This book has excellent information about what children at each stage of development are likely to think and feel about the death of someone close to them. However, the suggested ways of dealing with those feelings were somewhat limited, and allowed little flexibility for differing family circumstances. For example, the book is extremely critical of ways religious families may choose to explain death to children, claiming that many religiously based explanations may lead a child to believe the person may be coming back someday. The book also asserts that a closed casket is the ultimate form of denial of the death, and that even young children should attend funerals. Many recommendations, like the three mentioned above, might or might not be right for a family trying to cope with a death. Overall a good resource for understanding a child's possible perceptions, but not so good for determining how to address them.

This is a clearly written book by a funeral director and psychologist. It provides helpful suggestions to parents and caregivers on how to inform children of death in many different situations. It respects the child's need to know what has happened in a way that is appropriate for his or her age. It discusses listening to children's thoughts and feelings and addressing common misperceptions. There is an excellent quick reference crisis section at the end of the book that clearly outlines various kinds of deaths, suggestions as to how to explain them to children in different age groups, and how to prepare them for what comes next. This is an excellent book to guide parents whose own grief may be interfering with their thinking about how to help their children. As a grief counselor at the Barr-Harris Children's Grief Center, I highly recommend it.

I gave " The Runaway Duck " three stars because I didn't think it was a very good book. To me it didn't show enough detail. I'm not expecting it to be like a novel or anything but it could have had just a little bit more detail if possible. That means like when they are saying where the duck goes, they skip around a lot. And it just isn't realistic. Another part I didn't like too much is that David Lyon just came right out and said what had happened to the duck wheel that the shark had bitten of earlier in the book. I thought it would have made it better if he had kept the missing wheel a mystery so that it would keep the kids thinking. I do think that the drawings in the book are pretty well drawn. The picture I like the most is the picture when the duck is in the stream with the fish. When I was a little boy, I did have a stuffed dog that I felt the same way about. I would've done anything to get him back if I were to lose him. I think the book pretty much represents a basic little child and his favorite toy. I think if I would recommend this book to a little kid with a favorite toy, because I think he might be like " I would do that if I lost my favorite toy too."

This is one of the few books which I have not tired of following repeated readings to my 2 year old. Possibly not as interesting to my toddler as David Lyon's "The Biggest Truck," but enough fun images to keep his attention while I enjoy reading it. Although the toy duck is drawn to appear very much a lifeless toy, it takes on a hilarious personality as it affects everyone with whom it comes in contact.

In 'Surveillance Society', David Lyon takes a closer look at the level of surveillance we are really under as individuals, and takes a fresh look at the relationship between technology and society. As most of us are already aware, personal data is collected from us all the time, whether we know it or not (and, often, whether we like it or not). Identity numbers, camera images, fingerprinting, retina scans, DNA samples, customer fidelity cards, credit cards, mailing lists, consumer groups, Internet activity, computer cookies - there are numerous ways that the ordinary life of citizens and consumers is examined by computer databases as we participate in contemporary society.

David Lyon argues that to understand what is happening we have to look even beyond the Orwellian warnings and the cries for more privacy. He argues that such watchfulness is not only an intrusion on our personal privacy, but that it also reinforces divisions by sorting people into social and political categories.

'Surveillance Society' is great thought fodder. It'll make you think about the society we live in and the one that's just over the hill. How much surveillance is acceptable, and how much isn't. Most of us would accept that a car park under the watchful eye of a supervisory camera is a good thing. It can help protect the individual and their property. But Lyon raises the question - how much 'surveillance' is there just for show? Are there really public-spirited overlords who can control a city at the touch of a mouse? Such absolute power is scarcely conceivable. The sheer mass of data would be impossible to handle. So what is useful and what is not? What can we accept and what must we reject? What choice do we have?

I thought this would be useful in planning my trip through Nevada and northern California, and I read the book thinking, "Wow, this is a really in-depth guide!"; but when I actually got to my destinations, I found it to be essentially worthless. It tells you what cities are in California and Nevada (may as well just buy a map), and the names of some restaurants and accomodations (which you find out anyway, once you're there.) And since the book gives you no idea about how good or bad the accomodations are, what's really the point? I could find the same information (or better) online, for free. One thing I do like about the guide: the boxed asides often give entertaining and interesting information about a certain place or activity. But for the most part, I don't find Lonely Planet guides to be useful for the way I travel.

A side note about accomodations: for Caliente, NV, they name "Caliente Hot Springs Motel" as being one of the few places to stay. What they don't mention is that it's totally disgusting. Trust me, I once worked there. What kind of useful guide book is this if they don't tell you what motels have cigarette burns in the sheets and 20-year-old grunge on the walls?

A few wrong turns here and there but generally essential Lonely Planet quality throughout. A good overview. Well written.

Lonely Planet shows the little Calirfornia towns in detail. Towns like Arcata, Chico, Merced to name a few. Others like Fodors dont do this. Great and in depth.

This is a somewhat difficult book to work through, one that at times adapts a very scholastic tone. As an Anglo-American I found all of the Arab placenames and surnames a bit challenging, but that was expected. So I am certainly not criticizing the book on that count; you should just be aware that if you don't have extensive previous knowledge of the Arab world, this book will demand more concentration and time of you than most biographies. Now three points of criticism: First, I would like to see more background information as to the history of the crusades, and how Jerusalem and other territories in the Holy Land came to be under European rule. Even a few paragraphs would have been appreciated. Second, the writing style is a bit dull. I don't expect prose worthy of Thomas Wolfe from a biographer, but in some sections I felt like I was reading a doctoral thesis. Third, Lyons and Jackson wait until the very end to comment at length on the qualities and motivations of Saladin, and on his importance in the grand scheme of things. I think that such commentary should be injected more than they are throughout the book, as critical events unfold. And then the final analysis should wrap up on themes already developed. The greatest strength of this book is that it is written truly from an Arab perspective. The European viewpoint is represented, but I always felt like I was observing from within Egypt, or Syria, or Palestine. I did not feel like an envoy from the Vatican - on the outside looking in. This is an accomplishment for the authors. What I found most interesting about Saladin's life was the paradox he faced: to consolidate power within the Arab world he needed the legitimacy of being a true believer, fighting the infidels in the holy war. However, to effectively fight the Europeans he needed soldiers from throughout the Arab world. So you see him in the book alternating his attention between his external battles and his internal ones. Lyons and Jackson do a good job in providing the details of these struggles - the dates, the places, the people, the numbers. But somehow they don't effectively convey the big picture; they don't explain the significance of the events as they unfold. The authors might argue that it is best for the reader to decipher that for his or herself. But I think the best historical books offer an opinion, with which the reader is then free to agree, or disagree.

In Malcomb Cameron Lyons and D.E.P. Jackson's "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War", the fact that Saladin was one of the greatest-known figures of the Middle Ages is proved very easily. This is true, various events proving it. An example of one was his attempt to unify the Muslims. In addition to that, he was a great military leader and at the same time a wonderful politician. The authors make great use of the many documents and letters collected of the Arabs. The sources are used very often and are quoted from. I think the Arabic sources were one of the greatest features of this book, even though they may have been confusing at times. Saladin is often compared with Richard the Lionhearted, an equally powerful ruler from the Christian lands. Was Saladin stronger than he was just because he held Jerusalem against him?

After the Turkish invasions, the Arabs were unorganized and didn't have a common goal or leader. Saladin unified them and was able to achieve a common goal, the Jihad, equivalent to a Christian Crusade. The goal was to gain control of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was important to them because it was their third holiest city, after Makkah and Medina. Saladin's leadership ability lies in the battlefield as in politics.

In order to restore order to the Muslims, Saladin had to be very persuasive. He used politics in order to swing people to his side and also to develop a stronger army. Saladin was able to conquer those that did not follow, a tactic that the Persian Empire also used.

One of the greatest features of this book was the various references to actual historical documents. One of my favorite ones was an excerpt from a letter that Saladin wrote to his father after witnessing his first battlefield, "This letter contains the first good news given to the master of the prey seized by his cub, who stood in his father's place and struck with his sword." (Page 250) This letter showed the significance of Saladin's first battle, he is coming to leadership. It is as if Saladin is now replacing his father, assuming a role of leadership.

It is inevitable that Saladin would be compared to Richard the Lionhearted of England, since he was Saladin's greatest opponent. Personally, I don't think that Saladin was as strong a ruler as Richard. Richard traveled to Jerusalem (maybe its only a rumor, but it is said that he only came within sight of the city); this is amazing because he was able to penetrate all of the defenses along the way. Saladin had a number of advantages: he had the element of surprise, he could ambush Saladin's troops as he wished among their journey; and Saladin was also fighting a home battle - he knew the land in which he was fighting and so he could take advantage of the locations for his troops to assemble (From reading about Saladin, had the situation been reversed with Richard defending against Saladin, I don't think that Saladin would be so successful). Saladin seemed to be more of a defender than an attacker.

One of the criticisms that I have of this book is reading. This book is more suitable for a senior in high school, rather than a freshman. I often found it very difficult to follow. The text seemed a little strange, there were many Arabic words and names and accent marks throughout almost every page of the book. This problem is very trivial when compared with the overall knowledge gained from reading in context. In summary, "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War" is a very tough read meant and for students who have enough time to read it in full context.

There wasn't enough politics of the Holy War, or Jihad. I don't think that the author spent time upon the wheeling and dealing that Saladin had to do in order to achieve unity in the Muslim army and assume a leadership position. Instead, there were too many details on every battle. Text could have been used explaining other points.

In conclusion, "Saladin: Politics of the Holy War" is a read only advised for skilled students who have the time as well as the determination to thoroughly read this book in context. Only at that point will he or she be able to fully understand the significance of Saladin's life as a military leader and politician.

I picked up this book a while ago and only got around to reading it recently. It is an extremely serious piece of scholarship, well-researched and thoroughly documented; this is no glossed-over wannabe history treatise.

I could detail its strengths and weaknesses but I believe the previous reader has provided a fairly thorough analysis. It is no easy read and is made, in my opinion, made tortuously difficult by two unnecessary things: (1) The publisher's stubborn insistence on not providing comprehensible maps that illustrate the campaigns being discussed throughout the book and (2) the disregard of the difficulty that Arab names pose for most Western readers.

I hope first that there will be future editions of this book for it is a very worthy effort and, I think, probably the final say on the topic for years to come. Secondly, I hope those editions will be more user-friendly -- including clear maps (showing rivers, marshes, mountain ranges, deserts, combatant positions, itineraries, etc., etc.) throughout the chapters, providing an Appendix detailing who the different players are, family trees for the major players and, perhaps, more sprinklings through the text as to who people are.

We recently traveled through Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia and found this guidebook practically useless and certainly frustrating--definitely not worth its weight. We have used other LPs in the past and found them to be at least adequate but this one doesn't even rate that well. It lacked many important details--such as the time/distances between many points, availability of various transportation options and routes, decent maps--the list goes on and on. Even though prices change often and currencies fluctuate, even a vague idea of prices (is it $10 or $100??) would have been quite useful to help us plan better. Although we ran into many people all 'armed' with the LP, they all had the same complaints.

This book is an adequate guide but it needs improvement in several areas. I used this book during Janurary and February of 2000 when I traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Last year I used the Lonley Planet-India and found it was much better than Southeast Asia. Here are the weaknesses. 1. The numbers of the locations on the maps should be used in the text describing the location. This would grealy improve you ability to plan your day or route. 2. Maps should be improved. I would be willing to spend a few dollars more for better maps. 3. Hotel, restaurant, etc. names are not printed in bold type. This makes it more difficult to use. 4. It would be very helpful to grade the sites with a priority to reduce the time one spends reading fine print and get on with seeing the country. When I return to this part of the world next winter I will try to find additional books to correct these weaknesses.

I travelled through Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong using this book. I initially bought this book with weight in mind. I did not want to carry three more LPs along with the other country books (LP Taiwan, Japan). Although much of the information needed to survive was written in the book, it certainly did lack the detailed maps and background information needed to have a care-free journey. SOmetime it certainly was a struggle , especially in Thailand. The Thailand Section prices were extremely outdated. Even in the height on the "asian economic flu", I had to triple the prices listed. The Hong Kong section was adequate, but HK is an efficient and easily travelled city. Of the three, I found the Philippine section the best, but some of the hotel quality ratings are out dated. Please do not stay at the Hotel Mercedes in Cebu!