At the heart of this charming story lies a meditation on the uncanny power and beauty and mystery of music. The watercolor illustrations are quite lovely and fit in smoothly with the mood of the tale. It took me just five minutes to read, but I immediately wanted everyone I know to read it, too. (Makes a great gift for your favorite church musician!)

Mark Alan Stamaty is one of America's premier political satirists. More Washingtoons follows the senseless political journey of Congressman Bob Forehead (Rep.) as he embraces the burning issues of Washington, like how to stay in office, all the while vaguely going where most Congressmen have gone before. A true gem

Alan Watts lectured to live audiences during the 1960's and1970's. His talks reveal his view of Christianity and religion andleaves the listener with a keen sense that "I too, am a son of God". With this insight the listener is set free to experience life in its fullest. Alan Watts masterful description of Christianity through a Buddhist point of view is truely illuminating.

After visiting the Pierced Hearts and True Love exibit at our local art gallery I bought and fell in love with this book. Very tasteful and well thought out. An inspiration for a person considering a tattoo. Very thought provoking.

Good for learning color names.

I guarantee this book will make you think differently than ever before. Not only does it give an outstanding representation of poetry that fits in the category of cross-gendered verse, but the introduction and conclusion provide a clear-cut, straightforward analysis and context in which to read the poems. This anthology cannot be compared to anything else, because it is so original. I have not found anything like it before, and yet after I read it, I agreed entirely. The editors explain exactly what cross-gendered verse is, and why it is not simply "cross-dressed." I have noticed on the internet that two universities are using the anthology as part of their classes. However, these universities are in Sweden and England. I hope that it is a result of not putting course information on the web, rather than not using the book in the States. This book would be a wonderful addition to any gender-studies, literary criticism, or poetry course. The writing is reader-friendly, as well as profoundly insightful. This would also be a great addition to your personal library, if you like new and refreshing viewpoints to add to your understanding of the world and literature. I recommend reading the essay at the end of the book before reading the poems. It provides the backgrounded needed to understand the cross-gendered concept, and why the editors chose the poems that appear in the book. The only qualm that I have with the book is that there is not more. Although the subject is covered well, I think that an in-depth extensive discussion of this concept could cover a whole book, itself. However, because this is an anthology, it is understandable why the essay is not longer. I only hope that the editors come out with a second volume.

This book describes in detail, as well with interviews of the theories and ideas behind the Atlanta Based firm. Illustrations, sketches, photographs, help emphasize their building forms. Projects includes are custom homes, a radio station, a religious space, and a library

this book is a wonderful read. it keeps you interested all the way through. you cant put it down! well worth your time and money

He's back!!! Alan Watts died in 1973 but wait; here's a brand new book, 30 years later, of his wondrous wit and wisdom. Thanks to Alan's son, Mark, we have here available to us some never before published radio transcripts from the 1950s when Watts was at the peak of his powers as a Zen prophet in our midst. You can almost hear him chuckle as he speaks these great truths of Zen. It includes fascinating historical anecdotes and perspective along with the lucid interpretations that only a master like Alan could have done. In an entertaining way he speaks to us of what Zen is and isn't, how to "use" it in everyday life, how to realize the freedom and joy real Zen has always pointed to. But wait; there's still more: the book is loaded with incredible photos making it fun to just look at,too. This book will serve equally well as an introduction to Zen and Watts, or as a must have addition to your collection if you love Alan Watts as I do. This book deserves to be widely known and read.

A very interesting book in the sense that it allows the reader to experience a small taste of modern day warfare in a developing country. With most future military conflicts involving U.S. soldiers probably taking place in developing or third world countries, I feel this book is a great asset in overcoming the ignorance people have about war in general, and more specifically about the social and political situations that a large percentage of the world's population struggles to survive in. This glory, and gory account shows the brutality of urban warfare, the reactions of people who have nothing to lose, and most importantly the often forgotten and mis-represented horror and futility of war.

I don't usually give much attention to introductions or afterwords in a book, but the author's description of his research methods, reasons for writing the book in the first place, and general accounting of his experiences is wonderful. If you read this book, read it from cover to cover!

My only criticism would be that this book in a peculiar way glosses over modern day warfare. In a battle where essentially less than 20 U.S. soldiers die, in a period of less than 48 hours, I felt giving this story eternal life in the pages of a book may not necessarily have been required. You could go to your local VFW or Elks club, and talk to veterans of america's previous wars who experienced a "black hawk down" scenario several times a week, during WWII, Vietnam, or Korea. The ideals and outcome of this story, have already found life in the pages of many excellent books thousands of times over. But, perhaps it is necessary to repeat the lessons learned so many times throughout human history, in order that we don't repeat them. An interesting quote from the book:
"War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade for the ultimate practitioner". Cormac McCarthy

Black Hawk Down is absolutely the best account of Modern Infantry combat you will find, and also an excellent analysis of America's role and limitations in the post Cold War world (although written before 9-11). I read this work completely mesmerized; Bowden wrote this book like someone would have written their doctoral dissertation-with painstainking research through an astonishing amount of interviews (including many Somalis who were in the battle), penetrating analysis of the geo-politics, and an insightful tribute to the courage and dedication of the men of Task Force Ranger and Delta Force teams. If you've seen the movie and liked it, do yourself a favor and read this book. The real story is intensely more layered, more complex, and ultimately more moving than the movie has time to convey, and drives home the point that the battle of Mogidishu really did set the stage for the climate that exists a decade later:
Writes Bowden, "(Somolia) stands as an enduring symbol of Third World ingratitude and intractability, of the futility of trying to resolve local animosity with international muscle." One can't help but think of later events such as the growth and proliferation of terror networks unafraid to confront the US, which of course led to 9-11 and the war in Afganistan. This book is an absolute watershed in that it is already studied at all the major war colleges, service academies, and Security agencies as THE definitive study of the battle that set the stage for American miltiary strategy in the early 21st century.

And so ends this excellent book that was clearly written against all odds to tell this horrible story as seen through the eyes of the soldiers. This book will make you angry and sad and will make you cry without a doubt. It is an emotional roller coaster that I couldn't recommend higher. I would strongly encourage you to start by reading the closing epilogue. Bowden explains his amazement that the story had not been appropriately documented and how he was able to meet many combatants at a memorial dedication that opened the doors for him to write this incredible book. I would also strongly encourage you to read the book prior to the movie. While I enjoyed the movie, the written words of the book more accurately record how deadly this attack was and the terror involved. This is not meant as a negative review on the movie, just the power of this book.

I must admit, I only vaguely remembered this event. And that is a sad statement that these men could die in the duty of their country without the nation remembering them. The Somalia mission was to provide food for the starving. But in a country dominated by civil war, the top warlord, Adid, quickly steals the food giving the UN Peace force a reason to expand the mission to controlling Adid.

On this day, the Rangers and Delta force storm a meeting to capture two top ranking Adid officials when eventually two Black Hawks are shut down. Immediately surrounded by a frenzied crowd, the Rangers and Delta force must fight to save fellow soldiers overcoming fear and injuries to stay alive. It's absolutely amazing more were not killed, as they had to spend the night in this hostile environment.

Areas the book covered well not particularly well covered in the movie include some of the following. The difference in Rangers and Delta Force. I was not aware of the power of the Delta Force and how they trained differently. This may have contributed to the problems of the mission. Lack of water and night vision on the mission. Since they thought this was a one-hour mission beginning at 3:00 in the afternoon, no one thought to bring water. What a terrible mistake in this hot environment under extreme physical duress. In addition, the terror of the "Lost Convoy" could not accurately be reflected in the movie. The book describes how the convoy would stop at each crossroad giving the terrorists time to run one block over and be waiting at every crossroad with a hail of bullets. Basically, every street was a reign of bullets and RPG. No wonder they eventually had to head to the base with over 50% casualties. Also, the plight of Mike Durant, the captured pilot was not covered thoroughly enough in the movie in my opinion.

As amazing as this story is, the fact the fighting crew had to run out with the armor support eventually moving ahead of them is even more astounding. I strongly recommend this book to learn more about the brave men who fight for their country.