Intellectuals have long had a fascination with boxing, an athletic contest reduced to its very essence-two semi-naked men trying to kill each other for the enjoyment of a crowd. That's about as stark as it gets. A long and varied list of literary heavyweights have fallen under boxing's spell-Hemingway, Mailer, Oates, Earley, etc., etc., etc. Ralph Wiley belongs up there with the best of them. The ideas he expresses in "Serenity" are meaty and delivered in a style that is both clear and artistic. Mr. Wiley can flat-out write and my goodness does he have an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. His descriptions of knockout blows are downright poetic; one fighter "... went out like a broken light bulb"; another was struck so hard that the blow "... sent his eyes into the top of his head like snapped windowshades". The sights and sounds and smells of the gym all ring true in "Serenity", from the lowliest trainer ("...with a trainwreck of a yellowing smile") to the beatific Ali.

Mr. Wiley defines serenity as "...the inner peace which comes from doing something well enough to understand it". Boxers, per Wiley, can only acheive pugilistic serenity after they understand that pain, and maybe death, are part of the equation. Pain can not be avoided, no matter how skilled the fighter. So why do so many of them continue on, or return for more once they retire, even (or, perhaps, especially) the successful ones? Larry Holmes, one of the best, (whose latest comeback, at age 50, was against a 300 pound sideshow attraction named "Butterbean") is quoted that a fighter has "... gotta enjoy the ones you take just like the ones you give". Sugar Ray Leonard, like Holmes a wealthy man, made more comebacks than Marley's ghost and risked permanent blindness in the process. Bobby Chacon, another champion, "...smiles at the sight of his own blood". The title of a Gerald Earley essay-"I Only Like It Better When The Pain Comes"-is a direct quote from an early '80's crowd-pleasing Philadelphia middleweight Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. (Aside-Frank "The Animal" once fought James "Hard Rock" Green in a brutal, blood-gushing bout, a great nickname bout, where Mr. Fletcher's mother spurred her son on by leading the crowd in chants of "AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL".) Do these otherwise intelligent men actually enjoy getting hit? Hardly. Mr. Wiley has delved deeply into the psyches of men who fight for pay searching for motive, for purpose, and he has succeeded. This is good stuff. "Serenity", like Evander Holyfield, is the Real Deal.

Serenity, as Ralph Wiley tells it, is a state of mind that all fighters try to find. It's not easy, but then, writing a book about the most personal side of boxing - the fighters - isn't easy, either. Especially a good one. But Wiley has done that here. He includes himself a bit, which works, and uses a sharp, witty style that brings the fighters he writes about to life. Best are the chapters on Larry Holmes, and also a letter he writes to his son, Cole. Wiley is enormously gifted, and he will definitely be a writer to watch in the future.

"By Any Means Necessary" is an excellent book on the making of the film "Malcolm X" by director Spike Lee. Not only do we get a chance to see the film from the director's eye, but we also get to read all of the hassles he had to go through in order to come out with a film in Hollywood.The whole tone of the book, like all of Lee's books on his firms, is that of a diary. So what we're reading is random notes, scribbles, and just little lines that he will remember down the line. It almost seemed like a match made in hell: Spike Lee, considered to be a "controversial" film director, does a film on the line of Malcolm X, considered to be a controversial human rights figure. Throughout the book, Lee has to remind himself that despite the nay-sayers, the film will be done, even at times when he doubts his own creative genius.There are also thoughts from some of the actors (including Denzel Washington, who also played Malcolm X in his early years), but the best words come from Lee

Interpretation and Application of GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES 2001 - is an excellent reference material on GAAP covering all relavent topics in a very comprehensive and easy to understand language. Its 23 chapters covers all the topics that you would refer on a day to day basis. For candidates who are planning to write CPA exams, this book is the best source of information on various GAAPs and their practical application. It provides invaluable information on the researching GAAP problems in Chapter 1 and describes how GAAP hierarchy works, I find this chapter very useful in understanding the basic scheme of integration of various GAAP which has originate from multiple sources.

Other chapters covers the topics relating to balance sheet, statements of income and comprehensive income, statement of cash flows, cash, receivables and prepaid expenses, short term investments and financial instruments, inventory, special revenue recognition areas, long lived assets, investments, business combinations and consolidated financial statements, current liabilities and contingencies, long term debt, leases, income taxes, pensions, shareholders' equity, earnings per share, interim and segment reporting, accounting changes and correction of errors, foreign currency, personal financial statements and specilized industry GAAP.

If you work in accounting, this is the only reference book you need.

Ralph Wiley is a Genius.his writing is on point&very honest.it pulls no punches about Race&the injustices.the Book hits you with Humor but also Realness that can't be ignored out here.a very important read.

The book was a scream! It was full of anecdotes that most of us as Blacks folks have experienced. The stories were funny but they were also disturbing because so many of the situations were blatantly racist. Black people do have to shout just to be heard. Then people wonder what all the shouting is about. This book is an easy and fast read. You are left shaking your head but with a smile on your face.

The book was provacative. It clarified issues for me and helped me to see the fallacies in our culture. Ralph Wiley is my favorite author and contemporary voice. Problem is that now I live in the Midwest and I can't catch Powerpoint. He is the bomb!

I bought it as a reference book during an MBA class in Financial Statement Analysis. Helpful and complete.

In all honesty, this is the sexiest thing ever to be committed to the printed page. All the players are here: FASB, AICPA, APA, IASB, EITF...delicious. Discussions on technical bulletins, interpretations and opinions are all concise and easy to understand, but still so lovingly complete. I used this book every single day in accounting theory and it proved incalculably useful. Clocking in at over 1,200 pages, the girth of this tome also made me feel more masculine as I lugged its enormousness past the droves of simpering art and english majors.

This book is especially useful if you need to research a wide range of accounting topics quickly. The format is very clean and easy to follow, but this is by no means a replacement for your other, likely numerous, accounting books. Basic to intermediate accounting knowledge is assumed and the level of detail is not akin to your standard accounting textbook; as there are relatively few examples and practice exercises (though they ARE there). If you are an accounting student, or just need to keep current, this is an invaluable tool. FYI: It also makes an excellent bludgeon.

I've been using the Wiley GAAP guide for the past four years and I couldn't practice without it. It presents the standards in a clear and easy to read format. I find the interpretations tell me exactly what I need to know in plain English. I always know I can depend on this book for information and keep in handy on my desk at all times.

This has got to be the worst autobiography that I have ever read. He makes excuse after excuse about why he couldn't perform up to his capabilities. He blames his managers, the front office, and of course his injuries for his lack of production. What a waste of paper! He ends the book by acting as if he's going to produce big time for the St. Louis Cardinals after he signs with them to close out the book. Well, he spent 2 seasons in St. Louis and didn't do much. I bet he's got an excuse for that also. Maybe it was Tony LaRussa's fault? I think he's courageous for battling cancer, but his excuses get old after you read one excuse after another.

This autobiography is the best book I have ever read. I have followed ED for the last fifteen years and I still cannot find a better role model to look up to (disregarding my parents). His strength and ability to overcome numerous injuries and colon cancer are still amazing to me. I'm only 22 years old and I highly doubt I will ever find a greater person to admire. His book talks about his love for family, God, and baseball. Please do not have any doubts concerning the content of this book. You will find no greater athlete to read about and be amazed by.

When I was 10 years old I went to a Mets/Reds Game at Shea Stadium. After the game was over I was standing outside the player's exit area and a new rookie named Eric Davis came out of the door. I could only tell he was a player and I had no clue what his name was. It was "bat day" that day and I asked this man to sign my bat. He signed it 'Eric Davis' and stopped to ask me some questions about myself which I wasn't thinking he would...I figured a bigshot ball player would sign their autograph quickly and move on. Being only 10 years old, I had never encountered any type of person in the public eye such as a celebrity or major league ball player. I then followed Eric everyday in the papers. When I met him, he was just up from the Minors and hadn't gotten any notice yet. I took such pleasure following him and seeing him excel in the game. My parents would mail me box scores of the Reds' games when I was in sleepaway camp over the summer. I still remember getting excited when following Eric in the summer of 87 when he was on fire.

This book gives the reader an idea of what a warm person Eric is. His courageous struggle through cancer and his triumphant return to the game are simply amazing. I hope that Eric reads this one day, and realizes that a fan from the age of 10 (27 now) still follows and admires him. From reading the book, I agree with one of the other reviewers that said that after reading the book, they weren't just a fan of Eric Davis, the baseball player, but they were a fan of the person.

Spike Lee is usually brought up when people are talking about arrogant behavior. But in this book, he shows how basketball has changed over the years. I play and follow basketball and I thought this book was great. If you like basketball, professional sports, or Spike Lee, this is a book for you.

By and far the best book I have ever read. The content was not the most challenging but Spike Lee managed to tell his life story and intertwine it with the glory of the 70's New York Knicks teams and even inform the reader of his early cinematic musings. A great book for any Knick fan, Spike Lee fan, or general avid reader. I absolutely loved reading this memoir because it gave in depth information on so many facets of life important to Spike Lee: family, basketball, cinema. A definite must read, if only for the reason to see why Spike Lee is so emphatic about his Knicks.

Even though I'm not a New York Knicks fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Spike Lee, for all the movies he made, I enjoyed his foray into the world of being an author. This book mixes his life from the time he was a child to the time he was an adult with memories of his beloved Knicks, past and present. It was cool to hear about Monroe,Barnett,DeBusschere,Reed,Frazier,Russell (Cazzie, not Bill, but he mentions Bill too I think) and others as well. He also talks about stars of previous eras and comparing them to ones in more current eras. It's really two books in one, combining his life (an autobiography) with his love of the Knicks. We get to learn about both subjects.

This is NOT a story about Martin Luther King, Jr...But then again, it is! With such an imposing aura and legendary persona that Martin possesses even in death, it would be extremely hard for anyone trying to extract meaningful context without him playing a prominent role to analyze anything for or against it. GROWING UP KING is Dexter Scott King's story. He being the youngest of Martin's four children, sets out to give revelations for the first time what it was like growing up within the huge monolithic shadow of greatness, and how his fathers' maxims continue to inspire and inform his own ideas on race matters. I would imagine amid the aura of being a member of such a prominent family it would behoove one to set a sustained agenda to carve a preferred path. With this book, you'd think that definitions would be finally told in the first person. I wanted to be rational as I read this book and try not to compare the Martin of yesteryear to what his offspring needed to bring forth. But to do this, I knew I had to do so with an open mind. Thus, I read it with mixed emotion, and tried to be objective in attaining a reasonable view to support the author's intent, and more importantly, to see if certain truths would come forth to quell rumor, and set the record straight on a multitude of issues. Most notably the controversy surrounding The King Center for Non-Violent Social Change.

I came away with a feeling of loss, as if something truly was missing that wasn't said that should have been. I kept looking for reasons to give standing ovations to a member of this family who had the courage to give insight to all questions the public wanted answered. For those looking for insight that hasn't been before public domain, there may be something that Dexter espouses that may warrant merit. File this one on the shelf with the rest of the books written about the King family legacy. I rate this book above average, but still worthy of a read if nothing more than to give chance to this scion who endeavor to be his own man.

The progeny of great men and women are usually compared to their venerable parent. Such is the case in the Martin Luther King, Jr. family. Since his death a microscope has been placed over his children comparing them to him. Dexter, the second son and third child of King attempts to break out of the shadow of his father and reveals to us his hopes, dreams and aspirations for himself and his family. Dexter's text is a good try but fails in its efforts.

Growing Up Kings gives the reader the perspective of a child raised in the Martin Luther King, Jr. family. Dexter reveals the challenges that he faced in living under the shadow of a famous father. We as readers are shown the stresses and pressures put upon the family as they faced tragedy after tragedy but continued on with the dream as articulated by King. Dexter does a fair job in sharing with us some of his family's personal matters but is very restrained in critiquing the actions of his mother and other civil rights icons.

As you walk through the narrative, you will find Dexter repeating himself and giving the reader a history of the civil rights movement. He shares his foibles but was again there is a restraint in his revelations. Just how much is Dexter telling us that is true? Our author seems to never be able to stand on his own two feet without invoking the shadow of the King family over his life.

The best part of the book is his explanation regarding the safeguarding of M.L.K Jr.'s speeches and intellectual property that is not in the public domain. You will learn that there is another side to the story and Dexter tells it well. You also receive a bit of insight regarding the functionairies of the King Center and how Dexter chose to resign his position as president rather than become a puppet.

Like many people I was attracted to this book due to the nature of its contents. Who wouldn't want to know what it is like growing up under Martin Luther King, Jr.? Dexter's story was interesting but lacked a greater depth in terms of his own vision for the future beyond his family. He appeared to be trapped in the King mystique although he tried to become his own man. The book neglected any full scale treatment of his relationships with his mother and siblings. Yes, he throws tidbits concerning his failed love relationships but those appear to be mere diversions to keep up your interest. In general we are given a decent perspective of the King family.Hopefully a more definitive portrait of the family will come from the rest of his siblings.

I read this book by Dexter King, but I have also read Growing Up X. There were some similarities between both books, but there were some differences also. I had heard some of the rumors and speculation about the King family trying to milk Dr. King's legacy in the monetary sense. However, Dexter does a good job of clearing things up about how much time and money is spent protecting his father's legacy due to the fact that some individuals and corporations believe and/or assume that Dr. Kings' speeches and papers are public property and can use them for monetary profit. I agree whole heartly with the King family in protecting their father's legacy including all of his speeches and writings. The thing that stood out the most to me pertaining to this issue was that we as blacks in America discount great black thinkers, intellectuals and people who take a stance in the black community. We have a belief that our black intellects work such Dr King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers is not as valuable as compared to that of their white counter parts such as Nixon, Kennedy or Bush.

Dexter King also gives us some insight into how he grew up near housing projects in Vine City, attended a exclusive private school then public high school, and life at Morehouse. I had no ideal that Dexter's mother currently lives in Vine City, because gossips have always said she was living in a huge mansion in Buckhead. Next Dexter talks about his love life, but never gives any names but calls one serious girlfriend "Mon Ami." I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find out more about the King family.

As a white man I have found Wiley's books interesting because they allow me to see American society through another's eyes. As a high school history and political science teacher, I have used Wiley's essays to generate great discussions. I used his "Integration and desegregation" essay from "Why Black People Tend to Shout" as a different point view after viewing the "successes" of integration. I also use his essay about Arthur Ashe from "What Black People Should Do Now" after I have me students read part of "Days of Grace" for my Race and Politics unit. As far as "Dark Witness", the Twain material is interesting, but it is hard to comment on being limited in my knowledge on Twain however, the idea that "nigger" is reflected on the speaker rather than the subject and the "niggers and guvment" related to todays Congress are both interesting observations, which is why I like reading Wiley. On the O.J. essay, I find it troublesome that Wiley and other black people find Furman types as "loan officers, principals" etc. One question I would have is, unless they have been blatently racist, how does one know that they are in fact racist? The "Profuse Apology" essay is cool and one I will use with my students along with the "Why Black people are violent, on welfare..." The description of his sons basketball team is as entertaining as his description of the Lakers beating the 76ers in one of his other books. One other question, he states (I assume in jest) "What Black People Should Do Now", what would his answer be to the question "What should white people do now?" Also, no commentary of Farrakhan in Dark Witness? I'd like to see Wiley beam his powers of observation on Farrakhan. Doug Graney