[Backcover Review]: "PEOPLE OF LEGEND by acclaimed photojournalist and author John Annerino is a stunning and evocative portrait of Native America and the mystical landscapes they call home. "This largely photographic essay...offers a rare glimpse of coming of age ceremonies and feasts, and vivid re-enactments of ancient dances."-San Francisco Chronicle. "Contemporary Native American culture is revealed by a photojournalist who spent over 20 years exploring the Southwest...a stunning visual display of modern tribes and people: a blend of cultural history and art book."-Reviewers Bookwatch. "Annerino's work is outstanding." -Arizona Daily Star. "PEOPLE OF LEGEND tells a history, in words and pictures, that we all need to know." -American Photo Magazine. "Extraordinary."-Sandia Review." [Backcover Bio]: "Praised by Newsweek as one of the finest photographers of the West, John Annerino has worked in the frontier of Old Mexico and the American West for two decades. The Washington Post has lauded his "reverant and ravishing photographs," The Denver Post described his work as "fabulous," Publishers Weekly calls it "stunning." Represented by Gamma-Liaison, Annerino's credits include Time, Life, Newsweek, and Scientific American, among many prestigious publications worldwide. The author of nine books, Annerino's works include the critically acclaimed 1999 border saga DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS and his new photo/art book on American cowboys and cowgirls, ROUGHSTOCK: THE TOUGHEST EVENTS IN RODEO."

Acclaimed author and photojournalist John Annerino is known for his high-risk journeys through the frontiers of Mexico and the American Southwest, seeking stories untold and photos unseen. For the past two decades, with his pen and his camera, he has told the stories of indigenous people -- their struggles and triumphs, their political strife and quiet dignity. His chronicles about the Tarahumara [WHERE SPIRITS STILL DANCE, in press] and Inde [APACHE: The Sacred Path to Womanhood, Marlowe & Co.], and his journeys across the desert with Mexican citizens looking for work in the United States [DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands, Four Walls Eight Windows], can be found in several books as well as in frequent articles. Annerino share[s] his journeys and experiences, reflecting on how indigenous cultures have retained their traditions while dealing with outside influences. -Heard Museum

PEOPLE OF LEGEND. Annerino's book examines Indians' ties to land...A dozen figures raise crooked sticks toward the twilight sky. In the shot, Annerino manages to bring an almost monumental quality to the circle of students at San Simon High School, on the western edge of the Tohono O'odham reservation, as they play the ancient stickball game. At first glance, it appears to be some ancient ceremony. In a way it is. "I wanted to show the spirituality of the game of toka for the Tohono O'odham," Annerino said. -Daily Star

This book is really about the relationship between the American medical establishment and Americans. We've grown up trusting doctors, the FDA, AMA, and other agencies to help us stay healthy and fight disease. Robbins writes about the betrayal by these agencies. Three-fifths of the book is about women's health including pregnancy, osteoporosis, menopause, and x-rays. He also writes about children and Ritalin, the AMA against chiropractors and midwives, its close relationship with the tobacco industry, and its persecution of "heretics," such as health practitioners offering cancer cures. Included are our backward attempts to control bacteria and viruses, which are actually helping them to grow stronger and flourish. Knowledge is power and in this book you will learn many things that hopefully will push you to make better, more responsible health choices. He also includes a wonderful resource guide in the back. This was the first book of his I read. Not only is the book incredibly well researched, but his subtle wit--impeccably delivered--is refreshing. He's a fabulous writer!

This is one of the best books on our healthcare system that I have ever read. I learned a great deal from it. I cried while reading the ways pregnant women have (and are still) being treated by the medical establishment. I never knew statistics showed midwife births were safer than hospital births. This book was an eye opener in so many ways and I'm grateful to John Robbins for having written it. The history of the AMA is comparable to a horror story... I'll never see things the same again. If you are someone who doesn't take things at face value and seeks the truth, I'd highly recommend this book.

This provocative yet thoroughly researched and fascinating book explores the American Health Care. As an Australian, this book is still a must read as western society is still influenced by America's research and conduct in health care. Robbins explores the scandals and lies of the AMA, the tobacco companies, the chiropractors, the mid-wives and the battle between conventional and alternative medicine. I was shocked to read the conflict of interests in the tobacco companies and the AMA and the near-heretic persecution of Burzynski's anti-cancer treatments. Overall, this book awakens the reader not only to alternatives and politics in health care but also the important message of taking responsibility for one's own health. The health care system isn't perfect; doctors are not gods; drugs can't cure everything yet the human body has powerful, natural healing powers which can be enhanced. We must pursue a path of health which concentrates on prevention, integrates the best of both conventional and alternative but ultimately a path where we take the responsibility to make informed decisions on our health. Healing is within us.Well written, this book will open your eyes. A must read.

This book is still the #1 tool for serious Filemaker Pro Developers. If anything, it opens the reader up to endless possibilities. The next step after this book is learning to create plug-ins

I think this book is easy to understand and is awesomely powerful. I have used some of the suggested scripting techniques in my custom applications and have been very pleased with how helpful they have been. Often times they have lead me to new and better solutions. If you are a serious FileMaker Pro Developer, then this is a 'Necessary Reference Book' for you!

A MUST for any and all Filemaker developer. Much more than a simple 'how to' book. Gets to the heart of how to create solutions with FileMaker Pro.

When I was in junior high, I was addicted to reading juvenile sports fiction. Shortly after beginning seventh grade, I went to the alphabetical beginning of the fiction section in the school library and began moving down the alphabet. As I went, I examined the books and read all that were sports related. In a little over two years, I had read every sports fiction book in the collection. Of all those books, the Kid From Tomkinsville was one of the most memorable.
While the background of the 1940's made the presentation difficult for someone in their early teens in the 1960’s, the descriptions of baseball more than made up for it. Roy Tucker is the title character and an excellent pitcher. However, immediately after one of his best games, he slips and cracks his pitching elbow. This finishes him as a pitcher and the main theme becomes his quest to come back as an outfielder.
He is initially very effective and believes success is assured. However, he soon begins to struggle and doubts creep in. The description of all of this is a combination of one of the best baseball stories as well as one of triumph as a combination of talent, hard work and persistence lead to his success. I still remember the scene where his manager comes to his room and tells him the problem is that he is playing for himself and not for his team.
John Tunis is one of the best writers of sports fiction that has ever lived. He makes baseball exciting, even when all the action is taking place off the field. While our society has moved on to a point quite different from the time period of the story, baseball is still a game where strategy, preparation and dedication can triumph over athletic ability. That has not changed, and the descriptions in this book will continue to keep the attention of baseball fans for decades to come.

When I was a kid in the late 60's and early 70's, I read all eight books in the J.R. Tunis series in his Dodgers series. Anyone who gets into the series MUST start with this one. Roy Tucker is an integral part in nearly all the books ("Young Razzle" being the exception), and "The Kid From Tomkinsville" introduces him along with the other characters. While some of the dialogue is of the "gee whiz" variety, the book and series are excellent. I'm so glad they were re-released, and I now have all of them. Now, I want to get a Dodgers replica jersey with the name "Tucker" above the number 34. Any kid between 9 and 90 who reads this book will know why.

I first read this book when I was 7 years old in the 1970s. I still love it to this day. The characters jump off the page and take you back to the 1940s, a different time and world.

This is a quite epic narrative history, which reads with the facility and pace of a well-constructed thriller. It is at once a social history of the Royal Navy that spans the Ironclad, Dreadnought and Great War eras, a dissertation on naval signalling and fleet-handling in a period of unprecedented technical innovation, a reflection on the challenges and stresses of leadership and a thrilling account of the Battle of Jutland from a British perspective. The book opens with a quite thrilling account of the opening phase of the battle, in which technical and human complexities are treated with equal aplomb, then breaks off - leaving the reader all but white knuckled - at the moment the German High Seas Fleet appears on the scene and forces Beatty's Battle Cruiser Force and Fifth Battle Squadron to turn northwards. It might seem an anti-climax to be diverted from this drama to the controversies that dominated the Navy in the Late-Victorian and Edwardian periods but this part of the story, with its splendidly delineated cast of larger-than-life characters, is no less gripping, especially in view of its ultimate relevance to command and control decisions at the potentially climactic encounter at Jutland. The third part of the book returns to the battle itself, with the arrival of Jellicoe's Battle Fleet, the main clash and the subsequent night action and German escape. The complexities of naval manoeuvre have seldom been so clearly portrayed in print, with excellent use being made of simple diagrams for illustration, and colour and pace are lent to the narrative by many well-chosen extracts from survivor's accounts, ranging from the light-hearted to the outright ghastly. This was indeed a battle where there was no mid-point between unscathed survival and horrific injury. The story is told almost exclusively from the Royal Navy viewpoint - that indeed of a British participant - and, thought this adds great immediacy, readers will need to look elsewhere for a more detailed account of the German movements. The final part of the book is in many ways the saddest, detailing the recriminations, self-justifications and personal tragedies involving the main participants after the war. A postscript that deals with the problem of intelligence overload as a purely Naval concern will be found by many readers to have singular relevance to large modern organisations employing E-Mail! This is, in summary, a quite magnificent piece of work and a delight for enthusiasts of naval history. The only mild criticism that might be made is that the writer has omitted to discuss how experience from the Spanish-American and Russo-Japanese Wars might have influenced Royal Naval thinking on visual signalling and fleet control under battle conditions. Japanese experience might be assumed to have been of particular relevance in view of the strong Royal Navy influence on Japanese naval development - and of the presence on Togo's flagship at Tsu-Shima of Captain William Packenham, who later commanded the 2nd. Battle Cruiser Squadron at Jutland. This minor gripe aside one can but long for more from the pen of Mr.Gordon.

This book is not just about the battle of Jutland: it's a critical and outstanding representation of the birth and evolution of British Navy's tactical doctrine from the middle of the XIX century till 1916, with significative glimpses beyond that date. The widening gulf between the peace-time ethos and training of the officers' corps (strict repect of the authority and slavish attention to goose-step fleet manouvres) and the requirements of a war-time Navy (initiative and skill at gunnery) is well presented, with many stimulating references to the psychological, social and cultural context of the Victorian Navy. The examination of the battle reflects to some extent the more general aim of the book and, as a consequence, is not as detailed as it could be (see for that John Campbell's "Jutland, an analysis of the fighting"). But the many still-debated episodes of the clash of the two fleets are thouroughly discussed and illuminated by the vast knowledge of the author. A captivating narrative and a final chapter on how the example of pre-1914 British Navy can teach a modern military service to avoid committing the same errors complete a masterful historical work. I totally agree with the previous rewiers in regarding Andrew Gordon's book as a major contibution to the history of British Navy in the First World War.

Dr. Andrew Gordon's lengthy study will surely become the definitive account of the Battle of Jutland. Gordon provides an easy read with dispassionate analysis of the facts: a rational and sensible reassessment added to many revelations unearthed by the author's in-depth research. The book starts with an account of Jutland up to the delayed arrival of the 5th Battle Squadron (Evan-Thomas) to the Hipper-Beatty duel. Evan-Thomas and Beatty's handling of the advance guard (along differing tactical doctrines) provides the perfect point of departure and reference to the mid-nineteenth century Pax Brittanica, in which the Victorian Navy struggled to promote a workable combat doctrine from its opposing pool of 'authoritarian' and 'autorcratic' Admirals. The problems faced by the Grand Fleet at the onset of war, and highlighted by inadequacies at Jutland, can be traced to, and explained by, the wardroom battles of this era; particularly over the use of the cumbersome signal book and how best to adapt it to 'real' combat situations, governed by the ever-changing factors of the technological revolution. (Symbolised by the 'all big gun' Dreadnought.) Ultimately, the pioneering development in this field was arrested in its infancy by the sinking of HMS Victoria and the consequent loss of its foresighted Admiral, Tryon (inventor of TA; an initiative based battle signals procedure). The central discussion is followed by a return to the gunfire of Jutland where we witness how this 'arrested development' affected the course and outcome of the battle. The dispositions and handling of the Fleets by Jellicoe, Beatty, Scheer et al. are masterfully analysed; their respective shortcomings and doctrinal reasoning put across fairly. No encounter is left un-discussed, no surviving statement left without reappraisal. The post-Jutland analysis and Beatty-Jellicoe confrontation then come the focus of scrutiny from which we can deduce our own conclusions. Dr. Gordon's account if full of amusing anecdotes. I particularly liked the attention to individual experiences of the battle, and naval life, which are tied in to the relevant discussion: we are reminded of Tryon's last signal before the collision: "What are you waiting for?"... or that the spotter on Fisher's ill-fated battlecruiser Invincible was the German composer, Wagner's, godson. A later reference to the 'Jutland prize for creative writing' is typical of Gordon's lively prose. Furthermore, there is an interesting account of Freemasonry in the service, providing an explanation for many an admirals straight- jacket of 'dutifulness'. The book commendably puts the whole naval episode firmly into the context of the late 19th and early 20th century, with all its corresponding ideologies and imperialistic assumptions that disintegrated so painfully on the fields of Verdun and the Somme.

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church, worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." This is the opening line of this book, and it is the foundational premise on which it is written.

Piper writes about a God who is worth serving, worth going to the nations for, and who is worth suffering for. There is no greater cause in all the world than the glory of God and Piper eloquently describes how Missions is intimately connected to that cause.

Perhaps the most striking point in the book is the idea that God is passionate for his own glory. In fact that God is passionately establishing his glory in the nations. It is not that God is in constant need of affirmation, but that He knows that His glory is the "chief end of man"...and of God.

The chapter on Suffering is incredible. Piper's writing is as convicting as it is motivating. The reader is left asking the question "Do I believe in a God like this? Do I serve a God who is worth suffering for?"

God has honored his church with the privelege of joining Him in his work in the world. Piper is a man who understands this privilege, and who invites us to join Him as well.

The Bible, of course! John Piper will stun you with page after page of God-honoring biblical exegesis. His keen mind is only surpassed by his passionate love of God and His Word. The Lord will be worshipped by people from every nation (tongue, tribe, and people group). By the way, the most loving thing I can say about the Bode's review is, "Do you want the opinion of someone who has no idea how wonderful, Holy, and gracious God is, or do you want the truth from a Christian who agrees that our purpose in life is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever?" Do you want a book that will reveal God's heart for the nations, directly from Scripture? Buy this book...Chapter One alone is worth it! To God be the Glory!

This is the best book I've ever read. Unlike so many books on missions, Piper does not try to cajole his readers into the mission field with tear-jerking stories of how third-world nation children are starving, as if God were in need of missionaries. Instead, Piper unfolds God's great plan to glorify himself through missions--that all nations might turn to Christ. Piper is right on when he wrote -- missions exists because worship doesn't. Soli Deo Gloria

I am reading 2 Timothy as I read this book and it really brings out some of the really important elements of Christian life and the church. Both Paul and Bonhoeffer are writing from the perspective of someone who is imprisoned, who is never sure when their life may end. If fact, both are probably sure that life will end very soon. So when they write, they are writing what is truly on their hearts, bringing to their reader exhortations that they hope to leave with them that will most strengthen their faith and respective communities.

This book talks about very simple things: singing together, living together, reading together. It touches little on how to overcome politics or proper forms of leadership. What he wants most is to make sure that, of all things, we learn how to be true brothers and sisters, which can ONLY be done through Christ. Without him and His will, we can do nothing. The Christocentric nature of his writing is alomost startling, yet, like Karl Barth, is essential to understanding Bonhoeffer.

I was most affected by the chapter about reading the Bible. He refers to booklets (writeen by the Moravians in his time) that focus only on a few verses. He challenges us to read whole chapters, whole books, of the entire Bible. This is so very true today. If we even take the time to read the Bible, we don't take part in the great narrative of God's grace, in Israel's crossing of the Red Sea, of thier crying out to God for help. When God rebukes them, he also rebukes us.

Perhaps some aspects of the book are somewhat anachronistic. The part about singing is a bit opinionated. I understand his desire for true unison singing - that it captures the symbol of all God's people joining as one in Christ. But singing also can reflect diversity, the diversity of the people in our congregation joined by the words but diverse in HOW it is sung. That is how I see it. And I find his rebuke of "unmusical" singers a little elitist. What would he think of current contemporary music with instruments, a leading band, and multiple melodies? On the one hand he DOES give us necessary pause for thought - we cannot succumb to the desire to be "current" while compromising the gospel; on the other hand I think he is a bit stuffy in his comments.

What makes this a classic is that it is not just a list of exhortations, but a THEOLOGICAL work, not a take on business models for the church, or sociological ana;yses. It is a book steeped in Scripture and that is very good.

Besides the Word of God (the bible), there are three other books every Christian should read, if he/she is serious about their faith.

Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan; The Cost of Discipleship by D. Bonhoeffer, and this book, Life Together, by the same author. This book changed my perspective...totally, on how to live with 'my neighbour.' Think you really do love your neighbour? What about your brother and sister in the Lord? With so many church splits, arguments over trivial doctrinal issues, petty squabbles, and gossip justified as 'good ol' christian concern', this book is needed. It shows how we are REALLY to treat one another. Patterned after Christ, and based in scripture--this book is a must.

Christain martyr Deitrich Bonhoeffer wrote this book to aid its Christian reader in Christian living through the miriad of daily activities. Although it's only about 100 pages, it's a whale of a helpful book.

It takes a little reading to get used to Bonhoeffer's style (prose), but once you can read "Life Together" fluidly, it hits you like a machine gun: practical advice followed by rationalle; practical advice followed by rationalle; etc. Among the topics covered are components to daily, family devotions, the relationship between work and worship; a new way of looking at Psalms and hymns; the importance of daily showing love through your actions so that you can spread the word of Christ; ways to guard against conflict in a church (as if there is ever conflict at voters meetings. Ha!)

This book won't take you very long at all to read, but the thoughts you take away from it will churn in your head for weeks. You'll find yourself turning back to the book re-read a section or two. You'll kick yourself for not reading it sooner. I know I have. HIGHLY recommended.

Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream is a fine work, quite amazing in weaving together such different strands as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the pain of regret and lost love, the terse, no-nonsense wisdom of a vastly underrated President and individual, and the question of making moral choices. A book very deliberately against the modern grain. In short, just what we need in an age when art so often fails to elevate.

I understand this is the author's first published novel, and it is a masterpiece. The Englishman manages to capture the cadences of both Chinese immigrant and Yankee Puritan with aplomb. The use of language is breathtaking, the analogies awesome and the story itself charming, funny and totally uplifting. In the process he manages to paint a wonderful portrait of the most neglected President of the twentieth century, the magnificent Calvin Coolidge.

This novel is like no other book I know. It is a strange brew distilled from ingredients that would not seem to go together but that somehow add up to a rich and satifying mix. The story is that of a Chinese immagrant living in suburban America - an ex Red Guard whose current life is totally different from his past. The protagonist's tastes and sensibilities are delightfully unexpected and the gentle pace and almost wistful storyline belie what we expect in a modern novel. For reasons that I cannot fully articulate, I really loved this book. The main charcter's strange 'take' on America, the Englsh language, aspects of contemporary culture, family, life, love - and even Calvin Cooledge - are wonderfully presented and leave the reader (at least this reader) wishing that he could actually know and talk to this person.

John Derbyshire has done a wonderful job of breathing life into a character and providing the reader with something special and unexpected. I look forward to his next book.

On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio is a must-have for any Old-Time Radio buff. The book has already helped me arrange my collection of shows. If it had pictures, the book would be even better, but the facts and obvious love that John Dunning has for these shows makes the book an incredible read.

From the A&P Gypsies to the Ziegfield Follies of the Air, the entire spectrum of radio in its heyday (1930's 40's, 50's) is all here, with as fabulous a cast of characters as were ever gathered into one industry.
The 1500 entries detail the broadcast history of each show (including dates, times, network, and sponsors), cast members major and minor, announcers, musicians and singers, producers and directors, sound effects technicians, and more.
Shows of special significance, such as "Gunsmoke" (1952-61) are treated in extensive essays describing their history and development, with background information derived from numerous interviews and meticulous research. There are also special categories, or "umbrella entries", covering concert, news, and religious shows, and the remote broadcasts of the great bands, such as Glenn Miller and Woody Herman. For hardcore radio buffs and collectors information on the availability of tapes of old shows will be a special treat. With its fine bibliography and generous index, Dunning's work is a first rate production, essential for anyone interested in old time radio.

(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

If you only want to purchase a single book on the subject of old time radio then this has to be it. The alternative is probably Swartz & Reinehr's Handbook of Old-Time Radio. The latter covers a lot more different series than the Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, but there is only a brief amount of information on each one. In this John Dunning masterpiece there are comprehensive details on ALL of the major shows, hundreds of them. The reviews range from a few lines up to full-blown essays that detail everything from the history of the show through to the leading stars, directors and even sound effects personnel. Dunning manages to do this in a style that is anything but dull. He manages to make even the most mundane of shows seem worth listening to and his passion for this medium is evident on every one of it's 800+ pages. It isn't a cheap book, but to the old radio show fan it really is worth it's weight in gold (maybe that's a slight exaggeration as this is a BIG heavy book that could double-up as a door-stop). Happy listening! Ned Norris, Webmaster of RUSC Old Time Radio Shows...

This 3rd exciting novel takes you back into the adventurous life of Ben Gannon and his girlfriend Sass as they embark on yet another action-filled adventure. John McKinna's series is always a delightful read with stories filled with action and adventure but also filled with delightful and colorful characters of both good and bad persuasions. Ben is drawn to his lost friend by a vision and the man's wife to save him from an island prison that is not only underwater but - you guessed it - surrounded by man-eating sharks! With a badass sidekick named Naji and a throw-away stoner named Head, they fly away into high adventure and a rescue that was very fun and exciting to read. This writer is never boring to read and is just getting better and better as he goes along. The whole story was well executed in terms of great range of characters and storyplot. This is a must read for all. So strap on your underwater gear and dive in!

Shark Lake is a riot. Big time adventure with a cool hero and badass buddies. I don't know much about Africa or diving but John McKinna does, and it makes for a kickin' read. This book is kind of like a combination Indiana Jones and Jacques Cousteau National Geographic special. I really liked the African characters, you can get a real feel for them. The hero Ben Gannon is someone you can identify with...he's a working class guy with some smarts and a cool job that takes him into interesting parts of the world. I think it took me two days to read this and I really enjoyed it. I hope this writer turns out a lot more stories like this. This would make a good movie.

Shark Lake was wonderful. I enjoyed it from cover to cover, and particularly the dry sense of humor that pervades the writing. The story drove on hard and fast, but the characters were surprisingly real and sympathetic, if a little hard-bitten. (Especially one of the women! Tough as gristle!) In terms of the way he expresses himself, author John McKinna is a writer to watch. You can put your tongue in your cheek (where his seems to be most of the time!) and go along for the exciting and often humorous ride. I kid you not: the guy's good. There are two other books in this series (Crash Dive and Tiger Reef, according to Amazon) and one of them, Crash Dive, is about an Arab terrorist attack on a Louisiana oil rig--written in 1999! Talk about predicting the future. I'll be interested to see where McKinna's imagination takes him next.