This is a wacked memoir. O'Toole basically writes two parallel biographies, one of his childhood AND ONE OF ADOLPH HITLER'S adult life!!! Has this ever been done before? So you get to read about what O'Toole did and what Hitler was doing about the same time. It's amusing, and interesting. I did have trouble with some English slang. A weird book, I think. But I liked it. Peter O'Toole is my favorite actor. But I still think you'd enjoy it if you're not a big fan.

A charming book; somehow surprising, as the critics say too:'a new face of O'TOOLE': indeed, the tone of the story is a very warm one, with romantic overtones in the first part, without any trace of cynism or sophistication; therfore, it is contrary to his style maybe, or, a better word is to his type of characters he plays as an actor-usually being in a delicate psychological or emotional status. PETER is creating his book like a sort of collage of memories, keeping coherently the time which gives it a sense, a direction, yet somehow not enough as he needs a second link: Hitler's image(...). In the second part, still, a change of tone: more aggressive when it is about the war; a genuine atmosphere of the 40s, now in flashbacks in the 90s.Classic and modern at the same time as approaching, quite poetic.

THE images PETER O'TOOLE creates in our mind reading the book are curiously picturesque; they are quite alike with the air of the Italian neorealism in CINEMA, as we can make a connection with it. A tone quie calm, epic,for the memories of his childhood, yet which becomes a bit agressive when he recalls that Adolf Hitler existed. A puzzle of thoughts narrative and expressionist at the same time, and surprisingly modern.

This is a surprisingly fun book to read. Peter deLisser's "in your face" tone is hard to resist. He hammers in each point and then repeats it again for good measure. His main point -- to which he dedicates at least one-half of the book -- is the importance of being a "responsible listener." Listeners are made, not born, he believes. With practice and knowledge, you too can become a great listener -- and oh boy, the places you'll go then! Seriously, the tools and techniques in this book are very good and helpful not only in business but in personal relationships. The art of listening without reacting defensively is a real diamond in human relationships. It can turn many difficult discussions into experiences that bring people closer.

Most of our lives it's not uncommon to hear someone say "be quiet and listen...". Or perhaps it was "you're not listening to me..." I know I have used those words many times. However, in all of the years (47) I can't recall receiving very explicit instructions on how to listen... Never see "How to Listen" courses or conferences. Have seen much written on how to speak etc. Perhaps I looked in all the wrong places. In any case I finally found listening instructions in a book about coaching. Go figure! The 30 pages on listening are what make this worth reading. One quickly comes to understand why it appears as if nobody is listening to you; only 5% have been trained to listen. One quickly learns listening technique which has been invaluable to my career and personal life as well. This one stays on the reference shelf!

The book provides a person with my background (a science nerd turned into a hi-tech manager) well founded, well explained and 100% scientific approach to business communications. It teaches HOW to take 100% responsibility for listening and speaking. It is easy to advice not to react emotionally to what other person says, and everybody does it in their books. In contrast, this book teaches techniques that make emotional reaction unnecessary, without any artificial self control. When reading this book I realized that emotions in response to what others say result from the lack of the kind of analysis the author suggests to do: evaluate the message as being valid/invalid, conversation as being equal/unequal, always know where you are in any conversation. Making this analysis a habit accomplishes two goals: it makes clear and explicit (illuminates) what is actually going on, and moves you to the analytical kind of reaction instead of emotional. The book helped me to realize that emotions often result from the fear similar to the fear people experience in a dark maze. The analysis presented in the book results in always knowing where you are in a conversation, illuminates the maze, and removes the fear and all associated emotions. The author also provides clear guidance and scripts for what to do and what not to do when listening, which also builds confidence and thus lowers the emotion. In the section on speaking I liked the classification of speaking (coaching, declarations), the structured approach to speaking, and examples and scripts that are provided. I found it helpful to always know what you are doing when speaking. Then I can take control, and take the 100% responsibility for the outcome. The conversation management techniques (goals, time, exits, getting attention and commitments) are also invaluable. Reading the book had immediate effect on all of my relationships (I have a wife, three kids, a job and a lot of friends).

Peter Bogdanovich has written a book that is for the movie enthusiast. I suspect the general reader may find some of the interviewees obscure, and the topics technical. I feel that is their loss. For the student of film or film history, this is a treasure trove of information, ideas, experiences, and feelings about films taken from interviews with some of the most distinguished directors in movie history. The author's selection is not encyclopedic, but the directors' experience spans from the earliest years of silent film to the present. These men are not just informative, but their strong and distinctive personalities show in each interview, giving the sense that one has actually met and understood many of them. Some of the interviews are brief, or even very idiosyncratic, but the best are delightfully personal. This is a long book, but affords many pleasant evenings of good conversation. It also makes one want to go back and see the films again!

Regardless of one's feelings about the egomania of author Bogdanovich (and it certainly bleeds through every page), he provides the creative world a great service by sharing his many years of interviews with some of the masters of American Film.

Contained within these pages is a critical access to the creative process. Each director interviewed (obviously some more than others) provides invaluable insight into the nuts and bolts of film directing. Bogdanovich has compiled with this book, an indispensable historical document that does much to inspire, educate and guide any aspiring film director.

I particularly valued Alan Dwan's insights into the importance of communicating character relationships into the narrative. I have incorperated much of the late director's invaluable advice into my attempts at stage direction.

All in all a must have for anybody interested in directing or gaining insight into the creative process.

Peter Bogdanovich pioneered the director interview in English, and this wonderful collection will give endless pleasure to film buffs. The book-length interview with Allan Dwan alone is worth the price of admission. Bogdanovich always did vast amounts of study before sitting down to talk with his subjects, and his expertise and enthusiasm encouraged them to open up in a way they usually did not with other interviewers. Anyone writing about the careers of the directors Bogdanovich interviews has to start with his work on them. A fitting companion piece is Bogdanovich's encyclopedic interview book "This Is Orson Welles."

This book is a great introduction not only to MPI but to parallel programming itself. Initially, one learns essential concepts of parallel programming, including hardware and network topologies. An MPI version of ``Hello World!'' gently introduces the reader to the mechanics of running MPI programs (if you haven't set up your parallel computing environment yet, this may well be the most time consuming chapter of the book!) In what follows, the author lays out the basics of each topic in parallel programming, followed by MPI-specific details (i.e. which MPI function is used in that situation). Particularly worthy of praise is the example-driven approach, whereby in each chapter a problem is presented (like numerical integration or matrix multiplication), and the author shows how to solve them with techniques taught in that chapter. Some problems are rehashed in other sections/chapters, in order to show different PP techniques to solve them. The book doesn't suffer from the black-box syndrome of hiding implementation details: the reader is usually shown the inner workings of, say, each communication technique, while being advised to use MPI's built-in functions instead of rolling out his own versions.

Topics covered include collective communication methods, I/O, debugging, design, performance, parallel algorithms and libraries, and advanced topics in communication. A handy appendix on MPI functions wraps up the book.

As an aside, I will be forever grateful to this book due to its clear exposition of the butterfly broadcast method, which helped me understand the Cooley-Tukey iterative version of the FFT (which uses the same butterfly idea), something I had been struggling with for a couple of years. I would have gladly bought the book for this explanation alone.

I have often found myself checking out the gordious lady sitting in front of me after having read this book. I had a Java project to re-write MPI Bcast, Reduce, and Barrier using the oppposite implementations that MPI already had. i.e. Bcast done in MSB, and so on. I had to come up to speed very quickly and this allowed me to do so.

--------------------- Serious Part of the review-------------------------

Parcheco in this book is carving the path for Parallel programming enthusiasts to follow towards a sound understanding of MPI 1.X. If this book is being adviced as a basic or supplementary book for starters, in an undergraduate course where a sound knowledge of C is required, then no excuse can be found for not being able to tackle an excercise like the following, after 1 week of studying the book.

P0 P1

0 0|0 0

0 0|0 0

where P0 must send the last column from P0 and receive the first column of P1... You simply pack them and send them with an MPI_Type_vector derived data type...

Obtain this book it is what people describe as a "value for money"

----------- Non Serious Part of the review -------------------

All you smart undergrads can take this book before your semester starts and be ready and cool in 2 weeks to simply just sit in the class listening the Proff explaining the obvious...and of course you can take a look at this gordious lady sitting in front of you without being afraid of missing an important concept if you distract a minute your mind...take your revenge from the "brainless" football player she is being dating with... :-)

Before reading Elbow's book, I was quite skeptical concerning "freewriting" -- raw writing, writing without concern for the rules of grammar, writing for the sheer sake of getting words on paper. Elbow overcame my skepticism with powerful examples, reports from his own experience & that of his pupils, and clever exposition. Rather than ducking the complexities and contradictions of good writing, Elbow tackles them head-on. His strategy involves aggressively seeking counter-arguments to his suggestions, and he often admits that two opposing principles both contain elements of truth. He then gives thoughtful advice on how to cope with such complexity. Many of his guidelines involve dialectical or cyclical practices, e.g. paying attention to breathing life into your prose, but then revising for structure, and then returning once again to make sure you haven't choked the life out of what you've written.

In combination with Robert Boice's book, First-Order Principles for College Teachers, Elbow's book would make a wonderful present for a beginning academic or other professional whose livelihood depends on good writing. Graduate students in all fields would also benefit. And, of course, people who TEACH writing could find much of value in this book. Elbow, however, seems to have a dim view of many of his colleagues' tactics!

In Writing with Power, Peter Elbow shares several of his thoughts on techniques for everyone and anyone who writes. Divided into several sections with titles of "Audience" and "Feedback," Elbow walks writers through every step of the writing process, including thoughts on relieving writer's block, sharing individual writing with others, and several different types of actual writing processes and revision. His unorthodox approach to teaching how to write is something that inevitably spills over into this book. Personally, I found this book to be very useful in my own personal writing. I never would have considered giving myself a set amount of time to get something done (and stopping when that time is over) or adding a dialogue to a serious paper. I would also have never given myself permission to "waste" my time on something as frivolous as freewriting to get my mind going. Writing with Power is easy to read and highly enjoyable. His suggestions are valuable and very applicable to every kind of writing. Elbow is not afraid to go out on a limb in his own writing, which only serves as proof that Elbow "practices what he preaches" - and that it can work in daily writing.

I have been an ardent reader all my life, as far back as I can remember. I can remember tearing through my bookcase on some days as if I was physically hungry. Books were always a source of enjoyment for me, - better than dreaming, man - but they were also always a mystery to me. How could someone do something like this? Where do people find all this incredible material inside? Reading was my joy. Writing was never that. Instead, it was always difficult, and frustrating and humiliating. Oh, my writing was all right when it was done. But it took hours piled on hours of struggle to get there. I didn't understand how writers did it, how they could create entire novels - and not just one to each author! - when it took me a week to write one silly page for a book report. And not only did it take forever; it was never fun. It was hard and brutal, exacting and costly. I thought that when you wrote something it had to come out perfect, or nearly so, the first time it was copied down.

Everything changed. This book did it for me. I read Elbow's advice on freewriting to create, how trying to edit and originate at the same time choked the spark off before it could get started. Writing freely without excruciating over what word to put where, then going back after you had some material to work with - it was revelatory. More; for the first time in my life, writing was fun. Really, really fun. It's stayed that way, in all the time since I read "Writing With Power." If I'm very lucky, it will become what I do with my life - but it is only for reading this book that I have any shot at all.

If you have any ambition at all to write, if you have ever experienced the frustration of knowing you have something to say without knowing how to say it, read this book. And start writing, right now. Just make sure you don't stop. You can always go back later.

Ms. Jacobs' book is an excellent resource for intercessors and intercessory prayer group leaders. In fact, it is a "must read" for the latter as it contains a wealth of advice on how best to form and, for lack of a better word, manage such a group through the various stages of growth.

I would highly recommend that you pair Ms. Jabobs' book with another by Dutch Sheets - "Intercessory Prayer" (ISBN #0830719008).

Jacobs comes from a scriptural standpoint to describe what intercessory prayer is, and how it works. She also gives examples from modern times of how Christians have waged spiritual warfare through intercessory prayer and a step-by-step guide to becoming one who does intercessory prayer. I like how Jacobs shares relevant examples from her own life while teaching on intercessory prayer.

Before I read this book, I would have to say that my intercessory skills just barely scratched the surface - With the help of God through Cindy Jacobs in this book, I wage the prayer battle more effectively, hearing & praying the Lord's heart, and knowing when He is calling for prayer battle. I have also learned to understand the spiritual gifts that I have been given, and how to use them in Intercession. Thank you Cindy for sharing what God has poured into you with the world.

I found Hartmann's Hunter/Farmer take on ADD an interesting way of recasting ADD as something other than a disorder, to help people with ADD create a positive stories for and about themselves and their ADD. If it helps even a few people improve their self-esteem, then it's worth considering.

However, as an adult with ADD who was diagnosed just a year and a half ago, I hoped to to find some helpful hints to improve my performance at work and in my every day life. Hartmann is a bit long on new paradigms but a bit short on "This is what you should do" type advice. Still, I'm glad I took the time to read the book and get to know his ideas and perspective on ADD.

I have struggled with ADD my whole life, was diagnosed 7 years ago, and only today am I beginning to really begin to gain a grip on my disability. This book has been a real help to me as I begin to do this. It has provided a series of interesting and import ways to look at ADD rather than bashing my head against a wall as if I understood. Rather, I needed a combination of clinical and personal perspectives that this book is great for. I would only say that I wish that there could have been a greater discussion of how, I as an adult can begin to structure my life in a better way as to minimize the effects of ADD. Instead, I think too often in the book the author resorts to more broad summations and issues rather than getting on his hands and knees in the dirt with me. I think that criticism should not overshadow though the great insights this book holds for all of us who are beginning to make that change with our lives or those parents figuring out how to deal with their children's diagnosis.

Thom Hartmann is somebody who seems to really understand what ADD is all about. This is a great book that brings up some very interesting points. The section about education and learning is outstanding.

I think all people who have ADD themselves or care about a person with ADD should read this book. This is a great book somebody who us just begining to learn about ADD. It's also a great book for somebody who is looking for a different view of ADD than doctors and other my be giving.

I think anybody who has an interest in ADD should read at least one of Thom Hartmann's books.

It is a good written book. It explains things very well in general. It is not as complicated as other genetic textbooks

I would rate this as one of the best (if not the best) introductory texts in genetics. Comparing to various other material that I've come across, Snustad and Simmons definitely exhibit superior aptitude in educational skills in this work. They have a firm grasp of what their target readers can understand and know how build up the readers' progressive comprehension while keeping the interest level high. This is the true mark of a well-constructed textbook. We all know how boring some texts can be, but I found myself always itching to read on and even go backward to review some of the concepts. The authors' use of simple language (unlike some other "introductory" texts) makes reading somewhat "light and fun" in contrast to some others who seem to have forgotten what life was like "pre-PhD".

Another characteristic that makes this work stand out is it's sheer beauty. The illustrations, photographs, charts, and even the layout are absolutely gorgeous! Hey, I'm not one who judges a book by the cover, but even the cover is beautiful! The artwork is well thought out and easy to understand. Many parts of the text can be reviewed plainly by looking at the pictorial descriptions without necessitating too much re-reading of the sections.

The authors also include well-placed "sidelights" throughout the book to help the reader get a "real-life" connection to subject. And the sidelights are mostly about what we care about most...ourselves. Thus, in addition to constant reference to medical applications here and there, the sidelights help the reader appreciate what genetics is all about.

Another important aspect of this text is that it is up to date. The authors have taken into consideration the exponential advances in the field and documented it here. That is just one more plus to this already fantastic piece of work!

i have read this book once but i am very keen to read again this book so i want to read this book and for that i want to see the review of this book.

I agree with the reviewer who noted that this book gives a different perspective than the typical Cold War paranoid view of Cuba. The changes in Cuba from trip to trip were evident in the author's descriptions. Clearly, the book is slanted toward the Cuban people and away from the Castro regime. However, it did give a nice view of daily life for the ordinary citizen. After a while, though, the book seemed to drag on. Overall, though, it was nice to have a new view of Cuban life, and it clearly showed how the embargo is only hurting the Cuban people.

In a time when US activists will argue that a young boy should not be reunited with his Cuban father, C. Peter Ripley's Conversations with Cuba is an important book. In a distillation of his experiences gathered in multiple visits to Cuba in the 1990s, Ripley introduces the reader to the changes taking place in Cuba. Combining his skill as an astute observer and articulate writer, Ripley challenges the language and imagery long used in the west to isolate and create mistrust of Cuba and its revolution.

Conversations with Cuba makes plain that a diversity of opinion exists within Cuba about the revolution. Ripley discusses the dual problem Cuba faces as it transitions to a capitalist economy while continuing to care for its people as promised by the original revolutionary cadre of Fidel, Che, and others. Ripley learns that the struggle to achieve these potentially conflicting goals creates dissatisfaction for some, while for others an abiding faith in the revolution persists. Through the revolutionary affirming experience of his "fixer", Paulo, Ripley asks the reader to reconsider the long-held, rarely questioned stereotypes of Cuba. Just as Paulo reconsiders his views about the revolution, Ripley offers hope that the US can abandon the negative views of Cuba and consider the island and its people as they really exist.

In a time when US activists argue that a young boy should notbe reunited with his Cuban father, C. Peter Ripley's Conversation withCuba is an important work. In a distillation of his experiences gathered in multiple visits to Cuba in the 1990s, Ripley introduces the reader to the changes taking place in Cuba. Combining his skill as an astute observer and articulate writer, Ripley challenges the language and imagery long used in the west to isolate and create mistrust of Cuba and its revolution.

Conversations with Cuba makes plain that a diversity of opinion exists within Cuba about the revolution. Ripley discusses the dual problem Cuba faces as it transitions to a capitalist economy while continuing to care for its people as promised by the original revolutionary cadre of Fidel, Che, and others. Ripley learns that the struggle to achieve these potentially conflicting goals creates dissatisfaction for some, while for others an abiding faith in the revolution persists. Through the revolutionary affirming experience of his fixer, Paulo, Ripley asks the reader to reconsider the long-held, rarely questioned stereotypes of Cuba. Just as Paulo reconsiders his views about the revolution, Ripley offers hope that the US can abandon the negative views of Cuba and consider the island and its people as they really exist.

I was hoping that this book would be more about connecting with your guides without using meditation which not everyone can do. I further was excited that she put her e-mail address on the back of the book and mentioned to send an e-mail, but so far I have not received any response.

I had an incredible phone call tonight from the author, she had not received the e-mails I had sent and she called me directly. I re-read the book and she further enlightened me about what I was doing incorrectly in trying to use her excersices in the book. She was great, she even gave me further insight, in that most people will try and focus on a question and then will not truly listen to what the answer is, they will think they have done it themselves, instead of realizing that guides are all around us all the time.

This book is very helpful for anyone interested in deepening their spiritual connection. No meditiation, simple techniques that don't take a lot of time. Very helpful.