For anyone with an interest in Philip II of Spain or the convulsive times Europe was going through in his age, this is an absolute must. The author's mastery of the subject is obvious and his writing is never heavy or boring. The book is superb, simple, clear,discretly erudite. Mr. Williams writes to please and interest the reader, not to impress the world with his knowledge. His book should be compulsory reading for French historians, most of whom are pompous bores.

The publication of this book has been highly anticipated by many in the emerging field of public health informatics and it does not disappoint. Although seemingly targeted at those new or recently introduced to the discipline, or those "crossing over" from other areas within the broader informatics arena, content is very well-suited for all comers, with sufficient detail to satisfy even those familiar with the many issues detailed in the richly detailed case example chapters.

The breadth of material covered is excellent, making it especially appropriate as an introductory or intermediate text. Of particular interest will be the section of the book on "The Science of Public Health Informatics" which includes particularly fine chapters on information architecture, value assessment, management of personnel and projects, and organizational change. Bill Yasnoff does a particularly good job adding clarity to a muddled domain in a chapter on privacy, confidentiality, and security of Public Health Information. Those readers generally interested in PHI education, or with specific interest in developing training programs for PHI programs or for public health agency personnel would find great value in Janise Richard's chapter on core competencies.

The writing style is generally clear and illustrative, albeit not terribly concise. We have adopted this book as the core text for our graduate-level introductory course in PHI.

(This review is for the Oprah Book Club recommendations)

I can't believe that more people haven't read this book, but it could be because it is published by a small press, BOA Editions. Patrick won the 1990 Great Lakes Colleges Association Award for this moving first novel, the year after Jane Hamilton won the same award for "The Book of Ruth," a previous Oprah Book Club selection.

"Roxa" is the story of the Culver family, set in mid-19th century, upstate New York. Their powerful story is told in the intense, passionate voices of each of the seven members of the Culver family and combines monologues, newspaper excerpts, journal entries, and poetry.

In the midst of their day-to-day farmlife experiences, each of the Culvers painfully grapples with their interior struggles and personal tragedies, under the shadow of the Millenialist beliefs which were dominating their remote rural town.

Although all of the Culvers' stories are richly told, Amelia Culver's coming-of-age really resonated for me.

James Dickey is quoted on the back of the book: "Roxa is a daring, go-for-broke experiment that works." For readers who like their books to touch their hearts and spirits, "Roxa" is a must!

This is a wonderful collection of poetry readings by some of the best actors in the world. If you allow yourself only one tape of poetry, I would recommend this one. The rendition of Lawrence's "The Snake" is spellbining, and the reading of Macneil's "A Death in the Family" is quietlly gut-wrenching. And you will be surprised how well Bill Shatner recites about whales. Buy this tape, and you will listen to it again and again.

Spirals is an extraordinary book - one of my favourite works of fiction - whose relevance and validity have increased in the years since it was first published. It manages the supreme trick of combining seamlessly a riveting story with real hard science. Despite its qualities, the book is virtually unknown.

The story deals with Dr. Peter McKusick, a researcher in a commercial gene lab. He's a loner, whose only significant companion is his 3 year-old daughter Kitty. We learn that his adored wife was killed in a car crash.

The laboratory is under pressure from protest groups concerned that a recombinant DNA facility is situated next door to an infant school. Demands are made for the closure of the lab before unnamed horrors are unleashed on the populace.

Then, one morning, McKusick's daughter falls ill...

The storyline at this point is handled with extreme skill. Although the reader is almost encouraged by events to believe that the plot is about to drift into a hackneyed medical shocker scenario, there are odd incidents which add to the suspicion that something far stranger than an escaped virus is at work here. Why are McKusick's parents-in-law unaware of the existence of their grandchild? Why does he act so bizarrely when Kitty becomes sick?

I consider it a crime that this book is not more widely read. Perhaps its ultimate salvation would be to be made into a film, into which I believe it would translate very well.

If you are looking for a book about the hazards of sleep deprivation, your search is over.

A beautifully written, often poignant description of life at "the 'Tute." Hapgood is very effective at creating the atmosphere of life at MIT: it is, above all, intense. But it is also quirky, has people who are very bright doing things that are sometimes incomprehensible, and who are headstrong. Fortunately, he explains why this must be so, and he does it well.

Parts are comical, parts bring a lump to my throat every time I read them. All of it's good. A friend said that he thought it a bit "gushy" about the place, but I, of course, disagree.

I can't believe it's out of print.

Michael McDonald's ability to tell a story - to observe the goings-on around him with the cold detachment of a brilliant narrator at the same time he was an actor in the drama that was unfolding between and among his family and friends - is simply breath-taking. His writing is so clear, so real and so immediate that you feel the heat, the energy and the pain of the streets of South Boston from beginning to end.

While I have lived in Massachusetts for most of my life and have some appreciation for the larger events that were unfolding throughout the course of Michael's book, he brings it all home with an eye for detail and an appreciation for what was happening on the ground that is astonishing. His observations about and real-life experiences with cops, forced busing, drugs, welfare, racism, classism, corruption and poverty are eye-opening, to say the least.

This book will move you no matter where you live or how old you are. It is heart-felt, beautifully constructed, and - in many ways - a tale for all times. It is a classic tale about one family's life in urban America during the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I am sure it will become a "must-read" in high school and college classrooms across the country.

I couldn't put this book down, and I jsut finished reading it for a second time. Mike MacDonald brings the reader into his childhood and won't let him escape. His story of growing up poor in Southie, amidst the drugs and violence and busing crisis, yet still being able to call it "the best place in the world" allowed me to finish the story with a smile on my face. And I challenge the person who wrote that despite the drugs and crime, etc. that he grew up with, Mike was still able to "convince himself" that it was the best place in the world. After sitting down with him last week for an interview/conversation, I believe he would maintain his point of view; he wasn't convincing himself of anything. And that's what allowed me to stay positive through the book: yes, the MacDonalds had to deal with unfathomable pain and hardships, but Southie's tight-knit community made for a home that is hard to forget about. I also challenge the person who in his review said that MacDonald's book was an "indictment" of the gangsters in Southie and that he made "brave accusations" about them; the truth is obvious, and Whitey Bulger and his crew managed to bring unbelievable amounts of drugs and crime to Southie. Despite what the newspapers or anyone else wants to say. I now work in Southie and have seen first-hand the poverty and drugs, but it is still a great community. Mike MacDonald, in his book and in our conversations, erased stereotypes of Southie that existed in my mind and that exist across the country today. He also got through to me that writing can and will allow one's wounds to heal; he is a brave man, an excellent writer, and one of the nicest guys I've met since I began working in Southie three months ago. Y'all have to read this book if you want the truth on one of the most misunderstood neighborhoods in Boston.

Last year as soon as I read in a weekly magazine that there was a story of South Boston, I immediately had to buy it. Being that I have lived in Southie--a place where you see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil--that is place that you love and hate with a community that has lots of pride. Michael Patrick MacDonald survives the violence, crime, injustices, and coruption that no one will admit to, that comes along with living in the projects of Southie. The MacDonald family suffers so many losses too many times. the opening line to the book reads.....I WAS BACK IN SOUTHIE, "THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD," as Ma used to say before the kids died. ....after that you have to read on!

Kenneth Graham achieved a masterpiece with The Wind in the Willows. Please don't judge it on the basis of Disney's "Mr. Toad" cartoon; the book itself is lyrical and engaging, with fun characters in wonderful settings facing a number of thrilling adventures. Some scenes are purely down to earth, such as Mr. Toad's escapades with his beloved automobiles, and some are sheer magic, as the Piper at the Gates of Dawn chapter. Reading the musical Christmas chapter has become a holiday tradition in my family.

This is truly a book that anyone can enjoy, a claim that is often made on the front covers of teen-market books but which rarely stands up to the promise. In this case I could read this book to my youngest and oldest child, and all three of us would be entranced.

This childhood favorite is as fresh and charming as when it was first published--and when my father read it to us with obvious . delight when we were kids. The animal protagonists--Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad--remind us of folks we know, which endears them to us with their all-too-human dreams and foibles. For both People and Creatures struggle to survive in the forests and streams of life.

Exhausted from his strenuous spring cleaning, Mole sets out into the world Aboveground, where he discovers the joys and challenges of riverbank life with his new friend and host, the water rat. But beware the perils lurking in the adjacent Wild Wood!

Kenneth Grahame weaves a gentle tale with willow strands of friendship, dedication to ideals and personal sacrifice for others. Come ride the roads with Toady, and scull down the river with Ratty; savor the sentimental whisperings of Home with Mole. Then join the ranks of Badger's Avengers to honor ancestral memories. This beloved classic combines humor and pathos with lively adventure in an animal realm which closely parallels human endeavor. This book is a true gem, to be rediscovered by successive generations and treasured by children of all ages!

Kenneth Grahame's classic children's tale can be enjoyed by people of all ages. As we follow the rural adventures of Ratty, Mole, Toad, and Badger, we encounter moments of earnest emotion, and intense moments that brush the depths of what it is to be human. For Grahame's characters, taken from amongst the familiar animals that inhabit the English countryside, have all the vulnerability and sensitivity of real human beings, and we genuinely warm to them as together they learn life's lessons.

The early scenes of Ratty and Mole's boat trip and picnic are a delight, and the story progresses into absolute hilarity as we meet Toad and are introduced to his crazy adventures and ill-fated escapades, as well as his incorrigible, over-inflated sense of self-importance. The most humourous episodes involve the wise and avuncular Badger's attempts to thwart Toad's hairbrained schemes and his seemingly endless conceitedness. Toad never seems to learn his lesson, and he remains a tremendously loveable rogue, though a rogue nevertheless.

Ernest Shepard's brilliant illustrations will only add to what is an incredibly touching, joyful, and involving experience.

I agree with most of the criticism on the three subjects, but with reservations.
That the Ennegram seems to work as a personality analysis tool confirms the depth of the symbol. I can not see that there is anything wrong in putting the Enneagram in use. The value of the Enneagram, or any other symbol, system or idea, can only be in its use. Looking at the Enneagram and admiring its form is one thing, but does not take us anywhere.
As to Mouravieff - I do think it is a great pity that he tried to marry up Gurdjieff and Christianity in areas where there are no chances of doing it without becoming ridiculous; "The Fifth Way" is just one of the inventions. Having not followed it I do not know where it takes you (if it does).
The Fellowship of Friends is not exactly following Gurdjieff's teaching, but that is not to say that one could not learn something from them. At least a bit of marketing...

I enjoy watching orthodoxy end up on garbage pile to be picked over by scavengers. Often more vitality grows out of the mulch of criticism than existed in the original teaching. Do we not recall how one man sitting under a tree claimed a spiritual awakening and the now countless, differing schools of Buddhism that exist as a result? Or Christian churches? Likewise, the enneagram movement could not be stopped. Why are some people whining about it now? Most critics seemed more concerned with their own RIGHTS as being esteemed Fourth Way scholars than they are with the RESULTS that even the most vulgar disemmination of "their" knowledge has brought to "ordinary people." Get over it. A new religion exists. And like all religions, some will use it, some will abuse it, but most will merely worship it and do nothing more. I gave this insightful, ranting book five stars for contributing to the fray while ignoring results. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

Let me start by saying I'm not involved with any 4th Way group or part of the Ennegram craze.

Mr. Patterson has dared to take on some of the spiritual cannibals that have stolen and distorted the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff. Though this book is guaranteed to infuriate followers of Palmer, Ichazo, Burton's cultists, Amiss etc.

First he takes on the Ennegram popularizes like Ichazo, Naranjo and the voluminous Helen Palmer who dared to claim instruction by a noted 4th Way teacher and turned out to never have met the man. Patterson also exposes her as a shallow new-age type of thinker with a penchant for self-promotion through her own words.
She has no real lineage nor even formal instruction in the 4th way nor any real tradition for that matter. Of course the shadowy showman Ichazo(much like Castenada) is put in for good measure. He systematically goes about deconstructing Ichazo premises on the ennegram and his mythical and oft changing spiritual pedigree.

Patterson then goes after The Fellowship of Friends or people of the Bookmark(as known here in Calif - as his followers used to stuff burton's calling cards in 4th Way books.) A 4th way cult based on Burton's strong persona. Patterson show's Burton to be a posuer and con-artist without real instruction or lineage. Burton main claim to fame is his ability to milk money out of followers and make himself wealthy. F of F is also a considered a outright cult. Check out Steve Hassans web site for info.

Another target is Robin Amiss(...) and his long dead predecessor Boris Mouravieff who concocted the notion that Gurdjieff's teachings were fundamentally derived from Eastern Christianity. Amiss is shown to be a clever fabricator of facts in his book "A Different Christianity" and distorter of truths. Patterson does a fine job exposing Mouravieff motivations for doing what he did.

Amiss is taken to task in a systematic manner in which he compared G's teachings to Eastern Orthodox material. Replete with references he demolishes Amiss's claims. BTW all anyone needs to do is get a copy of O's "In Search of the Mircaluous" a copy of the Philokalia or Theophans works and compare them. You'l see that there is no place for a householder in serious myticism. It's for monks only. St. Theophan was a hermit and monk - hardly someone who understood the way of the householder.
Also there is no mention of 'self-observation' or 'self-remembering'. Anyone whose ever practiced the Jesus Prayer and done any sort of 'self-observation' knows they are not the same.
Amiss's hidden teachers are also shown to be fabrications without reality.

You'll also learn how Mouravieff played a in the split between Ouspensky and G. And how he conned O into delaying publication of "Tales of the Miraculous"

Overall a fine book demonstrating how self-taught self-promoters can [copy] teachings and convince people they have the real thing. So much so that their followers can longer know the real deal from the fake. If Patterson comes off shrill or a purist perhaps it's because so many people have stolen from G and peddled garbage under his name.

Overall a fine book on that belongs estoricist reader's bookshelf.