'Street People,' comprising Paul Perry's award-winning short stories in an arresting collection, is a poignant look at folks whose homes are wherever they are. The stories are not maudlin or oversympathetic, nor are they unnecessarily aesthetic. They are simply presented. And they are teeming with life. People blessed with four walls and a roof, count your blessings. Perry brings to absolute life the stark, matter of fact existences of the homeless, the wanderer, the seeker, the down-and-out. He's a good writer and his subject matter is compelling, but most of all, he's a great storyteller. From the homeless pair whose frustration is laid bare when their dead acquaintance's body lies ignored by the side of the highway for days, to the prostitute who carries her pimp's baby, to the simple act of sheltering in an abandoned automobile on a cold night, these stories touched a deep chord in me. I deeply appreciated that Perry gives these folks, through 'Street People,' credible and legitimate voice. Three cheers for Pocol Press of Virginia, which has begun to anthologize the work of some very talented emerging writers. Support this press and pick up Paul Perry's book -- you'll be pleased on a number of levels that you did.

I do not usually read books of this sort (I like fiction, philosophy, cosmology), but the reviews of this book caught my eye. It is written extremely well. Unconventional ideas presented very intelligently and backed up with compelling scientific and anecdotal evidence. Highly recommended to those with an open mind.

Dr. Melvin Morse gives us one of the best books that I have ever read. Thought provoking and detailed. How do humans connect to God? Is it through the brain? What of near death experiences and how are they similar? Is there proof of past lives? Do they connect? What is our link to the universe, or our position? Many topics are explored in this book in detail.

This book has to rate as one of the best on the subject of Paranormal Science. A must read for anyone who has an interest in the subject, or to someone who may be curious as to what this subject is all about. But this book, open your mind.

I found "Where God Lives" to be one of the best examinations of the NDE. Dr. Morse's section on children was compelling, but even more interesting was the section on past life remembrances. As Dr. Morse is a professional and researcher, the book is filled with case studies, scientific analysis and much insight. Although the premise of memory being stored in a place besides the brain may sound a little wacky and "occultish", the book is clearly not that at all. Definitely check this one out for an entertaining read.

This is an excellent book on how to gain respect by recognizing and cultivating its traits. Descriptions and examples of the traits (i.e. honesty, humor, etc) are explained. It would have been an even greater book if it taught how to handle people who just won't respect you no matter what.

Overall, it was a good book on the subject.

When I entered the professional arena after college, I had an extremely difficult time adjusting from the fraternity hijinks and it showed in the office. This book changed my life around. Everyone respects me and I can inspire others. No one throws things at me anymore. Perry Garfinkel is truly a great man!

Nice update on diabetes, especially compared to older books on the market. I was recently diagnosed as Type 2 and this was part of a voracious education campaign. Author presents a nine point process to take charge. It worked for me, but then diet and exercise are the core of any successful diabetes management program. Main point in this book is the addition of HCA/chromium as a dietary supplement. Does it work? Don't know for sure, but my glucose went from 250 to 125 in two weeks, although I'm still on Glucophage. His case studies are positive. Main thing I got out of the book was: "The cure is better than the disease."

As a long-time patient of Dr. Vern Cherewatenko, I can honestly say that the nine steps that he lists in this book are right on the money. I am at risk for Type II diabetes due to family history. Dr. Vern, his associate Dr. MacDonald, and I have been working to ensure that I do not end up with diabetes. The HCA mentioned is something that I highly recommend for anyone, diabetic or not. It has been instrumental in my 15 pound weight loss (in 12 months). Keep up the good work, Dr. Vern.

I am a person with Type II diabetes that had been able to treate the disease with diet. My blood sugars were starting to get out of the acceptable range when I got this book. I followed the recomendations listed in the book and my blood sugars are all back to normal now. I have also lost weight with the system. All I can say is that it works for me. I have never felt better in years.This may be the best book for people with Yype II diabetes.

The author contradicts himself in the first chapter. He writes about how incredibly wonderful it is on the 'other side' and how people who have NDE's very often become extremely angry and hostile when they are resusitated and brought back to this world.

Yet, a few lines on, he tells the story of a woman who asks the Being of Light if she can come back to Earth because she wants to go dancing! It can't be all that bloody great through the ruddy tunnel if dancing in this world is better. I have come across authors who have contradicted themselves, but never before in the same chapter!

Another thing that annoys me about this book is that the author is very selective when quoting research results to back up his theories. For example, in the chapter 'Explanations' he quotes from research by a Carl Becker who explains why the tunnel effect experienced by NDEers can not be explained away as a leftover memory from the experience of birth, as has been suggested by other scientists. However, he could just as easily have quoted from books by Brian L. Weiss M.D. who has regressed many patients who very clearly indeed recall their birth experiences, and in the greatest detail, all of which were proved to be true.

Other than the above, I enjoyed 'The Light Beyond' and would recommend it.

This work seems to be more complete and better thought out than Life after Life (which I rated high). Dr Moody has a way of presenting the information of NDE in way that allows the reader to come to his or her own conclusions. He does offer his own response to the phenomena and explains that he has been moved by the direct contact with NDE people. Dr Ring also stated a similar emotional transit by association (how could one not?). As suggested, the idea of spirituality being important as opposed to religion, to me appeals to the average intellect. To live ones life with the virtues of good and love being foremost because it is the right thing to do for yourself and the world around you, seems like a grand idea. I believe this book helps us in that direction. The opinion that there was not a wealth of new data or ideas does not seem important. What seemed significant was the maturing of the concepts and the slight contrast to the first books personality. You could feel a certain security from the author that he was now presenting us all with a great truth, rather than a new cult curiosity. In all-- well worth reading.

One of the best books EVER written, along with Dr. Moodys Life After LIfe and Reunions

In my next life, I want to be Paul Perry.

Look at everything he has done: he has written a biography of Hunter Thompson, wrote "Saved by the Light" (one of the greatest stories ever told), and did all of those other books about near death experiences. And now this, a book about the only excavation of a pirate ship.

This is a great book for a lot of reasons. For one, Barry Clifford is such a colorful character, kind of a real world Indiana Jones. Born on Cape Cod, he was raised with the story of Black Sam Bellamy, a pirate who feel in love with a local girl named Maria Hallett and went off the find booty in the Caribbean. He found plenty of it, and loaded it onto a captured slave ship (the Whydah) before sailing home to marry Maria. He died in a storm that also took most of his crew and tons of gold and silver to the bottom of the ocean.

This story haunted Clifford through the years, until he finally decided to search for the sunken treasure ship. He found way more than he bargained for, including trouble on land as well as sea. He also made discoveries that made the entire treasure hunting foray worthwhile: gold, silver, cannons, human bones, a piece of the hull and a textbook full of valuable information about the identity and nature of pirates.

This is a beautifully presented book, one that is written well and contains a wealth of photos and illustrations that are a feast for the eyes and mind of hungry readers.

My question now is this: What are you going to do next, Paul?

This book is a must for any fan of pirate lore!Barry Clifford and Paul Perry did a great jobof making you feel like you were on the sandyshores of the cape, looking out at the poundingwaves and staring at this long gone ship through the myst. A great tale of Barry Clifford's devotion of life and soul to finding the wreck of the Whydah. The book covers everything from thehaunting legends and myths of past pirates, to Barry's dealings with the archealogical boards to obtain permission to excavate the site in which he believed to cover the ship. A great story of oneman's determination against all odds to findin himself the limits of how far one will go to achieve that which is considered unattainable. Enough said, the book is totally enjoyable andnever lets up!

If you're like me and you thrilled to accounts of pirates and blood and thunder on the high seas when you were a kid, this book will get your pulse racing. It's not only an intriguing tale of Black Sam Bellamy, one of the most fascinating buccaneers ever to sail the Spanish Main, but a modern adventure tale about the finding of Black Sam's treasure. Treasure-hunter Barry Clifford--a tough ex-athlete with a nose for lost artifacts--and co-author Paul Perry, a member of the expedition, lived out a story that will capture the imagination of any adult trapped in the blandness of a high-tech world. Clifford became fixated on finding the Whydah, an English slave ship commandeered by a pirate crew under Bellamy that had sunk in a ferocious storm off Cape Cod in 1717. It took Clifford years of struggle to do so--raising the money to back his venture, fighting with gold-crazed partners, dealing with so many failures that it seemed the ghosts of the dead pirates were out to defeat him. The book is packed with photos and drawings, recreating for the reader not only the swashbuckling era of piracy but the life of a present-day Indiana Jones who wouldn't be stopped until he plumbed the secrets of the deep.

I just finished reading this book, and I must say that it was extremely interesting. The author, Dannion Brinkley, gets struck by lightning while talking on the telephone and is clinically dead for 28 minutes! His account of what follows his "death" is absolutely amazing. It is the most detailed near death experience account that I have read, and even Dr. Raymond Moody, a Ph.D & M.D. and authority on the subject, says the same.

This book is very insightful if you are interested in studying accounts of near death experiences (NDEs). Brinkley's vivid retelling of what he witnessed is astounding -- detailed "interactions" with "beings of light" (as detailed as I've read, anyway), a visit to a crystal city of light, revelations he received about the future that really occurred (Gulf War, fall of USSR...), and much more...He even tells of "psychic powers" he had upon his return, which are very interesting. I'm not into psychics and all, but this stuff he can do is supposedly documented and "verifiable". Nevertheless, what he claims is very interesting and he seems to be truthful.

All in all, a very interesting, detailed, and compelling account of a NDE. Brinkley's relationship with Dr. Moody lends a great deal of credence to a fantastic, almost unbelieveable story.

Definitely worth reading, but for those of you who have not read about NDEs prior to stumbling upon this book, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING DR. RAYMOND MOODY'S STUDIES FIRST, which are very scientific and objective studies of NDEs (esp. "Life After Life" and "Reflections on Life After Life", etc). This book makes a good case study after you have read Moody's works...

I had received this book from my Physics teacher. It had taken me 2 years to actually start reading this book. I had no idea what impact it would have made on me then.

I am currently 18 years of age as I am writing this, and this book has changed the way I approach life and think about others. Subjects such as death, hope, and forgivness give this book a nice mood throughout its journey.

It begins with Dannion, the author, talking on the telephone with one of his business parnters. He gets struck by lighting and enters a mysterious spirtual realm. At first, he does not know where he is, or whether the lightning bolt has killed him. The fact finally comes to him when he his hovering over his fried body, that he is in another place. He embarks on a colorful journey to better his not-so-good past life. The spiritual worlds that he travels about are very visually descriptive and delightful. He finally gets sent back to earth, telling everyone about his near death experience and begins his mission.

I think is an excellent book for all ages. It will change you for the better, and you will appreciate it.

This is one of the most intelligently written NDE (near death experience) books I've ever read. (And I've read a few...) Dannion's story was an amazing one and he told it very well.

It is a compelling book - I found myself devouring the book cover to cover and then perusing it a second time.

One of the most interesting things I picked up on in this book is his experience of returning to this life.

He had been sent down to the morgue, with a sheet draped over his body, when he came back to life.

And he talked about the moment of decision - whether to go back or to remain in the next life - and once that decision was made, his body stirred and he was alive again.

This (to me) was a wonderful proof that there is no power in the body. It is not the body that makes decisions about life. Dannion's body was dead but once he decided to return to (this) life, the body was restored.

The human scene shifted to correspond with the spiritual reality and the spiritual decisions.

Read the book and draw your own inspirations, revelations and education. It was a great read and a book with much depth.

I just finished reading this book and was very surprised to find a reviewer who said that it is about reincarnation. This book is about Near Death Experience and about human transformation. I do not remember reading anything about reincarnation at all.

What I do remember reading was a book that echoed very strongly with my own thoughts and feelings about life and death. I enjoyed reading about the "future predictions" and "paranormal powers," but I don't need this information to motivate my life. What I need, and what I found in this book, are powerful statements about the connection of all life, the strength of love, the need to open our hearts and give, and the need to affirm the divine nature of all humankind. Deep spiritual values that are at the heart of all religions (yes, I have read them in my bible too!).

My mother is 82 years old and beginning the evolution to her death. I will soon begin reading this book to her. I have asked my brother and sister to read this book. I hope that we can work together to "de-stress" our hearts and minds as we participate in a death in our family.

The author was struck by lightning in 1975, and was "dead" for 28 minutes, during which time he recalls leaving his body and being transferred to a realm of light, where 13 Spirit Beings spoke with him. He experienced a "life review," in which he was able to experience himself and his actions through the perceptions and feelings of all those whom his life had affected. The Spirit Beings gave him 117 specific predictions of the future, including previews of such events as the fall of the Soviet Union and the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Brinkley was also returned to life on earth with a mission - to build Centers for the cultivation of spirituality from a non-religious perspective.

Years later, Brinkley had a second NDE while having heart surgery. He experienced another life review, and gained further insghts that were to help him in the future - although he has considerably less to say about this NDE than about the earlier one.

During his recovery from the 1975 lightning strike, Brinkley discovered that he had apparently spontaneously developed the ability to read the thoughts and feelings of other people, and to foretell certain kinds of future events with a high (though not perfect) degree of accuracy. The effects of these new-found abilities on his life are documented in this book.

Brinkley has found a niche (his life's purpose) in hospice work, using the accounts of his experiences to help relieve the dying of the fear of death, and using a pre-death version of the "life review" process to help the dying come to terms with the events and effects of their lives. The net effect of Brinkley's work seems to be to help people die in a state of relatively greater peace and dignity.

Brinkley's NDEs included no sense of being judged by the Beings of Light. Rather, he says that we are much harsher judges of ourselves than any other being(s) might be, and that the after-death life review gives us an opportunity to do that judgment. However, no particular penalties or rewards seem to be imposed or granted from without.

As the book closes, Brinkley has built a functional prototype Center, and he discusses the effects of its use on clients or subjects. From Brinkley's point of view, the cultivation of spirituality seems to be related to out-of-body experiences, meetings with dead loved ones, and other such experiences that are generally considered occult or psychic in nature.

I enjoyed this book, in that it seems to promote a very loving and compassionate attitude toward ourselves and others, and to encourage kindness as a primary virtue. According to Brinkley, "random acts of kindness" turn out to be what matter most, in a positive sense, from the perspective of a life review.

On the question of whether Brinkley's experiences, and the many similar accounts of NDEs, provide a genuine preview of what we can expect when our fleshly bodies expire and we leave the earthly scene, I am not prepared to issue an opinion.

In this second book Mr. Brinkley goes into considerably more detail about his Near Death Experience, hospice work, and the Centers that he was directed to build by Spirit Beings. It is a most inspiring and comforting account- this is the third time that I've read it since its publication. Always central is the message that he was directed to bring back to this life, namely, that we are all mighty spiritual beings who came here to cocreate with God out of a spirit of love.
It occured to me in reading this that he has recreated the ancient profession of the psychopomp, the guide to the spirit world. Indeed, his Centers sound remarkable like an updated version of the psychomanteum, a temple where people can go to have mystical visions and/or direct contact with spirits. I can see where this would correct a profound imbalance in the modern psyche.
The author also recounts the visions of the future that he was given in 1975...

I became a Hunter S Thompson fan early on. It was high school when I was in my more radical, experimental phase. Reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a whirlwind event. I had never encountered anything like it before. It was a bit more than my teenage mind could handle. HST immediately shot up the ranks of my favorite authors. He was explosive and also more accessible than the beats. There was always a sense of awe whenever the name of Hunter Thompson was invoked. The blend of journalism with fiction was a unique blend. It also seemed at times to hit on the truth more accurately than a lot of serious journalism. But before I go off about HST, let me get back to the bio at hand. This is not an authorized biography but I feel that it does shed some light on Thompson. It would seem that perhaps Thompson is receiving a bit of his own medicine here. Perry does give us some information on Thompson's childhood. He also gets into the early years of Thompson's career before the legend of Gonzo was born. This does help explain the development of this hick from Kentucky into a world renown icon of gonzo journalism. I would grant that a more definitive bio of HST could be written. There are others that I have yet to read. I was happy to get the info this book offers. I should tide me over until I read those books. HST is a fascinating figure in 20th Century America. This book is one piece to help solve the puzzle.

This is an excellent book, one that I am glad is not written in the gonzo style.

Hunter's life is dissected and examined by Perry, who did a thoughtful and insightful work.

If you want gonzo, read Hunter, he is the only one who can write that way. If you want to read about gonzo and the mind behind it, this is your read.

It is impossible to read anything ever written by Thompson without being intrigued about who this guy is and if he is for real.This book answers many of questions regarding his history as well as his interactions with those around him. It is a very well wrought and researched piece about a very interesting subject.

Berserker is actually one of the better and more captivating books in the Aliens series. While the concept isn't exactly original -- Aliens: Tribes was also about a berserker team -- this book was certainly a lot better written than tribes. The characters were well developed, and most of them were understandable people the reader is able to sympathize with. You could easily feel sorry for Teape when he's doing his job, or understand how Ellis feels around other members of the crew.

In addition, unlike most of the books preceding this one, there is actually quite a bit of action. We get a lot of bug hunting, and, more importantly, cool bug killing.

Others have complained about the lack of something so basic as a plot, but there is a rudimentary plot, and that's all that's needed. The team is sent to wipe out a bug infestation and uncovers a Company coverup. Let's face it, in this series, you don't need a great, subtle plot, you just need an excuse to kill some XTs.

The MAX (Mobile Assault ExoWarrior or somesuch) was really cool, although I seem to recall that in Tribes it was colled a MOX (offensive instead of assault). Oh well. Overall this was a fun, fast-paced, very readable bit of fiction. The only real downside is the cover. That must be one of the worst cover illustrations I've ever seen. UGGHH!

Aliens: Berserker was a well-paced story that lacked the story. It was witty, and action-packed, but it left you wondering what the whole thing was about. The author focused too much on the characters and less on the plot. S.D. Perry is an excellent novelist, and has a born instinct on building characters, yet this novel keeps you asking questions beyond the end. I am impressed by the writing, and highly recommend her other works. As for this book, ask her what it's about.

This book was better than most of the other novelizations in this series. I loved the movies and try to collect as much aliens stuff as I can. The way that the author(S.D Perry) describes the characters thoughts and feelings as they lead the MAX(large robot dedicated to destroying bugs)into battle is astounding. While the story is simple, the character development is outstanding. I just wish she would write more Aliens novelizations instead of Resident Evil ones.