Henry Friedlander provides a compelling and accurate portrayal of the origins of the Holocaust in the elimination of the mentally ill and physically handicapped. He starts with a description of the origins of German theories of racial superiority based upon social Darwinism which began long before the Nazis came to power. Many German physicians believed that the handicapped were a burden to society and that one of Medicine's chief functions was to be merciful and weed out the lame and feeble and remove them, painlessly, of course. With the advent of National Socialism and coming to power of Adolf Hitler, these doctors willingly joined in the sterilization and euthanistic practices of the Master Race. Gypsies and Jews were the main groups selected but all handicapped were gathered up. The author describes in detail the frustrations experienced by these teutonic genetic warriors because they could not more efficiently kill and maim and remove the untermeunschen. This book is a nightmare which can happen again. The world still witnesses the open genocide of Central Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. While Hitler's bodily presence has been gone for 55 years, his philosophical dementia remains with us. This book is an excellent reminder of science misused and politicized.

As a Deaf person and an activist for the rights of the disabled in education and medical care, I was appalled to find out that the disabled were singled out for sterilization and euthanasia long before the Jews had been. I was even more upset that prior to medical school, I had never even heard of the willing collaboration of doctors and scientists in Germany with the Nazi political machine to rid their race of defective people (it didn't seem to matter when impairment began or how, or these people were educable and able to work). Not to ever dismiss the horror of the Jewish Holocaust and the amount of lives taken, but it is imperative that we remember and we teach that the slope leading to extermination of races began with the ideas of Social Darwinism, natural selection, and survival of the fittest, which were the scientific theories/beliefs used to justify the removal of anyone with a difference. This belief system still pervades society today, when someone like Kervorkian (who only worked with dead bodies) could take it upon himself to decide whether someone's life was of any worth, on the basis of 'normalcy'.

Henry Friedlander does an excellent job of writing and researching into the lives and minds of the doctors and administrators who ran the secret programs that killed first, German children who were born with disabilities, then led to the removal from schools and homes of older children with disabilities to meet their deaths through starvation and drugs, and finally to include adults with disabilities in mass murders. It was on these people that the Nazis perfected their instruments of genocide, and yet, even at Nurenburg their suffering was dismissed as "lives unworthy of life" just because of their disabilities.

This can happen again, especially with the completion of the human genome. NO laws have been suggested to curtail the use of information gleaned from the genome to prevent discrimination of any kind against the disabled. It is of great concern that the disabled community watch opponents of the Americans with Disabilities Act try to get this civil rights act revoked as being expensive, especially since it serves those who many (including Clint Eastwood apparently) feel are not productive members of society. The slippery slope begins at this point, and with these mindsets.

It is imperative that students of medicine and students of science be made to read this book. It is only through education and remembering the children and families whose lives were destroyed that we can avoid allowing this Medical Holocaust from ever happening again. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

From Euthanasia to Genocide is a very very small step. This book is the best and wisest on the subject. It illustrates exactly how easy it was for Nazis to use the American psuedo-science of "eugenics" to aclimate Germany to "life unworthy of life." How simple to use the idea of "mercy death" to rid society of "useless eaters." The members of T4 were ruthless in their quest to define and rid Nazi Germany of deformed infants, the mentally ill, the deaf, the old, the young, the indigent, the DIFFERENT. No marginalised group was safe.

Of the killing centers, Hadamar is the best known -- a hub, so to speak. Nobody really knows how many people were gassed there. The buses arrived like clockwork, on schedule... Day in; day out.

Significantly, there was little civilian protest until T4 moved on to private Christian instutions. The "euthenasia" program was halted "officially" after several churches protested the gassings of institutionalised patients. (Unofffically, the program went on until AFTER the end of the war!) The members of T4 were absorbed into the killing machine known as the Final Solution. Which, of course, was the goal all along....

I reread The Origins of Nazi Genocide periodically just to remind myself that ANYONE can be marginalised -- including me and thee.

Mr. Leech's book is GREAT!. His writing style is so concise, practical and easy to understand. Using quotes from Shakespeare just adds to the enjoyment of reading this book. The information is very valuable for any one in any type of organization. I was VERY IMPRESSED! It is full of great ideas and tips on how to handle any communications situation in a business setting. Being a professional in the communications field, I wish I had read this material years ago.

Mr. Leech's book is GREAT!!!!. His writing style is so concise, practical and easy to understand. Using quotes from Shakespeare just added to the enjoyment of reading this book. The information is very valuable for any one in any type of organization. I was VERY IMPRESSED!!!! It is full of great ideas and tips on how to handle any communications situation in a business setting or actually any organization. Being a professional in the communications field, I wish I had read this material years ago.

By Lynn Alvarez Doupsas, Divisional Vice President, Business Planning Strategy, President, UBS PaineWebber Toastmasters

I did not know what to expect when I opened "Say it like Shakespeare: How to Give a Speech like Hamlet, Persuade like Henry V and Other Secrets from the World's Greatest Communicator." Any reference to Shakespeare always reminded me of introductory literature courses in college. As I opened the book I thought, what could that old stodgy writer have to say for himself? I was pleasantly surprised that good 'ole Will was and is the master of the communication and the common word.

I met Tom Leech in the early 90's and thoroughly devoured his book on Winning Presentations. He has always struck me as having uncanny perceptions and astute assessments of issues and problems. The new book covers advanced topics such as blending team talents in "Competitive Communications" to the basics like "make sure props work." Each chapter's 'take aways' are direct, practical and to the point. The stories and quotes were aptly selected to convey complex themes.

I always knew Tom was a masterful storyteller. I was struck, however, at how funny he was in his use of examples and communication pitfalls. I had no idea how tickled I would be with his examples, perhaps because I have experienced and lived them in my years in consulting and management positions. It was a nice change to hear about them rather than experience them first hand. I could thoroughly imagine Julius Caesar and Othello going through the same issues as many leaders and followers go through today.

By using good humor and poking fun at himself self and others, Tom made Verona, Rome and Stratford on Avon come alive. The not so 'secret' topics of being a good listener, knowing your audience and dressing for success were shared as well as the difference between being a sender and receiver were wittily revealed. Tom craftily used these fictional characters' quotes and actions to emphasis his points even more.

Indeed, there is something to glean for everyone. Tom's insights and innovative way to address communication made me long to pick up a volume of Mr. Shakespeare's work. I am just happy that I didn't have to spend years compiling this information, which fortunately, Tom painstakingly did for us.

Friends, Romans, Toastmasters -- this is a must read for any interested in understanding the nuts and bolts of communication. This can be a great tool for any manager, academic or lay statesman to use in treading through the perilous seas of modern Rome. History indeed is doomed to repeat itself, so why not get a jump start?

Hiawatha is a beautiful, richly detailed poem of Native Americans before the treahery of the white man overwhelmed their way of life. Susan Jeffers took each verse and created a breathtaking, artist's view of the young Hiawatha. Each verse becomes vibrantly alive with her delicate rendiions."By the shores of ..." and Nokomis fill the readers souls with new images because of the renderings made by the talented Susan Jeffers.

Susan Jeffers' drawings exemplify the clarity and imagination of Longfellow's epic poem to a tee. A must have for every child's library, hopefully to be read over and over again.

I have this poem memorized because my father recited it to me so many times as a child. This illustrated version has beautiful pictures that capture the fact that this is the story of child and embody the lyric quality of Longfellows poem.

Jane Austen wrote these short snippets on a number of the rulers of England in chronological order - using, as she says, 'very few dates'. The result is a wonderful collection of highly prejudicial outlines of various Kings and Queens - and after all the purpose of history to be scandalous and slanderous can be undermined by sticking too closely to extraneous detail such as dates and so on. The whole thing would probably take you much less than hour to read. Austen proves her talent for sharp observation and wit from an early age for this little book was written while she was still a teenager in the early 1790's. Its a lovely introduction to her writing for those who haven't had much to do with Austen before but are keen to try her out.

This book may not be used in any history class, but it is one of the most charming works she ever wrote. I had this smile painted on my face the entire 15 minutes it took to read it. Very, very witty.

Jane Austen may be best known for her biting and sarcastic wit, her compassion for her characters, and her understanding of the truth of their lives and situations. But this short piece of juvenilia combines all of her mature insight with the confidence, humour, and unmitigated self-satisfaction of a younger and more whimsical Austen. Definitely not to be overlooked in favour of her more serious work, this book will take merely minutes to read but leave you with astoundingly funny comments to treasure and smile over for years to come. It is Jane Austen at her very best: uninhibited, cruel, funny and ultimately self-deprecating. She knows what she is doing and does it with consumate skill. A must read for any Austen fan or anyone with a sense of humour.

In the field of technology change appears to occur at an ever increasing rate. Through innovation in research and development new breakthroughs occur, new products are brought to market, sales brings in money to fund research and the cycle goes on and on. At least this is the way that it is generally thought to occur. In reality hostile takeovers, IPO bids and the like keep interrupting the cycle. Companies refuse to look outside of themselves for innovative ideas or the application of their technology to new ventures. So the system is actually a closed cycle within the company instead of an open one the embraces the value of processes, people, and others outside of the company.

Business innovations create potential but do not have value in and of themselves. It is the business model that turns innovation into profits. We have all seen inferior products bypass superior ones because of a better business model. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is not at all uncommon.

So, the business model itself defines the profit received from an innovation. Why? Because the business model is the single most important factor in determining a suitable market for the innovation, costs, profit margins, and competitive position. The business model determines whether the company will take advantage of all opportunities including those outside itself or just utilize those opportunities that they can produce internally. The authors detail several case studies that point out the difference between closed and open innovation and the results of each very clearly.

The finishing touch to the book is that it clearly details the path to open innovation and how to move a company from a closed mindset to an open one. This is a highly recommended read for anyone wanting to take advantage of technology to increase their profits.

As we have come to expect from Harvard's Professor Chesbrough, Open Innovation is a wealth of insight and knowledge in how organizations can transform themselves by blending the best of their internal know-how and external sources of perspectives. Beginning with an interesting historical vantage point, Chesbrough introduces us to innovation structures as they have evolved at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the establishment of central research & development facilities and beyond. It was historian Alfred Chandler who first researched the economies of scale that resulted from the internal research & development facilities. As it points out in the book, 'these R&D facilities were so successful in extracting more efficiency out of increased understanding that they created natural monopolies in many leading industries, or economies of scope'. But many erosion factors have weathered these fortresses of knowledge, and now Chesbrough maintains that innovations, however clever, are worth nothing until a viable business model is found to exploit them.

The function of a business model, according to the author and colleague Richard Rosenbloom, is to: articulate the value proposition; identify a market segment; define the structure of the firm's value chain; estimate the cost structure and margin, describe the position of the firm within the value network and to formulate the competitive strategy of the offering. So invention is not enough. Organizations most follow the path to commercialization, but that route often means it must work collaboratively with many others. This approach has many ramifications on company structure and ways of working. It is hard for organizations (and their leaders) to work on having core-differentiated capabilities, while still being open with their value network. Therefore, this leads ManyWorlds to assume that those things, which are seen as true differentiators in mature companies, must move away from a specific product advantages and more toward process differentiating capabilities. While there is always a role for product innovators, the model they operate under is not usually scaleable, and companies often grow into either 'economies of scale' or 'economies of scope'. But finding and developing that all important part of the value network becomes a crucial skill in itself.

Open Innovation is a truly excellent book that a review cannot do justice to. With detailed case studies on Xerox (and spin outs), Intel and examples from many other companies, Chesbrough has written an insightful and timely work that draws many threads together. Executives who want to explore how facets of innovation, whether internally or externally motivated, sourced or executed, would not find a better read than Open Innovation.

Open Innovation is the only other book besides Leifer and McDermott's "Radical Innovation" that I feel compelled to keep with me on hand at all times. It is practical, useful, and the arguments - backed by excellent deep research - is fresh and compelling. There are a lot of gurus out there saying the same old things. Chesbrough is the future. He sees where things are going, and Open Innovation is squarely focused on the force that is driving the transformation of corporate governance right now and over the next five-ten years.

Henry Hampton and Steve Fayer have collected a small sampling of civil rights oral history that has yet to be duplicated in a modern book on the era. They have included all of the key figures involved in the movement, Dr. King and Malcolm X, along with Stokely Carmichael, John Lewis and Andrew Young. What they have also done is give readers the non-famous persons perspective on the various events surrounding the movement. This has been invaluable to me in my research and a truly enjoyable read. It should be a must read for everyone!

Fantastic, relavent, engrossing.

Important and balanced information and first-hand accounts.

Starting with the murder of Emmett Till and ending with the political activism in the 80s, this book gives a moving overview of the civil rights movement. Each of the 31 chapters first gives a short summary of the events and then redraws the situation with eye-witness accounts. Many activists like Coretta Scott King, Harry Belafonte and members of the Black Panther Party, to name a few, give intriguing details. This moving book is easy to read and especially recommended for young people who need first hand information about the movement. Really recommended!

When I first got the book in 1999, I read it cover to cover immediately, and learned much about the various beach finds I have been curious about for many years. It answered many of my basic questions and I still use it as a reference. Interesting and valuable information.

Althought the cover looks simplistic, it belies an excellent book for those interested in coastal and estuarine life forms and habitats in the Northeast US. Much more scientific than I expected. A great reference book!

This book had a life changing effect for me. I highly recommend this for anyone. I also recommend all of Townsend/Cloud's books. I have 5 of them and found all to be extremely helpful in many aspects of life and relationships.

This book is a great relief for many of us Christians who have been bogged down in all of the crazy things that other Christians say and expect. We all have problems, but some well-meaning Christians teach us that our problems are because we are not spiritual enough. Or they tell us that we just need to "give them to God." Or they say that we are selfish to get our needs met. Or they tell us just to leave the past behind. All of these cliches can be harmful and misleading.

This book would be especially refreshing for someone who has been involved in a very legalistic or spirit-filled church. It shows that Christianity is not a quick-fix for our lives. And it shows that if we are to be honest, respectable people, we need to deal with our issues instead of running from them or stuffing them under the pews.

For those who go to klez-kamp and those who don't.....this is a G-R-E-A-T book for the Klez-Fan

A delightful and informative romp through the footstomping, handclapping world of Klezmer music that's perfect for both experts and novices -- you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy klezmer and this book! Mazal Tov Henry Sapoznik!

For a history of Yiddish instumental music in America this is the Book to get. Hank Snow(poznick) live's and breaths the music in the pages of this must have book.

McDowell and Spitz give an incredibly thorough, yet succinct overview of the field of substance abuse. The book is informative, well written, and an interesting read. It will be of great interest to all clinicians who work with substance abuse patients. I personally recommend it to anyone who encounters the problem of addiction, whether it be in a personal or professional realm.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to the field of substance abuse. It is informative without getting bogged down in too much detail, and makes for interesting reading. The volume is also peppered with fascinating historical tidbits.

Doctors Mc Dowell and Spitz aught to be applauded for their innovative presentation. It should be a permanent fixture in the offices of every therapist as a research guide, and on the bookshelves of patients. It is a wellspring of information for both the layman and the pro. Thank you both.