Watching her black lab puppy Otis grow up, the author learns a lot more about surviving life as a human -- how to appreciate each day as a special gift, to give love unconditionally, to forgive without thinking twice, and to appreciate the simple things. The lessons Otis can teach all of us are very thought-provoking. And the illustrations in this book are magical, capturing with exact precision the moods, facial expressions, body language, and trouble that puppies, particularly black lab retriever puppies, often get into. A very uplifting book for dog-lovers, and just ordinary humans, too. Highly recommended!

I love this book!!! It is not only an inspiration for puppy raisers, but also a look at life in general. Everyone should read it. I am a puppy raiser in FL and raised a puppy who looks just like Otis - what a bonus for me.

Why is this book out of print? It is so magnificent!!!...

It will pertain to people of all ages. I have purchased the book for all of our grandchildren as a gift they will be able to carry with them through life. I have also given it as a gift to friends who are having various personal problems as a reminder that life is not always easy. The content contains lessons learned by a guide dog puppy in his first year of life. What is amazing is that all of these lessons apply to all of us. A must read.

This book was very touching. It was also funny and made me laugh out loud at the things that two ninteen year old girls did. Although it was set in the 1920's and I could not catch every person to which they referred, I still got the point of the book and enjoyed it immensely. I would definitely recommend this book to other teenagers and older because this book was one of the best books I ever read. The things they did I would never have done and the people they met were werid, yet I felt that without being able to relate very much to the book made it all the more interesting to read. I hope this book is read by others so they can all laugh as much as I did.

This is definately my favorite book. It is light, hilarious and such a joy to read. I tried to put off finishing it, trying to extend my pure delight in reading it, but I couldnt keep myself away, so I finished it rather quickly. However, I still longed for more and began to read it agian. The story is true, well written and fun. The adventures Cornellia and Emily have during their first trip to Europe will literally make you laugh until you cry. I wished I could be one of the girls, along for their trip, until I realized I was there as well, enjoying it as much as they were. Cornelia and Emily are the perfect companions for such a trip, and it was so kind of them to share it with us. This is one of those books that become dear friends, and anyone who has not yet read it must do so now, or else they will miss out on the greatest trip of their lives.

A long time hobby of mine has been to watch classic films, then scour used bookstores looking for the original work on which the films was based. When I first saw the film "Our Hearts Were Young And Gay", I knew I just had to find the book! Little did I realize that the European adventures of these two girls in the 1920s was actually not a work of fiction! There is even a line at the introduction of the book that reads "Lest the reader should be in any doubt, we wish to state that the incidents in this book are all true and the characters completely non-fictitious." I recently took this book on my first trip to Europe and found it delightful and funny. Great for those long hours waiting for and flying on planes. I must admit that this is the first book that ever had me literally laughing out loud.

Of course with any story turned into a film, it was kissed with a bit of Hollywood glamour and parts were left on the cutting room floor, but the story is truly witty, charming and fun and follows very closely to the book. See the movie if you can catch it on a classic movie channel! It hasn't been released on video or DVD yet. As for the book, the pages are worn and the dustjacket is ripped but it will always be in my library and I look forward to reading it over and over again.

_Priveleged Son_ manages to hit that sweet spot that so many biographies of business figures fail to capture-- it manages to be a very good look at a business and industry and at the same time be readable and enjoyable on the level of a novel.

While ostensibly a biography of Otis Chandler, it gives a fascinating look at the rise of a newspaper as local empire and the same newspaper's (largely unsuccessful) efforts to translate that into a truly national business.

Without any industry focus, the story of the Chandlers and their relationship to LA is the stuff of novels (pulp fiction and true romance)-- LA grows up with its paper in this book.

I was particularly fascinated to read what happened at the paper under the direction of Mark "Cereal Killer" Willes. His ill-starred management is a cautionary tale for would-be media moguls who fail to understand the core values that make up the news industry.

A great read for people interested in the media industry. A just-as-great read for people who like a good story.

As a history buff, this book was fascinating as both a history of LA and Times Mirror. As an employee of the LA Times I found it even more interesting and intriguing.

I really liked this book. As a fan of LA where I travel often for business and pleasure, this book fills in the history of how LA was built and the role played by the driving family of the LA Times. But as interesting as this history is, there are so many subplots to follow that are also fun. For example, as the family is accepted in the Pasadena "blue-blooded" culture, it's interesting how most become so snobbish about accepting anyone in their culture. My favorite stories on this subject are his second wife's training to develop social graces to travel in the Chandler's circles that was somewhat required. Also, when he divorces at 50, his Mom starts investigating which of her friends have unmarried daughters that would be acceptable marriage bait for this 50 year old bachelor. Like he can't take care of himself.

But enough of the small stuff, this book is about the Times and LA and starts with the Otis family and its purchase of the Times. The General and his Son-in-law ran this paper as a Republican tour guide of LA. And it worked. Maybe too good as LA is way too crowded. Along the way is great history of the need for water and the shady ways it was obtained as well as real estate development stories including a foray in Mexico.

Harry Chandler's son Norman ran it much the same way but his son Otis Chandler who took over around 1960 was much more liberal and open to debate and other opinions which did not endear him with his pompous family. This break seemed to eventually lead to his ouster in 1985 even though he had grown the earnings strength of the paper. I believe the book did not adequately explain the buildup to his ouster. His Chairman comes in and it's over. Clearly, Otis was partially to blame as his hobbies of hunting, cars and lifting weights took away his attention.

The replacements proceed to tear down the paper leading to its eventual sale to the Chicago Tribune. It's a very interesting business story although from that perspective it could have done a better job by financially describing the significance of the paper's net worth at different points in history.

But the book also overlaid the history of Otis' family, as he clearly was where most of the information for this book came from. Interestingly, Otis grew up in an exclusive family attending Andover and Stanford. But while two of his sons attended prep school and top colleges, one did not. And many of his offspring did not marry inside their social set and did not rise to the same levels as captains of industry. Otis Chandler did not place large pressure on his family to live the same social life he was forced to live and it's interesting how they grew up and the relationships they had with their parents. With so many transplanted Southern Californians all enjoying the beautiful weather, it was inevitable that many in his family would marry outside the Pasadena blue-blooded set.

I enjoyed this book immensely but it is a time commitment at over 450 pages of small print. I recommend this book for someone interested in journalism, the history of LA and Southern California, or a history of a wealthy influential family that helped shape the future of LA.

This commentary on The Psalms is a treasury of Puritan thoughts. I Praise the Lord that He led a man of such caliber like Spurgeon to collaborate articles on such a blessed book.

Along with Spurgeon's beautiful facility with language, this also has a surprisingly easy format to follow. One need not search in vain for the verse that he is looking for. Nor will one run out of meat if preparing for the sermon or Bible study. Spurgeon has provided the best advice from the best teachers in the best volume on the Psalms. If you are not a pastor or teacher and you are looking for devotional material, this is the cream of the crop. Because the Psalms are prayers, and Spurgeon is the master of prayer, then your soul will be stirred as he speaks of prayer. Reader be blessed.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was England's Prince of Preachers in the nineteenth century. Today he is still one of the most well-known and loved authors in the English language - with more of his books and sermons in print (over 100 years) than any other English writer. However, I am not endorsing his works simply because of his popularity or any man's for that matter. I am recommending the works of this man because he is one who listens to God.

The Treasury of David is Spurgeon's Magnum Opus. If he had not written anything else apart from this masterful commentary on the Psalms, he would still be considered among the greatest Christian writers of all history. Students of the life of Spurgeon would know that he was not a strict academician. However, in all sense of the word, he was a man of learning who was acquainted with much of the scholarly issues of his times. Ultimately, he was a man who listen to God and labored for God's honor among men. This Treasury is the supreme monument to his 21 year labor.

In the compiling of this Treasury, Spurgeon read up hundreds of theological texts and commentaries (much of which was quoted among his own notes and comments). In the original edition, Spurgeon also included his "Notes to the Village Preacher" on every Psalm - showing that Spurgeon will always be very important to anyone who wishes to speak from the Pulpit. I believe, however, that the worth of this book is even more for the lay student (Spurgeon's heart beats for them the most throughout his life). He attempted to share with them the best scholarship of his time and to lead them beyond scholarship to the worship of David's God. Reading this volume led me into worship of the same God - and I will never recover from Him! I exult in Him!

We will see, as many other readers have seen that the greatest treasures of the ancient Israelite Kingdom was not the Temple that Solomon built, the gold and harem that the kings acquired nor even the Ark of the Covenant (that so many modern authors are speculating about) but these simple, unassuming songs that came from the worshipping heart of Israel's King David and his fellow worshippers. In this Treasury, we see a prayer for every occasion. We see the entire spectrum of the spiritual man's experience - penitence, courage, humiliation, power, confidence, exultation, doubt, weeping, laughter, awe, dread, fear and ultimately worship. Rightly did Faber exclaimed, "The Thought of Thee is almost prayer". This volume brings together the worship of David to Jehovah and Spurgeon to Jesus showing that they were both ultimately worshipping One same God. "Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God is One Lord".

The volume I'm reviewing here is an update of the original 7 volume set written in Victorian English. What we have here is the result of Roy H. Clarke's 10 year research into the life and writtings of Spurgeon. For those of you who distrust any update of a classic, rest assured that the work done here is exemplary work. Clarke has too much respect for Spurgeon to ever water down his words - every word by Spurgeon is here (only archaic words are replaced with modern English usage of the same). Clarke did not water down Spurgeon's words with the language of commerce but allowed the spaciousness, reverence and expansiveness of Spurgeon's English to be retained - and to speak afresh to us today in language that we can understand. Clarke removed most of the quotations from the other commentators in Spurgeon's original volumes and included only the most significant in this volume side-by-side with Spurgeon's own notes (something only done in this volume for the first time). Finally, the original notes of preachers are now presented in outline form according to the outlines for Spurgeon's own sermons (something that Roy Clarke himself spent his 10 years studying). Reading this volume makes me want to seek out the original 7 volume set (still in print) but I would say that even for those who have already read the original, this volume is still very valuable - for its dynamism, its freshness and as an aid by which we can listen to a man who listens to God.

I have read many books about spiritual warfare and this is the first that I have read that makes me have to take a break and gather my thoughts. It seriously makes you think and opens your eyes to many of the things of the spirit. I'm only on page 114 and I am blown away. Most spiritual warfare books only tell you what spirit does this and how it does that, but this book takes you to the core. Where did this spirit come from and HOW did it get that way? Where is the open door? It is excellent. This book also shows how the enemy works through animals. Wonderful!

George Otis's book is the most fascinating book I have ever read regarding spiritual warfare. It should be required reading for anybody involved in ministry work, including church elders. For me, it answered many questions about why things have happened in my own personal life as well as was a fascinating explanation to some of the studies I have done on Far Eastern religions. George Otis provides extensive footnotes at the end of the book which contain further explanation and anecdotes regarding his subject matter. I kept two bookmarks in this book as I was reading...one in the main area of the book and one at the footnotes so I could easily check out the further explanations and stories as I read along.

This book is a fascinating in-depth look at discovering the source and origin of why spiritual darkness is so prevalent in certain areas of the world. George Otis Jr. takes the reader on a meticulously well documented voyage into the occult strong holds such as Dharamsala, the Middle East and North Africa in search of how darkness was invited there and what activities are performed in order to keep the ruling spirit in charge. These questions are asked by the author not in morbid curiosity but in fervent prayer, so that God may reveal to intercessors how these forces can be pushed back in order for the gospel to be presented. Otis has written an outstanding book on Spiritual warfare. He accurately backs this biblically and scientifically while making a defense against those who deny that Christians are to be involved in such activities. I highly recommend this book for its insight into spiritual mapping, research (truth) and need for prayer (spirit).

I am a male coach of female soccer players. I would go so far as to say that the depth of knowledge contained in this book is beyond that which many coaches of team sports would search for. However, coaches who are interested in getting the best from their athletes, rather than having athletes fit their own personal coaching agendas, will find in these pages essential truths that will illuminate their coaching. There has been a strong social tendency for women's understanding of ability and success to be measured by male standards (the sense of athletic body image in connection with performance, which is dealt with in detail, is only one of them driven by this perspective), and this book is thankfully one which reminds us that women are not only entitled to be judged as women, but need and deserve to be so. As coaches, and certainly as male coaches, we cannot help our female athletes realise their potential until we understand them better and give them credit for being who they are, and encourage them to be who they are. This book helps us do just that.

Books which honestly deal with the pressures and concerns of female athletes are rare, and this one should be required reading for every active woman from twelve to sixty. There is lots of information out there on how to be thin but far less on how to be fit. Otis and Goldingay are among the very few to acknowledge that they are not one and the same. This is not a book about eating disorders - though they are intelligently discussed. Nor is it a book about how to get in shape. It's much more. The authors honestly address medical issues such as amenorrhea and osteoporosis, provide information on nutrition, injuries and maintaining optimal energy for performance. Most important of all, they are medical professionals finally urging athletic women to be as strong as they can be. For anyone who's ever struggled between the twin camps of thin and fit, this book MUST go to the top of the pile.

The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide covers a gamut of issues concerning women athletes including eating disorders, amenorrhea, osteoporosis, body image. One of the most important chapters is on getting and giving help, forming a support team, getting referrals, the journey to recovery while continuing training, and communicating effectively with family, friends, teammates, and coaches. The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide concludes with an excellent chapter on "Peak Performance: Preventing the Triad" and sites specifically what the woman athlete can do, what her friends can do, what her family can do, what schools and organizations can do, what their men can do, and what coaches and athletic departments can do to assist the woman athlete to thrive, prosper, and perform in the competitive world of athletic competition. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and athletic department reference libraries, The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide is enhanced with references, resource lists, and a comprehensive index.

Riddled with kindness, and filled with light, Una's Jungle Journey seems a positive force in a corner of literature too often less illumined. A narative that joyfully pulls you in; inviting personal participation (via journey note pages and a map) upon an adventure which unfolds shifts in both feeling and paradigm. Children, and adults shall love it. A beautiful keeper!

Una's Jungle Journey by Fred Otis Gibson is an engaging and enjoying novel for young adults. Una is a young girl who upon falling into a pond, finds herself transported to an unknown land. She must find her way home in a journey that reveals lessons about the world and herself. An original and mystical tale, Una's Jungle Journey is a thoroughly entertaining allegorical story of gentle wisdom enhanced with occasional black-and-white illustrations.

My husband and I both read Una's Jungle Journey and decided we'd like our kids and grandkids to have it, too. I had my friend read the book who's taught grade school for 30 years. She thought it should be put in the schools for classroom reading and that worksheets should be made for it. She ordered three books (and her neighbor wants one, too). One of the books was especially for her daughter-in-law who is writing a children's book. We really enjoyed reading Una's story. It was very easy to picture Una's adventure, because the book is so descriptive.

There is a part of all women who are strong-willed, determined and devoted to their family. This is a story of one of those strong German women who had every trial you could imagine in addition to a husband that you will come to get very angry at when you read this book! She continued to love and defend him, however, and lived her life with a positive, loving attitude.

If you like Western History, you will love this! If you like to learn from our ancestors, you will learn from this! Good Buy!

There were many families who came West on the Oregon Trail and this story is no doubt one that happened to thousands of others. This story describes the details of the hardships and trials one family had. It is also a beautiful example of how the early settlers helped each other survive....today we call it community. The book demonstrates how fast the children of that era grew up and the immense responsibilities they had at very young ages. I could put myself in the center of that log home with the cold Wyoming wind coming through the cracks as I watched the mice under burlap sacks that lined the walls. If you like western history, you will love this book.

An actual historical biography authored by the daughter-in-law of a covered wagon pioneer woman, this story puts our own current existence into perspective. Pauline not only survived the desolate Wyoming winters, alone with 8 children in a single room, but thrived. Her triumphs and defeats cut to the core of who I am and I suddenly recognize the vast depth of the human spirit; won for me by the likes of women like her. I will read it to my children and hope they read it to theirs.

This book not only covers what karate's history and traditions are, but how the basics are performed, and how they should be performed. The book also describes JKA shotokan requirements for each level up to shodan black belt. This book is a must for every traditonal japanese karate-do practioner.

This book is warm and funny. It has great pictures! The authors really know what they are talking about. BUY IT!

If you've ever been interested in learning about what karate is, why it is, what to do with it, or how it works, THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK YOU SHOULD PICK UP! Written by renowned karate historian Randall G. Hassell and Edmond Otis (a leading technical karate expert), this book is a very easy and FUN read that you'll refer back to for years to come. The authors have over 65 years of karate experience between them and it shows. No stone is left unturned, no punches are pulled (no pun intended!) and they don't talk down to you - every sentence compels you to read the next, and the next, and so on. Excellent photography and graphics help you visualize everything, from techniques to tying your belt, it's everything you need to get started in your karate training!

Moving to the city?

Moving around in the city?

Looking for someplace new to explore over the weekend in the city?

Ingest media about the city and are tantalized but clueless about the neighborhood references?

GRAB THIS BOOK NOW!

Zany's manages to be a succinct yet comprehensive reference for every neighborhood in every borough and a couple in Jersey.

It provides at-a-glance lists of demographic info, public transportation access, average rental and purchase price, and distance in minutes to both downtown and midtown Manhattan. It also offers (compared to my experience accurate) overviews of noise levels, parking availability, family-friendliness, safety considerations, entertainment options, restaurants, public green spaces, and shopping.

While packing maximum info into minimum space, the well-written snack-sized histories and characterizations of neighborhood vibe also make it an addictive read.

Final Word: Interesting fun for any NYC fan, indispensible survey for would-be renters or buyers before contacting a broker.

This is so well written and organized, it is the only guide you'll need. I also bought If your thinking of living in...New York Times book and Monster.com's Relocating to NYC and surrounding areas. I wasted my money on those other two books because unlike Zany's they were mostly fluff and made it sound like all neighborhoods were equally good.

In contrast Zany's gives you detailed enough information that is "straight up" and not sounding like a salesperson for the hood. The descriptions give you a nice feel for the intangible aspects of any community. By organizing each neighborhood into things which are relevant to everyone, but not weighted equally by everyone, you can select what things are important to you and make your own decisions based on what is important and appeals to you.(e.g. safety, schools, parks, shopping, household income, diversity, etc.)

I also like the "editor's picks" which I found very helpful and included a little something for everyone (Best Bang for the Buck, Hippest Hood etc.). Using the book nearly exclusively we were able to narrow it down to two hoods that were in our price range and met our criteria for a good place to live. Well done!!

Unfortunately, this book's title is misleading because it doesn't help you find an apartment; rather, it helps you find a NEIGHBORHOOD. Zany's is a detailed look at most of the neighborhoods of Manhattan, Brooklyn and parts of Queens. In that regard, I loved it and found it extremely beneficial because it was so educational. I live in Manhattan but I have been wanting to move and this book has helped me narrow down locations to where I can afford to live, as well as which neighborhoods would be best for me and my needs. And they're very thorough. They even list some of the newly formed (or newly named!) neighborhoods, such as Clinton - formerly Hell's Kitchen, and give you information about average rent and sales prices on apartments, neighborhood safety, parking, schools, restaurants, night life, transportation and general living style. Also, despite the un-P.C. nature of some of these statistics, people are still interested in a demographic breakdown of a neighborhood's population, and so they tell you who lives there by race, age and income levels. I think this book is a great resource for anyone who is thinking of moving to a new neighborhood in New York City. You might even find a neighborhood that you never heard!