This is a great book, but if you need it right away and don't want to pay a special handling fee order it directly from Vault.com. The eBook version is also available there as well as the new 2003 edition that is not available yet in bookstores.

i don't normally write reviews as i'm too busy slaving away as a lawyer...but i must add my $.02 this vault guidebook is astonishingly good. my fellow lawyers and i can't get enough of "The Buzz" which tells what lawyers are saying about various firms. this is the ONLY resource that tells it like it is in the arduous, sometimes rewarding, sometimes nauseating world of BIGLAW

The folks at Vault have really outdone themselves. This new edition is huge and very much expanded from previous editions. The material inside is all new as well. The have increased the detail and have done an incredible job providing the scoop on the top law firms in the country (including many that didn't make the top 50). They have included information on the quality of life rankings and their methodology. The book is invaluable for any law student as well as any lawyer considering a lateral move. I have a copy on my desk at a prominent law school and find people constantly borrowing it. Highly recommended.

It has been said that racism and bigotry are permanent in American culture. Not only is there not an ongoing public dialogue on issues of race and ehtnicity, but there's not even a common vocabulary for creating one. This is what West and Lerner try to change. While each maintains his own unique experience and perspective, the two of them solicit ideas and perspectives from each other, challenging each other's presuppositions, all in the atmosphere of a lasting, respectful, and genuine friendship.

This book is required reading for every American who cares about the growing devides between us.

Micheal Learner and Cornel West attempt to solve some of the problems and tentions that have turned Blacks against Jews, and Jews against Blacks. What ethnic and or religious group have suffered the most? Native Americans,Chinese,Japanese,Blacks, Jews? What ever your answer maybe, the truth is that Blacks and Jews have been the some of the most oppressed poeple in America and the world. It is that one factor that has linked these two groups as allies, and enemies.

The Civil Rights Movement in America was centered around the coalition between Blacks and Jews. Jews and Blacks spent countless of hours, days, and years for the betterment and equality of African Americans. Blacks and Jews protested,fought, and died for the sake of the movement. The late Dr. Martian Luther King, and Rabbi. Abraham Joshua Heshual, Marched side by side in the March on Washington.

Micheal Learner and Cornel West explore the relationship between the two groups, during and after the 1950's-1960's. Learner and West specifically address the bitter end of what seemed to be a good thing. Inspite of the awesome force that the Black-Jewish coalition has forged, like most things, it came to an end. But the ending was not romantic as it was hurtful. The murder of Dr. King declined the progress, and a new Black Nationalism emerged from the surface. The Black Nationalist believed that if "good Whites" were sincere they would, "go back to your own neighborhoods and teach there own people. We blacks have to solve our own problems"! The nationalist movement broke the partnership between the two groups.

Micheal Learner and Cornel West dialog on current tentions, that includes Farrakhan and Crown Hieghts. There is no question that leaders from both sides added fuel to the fire between Blacks and Jews. When Jesse Jackson showed his favor Yassar Arafat, it disturbed the Jewish community. The American Jewish community layed out a full campain to murder the character of Jesse Jackson. They called themselves the "Jews against Jackson". There solgan was "ruien Jesse ruien". The Jewish attempt to destroy Jackson was an outrage to the Black community. No African American was more outraged than Louis Farrakhan.

Farrakhan couldn't believe that Jackson denounced, and dismissed his assistance. As a result, Louis Muhammed Farrakhan lead a huge cusade against the Jewish community. In an attempted to "break up the relationship between Blacks and Jews Farrakhan preached anit-semitism to anyone who would listen. He has distributed literature entitled "the secret relationship between Blacks and Jews, and the Protocals of the Elders of Zion". He has hosted lectures on the "international Jew, and the Jewish conspircy to destroy Black Leadership.

Although there is no question of small elements of Black anitsemitism, Micheal Learner also responds to racism within the Jewish community. He has admitted that racism is a double edge knife that cuts both ways. His book, along with the insite of Cornel West was designed to reach both communities. They reconized the problems and realities, than discovered positive ways of fixing it. They have done an excellent job of getting there serious message heard. Blackss and Jews, let the healing began!

THE ROOTS OF HEALING is a book that explores how the nature of our soul infuses health and well-being. It is a series of questions and answers provided by leading edge thinkers who understand the power of spirit to heal. This book reminds us of our true nature. More importantly, we are reminded of the roots of healing itself - our soul. When our soul experiences well-being, the possibility for physical, psychological, social, and spiritual unity becomes an expression and extension of the unmanifest becoming manifest. Thanks to all who contributed to the future of medicine. Samuel Oliver, author of, WHAT THE DYING TEACH US: LESSONS ON LIVING.

Lerner is a lifelong radical who turned to therapy and class analysis to understand why leaders and activists in social movements are often overwhelmed or defeated by their own sense of powerlessness- even when they are winning.

Field tested in support groups, workplace stress groups and family oriented programs with union members and other workers in Northern California, Lerner's work at asks most of the important questions about why work disempowers so many of us and damages our social anmd political lives. This work is also informed by Lerner's reclaiming the transformative power of religion in his own life.

Michael Lerner is a former editor of Ramparts, student and anti-war leader, and editor of Tikkun magazine.

Until something better is written, this is THE book on the subject. Those who have reviewed this book before me have said it all, but I would add that Lerner is a writer of exceptional talent. At times reading this book is liking reading poetry or great inspirational prose and it is often quite moving.

First a word about me: I'm one of those cancer patients who doctors either love or hate. I read up on everything, and I am openminded about the benefits and risks of both conventional and alternative cancer therapies. I question everything and want to understand where the limits of our current understanding lie. I want references!

If you are anything like me, you'll appreciate the exceptionally fine balance that Michael Lerner draws. He honestly investigates the extent to which various cancer therapies work, mostly by reviewing "serious" research which examines cancer treatment from different angles. In areas where scientific studies contradict each other, he doesn't draw unfounded conclusions. He manages to give specific guidelines for dealing with cancer without advocating any one therapy too much.

Of the many books I've read on cancer, this is the one I appreciate the most. The tone of the book is honest, warm and caring; personal without being sentimental. And best of all, it inspires hope.

The one caveat I have is that I'd love to see a revised edition with all the newest research reviewed! If you're considering a purchase, do a websearch for "Lerner" and "Choices in Healing", this should provide you with a reference to an online version of the whole book. Once you're convinced, buy the book!

Now in paperback, this is the book to send your friends with cancer. Its wide-ranging, patiently and caringly written, scholarly but accessible, and chocked with interesting references and good insights. Michael Lerner has taken it upon himself to do a thorough 'work-up' on the best of that heterogeneous lot of hearsay cures and popular supplemental treatments that cancer patients will start hearing about from friends, relatives and distant acquaintaces practically as soon as they are diagnosed. Choices in Healing gives one a way to start sorting it out.

Lerner strives for, and I feel achieves, an excellent balance between optimism and skepticism as he covers (a) the different "cultures" of conventional treatment - aggressive, gentle, U.S., European, Japanese, (b) spiritual approaches, (c) nutritional approaches, (d) physical and energetic approaches, (e) non-conventional herbal and pharmacological approaches. Stanislaw Burzynski, Virginia Livingston, Joseph Gold and Emanuel Revici, are some of the famous off-range cure inventors that he dignifies with his patient research.

I also found his chapters on the spiritual and psychological dimensions of the cancer journey especially strong. He takes the reader up to death's door. And beyond. The chapter on pain is a revelation.

Highly recommended for anyone.

As a 1L at NYU, I've been using this book as a general reference while learning about the firms through other channels as well. Some entries seemed a little gossipy, leading me to wonder if the editors were tending to include predominantly the most inflammatory or "juicy" quotes. As a basic reference it was very useful, especially when I was first starting to research firms, but I wouldn't rely on it too heavily.

Packed with insider accounts from the lawyers themselves. Can it get any better than that?

I thought that 750 pages were going to be too many. I was wrong. There is plenty of statistics, charts, and details that make every part of this book really very useful!!!

This was a precious book that I bought to go with our small What Dogs Do coffee table book. I decided to read it because it was so short and I wound up really enjoying it and even reading one of the observations out loud to my husband because it reminded me so much of our cat! This is not a novel or a wonderful work of literature, but the thoughts and observations about all things feline are wonderfully on the mark! Anyone who shares life with a cat will be sure to appreciate this cute little book.

This short book makes you feel like you have nine lives. From the beautiful minimalist drawings to the quiet eloquent words, it is a great and affordable gift. It appeals not only to cat lovers but to animal (and people) lovers everywhere. Every page brings a gentle and touching surprise.

This is a charming book, wonderfully witty and engaging text, beautiful drawings that capture the moods and inner life of every cat I've ever met. I'm planning to give it as Christmas presents to every cat-lover I know. Really a treat!

As another reviewer wrote, this book is a meal of several courses that don't always blend: in other words, a mixed bag -- but on balance, one worth reading.

Lerner's ideas about religion are often interesting. For example, Lerner tries to make sense of Abraham's almost-sacrifice of Isaac by suggesting that when Abraham heard the voice of God telling him to sacrifice Isaac, he was merely experiencing a delusion -- but when he stopped, THAT was the voice of God. Lerner's discussion of Jewish holidays is eloquent.

When it comes to politics and history (even religious history) Lerner is on shakier ground, and wrote some things that gave me pause. To name a few:

1. Lerner's criticism of Rabbinic Judaism on issues like homosexuality doesn't fully grapple with the views of his intellectual adversaries. Lerner reasons: The rabbinic authorities changed the plain meaning of the written Torah all the time, therefore we can do the same today when we deem it ethically appropriate.

What Lerner should be aware of is that some Orthodox Jews think that the rabbinic authorities themselves spoke with divine authority, because they were repeating an oral tradition ("the Oral Torah") which itself (due to a divine miracle) was passed down unchanged from Mt. Sinai. It follows that if you believe the Oral Torah doctrine, the Jewish position on homosexuality and a whole lot of other things must be written in stone--- or in other words, if its in the Mishnah and the Talmud (the leading documents of pre-medieval rabbinic Judaism), God said it.

I don't expect Lerner to endorse the Oral Torah doctrine--but he should explain to his readers why he rejects it, rather than just pretending it doesn't exist.

2. His discussion of the Holocaust is tainted by his deemphasis on history. He talks a lot about how capitalism and the lack of meaning in Germans' lives created Hitler--but somehow he overlooks the two most immediate causes, the Depression and the Versailles Treaty. Talking about the rise of Hitler without talking about the Depression and Versailles is like talking about the American Revolution without mentioning George III and the Stamp Act.

3. Perhaps because he thought he was writing to an audience of the leftwardmost 1% of American Jews, Lerner has not come to grips with the collapse of Communism and Socialism. He admits that Communism did not quite work out early in the book, but then he repeatedly refers to Marxism as somehow a liberation movement (I wonder how high the death toll has to rise for Lerner to reconsider). But worst of all, he refers to Mao, the biggest butcher of them all, "liberating" areas from "feudalism." The idea of Mao liberating anything is just plain morally obscene. One might as well refer to Hitler liberating the Germans (say, from the Treaty of Versailles, which was about as popular with ordinary Germans as feudalism).

This nutsiness arises out of his hostility to capitalism. Without much discussion, he routinely equates capitalism with oppression, and he seems to think some form of global socialism is necessary to avoid ecological catastrophe. He doesn't really argue these points intelligently; my sense is he just kind of assumes them.

To sum up: Lerner's book was certainly worth reading, but it would have been much better had he run it by people whose views were not too close to his--maybe one who is religiously far to his right and another who is politically far to his right.

This book had a positive impact on me, and helped to reignite my interest in Judaism. In fact, reading it made me realize how much I was never taught, and probably should have been taught, about Judaism growing up. Some of the book's ideas are no doubt controversial, which is its strength. For instance, it lays the groundwork for a Judaism which in some ways is more applicable to the world we live in than has been traditionally taught. But at the same time it retains an idealism that the religion can be used as a powerful tool to transform our world. It's enjoyable to read. The only drawback is it tends to be a little repetitive at times.

As an extremely devout, orthodox Jew, I am in wholehearted agreement with Dr. Lerner that Judaism is in need of renewal. The same is true for every religion! Over time, every religion becomes stale, and is in need of regeneration. After all, Judaism is a product of an agrarian/pastoral society, a society that could never have conceived of a world such as the one we live in today. They wrote the scriptures with no idea that we would live in a world where women were anything but child-bearing beasts of burden. So before getting your hackles up, read this book!

Unlike many (unfortunately) short-sighted religious Jews, who have apparently learned nothing from the Holocaust, Lerner openly supports the gay/lesbian civil rights movement and welcomes gays and lesbians into full participation within the Jewish community. Together with his other book "The Politics of Meaning", in "Jewish Renewal" Lerner is staking out important territory. Any thoughtful Jew or person, for that matter, needs to read this book.

Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of this collection, is the editor of the magazine Tikkun. This book is an anthology of essays written between 1994 and 2000 on a spectrum of Jewish themes and with a diversity of perspectives. In the introduction to the collection, titled, "Jewish Writing and Healing the World", Rabbi Lerner explains the basis for his choices and his understanding of the mission of Judaism as healing.

According to Rabbi Lerner:

"I have sought out writing that connects to or relfects the fundamental Jewish project of healing and transformation, both personal transformation (tikkun atzmia) and healing of the world (tikkun olam)-- understanding that this healing involves not only psychological or social change but also a search for ways to bring holiness into our personal lives and social institutions."

He gives a sweeping, and in my view rather partial, description of his vision of Judaism focused almost exclusively on the claims of social justice : "the social, political and economic order of society needs to be changed and can be changed".

The essays Rabbi Lerner has selected fulfill admirably has goal of explaining Judaism as social change. To his credit, however, the essays reflect something of an attempt to include diverse perspectives, not simply the standards of politically correct feminism, environmentalism and other causes which appear to reflect Rabbi Lerner's own understanding of the nature of changing the world.

The essays are divided into six sections dealing with Jewish identity, reclaiming Jewish Spiritual Life, Reading Jewish Sacred Texts, the Holocaust, Israel, and Jewish Culture. Each section includes essays, poems, and fiction some of which is insighful but some of which tempted me to stop reading the book.As a whole the essays are thoughtful and provocative and give a good idea of lively issues in contemprorary Jewish thinking. I would have liked to have heard more about Jewish spirituality and alternatives to traditionalism and less about feminism and ecology.

The essays that I found worthwhile include David Biale's discussion of the melting pot, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Arthur Green, Dennis Prager and Mordechai Gafni with their strikingly different perspectives on Jewish spirituality, Dahlia Ravikovitch's essay on Israel and the Diaspora in Jewish thought, and Roger Kamenetz on Jewish spirituality. I enjoyed many of the poems and other articles as well. I hadn't heard of Naomi Eve and liked the excerpt "Esther and Yochanan" from her novel.

An excellent feature of this book is Rabbi Lerner's list of "The One Hundred Best Contemproary Jewish Books" written since 1985. There is much of value in this list and it is a source for thought and for further reading for those interested in pursuing contemporary Jewish writing.

Rabbi Lerner says there will be a follow-up volume next year featuring Jewish writing from 2000-2001. I plan on reading it.

This new 2001 collection edited by Michael Lerner, "Best Contemporary Jewish Writing" projects a voice of emancipatory spirituality fused with the ancient Jewish culture and tradition. From cover to cover the reader explores the broader issues that confront Jewish people in changing and adapting to a modern world. What constitutes the identity of Jewish people today; what form of spirituality remains for Jews in a modern society; what do we make of the sacred text on which Judaism has forever drawn much wisdom? "Best Contempory Jewish Writing" seeks to answer the pressing question as to how Jews are to seperate the destruction and hardships of the past from the need to rebuild and transform the present. It is truly inspiring the way in which the best of Jewish writers been drawn together, each with their own creative urge and wealth of knowlege, to explore the struggles of the past and the spirit of the present- and to speak a new wisdom towards healing and transformation.

I love this book! I'm not an expert on Jewish writing, but this collection seems to have it all. Each chapter is short enough and interesting enough that I can read a couple a day. There's so much variety, too--no chance of getting bored!

I particularly like the poetry, which was great. Some of the poets I didn't know until I bought this book, so I'm grateful to Michael Lerner for introducing me to their work. Some of the contributors I was surprised to find in this book, like Marge Piercy. It was good to find out that she writes Jewish poems, too.

I'm planning on buying a couple of extra copies to give as Hanukkah presents this year. I think it's a great gift-who wouldn't want a wonderful book like this?