Stew's latest book, Maximum Fitness, is a superbly done and well researched book offering the most detailed, creative, and decent workout yet. The 52 week program keeps you going strong all year long, changing up routines, offering numerous optional workouts, suggestions, and guidance along the way. Having completed the 12 Weeks to BUD/S workout, I can definitely attest to Stew's knowledge and expertise in physical training. Trust me, if you stick with his guidelines, you will see awesome progress no matter where you are, hard core SEAL wannabe or beginner just looking for a workout. The stretches and exercises are clearly described and shown through large photos. The workouts vary. Stew offers many hints and tips to push you throughout the book. There is nutritional advice as well. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.

Maximum Fitness is a complete reference of well researched and time proven strategies to help anyone, regardless of fitness level, reach their maximum potential.

The workouts are based on a novel crosstraining approach. This approach incorporates calisthenics, weight training, swimming, biking, running, stretching and innovative time saver workouts one can perform anywhere and still maintain peak physical condition.

Mr. Smith's detailed and inspirational descriptions of the exercises, coupled with expertly photographed segments, produces a fine reference that the novice will easily comprehend. Also, the expert will be challenged like never before - try running three miles followed by swimming, abdominal, and chest exercises for thirty minutes, and then another three mile run! Maximum fitness in the only result!

Maximum Fitness is like having a personal trainer next to you during your workout 52 weeks a year. I have had a private lesson with Stew Smith recently and I can attest to his depth of knowledge, and sincerity with which he wants us all to reach maximum fitness.

I recieved this book shortly after it became availible. I've used numerous workout programs (including military training) and this one looks to be the best by far. LT Smith's 12 week program from his previous book put me in the best shape of my life and I can't wait to see the results once I'm done with this program. The 4 phase structure varies the workouts so you don't get bored with the program and every day is a bigger challenge than the day before. Outstanding book for those wanting to become a SEAL or just get into great shape.

This is an interesting book in several ways. It starts in a world which is entirly run by tests. At the beginning you see how this affects the people in this city and how one girl rebels. The story then centers around her, her twin brother, and their "friend", who they really didn't like at first. There is an interesting sub-plot with him. The three go on a journey to recover the voice of the wind singer, and release the town from the mysterious force which brought about the tests. As the adventure continues you see other exagerrated aspects of soceities flaws in the different places the characters go. One of the problems I see with this novel, is it is never explained WHY the solution worked. However I haven't read the sequel yet, so don't judge based on this fact. The book is very well written. The descriptions are intense and the writing leaves nothing to complain about. In fact William Nicholson's style is slightly different form the norm, but very enjoyable. I highly recommend reading this book. It's a fantasy, but not written the way you expect a fantasy to be.

I absolutely loved this book. It's thrilling to the end, and scary, too!
The story is about the Hath family, who live in Aramanth, a town where tests really do matter. They determine your job, your social status, where you live, your life. Kestrel, aged ten, has had enough of these, and rebels atop the city's mysterious centerpiece- the wind singer. It once sang and brought the city peace, but its voice has been missing for many years, and so has the city's peace. Back to the rebellion! Kestrel puts down Aramanth, and all it supports, and her family, especially herself, is put in danger. Kestrel and her twin, Bowman, escape the city, off on a mission to retrieve the legendary wind singer's voice, which will bring peace back to the city. They are joined by a stupid, disgusting, but innocent classmate, Mumpo, and the 'three friends' start off on an exciting adventure to save their city.
The characters you meet are amazing and well developed, and you really fall in love with them, hate them, or fear them. My favorite was no doubt the emperor...
There were some parts that chilled my bones, and some parts that just made me laugh (provided mostly by Mumpo). This novel has it all, I highly recommend it! And when you're done, read the other books in the trilogy!

I randomly picked up this book at the library one day because of its beautiful jacket illustrations. Reading the brief summary inside I was only slightly interested, but thought I'd try it just the same. Once I started reading I was partially confused, but soon had a grasp on the plot. It is about twin brother and sister, Bowman and Kestrel, whose mother is a prophet, causing them to be the chosen ones to save their city Aramanth from the evil force, the Morah. While on their quest the twins are joined by their city's reject child, Mumpo. I grew to love Mumpo's character because of his complete innocence. Personally I really enjoyed this book because it has the everlastingly perfect plot: "Good vs. Evil" and for the Good to overcome they go on a journey. I am an avid fan of Lord of the Rings which has a simalar plot. This is a great read, try it sometime...and don't forget to read the other two books in the Wind on Fire trilogy: Slaves of the Mastery and Firesong.

The book is pretty fast, but has a lot of detail. I read it for a book report and it was great for that; the book is easily comprehensible and never confusing, but still interesting and keeping you on the edge of your seat. Recommended.

The book I read was called ANTARCTICA ESCAPE FROM DISASTER by Peter Lerangis. This book was exciting and adventurous. This book has many exciting parts such as being stuck in life boats during a raging storm and having to live in the Antarctic wilderness eating only penguins and if they were lucky a seal or walrus.The book has many different characters weich include the crew of the boat
All og the characters had their own unique personalty, which made the story more interesting.
The story is described in sections. Each chapter started with the name of a character, and each character told what it was like being in the Antarctic wilderness from their point of veiw. The book's setting is in the year 1910, and it takes place in a cave, a ship, life boats, a whaling ship in London. At times, part of the crew would get restless and start a muting against other crewmembers. This resulted in some of the crewmembers dying. This book was somewhat confusing at times because of the way the book was written in parts that were not continous. However, the way the book was written made it easy to pictue what the Antarctic wilderness looked like.
This book was a very good book and suggested for a reading level of 7th to 9th grade. I give this book two thumbs up and four stars.

This book is actually a sequel to the original book, Antarctica, Journey to the Pole. I did not read the first book, but it did not matter. By itself this is a really good book. I had studied Antarctica in school, but the author, Peter Lerangis, made me feel like I was there. He details such conditions as extreme weather, growing ice, and lack of daylight to really describe the true conditions on this continent.

The theme of this story is survival. It is the year 1910. The wealthy Horace Putney, wanting to achieve fame, financed a voyage to the South Pole. This story begins as the ship, Mystery, gets stuck in the ice of Antarctica. The crew tries to break the ice to free the ship. Eventually the side of the ship cracks from the pressure and the ship falls apart until it completely sinks. The men and their dogs get out onto the ice with their four lifeboats. They are in the middle of nowhere with barely any food or supplies. No one knows where they are. They decide to drag the heavy lifeboats across the ice back to the ocean. Some of the dogs died and some ran away, but the remaining dogs help pull the boats even though they are starving and tire quickly.

The reader must endure many chapters of suffering from exposure, cold winds, frostbite, darkness, lack of food, scurvy, and falling morale. However, the story is peppered with much heroism and bravery when some characters risk their lives to help the others. When one of the boats sinks, Captain Barth risks is own life by diving into the frigid waters to rescue a man. The man eventually died from hypothermia, but Barth manages to pull through. Through all of this, the characters continue to show determination and never give up hope.

I liked the way the author used Greek words along with his character, Kosta Kontonikolaos the dog handler. " Ta skylakia! Ta skylaki!" Kosta screamed. "The Dogs. They were out of control." " At least a half dozen had run away, becoming small dots on the horizon."

It isn't until the conclusion of the book that the story really picks up excitement. While most of this book is very realistic, a little unrealism in the final rescue helps add some drama. Some of the sensational events include rowing out of an ocean whirlpool, and a whale that smashes their small boat. You'll have to read the book yourself to experience the final, incredible rescue.

I especially liked the humorous postscript at the end of the story. The author lists what each character became when they returned home. For example, Horace Putney went on a luxury cruise aboard the Titanic. When it sank, he "jumped aboard a lifeboat, disguised as a woman. He perished while attempting to climb onto the rescue ship, slipping and falling back into the sea. He had never learned to swim."

Lerangis, the award winning science-fiction and mystery writer of the series, Watchers, is a Harvard graduate and obviously very smart. His use of nautical terminology and all of the genuine conditions of Antartica shows that he must have spent a lot of time researching the subject.

At the end of the book is a much appreciated glossary of terms. However, I missed having a table of contents to list the titles of the twenty-nine chapters. The last pages of the book also include a bibliography, and a list of web-page resources about Antarctica and the genuine explorers who first set foot there. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and survival stories. Dress warm when you read this one.

Slavery was known as a "peculiar institution". By broadcasting such labels for slavery, the southern slave owners were able to downplay the severity of the subjugation of slaves in this "peculiar institution". However, in 1845 a runaway slave by the name of Frederick Douglass was published his narrative which showed the extent of the cruelty within of the oppressive the institution of American slavery. Douglass gives a powerful portrayal of his personal struggle against the tyranny of himself and his fellow slaves. By depicting his personal story regarding the horrors of slavery, Douglass testified to the injustices of the slave institution and conveyed an urgent message of the time for prompt abolition.
Douglass leaves out no detail as he portrays the brutal means in which slaves were forced into subjugation. In order to maintain order and to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity from his slave, an owner used the fear of the ever-present whip against his slaves. Over, and over again throughout the Narrative, Douglass gives account of severe beatings, cruel tortures, and unjust murders of slaves. The message is evident. Slavery dehumanized African Americans.
From the introduction of his early experience, Douglass portrays the burdens of slavery. The reader is forced to cope with the fact that he has no tangible background. Slavery has robbed him of the precious moments of his childhood. He was raised in the same manner as one would raise an animal. In his early years he had no knowledge of time-he did not even know when he was born. He is also forced to scrounge for food in the same fashion as a pig digs for slop. The saddest insight is the alienation of Douglass from his family. He has no connection with his parents and when his mother dies he was untouched. On hearing of her death he states, "I received the tidings of her death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" (19). The bond between mother and child is the strongest bulwark for children and to be robbed of this and to not care demonstrates just how severe slavery was to Douglass and countless others who faced the same fate. In the entire slave experience, the only escape from the repression was through sorrowful singing. As Douglass states, "every tone was a testimony against slavery..." and "slaves sing the most when they are unhappy" (29). Only through music could slaves find comfort in dealing with their anguish.
Douglass's first witness of brutality is the telling of his Aunt Hester's beating. The narration is powerfully effective through terrible detail. The cursing of the overseer, the shrieks of his aunt, and the horrible effects the whip upon her flesh is almost as agonizing the reader of the Narrative as it was to his unfortunate aunt. The fact that this terrible instance is a common occurrence makes it a heavier burden upon the reader's soul.
As if the beatings were not enough, slaves were also murdered on a whim. Douglass tells of Gore, a meticulously cold taskmaster who blew out the brains of a poor slave by the name of Demby. The chilliness of Gore's is terrible due the fact that he kills with the sympathy of a butcher.
Upon hearing about this, one would speculate that the authorities would deal with such barbaric acts justly. However, as Douglass recounts in the story Mrs. Hicks, the murderess that killed a slave girl for not moving fast enough, the law officials were hesitant to enforce the rights of the slave and would intentionally overlook such matters. This is primarily due to the fact that a slave owning society could not allow the rights of the slave to be upheld to the same level as a white man. To do such a thing would threaten the stability of their superiority. This is further illustrated in Douglass's struggle against the shipyard workers, when he fled to his master and told him of the attack his master stated that he could not hold up Douglass or even a thousand blacks testimony. The lack of protection under the law and the unwillingness of the whites to give the slaves a voice allowed the whites to completely dominate the slaves without the fear of accountability for their actions.
The worst aspect of slavery is found in the religious nature of the subjugation of slaves. The cruelty found in slavery was even more intense when placed under the pretense of the slaveholding religion of Christianity. Through Douglass's deconstruction of Christianity, he learns that the white oppressive version of Christianity is much different from his own beliefs of Christianity. The incident that shaped Douglass's understanding of the mentality of religious slaveholders was when he was placed under the authority of Mr. Freeland. In this situation, he was able to see the difference between the so-called "religious slave-holders" and "non-religious slave-holders." Douglass felt that the "non-religious slave-holders" were less brutal because they did not reprimand their slaves based on a Divine command. Instead they were more concerned about reprimanding the slaves when the slaves did wrong as opposed to whenever they felt that the Lord professed a beating.
The Narrative and Selected Writings is a powerful testimony to the struggles American slaves faced. Through the writings of men such as Frederick Douglass, abolitionists were given fuel to the bonfire of the Abolition Movement. Douglass honest testimony helped to bring out the truth about slavery. Abolitionists now had evidence to back their claim that the "peculiar institution" was in fact an institution of evil.

In his work Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Frederick Douglass outlines his purpose in writing the piece:

"Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds - faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts - and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause."

Certainly Douglass' "little" book shed tremendous light on the slave system that existed in early American history and he successfully accomplished his purpose. The description of how slaves were treated was interesting and enlightening, and provokes compassion in the reader. Additionally, Douglass wonderfully explores the issue of knowledge and power, as he describes the many occasions in which slaveholders tried to keep slaves from learning to read. Finally, Douglass raises a concern about the hypocrisy among southern Christians based on the way that they treat slaves. True Christians treat all humans with love, respect, compassion, and indiscriminately. This final point raises a relevant issue in today's society - does this hypocrisy still exist?

Several statistics indicate that although the problem that Douglass addresses is not as drastic, it still remains a serious challenge that the United States must wrestle: 16.2 percent of American children are living in poverty (United States Census); 54 percent of African American families say underachievement among black students represents a "crisis," 33 percent of white parents agree (Public Agenda); 10.8 million children in the United States have no health insurance; 1 in 4 Hispanic children are uninsured; 1 in 11 Caucasian children are uninsured (Children's Defense Fund); 3/4 of teachers in public schools do not believe that schools should expect the same from students in low-income areas as students in high-income areas (Education Watch); in recent years income has decreased in the bottom, second, and middle 20% sectors, while increasing slightly in the fourth sector and substantially in the top sector (United States Census). . If American Christians were truly loving and sharing like Jesus teaches, the social stratification that is prevalent in the United States would not be nearly as extreme. The Christian Church should not allow such tremendous economic and educational differences. Although this is not nearly as glaring a problem as slavery, Douglass' narrative is applicable even to today's social problems and is well worth the read for that and many other reasons.

Perhaps more so than any other account, Douglass gives us a look into the life of a slave. I enjoy this book on many level. Douglass writes honestly and in a factual tone. He does mince his words when he describes the brutality of slavery. Douglass demonstrates that he is an intelligent man despite his lack of education. He taight himself to read. To our youth, this demonstrates the value of education. Douglass also show Americans manipulated the work of God even in his time. Yet, Douglass found strength in that God. I think the quality I enjoyed most about this book is the fact that Douglass does not see himself as a hero, but as an average slave. This is not a typical characteristic of an autobiography. I read this book for the second time coming and going on 3 hour flights. The book is a short read, but well worth your time to read of atriumph of the human spirit.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a book that I wouldn't have read if it wasn't for my reading class. I am glad I chose to enjoy this book. This book is strongly recommended by me to anyone who is willing to release themselves from the big city life and into an imagination of a small town boy waiting to get out. I also recommend reading this book if you have already seen the movie because there is so much more detail in this book. The movie was based on the book, so if parts of the film were unexplainable read the book for better details and descriptions of the characters and their actions. The author of this book, Peter Hedges, attended the same school that I did, so it was really neat to be reading his work. The book also requires some added thought, and I suggest annotating the book for fun. It takes a little extra time but it is well worth it for the added knowledge and insight you get into Gilbert's fascinating life. Gilbert is a 24 year old small town boy who struggles to find his place in society. Through his affair with an older woman, being a father-figure to his family, and being an unexperienced lover, Gilbert Grape has plenty of new experiences in this book. His sister, Amy is also very independent, but is forced to take care of her siblings and mother as well. Both adults work hard to support their mother who is very obese and unable to leave the house, a brother, Arnie who is mentally challenged and always finds himself in some kind of mischief, and a sister, Ellen whose young teenage horomones are racing for men. A mysterious girl comes to Eldora, Iowa and leaves all the young men drooling. Gilbert learns a lot from this girl, how to let go, how to forgive, and how to show his emotions. Through all of Gilbert's pain and happiness, he learns about life through a whole new perspective and is less eager about leaving his small hometown.

So you've seen the movie, and right about now, you're thinking about what a wonderful job Leonardo Dicaprio did playing Arnie. But unless you've read the book, you can't really give the credit where it's due -- to the amazing author who created this character with his first ever book, one that hits the reader hard with an emotional story about small-town life.

Why does What's Eating Gilbert Grape touch the reader as it does? Perhaps we'll never know. It is a simple story of a simple family, people living their lives almost entirely to get out of the small town where they have grown up. Surely this book speaks deeply to any person who has ever felt trapped by their past, their family, and any person who has strong ties to the people they love.

Peter Hedges is the author I want to be. Somebody who can make the boring small-town life of his characters into a heroic story of faith and family, one of sadness and loyalty, one of inspiration. This story is so tremendously real that it jerks the reader into a sense of life so big that you can't escape it.

Gilbert breaths life all around.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape is a future classic. Peter Hedges demonstrates through Gilbert Grape how life isn't always perfect and there are not always happy endings. This book is not for the fairy tale lovers. Hedges shows how a young man growing up and living in a small town deals with a handicapped brother, a extremely overweight mother, no father, and a overall dysfunctional family. On top of that the Grapes are faced with the rumor spreading townspeople and Gilberts desire to escape it all.
Gilbert Grape is twenty-four years old and is still living at home. He still works at the same grocery store that he's been working at since he was teenager in Endora, Iowa. His days consist of taking care of his handicapped brother Arnie, feeding his overweight mother, and encouraging his oldest sister Amy. The time he gets to himself is spent resting by his fathers grave. Gilbert really wonders about his place in the world and is considering leaving Endora after his brothers eighteenth birthday. However, Gilberts plans change after a knew girl arrives in town. Gilbert really starts to evaluate his life and starts to become very depressed. On top of it all Gilbert's mother is gaining more weight and sinking through the floor.
Peter Hedger book "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a great book. I recommend it to everyone. Hedges creates a realistic character, in a realistic life full of hardship and struggle. The ending is not the classic happy ending, but leaves the reader satisfied knowing that the Grapes are now free from their beloved burden.

Wing Commander is a wonderfully written adaptation of the Wing Commander movie. It adds many new scenes that were not present in the film which enhance and portray the characters in a different light. Peter Telep presents enough tension throughout the story that makes it difficult to put it down until you finish reading the last page. Story is fast-paced and provides a lot of the background info that fans of the Wing Commander series will enjoy. Overall a great book! I give a hearty welcome to Peter Telep from the Wing Commander fans.

The WC universe has finally found itself an author who respects the source material and who can also tell one hell of a story - and the fan's have never had it so good. While Baen's Wing Commander novels usually cause the more fanatical WingNuts headaches with their continuity errors, this movie adaptation does just the opposite; it actually takes time to explain such problems caused by the movie's script! (according to the movies producers they 'ignored' much of the original material - thank Sivar Peter Telep didn't). Of course, the writing also shines - anyone familiar with Peter Telep's previous books (Space: Above and Beyond, Descent) knows he can tell a great war story. I'm eagerly looking forward to the second book in the series, so we can see what the author can do without having to base everything around a movie script!

I have never read or known anything about the Wing Commander universe until I saw the movie which left me eagerly awaiting to learn more. After reading thso novel, I felt full again. Now to preamble this review, it is generally that the novel of the movie far exceeds it and it is true once again of the work of Peter Telep. I can understand that any fanatic finds fault with incoming authors so it's best that I am bringing a completely new point of view coming here, leaving alone Chris Robert's movie script and concentrating on the storytelling of the author. Peter Telep's, work, I find to be inspired and driving as he easily dramatizes war with the decrepit and dark events cascading onto people--along with ship hull plating. He meticulously constructs his characters with each their own sorrow past, reflections of wars long ago, and then drives in the conscious rendering of how each person copes with his or her situation in the present. Each finds their own avenue of choice. Although the book remains albeit of dynamic story telling, (seeing the enemy Kilrathi's point of view is quite refreshing and all the time gives you a bigger broad of what it was like for them) Telep continuously paints out the emotions and actions on a level most efficient with war. Feeling that both sides of the battle, Confederation and Kilrathi, both suffer the same kind of agony, pain, and vengeance, Telep drives in the heart of his version of Wing Commander. Aside from the characters, the plot moves undulating with brilliant battles and scenes alive, although the landscape of space was not as unique or detailed as some Sci-Fi authors. Telep can find interesting ways of rewording the destruction of Dralthi fighters or Rapiers so that the story doesn't feel repetitive. He highly details the fighters yaws and pitches fully to the pilot's reactions, a technique of accuracy with enhances his story as if you were there with Blair in his Rapier or Gerald on the bridge in dead still and quiet. The book is a vibrant tableau of war hell. The ending is honorable as it pulls you in to really want to experience the next chapters. After, I myself, 'enduring' the extent of the hate of Pilgrams and this total unanswered void of Confederation and Pilgrim chaos, I find myself eagerly awaiting Telep's next novel and seeing what Pilgram Stars will lay ahead.

Oscar and Lucinda are a pair of unusual characters , both victims of childhood trauma, who share a weakness for gambling and a penchant for obsessions of all kinds. Carey might have created a simple romance here about two misfits who find each other, and on the surface that is indeed what happens; however, the story is far more complex and is peopled with assorted other characters that give the book added richness. Mr. d'Abbs, Mr. Jeffris, the Strattons, Oscar's father, Theophilus, and others serve to demonstrate that we are all subject to our own foibles and obsessions. One of Carey's messages is clearly that none of us is "normal"; that behind the mask we wear for society lurks a mass of insecurities and imperfections. Oscar and Lucinda give each other what they each seem to need, and it is not at all what the reader expects. If this book has a fault, it may lie in the sometimes disjointed method of narration. It can be intrusive. However, the identity of the narrator--not revealed until the end of the novel--is a nifty twist itself. A challenging read that is well worth the effort.

Having read Carey's first novel, 'Bliss', I really didn't think he could write something as good. Luckily for him, and me, and anyone else who reads 'Oscar and Lucinda', he's come very close.

Nothing really happens in the book, but it doesn't matter; there's a beauty in the language used that is extremely rare. This book is pure characterization. Carey's characters are dense and human and live before the book begins and after it ends. It's a love story, but not a conventional one. The love between Oscar and Lucinda builds and builds with every written word, up to an ending which even the most astute and well-read reader will never expect. The ending is what makes the book. It is powerful. I haven't cried since I was a boy, but I came damn close reading the last few pages. It's really incredible stuff.

I found I was thinking about the last scene for weeks after I finished the book; I've even gone back and read sections. How often does a book do that to you? Not very often, I bet. 'Oscar and Lucinda' is a bit slow, but always interesting, surprising, and touching, like 'Bliss', but in completely different ways. The imagery is brilliant -- you will not see the scenes, you will stand there, with the characters, feeling the sun on your face, breathing the same air they breath. That's how good this is. Go and read it.

The simple legends of a family's past are brought into microscopic focus to become a moving saga. Two unique people, each misfits in their society, gradually come together to create an amazing white elephant - a glass church. This beautiful but impractical artifact, like its creators, is a misfit, and ultimately flawed.

But the object of the book is not the final results, but the journey. The stories of the protagonists lives are filled with moving human detail. Each episode strikes a poignant chord. Through their trials and small triumphs, Oscar and Lucinda come of age to plan their great achievement.

The story illustrates the ability of human beings to imagine and aspire to divine goals, even if reality intrudes in the effort to achieve them The book is filled with wonder, high ideals... and shortsightedness and miscommunications. Ironic opposites abound. Strengths and weaknesses, the abstract and the actual, churches and gaming hells. And it is nearly impossible to put down until the last page leaves you gasping!

This book is very comprehensive. If you are in the UK, it is one of the best books you can buy. It does not go into details about skating background/history in other countries. It is a book for skaters. It tells and shows you with excellent diagrams how to get basics right, it takes you, using 'step' diagrams, from single through to triple jumps, it also gives you 'step' diagrams for the basics of field moves and extensive details on spins and spirals.

My daughter found the book extremely helpful, particularly the double and triple jump diagrams and is now more able to understand what her coach is trying to get her to achieve.

Many thanks to Peter Morrisey and James Young for providing a wonderful off-ice coaching tool!

Having read this book through I was delighted to read such a well detailed and easy to read book without the usual complicated jargon. My children have read the book and enjoyed the pictures and diagrams and have said that what their Coaches have been saying to them has become much clearer.
Many thanks to Peter Morrissey and James Young for an excellent book.

This book is great ! Its diagrams shows all the important points pertaining to the different moves in figure skating. I'm an inline speedskater who admires figure skaters. But I have come to believe I'll never be able to figure skate properly because of scoliosis of the spine, a flat footed left foot and a high-arched right foot. Furthermore, the technical terms of figure skating is just confusing. I could never understand why figure skating is so much more confusing than say, the relatively easier Double-Push technique for speedskating. Thanks to Figure Skating School, all that has changed. Within two months, I've progressed from basic Three Turns to the Single Axle ! And all that was without any coaching. I simply read the book ! Isn't it amazing ? There's much more advanced moves to be learnt from this book. So get your copy now !

It was an interesting, exciting and emotional story. It takes place in Germany and tells about some things the Germans did to the Jewish people. You get attached to some of the characters and some you hate. I had many times during the book when I would burst out in tears because some parts were so sad and horrible the way people treated others. The story tells about two families and the drastic changes in their lives. It tells how they coped with the problems of money, job loss and much more. I would recommend sixth graders, at the youngest, and up to read this story.

As a 12 year old student I decided to read "Friedrich" a novel about the holocaust and how it treats him. Hans is Friedrich best friend and the author of the book. He saw and heard everything that happened to Friedrichin the book. At frist, Friedrich is more fortune then his friend Hans, who is poor, but as you read on, freidrich's life changed. His father is fored to quit his job because Hitler doesn't allow jew to own a business. Friedrich is kick out of school becuase Hitler thinks Jew don't deserve an education. Worst when he's gone, the evil Nazis beat and killed his mother and sent his father to a concentreation camp. This book isn't all about Friedrich's torture. His friends and family help him by taking care of him and giving him a picture of his parents to remember them by. "Friedrich" is a compelling heart warming book. I rate it on a scale of 1-10 a 10, because this is the first novel I enjoyed. This book made me think about why God would ever let this happen. It almost made me cry, then I remembered how his friends helped him and it stopped the tears.

...

It was an interesting, exciting and emotional story. It takes place in Germany and tells about some things the Germans did to the Jewish people. You get attached to some of the characters and some you hate. I had many times during the book when I would burst out in tears because some parts were so sad and horrible the way people treated others. The story tells about two families and the drastic changes in their lives. It tells how they coped with the problems of money, job loss and much more. I would recommend sixth graders, at the youngest, and up to read this story.

I bought this book when I was first setting up my aquarium. I looked at the aquarium guides offered on Amazon.com, and bought three at once: this book, along with "Dr. Axelrod's Mini-Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes" and "The Aquarium Owner's Guide" by Gina Sandford.

One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it shares a lot of the illustrations with the Sandford book, and indeed, they share the same publisher, so the same photos appear in the sections on setting up the aquarium, and the same diagrams are used in calculating how many fish for the size of the tank, etc. That didn't really bother me, but it's fair to say there is some duplication.

The orientation of this book is different from the Sandford book, and where Sandford deals with detailed information about individual fish, this book is oriented more towards the tank as a whole, especially in an aesthetic sense. It was helpful for me to really plan out my tank before setting it up, and to think about different tank environments. As a beginner I stuck with the basic community tank, but as I become more experienced I may take a page from this book and think about setting up a more specialized tank.

If you are looking for information about different kinds of fish, you won't find much more than the barebones here. The author describes lots of fish as "easy" or "fairly easy" when Sandford goes into more detail.

The illustrations are beautiful, and the book presents a lot of possible variations beyond the basic community tank.

This book does a great job of showing how to build different types of "themed" aquariums, be it a West African Floodplain Swamp or a Hawaiian Coral Reef. While these types of tanks are extremely beautiful in each of their own ways, I think that such projects are best left to more advanced aquarists and not beginners. I base this on a few reasons. For starters, many of the resources required to build these tanks are not common, and may require a lot of searching to scrounge up the necessary material (specific wood, substrate, plants, etc), basically a lot of things mentioned in this book I have never seen in any retail fish stores. Secondly, many of the themed tanks combine fish that are not suitable for a starting aquarist, who is not acclimated to the needs and wants of our fishy friends. I think
anyone who has maintained an aquarium and is reading this can recall mistakes that they made early on.
The "Complete Aquarium" does contain information on a community tank, which is fine for a beginner, but this occupies a small portion of the book comparatively.
Criticism aside, there are many good looking, full-color pictures and backgrounds on specific fish used in each tank project. There is also a chapter in the beginning of the book dedicated to the natural fish habitats and anatomy. If anything it is a nice book to have around if you ever want to undertake any of the "project" aquariums listed, or to read up on some of the natural habitats where aquarium fish come from.

This book has so much going for it! It is an interesting and invaluable resource, especially for those who are considering the aquarium hobby. What is so great & unique about this book is that it instructs the reader on how to re-create the natural environment of the type of fish he or she may be interested in keeping. There are step-by-step instructions on setting up each tank, all accompanied by full color photographs. The author includes information on what equipment works best in each tank, plant & rock selection, aquascaping, & fish species compatability. I purchased this book several years ago & still enjoy referring to it & reading it. The photos & information contained within are truly inspiring. The concept behind it, recreating the natural aquatic environments of such far-off places as Sumatra, Borneo, & Zaire is what truly makes this book special. Anyone who is interested in the aquarium hobby would benefit from this book. Those that are well on their way may find themselves reconsidering the choice of materials & fish contained in their tanks. This book benefits not only the aquarist, but the fish as well! Order this book if you have not done so, you won't be sorry.