Like all books, this book also contains its pros and cons. Lets start with the pros.

This book gives first-time piranha keepers a general idea on what piranha keeping is like. Its topics range from introducing what a piranha is and highlighting the untruths of the this fish to the code of conduct of keeping this fish. The description on the species are accompanied by vivid photographs. There is also a section on advising readers on tank setup procedure. Other topics include the breeding, handling and feeding of the piranhas. I find topics such as the suitability of tank mates for piranhas and how to choose a piranha extremely useful.

However, although this book covers a wide range of topics, it is not written in detail. It does not even state what is the suitable tank environment for this fish. The classification is also outdated. For eg. Serrasalmus Nattereri has been reclassified to Pygocentrus Nattereri in the eighties, but it is still being referred to as Serrasalmus Nattereri in this book; and Serrasalmus Niger is still being reflected as "the black piranha", which in actual fact should be Serrasalmus Rhombeus.

In summary, I would say this is a great book with lots of colourful photographs for beginners, but not for people who have been keeping this fish for sometime.

This book, like Archbishop Quinn's lecture at Oxford the previous year is an attempt to answer a call for advice given by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical "Ut Unum Sint." The charge that Quinn is somehow disaffected and rebellious simply does not wash. This book is a detailed historical study of various aspects of papal governance. Acting on the principle "Ecclesia semper reformanda" Quinn advocates changes in areas of church administration where change is truly required and NO doctrinal barriers exist for effecting such change. The outcome of such change, in my view, would be a purer and more effecacious proclamation of the Gospel, not a diminishment of the Catholic Church.

In response to the papal encyclical "Ut Unum Sint" (May 25, 1995) John R. Quinn examines the necessity of reform in the papacy as a prerequisite for serious consideration of union between the Roman Catholic church and other Christian churches. The retired Archbishop of San Francisco stresses the need for decentralization, greater collegiality, and reform of the way bishops are appointed. He also recommends changes in the college of cardinals, whcih have become an elite group within the college of bishops, and in the way the Pope is chosen. Finally, he calls for reform of the Roman Curia. Written in a clear informative manner, the book displays acquaintance with current scholarship and avoids polemics. It might be a bit esoteric for many readers. Quinn could have given greater attention to the system of Roman colleges for the training of clergy, a vestige of the imperial Roman practice of taking the children of royalty in subject countries, educating them in Rome, and , once imbued with the Roman mentality, sending them back to rule in their own countries. Quinn, a gratuate of the North American College (class of 1954) is a product of this system but does not seem to realize the implications of "Romanita'"- both for reform of the papacy and for church union. Well worth reading and, hopefully, a contribution to ecumenism.

Acknowledging that the way the papacy currently functions is an obstacle to Christian unity, John Paul II in 1995 invited suggestions for change, and John Quinn took him at his word. Quinn, former Archbishop of San Francisco, is a man who knows whereof he speaks and a man deeply concerned for the welfare of the Catholic Church. He points out in nuanced and respectful terms that the centralizing of power in the Church, the lack of subsidiarity in the appointment of bishops and in many other things, and the aggrandizement (and ordination) of the Roman Curia and college of cardinals - all changeable aspects of the way the papacy functions -- have undermined the exercise of real collegiality in church synods and national conferences, and deprived the local churches and bishops of rightful authority and power. Other Christian groups have no incentive to unite to such a church. Drawing on history and the ideas of Vatican II, Quinn makes suggestions pointing the way to a much needed reform, and not just for the sake of ecumenism. This is recommended reading for thoughtful Christians of all persuasions.