling into the wrong hands with good reason. Therefore, I would say it takes a reader with some knowledge of the ghetto period and the Nazi occupation of Poland to get the fullest understanding from this book. I do on that basis give it the highest recommendation.

The Good Soldier Svejk is like no other book I have ever read. It is truly a classic war satire and is on par with books like Catch 22. I see it as the spawn of many satires written about WWII however quite rightly no author has ever tried to replicate the style that it was written in. Jaroslav Hasek had one of the most interesting lives of any author, switching from Austro-Hungarian to Russian Monarchist to Bolshevik to Czech nationalist during WWI and his life story is reflected somewhat in his story while he illustrates it with brilliant humour.

The character of Svejk is developed in such an intricate way that makes it difficult to discover his real purposes but the book is not damaged in the slightest by the fact that it was cut short because of Hasek's untimely death. In fact it has only helped to cultivate the Svejk legend.

I encourage ANYONE to read this book. If your knowledge of Austria-Hungary and WWI is lacking, then this is the best way to learn!

The Good Soldier Svejk is one of the classics of literature that sprang from the flesh-fertilized grounds of World War 1. But Svejk is a war book with a twist. It is profoundly funny -- hiliarious in fact, an antiwar novel that wanders throughout the realm of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire without getting anywhere near the Russian front for a long time. Unlike Remarque's brooding "All Quiet on the Western Front", or Lawrence's memoir "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", Hasek's novel views the war as a great absurdist event, a colossal stupidity witnessed by a small stupid person, Svjek (who prior to the war, made his living by selling dogs with forged pedigrees). But Svejk isn't stupid. He PLAYS dumb all right, because he knows that's how one survives. Hasek lays bare the ridiculousness of the old Habsburg monarchy: the ethnic rivalries, the endless bureaucracies, religions of convenience, the military heirarchy, as seen through the eyes of the not-as-simple-as-he-seems Czech reservist, Svjek. Through a series of mishaps, blunders, deliberate scams and other reasons, Sjvek always seems to somehow just avoid going to the front, until the very end of the book, which has kind of a surprise ending all its own. It is a wordy book (largely because Hasek wrote the book as a serial published in an Czech newspaper -- he was paid by the word), but an immensely fun one nevertheless. Considering all the serious literature that came out of the First World War, Sjvek is a hilarious treat with a serious subtext that hasn't lost its power to entertain and provoke thought. It's not to be missed.

This is one of those books that you can never get enough of and it always amazes you with its simplicity and originality. The book is like an endless gallery of human characters lost and exposed by the turmoil of the war. It is a comedy of words and situations, yet it is also in a way the revenge of the small people against the big mindless "system." It is the ultimate guide to not taking the world seriously. It is unbeleivably enjoyable. It helps of course if you are eastern european makes it easier to recognize and identify. But still the greatest book ever if I had to choose one.

This is the epic that got all other Marvel epics started, and is still the best crossover (except for The Age of Apocalypse [which any die-hard Marvel-phile should read in its entirety!])) that the House of Ideas ever put out. Not only is the prospect of having all of the great Marvel heroes battle it out against a madman of a cosmic being, but it is also interesting to see the Marvel definition of the Universe. Many characters are present in this book that represent the various ideas of philosophy and metaphisics. Love,Hate, Eternity, the Celestials, the Great Tribunal, Galactus, Mephisto and more all are present for the great climactic battle. Marvel's riveting representations of philosophical and spiritual ideas seem to create its own mythology, with these "rulers of the omniverse" as the gods and the pantheon of superheroes as, well, the heroes. Not only are the ideas and interpretations held within this volume interesting, but the plot and characters (and their respective reactions to each other and their situation) make for a masterpiece of comic book literature. Oh, and the ending and the epilogue are superbly crafted and just a little bit funny. Definately a great read. Check it out, and enjoy!

Upon reading this incredible book again, I realized that this book is timeless. It has a style that does not require a reader to know anything about comics prior to reading this book. If you are looking to get a young person into comics this is an excellent way to start. Jim Starlin is in rare form and paints an excellent picture of angst and despair, and finally joy and astonishment. The book shows you the majestic quality of the Marvel heroes, and their epic struggle to safe guard their world against even the most impossible odds. This book displays the greatest show of courage and strength ever seen in comics. As the reader, you are given a chance to cheer, cry, and stand in total awe of all the visual magnificence dilivered in rare form by both George Perez (The Teen Titans, Avengers) and Ron Lim (X-Men 2099, Mutant X). If you want to see Marvel at its best, The Infinity Gaunlet is the best possible example.

You want true heroism, courage, and raw power? Then pick up The Gaunlet, this is the story that tells you why Captain America is so cool, how important Thor really is, and just how scary evil can be. The heroes of earth put everything on the line to save not only their world, but the universe as well. Drawn perfectly by first George Perez and then by Ron Lim, this is one of Marvels shining moments.

This book teaches a lot abou morals. Just becuase someone is alittle different from everyone else, doesn't mean they should be treated badly. Everyone is different in their own seperate way. Some people just show and others hide their feelings. People have differences, and no one is the same. Some of us just have to learn to accept it. And some have to realize we all are the same in some ways to.

The ugly duckling is a duck who is the same as everyone else, yet is also different. He just wants to be accepted. He doesn't know how to make people like him. People were not accepting him becuase he was not good enough. Everyone seems to be 'not good enough' at one time or another. Yet other people do not realize this.

I like this book because it explains how life goes. Some people aren't accepted because of their looks, other epople jsut need to learn to accept people for who they are. Not what they are not. You need to learn to look past the "bad" qualities and see the good qualities.

Our class liked it when the ugly duckling turned into a swan. Everyone learned that it doesn't matter if you don't look like everyone else. You should like who you are. We learned about the differences between swans and ducks. Our class learned that when you are young you have to learn about a lot of different things. We think that kids could learn about different things from reading this story such as animals, other stories to read, and feelings.

Like most parents, you want your child's home library to include standard fairy tales. Jerry Pinkney's "The Ugly Duckling" combines incredibly detailed ilustrations with a nice balance of both strong and muted colors AND a wonderful re-telling of the generations-old standard tale. In this verson, however, people are woven into the story in a way that I haven't seen before, and I like that very much. It's easy to see why this book was selected as a 1999 Caldecott Honor Book. Pinkney's a very gifted illustrator, and he really has to be given credit for his well-constructed text as well as the gorgeous pictures. Authors who write and then illustrate their own stories are somewhat rare, and as an adult, I appreciate the incredible mix of talent and hard work this represents. My children, of course, just love the pictures; they'll grow to appreciate good writing as they get older.

The latest in Griffin's Badge of Honor series has a good plot and story line, but gets bogged down in his explaining details from past books. He also has all characters continuously "cracking wise" with each other, no matter how serious the situation is, to the point it gets old. And speaking of old, the technical aspects of the story place it at least back in the early 1970s, even though Mr. Griffin is very careful not to list even one date in the entire book. The bad guys steal M2 carbines from the National Guard, none of whom have had this obsolete weapon for more than 25 years - the M-16 has been the standard small arm for all branches of the military since the Viet Nam War. Police officers, regardless of rank, have no pagers or cell phones and are constantly looking for phones to call in on. All this in spite of the fact that a NIKE missle site, explained to have been abandoned after the end of the cold war, is used in the plot. This would make the time period at least post-1989. Mr. Griffin needs to spruce up his character's dialogue, move the story along, and bring the Philly police force into the 1990s.

I was really glad to discover just recently that W.E.B. Griffin had also penned books under the name "Alex Baldwin," as that was how I originally came to know his work (some really fine writing in that series). "The Investigators" allows him to reach out to a different type of reader, and show his stuff. I've now read four of his books and I'd put this one somewhere in the middle (Griffin is a very good writer - he's funny and really seems on spot with all the little details). Griffin's character development in "The Investigators" is a bit uneven, but the story takes some interesting turns, and I found it to generally move right along. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series, and eventually most or all of his work. Order the book -- this guy is good!

Griffin has a terrific fast-paced style full of wit and fine detail. If you're looking for super-realism and Doctor Shivago, forget it. This is a pulp novel with a lovable character, good action, sexy characters -- and a police department you can't get enough of. I loved it and could not put it down. Thank god it's 500+ pages. The ending is a bit rough, but that makes the book stick in your mind all the more. Great job.

Well, it's nice that Dr. Yalom has tried his hand at fiction; this imaginary account set in turn of the Century Vienna features Breuer and Freud with a mystery woman who comes to request the professional services of Sigmund for a strange philosophical friend who turns out to be Nietzche. Well, this novel has its interesting twists and turns with the philosopher ending up analyzing the psychiatrist and the psychiatrist philosophizing with the philosopher. However, the plot line is a bit too neat; true, it's quite clever, but so is nearly every episode of Law and Order, the TV cop/lawyer show. It doesn't make the show nor this book great literature. There are some nice touches such as Breuer and Freud stopping for their favorite snack--Pork Sausage (oh, that irreverent Freud!) and some interesting (not believable and a bit wooden, though) dialogue that draws on the psychological and philosophical zeitgeist of the age, but there is quite a few hackneyed techniques here (a dream sequence that is only missing those waves from 1950's movies to indicate a shift in reality, among others). The craft is fairly good but very obvious. Dr. Yalom has written eloquently in his non-fiction, both via his essays and his textbooks. But in the realm of the imagination, perhaps the "social scientist" in him is a bit too embedded.

Breuer and Nietzsche never met, but Dr. Yalom considers the intriguing possibilities in this novel of psychological and philosophical ideas. Dr. Yalom is a professor of phsychiatry at Stanford and a proponent of "existential psychotherapy," so he is able to create drama derived almost entirely from the emotional portraits of the characters rather than the actions and struggles of the characters in the external world. Yalom's achievement is to make the reader care about Breuer and Nietzsche as they struggle to confront (or avoid) their greatest fears and weaknesses. The reader is drawn into intimate conversation with the brilliant but unloveable Nietzsche and the gifted but ungrateful Breuer. The necessary whining is balanced by just enough action and intellectual history to propel the narrative forward. Along the way the genesis of psychotherapy and existentialism is consisely explained using dialogue from Breuer, Freud and Nietzsche as well as quotations from their actual works. But this book not about theory. The sorrow of these great men is transformed into inspiration for the reader as they struggle to embrace the wisdom of amor fati, to love one's fate. We are reminded of our own need to accept complete responsibility for our choices and to boldly face life's challenges. One need not embrace an existentialist worldview to find inspiration in such advice. Neither does the Professor preach philosophy in his drama. Rather, the reader is invited to achieve a synthesis of his own after observing the strivings of the characters. Vienna was an intellectual microcosm of Europe in the late 19th Century, so the city bcomes a character in the story, with various characters, some historical, some fictional, acting as the sounding board for Breuer's and Nietzsche's nascent philosophies. This is not a book for readers put off by lengthy dialogues, and it is short on dramatic action and romance. But for those who might enjoy urgent and intimate conversation with great minds on the verge of their greatest achievements, When Nietzsche Wept may be as therapeutic as an afternoon with close friends over cafe melange at the Cafe Landtmann.

This is one of the most intellectually stimulating, personally relevant, important books I have ever read. What a rare treat Yalom has given the world. That being said, this book may not be for everyone (but what is?). In many ways, I feel as if this novel was written just for me, and I feel sure that many other readers likewise come away feeling the book was written especially for them. Do you have to know Nietzsche in order to enjoy this book? You do not, but it will certainly appeal to you more if you do. I approached this book purely as a Nietzsche admirer, and I worried that my favorite philosopher might be portrayed poorly or unacceptably in its pages. In fact, he was not. No one can say whether this fictional treatment of Nietzsche is a true depiction of this great man, but it really does not matter. The importance of this book comes not through the descriptions of its characters, but from the meaning you as an individual take from its themes. These themes are grand and universal, the themes that Nietzsche addressed in his factual life--the meaning of life, fear of aging and death, each person's place in society, and both aloneness and loneliness. Everyone knows these themes, the emotions they stir up, the doubts they employ as daily hurdles on the living of one's life, the truly cosmic loneliness that each individual knows and combats at some point or points in his/her life. Not everyone can face these challenges or even acknowledge them; those who cannot will do well to stay away from this book.

What a joy it is to read a truly intellectually challenging work in these modern times. Don't read this book to be entertained. Read this book to seek understanding of life and your place in it. I cannot stress enough how personal the message of this book seems to be. In the final pages, Nietzsche revealed to Dr. Breuer his one great fear, and that fear was my own great fear, expressed in words that described it better than I ever could. I had to put the book down momentarily and just say "My God . . ." That gave this book incredible meaning for me. I should say that I did not come away overjoyed or overly burdened from the experience of finishing the book, but I certainly came away more in tune with my own thoughts and my own philosophy, challenged to remain steadfast in my own intellectual thoughts and pursuits, and buoyed (yet not elated) to know that at least one other person on earth has knowledge of the intellectual and emotional struggles that I sometimes resigned myself to believe were solely my own.

Please, do not start reading this book unless and until you are ready to devote yourself to it and to yourself. The first few chapters are not gripping and do not really offer a visionary glimpse of the meaning and magic of the book. The early conversations, particularly between Nietzsche and Breuer, are sometimes rather stilted and "phony." Do not be discouraged in the early stages of the read because intellectual stimulation and personal challenge await you soon thereafter, and I believe that you will find yourself hard pressed to stop reading until the very end. More importantly, the book will remain with you even after you have placed it back on the shelf. That is the greatest praise that a novel can be given.

I failed my first Oracle8 performance tuning exam almost a month ago. I found the questions cover many things that I had no idea of. Then I bought this book from a local book store and started reading it. Although it contains some errors and some of the paragraphs need to be read more than once to get the meanings, the tips and notes that the book provides are very useful. Someone like me who has no experience in any database software can pass this test with help from this book only (53/61). I'm now officially an Oracle 8 DBA! Thanks!

Studied using only Oracle8 DBA: Performance Tuning Exam Cram text to pass the Oracle8i P&T Exam, on the first attempt. Obviously lacking new 8i material, but enough material to pass 8i. I would think the text is great for what it was intended for, passing the Oracle8 P&T

I don't think there is any important topic that this book doesn't cover. Very good reference of the most important Oracle performance-related dynamic views (can be very useful not only for the test, but equally for DBA job-related tuning tasks afterwards) and a good collection of sample questions. I think the book can also be used for the Oracle8i Performance Tuning test (at least until the 8i Tuning Exam Cram comes out).