My review is that this book is funny and so truthful you laugh your socks off when reading it. This is one book that can instantly get you from a down mood to one happy person. The pictures in the book add just the right touch to the wording stated. A must book for someone with a great sense of humor.

I used this book to teach a couple of claases to Internet novices. The text is clear and straightforward. The examples are fully illustrated with screen shots. The exercises are complete and accurate. I appreciate the extra material on MS Windows. Although this material is not actually Internet functionality, these features are poorly understood by the beginner and and must be covered nevertheless. I hope the authors update this book.

Nick Wagner has written the best book regarding First Communion(Eucharist)that has ever crossed my desk. I highly recommend that every liturgist,Director of Religious Education,Catechist and teacher involved with preparing children and their families for "FirstCommunion" purchase or be given a copy of this book.

I'm the webmaster for the WWII destroyer escort USS Wintle ... I've purchased every DE book I can get my hands on to help me make my web page better. Unfortunately, there aren’t really that many good books on DE's. The few that are out there fall into two or three basic categories, those that are technical and meant mostly for WWII enthusiasts that are excited about the equipment (like model builders), and those that are “action” oriented. Since my web site was really geared to celebrate the regular people who were the crew members of a ship that “merely” did its duty escorting convoys and hunting subs, neither of these type of books typically has the depth of experience necessary to tell that type of story. After a lot of digging I did find a few “memoirs” from sailors, but inevitable they had flaws. They were not professionally published, so they were weak on proofing and editing. They tended to be spiral-bound. And if they had pictures or illustrations they were amateurish. Finally, they were often written by sailors that didn’t have access to the bridge. The authors seldom really understood the “big picture” or had researched the specifics of what their ships part was in the grand scheme of things.

When I found this book, Men of Poseidon, I was pretty impressed. The binding is professional, as are the pictures and the layout. There are no weird grammatical errors or spelling problems. The research is impeccable. Throughout, the author refers to specific log entries that he himself had made in the official ships log, which he requested from the US Navy in order to write this book. That brings up an important point. Since the author was an officer on the USS Rall, he was able to get the big picture and understand the real behind the scenes missions. He not only explains what happens on a day to day basis, but addresses why it happened. I learned a great deal from this book that no film or military history book will ever convey. In fact I learned so much that I couldn’t resist emailing the publisher to try to contact Mr. Graves himself, to see if he could help resolve some questions I had run into researching “my” DE, the USS Wintle. Imagine my surprise when he wrote me back and gave me wonderfully detailed information to help me in my work. A DE officer with an amazing memory is a tremendous resource. And he turned out to be a really nice guy.

The most important thing about the book is that the author, Richard Graves, is a very good writer. I was never confused, since the book takes the time to explain everything, yet I was never bored, since he kept things moving. That’s a very hard balance to achieve. The book does not skimp on scope either. It starts in the time leading up to the war, so you can appreciate the anti-war sentiment that was real, and the ambivalence that many people had about it, and continues on to the ships 50-year reunion.

When I categorized DE books, I didn’t put Men of Poseidon in the “action” category, because it doesn’t read that way. It’s not written to culminate in an exciting battle. However, it’s definitely more than a memoir. The USS Rall saw real action. The punishment it took at the hands of a concentrated 8-aircraft Japanese Kamikaze attack was substantial and deadly. I’m sure Mr. Graves could have chosen to write an action book about the episode. But instead he wrote a very personal memoir. It’s not about drama, it’s not about action or inflated speeches. It’s not about firepower, speed and camouflage schemes of a particular ship class. This book really is the story of the sailors of the USS Rall -- regular men in extraordinary circumstances, forced into heroism to serve their country and oppose imperialism. It’s a good book, a fun read, and an inspiring real-life, real-world memoir. It’s one of those book that, after you finish reading it, makes you feel like you just had the most amazing dinner conversation with a great story-teller. In other words, I highly recommend it.

Well-written, balanced, and insightful. I especially appreciated the perspective, as it gave a truly unbiased view.

The author has done an exemplary job in explaining why we do what we do in a catholic mass. This book is a must for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of liturgy. Whether you are ordained, or a lay minister, or parishioner, this book is a must for your library.

Growing up in the shadows of those most closely effected by social injustice, it is amazing to find an outsider so in-tune with the those to blaim.

Here is the first place to go if your paper happens to be on one of Wagner's music dramas (read: operas). This is the only publication I have found which lists every single leitmotif used in each music drama, with musical examples. There is even a chart at the beginning of each section (each music drama) which lists all leitmotifs one should look for in each scene. Definately a must for every musicologist's library, and recommended reading for all those who want to join the struggle to understand Wagner.

Clear concise overview of the Wagner Ring Cycle story and associated Leitmotives. Equally useful to the beginner as well as the more advanced student of music. The progressive changes of the motives over the duration of the cycle are well explained. I have read several books about the ring, but find myself returning to this book the most

"The New Temperance" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy