This is a wonderful book that I believe can change lives. Compassionate Living for Healing, Wholeness and Harmony has helped me to look at many aspects of life in a clearer light. I sincerely thought I was a very compassionate person... but with Joanne Stepaniak's gentle guidance I realize my path has only just begun. There is so much more I can do... not only for others and for our world, but for myself. And in so doing, I feel happier and more content. Life could be so simple, and so peaceful if we all could see through Joanne's eyes. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cultivating a richer, more fulfilling existence.

Joanne has a way of confronting thoughts that we all know we have but are ashamed to admit. She does a very good job of explaining the difference between compassion and self-serving "martyrdom", without being self-righteous.

Joanne Stepaniak has published yet another inspiring read. This time, without veganism in the forefront. Hopefully, this broader scope will reach those outside of the vegan movement, for the world is in need of the wisdom within the book's pages.

The pace and tone of contemporary living do not often allow for deliberate use of compassion, empathy and sympathy in everyday life. However, no matter what someone's cultural, socio-economic or religious background may be, these concepts are inherent for both personal and widespread well-being. It is too easy to get caught up in personal woes that seem out of our control. This book is a great entry into the quest for balance and compassion, which oppose the pitfalls of excess and bitterness.

Compassionate Living, as Joanne explains, is not about martyrdom or aestheticism. Indeed, compassion begins with the self--that is one of the foremost ideas readers can take away from this book. She touches on the truth that without respect for oneself, it is not feasible to respect one's fellow humans, animals and environment.

And as the title of this review states, all of these ideas are presented as a guide. There are definitive steps one can take to incorporate compassion into his/her life. Compassionate Living is not a set of rules. Rather, it is a collection of positive ideas with explanation as to how one can achieve balance in the world.

Aside from all of the empowering concepts and guidance, Joanne Stepaniak is simply a wonderful writer. The text is concise, poetic and inspiring. Having an MA in English Literature, I have read some good literature and know when I come across a well-written piece of work.

I recommend this book to everyone, regardless of how compassionate one may think he/she already is. The book is for everyone, regardless of all the things we use to differentiate ourselves from one another (i.e. age, sex, political slant).

Billy Schneider is such and inspirational speaker! Since the first day I heard him, I was deeply touched. And I got the honor of having Billy come to my High School and speak. Listen when I say that your life is worth every second. And Billy will tell you that and more. Because it's true!

I first became interested in this book when Billy Schneider came to my school and gave a presentation on drugs and his life. I didn't expect him to be so powerful, after all, he seemed just like an ordinary school guest speaker. But after hearing what he had to say, and after hearing about his life, I just had to get this book. It's a great wake-up call for anyone who thinks that they're invincible and untouchable.

This powerful story is clear and honest. The author's handling of sensitive issues regarding family and her own challenge of becoming a wife was amazing. The honesty showed up when Billy fell back into drugs again. It showed the progressive realization that God continues to work miracles when allowed to do so.

Death comes to us all - whether it's sudden or gradual; whether it's our own or someone close - leaving this garment, quitting this life, passing on to the next Grand Adventure. In each chapter of this detailed, simply written, expressive & compassionate volume, are poignant poems, soothing photos & sidebars of lists to walk us through from Living With Serious Illness to Finding Meaning to Helping Family Make Decisions and Give Care; from getting the Help You Need to Talking With Your Doctor; from Controlling Pain to Planning Ahead; from Hastening Death to The Dying of Children to Enduring Loss & beyond. A huge crew of researching assistants from the Center to Improve Care of the Dying out of George Washington University, put this Handbook for Mortals together & the caring insights, profound realizations & ordinary instructions make for a really useful book you can pick up at any time & not worry about disturbing someone in the middle of the night or during their busy work day.

I found this book days after leaving the hospital with a two year prognosis for a misdiagnosed illness. My head was spinning. I was making lists of questions and to do lists for leaving my 2 young children. Finding this book was a wonderful gift. It answered my questions and provided a realistic outlook for what to expect of a terminal condition. The book provides sample statements for calling your relatives and helps you to prepare for your doctor appointments. I visited a doctor today and I led the session and all of my questions were addressed before the exam occurred. This book should be recommended to all diagnosed with a terminal illness. Highly recommended book!

I wish I had picked up this book earlier in my step-father's illness. Very useful for those who are facing illness or who love someone who is very ill, telling you the kinds of things to expect and ways of dealing them.

These are children's books with a lot of action and dialogue-- perfect, easy reading for the non-native speaker, well and carefully translated...

I found it great! I'm taking French currently and although I had to ask my dad for a lot of the words, I found it funny! Great translation, and as usual, the best book. Read the English version before you read others to get the real J.K. Rowling. But still a great substitution for non-English speakers.

Harry Potter is with his uncle, aunt, and cousin, who he hates so much, he would give almost anything to get out of there when his Aunt Marge comes to vist with her pit bull-Ripper. He loses control over his magic, and blows her up. Harry is on the run, but not for long. The Ministry of Magic finds him, and acts like they are thankful to find him, alive, and he soon finds out why.First, a strange dog scares him, and Harry almost gets killed. He is being treated very weired, until he finds out why. The infamous prisoner of Azakban, the wizard prison, has escaped and is after him. Harry is not safe anywhere, even at his school, Hogwarts. This book has an ending that you will never guess and is funny, with a lot of mystery in it. It is one of the best books that I have ever read in my life and I think that you will love it too!

I was given this book for Christmas--not knowing anything about the contents or author. And what a terrific gift it turned out to be! I was "hooked" on the first page----and hated to put it down until I was finished. It truly is a page-turner and holds your interest from beginning to end. There are so few books like that----but this is truly one of the best. It's the story of a woman's search for "herself", her past, her genetic family. It's also the story of a death, a trial of an innocent man, a woman trying to get out of an unhealthy marriage, a mother coping with raising a son and having a full time career that takes her away from home far too much. It has it all----love, guilt, passion, lust, sorrow, pain---and happiness. Having been a foster mother, I had some insight into the "system". This was most definitely a true story----facts were quite accurate in dealing with these children who are "lost" in the turmoil of foster care/abandonment. I hope to meet the author some day and talk to her about her life. This was clearly one of the best written books I have ever read----and I read thousands of books. It was a great gift for me----in many ways. An awesome book.

i loved it! i've read thousands of books and this one is such an incredible story! since it is based on a real life, it makes it that much more compelling. not only is it a page-turner, it appeals to the basic curiousity of all human beings. every aspect of this book will touch on something personal to your life, which makes it not only interesting, but absolutely enthralling!!!!

Inventing Savannah is an absorbing, compelling novel about a woman's search to find her biological family and her decision to leave a failed marriage. Savannah Dreyden, a public defender, is a totally sympathetic character and Tucker Johnston, her client up on murder charges, is unforgettable. This book is hard to put down from beginning to end.

These tapes are extremely informative. I learned more each time I listened to them, which was easy because they're actually quite fun. They also make great baby gifts for all my "mommy" friends. One drawback is that they don't appear to be available in CD. Many of my friends only have CD players especially in the car. If they are available on CD please let me know. Thank you so much. Karine Saadouna

These tapes are amazing helpers to all parents. They encourage both mother and father to understand their baby's needs and wants from an early stage. The values taught to parents in these tapes help children to grow up with a strong sense of values. I would recommend them to all my friends and relatives with children.

The Character Connection tapes reflect the best of what clinical wisdom and behavioral science have to offer on rearing healthy children and youth. Inherent in this approach is the recognition that relationship rather than manipulative tactics and stratetgies is the key to successful parenting. The conversational format complements the message by being interactive rather than dydactic. Principles of successful parenting emerge through discussion of concrete, real-life questions and situations. I recommend Character Connection to both prospective and current prents as a guide to the most important endeavor adult life has to offer.

Joanne Hill used her years of emotional devastation and, subsequently, searching for rainbows (literally and figuratively) to produce a narrative of healing, encouragement, and inspiration. We meet the fascinating people who populated her life, some who remain, and many who were snatched away by death. She describes "stories of strange and mysterious happenings, miraculous coincidences and wondrous people who came to us out of chaos, troubles and sorrow." Woven throughout the chapters are the seven remedies Hill developed for surviving crises of death, illness, loss of relationships, and loss of personal possessions, and for finding joy in living. Hill's book offers food for reflection and - perhaps - a glimmer of the rainbow that reminds us that life does, indeed, move on, and we are often the stronger and happier for it.

"Rainbow Remedies for Life's Stormy Times" contains the wisdom that Joanne Hill has acquired as she worked through some of the stormy times of her life. And what stormy times she has had! Among other things she lost twelve members of her family over a four year time period.

Throughout the book she shows the reader how to see the rainbows in the face of stormy times. She presents seven "remedies" (coping processes) that are useful in dealing with difficult times. These seven remedies are 1) Stop, Look, Listen and Learn, 2) Praise and Thanksgiving, 3) Accentuate the Positive, 4) Power of Choice, 5) Forgiveness, 6) Helping others Help Themselves, and 7) Support. Each of these has it's own chapter in which she distills the basic facets of the remedy and follows up with the ingredients or steps needed to use the remedy. Deeply moving at times, it is a highly recommended book for anyone hurting or trying to move on past a hurt.

Have you ever wondered where an author found their ideas? Well, many, many times I have. In Rainbow Remedies for Life's Stormy Times, the author provides an extensive reading list of writers that have guided her on her path. Her painstaking work provides an opportunity for the reader to do further exploration on their own. Though the author writes extensively about how she dealt with the many deaths in her family, the book is much, much more than that. Grief occurs with the loss of anything. I consider this a must read book for anyone who wants to help themselves to a happier, more successful life.

For those who adore pasta, this book is a bonus. For those new to the pleasure, this book will hasten the love affair. Straight forward text presentation, plus informative images, insure a number of memorable dining experiences.

I was so pleased when I received this cookbook. For the price it's just a great book. I have a cookbook collection and this is one of my all-time favorites. It is full of delicious , easy recepies and the photos are just beautiful. I would highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a pasta book. You wont be dissapointed.

I tend to associate Williams-Sonoma with snobbery, and was tentative about this book. However, the recipes are darn good and easy, nothing fru-fru. Making homemade is truly a snap, and now our family loves to make and eat it all the time. This book shows how to make all pasta shapes as well as pasta sauces, with every day ingredients.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves pasta!

Along with Shirley Ottos' Oncology Nursing, the Core Curriculum, with it's concise outline format helped me study for and pass my OCN exam. The 'core' will accompany me on my unit for quick, easy reference.

I used this book, and the Study Guide for The Core Curriculum for Oncology Nursing textbook, as well as the OCN 3 exam booklets from ONS, and did really well on the OCN Exam that I took in Washington D.C., April 17, 2002. This book helped me so much on being able to pass that test. It is set up exactly like the OCN Test Blueprint. I would study and work my way through each chapter and then test myself in the study guide book, and then I would test myself on one of the OCN Exam booklets, and then I would go through the book again.

Truly this is your bible for passing the National Oncology Certification Test. This and the Q and A study guide and some practice tests directly from ONS were all I used to take the test this fall. All of us at my work place who used these same materials passed. You really don't need anything else. The only problem is the book is presented in an outline form which makes for difficult reading for pleasure's sake alone but good for studying. Also a good reference book.

I have known one of the authors, Iva Wilson, for many years. When I served with her on a Board I thought she had a remarkable ability to distill an idea that was in the air in such a way that we all took full credit. Based on this experience, I anticipated that this book would help me with organizational learning, which it did.

The authors have written a very useful and stimulating volume. For me, as a senior manager and then as a consultant, Organizational Learning has been an abstract and academic topic. In contrast, this book relates the actual experiences of two CEO's - both their successes and failures - in terms I can relate to my own experiences.

One of the great strengths of the book - though it will be a source of discomfort to those who want easy, tidy, answers - is that it makes clear how individual each organizational learning effort is and must be. The route is often not clear; changing directions is a necessity, not a detour from a know-able optimal path.

The differences in the CEO's experiences can make for difficult reading because they do NOT prescribe a single approach or method. I found it hard to keep straight what each one was recommending. Finally, I realized that I needed to craft my own approach using their stories as stimulus. Eureka! A very worthwhile experience.

Learning, true learning, takes courage. Being a life-long-learner means being comfortable admitting that all our previous thoughts, feelings and actions-while they were the best we could do at the time-were limited by what we had not yet learned. Being a learner means admitting that the answers we believe in today are always limited by what we will learn tomorrow.

One of the things I love about this book is the courage the authors model in admitting that learning has inherent risk. I know Iva Wilson, but I had no idea of the power of her story until I read this book. I gained a whole new perspective of the pain and heartache that can come from being a CEO with a vision that others do not fully appreciate. I am thankful that she and Bert are willing to tell of their failures as well as their successes in their journey to create organizations where people can be more authentic and humane. This book asks me to stop, the next time I am being judgmental of another's' passion, and listen more deeply to their story.

I have studied much about organizational learning, but this book gave me many stories that brought the meanings behind Peter Senge's book, The Fifth Discipline, into a new light. I understand organizational double-loop learning in a new way. And thanks to Iva, I have a new appreciation of the risk and the power of dialogue.

This book would be a comforting companion for anyone who fears they are not smart enough to "do it right the first time." None of us are.

This is the first book on OL that I would feel comfortable passing on to a business manager. Most of the others I've read are more geared toward researchers in the area. But the work is thoroughly researched and referenced, so even researchers will find the book a good lesson in how to write for the business audience! The summaries of key contributions in the field (esp Argyris, Schon, Senge) at the beginning would be a great primer for someone new to this area of research, and the practical advice in the later part of the book in terms of questions to answer at each stage of going forward with your OL effort were highly appropriate.