I bought this book with the hopes of learning specifically about the Bay of Pigs, such as: What were the issues, reasonings & other informative topics. Don't get me wrong this is an excellent story but unfortunately it only covered one specific conflict. So if you are purchasing this book with learning the history surrounding the Bay of Pigs I do not recommend it, but if you are looking for a great story and lots of action this is the book for you. I give it 3 stars ***

The finite descriptions of persons and places takes the reader beyond the boundries of fiction. It seems obvious that much of the description of the Bay of Pigs fiasco was based on pure fact. Perhaps the author participated in that event as a representative of the US government, but is not at liberty or willing to disclose this information? Readers will enjoy this story and find themselves sympathetic to the "invaders" of Cuba and puzzled if this was selfish US politics or just good fiction

This was a good book about an adolescent dealing with the pressures of life, and being a teenager. He faced many obstacles, and was forced to make many decisions, and he learned a lot from them. He had a great character, and it was fun to read about him.

The main character, a young boy, is having a hard time with life. His sister is an over-achiever, and he doesn't really like school, so living up to peoples' expectations has always presented conflicts in his life. He experiments with drugs and alcohol like many teenagers today. He starts hanging around people who aren't good influences, and it has a big effect on his life and the decisions he was making at that point in time. It's a pretty good book, and I think there are many people who could identify with it.

Mickey Mouse is one of the best recognized and well regarded symbols in the world. Children are even more willing to get inoculations if Mickey's face is on hand. Due to an aggressive merchandising bent, this Disney character has been transformed into almost every possible physical expression. The only things that I haven't seen done with Mickey are to turn him into buildings. Perhaps that will be next.

This book provides a primarily pictorial presentation of that history, from the original drawing by Ub Iwerks back in the 1920s through to the latest fashion in Mickey Mouse watches today. In between, you will see Mickey during his cartoon career (including a list of his appearances) beginning with his speaking role in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928, through the three different versions of the Mickey Mouse Club (I was disappointed that there were no large photographs of Annette!), his role as a greeter as the Disney theme parks (you'll be fascinated by how the costume evolved), to his evolution as a drawn figure (pupils within pupils made him more appealing).

The book is loosely themed around Mickey's initial appeal as a brainy, underdog hero . . . a sort of mouse David versus Goliath. There are brief references to the other Disney characters, including Minnie, Donald Duck, and Pluto.

Clearly, the picture's the thing in this book. You will see ads, balloons, comic strips, lots of watches, wordworking projects, flower and topiary representations at the theme parks, movie posters, movie stills, story boards, every conceivable kind of merchandise, photographs, conceptual art (including Andy Warhol), Mickey Mouse ears, magazine covers, and sketches.

Although the book has some exposition, it is on the light side. Serious fans of Mickey would want to know a lot more. So the ideal recipient for this book would be a young person who likes Mickey, but doesn't know very much about him.

Fans of Minnie will be very disappointed. She is almost totally ignored in the book. Since my daughter likes Minnie much better than Mickey, this would be a poor choice as a gift for her.

Those looking for the ultimate visual experience with Mickey will also find this book to be disappointing. Although it has a lot of attractive material, it could have had much, much more.

Like most compromises, the book fails to fully satisfy. I graded the book down accordingly although it is perfectly executed for its concept of providing a little background with a lot of images of Mickey.

After you finish enjoying this book, think about who you favorite cartoon character is. Why do you like that character? What traits of that character do you wish that you embodied? What other traits would make that character even more desirable?

Look for role models wherever you can find them!

I love the book it really tells how Mickey Mouse becomes a figure of American Icon and All around the world. Great Pictures, Great Story of a Great Mouse

Sean's father, a former CIA agent, brings to the pages his memory and love of his brilliant son, a homosexual, who died at 26 from Aids. The book is a compassionate memoir, depicting genuine acceptance of his son's sexual orientation. A substantial part of the book relives his son's battle with Aids, from the diagnosis, through his gradual deterioration, and ultimately his death. The struggle, the courage, the determination.....it's all there.

Even after having known Robert and Brenda Hopkins for some years now, I was not prepared for the dramatic and compelling contents of Robert's book, titled "SEAN'S LEGACY: AN AIDS AWAKENING.

This book provides a truly stunning account of familial love. It reveals in a most personal and engaging way the evolution of a relationship between parents and son, under the most painful of circumstances. And it does so with a warmth, a compassion, and a spiritual dignity that would move any reader.

Moreover, given the tragic march of the still-growing AIDS epidemic, this is a book that must receive the widest possible readership. Every grandparent and every parent is at risk of finding themselves in the position of Brenda and Robert Hopkins. The spiritual and emotional strength which they, as well as Sean, brought to this trauma is not something every one will be able to find within. And that is one of the many powerful contributions of the book--it will provid! ! e an inspiration to so many who might otherwise be at a loss to cope with the discovery of AIDS in their midst.

As a piece of literature that is difficult to put down, SEAN'S LEGACY is impressive enough. But as a source of elegant example and a guide to a loving response to loss, the book shows us how families can grow even closer and more expressive of their love, when faced with impending tragedy. Moreover, the generosity of spirit revealed in this work sets an example not only for the way in which families must cope with this disease, but also for the way in which different generations of Americans must recognize and respond caringly to this tragedy of lost youth.

Peter J. Luciano President National Alliance of Senior Citizens Foundation

I use Cases in Contemporary Strategy Analysis in my Capstone course (final course) for my MBA graduate students. It provides them with excellent insight into corporate decision making and strategic planning processes. The case studies are interesting and rich for discussion. My only criticism is the world of business is so fast paced. I would have like to see an internet site or CD ROM with more current information on the companies. Many of the organizational case studies were dated 1998. A myriad of financial, economic, marketing, and strategic changes occurred since the printing of the text. Overall, I recommend the book for textbook use.

I bought this book and we have had a lot of fun with it. I've used the self evaluation test with friends and co-workers and everybody found the results to be quite accurate. Its a fun way to take a fresh look at the foods in your diet. The compatability ratings especially among couples was very accurate and uncanny. There are also some interesting insights on the values of many common foods & beverages. Its fun,light reading and doesn't pile on all of the worn out nutritional hoopla so common in other nutrition books. I met and talked with Noriko Kuriyama and she really knows about health & nutrition and its very interesting what they are teaching and practicing in Japan. Sure worth a read.

In many climates around the world, forest is the natural state of vegetation. It grows without anyone's say-so. It takes no human effort at all for nature to be sustainable, diverse, productive, multi-dimensional, and beautiful. However, most people's gardens, even food gardens, are really none of these, despite large amounts of effort on the part of the gardeners. So what would it be like to garden in tune with nature, to grow a forest garden, with many of the features of a natural forest, and little of the labour usually involved in gardening? Robert Hart pioneered this approach to growing food sustainably, based on his long experience of agro-forestry around the world. He applied his wisdom to his backyard and wrote about it in the classics, 'Forest Gardening' and 'Beyond the Forest Garden'. However, much of what Hart wrote was general and philosophical - explaining the 'why' perhaps more than the 'how'. Patrick Whitefield has produced this intensely practical guide to the 'how' of forest gardening, starting from first principles and including all manner of precise details. Whitefield is an experienced permaculture practicioner and teacher, and he rightly places the forest garden in context as a very useful component of a larger system of sustainable living. On the strength of this book I am in the process of transforming my standard suburban plot into a beautiful forest garden, with apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, loganberries, figs, redcurrants, perennial herbs and salads. It has proved to be an invaluable and much thumbed manual, and an inspirational work. It is directly applicable to temperate climates, and will be of use to those living elsewhere too.

I was excited when I saw the advanced advertisements for this book and looked forward to its publication. I was not let down. The authors know their stuff and have put together a fine reference work on the 20th Century passenger service of "The Old Reliable".

This is not a novel or in-depth review of the subject so don't appoach it looking for any insight into the inner workings of a railroad. The extensive biliography gives plenty of sources to find that material. It is, however, a detailed overview of all aspects of L&N passenger service, from train equipment to dining car staffing. The writing is crisp and well paced with only a few dry spots. Many personal tales and anecdotes abound adding dimension to the topics.

My only complaints about the book are that the authors should have focused on each train such as the Hummingbird and Cresent in seperate, detailed sections rather then covering them in a chronological manner (which can be confusing and tedious for those not familiar with the railroads many routes). Also, more color photos would have been appreciated, especially for those of us who model L&N equipment in their model railroad layouts.

Again, a fine reference work put together by authors who definately love their subject.

In "Walking with Thomas Merton," the teacher, lecturer and author Robert Waldron allows us to follow him through a summer as he prepares a presentation on the works of the Trappist poet for a September retreat. It is a journal-like chronicle of Waldron's contact with one of the more energetic minds of the age, a glimpse into the impressions of a humbly astute reader as he encounters Merton's thought in poetry and prose.

The book assumes a familiarity with the works of Merton, but readers who have encountered only two or three Merton books need not fear: Waldron's style is accessible and congenial, sometimes surprisingly, pleasantly conversational. He speaks as one reader to another, one spiritual explorer to another, confident that we will catch his enthusiasm not only for Merton, but for poetry in general.

As we see Robert Waldron sift through the compendious opus of the celebrated monk, making choices about which poems to present in his lecture, which portions of the prose to incorporate, we see him remembering when he first encountered Merton, we get brief commentary on how the work affected him (we echo his praise for the poetic prose in "A Vow of Conversation" and share his befuddlement at the attempted innovation of "Geography of Lograire"); we receive a sense of Merton's influences, and are pointed in the direction of his kindred spirits. He is compared, briefly and sagely, to another Catholic author and diarist, the late Henri Nouwen -- the differences being highlighted, as well as the similarities.

The life of Merton is generously assessed: the monk is lauded, justly, for his refusal to abandon his Cistercian life at a time of much turbulence for Church, nation, and the monk himself. His explorations into Buddhism are seen as evidence of a magnanimously ecumenical spirit; his affection for a Louisville nurse, as a humanizing moment that broadened and made tender the heart and soul of the monk. (We are offered a small but moving excerpt of one of the "Eighteen Poems," written during the days when monk and nurse were often in each other's company. It might be worth noting that "Learning to Love," volume 6 of Merton's journals, contains three or four excellent poems from this time.) Merton's sometimes uncritical enthusiasm for the politics of the left is not dealt with extensively, as Waldron's concern here is with the contemplative, creative, and poetic aspects of Thomas Merton's life-work.

"Walking with Thomas Merton" is the culmination of a lifelong enthusiasm for Robert Waldron, and he manages to convey, charmingly and disarmingly, why Merton's poems and prose fascinate him, and just might fascinate us. Merton's poems (and all fine poetry, as Waldron can attest, being an English teacher) cause us to pause from the hustle and hullaballoo, and gently urge us to pay attention to the minute particulars we often overlook, to go with the poet to a quiet space and re-create ourselves. Waldron baptizes (literally, immerses or plunges) himself in the poetry of Thomas Merton, that he might better speak forth the word (praedicare verbum) to his September retreatants. That we are allowed a glimpse of the retreat via the book's final pages, and to be alongside Waldron as he prepares for it, is a significant blessing. Waldron has given us a triune ode: to Thomas Merton, to the art of writing, and to those grace-filled moments of regenerative serenity that, please God, happen in the lives of us all.

This book is no better than any of the other graduate level marketing books that are available. You might think that since this book has 15 authors it might have something that books with only 3 authors lacks. But, if you thought this you'd be wrong. This book offers nothing new and its extremely high price makes it even less appealing.

This book combines the knowledge of excellent scholars of marketing in a clear and structured format which is accessible to undergraduates. In addition, the cases and other teaching materials provide excellent support.