The Heart's Gift
Jodi Davis
Beaver's Pond Press
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 216, Edina, MN 55439
www.BeaversPondPress
1592980066 $24.95 1-952-829-8818
Robert O. Barclay
Reviewer
The Heart's Gift is divided into two parts. Part one is taken from a diary with almost daily entries.
The first is August 1, 1980. It opens with the announcement that "today is my ninth anniversary.
It seems an appropriate day to begin this diary. I am pregnant. This is my third pregnancy and if it
progresses without incident I will deliver my third child in late March or early April. I speak with
reserved excitement, because once again I am cramping and spotting - which puts me in the high
risk category." She has good reason to worry. The pregnancy does not progress well, and when
her daughter Jill is born in the tenth month on April 3, 1981 the heartache begins. The baby is
born with a severe congenital heart malformation from which no child has ever survived. The
entries after that take the reader through an emotional roller coaster of exhaustion and
disappointment. Jill requires constant care and is often in great pain. At the end of a year the
doctors determine that they have to try to correct the heart defect, but warn Jodi that no child has
yet survived this sort of surgery. Jill dies afterwards in recovery.
The second half of the story deals with the impact of Jill's death on her mother's life after this
traumatic loss. Her marriage dissolves; Jodi moves her family into a smaller home and begins her
quest to find out who she is and what she wants from her life. The entries here are more like a
journal and they are spaced weeks, months, even years apart. Jodi returns to school to do
graduate work, where she begins building a highly successful career in the business world. The
Heart's Gift is a difficult read. Those who have not lost a child cannot fully appreciate how
devastating that kind of tragedy can be. I happened to be a member of that awful club and I can
tell you that there isn't any way to describe how it feels to outlive one of your own children.
There are parts, however, which will give the reader some real insight into how such emotional
trauma can change your life. After her divorce, the author moves on to a quest for independence,
changing careers several times and taking up relationships with several different men all of which
for various reasons fail. I kept hoping she would find a decent partner who could love and respect
her and bring her some happiness. The author also makes a stab at finding some deeper spiritual
meaning in her life. Personally having lost one of my own children, it seems impossible to
understand what happened or to survive that ordeal without a firm spiritual foundation. Though
there were lots of clues, I'm not sure if she ever made that connection. I would also have liked a
more definitive ending. Perhaps she could have added an epilogue that would have summarized
the lessons she had learned.
Having said that, the work is sharp and intelligent; Jill is both a painful challenge and a sweet
delight. Her short life is full of meaning, and certainly will touch the heart of any reader. This is a
very personal account and the author has shown great courage in sharing it with strangers who
may or may not come to understand the depth of her ordeal. But whatever your experience, you
can certainly learn from Jodi Davis' story. I give it four out of five stars.
Another Vietnam, Pictures of the War From the Other Side
Tim Page
Doug Niven & Chris Riley, editors
Henry Allen, forward
National Geographic Society
ISBN 0792264657 $50.00 239 pages
Another Vietnam the very title resonates, having been, during the past thirty years, both a peace
slogan and a shopworn phrase meaning "count us out." In the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion we
are hearing and certainly fearing the heavy implications it bears. The possibility that the
recent war on terrorism, with its rising post-action body count of American soldiers, may result in
multiple quagmires reminiscent of Vietnam has made it into a mantra.
However, the Another of the title is about the other side (North Vietnam) and how it viewed and
captured on film, the story of the mid-twentieth century Indochina conflict. Does it make sense to
go back after three decades? If we are to believe George Santayana's warning, "Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to fulfill it", then it not only makes sense, it is absolute
necessity.
Author Tim Page, a British combat photographer who co-edited the award-winning book,
Requiem, explains the purpose of Another Vietnam. "This is a tome of resurrection It is the
unveiling of a perspective on a period of shared history, a point of view that we in the West had
not really understood."
The book opens with Doug Niven's story of his early 1990s search for Vietnam era negatives, an
occasional old picture, and the cameramen themselves. An outline of photography in Vietnam
dating back to the 1840s follows. Although the earliest photos were family pictures, the growth of
photography was spurred by that region's cycle of aggression-repression-revolution. (Before
French rule and American incursion, Vietnam spent centuries under China's thumb.) Ho Chi Minh,
father of Vietnam's independence movement, had worked, as a young man, in a Paris portrait
studio. His awareness of "the power of the photographic image" undoubtedly influenced his
decision to have a pictorial record of the events that were just beginning in 1945.
Propaganda is an integral aspect of any war. In no conflict was this more pronounced than
Vietnam. Much of what was shot by Western photographers played either to the American street
protestors who wanted instant peace, or to the Washington politicos anxious to justify the
expenditure of men, money and mat‚riel. North Vietnam, of course, had its own agenda, which
was promoted through pictures displaying the power and persistence of its people.
Some shots were staged, but others could not have been. In particular, there is the photo of a
single guerrilla paddling a small boat in the Mekong Delta. As far as the eye can see (which in this
case is to a distant mountain range) the landscape resembles Mount St. Helens after its 1980
explosion. There is not a single living plant or tree in what had once been a thriving mangrove
forest destroyed by US defoliants. This was both a military maneuver and a morale buster since
the Vietnamese have great respect for such forests. Today, the Saigon River watershed remains
toxic, a consequence of the chemicals in Agents White, Blue and Orange.
Many photos did not make it back to Hanoi. Photographer Dinh Dang Dinh lost one hundred rolls
of film six months work during a B-52 bombing raid. In most cases, film was so scarce that
cameramen guarded itthe waysoldiersprotected ammunition. Often developed under the
"darkroom" of a midnight sky and with the crudest of chemicals and equipment, film that did
reach Hanoi was sometimes out-dated by subsequent events. And, if the images were used, their
outlet was limited to non-aligned or Communist block countries.
Looking at them now, one can only speculate as to whether they might have decisively swayed
opinion in the America of the 60s and 70s. The photographers and the populace of North Vietnam
were willing to endure enormous hardship, adversity on a level that had no parallel in Western
society. What could we have learned about these people if we had seen the picture of woven
baskets containing small mounds of dirt passed along a line of peasants as the infamous tunnels
were excavated by hand? Might we have recognized that, lacking our firepower, they became
geniuses at hiding things from our bombs supplies, weapons, tunnels, themselves? Even roads
and bridges could disappear beneath their clever camouflage.
Above all the North Vietnamese possessed that most enduring trait and one we in the
Occidental world have yet to fully learn that of patience. In the end, they outlasted us. We do
not have to agree with their political beliefs to be appalled at the cost of this victory: 3,000,000
combined soldier and civilian lives.
This is a splendid, superbly written book that belongs in any personal or public library where the
objectivity derived from multiple sources is an essential concern. It is filled with gritty, black and
white photos shot by determined men under horrendous conditions. One does not need color to
see blood. Or fear. Or tenacity.
We would do well to look closely at it in the light of our 21st century excursions into war.
Another Vietnam bears a subliminal message: that we often overestimate our technological
prowess and underestimate the shrewdness of our adversaries.
Miranda And Starlight
Janet Muirhead Hill
Illustrated by Pat Lehmkuhl
Raven Publishing
Norris, Montana
ISBN:0971416109 $7.95 U.S. $9.95 CA
Franci McMahon
Reviewer
Horses and kids in a Montana setting? Right up my alley as a horsewoman living in Montana.
Miranda and Starlight, an early middle-grade novel, first in a series, appears targeted for eight to
twelve year olds. The main character is a fifth grade student. The cover design, illustrations
throughout and large, easy-to-read print make this an inviting book.
Miranda, displaced often by her mother's lifestyle, now lives with her grandparents in a small town
in Montana. Her father is absent and unknown. Miranda is a lonely girl, but as the school year
opens along with the book, she makes a new friend and on the same day falls in love with a young
black stallion, naming him Starlight. When the horse is injured the owner plans to have him
destroyed. Mr. Taylor, the owner of both the horse and the stables where much of the action
takes place, is the villain. Always angry and shouting, for some reason he delays destruction of
Starlight for days. Miranda tries to save Starlight while dreaming of owning him someday.
A subplot is well done of a boy who is afraid of horses, who struggles with overcoming his fear.
His parents have bought him a lovely mare and he pretends he is unafraid. When his parents enter
him in a horse show without consulting him, Miranda tries to help. I've seen parents like this
shouting at their crying children from the rail at shows.
The pace flows along, never stalling out, with plenty of action. There's good suspense at the end
of each chapter to keep the reader wanting to know what happens next. This reviewer was happy
to see that the point of view remained with Miranda and events which did not happen in front of
her were related to her. Hill's use of language, while rough in some places, was clear, plain and
showed the story in a very accessible way. Her belivable and liberal use of dialog moved the story
along. I would have liked a stronger sense of place, coming away with a feeling this could have
been Kansas.
As a horsewoman I had trouble with this kid jumping on a two-year old untrained stallion, no
bridle or saddle, in an open pasture, which she did on a dare in the first chapter. This would make
Miranda very ignorant about horses or very stupid. Yet we are supposed to believe that she's
knowledgeable. And she does it again leading to a life threatening injury to the horse which she
supposedly is in love with. I've done some pretty dumb things in my life around horses but this
was never one of them.
The other problem I have with Miranda's character is her deceitfulness when it comes to adults.
Hill has done an excellent job of showing Miranda's mother as an unfit flake, which is why
Miranda is living with two loving grandparents. The phone calls between Mother and Daughter
were heart wrenching. So, I understand why she doesn't trust adults, yet the constant lies made
this character difficult to like.
An excellent scene with the grandparents creates an opportunity for Miranda to grow. The closing
pages are tender and warm.
With its flaws I recommend this book and look forward to the sequel, Starlight's Courage.
My Last Remains
Jill (first name only)
Denlinger's Publishers
www.thebookden.com
ISBN: 0877147728 $8.95
Martin M. Tucker
Reviewer
My Last Remains is a true memoir of a girl raised by mentally ill parents in a bizarre and abusive
world. She tries to get help from her high school counselor and from social services, but the
results are weird and twisted. The book shows what can happen to children of the mentally ill. It
is riveting and disturbing. It also has been called inspirational because a child had to rescue
herself.
Beyond Velikovsky: The History Of A Public Controversy
Henry H. Bauer
University of Illinois Press Urbanna and Chicago
ISBN: 025201104X $19.95
Maurice A. Williams
Reviewer
Immanuel Velikovsky wrote three books in the 50's and 60's that forever changed our perception
of the Solar System. I remember them. I was in the Air Force when I read them. They certainly
made an impression on me. Velikovsky, well educated and erudite, but a psychiatrist rather than
an astronomer or a geologist, challenged the opinions held by the scientific community. He tried
to prove that Venus once had an erratic orbit that caused it to almost collide with Earth, then
almost collide with Mars, causing Mars to almost collide with Earth. He appealed directly to the
untrained general reader, like myself, bypassing the specialists. His opinions were significantly
different from those that were then accepted. His writing was so articulate that his books became
best sellers. However, his methods so offended the specialists that some of them tried to ban
publication of his books.
The brash action of those who tried to ban his books shocked many people, especially students
preparing for careers in the physical sciences. Later, NASA exploration of the Solar System
confirmed some of Velikovsky's opinions. Because of both events, Immanuel Velikovsky gained
worldwide fame, a nemesis for those who opposed him and an inspiration for those who believed
him.
Henry Bauer, almost fifty years later wrote "Beyond Velikovsky: The History of a Public
Controversy." Bauer used quotations, letters, excerpts from articles and ventured his own
opinions He thought his book was open-minded and fair to Velikovsky, but Bauer makes several
statements that show even he shares the same bias the scientific community had fifty years earlier.
Velikovsky offended scientists, even Bauer, by bypassing standard procedure of publishing one
thesis at a time (for the scientific community), get an opinion from them and then publish another
thesis. Velikovsky bypassed the scientific community and, in effect, upstaged them in their own
field. Bauer states "In this house (of knowledge) that astronomers knew so well, there was a door
of possible catastrophe that they never noticed. Velikovsky did the most infuriating thing in the
world. He, a stranger, walked through this door. The animosities run deep.
I have seen Velikovsky belittled in many scientific books, and yet, much of what he claimed
turned out to be correct. Bauer wrote to set the record straight. Bauer is a professor of chemistry
and scientific studies and author of many scientific papers. He is well qualified to speak for the
scientific community. In spite of Bauer's own hard feelings, his book presents a thorough account
of the controversy about Velikovsky where the reader can see what was said, what was done, and
the still lingering criticism of Velikovsky. This book is well worth reading to get the facts. Other
books of interest are "Cataclysm!: Compelling Evidence of a Cosmic Catastrophe in 9500 B.C."
by Drs. D.S. Allan and J.B. Delair, ISBN: 1879181428 and "Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical
Quest" by David H' Rohl, ISBN: 051770315. Both books are modern reworking of some of the
challenges Velikovsky brought up. and, not surprisingly, none of the authors are sympathetic to
Velikovsky.
Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First
Shel Horowitz
AWM Books
P.O. Box 1164, Northampton, MA 01061
http://www.PrincipledProfit.com
ISBN 0961466669 $17.50 1-413-586-2388
Peter Hupalo
Reviewer
Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First by Shel Horowitz advocates that companies
should market ethically and honestly, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it
creates the most long-term success for a company by building customer loyalty.
Horowitz says companies should follow the principles of quality, honesty, and integrity. He
writes, "Create value for others in everything you do. ... You help yourself best when you're
helping others."
Principled Profit tells us that many years ago, Arthur Anderson, an accountant struggling to build
a new accounting firm, was pressured by a client to overlook accounting irregularities. Even
though Anderson faced a cash-flow crunch due to an upcoming payroll, he refused to compromise
his integrity. He'd rather lose the client than misrepresent a company's financial statements to
mislead investors.
Seventy years later, corporate greed and the willingness to turn a blind eye to similar accounting
irregularities at Enron, led to the complete downfall of the company Arthur Anderson
founded.
Horowitz says companies that try to duck their responsibilities, hide their mistakes, and mislead
consumers are eventually punished. Companies that market unethically and fail to deliver quality
are in a perpetual hunt for new customers, have little repeat business, and have few referrals.
Quoting a Nortel study, Horowitz writes: "a mere 5% increase in customer retention can translate
to as much as a 75% increase in profitability." We learn it's about five times more expensive to
find a new customer than to keep an existing one.
Horowitz says customer acquisition costs vary depending upon the product. For example, we
learn that amazon.com had a customer acquisition cost of only $7 by 2000; an online travel
discounter might have a customer acquisition cost of $8.66; and a mortgage firm might have a
customer acquisition cost as high as $700.
For a typical firm, a Gartner study suggests that it costs $280 to acquire a new customer and
about $57 to retain a current customer. Horowitz concludes that companies selling a product
priced at $100 probably lose money on new customer acquisition and make money on repeat
customers. Thus, if they are to survive, small businesses should work diligently to build repeat
business.
Horowitz writes: "By failing to deliver a positive experience to the customer, you're pretty much
assured that he or she will go elsewhere... and tell friends and colleagues to do the same."
Horowitz says some "sales jerks" argue that the only way to be successful is to be aggressive in
cold calling that success is a numbers game, the more people you call, the more sales you'll
make. Horowitz shows this philosophy is flawed, because it fails to build goodwill and repeat
sales.
Horowitz writes: "I never make cold calls. I create marketing that has the prospect calling me.
When I get the phone call...they're already convinced that I can help them." Horowitz owns
Accurate Writing & More (www.accuratewriting.com) which creates publicity releases and other
documents for clients. (Horowitz writes press releases for many authors and small book
publishers and is highly respected in the small press community.)
Though he receives business from 80% of the prospects calling him, Horowitz says most of his
business comes from repeat clients who find that his press releases can be six times more effective
than their company's in-house press releases.
Horowitz writes: "Since my primary customer-retention strategy is to deliver superior work, at an
affordable price, and within a reasonable time, my cost to keep an existing client is close to
zero."
Other suggestions from Principled Profit:
* Don't view business as a competition for scarce resources. Rather, see things from a viewpoint
of abundance and learn to work with your competition rather than against it. Consider exchanging
referrals and subcontracting work when it benefits everybody.
* Consider using e-mail discussion lists to promote your services to people who might be
interested. But, don't use spam. Spam destroys credibility.
* Profile your best customers and figure out how to find more just like them. Don't try to sell your
products or services to those who don't need them.
* Network with organizations that serve your customer base and become a preferred or endorsed
supplier.
* Ask prospects: "What is the biggest problem you face?" And, then, listen. If you can't offer a
great solution, turn down the business.
Horowitz says knowing when to say "No" to business is important. If the job would compromise
quality, integrity, or honesty, you should turn it down.
For example, Horowitz points out you should turn down business if:
* You don't offer an appropriate solution (honesty).
* You don't have enough time to do the job well (quality).
* You find the job morally distasteful (integrity).
Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First by Shel Horowitz is a great marketing book
for small business owners who are looking for a better way to build a long-term business.
Justice: The Mike Amato Detective Series
Lou Campanozzi
1st Books
2595 Vernal Pike, Bloomington, IN 47404 USA
1-800-839-8640 (Toll Free)
1-812-339-6554 (Fax)
1410737942 $22.50 www.1stbooks.com
Phillip Tomasso III
Reviewer
Mystery author, Lou Campanozzi first introduced Lieutenant Mike Amato in The Killing Cards, a
fast paced thriller about a serial killer leaving playing cards on the bodies of the victims. He
brought the detective back in Ground Lions, an action packed mystery that starts with the body of
a young man found in the parking lot behind a catholic high school. Before he passed away in
2002, Campanozzi was able to complete his last manuscript, Justice.
Someone is murdering kids in Rochester, New York. The bodies, when found, are arranged as if
part of a showcase on display. The investigation is long and intense. For months Lieutenant Mike
Amato and his team of investigators work more than twelve hours a day, seven days a week,
aching to catch the killer and to put a stop to the murders.
The stress and nightmares from seeing the results of such horrible crimes is eating away at the
entire police department. And when it looks like all hope is lost, a lead in the case comes through.
After apprehending the killer and getting a sworn confession from the monster, the killer's
attorney gets the matter thrown out of court on a technicality.
The killer has a story to tell. So once out on the streets, the only way he can see to continue to try
and get his story heard is by returning to his old nasty and evil ways. The killing starts again. This
time when the police go after him, dangerous questions run through their minds. They are over
cautious. They don't want to risk messing up a second time, and risk having the killer set free
again. But what can they do to make sure the killer doesn't slip through the judicial cracks a
second time?
The heart pounding and intense police procedural is his finest book. It can easily stand up against
books by legends such as Ed McBain, Robert Parker and Lawrence Block. It contains emotional
and raw courtroom drama parallel to any book written by Scott Turrow or Steve Martini.
Campanozzi out did himself with Justice. Thanks to his daughter and the rest of his family, Justice
has been published. However, I wish he were here to reap the just rewards of such a fine and
memorable crime novel.
Guns of August
Barbara Tuchman
Ballantine Books
ISBN 034538623X, $15.00
Raja Krishnan, Reviewer
raja_krishnan1975@hotmail.com
I have read many historical fiction books such as Colleen Mccullough's First Man in Rome series,
the Alexander the Great Trilogy by Valerio Manfredi, Tides of War and Gates of Fire by Steven
Pressfield. All these books and more have made me a fan of history. Like other history
aficionados, I have also enjoyed watching television documentaries on various time periods in
history shown on PBS, the A&E, and History channels. Though, as many other casual history
admirers, the one thing I was never motivated to do was to go to the non-fiction sections of a
bookstore or a library and buy or check-out a book on history. This was due to the belief that a
history book had to be dry and without energy or passion. A book that I happened to read
recently all but showed me wrong regarding my previous views on history books. The reader of
this article may ask, why I picked up a history book now after all these years. A good question
indeed. The answer is that it was a suggested extended reading option from a Western Civilization
course. I decided to take the risk and invest my own spare time to read this book. Well without
further delay and added suspense let me move to the point of this article, and that is the Guns of
August.
The Guns of August, written by Barbara Tuchman, 1963 Pulitzer prize winning non-fiction book
is a wonderful book describing the events of the first month of World War I. The Guns of August
is a great example of how history should be done and depicts history with beautiful literature.
Mrs. Tuchman captures the readers right off the bat in the first chapter with her description of
King Edward's funeral. She creatively weaves in the background to the impending catastrophe of
World War I by describing all of the royalty and dignitaries that are present at the funeral parade.
The first paragraph in the first chapter is well written and representative of her literary skills.
So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral
of Edward VII of England ..After them came five heirs apparent, fourty more imperial or royal
highnesses, seven queens-four dowager and three regnant The muffled tongue of Big Ben
tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history's clock it was sunset, and the
sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.
Mrs. Tuchman does not imagine or use her creativity in figuring out what was on the minds of
people, she instead tells the reader exactly what the historical figure said or if she does not know
she tells the reader so. She conveys the private emotions and the thoughts experienced by the
great minds during that tense first month of the war, quoting from sources such as memoirs and
autobiographies. Her ability to inject quotations from sources while maintaining her fluid prose
style is amazing. She uses her creativity and imagination in weaving the facts together in a story.
Last but not least what adds to the reading experience is the author's cunning ability to show
connectivity between historical people and events. One of the great scenes in the book is depicted
when King Albert makes his speech declaring that Belgium will not surrender to Germany.
Meanwhile looking on is his son, who later as King Leopold III surrenders to German forces in
1940. Although at times some of the descriptions of the troop movements could seem tedious
reading, the author provides detailed maps and studying these maps for a few minutes gave me a
good understanding of the military strategies.
Based on my overall wonderful experience of reading the Guns of August, I would recommend it
as a must read for all those casual history lovers who have always awed at the thought of picking
up a history book. Although it is a book focusing on the first month of World War I, in my
opinion it is a good book to be read in introductory Western Civilization courses to make the
students aware of how creative writing history can be. This may at least inspire more students to
read more history books, and then maybe a few of those would go on to become the next great
Barbara Tuchman. For now, at least for a casual lover of history such as myself I will settle myself
with the conclusion that reading a history book can be lots of fun.
The Queen of Peace Room
Magie Dominic
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwpress/wlup.html
75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3C5
(519) 884-0710 ext. 6124.
ISBN: 0889204179 $19.95 Paper
Timothy E. McMahon, M.S., Reviewer
tim@mcmahonco.com
Resting in my hands is a slender book. Its cover has a black matte finish that is pleasing to the
touch and a picture crafted by the author that effortlessly holds my attention. This book, its cover,
the paper used to embrace what will become some of the most illuminative words I have read in a
long while, and the graceful artwork therein, all form a package that is difficult to release. I hold
this book for a long while then manage to put it down only to return to hold it again later. I know
about the subject matter that resides between the covers of this work because its author Magie
Dominic wrote to me about the narrative that lives there. I know she writes with an eloquence to
which I am unaccustomed. I also know that once I begin to read what I know will be an intense
autobiographical chronicle; I won't be able to stop. Maybe its because I do know what's there
that I hesitate to begin. Yes. And that's why I hold on to this small, beautiful book but have a
hard time starting the journey.
When I do begin to read The Queen of Peace Room I am immediately rewarded. The prose is
solid, it's beautiful, and it's satiating. Make no mistake, this story is disturbing but its telling is
done with such a light touch that I barely feel the sting until I put it down. Then it won't leave my
mind.
I grew up in a world so radically different from Magie Dominic's that I find myself having to
catch my breath as I try and place myself inside of her world inside of her being. Tucked
between the covers of this willowy book is a narrative so immense it's just barely contained by the
fine matte jacket surrounding the work. The things that go to make up this life I can only
imagine.
She was a victim of sexual abuse at the age of seven or eight at the hands of a metaphorical
Cyclopes. Like Polyphemus from Homer's Odyssey, Dominic's tormentor was fond of warm,
moist, human flesh. Greedily he gorged himself on a child's mind, body, and dignity. The beast's
hideous glass eye perched on the family car's dashboard watched impassively as a child became
prey. An unblinking witness to a horror no human should ever endure.
In the 1960s, she was stalked, beaten, and raped by an unknown assailant. She plunged into a
deep depression and attempted suicide only to be comforted by a mother who made it clear that
all of this trauma had absolutely no place in public discussion no place ruining the family's
Christmas.
The Queen of Peace Room unfolds, as Magie Dominic unfolds, during an eight-day retreat in a
place safe from the intruding world surrounded by the love of kindred spirits and the hushed
quietude of nature. In a deeply personal and inviting tone, Magie takes us into the deepest folds of
her life. She leads us through a wilderness of pain, humiliation, death and finally to a serene place
where a harnessed field meets a wild meadow. Here, at this locus in time and space we see the
transformation of Magie Dominic from whatever she may have been in the past, to an exquisite
though solitary butterfly resting in the stillness on a tall blade of grass: whole, complete, and
good.
The Queen of Peace Room is expansive life writing. The tragedy bound in this tale is epic. Yet,
there is affirmation in Magie Dominic and in her story. The refusal of one human soul to let go of
its dignity, its absolute unwillingness to surrender, is genuinely heroic. Reading this made me
cherish the brutal privilege of being human like the one who wrote this story. Like the one who
lives this life.
The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship
Joanna Burger
Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0375760253, $13.95, May 2002, 272 pages.
Viveka Neveln
Reviewer
In this memoir, Dr. Burger uses her extensive knowledge and lifelong interest in all things avian to
create an intense bond with a remarkable Red-lored Amazon parrot called Tiko. In the process,
she discovers things about herself, animal behavior, and humanity's place in nature that challenge
her previous conceptions and just might challenge yours, too.
Dr. Burger and her husband adopt Tiko after his previous owners pass away. Because parrots
bond with their owners and live a long time, it takes a lot of time and patience to build a
relationship with one, especially one that is already attached to someone else. When Dr. Burger
takes on the challenge of caring for Tiko, she unconsciously approaches him as any other pet.
Once she learns who owns who, she is rewarded by a rich relationship with the willful but loving
bird.
As a biologist, living with a parrot allows Dr. Burger to gain insights into the complex world of
birds and their behavior. Sometimes her observations of Tiko even influence the direction of her
professional research. Dr. Burger's human side also learns a thing or two from Tiko. For example,
once Dr. Burger notes, "Tiko has taught me, a sometimes headstrong and often ferociously
independent woman, the importance of interdependence, the importance of taking care, and the
importance of being cared for."
Dr. Burger clearly illustrates a world that is rich in colors, sounds, and sensations unfamiliar to
anyone who has never handled a parrot. The author enables the reader to clearly imagine
everything from plumage hues to Tiko's various vocalizations (whispers to wall-penetrating
screeches) to the bird's claws clutching a shoulder. Also, Dr. Burger skillfully explains necessary
scientific terminology and concepts without seeming to talk down. However, at times the
narrative strays a tad too far into ornithology, tempting the reader to skim ahead to the admittedly
more interesting story of Tiko and his antics.
This book will enchant any animal lover, particularly those partial to birds. Anyone contemplating
acquiring a parrot definitely should read this book first! The Parrot Who Owns Me brings the
avian world up close and personal, offering a bird's eye view of our place in the grand scheme of
things. Overall, a well-written and worthwhile read.
Christy's Bookshelf
Fatal Flaw
William Lashner
William Morrow
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY
212-207-7860
ISBN #0060508167 $24.95
William Lashner is a graduate of the New York University School of Law and served as a trial
attorney in the criminal division of the United States Justice Department. Fatal Flaw is Lashner's
third published book as well as third entry in the Victor Carl series.
Victor Carl is a somewhat seedy criminal defense lawyer who is not above manipulating the legal
system. Victor receives a call late one night from an old law school classmate, Guy Forrest,
claiming that he has found the body of his fiancee in the house they share together. When Victor
arrives, he finds Guy outside, naked and inconsolable, with a gun beside him. Inside, Guy's
fiancee, Hailey Prouix, is dead, having been shot through the heart.
Guy, who abandoned his wife, family, and prestigious job for Hailey, swears he did not kill her,
although all the evidence points to him as the murderer. Guy asks Victor to defend him and Victor
agrees. Not because he believes his friend is innocent, but because Victor had also been in love
with Hailey and wants to see to it that his friend is convicted for her murder.
Victor's resolve to see his friend in prison begins to falter when he discovers secrets Hailey had
kept hidden from him. He begins to investigate Hailey's past, intuiting that will lead him to the
truth as to who actually murdered her. He hires private investigator Phil Skink to travel with him
to West Virginia, where Hailey is from, to try to unravel the secrets from her past and find the
person who shot Hailey.
Victor Carl is a jaded, somewhat desperate man who fell hopelessly in love with Hailey, a femme
fatale if there ever was one. His grief over her death propels him to first try to have his client
convicted of murder, then to diligently dig into his lover's past, placing his own life in danger. The
investigator, Phil Skink, is a masterpiece: a man with a face that would stop a clock, who dresses
in brown suits, wears a fedora, and talks like a gangster from the 30's. The interplay between Carl
and Skink is sharp-tongued, chiseled, and testosterone-driven, yet the two play off one another in
a fun, and sometimes comedic, way. The murdered Hailey does not seem worthy of the obsessive
love both Carl and Guy had for her, but once her past is revealed, she becomes a more
conciliatory character.
Lashner has a real jewel with Fatal Flaw. He provides his reader with a fast-paced story filled with
witty dialogue, characters full of flaws but with depth, and gritty action. The courtroom drama is
among the best to be written in a good while. The plot twists are, for the most part, predictable,
but the final twist will not be expected. Although there are more books than ever being written
about lawyers by lawyers, this book transcends the somewhat tired genre. Lashner is a writer with
a unique voice who has found his place in the literary field and will undoubtedly move on to
best-seller status.
Last To Die
James Grippando
Harper Collins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN# 0060005556 $23.95 1-217-207-7000
It is interesting to note that author James Grippando was a trial lawyer for twelve years and at one
point was a former litigation partner in Janet Reno's esteemed Florida law firm. Last year,
Grippando launched a new series featuring Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck, who was
introduced in this author's blockbuster debut novel, The Pardon. Since then, Grippando has
published Beyond Suspicion followed by Last to Die, the latest in the Swyteck series.
Sally Fenning was young, beautiful, and very rich, but did not want to live. Her daughter had been
murdered five years before by a man who was stalking Sally and the killer was never found. When
Sally is murdered, she leaves behind a will in which she names six heirs to her 46 million dollar
estate, the catch being that the money will not be disbursed until all of the heirs but one are
dead.
Tatum Knight is the older brother of Jack Swyteck's best friend, Theo Knight. Tatum is also a
former contract killer who claims to have changed. Sally met with Tatum two weeks before her
death in hopes of hiring him to kill her, although Tatum claims he turned down her offer. When
she is murdered, Tatum hires Jack to represent him, since he was named in Sally's will as one of
the six beneficiaries to her estate.
Almost immediately, the heirs begin feuding among themselves and in court, then are murdered
one by one. Jack and his best friend, Theo, explore who could be behind Sally's murder, hoping to
clear Tatum of the suspicion around him, which leads them to a closer look at the death of Sally's
daughter five years before. Their investigation takes them to Africa, where Sally's surviving sister
Rene lives. Rene is a pediatrician who helps free African children forced into child slavery.
In this installment of the series, Jack Swyteck is now divorced and living alone. He has joined the
Big Brothers organization and is surrogate parent to eight-year-old Nate, son of Jack's legal
assistant, Kelsey. The relationship between Jack and Nate is warm and sweet, and will be
appreciated by readers who are parents. Although Grippando left an unresolved issue with the
previous Swyteck novel, Last to Die provides an ending that isn't so conflictual.
Grippando reveals a very real, tragic world situation: child slavery in Africa, where thousands of
children are forced to labor in cocoa fields. However, he balances this dark subject against the
lighter, comedic relationship between Jack and Theo. Theo is a former death-row inmate whom
Jack proved innocent through DNA testing, and the bond that exists between the two men proves
to be stronger than the familial bond between Theo and Tatum.
Grippando writes with a Southern voice and sense of humor readers will enjoy. Although the plot
is full of twists and turns, it isn't so convoluted it cannot be followed with ease. Grippando is
proving himself to be a mainstay in the legal thriller arena and each book seems to entrench him
further in a genre that became more interesting once he put Swyteck to paper.
Poison Blonde
Loren D. Estleman
Forge
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
ISBN# 0765304473 $24.95 1-212-388-0100
Author Loren D. Estleman has proven himself to be a prolific writer, having written over fifty
novels to date. Estleman has won three Shamus Awards for his Amos Walker novels, four Golden
Spur Awards for his Western fiction, and three Western Heritage Awards. His latest novel, Poison
Blond, is the seventeenth installment in Estleman's signature detective series featuring cynical,
gritty private investigator Amos Walker.
In Poison Blonde, Amos Walker's latest case finds him entangled with gangsters in the music
industry and a client who is a former revolutionary. Walker is hired by Latina singer Gilia
Cristobel to find the woman who has accused Gilia of stealing her identity in order to remain in
America. This woman had been blackmailing Gilia and threatened that if payment was not
received, after three months, she would go to the police with information concerning Gilia's true
identity. The extortionist has not kept her appointment to collect the money in over two months
and the third month is quickly approaching. Gilia fears the police will turn her over to INS once
they learn who she is and she will be forced to return to her native country, where she is wanted
for murder.
Walker comes face-to-face with a former nemesis, Hector Matador, who is now Gilia's business
manager. Walker and Matador have a conflictual history together. Walker's testimony caused the
incarceration of Matadaor years before for first-degree murder. Matador is now out on parole and
the two men share a mutual hatred. Matador hinders Walker's investigation by having him tailed
as he seeks to find the woman blackmailing Gilia. If that isn't bad enough, a slimy photographer
from a tabloid is also trailing Walker in an effort to snap pictures of Gilia and him together. While
Walker tries to track down the missing extortionist, he begins to investigate the death of the
woman Gilia is accused of murdering, leading him to the Lincoln Question.
Walker is one among several private investigators being written today: cynical and jaded with an
attitude. A man who has more enemies than friends, lives alone in an unpretentious style, and
drives a rattletrap of a car. Estleman's style of delivery is hard-boiled and sharp-witted, which is
highly entertaining. The Lincoln Question, once explained, is quite interesting. The plot is
uncomplicated and can be followed with ease. There are two distinct mysteries within the book:
who actually killed the woman Gilia has been accused of murdering, and the whereabouts of the
woman who had been blackmailing Gilia. Neither is very complicated and each quite easy to
figure out. All in all, an average novel made more interesting by the author's unique prose.
Christy Tillery French
Reviewer
Cindy Lynn's Bookshelf
Flight -- 100 Years of Aviation
Dorling Kindersley
DK Publishing, Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0-7894-8910-4 $50.00 www.dk.com
To hold this over sized hard cover is in itself an experience. It's very heavy...it's not something
you can lean back and read in bed. It needs to be large...this book covers aviation in all its aspects
over a space of a hundred years from the prehistory of flight to the future. Created in association
with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, it's packed with beautiful pictures and
interesting information. This is not an encyclopedia...you won't find every plane listed in sections,
but you'll find representations of many, many types of aircraft, discussed in the order they appear
in the various sections.
As I mentioned, it starts at the beginning. "Age of Pioneers" covers early ideas, including
Leonardo da Vinci's long, bat like wings, which are echoed in Otto Lilienthal's 1890's glider
design. We are given a detailed portrait of Orville and Wilbur Wright, which includes several
pictures from the time, as well as those beautiful, close up pictures of real models that you love to
see in a D&K book, labeled carefully so that you understand what parts are what. The Wrights
aren't the only ones we hear about. We also briefly meet the first European to make a flight,
Alberto Santos-Dumont, Gabriel and Charles Vision, who established the world's first airplane
factory, and Glenn Curtis, who helped design the first aircrafts controlled by ailerons. It goes on
to discuss the growth of Aviation into a craze that possessed the imaginations of people from all
walks of life. We get to see the Bleriot X1 Monoplane close up, with even better looks at the
three-cylinder motorcycle engine and the open cockpit. The dangers of aviation and its often
tragic consequences and the invention of seaplanes are also covered, as well as the inevitable: the
beginnings of research into aviation's war time applications. Which segues perfectly into the next
chapter: "Aircraft Go To War".
Here is where we see the beginnings of warplanes. At first, airplanes were nothing more than
carriages that took observers or high rankling officers around. Soon they became the guardians of
the ground troops below, or a tool for a reconnaissance. One of my favorite planes from this
section is the Rumpler Taube...and indeed, this Austrian plane was very dove like, from its swept
back wins to its flat, fan like tail. The two old time photos they show, one from beneath and one
from the ground behind it, make it look beautifully bird like. Soon we are introduced to "Knights
of the Air", where we read about the nefarious masters of the dogfight. Zeppelins and bombers
round out the section.
"The Golden Age" introduces us to some remarkable women in flight, such as the tragic African
American pilot Bessie Coleman. We continue on to commercial flight. In today's world, it's hard
to believe that there was ever a time when the idea of a non-stop flight across the US would be
remarkable, but the first flight inn 1923 was just one example of people's desire to go farther,
breaking records as fast as they were thought of. The first passenger aircraft are also discussed.
The thing I enjoyed the most, I think, was learning about the flying boats, which were an
ingenious solution to taking passengers to places less civilized. Of course, no golden age ever
lasts, and soon interwar aircraft are developed, and come in very useful, as we see in the next
chapter.
"Battle for the Skies" details the development of aviation over the period of WWII, covering all
major battles and innovations. I can see why these planes are still so popular today, sleek,
beautiful, and terrible all at once. The next chapter, "Cold War, Hot War" shows how the military
applications have continued to grow and develop, introducing us to the early helicopters and jets,
taking us through the wars these newest additions were soon to be tested in. We leave war in
favor of space travel, and finally end up at the chapter called "Shrinking World", which is more
about the state of passenger Flight today and in the future. An illustrated glossary ends it all up
perfectly.
To sum it up, this book is delicious. The text is authoritative and well written, giving someone
(me) whose whole aviation experience is one plane flight and a few movies a very round,
complete education on all aspects. They cover personalities as well as planes, and I feel like I have
a good grasp of the excitement of the early years, what flight used to be like for passengers, and
how aviation has been absolutely critical in the patterns of warfare. For those with a pretty full
aviation shelf, this would still be a good buy, because I'm sure it has something you may not know
about, and because the pictures are just wonderful. There are tons of rarities, from this nifty
picture of a group of men standing on their bicycle seats in order to see over a fence at a plane
taking flight, and rare early war pictures. There are also pages and pages of plane pictures,
showing all the important planes for that time. There are probably a few planes they don't
mention, but I felt that the majority are probably represented. The D&K trademark "let's take a
close look and label the parts for you" method is often employed, but subtly so as not to ruin what
you're looking at. They enrich the experience, teaching me things like, where the oil coolers are,
or what kind of propeller I'm looking at.
Definitely a wonderful addition to any aviation lover...or would be aviation lover's collection.
Little Bitty Lies
Mary Kaye Andrews
Harper Collins
10 53rd East Street, New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 0060199598 $24.95
"I'm gone. Mama's all paid up at the nursing home. Tell Erin I'll call when I'm settled. You're a
good woman, and I'm sorry things didn't work out. Sincerely, A. Parker McGowan."
And with this note, written on the back of a junk mail envelope, Mary Bliss's pretty, well ordered
life is over. As she looks through the wreckage of her life, she finds that every dime for the past
several months, even the money put aside for their teen age daughter Erin's last year at a
prestigious private school, is gone. Up to her eyes in debt and not one, but two, mortgage
companies (since Parker had gone and refinanced their home behind their back) about to come
down on her, her stocks liquefied, her savings cleaned out. In short, Parker ran away, making sure
to leave them in the worst lurch possible. On top of that, Mary Bliss has to deal with a daughter
whose secret life is making her nasty and rebellious towards her mother, a mother in law who
hates her, and a private detective who keeps skulking around at inconvenient moments. Mary
Bliss wants Parker dead...and with the help of her dear friend Katherine, whose going through her
own divorce troubles, she will. Well, not really. Just where it counts...on paper, which will allow
her to pay off her debts when she cashes in his insurance policy. Mary Bliss and Katherine are far
from the shadowy, conniving type of people who could pull this off...and so, even when it looks
like they're successful, you know some sort of trouble is brewing just around the corner.
In this "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" comedy, Andrews manages to recapture
much of the gossipy well meaning charm of her previous book, Savannah Blues. Watching Mary
Bliss try to reinvent herself is actually, in some ways, the main point of the book. Even when she
does things that you think are patently foolish, figuring if she just came clean the law would be on
her side, you can't help but admire her courage. She has, after all, been sheltered all her life. All
she knows about life outside her little circle is from neighborhood gossip and TV. So if the tacts
she takes seem a little on the high end of drama, then she comes by it honestly.
There is also a great deal of background dish in the book. The people of this small, well to do
section have love lives and marriages that would work well in a soap opera, but Andrew's point is
still clearly seen. She uses these diverse relationships as satire, showing us strange, densely
tangled affaires that are sometimes as depressing as they are funny.
Light, romantic and funny, this book would make for perfect beach time reading.
Cindy Lynn Speer
Reviewer
Fortenberry's Bookshelf
Digging Up the Past: An Introduction to Archaeological Excavation
John Collis
Sutton Publishing, Ltd.
www.suttonpublishing.co.uk
$29.95 183 pp. ISBN: 0750927372
My first love as a young child was dinosaurs. This quickly progressed into a general love of
archaeology and history, especially in those early years anything about mummies, pyramids, and
the mysterious Mayans. I admit it, I'm a longtime Doc Savage fan. Modern moviegoers will
recognize him in his lesser incarnation as Indiana Jones. Anyway, throughout my childhood I
wanted to become an archaeologist and it was only through a series of unfortunate events that this
did not occur. But I'm a damn fine armchair archaeologist, if I do say so myself. Which is exactly
why I love John Collis' new book, Digging Up the Past. He's accomplished something rare,
writing a manual on archaeology detailed and nuanced enough for the most advanced expert and
yet general enough to comprehend for all of us. This is a tough assignment for any science, much
less one as hands-on and microscopically expansive as archaeology. Collis succeeds with flying
colors.
Some of his concepts and techniques and new and innovative approaches to an old science. Of
course a lot of his core work is as old as the science itself, but his fusion of styles and decades of
experience make this a dynamic guidebook for archaeologists. Though he is a European Iron Age
expert, in a field as diverse as the entire history of humanity, he knows his limitations and freely
admits his strengths and weaknesses. He has a congenial style which doesn't preach or bore, is
personable and accessible, and most importantly of all brings you right into the field and makes
you long to get your hands dirty. I dream of working under someone as knowledgeable and kind
as this professor.
The book is thorough and covers all aspects of archaeology: old and new paradigms of the
science; tools; record-keeping; site processing and mapping; digging, cleaning, and sampling;
contextual analysis; stratigraphy; etc. He details things such as processing stone and wooden
structures, pits,ditches, and banks, or proper trench and hole coring on location. It is very clear
and very detailed, showing various tricks of the trade as well as common and advances mistakes.
He draws from his own vast experience both digging and teaching for over 40 years to give
personal examples throughout for all possible situations. The book is heavily illustrated with
charts, graphs, and photos of actual digs to highlight each topic. Yet somehow, quite amazingly
actually, considering the ground covered, he brings it in under 200 pages, including the
bibliography. Concise, clear, thorough. What more could any student of archaeological
excavations want? I assume this book will become an informative foundation text in universities
worldwide. Great work, Professor Collis. When can I join you with my trowel?
Updike: America's Man of Letters
William Pritchard
Steerforth Press
P.O. Box 70, South Royalton, Vermont 05068
www.steerforth.com
$27.00; 351 pp. ISBN: 158642002X.
My hat is off. I make a bow to Mr. Pritchard. He's written a wonderful study of John Updike, one
of my own and America's favorite authors. Updike: America's Man and Letters is the new
standard study on one of our greatest living masters. This is a very quiet, controlled examination
of a very quiet, controlled man. Or, as we say in the business, yeah, whatever, so did you actually
READ it? When you read Updike in depth, just like this commentary, you break through the
surface to find, lo and behold, much like spirituality itself, he is multilayered, multifaceted, and
seemingly bottomless. It is a plunge into an ocean. The deeper you go the more there is, and yet
the clarity of vision begins to fail as the pressure begins to build so that you sense more than see
the overwhelming enormity of it all. So you descend into the abyss, absorbing infinity through the
skin, if you will, until finally you either return to the surface to gasp the lighter air of your smaller
life or asphyxiate in the twilight of those vast soulful depths. I mean that in a good Cousteauan
way, of course. Squeak, squeak, Flipper. Nevertheless, Pritchard has some how managed to build
a submarine and chart these unfathomable Updikean depths. It is quite an accomplishment.
Before Pritchard my hands done favorite study of Updike was Elizabeth Tallent's Married Men
and Magic Tricks John Updike's Erotic Heroes. Her book, more a collection of essays, was brief
and not all inclusive, yet it did capture wholly the spirit of his work, the sheer joyous artistry and
lyrical magic of his prose. It is a tribute of a book more than a detailed textual study. It remains a
shining example of superb artistry and poetic prose play. But recently there have been several new
works on Updike, all of merit, especially the collection edited by James Yerkes, John Updike and
Religion: The Sense of the Sacred and the Motions of Grace, and this one by Pritchard. Both of
these latter books have attempted something other critical studies have by and large shied away
from: excavation of the soul of Updike, not just surface commentary on the texts. I have to give
high marks to them both.
Pritchard's Updike is a thorough study of his writings: novels, poetry, short fiction, prose, and
criticisms. It is also a solid rebuke of his naysayers, who sometimes have something of a point
perhaps and other times, such as with David Foster Wallace, utterly bewilder me. In the jealous
rages by Wallace recorded here, such as "Has the son of a bitch ever had one unpublished
thought?" (p229), we move from bemused spectator of critical jousting to outright self-pity and
embarrassment for the poor lad. To be fair we see him call Updike, Roth, Mailer, and Bellow all
"manifestly second-rate," so I guess he is an equal opportunity hater. But you have to feel sorry
for any writer who angrily dismisses such giants after his first blush of success. But Pritchard
never attacks them directly but rather counters with a grace worthy of Sun Tzu; that is, he merely
goes about his business of presenting the facts and Updike emerges from the smoke of the fray as
a monumental author of amazing vigor and talent who far outshines his contemporaries. The
amazing thing is, Updike not only dominates as a novelist, but also as a critic and poet. This is
quite a feat. But so is the ability to cast a wide enough net to capture and study with clarity all
these multiple aspects of such a great artist. Not only the primary texts, but articles, reviews,
essays, and interviews (including the beloved Charlie Rose), have all been put under the
microscope. Pritchard should be commended, if simply for nothing more than coherently studying
such a deep and vast subject. It takes a brilliant and expansive mind simply to keep up, much less
examine in detail someone as prolific and talented as Updike. But furthermore, he has done so
with dignity and a conservative conciseness which is in itself a tribute to Updike, because Updike's
own criticism often distills a great author's oeuvre down to a kernel within a few pages. Updike:
American Man of Letters is a welcome addition to my library on great American novelists.
What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News.
Eric Alterman
Basic Books
$25.00 ISBN: 0465001769
Eric Alterman, a brilliant author who has among his numerous credentials also won both the
George Orwell Award and the Stephen Crane Literary Award, has provided an essential service to
the country: he has chronicled the truth. More than just reject the eternal and usually hysterical
Republican claims that all the media and government are controlled by liberals, he refutes them
and proves it by using their own words against them. What Liberal Media? is an endless litany of
sad journalism, hard facts, and hateful quotes-- sometimes downright scary ones. The harmful
things the "liberal" media says and does about liberals is, well, it has to be experienced to be
believed. Which is why the continuing Republican tirades about "liberal" control grows more
ludicrous by the day. Listen to any channel for more than a minute and you will hear, yet again,
the Clintons smeared and called liars (even if they have no connection whatsoever with the subject
matter at hand) and all "liberal" policies either sneered at or outright called traitorous and
immoral. But hey, in our Orwellian world, who ever said truth matters? It obviously doesn't,
which is why President Bush established an official government disinformation agency, not unlike
1984's doublespeak Ministry of Truth, solely for distorting the truth.
Some of the guffawful moments of the book involve the 2000 selection and how Gore was
portrayed. Objective reporting included, as we all witnessed, endless days and months of jokes
about his clothing (even the better of the TV talk show hosts, Chris Matthews, is noted here for
repeating the same comments about a button-down suit Gore wore for five nights straight), but
never his substance and policies. In one telling example we see how the character assassination
extended deep into Gore's childhood, with the Washington Post claiming Gore was "prone to
tattling" as a seven-year-old boy, and that he had a "compulsion to adhere to the expected order,"
that is follow the rules, in school and at home. This is seen as wrong and somehow pertinent to a
man who had served a lifetime in Congress and was eight years the Vice President. These types of
attacks were proof of his illegibility to be president, whereas, as the world knows, even though
George W. Bush was an admitted and convicted alcoholic and cocaine user up until he took over
as Governor of Texas, these "past youthful indiscretions" were off-limit to even discuss, much less
investigate or weigh as a matter of character. His biography could start only with his campaign. In
one more ludicrous example, and sadly every page is full of them in this book, it is noted that the
sage and respected McLaughlin Group actually had a panel one night debating whether Bill
Clinton was Satan. That's right, a serious-minded group of educated adults purported to be
experts and intellectuals were debating on television if Clinton were the devil. Our national media
has fallen this far.
What Liberal Media? is a damning book that leaves no doubts as to just how extreme our media
has become. The Left is virtually nonexistent and the Right have nowhere to hide in this book,
since their own words abound. They are not attacked with innuendo and slander. These are just
cold facts and hot quotes that really hurt. This book should put to rest the entire "liberal media"
fable fostered by the Republicans. But of course it will not. As he quotes Honore de Balzac,
journalism is "a hell, a sink of iniquity, lies and betrayals that no one can pass through, or emerge
from uncorrupted...." The sad thing is, there are a few honest journalists left and a few honest
publishers, but with the current loosening of restrictions of big business monopolies, those are
doomed to extinction as well. He quotes Robert Entman, "To become sophisticated citizens,
Americans need high-quality, independent journalism..." and goes further to reiterate some of the
reasons we need a First Amendment, to protect truth. As he noted about the Catholic pedophile
priests scandal, one of the first things the church did was blame it all on the reporters who broke
the story. Cardinal law, that paragon of virtue himself, said, "By all means we call down God's
power on the media...." How sad it is that the independent media is vanishing and only the
powerful corporations get a voice. The media, as it is fully dominated by fewer and fewer
companies like the Murdocracy, will become more and more skewed towards one voice. Today
that corporate voice is Republican. That has nothing to do with American.
Genetic Engineering
Lisa Yount, editor
Part of the Current Controversies Series
Greenhaven Press
10911 Technology Place, San Diego, CA 92127
ISBN: 0737711248 $33.70
I wrote my first paper on the looming ethical dilemma facing the world with the startling advances
in genetic engineering following the Wittgenstein International Philosophy Symposium in Austria,
1989. Of course, back then we were predicting, albeit perhaps through SF vision, things that have
now been far surpassed. But the advances of science and the accumulation of knowledge are
exponential and so regardless of how far we have already come, our forthcoming discoveries will
explode tomorrow in comparison. With things endlessly speeding up, it is vital that we debate the
ethical implications of what we are doing, what we will be doing, and what we should be
doing.
Greenhaven's Current Controversies series tackles many of today's greatest subjects of debate,
including genetics. Genetic Engineering, edited by Lisa Yount, is a record of an important
argument. Like all the books in this series, it posits proponents on each subject against one
another in a series of Yes/No essays. In this volume we cover the ethics of genetic engineering on
humans and animals, food and farming, and ask the most important questions: is it beneficial to
humanity and should it be more closely regulated. The are extremely important questions that hold
the future of the human race in their answers. The nature and possibilities of genetic engineering is
a good thing to investigate and debate. I am glad Yount has done a good job compiling the
opposition to present all sides of the argument.
Besides the fascinating essays, there is a helpful glossary for the common reader, plus index,
bibliography, and a listing of organizations and websites concerned with genetic engineering. The
book is user friendly, with large titles and subtitles (these on almost every single page to make for
topical browsing ease), plus easy-to-read clear text, with highlighted sidebar quotes pulled from
the text on each page. Since these are generally the most powerful or disturbing lines of the
moment in each essay, the quotes are perfect to grab and pull in readers. There was a nice
selection of contributors from a variety of backgrounds, from politician to scientist to columnist,
in order to give the widest range of opinion (though one of the loudest Nay critics, Jeremy Rifkin,
appears a few times. I do wish they could have found other voices for a heightened variety of
arguments, though one might suppose perhaps he was the best or only Nay on those topics.) If
there must be a complaint made, it is that one, the book is geared toward the average citizen and
leaves off most technical scientific details (but it is a social dialogue not a science manual, so this
is understandable); two, the book and essays are somewhat short. I realize it is an endless debate
and cannot be thousands of pages long, but I also sometimes felt the essays were too short and
could have had more meat on their bones. But, this is an overview of a Current Controversy, so it
is exactly what it should be. Kudos to Greenhaven Press for their continued excellence in
presenting the best materials and debates on the best topics, whether literary, political, or
scientific. I love their series. Genetic Engineering is the perfect introduction to the debate
currently raging in our society on this very important topic.
Handbook of Egyptian Mythology
Geraldine Pinch
Part of the Handbooks of World Mythology series
ABC-CLIO, Inc.
130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA, 93116-1911, USA
ISBN: 1576072428 $65.00
ISBN (ebook): 1576077632
Geraldine Pinch has written the best guidebook to ancient Egyptian mythology I have ever read.
Handbook of Egyptian Mythology is not merely wonderful and well-done, it is exceedingly
thorough. The introductory essay alone is 56 pages, for example. Plus we have the usual index,
complimented by chapter notes and bibliographical sources, following something quite unique: an
entire chapter devoted to annotated print and non-print resources for Egyptian myths, both in
foreign languages and English translations. Here Pinch has provided lists of everything from
books (literary and reference) to articles, translations, videos, web sites, and CD-Roms. When
someone can collect ancient Egyptian atlases, lexicons, archaeological and theological studies,
Sax Rohmer and Elizabeth Peters mysteries, with Norman Mailer and Robert Graves, well then,
you have my attention. I love comprehensive studies.
Handbook of Egyptian Mythology is divided into three major sections: intro and indexes;
chronology and time lines; and deities, themes, concepts. The timelines and chronology show not
only the linear dynasties and accepted historical timelines of Egyptology in general, but delve into
the theological timelines of the myths themselves. This enables us to understand how the myths
evolved and borrowed from or built upon each other over time. We can see where certain schools
of religion competed with each other or where certain myths and gods waxed and waned over
time. This also lets us unravel the sometimes confusing plethora of stories about certain gods,
such as the murder of Osiris. By far the largest section of he book is the encyclopedic style listing
of gods and other ancient Egyptian concepts pertinent to their mythology. This is a concise yet
expansive listing, because it briefly covers the well-known and virtually unheard of gods and
goddesses equally, and thus is the most useful resource I have encountered on this subject to date.
It is easy to use and comprehend plus has the bonus of additional references and further readings
noted at the end of each individual entry. I believe it to be extremely informative to common
reader or expert alike. Especially, I note as an author of fiction interested in writing on the
subject, it will be invaluable as a research tool. I am unsure how Pinch compiled such a detailed
study as this on a topic as rich and deep without losing the readers in a swamp of hieroglyphs and
arcane phraseology, but she did. Legible, thorough comprehension... my hat is off. Perhaps, like
Osiris before her, Pinch will be judged as one who is a "possessor of maat" for her work
here.
Handbook of Egyptian Mythology is part of ABC-CLIO's Handbooks of World Mythology series.
It is well-written, well-researched, and illustrated throughout with pictures, maps, and charts. It is
an attractive, yet very lightweight hard bound edition that is perfect for carrying on the go with
your studies. Unlike some historical volumes of the past, this one won't break your back while
ensconced in your book bag. Pinch's writing and the Handbook's production is so attractive, I
cannot wait to browse the rest of the series.
MJays Financial Management Guide: A Simple Guide To Managing Your Finances
Mary J. Butler
MJays Investments & Publishing
Box 773, Bowman, SC 92018, USA
www.mjaysinvestments.com
$9.00, 92 pp. ISBN: 0970987501
MJays Financial Management Guide is exactly what it says it is: a simple guide to managing your
finances. Where was this guide when I was growing up? It is bare-boned and dead easy to use.
Mary J. Butler, the author, wastes not a word, and yet covers it all. This guide leaves nothing out,
from preparing budgets and savings to low and high risk investments, retirement, trusts, estate
planning etc. It has a simple mission: educate you and prepare you for managing your finances. It
succeeds.
Mrs. Butler, an accountant and financial manager, knows what she is talking about. She writes
clearly, concisely, and spells it out in black and white for the layman. She is even kind enough to
have chapter one be nothing more than a glossary of financial terms for the uninitiated. Whether
you are 18 or 80, she has something for you and has an uncanny ability to cut through the jungle
of information and get to the heart of the matter. She declares her purpose is to "educate,
educate, educate" and she does so. She makes a good teacher as she is able to distill the tens of
thousands of arcane pages of governmental policy into a 90 page no-nonsense guide to finances.
It is quite an accomplishment and my "couldn't find finances with both hands" hat is off. I can see
why this book was recognized by Writer's Digest. It delivers.
Of course, we all wish Mrs. Butler could just do our finances for us. But barring that, well, at
least we have her book. Of course mine may become so bedraggled from multiple readings that I'll
have to go buy a new one. Then again, that's just one more example of Mrs. Butler's financial
genius, now isn't it?
The "Read My Lips" Cookbook: A Culinary Journey of Memorable Meals
Robert Swiatek
Infinity Publishing
519 West Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041-1413
www.infinitypublishing.com
$14.95, ISBN: 0741413337
Robert Swiatek has managed to cook up a memorable collection of anecdotes and recipes. The
"Read My Lips" Cookbook is personable, humorous, and easy-to-use. This is not your average
cookbook, however. The book is many things at once: cookbook, travelogue, and biography.
Swiatek provides 56 separate main menus, complete with main course and desert recipes,
alongside party menus and other cooking trivia, while recounting his travels around the country
over the years bumbling through the haves and have-nots of life. His personal stories are often
very funny, intriguing, sometimes aww, but always memorable and really liven up what could
have been yet another mind-numbing collection of recipes without a point. His subtitle (which is
far better than his title, to be honest) hits the nail on the head: A Culinary Journey of Memorable
Meals. The memorable part is two-fold. Yes, the recipes are for great food which will be
memorable to us once cooked and eaten; but the real joy is reading his stories about how, where,
and when he discovered these dishes. There are real gems inside this book.
The Read My Lips Cookbook places fast, inexpensive, yet healthy meals at your fingertips. But
you may find you linger over the tales or the memories they invoke in you. I am from the South
and found myself smiling at Swiatek's recounting of his first trips into the South. A native of New
York, he traveled to Florida. Growing up in Mississippi near New Orleans, I can only imagine
what it must be like to experience Southern cooking for the first time. When I lived in Baltimore
the tastes were completely different, much more bland in every way (excluding their very
wonderful Old Bay seasoning on crabs), even though Baltimore is sometimes still considered a
"Southern" city. So I can only imagine how the South must shock a non-native with its rich foods
and heavy spices. Swiatek is also very honest. He says what he likes and dislikes, what works and
what doesn't. In one part he recounts how he made a beef curry that he really didn't like, even
though his guests did, and so has never made one since. He likes his chicken curry, but not the
beef. That takes guts to say in a cookbook. But the honesty is much appreciated and makes you
realize he believes in his meals. These aren't page fillers or standardized junk that he doesn't care
about. It is all personal.
If I have a complaint about the book it is that it isn't beefy enough (couldn't pass up the curry
pun). Yes, I realize it is 200 pages and shouldn't become a massive tome. But the little tastes of
tales I read really were enjoyable and mere snacks. They make me want much more and I wish he
would have elaborated on a lot of the stories. But that might overbalance the book away from
cookbook too heavily into travelogue and biography, so the balance is probably best as is.
Besides, like any good cook knows, you give them a taste and not a feast to keep them coming
back for more.
Thomas Fortenberry
Reviewer
Gorden's Bookshelf
Lust At Sea
Jay Lawrence and Harry Neptune
Renaissance E Books
P.O. Box 1432, Northampton, MA 01060
www.renebooks.com
ISBN : 1588731820 $4.00 electronic download
'Lust at Sea' is a satire. It spoofs everything from 'Murder on the Orient Express' to 'Moby Dick.'
If you like tongue-in-cheek stories that poke fun at political correctness, sex, drugs, alcohol, and
classic literature, you will like 'Lust at Sea'.
In a drunken blackout, Harry Neptune proposes and marries Miss Jay Lawrence. They fly to Las
Vegas and marry at the Chapel of Celestial Bliss by the Fairly Irreverent Pastor Von Schlong. The
inebriated couple are the one millionth couple to be wed at the Chapel of Celestial Bliss and win a
Caribbean cruise. When a murder occurs on the cruise, Harry and Jan go about finding the killer
or killers. Intoxicated, they stumble from one sexual debauchery to the next collecting clues and
information about the passengers and crew aboard the good ship Caribbean Conch. For Harry and
Jan, the mystery isn't in the murder. The mystery is where to find the next drink and who will be
the next partner in bed.
'Lust at Sea' is not a true murder mystery but a parody of life and classic tales. 'Lust at Sea' is a
guilty pleasure that is read for its titillation alone. With a ship captain by the name of Ahab and an
ex-husband called Will Boner, you know the authors will do anything for a laugh.
Chasing the Dime
Michael Connelly
Little, Brown and Company
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0316153915 $25.95 371 pages
Michael Connelly writes the seemingly simple hard edge detective mysteries. The easy reading
hides a complex and well crafted story. Only a few authors today write such a straightforward
action thriller that is filled with layers.
Henry Pierce pugs in his new phone and receives a call asking for Lilly? Intrigued, he does a little
checking and finds out the missing Lilly works as an escort. Something pulls the straight laced
chemist turned company founder into looking for Lilly. Soon the dark side of society engulfs him
with violence and murder. Before he has a chance to understand what is happening to him, he
becomes the police's chief suspect and a victim of forces he can't find. The search for Lilly
threatens to destroy him but stopping is something he is unable to do.
'Chasing the Dime' is one of the finest thrillers written today. It is a perfectly balanced action
mystery with each passage delivering a blow until you stagger to the last page. It is simply one of
the best novels of the year.
Fire Ice
Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos
Berkley Books
Berkley Publishing Group, division of Penguin Group Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN : 0425190641 $7.99
Cussler made his writing fame with a series of historical action adventure novels using the leading
man Dirk Pitt. When he teamed up with Kemprecos, they developed a nearly identical story with
Kurt Austin in the leading role. The stories have the same basic form and action with the
exception that Kurt is less of a rogue than Dirk. This softens the story. You do miss the rakish
Dirk, whose personality fits the action adventure genre better, but the stories are a little less over
the edge adding a touch more believability to the storyline.
'Fire Ice' grabs you and doesn't let go. By the end of the third chapter, you have read about an
escape attempt by part of the Tsar's family during the 1918 Russian Revolution, the hijacking of a
US nuclear submarine, a tidal wave hitting the coast of Maine, and a reporter being shot at by
Cossacks on the Black Sea coast. Kurt has only a few days to find out what is going on before a
mad man, claiming to be heir to the tsarist throne of Russia, tries to overthrow the Russian
government and flood a major American city with a manmade tsunami.
'Fire Ice' is a better than average adventure novel. It lacks the hard edge of the Dirk Pitt stories
but it more than matches the standard adventure novels found on the shelves today. It is a great
story to take for a day on the beach or a long weekend. 'Fire Ice' is pure escapism, which it
delivers with a non-stop adrenalin rush.
S.A. Gorden
Reviewer
Harold's Bookshelf
Cardinal Rules of Advocacy
Douglas S. Lavine
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
Notre Dame Law School
Notre Dame, IN 46556
ISBN: 155681769X $55.95
Persuasive argumentation is a critical point of trial advocacy. Even the best legal argument with
the most solid logic is useless if it can't be used to persuade the judge or jury to your position.
"Cardinal Rules of Advocacy" presents the fundamental principles of persuasion in a clear and
easy to understand format. Some of the most important rules are making sure that you understand
your audience, tailoring your argument toward that specific audience, establish and enhance
credibility, thinking creatively before the trial, total preparation, reframing the issues, and
answering and posing questions. Chapter three is an excellent analysis of creative thinking for
presenting your case, fallacies, and appeals to emotions. This provides a good solid basis for an
argument which when coupled with the credibility and reframing the position produces a
persuasive communication. This is a highly recommended read for anyone who needs to persuade
others.
Guide to Buying Vitamins and Supplements
Tod Cooperman, M.D., William Obermeyer, Ph.D., and Densie Webb, R.D., Ph.D.
ConsumerLab.com, LLC
333 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605
ISBN: 0972969705 $TBA
There are a lot of guides to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbal preparations on the market today.
What makes "Guide to Buying Vitamins and Supplements" different? For each vitamin, mineral,
or herb they gathered samples from multiple brands and put them through a rigorous laboratory
analysis. Results of the analysis included products that contained toxic chemicals, had no
measurable quantity of the active ingredient, had more of the active ingredient than the acceptable
safe levels, and many other surprises. Although many brands were often tested only the ones that
passed the laboratory analysis are listed. This is the only place that I have ever seen a listing of
product brand names that pass laboratory analysis. Without this guide you really don't know what
you are getting when you buy vitamins and supplements. This is a highly recommended read that
should be on the shelves of anyone who purchases vitamins and supplements.
Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology
Henry Chesbrough
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
ISBN: 1578518377 $35.00
In the field of technology change appears to occur at an ever increasing rate. Through innovation
in research and development new breakthroughs occur, new products are brought to market, sales
brings in money to fund research and the cycle goes on and on. At least this is the way that it is
generally thought to occur. In reality hostile takeovers, IPO bids and the like keep interrupting the
cycle. Companies refuse to look outside of themselves for innovative ideas or the application of
their technology to new ventures. So the system is actually a closed cycle within the company
instead of an open one the embraces the value of processes, people, and others outside of the
company.
Business innovations create potential but do not have value in and of themselves. It is the business
model that turns innovation into profits. We have all seen inferior products bypass superior ones
because of a better business model. Unfortunately for the consumer, it is not at all
uncommon.
So, the business model itself defines the profit received from an innovation. Why? Because the
business model is the single most important factor in determining a suitable market for the
innovation, costs, profit margins, and competitive position. The business model determines
whether the company will take advantage of all opportunities including those outside itself or just
utilize those opportunities that they can produce internally. The authors detail several case studies
that point out the difference between closed and open innovation and the results of each very
clearly.
The finishing touch to the book is that it clearly details the path to open innovation and how to
move a company from a closed mindset to an open one. This is a highly recommended read for
anyone wanting to take advantage of technology to increase their profits.
Financial Planning Made E-Z
Hunter Hardy
Made E-Z Products
384 South Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
ISBN: 156382549X $14.95
If you ever wanted a basic education in finance but did not know where to turn then "Financial
Planning Made E-Z" may be just what you need. Areas covered include controlling debt, reducing
insurance costs, reducing your taxes, protecting your estate, working with the stock market, and
retirement planning. Although it is a fairly thin book for the subject matter, the author does an
excellent job of hitting all the most important points of basic finance. This is a recommended book
for anyone wanting to get a basic understanding of all the general areas of financial planning.
Complete Earthly Woman: Embrace Life's Lessons and Celebrate Personal Triumph
Genie O'Malley
Sonra Enterprises
211 N. Mt. Shasta Blvd., #200, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067
ISBN: 0972298002 $14.95
Many women are at their wit's end trying to raise a family, compete in the job market, and
generally deal with all the problems and responsibilities of day to day living without losing
theirself in the process. That is where "Complete Earthly Woman" comes to the rescue. Within the
covers you will find forty invocations to help you find your way to personal fulfillment, Whether it
is a need to embrace forgiveness, inner healing, or peace with your past, it is all discussed in the
book. If I had to sum up this book in just a couple of words it would be don't exhaust yourself,
exhalt yourself. It is sure to bring hope to many women who are completely exhausted fighting
the cares and woes of life and want to embrace fulfillment with life. "Complete Earthly Woman" is
a recommended read.
Stories of Jesus (Baby Bible Board Books Collection #1)
Edward and Sarah Bolme
Crest Publishers
PO Box 3195, Renton, WA 98056
ISBN: 0972554645 $23.99
Pages: approx. 20 per book
Ages: about one to three years with 6 or 7 year older kids able to read them theirself
The "Stories of Jesus" collection is four small board books featuring Bible stories about Jesus.
Each of the books covers one of the following stories; "Jesus Feeds the People", "Jesus Heals a
Little Girl", "Jesus Helps a Blind Man", and "Jesus Stops a Storm". At the end of each story is an
appropriate Bible verse and reference. These are sturdy books built to put up with the abuse of
very young children. At about five inches by five inches they are small enough for little hands.
These are highly recommended for Christian homes with small children, church libraries, and
Christian preschools.
Uncoupling: Lessons on Reconfiguring an Intimate Relationship
Brenda Woolner
Windshift Press
PO Box 7-5, Thetis Island, BC Canada V0R 2Y0
ISBN: 096896379X $TBA
"Uncoupling" is the story of the lessons learned by author Brenda Woolner after her marriage
ended. After being a couple for so long the process of undoing that relationship, or uncoupling, is
a very difficult one. In the book she presents thirty-one lessons, some difficult, some mostly a
matter of reframing, some more emotional, all necessary steps in the process of recovering
yourself as a competent and happy individual. "Uncoupling" is a recommended book for those
going through the process of divorce or trying to recover from a particularly painful divorce.
Winning Without Losing Your Way: Character Centered Leadership
Rebecca Barnett
Winning Your Way, Inc.
PO Box 657, Bowling Green, KY
ISBN: 1932203168 $TBA
In "Winning Without Losing Your Way" author Rebecca Barnett draws a parallel between the
lessons she learned through the philosophy of judo and character-based leadership. One of the
more interesting parts of the book is a discussion of the business and family values of different
generations and how that affects their view of success. Rebecca points out very clearly that the
obligation to carry character-based leadership throughout the company is the responsibility of
individuals; of you and I. Written in both a philosophical and motivational style, "Winning
Without Losing Your Way" is a recommended read for anyone interested in developing a
character-centered philosophy that pervades their entire lifestyle.
The Irresistible Growth Enterprise
Donald Mitchell, Carol Coles
Stylus Publishing, LLC
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
ISBN: 1579220266 $27.50
Most businesses tend to grow for a while and then hit a point where they stall. "The Irresistible
Growth Enterprise" focuses on how to get past a stall and use various growth enhancing
techniques to get started again. The various things discussed in this book that cause a business to
stall include Irresistible Force Stalls, the Directionless Stall (Where are we going and how do we
get there?), the Wishful Thinking Stall (That's not the way I thought it would be), the
Helplessness Stall (What do we do now?), the Defensiveness Stall, the Independence Stall (We
can do it all), the Overoptimization Stall, the Cover-up Stall, and the Underestimation Stall. The
second part deals with Irresistible Force Management, how to determine the forces that affect
your company, how to use them to develop a best practice scenario, and how to monitor results.
There are many good management books on the market today. Very few cover the problem of
why a business enterprise stops growing and what to do about it to the extent that this one does.
Because of this extended coverage of an often overlooked or marginalized area this is a
recommended read for anyone wishing to jumpstart a stalled business or keep from getting into a
business stall.
Writing and Developing Your College Textbook
Mary Ellen Lepionka
Atlantic Path Publishing
PO Box 1556, Gloucester, MA 01931-1556
ISBN: 0972816402 $24.00
There are many books available on writing, publishing, and marketing your book. However, if you
are preparing a book that you intend to be adopted by a college as a textbook, then most of those
other books are of minimal value. The writing, publishing and acceptance of a college textbook is
a unique undertaking. "Writing and Developing Your College Textbook" walks the potential
author through the process of publishing your textbook.
The text takes you through the unique prerequisites for getting a publisher interested in your
college textbook, use of an author team, knowing the market, the prospectus, and book outline.
Then it walks you through the signing process and negotiating an agreement, book development,
reaching your audience, creation of chapter apparatus, and all the various other details that must
be attended to in order for your textbook to be successful. This is easily the single best book I
have seen for the collegiate publishing market and a recommended read for anyone wishing to
produce a college textbook.
How to Teach Your Baby to Read
Glenn Doman and Janet Doman
The Gentle Revolution Press
810 Gleneagles Court, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21286 USA
ISBN: 1591170087 $16.95
If you want to have a viable future where you can reach your full potential one of the single most
valuable skills you can acquire is solid reading ability. "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" walks
parents through a program for teaching the very young (even less than a year) how to recognize
words and read. Needless to say, they use the method of learning to recognize whole words by
sight and know what they mean. You will find educators that decry this system as well as those
who embrace it. While there are strong opinions on both sides and I am no expert on the pros and
cons of word recognition vs. phonetic, the bottom line seems to be that your child does learn to
read.
The techniques are clearly explained in detail and easy for any parent to follow along and apply.
With regular practice in a fun environment children learn the words easily and are soon on their
way. This does require involvement by the parents and a time commitment. However, the time
commitment is minimal considering the results achieved. This is a highly recommended book for
anyone wanting to give their kids a big jump on schooling or who are home schooling.
Taming Technology: You Can Control the Beast
Brian J. Nichelson, Ph.D.
Cameo Publications, LLC
PO Box 8006, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
ISBN: 0971573964 $15.95
In six short chapters Brian Nichelson, Ph.D. discusses the problem of technology and provides a
simple step-by-step process that can be used to get the results you need. From simple problems
like not knowing how to reset your computer clock to complex purchase decisions the same steps
can be used to consistently get to the best answer. One of the problems that I deal with on a
regular basis is a total lack of knowledge among sales people and technologists. One tells you that
you need to connect your computer to a cable modem and then share off your computer to allow
others in your organization to share access to the Internet. Another says you have to install a
gateway server and another says a router. One says a software firewall is sufficient another says
only a hardware firewall provides real protection, and another says you really need both.
Technology can be overwhelming to the average user and sometimes even to the initiated. With
everyone telling you something different or just the need to find out how to do something, this
process can be followed to get to the best result. While the process seemed second nature to me, I
realize that it is probably because I have been deeply involved in technology for many years. For
the confused or concerned that need a workable strategy to resolve technology related issues this
is a recommended read.
The Storykeepers Collection Volume 1: Breakout, Raging Waters, Catacomb Rescue
Zonderkidz
Zondervan Publishing
5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN: 03107056916 $TBA
Format: DVD
Ages: 5 - 12
The Storykeepers Collection on DVD features three animated stories on each DVD. The
animation is very well done with bright vibrant colors and an excellent sound track. The storyline
moves quickly and keeps children interested. It is a highly recommended collection.
In "Breakout" we are introduced to the baker Ben who tells stories of Jesus during the time of
Nero. Of course, this requires him and his family to keep out of site of the Roman soldiers. With
this as the backdrop we are introduced to Cyrus who is rescued by Ben and the orphans Ben and
his wife care for. It is a tough time deciding who to trust and who not to trust. In this episode Ben
tells the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, Zacchaeus and Jairus' daughter.
In "Raging Waters" we are treated to a problem where Nero gets one of the stories of Jesus. Not
only does he get the story but he also captures Zak!. Now Ben and the children must rescue Zak
and get the story back so it can be shared with the people for whom it was intended. With a
daring rescue and an exciting ride through the Roman aquaducts it easily keeps kids on the edge
of the seat. The Bible stories in this episode are about John the Baptist, Jesus calming the Sea of
Galilee, and the healing of the demon possessed man (very well done, getting the story across
without scaring little children with the idea of demon possession).
The final episode in this collection is the "Catacomb Rescue". Trying to stop the Christians, Nero
closes down all the ways into Rome so Ben's friend and storyteller, Ephraim can't get out. How
will they be able to get out and spread the stories of Jesus? The only way is through the
catacombs underneath the city. In a tense moment they are forced to make a decision between
escaping or saving the life of a Roman soldier trying to capture them.
The Bible stories in this episode are the story of the Good Samaritan, the sower, and the
unforgiving servant.
The Storykeepers Collection Volume 2: Ready, Aim, Fire, Sink or Swim, Starlight Escape
Zonderkidz
Zondervan Publishing
5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530Copyright: 2002
ISBN: 0310705924 $TBA
Format: DVD
Ages: 5 - 12
The Storykeepers Collection on DVD features three animated stories on each DVD. The
animation is very well done with bright vibrant colors and an excellent sound track. The storyline
moves quickly and keeps children interested. It is a highly recommended collection.
In "Ready, Aim, Fire" Nero decides to put up a new building in Rome. The problem is that the
area already has a lot of homes in it. So, he decides to burn the older building to the ground to
make room for his building. Ben, the children, and other Christians must put out the fire and
escape before they are harmed. The Bible stories in this episode are the story of blind Bartimeaus
and healing a man's withered hand, and Jesus' teachings on children.
In "Sink of Swim" Ben and the crew search aboard a Roman slave ship for Justin's father. Stuck in
the galley when the ship leaves port they end up working on the ship. If rough seas are not
enough, they even have to deal with an attacking rebel slave ship. Sharing their faith and talents
they befriend the slaves and tell them stories of Jesus.
The Bible stories in this episode include the house built upon the rock, healing the paralyzed man,
and the Pharisee and the sinner.
The final episode, "Starlight Escape" is the adventures that Ben and the family have while trying
to get to a secret meeting. This episode covers the birth of Jesus, the Wise Men, and the escape of
Joseph and Mary to Egypt to avoid Herod. With the usual suspense when a Roman soldier
approaches their wagon, it keeps the interest going all the way to the end.
The Storykeepers Collection Volume 3: Roar in the Night, Captured, and Trapped
Zonderkidz
Zondervan Publishing
5300 Patterson SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN: 0310705932 $TBA
Format: DVD
Ages: 5 - 12
The Storykeepers Collection on DVD features three animated stories on each DVD. The
animation is very well done with bright vibrant colors and an excellent sound track. The storyline
moves quickly and keeps children interested. It is a highly recommended collection.
In the first episode of this collection two lion cubs on their way to be trained in the Coliseum
escape from their cage and are lost in the city. Marcus finds them and becomes their friend. Of
course, Nero is not happy about losing the cubs and tries to find them. What will they do? They
can't give the cubs back to Nero and they can't keep them. A plan finally comes together and they
find an answer but it won't be easy.
The Bible stories in this episode are the parable of the lost sheep, the healing of the deaf-mute,
and the widow's mite.
In "Captured" Cyrus becomes the slave of a wealthy businessman who wants to show off his
circus talents. Cyrus is treated very well and soon comes to be strongly tempted by the attention
of his new friends. What he doesn't know is that they are planning a slave revolt and he is soon
caught up in the middle. What will happen to him now?
The Bible stories in this episode are healing the Centurion's servant and the prodigal son.
"Trapped" is the final episode in this collection. Tacitus has a real problem. He is a Roman Soldier
who works in Nero's elite guard. Tacitus is also a Christian. For his birthday, Nero has made a
statue of himself and is demanding that everyone bow down and worship it. When Tacitus will not
do it he is thrown into prison and given one last opportunity to worship Nero or die. What will he
do? How will he escape? Ben and the children finally come up with a daring plan.
The Bible stories in this episode are when Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain, Jesus' entry into
Jerusalem, and the story of the evil tenants of the vineyard.
Spinal Manipulation Made Simple: A Manual of Soft Tissue Techniques
Jeffrey Maitland
North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
ISBN: 1556433522 $20.00
Most people are familiar with the spinal manipulations of Chiropractors and Osteopaths but most
are unfamiliar with somatic techniques and how they differ. Instead of quick movements to
"adjust" the back, it involves slower techniques designed to help the body to realign the vertebrae
correctly using its own natural actions and reactions. Jeffrey Maitland has thoroughly researched
the area of spinal manipulation and with the help of Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Rolfers has
put together this text on techniques that can be understood by anyone. The book is designed for
those who want a better understanding of their back, how different problems originate, and how
to resolve those problems. This does not mean that you will never need to see an Osteopath or
Chiropractor, but you may be able to resolve many basic problems yourself. Of course you can't
work on your own back and so the techniques better enable you to help others. These are simple,
slow, safe, body aware techniques and that makes this a highly recommended book for anyone
who wants to understand the back, how it works, and how to live with theirs or those who want
to add additional techniques to their knowledge base.
If I'd Known Then What I Know Now
J. R. Parrish
Cypress House
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
ISBN: 1879384493 $12.95
They say that the best way to learn to do anything is to learn at the feet of people who have done
it before. This way you learn all the tips and tricks and all the mistakes that can be avoided.
Author J. R. Parrish was raised in a house on a dirt street in Macon, Georgia. From these humble
beginnings he watched successful people and applied the rules of life that he learned from them.
Using these techniques he went from being a milkman to being a millionaire. Mr. Parrish did not
have a college education or any other of the advantages we commonly think of as necessary for
success. What he did have was this set of success secrets that he had garnered from other
successful men. Mr. Parrish attributes his success to following these secrets of finance, business,
investing, career, dating, marriage, school, and relationships.
The book is organized into five different age groups so the advice is appropriate for the priorities
of that age. This is a highly recommended book for everyone. I will be sure to be giving copies
away as appropriate graduation gifts for high school and college students.
A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts
Professor: Robert Bucholz
The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
$TBA Format: CD, Audio, DVD, VHS
If you have ever wanted to get a concise, well organized education on the history of England
through the Tudors and the Stuarts you can't go wrong with this course. With detailed
information on the people, the politics, tradition, religion, and how all of it interacted to create a
major world power, nothing is left uncovered. Difficult and confusing relationships are laid bare
so you can easily follow along.
Unlike so many courses that quickly gloss over the day-to-day life of the time in favor of getting
to the lives of the royals, this course breathes life into the period at all levels. The royals, servants,
clerics and every other member of society are all examined so closely that they almost seem to
come to life. Professor Bucholz has an ability to make the listener feel for the concerns of the
people as they try desperately to make a living as tenant farmers, the protestants as they clash
with the Catholic church and vice versa, the king as he is pressured to have an heir even if the
queen is barren, and just about everyone else. You find yourself championing one position only to
be lead around to understand the opposite view and suddenly championing their side. The equal
treatment of all sides provides a clear understanding of all points of view.
Some of the areas covered by the lectures include The Land and Its People, Establishment of the
Tudor Dynasty, King Henry, Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, Private Life of the Elite and of the
Commoners, Order and Disorder, Towns, Trade, and Colonization, Establishing the Stuart
Dynasty, Religion and Local Control, The Civil Wars, Cromwellian England, The Popish Plot and
Exclusion, Catholic Restoration, King William's War, Queen Anne, and a Hanoverian
Epilogue.
This is an extensive lecture series from a professor who obviously enjoys the subject area and it
shows. When you are done you will be able to take all those bits and pieces of English history that
you learned in school and put them into a consistent whole where you can understand what
happened and why. "A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts" is a very highly
recommended purchase for anyone interested in English history.
Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets
Steven M. Barrett
The Intrepid Traveler
PO Box 531, Branford, CT 06405
ISBN: 1887140441 $11.95
If you think there's nothing to do at Disney World except ride the same old rides and stand in the
same old lines then author Steven Barrett has a surprise for you. It seems that all around Disney
World there are lots of "hidden" Mickeys. From classic front profiles to side profiles they are
everywhere. For example, one of the ones you would never suspect is the shadow cast on the
ground from the railing in front of Cinderellas's castle. Hidden in maps, shadows, well placed
stones, or even table settings, once you get the hang of it you are sure to find lots of them. Some
of the ones in the book are a bit of a stretch and others are obvious once you know it. Once you
start looking for them you wonder why you've never noticed things the place setting in the
Haunted Mansion that makes a classic Mickey with the dinner dish and two side dishes for ears. I
even found a couple that were pretty easy to spot but not in the book (like a key against the wall
in Mickey's House).
Not only is the book a great guide on finding the hidden Mickeys but if you follow the suggested
itinerary it really minimizes the wait times in line. Mr. Barrett has done an excellent job of
suggesting how to go from ride to ride and the book is well worth the price just for that
information. We waited only 20 minutes in the longest line and generally waited less than ten.
In summary, it is a great twist on visiting Disney World, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom
and other Disney attractions and a recommended purchase for anyone heading to a Florida Disney
location.
Cardinal Rules of Advocacy
Douglas S. Lavine
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
Notre Dame Law School
Notre Dame, IN 46556
ISBN: 155681769X $55.95
Persuasive argumentation is a critical point of trial advocacy. Even the best legal argument with
the most solid logic is useless if it can't be used to persuade the judge or jury to your position.
"Cardinal Rules of Advocacy" presents the fundamental principles of persuasion in a clear and
easy to understand format. Some of the most important rules are making sure that you understand
your audience, tailoring your argument toward that specific audience, establish and enhance
credibility, thinking creatively before the trial, total preparation, reframing the issues, and
answering and posing questions. Chapter three is an excellent analysis of creative thinking for
presenting your case, fallacies, and appeals to emotions. This provides a good solid basis for an
argument which when coupled with the credibility and reframing the position produces a
persuasive communication. This is a highly recommended read for anyone who needs to persuade
others.
The Art of Persuasion
Forrest Watson, Ph.D.
Emerald Ink Publishing
9700 Almeda Genoa #502, Houston, TX 77075
ISBN: 1885373465 $19.95
"The Art of Persuasion" is specifically geared toward sales persuasion. Although most of the
information could be used in other situations where you find the need to influence others this is
not the primary focus. On the other hand, if you want to be a better sales person, if you want
customer loyalty and satisfaction, if you want to prevent "buyers remorse", or find yourself in
need of any other sales related influencing techniques this may be just what you are looking
for.
The book is laid out like a workbook so you can practice what you are learning. It has one of the
best sections I have seen on building rapport and choosing words that the other person can
quickly identify with. It also has a fine section on how to elicit the appropriate information from
the prospect in order to help them get the value they need from a purchase.
"The Art of Persuasion" is well organized and presents the information in an easy to understand,
and more importantly easy to implement manner. It is a recommended purchase for anyone in the
sales related field.
Harold McFarland
Reviewer
Harwood's Bookshelf
Mortalism: Readings on the Meaning of Life
Peter Heinegg, editor
Prometheus
ISBN 1591020425 $23.00
Mortalism, defined as acceptance of the reality that there is no pie in the sky when you die, that
what you see is what you get, "has been the burden of almost the entire Old Testament." (p. 9)
In the words of a popular British comedian: "Not many people know that." Certainly organized
religion intentionally suppresses the reality that the entire Tanakh, or Old Testament, with the
exception of five books by Pharisees, was written by henotheists who believed in the existence of
many gods, but did not believe in life after death. Yet having made what should have been his
most telling point, Heinegg limits his chapter on the Bible to less than five pages. While he cites a
Torah passage showing that its author saw Abraham's death at 175 as the absolute end of his
existence, he limited his biblical quotes to Job and Ecclesiastes apparently unaware that all
Sadducee authors rejected the new-fangled afterlife concept introduced into Judaism by osmosis
from Zoroastrianism.
Heinegg acknowledges that the earliest book written by an afterlifer was Daniel, which he
correctly dates to the second century BCE, but of the Sadducee books he says, "they likely come
from some time after the Exile (587-538 B.C.E.)" In fact all Sadducee books were written later
than 250 BCE, but since all Jews were doctrinal Sadducees until the genesis of the Pharisees, the
accurate dating of Daniel is more relevant. Of all Sadducee books Proverbs, I Maccabees, Job,
Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, Song of Songs, Wisdom, 1 Esdras the most definitive line is the one
Heinegg does quote, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 (p. 20), "For the living know that they will die, but the
dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. Their love
and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in
all that is done under the sun."
Heinegg's failure to quote the Sadducees and their biblical predecessors at greater length is
unfortunate, because the poets he does quote, from Homer to Shakespeare and beyond, may well
have been mortalists, but the excerpts by no means make that clear. Even Andrew Marvell's To
His Coy Mistress, while deploring rejection of pleasure in the here-and-now, carries no
implication that life after death is a fantasy. Of Marcus Aurelius, Heinegg declares (p. 57) that
"much of what he says is perfectly consistent with mortalism." True, but it is also not inconsistent
with the fear that perhaps death was not the end of existence.
If Heinegg was trying to show that mortalism was the prominent philosophy of generations of
major thinkers, I have to conclude that, while he may be right, his attempt to prove the point is a
dismal failure. Except as a possible text for a survey course in world literature, this book serves
no useful purpose whatsoever.
The Jesus The Jews Never Knew: Sepher Toldoth Yeshu and the Quest of the Historical Jesus In
Jewish Sources
Frank R. Zindler
American Atheist Press
P.O. Box 5733, Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
ISBN 1578849160 $20.00
Zindler's introduction, in which he summarized the evidence that, "We can be certain that the
miracle-working Jesus described in the New Testament never existed," struck me as kicking a
dead horse. Other than the unlearned masses, only the most mindless, braindead, fundamentalist,
incurable moral cowards continue to believe that the Jesus who performed the impossibilities
described in the gospels was something other than a literary creation plagiarized from myths that
were already 3,000 years old in the year dot. And I resent Zindler's description of historians
whose examination of the evidence led them to conclude that the Jesus myths were grafted onto
the biography of a historical nobody, historians at least as competent as Zindler, as "apologists." I
would like nothing better than to agree that there was no historical Jesus, even a figurehead whom
Paul of Tarsus conscripted as the posthumous Anointed One of a gentile religion that the
conscripted Jew would have repudiated. But historians attach more significance to negative
evidence than do persons trained in some other discipline. The testimony of the earliest Christian
apologists, and even the gospels, shows Jesus to have been such an unattractive person, basically
a stunted, misshapen psychopath who proclaimed a war of independence and lost, that no
mythmaker in his right mind would have invented such a monster, at least not as a hero. (see A
Humanist in the Bible Belt, pp. 72-74)
But that is a minor point. Competent biblical scholars are almost evenly divided on the question of
whether there was ever an executed Jewish rebel known as Jesus the Nazirite (not "of Nazareth"),
and Zindler's siding with the no-such-person school is far from indefensible. And Zindler's
examination of alleged references to Jesus in Josephus and other early non-Christian writers is
detailed and thorough.
Zindler similarly does a thorough job of demolishing the pretence that passages in the Talmud
support the existence of a historical Jesus, although he goes beyond the evidence when he
contends that references to "Ben Pandera" did not refer to Jesus. He shows that such passages
post-date the virgin-birth interpolations in the gospels, and as reactions to such myths, do not
constitute independent corroboration of anything but the existence of Christian beliefs not
necessarily related to a real person. But he seems unaware that huios pantheros (son of a panther)
was a transparent pun on huios parthenos (son of a virgin), a strong indication that Ben Pandera
was intended to mean Jesus. (see Mythology's Last Gods, p. 330) And while recognizing that the
Talmud mentioned two Jesuses, he does not reach the conclusion that those entries, being written
long afterward, confused the execution of Jesus the Nazirite by Pontius Pilatus with the execution
of Jesus the Essene by Alexander Jannaeus, and imagined that they were the same man. (MLG,
pp. 232, 246)
In a forty-page chapter that he considerately identifies as an "Excursus," Zindler demolishes the
pretence that Talmudic references to "Balaam" refer to Jesus, an exercise comparable to using a
sledgehammer to squash an ant. I had not previously encountered such a hypothesis. In fact I
interpret the name "Balaam" in Revelation 2:14 as a reference to Paul. (MLG, p. 318)
Zindler reports (p. 268) that, when American Atheist Press reprinted Foote and Wheeler's 1885
translation of the Sepher Toldoth Yeshu, Madelyn Murray O'Hair's introduction stated that,
"American Atheist Press was flooded with angry letters and telephone calls from Jewish listeners
who denied that the Toldoth was a Jewish work at all, insisting that it was instead a medieval
Christian forgery." Since the definitive refutation of that hypothesis is that the Toldoth was
quoted by Tertullian, Origen and Jerome, clearly fundamentalist Jews are as unteachable as
fundamentalist Christians. Zindler shows that the Toldoth, like Christian doctrine, was an evolving
compilation that ended up quite different from the way it had begun. As early as the seventh or
eighth century there was already a Toldoth Minor, an abridgement that Zindler does not include in
his appendices. The Toldoth Proper is included in two versions, one of which dates Jesus to the
time of Tiberias, and the other to the time of Jannaeus.
The Toldoth Yeshu is best described as an anti-gospel, an unauthorized biography of the Christian
figurehead written before he was deified in the fourth gospel. Its author was a Jewish satirist who,
unlike the gospel authors, neither wanted nor expected anyone to mistake it for
nonfiction although Talmud authors did exactly that. It is more imaginative and absurd than the
synoptic gospels, but not more so than Christian documents that did not make it into the Christian
cannon, such as the Acts of Peter. To persons who do not grasp that it was satire, written to
ridicule the ridiculous, it certainly seems viciously anti-Christian. One can therefore understand
why modern Jews would like to believe it was the same kind of Christian forgery as the Protocols
of the Elders of Zion. But it was not.
The Jesus the Jews Never Knew started out as a reprinting of Toldoth Yeshu, but by the time
Zindler had completed the research necessary to write a meaningful introduction, it had evolved
into the most complete analysis of the evidence for the historicity of Jesus currently available. It
can be recommended to both persons who agree with Zindler's conclusions, and those who accept
my finding that there really was a historical Jesus, a nobody who did nothing, who was promoted
into a somebody by Paul and a miracle worker by the anonymous author of Mark, and was finally
deified by the anonymous author of John. And it can be ignored by theologians at their peril.
Did Adam And Eve Have Navels? Debunking Pseudoscience
Martin Gardner
Norton & Co
500 Fifth Avenue, NY 10110
ISBN 0-393-04963-9 $14.95
I have never encountered a book by Martin Gardner I didn't like. Nonetheless, I continue to have
a problem with his inability to look at religion with the same skeptical eye that enables him to
reach only conclusions compatible with the evidence in every other contrary-to-fact belief system.
But if long-time friends could not satisfy him that gods and other metaphysical concepts are just
as dependent on the veracity of a fantasy novel that says the earth is flat and donkeys can talk, as
the anti-science hogwash such as creationism that he does reject, perhaps it cannot be done.
Among the religious absurdities that Gardner demolishes, in addition to the hardcore creationists'
rationalization of a retroactive creation by a god that planted false evidence of a very old universe,
are Intelligent Design, reincarnation, and the Star of Bethlehem. Gardner cites the conjunction of
Jupiter and Venus in 2 BCE as the most credible candidate for the latter. But he recognizes the
reality that, "Surely the simplest explanation of Matthew's account is that both the Star and the
Magi belong among the many gospel legends that have no factual basis." (p. 46) On ID and
reincarnation, he settles for citing the definitive debunkings previously published.
Gardner's belief in an undefined but nonetheless imaginary playmate called "God" prevents him
from recognizing Stephen Jay Gould's delusion that science and religion are Non-Overlapping
Magisteria (NOMA) that can somehow both be true as bovine excrement. NOMA is already
showing signs of destroying Gould's reputation for competence and rationality that it took him
years to build. I can only pray to the Great Pumpkin, the Tooth Fairy, and all the host of Cloud
Cuckoo Land, that Gardner's clinging to a "God" theory does not have the same effect. For like
NOMA, "God" is not merely incompatible with everything else its proponent has ever written; it is
internally inconsistent. For if, as Gardner agrees, there is no Intelligent Design, no divine
intervention, and no immortal soul capable of surviving physical death so that it can be reborn in
another body, what is there left for "God" to do? Asked why God was not mentioned in his
works, Laplace informed Napoleon, "I have no need for that hypothesis." Since he has never used
it to bolster any other conclusion, I suggest that neither has Gardner.
"We know from polls how ignorant the general public is about science. Almost half of all adults in
the United States believe in astrology and in angels and demons, and that we are being observed
by aliens in UFOs who frequently abduct humans. More than half believe that evolution is an
unverified theory . I found that the evidence for evolution was as overwhelming as the 'theory'
that the earth goes around the sun." (pp. 2-3) When whole populations can remain that ignorant in
the face of the information given to them by persons of the stature of Martin Gardner, Isaac
Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Jay Gould, and the publishers of the journals in which these
essays first appeared, the human race's chances of surviving the attempted anthropocide of the
enforcers of ignorance do not look promising.
Gardner devotes a whole chapter to the attempts to harness a kind of perpetual motion called
Zero Point Energy by Harold Puttoff, whose past endorsements of Scientology, Uri Geller,
remote viewing, Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, and using precognition to win at roulette, give
other cranks a bad name. The analogy that comes to mind is using a sledgehammer to crush an
ant. His chapter on Sigmund Freud may prove more useful, since belief in that ridiculous quack's
masturbation fantasies is crumbling far too slowly.
As with Gardner's previous essay collections, not every chapter will interest every reader. I have
long considered Puttoff a dead issue that refuses to get itself buried. Only undiminishing anger at
his Barnum-like ability to find new marks to finance his alleged research into discredited nonsense
kept me reading the whole chapter. The reflexology and urine therapy chapters I barely skimmed.
Such pseudomedicine is quackery. End of discussion. (That is also Gardner's conclusion, in case
anyone is wondering.)
"Northern blacks scored higher on Army Air Force intelligence tests than southern whites." (pp.
8-9) While that information confirms a hypothesis I put forth in The Beloved Disciple and the
House of Hippo (pp. 307-309), not until I saw it here was I aware that my theorizing was
established fact.
In his chapter, "Is Cannibalism a Myth?" Gardner gives a cautious endorsement to a theory of
anthropology first widely disseminated in a book by William Arens in 1979, that cultural
cannibalism does not exist today and has never existed in the past. He concludes, "Not being an
anthropologist, I hesitate to take sides in this acrimonious controversy, though my sympathies at
the moment are with Arens." (p. 141) I interpret the myth of Tantalus as preserving a distorted
memory of a Greek king who fed the flesh of a sacred king, that only priestesses were permitted
to eat, to non-initiates. But as Arens agrees, specialized circumstances led to aberrant behavior. In
principle, my sympathies are also with Arens.
I must correct a minor but not insignificant error in Gardner's chapter on the Wandering Jew. The
Christian gospels reported Jesus as saying, "There are some standing here, which shall not taste
death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (p. 274, not identified as such, but
presumably the King James Version) After demonstrating in spades that that unfulfillable
prophecy triggered the Wandering Jew myth, Gardner states (p. 281), "that the Galilean carpenter
turned preacher did indeed believe that he would soon return to earth in glory, but was mistaken."
Jesus indeed believed that his prophecy would be fulfilled in a matter of weeks at the outside, but
not that it would involve any "return to earth." He did not predict any second coming, since he
was incapable of believing that he could ever die, certainly not before he had overthrown the
Roman occupation and been crowned king of an independent Judea. And the following chapter,
on the alleged Second Coming, may be the unanswerable proof that persons who continue to
forecast a second coming on even an approximate date are not sparking on all neurons..
The chapter about a paper by a physicist, published by a "leading journal of cultural studies" (p.
144), that was written as a hoax to demonstrate that such publications had no ability to recognize
blatant g
