I have read all of Jess Moody's books. I think he has found his niche with "Club Sandwich." He is a superb spinner of stories! This is his best book to date, his personal Everest of human interest and insight. He dares to share himself with the reader in an audacious and attractive way that appeals to the voyeur in us that clamors for celebrity dope. Buy it, read it loan it, but get it back. Long summer afternoons are coming!

For fans of Jess Moody, this is MUST reading. I believe this is about his 8th book and I have read most of them. Moody is at his best in this fine relection of life from his unusual and poignant point of view. He is one who connects with both the upper crust as well as the lower crust! I could not put this book down once I started. One minute I was smiling and before I knew it there was a tear in my eye. His style is definitely inspirational without preaching. I will be sure to order the audio version when it is available.

One of America's primere preachers, Jess Moody, whose prolific pen poured out "A Drink At Joel's Place" is flowing again. This time with pointed,poignant and preachable prose. His best loved stories will touch your heart,tickle your imagination, and titilate your sermonic sensibilities. This book is a must have for the preacher, teacher, or christian speaker. As usual, Moody, the master wordsmith, spins spritually insightful and powerfully applicable stories form personal encounters of a half century of ministry. This is vintage Moody. If you thought "A Drink At Joel's Place" was heady you will want to guzzle this new offering.

Rather you watch Dr. Phil's show, or have seen him on other shows, you may recognize that phrase.

But have you ever wondered where Dr. Phil has coined that phrase?

This phrase is in Dr. Jess Lair's 1969 copy of "I aint much, baby-but I'm all I've got."

Some really wonderful messages from this book tell us, "We are so busy not just building walls, but being the big judge that we don't have time to find, 'Hey, there are a lot of other people just like me out there.'"

And, "How are you going to teach someone, anyone, if you don't understand that their concerns and your concerns run along the same path."

One of the biggest lessons in this book, and there are many of them for everyone, is to tell the appropriate person, in the appropriate time, "I love you." You may notice that you will choke over saying those three words.

You may also notice that you may want to say more than that. But challenge yourself to say just those three words to that person, while you expect nothing in return.

This will teach you self-acceptance, acceptance of others, trust, love and serenity.

Also, as part of your "get real challenge," find 5 people who you tell, what you fear, what you are sad about, and what you are worried about. See yourself telling these people this, while you notice your internal voice, and their reactions or responses.

Make this part of your lifestyle, while you balance other parts of who you are.

When you are able to do this you enhance not only how you experience life, but you also enhance the possibility that the people who you speak heart-to-heart to, just might feel more free to get real with themselves. They may tell you how it really is for them, in a way that allows them to take responsibility for their own lives.

And although they may not tell you how it really is with them, chances are they will tell someone else how it really is with them - which is great, because the idea is that they decide to be authentic.

And in giving this gift to these people, you are changing the world, because we all know at least 250 people. When they or you are able to see yourselves accepted, unconditionally, we all pass this on.

If you find this challenging for you, and you are determined to do this, especially for yourself, I suggest that you read, "Narcissism: Denial of the True Self," by Alexander Lowen, MD; then read, "Healing the Shame That Binds You," by John Bradshaw.

We are all here to express our unique purpose, and in so doing to make a difference, beyond our wildest dreams.

To fight that truth is playing God.

Have you ever read a book where you felt like the author was right there in the room, connecting with you, there just for you?

This is definitely one of those books. He speaks to your heart and soul, besides your mind. And he anticipates everything that you might object to.

Read this book to accept everything about yourself, the good, bad, ugly and beauty, equally. Because it is when you accept all of this about yourself that you naturally enhance parts of yourself that you want to enhance, not what someone else wants you to do.

And in your self-acceptance, you will become more free to accept others, as they choose to be, without your pressing upon their mind.

The more you practice listening to your soul, and compassionately responding to your soul, the more you at peace you become.

Read this book, more than once, with pen in hand, as you note what you are experiencing - And, oh! How humble you will become.

This book changed my life! I first read it 25 years ago; when I re-read it ten years later the ideas presented had become so ingrained in my life that I thought I was reading my own philosophies. My favorite Jess Lair strategy: Do what comes easy; it's what you're good at. Jess's ideas use the KISS theory to the max---you know, keep it simple. I would recommend this book to anyone.

In all senses of the word, this is a love story. Not a romance. The novel features a young widow who is forced by the community she lives in to pick a new husband. She's being courted by two handsome, elligible bachelors, neither of whom she's interested in. Her attention is instead drawn to her hired hand, Jesse Best, who is known locally as "Simple Jess" because of a brain injury as a result of his birth. In a community where he isn't treated as an equal, Jesse finds himself being viewed as a partner, by a beautiful woman who has seen past his shortcomings, and into his heart.

I've read a lot of romances and over time have come to really appreciate a well-written, non-standard story. I feel that Simple Jess is just that. One of the scenes I vividly recall is when Simple Jess is skinning a deer and patiently explaining every action to Baby Paisley just as his father did for him. You get a real sense of what is important in life. In my mind's eye, I could just see the love and patience being carried on through the generations and even though Jess wasn't "normal", he was still able to be the kind of person that they needed him to be.

On a lighter note, I love how Pamela Morsi makes her characters individuals that you wouldn't find anywhere else. For instance, whenever I picture Simple Jess, I see him drifting from one group of women to another, smelling them. I love it! It makes perfect sense with his personality.

Though this book can stand alone, I think The Marrying Stone should be read first to just to provide a greater understanding of the community and personalities.

There's nothing more annoying than mothers-in-law who don't know when to butt out... but sometimes they can push a woman into territory no one expects. Jess is remarkable in his integrity and honor, even though everyone knows he's Simple. Thank goodness Althea finally saw the light.

All the "secondary characters" were important to the story because it simply could not move without the community. "Marrying Stone" was the precursor to this book and the characters are prevelent in this one.

This is truly the story of not judging a book by it's cover.

This book is quite simply invaluable to the maniac in you. It's in depth explinations and histories have made me the leading authority on not only Malkavians but all vampires within the playing circle I'm associated. Worth 10 times it's price

Gone are the yacko warner ripoffs and bunny slippers. This revised edition actually sheds light on the children of Malkav instead of printing pages backward and being obtuse. Most of the source material from the first clanbook has been thrown out of the window, and replaced with much more workable( and fluid) interpretation. Even the madness network gets a facelift, becomming the 'Cobweb'. For players wanting to really get into the role of a Malkavian, this book is your best foothold.

Excellent. I found the book to quite insightful. It was written well, a bit confusing at times. Yet, what does one expect from this mad lineage. It is a must for all Malkavian players. It shows that the madness need not be horrid and "flashy." Rather, they can be subdued and withdrawn to the point where all other characters become queasy wondering when you may burst.

The character concepts in the back are great from hich to garner ideas. I feel Clanbook: Malkavian is perfect for the role-player. Happy Hunting

I am an actor and performer in high school and I often compete in the literary circuit. This piece alone has won me several awards. I recommend it to any aspiring actors who need a piece to start on or any established actors who need something new. It is also great for an entertaning read or for high school Shakespeare students who need a new twist on the Bard (especially the view of Hamlet as a meat allegory!)

I am a actor and performer in high school and I often compete in the literary circuit. This piece alone has won me several awards. I recommend it to any aspiring actors who need a piece to start on or any established actors who need something new. It is also great for an entertaning read or for high school Shakespeare students who need a new twist on the Bard (especially the view of Hamlet as a meat allegory!)

If I were asked the funniest play that read I would answer "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)." Now I can answer the same if I were asked the funniest book I have ever read. All hail to Jess Winfield, Daniel Singer, and Adam Long! The gang has sucessfully written a very intricate and accurate book of William Shakespeare and his complete works. Wait -- they have distorted and sucessfully gutted some of the most perfect pieces of literature ever written and it is absolutely perfect. While reading the book make sure to take the time to read ALL the footnotes. You will really appreciate the tactful placement of every irreverent word and insite into the life and works of William Shakespeare that Jess, Adam, Jess, Daniel, and Jess have. Definately a must read and certianly a must see.

Jess Oppenheimer, who was a producer of I Love Lucy and wrote many classic episodes, has produced a very enjoyable and engaging behind the scenes look at one of the greatest television shows ever. He provides a lot of insider tidbits on the production of the show and working with the cast. This book would be enjoyed by any fan of the series or of television's golden age. Very entertaining.

"Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is written by Jess Oppenheimer andhis son, Gregg Oppenheimer. Jess Oppenheimer worked formany of the legends of old time radio, including Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, and Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy. This book tells of Mr. Oppenheimer's career in writing radio scripts, and specifically deals with his writing for Lucille Ball. He wrote first for her when she performed in "My Favorite Husband," and then he tells about his creation of "I Love Lucy," the television series starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Mr. Oppenheimer not only created the idea for the series, he was also the head writer and producer of the program. Because of his unique inside perspective, Mr. Oppenheimer is able to provide information about Lucy and Desi that no one else could. There are a few things that make this book absolutely unique... Several appendices are included in the book which are very interesting. The first appendix shows an actual script (complete with hand-written changes) that was used during the production of "My Favorite Husband." But, what makes this book fascinating is the fact that a 65-minute audio CD is included, composed of twelve different tracks. The first track is a recording of the presentation of the script for "My Favorite Husband" included in Appendix A of the book. Another real plus for this book is the number of photographs that are included. The photos provide another dimension to this richly-composed book. This book is not only informative, it is very entertaining! Anyone who has ever seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" will want to own this book. It now occupies a prominent place in our family library. "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" will be read and re-read many times in our home.

I Love Lucy - Behind the Scenes is a fabulous look back at the career and antics of one of t.v. and radios funniest ladies. With all of the demoralizing venues on the "boob-tube" today, it is refreshng to recall a time-gone-by when good clean fun could still be funny. Jess and Gregg Oppenheimer have compiled a wonderful memory book of everyone's favorite comidianne. The reader - Larry Dobkin who as I understand it, was a guest actor on several I Love Lucy episodes, delivers this story with the warmth and humor it so deserves. I give this audiobook 5 stars!

"Every Knee Shall Bow" by Jess Walter is the definitive statement of the events that transpired on Ruby Ridge between the Weaver family and the federal government. The author was one of the many journalists who covered the story as it unfolded. He got a bird's eye view of a lot of things that went on during the standoff, although most of it being secondary to the main events.

Walter takes a look not only at what happened on the mountain but also at the backgrounds of Randy and Vicki Weaver and the subsequent legal proceedings against Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris. While most readers will be drawn to this book for the Ruby Ridge incidents, I'd be willing to bet that most will be more riveted by the court room proceedings than the other two parts of the book.

Walter doesn't draw too many conclusions in the book. He seems to decide two things: 1) the Weavers were anti-government paranoids and 2) the government royally ... up this case thereby doing nothing to dissuade the Weavers from their paranoia. He seems to believe that the Weavers were not intent upon provoking a standoff with the feds; that they believed they didn't have to provoke one and that it would just show up at their doorstep.

This account of what happened is none too flattering of anyone involved in the standoff. There is much second guessing of the government's overreaction to a man who was essentially wanted on a failure to appear charge. You expect the government to be the ones to show good judgement in a situation like this and they blew it by a wide margin.

"Every Knee Shall Bow" is the only book you need to get both sides of what happened on the mountain. Both the Weavers' and the feds' sides are well presented. Walter doesn't play favorites with the stories; although, he seems to believe the Weavers' account of what transpired more than the government's.

Unlike most books written about Ruby Ridge and Waco, this book is well written and straightforward, free of the extremist polemics that fill other accounts. It also makes a good, suspenseful read.

This is a well written book. It is as exciting and easy to read as a novel. All sides of the controversy get a fair hearing. The beliefs of the Weavers, the White Separtist Movement, Christian Identity and others involved in this controversy are explained. The author definately had his point of view but covered all points of view fairly.

This is not your average "read-about-a-successful-athlete" book just for the sole purpose of some inspiration for track and field or just for dreaming about being like Mike, or any other athelete. It is much more. Michael Johnson takes his struggles and triumphs in his life and relays to the reader how he learned proven success principles that helped him accomplish the tasks that he had set out to do and has done a fantastic job in giving the exact same principles in everyday, easy to read and understand language. He even states in his book that these principles can be applied to whatever goals or tasks or dreams you want to achieve and puts them in an excellent sequential form from the start of the pursuit of one's dream or goal, to making a plan of action to reach them, along with what to do when disappointments;failiure;set-backs;distractions in life come along (and they will) and how to overcome them, and then finally, to making those dreams and goals a reality. To the reader of these comments, I think the point has been made clear. GET THIS BOOK, PERIOD!!

I've got to admit, Michael Johnson is my all time hero. I'm a big track and field enthusiast, and I just had to get my hands on this book. I want to take my track and field career to Michael Johnson's level of greatness. I was surprised when I started reading "Slaying the Dragon." I was ready for some great training techniques to improve my physical strength and endurance; but this book goes so much deeper then that. It's really a counselor in disguise as a book. It helps you improve your everyday life from all aspects. It gives you good ideas on how to set goals, and achieve your objectives. I found that you can apply this book to just about anything and it will produce results; whether it is on the track, in the classroom, or at the office. I will use this book to help me balance my sports career with the classroom. After reading this book I now have a direction and destination to strive for. No matter what your "dragon" is, this book can help you overcome it. If you give this book a chance, I gaurantee success in all aspects of your life. It's a must read book.

Michael Johnson is undoubtedly the greatest long-sprinter EVER. In fact, his 19.32sec world record in the 200M is in my humble opinion the single most mind-boggling race ever, and qualifies Mr. Johnson as one of the greatest track and field stars of all time.

What is often overlooked, however, is Mr. Johnson's consistency over his career. He once had a consecutive win-streak of 400M races that spanned a number of *years*. Quite simply, he very rarely lost any of the races he entered.

This book offers great insight into Michael Johnson's mental toughness, and explores the mindset of what made him great. True, this man's single-mindedness and no-nonsense determination may come across as slightly monomaniacal and somewhat opinionated to the average reader, but for any athlete that has dreamed of excelling, his words are truly inspirational.

I really enjoyed this book because of how accessibly it was written. You don't have to be a track and field fan to appreciate the universal message Mr. Johnson is trying to get across. This book can be used as a motivational tool, and I think that any book that you can read and then come away with something is a book well worth reading. And this is such a book.

Track and field athletes are not usually known for their intellects or even candor (with the possible exception of Carl Lewis), but Michael Johnson also succeeds here in impressing how much of an intelligent, well-rounded man he is... there is no doubt that he will succeed in his life after his track career has ended. Although supremely confident in his racing abilities-- and who wouldn't be?-- Mr. Johnson never comes across as arrogant or condescending. What I like best about this book is how it almost seems as if it were written purely for the benefit of the reader, as if Johnson had something that he felt he could share, to be read by others for their own benefit. In fact, 'Slaying the Dragon' feels like a message that Mr. Johnson felt compelled to share, and it is written in the humble spirit that he has simply worked very hard to get where he is.

I have to like such a humble message coming from such greatness. We will not see another sprinter like Michael Johnson for a long time. But we can still enjoy his words and his message, which were written in such a helpful and giving way. I came to this book in awe of this man's accomplishments, and came away with a respect for his character.

I just wish this book gave information on where he can receive fan mail!

Babylon Boyz, by Jess Mowry, is a thrilling novel about inner city life. It's based around the lives of three youg teens. Starting out with the words "Hey Homo," it captured my attention right away. Pook is the homosexual who is out of the closet. Wyatt is very overweight and Dante is a Rastifarian with a serious heart condition. These boys are best friends who want more than anything to get out of Babylon, their dangerous ghetto. Throughout the story they encounter many problems including: dealing drugs, fights, gang problems, tagging bathrooms and running from Air Touch. (A big gangster/bully)
A quote that particularly stuck in my mind was: "We all just little black ants in Babylon, waitin' to get stepped on and too stupid to see it." It's kind of true because these boys know that they will never be good enough with society looking down on them all the time.
I guess the whole reason I liked the book was, even though the characters may come off rough edged or as black trouble makers they are not. If other people took the time, they would find a bunch of passionate young men.
I would recommend this book to all mature audiances because the content may not be appropiate for children.

In the novel, Babylon Boyz, by Jess Mowry, three newly teen boys go through a serious of risky situations in the inner-city streets of Oakland, which they call Babylon. Pook, an out of the closet homosexual, Wyatt, an overweight boy and Dante, a boy with a heart condition. They meet many people along the way, such as Radgi, a homeless person that has a big surprise in the end, Air Touch, who threatens Dante's life with a gun and Jinx that "helps" Pook with his first homosexual encounter. They do such things as dealing cocaine, giving birth to a baby on a couch and almost getting arrested for tagging bathrooms, several times. Throughout the story these boys search for an answer for ways to get out of Babylon and in the end, they figure out, if they would stop searching so hard, that it's right in front of their face. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this book a nine. I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely interesting and enlightening. I was mainly intrigued with they boys everyday life. In mine, I have never come close to being shot in the head nor dealing drugs, so I like to read about a life that is different than mine, to expand my knowledge of different worlds. With this book, you are into it the second you read it. And while reading it you won't run into many problems, my only problem was figuring out who was who, but by the middle of the book, that was settled. Other difficulties may include trying to figure out what the slang means, but most of it is pretty straightforward. This book is for anyone who wants to know more about places other than were they live, if they don't already live in a "ghetto". It's really a book that almost anyone would like except little kids, it definitely has some mature subjects in it. A quote that I was really captivated by was when a man said to Dante, "Free will isn't free son. You pay for it every time you make a choice. And even if you choose not to choose, you've still made a choice." This means so much to me. Every single word in it relates to the whole meaning. The meaning is this, how when you make any choice or you decide to do something or even decide not to do something, you are always making choices whether they are good or bad, smart or stupid, right or wrong. And free will, something you are supposed to have no problem doing and you will always have some obstacle in the way and that's life.

There are 3 black kids from Babylon. Pook is a Homosexual, Dante has a heart problem, and Wyatt is just...fat. The kids live in the ghetto, and go through a lot of hardships trying to find themselves, and deciding what's right and wrong. The people they meet aren't who you think they are when you first read it. This book is the best book I've read so far. You get so into the book, you forget everything else. Everything about inner-city life is in here. Poverty, Pre-marital intercourse,drugs, Teen-age pregnancies and the difficulities making it through a day of this. They could make a tv movie out of this...I'll be the first to watch it. The book is not for kids under 15. It has adult language and adult content. You will keep on wanting to read the book, it's almost addicting.

I enjoyed the character development of the story, and how the people are not all as they seem, and don't all believe in "the game" but have to do it anyway. However, the plot is a little weak and the verbage that the characters use grows old after a while, even though it's true to life.

I find it hard to believe that people, kids, live like they are portrayed in this book. I appreciated the descriptive nature of the book and it gave me a phenomenal view into a troubled lifestyle but in a humanizing and sad way. It's a good book, just a little slow in the beginning and, in parts, not very well written.

First off, I want to say that this is an excellent book. The beginning of the book was very slow, but once you merged into the nover further, the better the book got, and the harder the book was to put down. Its a basic black coming of age novel about a 13 yr old who leaves Mississppi and travels because of circumstances to Oakland, California. Ive reccommended the book to all my friends, and I suggest you do to. It uncovers alot of myths that float around about the black community that needs to be brought to light, and Mr. Mowry does just that![.] GO GET THE BOOK!...

I am writing from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. I finished reading this book last night (May 4, 2000) and, like Corbitt, had a real dream about it! Few books have been written about the incredible courage and strength of children living in the worst of times and the baddest of places. This is one of the best! And I agree with Corbitt - we (young Africans and African-Americans) have our destinies in our own hands.