While Laurence Bergreen's book "Voyage to Mars" does contain some information about Mars space missions, robotic probes, and scientific study of Mars, it is primarily about the scientists, both men and women, who study Mars and design experiments for NASA robotic explorers and how they dedicated their lives to the study and exploration of this planet. Most of the book covers the people involved in Mars research since the Mars Observer failure in 1992.

This book follows the lives (personal and professional) of several NASA scientists who study Mars, whether they're off in some remote location studying geology that's similar to Mars or designing an experiment for a robotic exploration mission. The book includes the many battles that each one fights, whether is with NASA bureaucracy, their personal lives, with each other for experiments to be flown on an upcoming Mars spacecraft, or dealing with each other's conflicting theories on Martian geological history. One of the things that I gleaned from reading this book is that while each of the people maybe specialized in a given area, they all have a board background in planetary sciences and spacecraft design. Also, there seems to be a lot jealously between scientists, especially for those people who worked on the "Life on Mars" Rock. It was also nice to see that a good portion of the people that NASA employs are women.

Since I've known several of the people involved in Mars research who are described in this book for over a decade, I can definitely say that the stories presented are true and I found the personal descriptions of various individuals to be dead on as well as those of NASA facilities. The book could, however, benefit from some photos and illustrations instead of the detailed of various Martian geological features. It also would have been nice to some parts of the book devoted to the engineers who help make these missions possible, but that might be an inappropriate topic for this book.

Although on the surface this is a book about the recent robotic missions to Mars, the book is really an exploration of the culture of the project scientists at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Bergreen paints very full portraits of many key people involved in NASA, JPL, etc including the scientists, graduate students, industry representatives, etc. The book reminded me very much of Jim Watson's excellent account of his work to elucidate the structure of DNA, "The Race for the Double Helix" in that it showed the human side of science. Jim Garvin, Jim Head, Sean Solomon, and the other scientists in this book seek good and solid data, but also (understandably) seek publications in prestigious journals to advance their careers. They worry openly about funding and grant support. Jim Garvin has what sounds like a strained relationship with his wife, who does not really seem to understand her husband's passion and dedication. Some of the investigators don't like each other, and show this openly. These sorts of interludes were very interesting as many books about science and scientists are sterile and portray scientists as absent-minded-professor types who are not grounded in the real world (which is only very rarely the case).

The book is very readable and well written. My only complaint is that the book would have benefited from some illustrations. The images from the Mars Orbiter were discussed ad nauseum, but no representative images were between the covers of the book! Also, I would have liked to have seen a few photos of some of the hardware and researchers discussed.

Bergreen's book is a very intimate look at how science really works. In successive chapters, he takes us inside four groups of men and women: the team of scientists that worked on the Martian meteorite ALH84001; the Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner team, the team in charge of the Mars Global Surveyor's laser altimeter, and finally, inside Dan Goldin's NASA. What we see is a far cry from the polished interviews on TV, or the neatly written articles in Nature or Science. The truth is that scientists rarely agree on anything other than very broad assumptions, and often not even on those. Instead, scientists, even those working together on the same project, can heatedly disagree with one another's assumptions or interpretations, making it difficult to agree on the best way data should be released to the public.

An example from the MGS laser altimeter team (specifically the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter or MOLA). This instrument shoots blasts of laser light from the orbiting spacecraft to the surface of Mars, and times their return to the sensor. By doing so, an incredibly accurate topographical relief map of Mars can be created. However, Mars has no absolute altitude marker like Earth (sea-level). Therefore, the scientists have to agree on an altitude reference against which all other measurements are compared. The specific reference chosen is critical because it will be used in all subsequent analyses of MOLA data. Any error could potentially be a spoiler for generations of future reserachers. Bergreen was there when they discussed whether they were ready to commit to an altitude reference and start releasing data (many team members argued "yes!") or whether more data and study were needed before the team published such critical information (other team members said "wait!").

Also typical was the conflict in choosing a landing site for the Mars Polar Lander. Scientists pour over the data from MGS and pick a site that is geologically interesting. Engineers pour over the MGS data and pick a site that is safe. The two goals are often at direct odds with one another. The engineers want stastical rock-counts so that they can ensure their craft won't topple over a boulder. Scientists argue that the sites chosen by the engineers will nullify all the science objectives of the mission. Such discussions can quickly become personal as emotions boil over and passionate beliefs give way to shouting contests.

Bergreen's book is in many ways reminiscent of Overbye's Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, only directed at Planetary scientists instead of cosmologists. This book will be of extreme interest to Marsophiles, but will also be enlightening to those who want an inside look at Dan Goldin's NASA, or at the process actually followed by scientists in the trenches. I recommend this book highly to these two groups as well as anyone else who hasn't updated their knowledge of Mars exploration since Viking.

I was expecting something special after reading the review on "Zen Soup" but was sorely disappointed to recieve only another compilation of witty one-liners from apparently every man who ever felt he had something to say. (The usual six women also made the cut; Mother Theresa, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, etc.) Henry Ford is quoted almost as often as Buddha. (What does that tell you...) There is a summary at the beginning of each chapter telling how these quotes relate to a Zen concept but the relationships are simplistic and the majority of the quotes are worn thin (ie. "What you see is what you get"....Flip Wilson.)

Quotes are a wonderful, quick way of seeing the world from a new perspective, but labelling this book "Zen Soup" (instead of perhaps, "Yet More Cool Quotes From Smart People") seems like a quick way to make a buck.

This book is all quotations from Seneca & Sun-Tzu to William Blake & Noel Coward and many more. This is one of my favorite books and I recommend it to anyone.

Laurence G. Boldt has put together a first class selection of quotes from a wide range of famous men and women, each of them known for some kind of exceptional human achievement. As Boldt says, "the diversity of the sources highlights the timeless and universal nature of these principles", so there are many Westerners quoted aswell as more traditional Zen Eastern sources.

The book is divided into 25 different sections, each of them covering a quality associated with the Zen tradition e.g. Be Here Now, Beginner's Mind, Responsibility, Compassion, Joy, Discipline, The Game Of Life, Selfless Service, Letting Go, Everyday Zen. There is a brief introduction to each quality, then a selection of associated quotes.

Many readers of self-development books and spiritual ideas will be familiar with some of these sayings, but as befits the Zen emphasis, the quality and depth of these quotes really makes an impact. Some of the people quoted several times are Krishnamurti, Confucius, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Lao-Tzu, Goethe, Carl Jung, Albert Camus and texts from every major religion.

I read The Amah as a school project. In The Amah Amy's mom becomes an amah, a special kind of babysitter, for a girl named Stephanie. Since Mama spends so much time with Stephanie, twelve-year-old Amy has to take care of her four brothers and sisters in the afternoons. But this means skipping ballet classes, which are VERY important to Amy. And on top of that, Mama and Amy's siblings seem to love staphanie more than her! Amy feels cheated. But she learns that you should try to change yourself, and not only your peers.
Even though The Amah is a good book, I felt that it was a little un-fair to Amy. Everybody expected so much from her! That's why I only gave it three stars. (But i would've given it three and a half stars if I could've.)

The Amah
By: Laurance Yep
Reviewed by: J. ...
Period: 6
This book is about a girl named Amy Chin and how her family doesn't have enough money until her mom gets a new job as a amah. Amy has to baby sit her sisters and brothers, which cause her to have to miss her ballet classes. The girl Mrs. Chin watches over is Miss Stephanie. Miss Stephanie seems to be taking away Amy's family and Amy starts to get jealous. But the worst thing is that Stephanie is going to move in with the Chin's while her dad is away at a business trip. Later, Amy and Stephanie start to get along and Amy finds out why Stephanie is so kind to her family.
I liked this book because it shows how friendships shouldn't be based on what the person look or acts on the outside but how the person is on the inside. In the beginning, when Amy first hears about Stephanie, she is already starting to hate her because she takes away her family, especially her mom, and also her time for ballet practices. Then when Amy is asked to go to a ballet performance with Stephanie, Amy questions about it because it's a performance that she really wants to see but doesn't want Stephanie thinking that she likes her. Then when Amy finds out that Stephanie is going to live with her and she has to clean the whole house for Stephanie, Amy becomes furious. "And I'm looking forward to staying with you," Stephanie said. When Stephanie comes to live with Amy, Amy finds out that Stephanie isn't the way she thinks she is. Stephanie is actually a really nice person that tries to get people to like her so that was why she always gave her things to Amy's family, So Amy and Stephanie become good friends.
I also liked this book because it shows how a family has to work together. Since Amy found out that her mom got a new job and that she had to give up her ballet practices to baby sit her brothers and sisters she was not happy about it but listened to her mother anyway. After the first day of her mom's job Amy was already feeling sick of Miss Stephanie. Amy's mom always said good things about Miss Stephanie and it made Amy look bad. Amy soon started to question her mother's love towards her. Finally, I had a name for the ache inside. "Mama, don't you love me?" In the end, Amy and her mom started to work things out between them and everything got better.
My favorite part of the book is when Amy stands up for Stephanie against Stephanie's father. After Stephanie's father found out about the things that Stephanie was taking from him to give to the Chin's, he was furious. He fired Mrs. Chin but Stephanie didn't think that was right. So Amy took charge and stepped in front of Stephanie's father and started to question him about Stephanie and he didn't know the answers. Amy finally got Stephanie's father to admit that he needed Mrs. Chin and that he needed to spend more time with is daughter. So in the end, Stephanie and her father start to get to know each other better and Amy and her mom also do the same.

As with many of Yep's books, THE AMAH takes place in the San Francisco China Town. It is about a girl name Amy. Amy's mother has found work as an "Amah" for an American girl named Stephanie. Amy gets jealous of her mother's love for Stephanie. Amy also needs to sacrifice some of her ballet lessons for her mom to work. This book is a companion to Ribbon

Based upon a video series led by Prof. Ian Kershaw, this book posseses a renowned leading scholar to assert its in-depth discovery of the Nazi regime. Overall, we can assert that this book is above all a collection of pictures taken from 1933 to 1945, retracing the 12-year life of the 3d Reich through its leaders. The chronological structure helps the reader dive alongside the European people of the 30's into the abysses of the Holocaust. The latter step is reached after a series of thrilling and frightening visual and written testimonies of that period. Laurence Rees accurately explains the mecanisms of the Nazi regime and its policy towards peoples . Beware however, this bok is not dealing with the military aspect of the 3d Reich but packs a living testimony ,through contemporary witnesses of the deep horror of Hitler's killing machine.

For the serious history student interested in a quick cold-water style immersion in an excellent though disturbing look at the murderous excesses of the Nazi years, this startling book provides a sanguine, surprising, and totally readable overview of the brutalities, torturous acts, and murder accomplished by the Germans during their 12-year reign of terror, complete with hundreds of compelling photographs. Generated as a companion tome to a History Channel documentary, this is a good introduction to the scope and breadth of a mind-boggling range of Nazi atrocities perpetrated not only on European Jews, but also to the infirm, mentally impaired, and to anyone else they had motivation to exterminate. From the early acts of euthanasia of its own 'infirm' and "undesirables" to the systeamtic and publicly witnessed clubbing murder of hundreds of Jews in the streets of 'liberated' Latvian villages, this is a journey into the belly of the fascist beast.

This is a cautionary (and absolutely historically accurate) tale, made especially relevant in the year 2000 by the recent "ethnic cleansing" barbarism in Bosnia and Kosovo, of what can happen when people begin to surrender to the worst impulses of the social realm, and decide to ignore, or stand aside, or to pretend they just don't see where it is all leading. It has something to teach us about the very real dangers associated with unleashing the politics of hate, of what happens when ordinary citizens let other groups break the law to bully and terrorize minorities, when we let the central Government get out of control. History, as told in this excellent book, can teach us about how easily we humans succumb to subconscious evil, and seem to passively slip, almost without really deciding to, down the social and political slope to easy excuses and euphemisms, toward depravity, torture, and genocide. This is a book I highly recommend, although given its provocative and graphic photographic contents I would use caution about limiting its viewing by younger readers.

this book provides a good introduction to the history of the nazi party. it is readable, even for someone who knows very little about the subject, and yet is also a good review for those familiar with WWII-era german history. the many pictures in the book are wonderful and help not only to break up long bits of text to keep the reading interesting, but also to remind one that the people being read about were living, breathing human beings. umm, i like it.

I've been running for 35 years and coaching for many so I expected to pick up a book that would give some insight into a young runner's mind or some biomechanical needs of a young runner. The book is a cursory view of coaching and training. It's fine if you are just starting out with no background. But where's the meat and potatoes?

I liked how this booked emphasized how important mental training should be integrated into a good, solid training prog. The scientific aspect is easy to understand though not nearly as thorough or complex as Martin and Coe's book. The training is very conservative, but the strength training advice was very helpful.

I am a Cross Country Coach for Lakeshore Middle School in Stevensville, MI and am building a program. I found the "Training for Young Distance Runners" book to be very helpful. I have found the section on Psychology right on target. I have a son that runs High School Cross Country who runs year around and after a successful summer road racing season started the Cross Country Season doing very poorly. Using the Psychology section helped me get him back on track. The Nutrition section has also been helpful for some of my runners. I give the book a two thumbs up.

kandssteve@qtm.net Steve Nielsen

just a wonderful, new, look at Christ and his family. A subject almost never before dealt with from the angle this author has approached it. well worth the time it takes to read it.

a book for the jr. high to high school level. well written. very interesting in that it poses a new and refreshing angle to the subject at hand. a must for any christian to read--young or old

"The Cheese Book" is an excellent guide to cheese and everything that goes with it. With thorough descriptions of nearly every type of cheese in the world, information on the origins of cheese, how they are made, and recipes using them; this book contains everything you ever needed to know about cheese. It also provides good information about buying, serving and storing cheese properly. The only negative about this book is that it can be lengthy at times, but if you have a true interest in cheese that won't bother you at all.

I came upon this book long after it swept into thousands of American homes via Book Clubs. (1960's) At that time it must have been considered an incredible resource as cheeses (beyond the standards) were still largely unfamiliar commodies to most. It may have been a bit overly-thorough for the average reader at that time.

Today we are on the whole a lot more cheese-savvy in this country and there are wonderful cheeses to be found near at hand. It's wonderful to find a book that takes the time to go into all the various aspects of cheese-making, buying, storing, serving, as well as covering the fascinating history of cheese down through the ages. Every possible type of cheese seems to be covered - it's amazing how many there are!

Then finally one comes to the recipes - not many, but all use basic ingredients, are quite simply prepared and incredibly tasty. They've all worked well for me (and I've tried most all of them.) The cheddar cheese soup is easy to prepare and is one of the best I've ever tasted. It's the two creamy onion soups with cheese (one with a hard sharp cheese like cheddar, one with parmesan) that are the piece de resistance for me in this fine book. I consider the book worth it for the soup recipes alone! If you like cheese -- ANY kind of cheese -- grab yourself a copy of this now out-of-print book!

From the Antarctic Support Associates newsletter, October 1999:

This is a first person account of an actual expedition across The Ice. I see it as the start of the modern era, because so many things they did on this trip in 1928 that were so different from previous expeditions, and so similar to the way we still do things on The Ice. ECW Gear--the latest in modern clothing designed for extreme cold weather. Flagged Route--the first use of bamboo poles with colored flags for their amazing durability in the harsh environment, the same reasons we use them today. Snowmobiles-- the first use of motorized transport specifically designed for frigid climes. That they were a dismal failure only shows poor technology in an early application, not a failure of the concept. Air Transport--unlike Adm. Byrd who only flew from developed facilities, Larry Gould supported deep field camps at undeveloped sites. More traditional Antarctic readers may also enjoy this book as he goes on to describe a dog sled trip, 1500 miles surveyed in the TransAntarctic Mountains. An amazing feat in itself navigating through vast crevasse fields without prior aerial survey. Not only the first mapping survey, which came to discount some navigation by Amundsen & Scott, it was the first solely scientific study in what is now the continent for science. Their geological survey brought back samples to help verify plate tectonics and metamorphic mechanisms acting on previous sedimentary layers laid down before ice descended upon the continent. This is an excellent account by Larry Gould, who went on to become the first Director of the US Antarctic Program, and prinicple designer of the original Antarctic Treaty, which has become the model for many other international agreements since 1958. A defniite read for all those interested in the frozen continent.

This describes a forgotten but vital chapter in the annals of Antarctic exploration. Larry Gould was the first geologist to describe Antarctic rocks. His party took the first airplane trip within Antarctica, then had the first airplane rescue by the famous Richard E. Byrd, after their own airplane was blown apart by high winds. They later made a magnificent dogsled journey into interior Antarctica, and brought back rock samples that later proved the that Antarctica had been tied to other continents (the theory of continental drift).

This book, WHEN used in conjunction with the workbook, and audio and video cassettes, is very useful. By itself, the book would be much less helpful, but of course the book was intended to be used in combination with the audio and video aids. The combination of book, audio and video tapes, makes learning French interesting and entertaining. The only thing that is lacking (in my opinion) is a running translation into English, and a set of flash cards with the new words for each lesson.

Updated, but great, companion textbook to the wonderful public TV language show of the same. Just 52 episodes and you'll be on your way to speaking French. One of the easiest and better language courses available for free on PBS. Also published under the same title is the hardcover edition of these two parts in one book. Pick whichever you like - they're identical; two seperate books for lighter carrying or one complete edition for convenience.

I waited several years for this book to become available.
It's a heavy and pricey tome, with some great photos (most from the 1970's and early '80's) just like all other volumes in the collection. The book's design, by the author himself, is rather poor and difficult to navigate, with an army of fonts and millions of colors marching in unbelievable combinations. Should've hired a designer, really. The reader is better served with the earlier books, there are tons of more information and enjoyment in those. For the serious collector only.

THE GREAT BOOKS OF HASHISH VOL 1: BOOK 3 by LAURENCE CHERNIAK. This beautiful Book 3 continues the reputation of Mr. Cherniak's Book 1 & Book 2 whose purposes are to research the world's finest hashish and marijuana plants. This 3rd one is a huge and exciting book! 256 pages of glorious color - two times the size of Book 1! Contains photographs from over 30 countries and all 50 American states. Chapters on smuggling, eating, drinking, and even a cannabis feast! Microscopic explorations of buds, calyxes and resin. I agree with the following reviews:

"I first saw Laurence's books in the early 70's. They were the finest quality books, color photos and explanations that I have ever seen on cannabis and hashish. No one, even comes close to Cherniak's comprehensive photos and editorials. All these years have passed and Laurence can still be proud of having the finest photographs of cannabis and hashish that I have ever seen. I grew up on his books". JACK HERER, Author, THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES

The first time I saw these photographs by LAURENCE CHERNIAK, I felt like a test pilot suddenly thrust into a new dimension, riding a magic carpet to the fabled lands of hashish...I knew at once this was the best essay in drug photography I'd ever seen, a master work...CHERNIAK acts as a hierophant, revealing the mysteries of hashishology with imagination, intelligence and respect. Dr. Michael Aldrich, Ph. D. Curator Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library, San Francisco.

"LAURENCE CHERNIAK's books are very far above all the other books that I have seen in the last 25 years regarding marijuana and hashish. Laurence always gives me the sense of living splendidly while travelling around in a great big world. Reading his books transports you on a journey throughout the continents, showing not only the richest substances: but also the people". BEN DRONKERS, Founder of SENSI SEEDS, Holland