I INITIALLY viewed this book as non-specific, pointless, and rambling because it was not based on "axiomatic" thinking. After multiple readings, I am convinced that this is the most INTERNALLY CONSISTENT and USEFUL analysis that I have seen---Maharaj sits way up on top of the Mountain and his grand view sees things most of us simply do not. But, as you WORK through the book, you are inescapably drawn into agreement (although complete experience may only be an eventual goal) and see a slow change in (and your awareness of) your SELF.

The recent book "The Power of Now" (E. Tolle) is a "popularization" of this book's message.

I simply cannot recommed I AM THAT any more strongly. Don't give up if the inital going is difficult--eventually, its STUNNING SIMPLICITY comes through to pay rich dividends. You don't have to read the Gita or the Bible, Schopenhauer, Koran or Russell, or any one else for that matter, after this book.

To her credit, one of my favorite Zen Buddhist Teachers, Joko Beck, has confessed scepticism that enlightenment is a genuine human possibility. To my own credit, I contemplated for some time the possibility that she might well be correct. Then I read Sri Nisargatta Maharaj's book of oral talks entitled "I am That." This is without a doubt the greatest work of human wisdom that I've so far encountered, and I can only hope it reaches the widest possible audience. As a veteran spiritual seeker I can say with conviction that the majority of people I've encountered on the path are seeking to enhance their lives in some way. This is not at all the message of Sri Nisargatta, however. What he is proposing is that we have the courage to loose our lives altogether -- which obviously is no easy thing. If, however, you understand this imperative, then by all means read his book. You will surely be carried farther than you have so far imagined possible.

I've had the book 'I Am That' for a long time, have read it many times (enough, I don't read it anymore) and highly recommend it. But it should be recognized that although reading may spur an intuition of 'that which is beyond words', reading is not enough. I've seen too many reviews that seem to place emphasis on the book itself, or on Maharaj (who ALWAYS placed the emphasis back on the Self or Absolute, imploring the reader not to WORSHIP 'HIM'). One reader even stated an addiction to the book ("I've burned several copies").

Words are ultimately empty. If the recommendations in this book are put into practice, a condition of ripeness may come about, the "I" or "me" (ego) may drop. Nothing is guaranteed, but if an addiction to words exists, it can almost be guaranteed that attachment to thought will continue. A brief respite is not enough. Read with courage (once or twice), then put the book down and follow the recommendations -- or let some self-inquiry happen naturally. Depend on nobody and nothing but proceed courageously and alone, knowing 'You are That'! Attaching to the book or to Nisargadatta will not bring freedom any nearer.

Even as a third grader I was an avid reader in search of great books. By passing the standard issue Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, I wanted the stuff dreams were made of. I remember discovering The Animal Family and being more intreagued by its presentation (a smallish book with wide margins on each page, crammed amid the large, brightly colored books of the children's library). But the opening page drew me in and kept me entranced for days. I re-read the book whenever I could find it in the school library-until it disappeared. Last night, my five-year-old daughter asked me to tell her a story. I searched the depths of my memory and began the story of a "lonely hunter who lived in a log cabin where the woods meet the beach. One night he heard a mermaid singing..." As my daugter's eyes grew wide while she watched my face, hoping, perhaps, to pull the words all the faster from my memory, I knew I needed to find the book that 30 years ago enthralled me with its uniqueness and then stayed in my memory long enough to promise the same for my daughter.

(...) (A Librarian)gave me a copy of The Animal Family as a birthday present one year, and it immediately became my favorite book.

This story is so simply told, yet so beautiful that it has stayed with me all my life (30 years and counting since I first read it). I keep several copies of it so that I can give them away whenever I meet a special child who I think would appreciate it.

You can read the other reviews if you want to know the story line... nothing can do it justice, however, except just reading it. When you start, you won't want the story to end, and when it does, you will be sad that the world - and relationships - aren't really as beautiful as they are in the book.

This is an absolute MUST READ for any child. Or adult.

The day after I turned eight years old, my family moved into a house next door to the Golden Gate Valley Branch public library in San Francisco. I lived there for the next nine years exactly, moving on my 17th birthday, and spent six days a week in the library next door (except for that brief period when I was banned for having 77 overdue books, and had to work off my fines before they'd let me back in). I'd have been in there seven days a week except they were closed on Sunday, which has ever since been my least favorite day of the week.

There were several children's librarians there during the years I lived next door, and they all took an interest in me as I was such a voracious reader. One gave me a copy of The Animal Family as a birthday present one year, and it immediately became my favorite book.

This story is so simply told, yet so beautiful that it has stayed with me all my life (30 years and counting since I first read it). Before the internet came along, I made it a point to locate used copies through the booksellers' network, and kept several copies on hand so that I could give them away whenever I met a special child who I thought would appreciate it.

My half-brother has three little girls (ages seven, five and three) whom I am going to meet soon for the first time; I'm hoping to be able to read at least the first two chapters to the two older girls, as I just know this will make an excellent first impression!

You can read the other reviews if you want to know the story line... nothing can do it justice, however, except just reading the book. When you start, you won't want the story to end, and when it does, you will be sad that things the world - families and relationships - aren't really as beautiful, simple and loving as they are in the book.

This is an absolute MUST READ for any child. Or adult.

Knowing something of the fame of Saint Therese, I found this book very interesting in that it provided a look at the human being she was. Her ability to relate so quickly and meaningfully with Maurice in these letters makes it clear that she was a person of wonderful qualitiies, capable of simple yet extraordinary accomplishments.

The book also presents a beautiful picture of a life lived with reliance on faith...even when doubts occur. In her last year, Therese experienced profound feelings of spiritual emptiness which troubled her. We see no evidence of this in her letters to Maurice, but Mr. Ahern's lucid commentaries explain what was going on in her personal life and make it clear that she realized where her mission should be -- in helping a young man who needed encouragement, not in turning attention to her own needs.

That a person does not have to be built on heroic proportions in order to do good in the world -- that is the message I took away from this book. And, I recommend tha others to pick it up and read it.

This is the only book I've ever finished and started over again. I didn't know much about Therese, and less about Maurice, but this book makes you want to read more about Therese. One reviewer called this book a "gift," and I couldn't agree more. The story of a cloistered nun in 19th century France might not seem very relevant today, but God's love is, and that's what this book is about. If Therese had one message, it was "God is love." We need to hear that as much now as a hundred years ago in France.

Never have I read a book on a saint that was more revealing than this. The correspondence between this beloved Saint and a wonderfully ordinary priest washes away the mystique of St. Therese. What it reveals is a very human woman who through the love of Jesus helps another human being find the love God wants us to share in. It is very intense and emotional. You will find it difficult to put down and easy to re-read.

dr. seuss was more than a children's book author, he was an artist. i had always taken for granted this fact until i saw this as another extension of his work. beautiful pictures and fascinating sculptures...would i love to one of those hanging in my livingroom!

Every page unfolds another facinating look into the mind of a wonderful artist that many have grown up with. I personally was amazed at what I found within these pages, and would recomend this book to anyone that is either interested in art, or in Dr. Seuss. This book shows that he was much more than just a children's author.

If you think that Dr. Seuss's art is just for children, think again! This collection of oil paintings, watercolors, pencil and ink sketches, and even sculptures show new dimensions in his work. The general style of the figures and background is familiar to us from his children's books, but the dazzling palette of colors goes far beyond that of the books.

Anyone who loves Dr. Seuss should have this beautiful book!

If you want a book that is entertaining and is a quick read, add this to your Christmas list. I couldn't put it down. The characters are like-able(or hate-able)and the story is very creative. It is also well-researched. Watch out, Tom Clancy!

If you like action, well-developed characters, and plots that keep you twisting and turning, this is the book for you. I read it in one sitting. I am a big Tom Clancy fan, and this book was every bit as good as your typical I-can't-put-it-down-because-there-are-so-many-twists-and-turns Clancy book. Don't miss this one!

Once I started reading Point of Honor, I couldn't put it down. It's a thriller that has everything: adventure, intrigue, romance, and a very tight story line that keeps you guessing until the end. I can't wait for Medland's next book!

This is a book of poetry about the months of the year. It goes through each month and has a cute little poem to go along with it. I love this book because it is a really fun way to learn the months and the poems are very creative. The author's purpose for writing this book was to give children a fun way to learn the months. The children can also learn things about poetry and rhythm through reading this book.

I found this book to be once of the best childrens books I have ever read. The pictures portrayed the poems wonderfully. A great way to spend a rainy day with your child, or to teach kids months of the year. This book really lets your child use their imagination. You should try watching the video with them too so they can see the book come to life!

This is a short and sweet little book that can be read in just a few minutes, but every minute will be filled with fun! In cleverly silly rhymes Maurice Sendak takes us through the twelve months and thoroughly entertains us with his characteristic illustrations featuring the little dark-haired boy we've come to know in some of his other stories. The non-sensical inclusion of "chicken soup with rice" in all of the rhymes makes the months all the more memorable and easy for kids to recite, a great little device. The paperback edition is very affordable but I suspect you'll love this one so much that you'll want the hardcover in your library.

Winner, in 1964, of the Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year, Where The Wild Things Are, by celebrated author-illustrator Maurice Sendak, was one of my favorite picture books as a kid and remains so to this day. I have two nephews now, and I can't wait 'til they're a little older so I can share Where The Wild Things Are with them. Both the book and its author deserve every word of praise and every award they have earned in the last thirty-six years. At the warm heart of Where The Wild Things Are is a boy named Max, who is determined to have as much fun as possible, even if having that fun means wreaking havoc throughout the house. Before long, Max is, understandably, sent to his room without any supper for running wild and making so much mischief. What's a boy sent to his room to do? Why, go where the wild things are, of course! As if by magic, Max's room transforms into a forest that grows and grows by leaps and bounds. Then, an ocean tumbles by, complete with a private boat for a delight-ed Max. Max hops in his private boat and sails to the land where the wild things are and where a glorious destiny awaits him. After raising a ruckus with the fearsome creatures that are the wild things, Max begins to feel lonely, so he sails for home. And there, on the table by his bed, a surprise that is a testament to a mother's love for her son, awaits. No matter how old you are, the excitement of the story of Where The Wild Things Are is infectious and will hold you as well as your kids enthralled. The story is accompanied by artwork that is as imaginative as it is richly detailed, and that compliments the delightful story on the perfect note. I would also venture to add that Mr. Sendak's understated use of color throughout the book makes his pictures all the more vivid and exciting; each one seems to jump right off the page with a life of its own. Where The Wild Things Are truly is a delightful treasure, and will serve as an on-going testament to the power of the imagination whether you are young or old. Treat yourself and your kids to a copy of Where The Wild Things Are. While you're in the market for picture books, I would also highly recommend The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg, Miss Spider's Wedding by David Kirk, God Bless The Gargoyles by Dav Pilkey and Night Of The Gargoyles by Eve Bunting. Enjoy!

Max, the hero of my book, discharges his anger against his mother, and returns to the real world sleepy, hungry, and at peace with himself
-Maurice Sendak, Caldecott acceptance speech

Although any mother who dresses her kid in a wolf suit should really expect the worse, Max gets in so much trouble wearing his that his mother calls him a "Wild Thing!" When he yells back : "I'll eat you up!", she sends him to bed without dinner. So Max sails off to where the Wild Things are to be their king and have a wild rumpus. But, eventually growing hungry and lonely, he gives up his kingship and sails back home, where he finds his supper waiting.

This most famous and beloved of Mr. Sendak's many books retains its charms some forty years after it first came out. Like our children themselves, the Wild Things manage to be scary and amusing at the same time, just as the story blends rebelliousness with needfulness. "Let the wild rumpus
start..."

GRADE : A

This book is about a boy named Max who puts on a wolf costume and feels like making some trouble. He breaks some rules and is sent to bed without supper. That night his imagination runs wild. He goes on a journey in the jungle that has grown in his room. He meets many types of monsters on his journey and is returned safely home.
I have always loved reading this book. The story is fun and adventurous. The illustrations are extremely well done and do wonders for the story. I loved it as a child and I still love it now. The book gives children a chance to use their imagination. This is a book that I will use both as a teacher and with my own children someday. Whether you like the story itself or you just like to look at the illustrations, this is definitely a book for people of all ages. I think that the author was trying to relay the message of "do the crime pay the time". Showing that although getting into trouble can be fun sometimes, there is always a price to pay.

On the night of September 27, 1972, twenty-five year old Bob Lowe was just out walking his dog when he witnessed the brutal murder of his neighbor, Billy Logan. Lowe, an auto mechanic and family man living in a blue-collar neighborhood on Chicago's West Side, came literally face to face with the killer, Harry Aleman, before he jumped into an idling car and sped away. It was a vicious mob hit, plain and simple. Lowe easily identified Aleman, and with the assurance of witness protection, was willing to do his civic duty and testify. As he stubbornly told the police and his frightened family, "I saw what I saw." So began Bob Lowe's twenty-five year odyssey through two murder trials, political corruption and pay-offs, disillusionment with the system, depression, petty crime, alcoholism, and finally vindication, redemption and justice..... Fasten your seatbelts, Maurice Possley and Rick Kogan are about to take you on a very bumpy, suspenseful, and compelling ride through the mean streets of Chicago during the years organized crime had a stranglehold on police, judges, and politicians at the highest levels. This is a fascinating, intricate, and intriguing page-turner, made even more so because it's all true. The writing is crisp, intelligent, and engaging, the scenes vivid and riveting, and the characterizations, brilliant. But it's Possley's and Kogan's indepth, painstaking research and great attention to detail that makes this novel stand out. Everybody Pays: Two Men, One Murder And The Price Of Truth is a spectacular and absorbing story, rich in drama and history, and told with insight, wisdom, and humor. This is a novel that shouldn't be missed and should definitely find a place at the top of every mystery/thriller and true crime fan's MUST READ list.

This is a true story of a hit man literally getting away with murder in 1970s Chicago because of a pyramid of power and payoffs, only to have the story come full circle more than twenty five years later and have justice prevail in the end. The hit man, neighborhood wiseguy Harry Aleman, thought that he had gotten away with murder. After all, he had been tried and acquitted, and one can't be tried for the same twice on the theory that double jeopardy would bar such a second bite of the apple. Or would it? Well, more than a quarter of a century later, the Department of Justice thought otherwise. After all, how much jeopardy could Harry Aleman have actually have been in, if the fix were in?

This is a well researched, well-written, compelling chronicle of a case that would would have great impact on an eyewitness to a murder. It also a fascinating narrative on the influence that the mob once wielded over the criminal justice system in Chicago. It is a fascinating birdseye view into a criminal justice system so rife with corruption, it will keep the reader riveted to its pages. It is also the story of one man who tried to be a stand up guy and do the right thing under this corrupt system and found himself the one paying the price for its shortcomings.

Bob Lowe, a working class stiff who worked at a gas station, had the misfortune to stumble into the murder of Billy Logan, a neighborhood acquaintance, one night. In the mean streets of Chicago's West Side, Bob saw Harry Aleman blow Billy away with a sawed-off shotgun. In that one brief moment, simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Bob's life and that of his immediate family would change forever. From that moment on, it would be Bob, and not Harry, who would be on the run.

Placed with his family in a witness protection program that was ineffectual and problematic, characterized in a negative way by the corrupt judge who presided over the trial, and seeing a murderer vindicated at his expense, Bob Lowe saw his life, as he knew it, simply ebb away. He became awash in a haze of booze and drugs, doing some crime and doing some time. His life was a continual lost weekend, until he was finally able to pull himself out of the personal morass into which he had descended. Over a quarter of a century later, he would find himself finally vindicated at Harry Aleman's second trial for the murder of Billy Logan, as Harry Aleman would finally get the verdict he should have gotten over a quarter of a century earlier. The wheels of justice did, indeed, grind slowly.

On September 27, 1972, Billy Logan was murdered on his front lawn. Neighbor Bobby Lowe was an eye-to-eye witness. Hit man Harry Aleman had left his car to check on the victim when Bobby's dog leapt in front of him. For a few seconds, the two men stared at one another, Bobby in shock, and then Harry broke the spell and returned to his car, which then sped away. And Bobby's life changed forever.

Though Bobby told the police he had been an eye witness (much to his family's dismay) and had identified Harry's picture in a mug book, nothing happened. It was buried. Harry Aleman was well connected with the local mob and a nephew to one of its kingpins. Authorities estimated Harry had killed over 20 people. Four years later the case was reopened, and this is when Bobby's personal hell began. Before the trial (estimated to be a slam dunk), Bobby, his wife and three children were placed in one seedy motel after another. They had to give up their jobs, the children changed schools on a weekly basis, and they lived off fast food. The trial was a farce, Aleman was found not guilty and the Lowes entered the Witness Protection Program without adequate identification to secure a decent job. Bobby spiraled down and lost his job, his family and self-respect. Finally, he got his life back together, discarded his false identity, and regained his family. In 1997, the case was reopened again, 25 years after the crime. Bobby had no choice but to testify again.

Possley and Kogan do a masterful job in presenting this complex case without wasting a word. Bobby's character is done so well, you feel like you have known him all your life. The research and documentation are meticulous. The only mystery that remains is Harry. He was an excellent husband and adoring father that just happened to be a cold-blooded killer. I would buy another book explaining to me what made Harry tick.

Sadly, the message I received was to never, ever admit to being a witness to a mob killing. The Witness Protection program, which is devastating and mind shattering even if it worked perfectly, was a farce for the Lowe family. "Everybody Pays" is true crime and investigative journalism at its finest.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

If you talk to ANY Russian in the world, and mention "The Twelve Chairs" from their cultural heritage, or the "Rogei e kapuuta" phony business in the book, ALL Russians will spontaneously and uncontrollably smile. Normally glum Russians are unable to resist a smile at remembering the hilarious antics and insights in "The Twelve Chairs." It is set in the 'crazy time' when Russian society was in upheaval and some men just wanted to make their fortune. What do the Russians know that you are MISSING out on? They get the joke. You should get it, too! This English translation is a MUST read.

I've read the novel together with its sequel, The Golden Calf, in Russian about a dozen times. Now I simply have to get an English copy to share it with my non-Russian speaking friends! It is true: the speech of an average Russian contains quite a few quotations from the novel (also due to a number of film versions). Twelve Chairs is something definitely worth having in your home library: you can open it at any time and start reading on any page. In minutes, you're guaranteed, if not to laugh, then to smile.

This is a farcical tale of three men in search of treasure buried in one of 12 identical armchairs. The story is very much a buddy tale of adventures and misadventures as the characters do almost anything to get their hands on the chairs in the Soviet Union of the 1920's. However, the story of the treasure hunt and the Marx Brothers like characters is really only the backdrop to a much deeper purpose, as The Twelve Chairs effectively describes the period of transition from czarist to Soviet rule. In between the tribulations of the heroes are many details of the food that was being served, student accomodations, railway and public construction projects, housing sooperatives and less than honest public servants. It is also very interesting to see how helpless the former upper class - the nobility - had become and how the Soviet Union, at least in its early days, could be exploited by the street smart like Ostap Bender. This is a very funny book that is also informative and is well worth reading. Inevitably, Bulgakov comes to mind as a complementary read; though he is somewhat more direct in his accusations of the regime.

This is actually a presentation on de Tocqueville's life and times, centered on a general analysis of Democracy in America, but including much background on his family's history, his political career and accomplishments and a look at the historical context of France, Europe and the US in the mid 19th Century. The themes of DiA are reviewed with many quotes from the book and from commentaries by de Tocqueville's contemporaries. He is presented in all his glory: his hits (the brilliant insights into social character, the nature of democracy and his devastatingly astute, timeless analysis of our American identity) and his misses (his advocacy of war and his surprisingly traditionalist views of society's class structure). An occasional cheesy French accent in some of the characterizations is the only flaw. This is a _great_ commute tape, I look forward to "reading" more in this series on other great writers!

Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville is by far an in depth view of America as seen by the traveling Frenchman. It is written so well that even today almost one hundred and fifty years later it is still apropos.

The translation flows very easily and is not distracting. De Tocqueville has a wonderful writing style that could pass today even though it was written long ago... so well readable and quotable that you get the picture of American life, morals, and an astute view of politics all rolled into one.

You get a view and meaning of American civilization, for America herself, and also for Europe. You can tell from reading. that this view is ever-present in De Tocqueville's mind as if he is a comparative sociologist. Yet reading this book you get the impression that De Tocqueville had generations of readers in mind.

As De Tocqueville noted, "It is not force alone, but rather good laws, which make a new govenment secure. After the battle comes the lawgiver. The one destroys; the other builds up. Each has its function." So true even for todays war. After you defeat your enemy you have to build up the infratructure just as Marshall and Truman both realized.

Reading this book you see the skillful eye of the author noticing and recording what he sees and he is impressed. I found this book to be of great import for the observations of America and hope that our educators use this book for teaching our children about the great country we live in.

De Tocqueville is every bit as brilliant and insightful as he has been said to be. The book is as relevant now as when written and is a must read for every american who is serious about understanding his country. What one realizes in reading the book is how novel and radical was the american experiment in creating a state that was both a republic and a democracy. De Toqueville's research was amazing, as well, he read the laws and constitutions of the various states, he didn't just observe the manifestation of american government and society. His assessments of the plusses and minuses of our government forms was incredibly astute and it is interesting to reflect on the changes that took place in the government after his time and how accurately he foresaw the advantages and disadvantages of those changes, as well. Given the short period of time that he spent in this country and the distances that he travelled one stands in awe of his work. His writing style is, of course, dated but one gets accustomed to it and learns to follow the rhythm.