This book tells about the joys and struggles of Mother Teresa. It tells about her childhood, how she announced she wanted to be a nun, and about the children of India. She sets up a hospital for injured people, visits lepars and more. This book tells of how Mother Teresa lived, and what she sacrificed. This book is awesome and I recommend it to anyone.

Disclaimer: I am a civilian employee of The Salvation Army (i.e., I am not an officer or a Salvationist), and an academic sociologist by training.

This book is not a cookbook for effective leadership. You can't read this book, apply a couple of techniques, and expect to be as effective as The Salvation Army is at raising funds, running programs, and improving communities.

If you are interested in effective leadership and you're willing to reflect on your practices and, more importantly, the principles underlying your business and/or management style, this is a book you should consider reading. If you're looking for some sort of quick-fix to improve your own management, look elsewhere.

Instead, this book provides several general guidelines with supporting commentary drawn largely from Watson's experience as an officer with (and ultimately the National Commander, or Commissioner, of) The Salvation Army. According to Watson, the central tenet of The Salvation Army's leadership effectiveness is to, "engage the spirit."

The remainder of the book elaborates on this point with other related ideas (i.e., put people in your purpose; embody the brand; lead by listening; spread the responsibility, share the profits; organize to improvise; act with audacity; and make joy count). Watson and Brown don't tell you specifically *how* to do these things, but provide examples of how The Salvation Army and, in some cases, other companies and executives accomplish these things.

To be clear, the book isn't about The Salvation Army itself or its operations. You can gain insight into some of The Army's programs, but they vary too much from one community to the next to get a sense of the massive scope of what they do.

This is actually an interesting book. It tells the reader how the Salvation Army is an effective orgainzation. I bought this book for a college management class assignment on leadership and found the book to be very helpful.

The Salvation Army's role and effectiveness may be the best-kept secret that is out in the open for all to see.

Reading this book is a deeply moving spiritual experience. " . . . [T]he real secret of our success is getting them [those the Salvation Army serves] to accept responsibility for integrating their hearts, their minds, their souls with transcendent purpose."

In grading this book, I was most heavily influenced by how much it added to my knowledge of the Salvation Army (clearly a five star operation) as an organization, and its key leadership and management principles. Like most people, I mainly know about the Salvation Army through tiny glimpses of its work as seen in good neighborhoods (while most of the work takes place in more challenging environments) . . . rather than as a case history in organizational effectiveness. Now, as a result of reading this book, I can see the whole a little and see it as being much more than the sum of the pieces.

Compared to the potential to tell the Salvation Army's story, however, you may find that this book could be improved upon. I certainly did. The examples from businesses, sports, and music as well as the many references to famous management books usually just stole space, in my judgment, from telling more about the Salvation Army. A more useful counterpoint in the book would have been to explain how for-profit organizations fare in performing many of the same tasks that the Salvation Army does.

I'm also not sure that the book totally captured the full lesson of the power of the Salvation Army's mission: Potential and actual volunteers and donors, those who need the Salvation Army's services, the families of those who need the Salvation Army's services, and the communities in which the Salvation Army operates (regardless of religious faith and personal beliefs) find the Salvation Army's purposes of principles to be inspiring and worthy of both active and moral support. In this dimension, the closest I can think of another organization for its mission's powerful appeal is Habitat for Humanity.

As a student of leadership and management, I came away totally awed by thinking about how you provide services over 30 million people with around 5500 executives and managers (about a third of whom are "retired") in so many different, difficult activities: alcohol and drug rehabilitation; rehabilitating prisoners; helping homeless people get back to normal living; community recreation; disaster relief; rebuilding communities after disasters; and providing for the poor. The Salvation Army takes justifiable interest in measuring how effectively it performs these tasks compared to other organizations. The comparisons are usually very favorable. To put this in perspective, did you know that the Salvation Army had its first portable canteen on the scene within 20 minutes after the Oklahoma City bombing? Within minutes, three canteens were there.

Then, I was totally flattened to realize that those who run all of these activities must raise the funds for them locally. Beyond a little start-up money (which must be repaid), each effort must be financially self-sustaining. So when a need arises, the leaders must be serving the need and raising the money at the same time. Somehow, it all comes together.

Commissioner (retired U.S. national commander) Robert Watson describes these successes to the way the Salvation Army's mission engages the spirit of people. "We must always be mission driven." "If a proposal doesn't advance our twofold mission, we're not interested in it."

The mission is:

"The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church."

"Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God."

"Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

This mission is based on the injunction to teach in Matthew 28:19 and to serve in Matthew 25:40. These are two inseparable obligations. Yet the book is full of examples of those who are not observers of the Christian religion who support the work of the Salvation Army.

In pursuing the mission, the Salvation Army looks for holistic solutions. As William Booth, the Salvation Army's founder, said, "Take the slums out of people." For homeless people, this may mean providing them a place to sleep, helping them overcome any drinking or drug problems, making clean clothes available, helping them polish up skills to apply for jobs, assist with learning to read better, and rekindling the spirit of wanting to take charge of their lives again. At the same time, their spiritual needs and self-worth need to be nurtured just as much.

The holistic solutions carry over to building its staff. Many are sons and daughters of staff members or families that received aid in the past, as was true of Commissioner Watson. Both the wife and husband share a job. They both wear the uniform, and follow the rules. Assignments are made in ways to be best for the family and the Salvation Army. The children are often enrolled in the same youth programs that serve the poor in the same community.

"God, please make us worthy of such trust!"

My favorite quote from the book is that "you can be forgiven a great deal for honest mistakes committed in the act of trying to save the world."

Does your work reflect your spiritual values? If not, have you considered taking on volunteer work that would? Who knows where it could lead?

As the book's final point reminds us, be sure you are having "the fun of work."

This book was very exciting and influential about the lives of SEALS in the Vietnam war. i would recommend to anyone.

Your in the jungle...... charlie is all around you, what do you do? Blow the c**p out of them, thats what. If enjoy special forces novels this is the book for you!

This book really does justice to the SEALs who risked their lives in the jungles of Vietnam. The use of a hydrogen bomb in the story really pulls the reader in and the book never gets boring. I just can't wait 'till the next one comes out.

I'm a sucker for any anthology that ends with Richard Petty accepting the National Book Award. . . This one also has a lot of heart. The first of what promises to be an annual collection of stories promoting "a rebirth of beauty and life-affirming values," the Silver Rose Anthology offers a strong mix of voices and attitudes. Not every story here will appeal to every reader (the opening story, for instance, does little for me), but the collection overall is outstanding. Personal favorites (in addition to George Singleton's outrageous "Richard Petty Accepts the National Book Award") include Robert Olen Butler's seamless "Rafferty and Josephine," Julie Orringer's touching "Note to Sixth-Grade Self" Patry Francis'"Limbe," and Patricia Hackbarth's provocative "A Brief Geological Guide to Canyon County."
Move over Bill Henderson, Katrina Keneson, and Larry Dark. Watson's in the house!

When Kevin Watson gathered the stories for this anthology, he was doing us a public service. This is a hard world: hearts break, and lives are shattered. Stories that don't deal with those realities aren't true to life. But there's so much more to life--and should be to art. These stories are "life-affirming" in the best kind of way: They don't stay sunk in gloom, but they don't stoop to easy answers. Each one shows us a new facet of getting on with life, making things work, following the path. The individual stories are excellent--I especially like the story by Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler, although it's one of several strong stories--and in their cumulative effect, the collection becomes (and I mean this in the best kind of way) inspirational.

i only gave this book 5 stars because i could not give it more. i went to a reading of one of the writers and soon went on to read the rest. it has a good mix of voices, but by far the best writer is Heidi Shayla and her story "The Coffin Builder's Romance", it is a beautiful story of quilts, boxes, and of course, coffins. it is my all time favorite anthology, and i would definetly recomend it.

This book was aptly named. First, the heroine was betrayed byher family that her mother's dead, when she was actually in prison formurder. When she actually meets her mother, that's when the storypicks up. Though I like horses, the story behind horse racing never really caught my interest. There's a lot of sabotage in the horse racing industry that I never knew about. Nora made it a little more interesting to me. I felt the romance between the hero and the heroine was a bit swift. By the end of the story, the true betrayal will have you saying, "No, it can't be!" The action and drama was enough to keep me flipping the pages.

I'm a Nora Roberts fan and a horse-lover, so my expectations for this book were high. The book didn't disappoint, providing an entertaining story, strong characters to love and hate, and some mystery as well. Although she obviously did her homework about horse racing and the horse world, there were still inaccuracies that got in the way of my enjoyment of the story. Additionally, I found the analagies and puns about card-playing and roulette and other forms of gambling to be overbearing -- one of those times you just want to say "We get the point, OK? He's a gambler." Perhaps BECAUSE my expectations were so high, it doesn't rate 5 stars, but still it was a good story and worthy of staying in the bookshelf.

This is the first Nora Roberts "mystery" that I have read. In the past I have read her more traditionally romantic books, and I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. There is a breadth of information and a depth of characters here that puts this above many of her other books for me. I was genuinely interested in Kelsey and Naiomi's relationship, and pleased with the way that both of them, and Kelsey's father as well, seem to learn and grow in the course of the book. The supporting characters are also good, and there is enough detail to the descrptions of the world of horse racing to make the story feel realistic.

Interestingly enough, I think the weakest character in the novel is Gabe, who seems fraught with contradictions that I think should have bothered Kelsey, given her concern for ethics and rights and wrongs. I am not disturbed by Gabe's background at all, but I am puzzled by the acceptance of him as a "gambler," which sometimes seems to feed into some of the stereotypes abotu racing that the novel seems to be trying to contradict.

Overall, I think this is a good vacation read. I enjoyed it and will look for mor eNora Roberts books from this sub-genre.

Molecular Biology of the Cell is written in a straightforward easy-to-read manner. The book is especially well up-to-date on many ascpects and, to my delight, connective tissue components are given enough space. This is your book if you're interested in molecular biology. A drawback from the point of view of a medical student is the lack of integration of metabolism to the organ level, let alone human body. Molecular Biology of the Cell sticks to its header by consistently leaving out topics such as - insulin regulation of blood glucose - ketone bodies - fasting (and ketone bodies) - CYP enzyme family (cytochrome P450) - pentose phosphate pathway/hexose monophosphate shunt/glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase - purine catabolism/xanthine oxidase/uric acid/gout

Clearly, if backed up with a texbook of biochemistry or physiology covering metabolism on a higher level, Molecular Biology of the Cell is an excellent choice, even for medical students.

This text covers every important aspect in the field, from experimental techniques and basic concepts to reviews of immunology, cancer, and developmental biology. I used it as a reference in four different undergraduate classes, and have prepared for several job interviews by reviewing the relevant information in this book. The illustrations are all relevant, the organization is excellent, and the prose is so well written that I take the book off the shelf and read it for fun. A new edition would be useful - some of the more speculative information is outdated - but this is still the best textbook I own.

Most people, when commenting about this book, tend to compare it to Lodish's Molecular Cell Biology. I own both, and I must say that they are quite similar in their content but different in the way of explaining concepts. Although Lodish's book is a little more up-to-date, it's just a matter of time until a new edition of MBoC is published. In fact, a great number of concepts are clearer in Molecular Biology of the Cell... and vice-versa. About the book, it is the authoritative text of molecular biology for beginners and a reference guide to all fields of cell biology. The chapters concerning the structure of the cell and of the organelles are amazing and include in-depth explanations. It also comprehends the best revision chapters on macromolecules compared to Lodish's. The team of authors was accurate to compose one of the best books in molecular biology for students of all biological and biomedical sciences.

How can you even review the ultimate pirate book of all time? I read it when I was 9 and loved it. I read it again when I was 34 and loved it again! (Actually, I read it several times between, as well.) Long John Silver is arguably one of the most Macchiavellian characters you will ever find between the covers of a book. (I'm mainly reviewing it to raise the average rating. Anyone who thinks this book is boring has to have a screw loose!) From the arrival of the mysterious Billy Bones, to the attack on the inn, to the sea voyage, to the mutiny, to the battle for the island, to the treasure hunt, even to the final fate of John Silver, this book is a stunning rollercoaster of suspense and adventure! I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Here's a bit of information you other readers might enjoy: the meaning of the pirates' song--

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

The real-life pirate, Edward Teach (Blackbeard the Pirate) once marooned 15 of his men on a small island named Dead Man's Chest. He put them ashore with no weapons, equipment or supplies--just a bottle of rum.

Giving Treasure Island five stars is like declaring Helen of Troy homecoming queen. It's too little,too late. This is the classic tale of pirates. Its' themes have been worked and worked again,but it remains untouched. Stevenson is a master storyteller at the top of his form. From beginning to end the plot never lags,and the characters possess a richness and depth rare in an adventure story. Every reader of English ought to make their acquaintance--Jim Hawkins,Billy Bones,Old Pew,Silver,and the rest--at some time in his life,preferably when he is young,and his heart still believes it can find that treasure. Treasure Island has been francised,moppetized,filmed,and abridged,but never bettered. Accept no substitues! Read the entire book. There is plenty here for children and adults. Like all great literature,it works on more than one level. Dominating the whole Story is the figure of Long John Silver. As his name implies he has a lunar quality. He is attractive,facinating,powerful,but with a dark side. Again,he is murdering,lying,and infinitly self-seeking,yet like Jim we cannot help liking him and wanting him to like us. At this level Treasure Island is a study in criminality that asks: Why is it that the best,the most full of natural power, often turn their gifts to evil? And why do we find evil so attractive? A word about editions. There are many,but by far the best is the hardcover featuring the illustrations of N.C. Wyeth. No one has succeeded as he has in capturing the spirit of the tale. If you are looking for a cheaper paperback edition that won't blind you with cramped layout, or ruin the whole experience with goofy illustratons,choose the Puffin Classic. It's unabridged,sturdy,and features a beautiful cover illustration.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is by far one of the best adventure stories I have ever read. This book deserves all five stars, it has everything you could ask for such as, suspense, comedy, action, drama and a great plot line. R.L. Stevenson puts a lot of detail into his main characters such as Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins just to name a few. He describes the scenes with such great detail that at times I had to remind myself that it is only a book. I spent more than 2 months reading this book and I enjoyed every part of it. I could RARELY find a paragraph that was dull, the book was very exciting overall. This book is fairly easy to read and I would recommend it to adults and children of all ages. The book moves at a very good pace, not too fast, not too slow. This book is anything but boring, something new happens in every chapter for instance, when Jim witnesses a murder and when he gets into bar fights, those are just some of the many things that happened. I was very surprised myself when I read this book because it seems a little childish but in fact it's quite the contrary. I highly recommend that you go out and read this book!

WROX books used to be the only ones I'd buy; after having a grand ol' time with the ASP and ASP Databases series. The Professional series has been a real disappointment (and waste of money!). The books tend to be more wordy than necessary and spend too much time on the obvious and too little on the abstract. Cold Fusion is a fairly straight-forward programming language. WROX has somehow managed to make it much more. Perhaps too many cooks in the kitchen; looks like they had 18 authors put this beast together.
Look elsewhere...

Being a ColdFusion user group president, I give this book my seal of approval. This book is well written with easy to understand examples. It will help someone with no CF knowledge all the way to the experts. This book is well laid out and is enjoyable to read. I didn't know what to expect from Wrox on this. I have been a huge Ben Forta fan but this book is just as good as his (if not better)! If you want to learn CF, or just want to get better, buy this book. You will be very happy with it.

This is a very good book!
Vale a pena galera!

Understanding psychology--or any science--requires knowing its history: What motivates the research questions of today? What answers have been provided? What past mistakes can we avoid? Are we re-inventing the wheel, or have we discovered something new?

Robert Watson's "Basic Writings" is an indispensable tool in answering these questions. By selecting passages from the most influential psychologists, Watson enables the reader to appreciate how psychology came to be what it is. From Galileo's writings on the difference between physics and psychology, to the essential writings of the associationists and rationalists, structuralists and functionalists, ontogeneticists and phylogeneticists, Watson allows the reader to discover what the debates have been all about.

My one criticism of the book, however, is that it stands in sore need of updating. One would never know from this little volume that behaviorism and Freudianism had been buried. Nor do we ever hear from their successors--Piaget, Chomsky, the Gibsons, G. Kelley, Seligman, and Beck. Similarly, the minor variants of psychoanalysis--Adler and Jung--have simply merged in the modern perspective, and they could be usefully excised.

Nevertheless, as an adjunct to a history of *experimental* psychology (such as "Forty Experiments that Changed Psychology"), "Basic Writings" should be included in every history of psychology course.

This is an excellent guide to reading any difficult philosophical or spiritual material in terms of realising what is said or meant at its deepest level. It is not a guide to critical appraisal, however.