Highly readable.Humorous, touching, and informative. A real spirit lifter. Makes you want to go out and really live!!!!

Incredible book combining the newest scientific advances in anti-aging and just great health in general. I appreciate that it's extremely easy for the layman to understand. It's so exciting to know that you can take your health in your own hands and drastically improve it by following the wisdom in this book. I was struck by how much it just makes sense! I'm very impressed and have recommended the book to many people already!

An excellent book with great insight.Dr Barber is very knowledgeable and conveys information in an easily understandable format.Keep up the great work!!

this needs to be back in print----- stream of conciousness writing that completely affected my emotions. Rare when that happens.

I'm happy that I was able to purchase this through the used booksellers here. Thanks

WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I heard about this book and thought it would be really great. As it is marketed, it's an intriguing story. At first glance. Unfortunately, it takes forever to get to the story. First, Mr McManus engages in a lengthy and melodramatic rundown of the murder of a casino heir, Ted Binion, then tries to transition into his own story. While it's relevant background info since the World Series of Poker takes place at Binion's Horseshoe, JUST TELL ONE STORY, MAN! Even worse, McManus takes great liberties with some of the actual events related to the murder of Binion. He admits this. And then he cannot resist referring to himself and his dark side throughout the book as Good Jim and Bad Jim. A flourish I could have done without.

Perhaps McManus or his editor or publisher lost their nerve in regards to publishing a book JUST about his experiences in The World Series of Poker. Perhaps that was never their intention. HOWEVER, that's the only interesting stuff in the book. The stuff about the death of Binion is, for the most part, [annoying]. Particularly annoying is the clunky manner in which it is bolted on. And it's nowhere near as enchanting as the thought of a writer for Harper's going to Vegas, exchanging his expense money for chips, and then somehow making it all the way to fifth place. Plus, there is some really interesting information about professional poker players.

I thought this book had a lot of potential. A real bummer to not exercise more restraint, and focus on one story.

First, let me say that the story McManus tells is fascinating; a no-name in the world of poker making it big on the game's biggest stage is compelling for even the non-card player. You become addicted to his progress in the tournament and the words don't come quickly enough at times.
It is when McManus wanders from this story that I began to dislike the book; needless and sometimes annoying time is spent on his wife and their fantastic lovelife; awkward attempts to tie in the Binion trial; it all seems like forced filler that nevers gels smoothly with the main story. I would have stopped reading had I not been so intrigued by his Word Series of Poker run...
I congratulate the author on his incredible run in the WSOP but can only recommend this book to those readers with more than a passing interest in gambling.

The author is a well known writer who gets an assignment from Harper's Magazine to go to Las Vegas and cover both the Ted Binion Murder Trial and the 2000 World Series of Poker. This he does in a most spectacular fashion. McManus takes some of his $4,000 in expense money and buys his way into a one table satellite. He wins it but makes a saving deal at the end using up the rest of his bankroll. However, his Vegas odyssey has just begun.

When it's over, we have read not only a fascinating description of the trial, but have looked over Jim's shoulder as he manages a fifth place finish in the $10,000 No-Limit Championship that includes a quarter of a million dollar win. We meet many of the important people associated with poker and Las Vegas, and feel the tension and pressure of high limit tournament play. This is the best book of it's type I have ever read, and once you start reading, it's hard to put down.

I always enjoy reading utopian or anti-utopian novels, and there are scads of them out there waiting to be read. In recent years, racists have added a few to the mix. Most notable is "The Turner Diaries" written by the late white supremacist and neo-Nazi William Pierce, a book that many think provided the blueprint for the attack on the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. Pierce's fascistic dream of the ultimate destruction of all non-white peoples along with the overthrow of the federal government is the extreme example. A less extreme example, but one just as racist, is "Dark Millennium," a book written by Gerald James McManus. McManus, and the way he markets his book, is a bit of a mystery. The back cover argues that this is "A terrifying story of a President out of control," and "A cautionary tale" about "Politics at its worst." That certainly makes a potential reader think that the story will take a position opposing the abuses of political power. After reading the book, the opposite seems to be the case, as this is an overtly racist tract that glorifies the destruction of democracy in favor of a dictatorship that will rid the world of non-whites and the liberal establishment. A cursory search for McManus on the Internet turned up further proof that this book's claims on the back cover are false, as the author appears on a site loaded with hatred directed at ethnic minorities. The only conclusion I can deduce from this ostensible schizophrenia is that the author hopes to trick people into reading his book, figuring that once he hooks the reader with the taglines he can also trick them into buying into his far right, xenophobic story. Not likely.

"Dark Millennium" is the story of Alexander McGrail. Beginning when McGrail is sixteen years old in 1968 and ending in the year 2030 when McGrail dies of a massive brain aneurysm, McManus traces the rise and eventual fall of an American racist. Instilled with the idea that blacks are subservient to whites by his father, young McGrail quickly sees his destiny as one of cleansing America, and eventually the world, of non-white populations in order to allow the true glory of the white race to flourish. The author outlines McGrail's rise to prominence, from a stint as a decorated soldier in Vietnam, to a "moderate" Republican congressman from Massachusetts, to vice-president of the United States, to his role as president and conqueror of the world. Along the way McManus spices his tale with digressions on the criminality and low IQ of blacks and other ethnic minorities, the belief in white supremacy and white separatism, the idea that the white man's destiny lies in exploring space, and the relegation of women to sex objects and mere incubators of children. This book is a gospel for far right fanatics.

As more and more of Alex McGrail's psychology surfaces in the book, the reader fast recognizes that he is a psychopath at the very least, and at most a sociopath. McManus often italicizes McGrail's internal thoughts for the benefit of the reader, but the thoughts of the protagonist (and considering the book, maybe he should be the antagonist) reveal a picture of a diseased mind full of violence, perversion, and an inflated ego. The author attempts to blunt some of McGrail's more offensive ideas in order to make his extremist positions palatable to the uninitiated reader, such as a plan to quarantine the remaining black population in Florida where they are sterilized and allowed to live out their lives with government support. While this may not sound "moderate" at all, it is when compared to other racist utopian novels that call for the immediate annihilation of all non-white populations. But death is death, whether it is through sterilization or savage acts of violence. McManus, through the McGrail character, seeks to rid the world of what Hitler referred to as the "untermenschen."

While blacks bear the brunt of the author's disdain, Jews are curiously absent from the list of McGrail's targets. As anyone familiar with far right ideology knows, Jews are THE overarching scapegoat of neo-Nazis, Klansmen, Christian Identity adherents, and other supremacist and separatist organizations. Make no mistake about it, McManus hates Jews even though he soft shoes around the topic. The author recognizes that overt calls for the eradication of the Jewish people will alienate likely converts. The goal is to draw people in through this "primer" and then gradually instill a hatred for Jews. Very few people who end up in these groups go directly from indifference to proclaiming Hitler a hero; they go through stages first, and McManus's book is an introductory text designed to bring 'em in the door before indoctrinating sympathizers with even more extreme positions.

With great trepidation, I still recommend this book to those interested in the dystopian/utopian genre if for no other reason than to cover the entire ideological spectrum of the canon. Moreover, for students of the extreme right, "Dark Millennium" is as essential as "The Turner Diaries" in understanding the worldview of these people. For a far left perception on the ideal world, check out Ernest Callenbach's "Ecotopia," a vision far removed from McManus's treatment but one that possesses its own sinister agenda.

DARK MILLENNIUM is a truely unique work. It seems to be written for the deep future. The author's sweep of history and view of the future is an immense one that predicts an inevitable humane culling of the human race so that the survivors may live in a world free of organized terrorism and take mankinds first permanent steps towards other worlds. I predict that this book will grow in popularity has the years roll by. It may be representative of an idea whose time has come. It is a good read and I highly recommend it.

I'm truely amazed by the author's geopolitical grasp of the world we live in. Although I do not agree with many of the main character's views of humanity I must say that the author displays a big picture concept of Mankind that few if any have surpassed. The book is a great read. It makes you think, it makes you mad, it makes you laugh, it makes you glad you read it. I read all 202 pages in one evening. It's the best book I've read since 1984.

This novel snaked its way around my heart, and its characters have been lingering in my head for days. I'm hesitant to start in on another book because I don't want the world of Penny, the Saint and Ndele to be edged out of my consciousness.

I'm curious to know what the author's personal experience with chronic illness is, because he has so perfectly captured what it feels like to inhabit a broken down body. The novel's protagonist, Penny, has a severe case of juvenile-onset diabetes. Living with a pervasive chronic illness is living with an ornery beast inside of you. Some days he leaves you alone and sleeps, but most of the time he's hungry and wants to devour your energy and spirit from the inside. You wrestle him, sometimes tame him, often ignore him as he gnaws on your leg--it's a chaotic cycle of confrontation and denial, victory and defeat.

Penny is so drawn into the struggle with her diabetes that she finds it difficult to establish a positive sense of self, to identify herself as anything but a failure. The illness feels like punishment, evidence of her unworthiness. This makes it difficult for her to connect with other people.

And then the first person she starts to connect with--a college boyfriend she calls the Saint--gets literally devoured by a beast, an Alaskan bear. For the next seven numb years, she stumbles around academia back in Chicago. She decides to embark on a summertime cross-country bike trek back to Alaska, both to escape and to confront. To escape the stultifying academic environment, an overbearing dissertation advisor and a way-overdue dissertation. And to confront her body's decay and her mind's obsession with how and why her boyfriend died.

The bulk of the novel chronicles her journey and the dialogue that runs through her head as the bike wheels tick off Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana... It's not a glamorized journey: cheesy motels, aggressive road-hogging trucks, dubious road conditions, and sweaty t-shirts abound. But along the way she learns that something as little as a pothole can change your life. And that healing comes not from a syringe, but from the power of connecting with another human being--the healing of human kindness, the healing of human touch.

What's amazing is that within this beautiful story, the author integrates provocative issues like racism and euthanasia seamlessly. They come up naturally, as part of the story, rather than stick out as "this-is-a-novel-of-the-90's" issues du jour.

As someone living with a beast of a chronic illness myself, I can testify that the author's treatment of illness is spot-on. The book will linger on my nightstand, and in my heart, for quite some time, as I reread passages and smile again at how a cranky protagonist not unlike myself finds what she needs in the unlikeliest of ways.

I browsed through this book on the new fiction shelf some months ago, put it back, and the beginning of the story haunted me ever since. There was something about the voice of the protagonist that I really liked. I finally decided to buy it several weeks later as a gift for my wife, and I'm very glad I did. I loved the story, the mood, the setting, the characters, the feel. The ending was not what I wanted, but McManus is apparently a dark writer, and since the story had such a bleak feel, I guess he felt it could only end on a dark note. But my hat is off to him for a truly great novel. I couldn't put it down, and I usually only say that about suspense thrillers

Here's what I liked about GOING INTO THE SUN. First, James McManus seems to have great insight into womanhood. My female friend who recommended this novel agreed. In this respect, the book is artful and ingenious. The internal talk within the main character is utterly fascinating. Second, McManus has a rare command of the English language. He is able to put words together that creates such a vivid portrayal of the characters, they do NOT appear to be fictional. Reading this book is more like watching a movie. McManus creates pictures in my mind.

Now, I don't like many of the outcomes that happened in the book. I suspect my uneasiness is related to McManus vivid writing style. I would describe many passages in the book as "unnerving" and "distressing." McManus' writing can put the reader on edge. You're not going to like it, but you won't be able to stop reading.

At the beginning, I had a great admiration for the heroine, Penny Culligan. I was astounded with this disabled woman's courage. My admiration for her grew stronger and stronger by each passing page. However, in the end I felt "let down." She chickened out! But then again, after some reflection (and this book WILL make you reflect), it couldn't have ended any other way. My admiration was renewed.

I'm working toward becoming certified as a software quality engineer (ASQ's CSQE). While researching learning materials, I found that this book is considered to be a solid overview of the CSQE body of knowledge.

Achieving CSQE requires a certain level of experience. You should be similarly experienced before you read this book. To understand it, you need to have solid experience as a software quality practitioner and exposure to effective software quality processes. This book unabashedly favors defect prevention through effective process, process measurement, and continuous process improvement - all widely considered Good Things - with a thick Capability Maturity Model accent.

The book's perspective comes from its authors' experience producing large, complex software for very large corporations, frequently on government or military contracts. They've worked on these kinds of projects for 20 years or more. Because of government requirements and the nature of these projects, they've watched the need for process turn into process implementation, expansion, and continuous improvement. As a result, they write as though the audience contains people facing similar situations, seldom creating a bridge to quality practitioners in less stringent environments. I'm a 13-year veteran of small software companies, most of which had comparatively featherweight software development processes. Even with my exposure to effective software processes and CMM, I found it difficult to relate to the authors' perspective.

Making this book even more challenging to understand is the authors' cumbersome, awkward text. I strongly encourage the authors to consider investing in a rigorous developmental edit to get rid of stilted structure and acres of passive voice, and to help them express their thoughts in a more expository manner. You'll find yourself reading sentences and even whole paragraphs twice as you try to decode the meaning. I read the whole chapter on Pareto analysis twice, but still didn't understand much of it because the text was so hard to penetrate.

Despite these difficulties, I've benefited from this book. It has helped me build my knowledge and has shown me possibilities I'd never considered. I'm sure it will be an important reference book while I take my CSQE exam. And then I'll be glad to put it on my shelf and let it sit there, because I'm never in the mood for a good text-wrestling match.

Everybody knows that people usually stumble into SQA. So, once you get started, you will want to have some reference material.

This book is easy to read & understand, and I'd recommend it to people eager to know a little more about Software Quality Assurance...

This book is one of the most comprehensive treatments of SQA on the market. It is a collection of essays that cover every imaginable aspect of SQA with an overall focus to prepare candidates for the American Society of Quality's software quality engineer certification (CSQE). Each author is an acknowledged expert in the field, and each essay is well developed and gets to the essence of the topic.

Although the primary intent of this book is to prepare readers for the CSQE exam, this book contains the building blocks to develop a world-class software engineering process group and/or to move up the capability maturity model (CMM)ladder or achieve a higher level of capability within the context of SPICE (Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination). In particular CMM and SPICE are 'assessed' levels of capability maturity with no prescribed techniques. This book provides a collection of techniques that will fit nicely into goals for increasing the maturity level of an organization regardless of the framework (CMM or SPICE) that is selected. What I like about this book is that it also addresses in detail how SQA aligns to ISO 9000-3, and the coverage of ISO/IEC 12207 and IEEE-STD-1074 (both of which are important international standards that should be considered as a part of an organization's strategy with respect to CMM or SPICE).

Chapters that provide excellent material supporting CMM and SPICE initiatives are: 1 & 2, SQA-Coming to Terms and How Does SQA Fit In? (a complete picture of the many components and considerations of an effective SQA function); 5, Software Quality Program Organization (great advice on organizing SQA within your company and aligning it to development and project management); 9, Inspections as an Up-Front Quality Technique (how to integrate inspections into a comprehensive, proactive quality posture); 10, Software Configuration Management (essential to any quality initiative regardless of whether the end goal is CMM, SPICE, ISO 9000 or compliance with international standards); 15, SQA Metrics (the foundation of SPICE and higher CMM levels); 19 & 20, Statistical Methods and Software Reliability Management (another set of foundation areas that are essential to SPICE and higher CMM levels).

Other chapters provide material that is specific to preparing for the CSQE examination or implementing any quality program that is focused on software quality assurance. I particularly liked the chapter on personnel requirements, which covered the people and process elements of SQA, and the cost of software quality. The latter gives you ample information for justifying SQA from a business perspective. This material is further augmented by a chapter on effective methods of IS quality assurance, which bridges the applications delivery (development) and service delivery (support and operations) domains.

SQA is not easy to organize and implement. Moreover, it is a highly technical discipline that is more engineering focused than most disciplines in development and operations. As such this book is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. It is intended for CSQE candidates and organizations that have attained some level of maturity and are striving to move higher up the capabilities ladder. If you are looking for a more basic book on SQA I recommend Customer Oriented Software Quality Assurance by Frank P. Ginac. However, if you are an experienced SQA practitioner, heading a software engineering process group, devising a plan for improving capability maturity for CMM or SPICE, or are preparing for the CSQE examination the Handbook of Software Quality Assurance is the best book you can have. It is a classic and earns a solid 5 stars.