John Hume is a virtually unknown figure in the United States, but he has been steadily gaining recognition due to his work in the Northern Irish peace agreement. This recognition is overdue and much deserved. This monumental book outlines Hume's political philosophy - a philosophy which seeks to brush aside the vengefulness and intransigence of Northern Ireland's past, searching instead for reconciliation through justice for all. Hume is heavily influenced by Matin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and quotes from these two figures flavor Hume's text. Hume's themes may seem repetitive, and his ideas seem to be based on the shakey foundation of human progress, but this work demonstrates that he is a champion for for a true peace in Northern Ireland - a peace that is just for all.

Includes new Afterward explaining how Lawrence was abducted by desert-savvy aliens!

It is a commonplace to refer to T.E. Lawrence as one of the most enigmatic figures of twentieth century history. One sometimes wonders if it is his enigmatic character that continues to make him interesting, rather than what he achieved in his lifetime.

This is, as far as I know, the first attempt by a psychiatric professional to write a life of Lawrence. So much about Lawrence's personality - his illegitimacy, his craving for anonymity after the war even as he contrarily managed to worm his way into the spotlight so many times, his name change ostensibly in honor of G.B. Shaw, and probably most of all his experience at Deraa, made him an object of general interest, not to say lurid speculation. Lawrence, with his usual flair, manages to give us enough about his interior life in "Seven Pillars" to pique our interest without actually telling us anything.

While I must admit that I enjoyed the book, I must also say that I walked away from it feeling that I did not know any more about Lawrence after finishing it than I did before. The author covers a great deal of terrain, but I think that we're all not any closer to understanding Lawrence. Maybe the definitive biography is still waiting to be written. Maybe it never will be.

John E Mack has written a definitive and masterful biography of T. E. Lawrence, a man of fascinating complexity. The movie, Lawrence of Arabia, portrays a "mighty hero." Lawrence's role in the Arab Revolt are put into the context of his childhood, the Paris Conference, and the RAF years. Mack does not diminish Lawrence's achievements nor does he glorify them. Lawrence's post-war years were spent escaping his fame and what he endured. His psychical scars from the war deaden him to emotion and pleasure and his idealistic romanticism turned to nihilism. Lawrence's post-war penitence and alienation lead me to believe that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of his brushes with death and his loss of physical and emotional integrity. He sought to break through his numbness by riding high performance motorcycles at breakneck speeds through the countryside and subjecting himself to scourgings.

If you saw the movie, read this book.

The book is well-written, easy to follow, and up-to-date. True to its name, this book is a great guide for any current or future officer in the US Navy and does not stray from its intended purpose, which includes providing guidance on customs and courtesies, pay and allowances, duties and responsibilities, and other key subjects relevant to Naval officers. I would give the book five stars if it was a bit thicker and more inclusive (like officer guides from other branches), but this guide is an excellent source of information on important subjects and provides references to other sources of information.

I am not currently a member of the United States Navy, but I do aspire to be one of these days. I want to go to Officer Candidate School, earn my commission, and hopefully embark upon a prosperous Naval career. Of course, I know very little of what is involved in being a Naval officer beyond what I am able to glean from conversations with friends and colleagues who are current or past Naval officers. That is why "The Naval Officer's Guide" is so valuable. It gives a breakdown of all aspects of the life of a Naval officer. It deals with areas like training, promotions, Naval customs, and common job responsibilities, to name a few. That is just the tip of the iceberg, though. There is so much more in this guide that it becomes an indispensable manual for those who wish to learn about what it means to be an officer, as well as being a valuable reference piece for those who are already serving. As I read through this guide, I found myself developing a greater understanding of the Navy and finding myself able to visualize serving as an officer. There can be no greater endorsement of literature like this.

As a former navy officer and writer on navy themes I treasure my copy of The Naval Officer's Guide. It is a handy, up-to-date reference that authoritatively addresses vital aspects of leadership and knowledge in the sea service--even to a glossary of slang expressions and a primer on military law. An excellent research source for anyone interested in the way the real navy operates. Should be in every junior officer's pocket. The new material by Commander McComas is particularly valuable and builds on an impressive compendium of naval facts.

"The Pilgrim's Progress" is widely known and widely imitated. Perhaps a bit too widely. While the book itself is stunning, having seen, heard, or read so many attempts to imitate it, I found that the original effect of the story was lessened for me.

By all means, this book should be read -- it is in itself a great work of literature, and it is a prime example of Puritan thought. Be aware, however, that much of it will seem trite and worn -- not because of anything inherently wrong with Bunyan's writing -- primarily because we have all heard so many poor imitations that it will be difficult to put them aside.

However, this book still warrants a reading for the simple fact that it is a great story! I shall be re-reading this in the not-too-distant future, hopefully better prepared to dismiss the memories of the imitations and to appreciate the genius of Bunyan's allegory.

Read it!

I read The Pilgrim's Progress as a child and recently reread it in order to do a comparative essay on allegorical journeys for my english class. The other book I read for the assignment was Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, and I found that Bunyan's novel equaled or exceeded Conrad's in every way. While Conrad used far more symbolism and allusions, I felt that Bunyan still did a better job of making the reader identify with his character's journey. The Pilgrim's Progress is a wonderfully written story that inspires hope and confidence in God to help his people though their own journeys.

This is a Christian classic that is my favorite of all Christian works, bar none (except the bible of course). Possibly the second most published work outside the bible, it has been highly regarded by many, and was once widely taught in the schools.

I wish my school had taught it. I first read this book a year ago, and I feel as if I've been deprived all my life.

Pilgrim's Progress is written by a mature Christian, with insights that you will not get from anyone other than a mature Christian. Few people are capable of writing such a book.

And the book shines with great quotes. Two of my favorites are:

What means this? The Interpreter answered, 'This is Christ, who continually with the oil of grace maintains the work already begun in the heart, by the means of which, notwithstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. AND IN THAT THOU sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain the fire, this is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.

And this: Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech. 'What a fool', quoth he, 'am I , thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a key in my bosom, called promise, that will (I am persuaded) open any lock in Doubting-Castle.'

A key called promise.. great thoughts.

There are many editions to Pilgrim's Progress, and I haven't found one I am happy with yet. Try to get one with the original wording, and the references to passages in the bible. Many versions delete the references to passages in the bible, which are, of course, the most useful to Christians and of least use to the world.

ISBN 0140430040 appears to be true to the original wording of the classic. On the other hand, it lacks the biblical passage references, chapter divisions, and is a paperback with (quite frankly) an ugly cover.

ISBN 0785242228 is a modern spelling version. However comparing it to the original shows that a lot more than just the spelling has been changed, and it doesn't read nearly as well. This is a nicely bound hardback with quality paper and chapter divisions, and some (but not all) the references to the bible. Character names are annoyingly abbrievated throughout book.

ISBN 1557480990 is a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress. While a children's book, it remains true to the original and is worth getting. The illustrations are great.

There are also many etext versions of Pilgrim's Progress that include the original text and all the references the text makes to passages in the bible.

I recommend you take your time reading the book, and reflect on what is being said. Also, if you have a full version of this book, with the references to passages in the bible, you could use it as part of a bible study.

BTW: the phrase 'vanity fair' comes from this book.

Ideal for your 1-and-2 year old classroom at church. Makes a great baby gift or 1 yr old birthday gift.

Beautiful illustrations. Simplified or condensed scriptures describe familiar Bible stories (one page for each story). Scriptre references are included. Easy for a parent to build on in explaining to a child. The pictures are full of wonderful things to look at, even appropriate for 18 month olds.

A Life God Rewards, Girls Only is definitely a worthwhile read. It talked about what God wants for his people and what we have to do to get rewards in heaven. By the end of the book, i was almost completely convinced that what Bruce Wilkinson said was true. However, I gave it four stars because I wished that it would say something about how we know that God and heaven really exist. On the other hand it helped me understand what happens after you die better.
I think kids would enjoy this book best.

The current "WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do") phenomenon is not the Biblical understanding of how we are to determine right and wrong. While this book did not start that pop phenomenon, some may read this mistakenly. What Jesus would do would be different that you or I because He was fully man AND fully God, second Person of the Trinity. He was sinless, and although tempted in every way as we are, He did not sin. His purpose was to fulfill the Law in order to be the spotless sacrificial lamb of God, the atonement and substitute for our sins. He was the omniscient God incarnate, so He knew what was in each heart and what was the perfectly appropriate thing to say and do in each situation in order to accomplish His mission. In that sense, what He would do in a situation as God is a hypothetical we cannot know as finite creatures. What He might have done is a speculation. We are, however, TOLD in Scripture what we are to do, how as Christians we are to act and live.

I'd recommend reading Charles Sheldon's "In His Steps" before reading this. Then you decide who is the better writer and has a real handle on the concept.

I read this book with alot of hesitancy, being that it was loaned to me from one of our deacons, but I read it and once I got started, I couldn't stop! This book changed my outlook on life and how I should treat others. I loved this book and it's message so much that I bought 8 of them and gave them out to my co-workers. It has truely been an eye opener! Every Christian should read this book! If you didn't fully understand Jesus before, you will once you read this book.

Any Mack lover will want this in the library. Light on factual information, though many models are pictured and there are a few interior shots as well. As a black and White Pictorial, this book does very well.

This book has lots of pictures, just like it says, they're all black/white. Most of these pics can be found in other "truck" books. If you're in-to Mack trucks it's a required item but it's not suitable coffee table fodder.

Many radiologists do not feel at ease in the head and neck region: the anatomy is complex, pathologic conditions are sometimes difficult to describe and analyze, and subtle radiologic findings may have dramatic consequences for patient management. Therefore, a book offering an 'systematic approach to the radiologic evaluation of the head and neck region' and helping in the interpretation of 'difficult cases' should be more than welcome. Unfortunately, this book does not fulfill the expectations raised by its title.
After a short general part, introducing the concept of the book, and discussing the different diagnostic imaging techniques used in this field of radiology, each anatomic subregion is covered in a separate chapter. Each chapter begins with a (too) brief anatomic introduction, goes on with a short review of the pathology encountered, and the use of the imaging techniques in this specific subregion. The typical imaging findings for the different kinds of pathology are reviewed and a differential diagnostic list is presented in the form of one or more tables.
The images are generally of good quality, but it is striking that the majority are MR images; the few CT-images included are generally of less good quality. The authors have a definitive preference for MRI. Although there are very good indications for MRI in the head and neck, in my experience, CT is the most frequently performed imaging modality. In many indications (e.g. in neck and sinonasal pathology), CT provides sufficient information to take management decisions; often, MR images will not add crucial additional information. If it is the goal of this book to educate the reader, than CT should have been discussed and illustrated more thoroughly. In that light, it is amazing that the authors include examples of conventional radiographs (e.g. of the temporal bone), which are nowadays obsolete. Several 3D-MR reconstructions are shown, with a small window in the patient's surface, allowing to view the deeper lying pathology; such images may look impressive, but usually they do not add complementary information compared to the original images; inclusion of such images in a book advocating cost-effectiveness is not appropriate.
The legends accompanying the figures are not always that accurate. Images and corresponding text are sometimes pages apart.
Many tables containing differential diagnostic lists are presented. Some of them are well constructed, some are incomplete (e.g. the table on unilateral vocal cord paralysis does not mention 'idiopathic' as possibility, actually one of the most frequent conditions), while some others are lacking (e.g. a table or flow chart on tinnitus should have been included). The criteria used to come to a differential diagnosis are sometimes not well specified, so that the book may not be of great help in difficult cases. For example, a case of focal arachnoiditis with cochlear involvement is 'documented', but it is not clear which criteria are used by the authors to differentiate this from a small intracanalicular schwannoma with intracochlear extension.
Descriptions on several items are vague or incomplete; for example on imaging of laryngeal cancer, nothing is included on pathways of tumour extent, and how to recognize radiologically subclinical but relevant tumour extension - giving such information to the clinician is of utmost importance, and often the only reason why imaging is performed anyway. In the chapter on the paranasal sinuses, a description of the important anatomical variants and the ostiomeatal unit is lacking. Some entities are described in another chapter as one would expect (e.g. conductive hearing loss is not in the chapter on the middle ear, but in the chapter on the internal auditory canal, cerebellopontine angle and labyrinth).
Some inappropriate recommendations are made, e.g. on otosclerosis, where the axial CT-images 'should be supplemented with coronal scans or coronal reconstructions' - in my experience, axial CT-images are optimal for the diagnosis of otosclerosis. In the same book, posttraumatic 'prolapse of cerebral structures into the brain and middle ear' (sic) is illustrated on axial CT-images (I can't recognize such a prolapse on these images); this represents an indication where coronal reconstructions certainly may be useful.
The possibilities of MRI are sometimes frankly overestimated: e.g. in the chapter on soft tissues of the neck, the authors claim that a 'careful analysis of signal characteristics...' can 'reliably differentiate recurrent tumor from postoperative changes' and 'MRI is best for differentiating these [postirradition] changes from recurrent tumor'. Imaging plays a growing role in patient surveillance after treatment of a malignant head and neck tumor, but the limitations of CT and MRI have to be acknowledged correctly.
The references are rather limited in number.
Throughout the book, many small inaccuracies are present, both in the text as in the figures. Already on the cover, one of the figures is reproduced upside-down. 'Sarcoiditis', instead of 'sarcoidosis', 'Hoeve syndrome', instead of 'van der Hoeve's syndrome', are some other examples.
Overall, this book did not impress me in the positive sense. It is not detailled enough, and sometimes the vagueness and inaccuracies cause confusion. I can not recommend this book.