Yet another fine book out of the HBS stable. Badarraco uses case study and analysis to offer another study on the importance of knowledge in the business landscape. There have long been corporate interdepencies--product, service, etc--and in this information age knowledge sharing and alliances will increasingly be the lifeblood of companies. Companies must sustain and build upon their competitive advantages--read this book to find yet another way.

Prefaced with a new biographical introduction by the author's son, James Schevill and wife Margot Blum Schevill, The Pollen Path retells twelve classic Navajo myths translated directly from her interviews of Navajo medicine men. The stories are enriched by line drawings of Navajo artist Andy Tsihnahjinnie and commentary by Dr. Joseph Henderson on Navajo myth and legend in relation to world mythology. Further embellishing this reissuing of the 1950 publication is the biographical material written by James Schevill. There is no doubt that Margaret Schevill Link led an unusual life. Her drive to seek out the authentic content of Navajo sacred tales has left us with a treasured legacy of recordings. In addition to the tales, there are many songs and chants in the appendix, plus multiple observations of the author from her many visits to the Southwest. She wrote: "The pollen path is the way between gods and men, and it expresses the harmony that should exist between them." This sacred way fascinated her and seeking it shaped her life. A contemporary, Wright, Henderson, Woelff, and Lorenzo Hubbell, trader, nurse, and philanthropist to the Navajo and Hopi tribes, Margaret Schevill Link translates the great Navajo tales of the First Worlds, the Turquoise Goddess, Changing Coyote, Earth Man, the Dreamer, and many more. The Pollen Path is a fine and beautiful collection of myth, worthy of pleasure and learning on many levels.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

This is one book you will want to share with friends, family, maybe even strangers. If you're weary of excessively hyped, poorly written and unoriginal eco-spiritual and new age books, you must read Balance Point.

Having been greatly under-whelmed by such books as The Celestine Prophecy, Ishmael and Mutant Message Down Under, I started Balance Point with a cynical eye. My attitude quickly changed, however, as I was drawn into the story before the end of the first chapter. By the time I turned the last page a few hours later (Balance Point is a fast read), my head was reeling from the scope and the depth of the message.

There are so many things that impressed me about this book--too many to list here--but I'll try to hit the most important ones.

I liked the author's unpretentious, self-deprecating style. Rather than presenting himself as the all-knowing bestower of ancient wisdom, he makes his character the foil to the intelligence and wisdom of his aunt Lucy and the others he and his wife encounter on their travels. This allows the reader to take in the information and opinions expressed without ever feeling preached at or talked down to. And there's a lot of information.

In fact, I've never encountered a book with so much disturbing and frightening information that goes down so easily. The story is so engrossing and the author's writing style so light and breezy that only after finishing the book did it hit me just how much information had been conveyed.

That is not to say that Balance Point is a Gloom and Doom environmental book--quite the contrary. The book not only leaves you with a sense of hope and enthusiasm about the future, it gives you some important tools to put your passion into action. An addendum at the back of the book includes contact information for a host of organizations involved with the environment, ecology and sustainability. There's also a section of practical tips, ranging from household cleansers and toiletries to transportation and education. The addendum alone is worth the price of the book.

All in all, Balance Point is a remarkable book with an extremely important message. And if you're looking for a wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee eye opener of a book for an ecologically challenged friend, this is the one.

The award-winning author of The Humanure Handbook and The Slate Roof Bible, Joseph Jenkins, has another provocative and well-written book to grab (and hold) your attention: Balance Point, Searching for a Spiritual Link

In this novelized book of truths, protagonist Joe Jenkins is sent on an incredible mission by his deceased Great Aunt Lucy's baffling will...an eye-opener of a voyage toward the understanding of an imminent disaster of global proportions. Joe's journey is initiated at a wicca ceremony in a sweat lodge where he is pointed to his first destination, Newfoundland.

"We're robbing the earth's resources, particularly the non-renewable ones", Joe learned at a meeting with Sir (Professor) Gaulton of St. Johns College. "...we've become so blinded by our robbing frenzy mentality, a behavior that we've learned to take completely for granted, that we've lost touch with the natural balance of the earth".

The quest to learn how to evolve the human psyche takes Joe (and his wife) on a reluctant itinerary to many remote places in both North and South America including the jungles of the Amazon. The message Joe learned is about the balance between careless selfishness in the use of natural resources, and our interaction and interdependence with each other and all of the natural world...a message of survival as well as one of spiritual awakening. As Great Aunt Lucy put it, "The forces of the Ego and Eco have become locked in combat".

Balance Point is a timely page-turner that speaks to the most important and immediate problem we face...saving our planet and ourselves. Author and seeker Joseph Jenkins has given us a book that demands thought...and isn't that the definition of a great book? This reviewer thinks so!

Ever speculate the future? This book is certain to color and frame your preview. The title fits the content as much as the story line; where science and spirituality meet on equal ground. Bound to contain some of your favorite reading, the author has amply spun spirituality, science, and culture into a living work. A "must-read" for the fiction and non-fiction reader alike.

I found this to be one of those books "you just can't put down". It's seemingly retrousse' chapters are full of twists, turns, and zestful characters, including the author himself. And the anecdotes are easily believable. It is adventurous and intuitive in likeness to James Redfields' Celestine series, yet with a more personal and pointed message. Both educational and entertaining, its' many punch lines may be as disturbing as they are enlightening.

Jenkins has done his homework, literally. Providing not only sound research, there is evidence that he gives credence and practice toward what he writes. He leaves the reader with a feeling of here and now, and compels self-examination. Fortunately, as with all of Jenkins' publications, he provides a wealth of follow-up ideas and information; very tasteful and helpful pointers as to "where to go from here".

Easily "Two thumbs up!"