For an American trying to understand an Eastern religion, it is difficult to overcome new concepts and vocabulary. While trying to do this, I found myself missing the key points. Since this book was written for a younger audience, the language helps you gain a good, basic understanding of Sikhism. After, adults, or young adults, can progress to denser texts.

This is a fairly short book. Let this be an indication that it will not get caught up in philosophical discussion. It merely gives you the facts about this religion. It explains the history, some of the characteristics (like the 5 k's), and the special occasions (all of which seem to deal with the reading of the "Guru Granth").

In the back of the book is a glossary to help you remember and work with the text. I found the book written in such a way that I did not need to refer back to it.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to know about Sikhism.

In this book, I.J. Singh exemplifies his intelligence and knowledge on the subject of Sikhism. His raw honesty flavors his opinion throughout the book, and the reader's interest is captured even upon observing the title of the book. I.J. Singh is straightforward from absolute beginning to the very end leaving the reader no doubt about where he is coming from. A great read!

This book was great. An honest and true look at the Sikh Faith and Philosophy. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about the Sikh Faith. Excellent photography and information.

Sewa Singh Kalsi's "Simple Guide to Sikhism" is pretty much just what the title says it is. At only 120 pages I breezed through it in a few days. The book covers Sikh history, teachings, traditions, scriptures, worship, festivals, rites of passage, sects and the diaspora. It is pretty easy reading and no one high school age or over should have any trouble with the text. The only problem I had with the book was that there is so much Punjabi (the language of most Sikhs) that I couldn't remember what all the words meant and they would be used later without translation and I had to flip to the glossary or flip back to the original spot a decent bit. Even then, that is largely unavoidable as many religious terms (not just in Sikhism) are difficult to translate and repeatedly translating within the text would have been even more distracting. This definately isn't the place to go for in depth knowledge, but that's not the point of this book. If you want a general idea of what Sikhism is all about then this is a good place to go.

In a book that gets this reviewer's award for best title of a photographic essay collection, Ketaki Sheth offers an interesting (if not limited) subject matter, the photography of twins named Patel in both India and England.

Sheth photographed more than 100 sets of multiples named Patel (the name originates in the 15th century and means record-keeper of crops) and chose 78 sets of twins and four sets of triplets to appear in her book.

Posed in banana fields, schools, streets in India and England, backyards, parks, weddings and other locales, the book offers beautiful photos that may be of special interest to two unique audiences--people with the surname Patel or twins of any type.

a must for all women !!!

The value in this book is that the author permits an array of intriguingly different women to tell their own stories in their own voice. This leads to surprising degree of insight. The details are the treasure, not the academics. The stories delight, irritate, intrigue, if that's your cup of tea, it's quite a journey.

so i heard about kundalini yoga from a friend in my composition class... i'd been practicing meditation for about a year and a half at this time and was looking for something new... I didn't like the life-denying view that some of the schools seemed to take, nor their meditations.

kundalini yoga, as i was informed, and later read, was meant to let you live a life in the body to its fullest potential, using everything, all situations, to your advantage. that's what attracted me to it. that's what attracted me to tantra as a whole.

so i got this book, read it, and was rather disappointed to tell you the truth. the exercises, i will admit, are well detailed. the philosophy behind kunalini yoga is laid out well. all of the mantras are there. but still, something is lacking. other reviewers speak of her free-flowing style, and, while it may seem free-flowing, it clearly isn't. It's nothing at all like reading the works of enlightened masters. rather than clarifying, in my opinion some of the more esoteric aspects of the yoga, she seems to muddy them up a bit. this, perhaps, is because she lacks the depth of insight of someone who has arrived and, therefore, the information she gives on various aspects of kundalini yoga are things that she has read or heard, not things she expereinced firsthand.

to sum it all up, i certainly wouldn't recommend this book. it is, i will admit, good for the body, as the exercises are well-detailed and laid out in an easy-to-read manner. for the mind, though, it is definitely lacking. i would recommend a book by osho called "the book of secrets" for actual meditation methods. combining this one and that could benifit one greatly.

...and take some of the other advice with a grain of salt.

The woman who wrote this book was one of Yogi Bhajan's earliest students - I believe that she is in her sixties or seventies. I mention this because I would advise anyone to read this book the same way they take advice from an older person of a different generation...

I started reading the book in 1999, after I had done a little bit of Kundalini - and I will admit that I got turned off - by the advice to take cold showers, some of Yogi Bhjan's quotes about women etc., etc. Then I promptly quit doing yoga, bought a house (a fixer-upper) and got a stressful job. Almost exactly one year later I realized that I needed to calm my mind and my body because I was a wreck. I took a few Kundalini classes, but really needed something that I could practice at home. So I dug out this book - and went straight to the exercises. Flow of Eternal power presents the exercises in sets which you can make last from 20 minutes to an hour and a half. I bought a digital kitchen timer so that I could hold the poses for a the prescribed period of time and off I went. Well, THE KUNDALINI EXERCISES MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE AND I STARTED TO FEEL 100% BETTER.

So, my advice is take what is offered and use it to your benefit - leave out what you don't feel comfortable with (actually the cold showers can be pretty invigorating and the advice about caring for oneself is pretty cool too).

This book is a complete course in Kundalini Yoga. It covers breathing, chanting, the chakra system, plus a wealth of less frequently found information on diet, foot massage, communication, a chapter specific to women, and even some yogic recipes. I especially appreciated the strong focus on spirituality and the analogy of life as a movie. This is not a typical yoga book. It is much deeper and more thorough than any other I've read. The author's sincerity comes across clearly--as does her sense of humor. While reading, I felt as if I had a live yoga teacher right there with me. I will read this book many times.

This book gives a fairly accurate depiction of the history of Sikhs, and the current strained relationship between the Indian government and people of Punjab. Although not the subject of discussion, I wish the author had spent a bit of time discussing the specific divide and conquer policies that the Indian government borrowed from the British and later, the Soviets, to maintain control of Punjab (and other parts of India) since post-Partition. Specifically the decision to divide Punjab into two parts - Haryana and "new" Punjab based on a language bias, and then re-routing the waters of the Punjab into other neighboring states is a tragedy that has further estranged common brothers. The consequences of the nationalism movement in India that exists today, created to overthrow the British and presently advocated by leaders to construct an "Indian" identity and common enemy in Pakistan, should have been included as well.

In this book, Patwant Singh traces the history of the Sikhs from their beginnings in the teachings of Guru Nanak in the 16th century to the present. This history is in-depth, and written in an easy to read manner.

It must be said that this book was written with a bias, but I found it refreshing and passionate. Admittedly, I have no stake in the religious affairs of India, but I do see how a reader of the Muslim or (more so) Hindu faith might strongly disagree with the author's interpretations.

Therefore, I do give this book a somewhat reserved recommendation.

Patwant Singh's book is an excellent introduction to the Sikh tradition and its history. Sikh philosophy strongly repudiates the highly retrogressive and morally bankrupt institutions that continue to be endorsed, enforced, and encouraged by the Brahminical elements of Indian society. The Sikh religion is opposed to those forces that seek to divide people, and favors the promotion of a world free of caste, gender inequality, and religious intolerance. Read this book.

I really liked the first volume. It was steeped in lore and "fictional history" with enough real history folded in to set the stage. Unfortunately, I felt that volume 2 worked too hard to fit Trek history into real history. It's an OK read. Not terribly thought provoking. I was expecting to see events unfold as described in historical references to the past when mentioned in the Trek franchise, to see how real history differed from Trek history.

Lets make this very clear: this is a Star Trek novel. Like most Trek novels, one does have to have some familarity with the characters and concept. So, when talking about this novel, let's keep it within the context it's about. It's Star Trek, and like many others, I have a fondness for Star Trek.
Based upon both the classic television series and the second Star Trek movie, the novel tells the continuing tales of Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln, and the rise of the tyrant Kahn in the late 20th century.
The story flows smoothly, keeping the consistant development of the characters from which have known and are used too. It does whallop you with cameos from every series ('Enterprise' inculded) but that just for excessive continuity. It continues the tale of Kahn, how he took over one quarter of the planet, and lost his empire to his and other own egos. (You don't ahve to be superhuman to have an excessive ego.) Hey, its fun. It is interesting to see that Eugenics Wars were conducted covertly, and although I was not surprised with the way Kahn was portrayed, although at one monemt in the passages, Kahn did seem concerned about humanity, briefly. I was both interested and annoyed with the development of his super brothers and sisters. The Romainan butcher was acceptable, the yankee superman was stretched, but the Amazon women was pushed too far.(Someone's DNA molecule was dropped one too many times while gestating). I think, as the story flowed, we learned a great deal about Kahn and why he did (and the author stayed witin character. See the portaryal of Kahn by the actor in the episode 'Space Seed'. NOT The Wrath of Kahn.) what he did but we also saw what happened to two other characters we liked as well. While Gary Seven and Roberta were not played out a two diemnsional cartoons, I would have liked to have more development with them. They were there as the protagonists against Kahn's antagonist / rebellious protagonist. I was intriguied by the way the story unfolded. I already knew Kahn fled Earth. I liked learning how it happened.
To that, the author doesn't disappoint.
Isis was expected, I give it that, but I won't tell more as to ruin it for the reader. As a Star Trek novel, it fills the historical 'Trek' well. It is good reading, not cumbersome and overtly detailed, and the author handles the concept while blending in current events very well.
If you've read Book I, finish the tale with Book II. Its a fun, nicely written, action adventure tale with interesting characters. It fits well with the incredible amout of 'prequel' concepts we seem to be going through at this time. It's also interesting as the background or secondary story deals with Captain Kirk's crew in the 23rd century with 23rd cebtury supermen. And that stroy takes place BEFORE The Wrath Of Kahn.
Again, it Star Trek based; the author shows his like for the Star Trek mythos and in no way dishonors it. You can tell the author enjoys Star Trek.
And that's what a Trek novel should be, a fun, action paced adveture. Give it a shot, both Book I and Book II are really enjoyable and trek fans of all ages with appreciate it.
Maybe, we'll finally get more stories about Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln as well...

I was really blown away by The Eugenics Wars volume 1...big time. I just wasn't expecting a Trek novel to be SO different, so creative, so GOOD. This was an exceptional example of creative juices on overload. Kirk and Spock take a backseat to a few characters from the past, that normally wouldn't command even a 2nd glance -- but Greg Cox's fertile imagination has brought new life to the Trek Universe in ways that brought many smiles to my face as I read through book's 1 & 2.

Volume 2 picks up shortly after vol 1 left off, plus a few years.
Gary Seven failed to stop the Chrysalis Project from creating a few genetically engineered children before he was able to derail the Project from progressing further...but some damage had already been done. Gary & Roberta scattered the children all over the globe in hopes of keeping them from some supreme scheme to take over the world. Gary even attempts a valiant effort to recruit Khan to assist him and Roberta in helping us wayward earthlings from killing ourselves prematurely. A noble idea, but with Khan's impossibly overblown ego, a gesture which was destined to fail...miserably.

Before we know it, Khan has himself an island near the equator and has regrouped the children of Chrysalis and has devised a plan to force the world under his iron rule, which he is convinced is the best way to save mankind. What I found most interesting aside from the clever way Mr. Cox managed to take existing history and mix it up with Trek Lore, was how he managed to give Khan's character depth. We have to remember that he isn't responsible for his own existence, we can thank the Chrysalis Project for that. I never would have thought that his character could be as deep as he was written in these two novels. We all know that eventually Khan and his minions end up aboard the SS Botany Bay, which The Enterprise will encounter a few hundred years in the future, and again in Star Trek II, The Wrath Of Khan (still one of the best movies). This book fills in the gaps of his life on earth and how the Eugenics Wars started, how they end, and how events we have come to know about have a connection to Star Trek that at times evokes outright laughter, not because they are silly, but mostly because of how clever they have been woven into the plot.

Greg Cox has written an amazingly creative story that shows his obvious love of the series. Aside from Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens' who write on a level that just about nobody can reach, Cox has gone in another direction which has made this series fresh in a way I never would have thought possible. You have many choices in the world of Trek, and some would say most are not worth the price of a paperback, but The Rise And Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Volume's 1 & 2 are most definitely worth the price, even in hardback. Pick this one up and savor the incredible journey that Mr. Cox has pieced together for us. It is a journey well worth taking, and worth taking more than once.