Biography Books

Its hard to put down the book,once you have started it.The effect is almost like a movie,you are restless till you have seen it all.Particularly,Martin Lings did an excellent job of making the reader familier with the Arab culture 1400 years ago, a must have, while studying the life of the Prophet(pbuh).
With Muslims from diverse cultural backgrouns, this is an excellent source.

Excellent work by Martin Lings ( who has now reverted to Islam). Alham dullia, may Allah guide us all on to the rightious path.

This is a book to keep for life, to lend and EDUCATE your friends and family.
The author has simply laid down the life of Prophet Muhammad (saws) for both Muslims and non Muslims to appreciate his greatness .
It is in great detail, and it is amazing to see how much Muslims know about the life of their Prophet, as compared to the LITTLE Christians know about Jesus.

The book was easy reading. Very straight forward. I liked it. Informative and interesting.

Most books of this nature are more often than not loosely translated from Arabic-written texts ensuing in bad grammar, and a dire story line. But as this is written in English it thankfully avoids all of the above. What I love about this biography is that Ling's explains in great detail not only the life and mission of Prophet Muhammad, but also the fundamentals of Islam. It begins with the significance of the Kabaa and ends with the death of the Prophet whilst illuminating everything in between. This book is also broken down into several chapters allowing for an easy read.

Even though this is a great source of Islamic knowledge, it may be a difficult read for some non-Muslim readers. As advice, I would recommend this as a follow up to a simpler biography [of which I don't know any that Amazon or a ordinary bookstore would sell -- sorry].

I highly recommend this book for the information and the point of view which I think most Americans have never heard. Most Americans are not even aware that Palestinians include Christians as well as Muslims and we have grown up hearing how wonderful it was that Israel was "set aside" or "given" to the Jews as a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust. It isn't that simple. It never was. This very personal story of Elias Chacour is told in a way most people can understand and empathize with and, hopefully, will add strength to the movement toward peace in that region.

This book as assigned to my son for reading for an online class. I picked it up and starting reading it to help him and got glued to its pages. Easy and quick reading.

This is an incredible, heart-touching book that helps one understand the Israeli and Palestinian conflict much better than just what you see on the news. Incredible morals are woven through the book too.

Blood Brothers is a poignant biography of the experiences of Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Christian who lived through the violent and traumatic events surrounding the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the ensuing political conflict that plagues the region still today.

I found myself teary-eyed at several points throughout this book. The most powerful parts were the detailed descriptions of how Chacour, his family, and his village of Biram, were led out of their homes by Israeli soldiers with promises that Biram would be defended against ravaging militants. When Chacour and his village returned they discovered that they had been deceived, and eventually, the village was bulldozed. Chacour tells the story of his own village, but notes that the same story unfolded in other Palestinian villages.

Chacour tells of how Palestinians and Jews lived in peace with one another for centuries before the early 20th century. With the success of the Zionist movement and the horrible atrocities of WW2 and the holocaust, European Jews began emigrating en masse to Palestine. Ironically, while Western nations strongly supported Jewish immigration into Palestinian on the basis that they needed a homeland (Chacour fully accepts that they needed a place to live in peace and security as they were clearly unwelcome in Europe), Western states refused Jews entry into their own nations.

Chacour emphasizes that between WW1 and WW2, the peaceful and violent tactics of Palestinians fail to gain them any sympathy in the international arena, whose leaders ignored Palestinian diplomacy while continually urging Palestinians to accept their Jewish brethren while European states had persecuted them and refused to make amends by opening Jewish immigration quotas.

Utterly mind-boggling is the fact that he has been called an anti-semite by some reviews on Amazon. Anyone who reads this book will see that he exhibits a deep love and admiration for Jews, and expresses heartfelt sympathy for the persecution of Jews throughout European history and culminating in the holocaust. Chacour points out that these sad facts only make the Palestinian plight more ironic.

At times, I felt Chacour depends too much on the kindness and good nature of human beings, and that this made his political opinions somewhat naive. By the end of the book, however, I concluded that this was not a fair conclusion. He understands very well that Palestinians were persecuted and that Israel has a right to exist, but he doesn't believe violence ever leads to peace. Whether this opinion is very naive or very wise is up to the reader to decide.

Lastly, one should always be skeptical when reading personal accounts of political conflicts. One man can only see so much, and if one wants to really discover the facts of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, one has to read several books. This is not a book of facts, but it is not intended to be. Thousands of books on the history of this conflict have been written, and any earnest and disinterested endeavor to learn about what actually happened will not result in much confusion as to what occurred (is occurring). Note that there is no devoid of personal stories and ethnographies either, although I would very people have ever read these, even though they would do everyone some good. But this is a rich addition to the literature, in that it successfully de-dehumanizes the Palestinian people and avoids anything but the most basic historical political facts.

Blood Brothers is the story of a very brave family during an incredibly controversial time. This conflict between Israel and Palestine is an ongoing struggle and causes a large amount of change and strife on both sides of the issue. As native Palestinians this family, the Chacour's, are part of this difficult journey with their village. This struggle beginning with them being tricked out of their house to losing some village members and the heartbreak of knowing life could never go back to "normal."

This book revolves around a young boy who we see grow up throughout the book named, Elias Chacour. He is a Palestinian Christian, who lived in a small town Biram for most of his young life. This boy is full of life and a spirit that grows throughout the entire story.

His father, a peaceful man with incredible amounts of wisdom, plays a large role in this Elias's life as well as rest of his family and the village. At one point Elias's father and two brothers were torn from their family and taken away by Israeli soldiers. After finding their way back this is all he did, "turning those sad eyes upon us, `if someone hurts you, you can curse him. But this would be useless. Instead, you have to ask the Lord to bless the man who makes himself your enemy. And do you know what will happen? The Lord will bless you with inner peace-and perhaps your enemy will turn from his wickedness. If not, the Lord will deal with him.'"

The strength Elias's finds within himself and family to deal with these real issues that surround him is inspiring. This is a characteristic that we should all strive to have.

This book is by far one of the best I have read on Darwin. David Quammen puts you inside the period in Enland as well as providing a great understanding of Darwins personal thinking and self doubt as he formulated his theories on evolution. This is an excellent book for anyone but especially a non-scientist such as myself.

Larry Wilkinson
Howell, Michigan

Be forewarned: the narrator of the audio book version is an unfortunate cross between J. Peterman from Seinfeld, Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, and the narrator of old elementary school film strips. The content is very good (as described in other reviews posted here) but you should have a friendly warning about the audio version. The narrator will put you to sleep.

Darwin started writing his Beagle Journal in 1837 in "notebook A." He simultaneously started "notebook B," dedicated to his idea that species were perhaps not so immutable. Then came C, D, & E as he developed and organized his evidence. Midway through notebook C, he noted, "But Man, wonderful Man, is an exception." Three lines later, he recanted "...no, he is no exception." Hidden away in notebook N were metaphysical implications of his theory: Does a bee have a sense of communal responsibility? Do animals have a conscience? Is the human conscience an instinct or a human adaptation for social behavior? Does the idea of God arise naturally from the human mind? Is the human mind just a function of the human body? Might the "love of a deity" simply result from brain structure?

In Victorian England, these were not ideas to discuss in polite company, despite the fairly recent period of the Enlightenment - hence a 20-year procrastination before he published his terrible thoughts. Quammen rhetorically asks why Darwin had to be threatened with being scooped before he finally published. Was he afraid of offending his wife, afraid of estranging himself from pious former teachers and friends, afraid he would be thrown in jail...did he want more evidence so as to make his theory more airtight, was he too busy with other chores, and several other suggestions - and to all the suggested questions, Quammen opines, "The answers to each of these questions, I think, is yes."

All the pertinent data about the making of "Origin of the Species" is here:

1. Timeline of formation and development of the theory.
2. Marriage to his beloved Emma and how she supported his work, despite her theological opposition.
3. Portrait of his meticulous methods of observation, experimentation, thinking, and recording.
4. The Alfred Wallace bombshell and how Darwin's friends worked out a shared credit solution.
5. The writing and publishing of "Origin of the Species," the five revisions, and a brilliant chapter by chapter synopsis by Quammen.
6. The shakey reception of his book - for 50 years - and eventual vindication.

There are some books on Darwin more scholarly and longer, but you won't find one more likely to hold the attention of the general interest reader - complete with an outstanding explanation of his theory of evolution by natural selection. Hopefully high school science teachers will discover this book and add it to their student reading lists. The scientific literacy of our children (and our general population) could stand a little enhancement.

"The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" by David Quammen is a concise, fun, and fast read. If you want to learn the bullet points about Charles Darwin's life and the formative people, events, and intellectual and social climate that surrounded Darwin's publication of the On the Origin of Species, then this book is for you. Quammen does not spend too much time on any one point, but maintains a theme that Darwin was not lazy in publishing his famous book many years after his voyage but reluctant, wanting to make sure his ideas were sound and well evidenced.

An outline of Darwin's life can be found in many places, even Wikipedia, but what makes Quammen's book particularly helpful is the sections he devotes to writing about Darwin's contemporaries and their contributions to natural history and Darwin's work. Quammen writes about Charles Lyell and his advocacy of the idea of uniformitarianism, the idea that was formed by slow-moving processes, which opposed the idea of catastrophism, the idea that was consistent with Christian theology of the times and based on the belief that certain catastrophes shaped the geologic features of the earth as it is today. Quammen also writes about John-Baptiste Lamarck and his idea of the inheritance of acquired traits, an idea that has been found to be incorrect, but one that Darwin uses in his famous book. These sections in "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" give historical and scientific context to Darwin's work and allow the reader to more completely appreciate the specific and significant contribution that Darwin made in advocating the idea of evolution by natural selection.

Another important aspect of Quammen's book was how Quammen made it a point to show the evolution of Darwin's famous publication from its infancy, where he first wrote his ideas in journals titled Journal A, Journal B, Journal C, and so on to his obsession with writing a tome that covered every possible argument and objection to his idea with as much evidence as possible to his final rushed publishing of On the Origin of Species due to the threat of Alfred Russel Wallace nearly publishing the same theory before Darwin himself.

This book definitely gives the reader a good picture of Darwin and the social and scientific climate in which he lived. I came away from the book having what I felt was a basic yet complete understanding of Darwin's life.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read on the life and works of Charles Darwin. David Quammen beautifully integrates excerpts from primary sources into this biography, really making the work a book, and not just a really long research paper. The sections are smartly headed and the writing style is engaging and makes the biography an easy and interesting read.

The biography itself provides an intimate portrait of Charles Darwin the son, husband, father, friend, etc., which also reveals much about his tendencies as a scientist. The author gives a good overview of all the theories regarding speciation that had already been discussed throughout the intellectual community before Darwin came up with his idea on the "transmutation" of species. It was particularly interesting when trying to imagine a society before the theory of evolution. My struggles to do so only further demonstrate how much Darwin has impacted our modern thinking. Quammen's summary on the ideas and examples provided in "The Origin of Species" may be interesting to many who do not wish to read the 500 pages or so of the actual book, but in my opinion, it was unnecessarily dry and seemed out of place in an otherwise interesting and engaging work.

However, one point that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that Quammen explored the evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution: from the beginnings of its fabrication in "notebook B" to its revealing to the public in the first edition of "Origins" to subsequent subtle changes in order to rectify problems brought up by opponents and finally to its modern applications in the field of molecular biology. The author definitely provided a persuading argument on the "fitness" of Darwin's great idea.

What makes an 'A performer'? Jack's years at GE have seen their share of successes, narrow escapes, and missteps along the way - and it is Jack's treatment of the former that makes this an incredibly insightful book to read. You cannot be right all the time, nor should you expect your peers or subordinates to be, but at the same time, it is your role as a leader to identify and cultivate the best performers continuously. Yes, that means letting go of your bottom 10%, every year.

Aside from being an inspiring and educational read, the book also offers a rare glimpse of the corporate growth strategies and acquisitions made by GE - a side of corporate America that is rarely covered and poorly understood outside of the top financial circles.

Highly recommended for any entrepreneur and business owner out there. (Yes, the lessons apply outside of multi-billion dollar corporate context.)

I've met Jack Welch in Pasadena few weeks after the book came out. Jack Welch just confirmed his keen intellect," tough" guy fame but he discussed with passion about Six Sigma, one of initiatives he championed together with globalization and e-business. This book though is not the textbook on Welch Style of Management but is a good inside in some of his thinking and approaches. This book is for those who want to listen to what he wants to say.

It's very interesting, entertaining and fun to read the autobiography of Jack Welch, the CEO icon of the 80's and 90's. He's very direct, honest and detailed on his professional life while touching sometimes on his personal one. He explains how hard work, wit and a mix of luck made him the man he has become. It's full of General Electric episodes - the good and the bad - which makes it a very compelling read. I highly recommend it.

Jack Welch's life has been about excellence, winning....and having fun. His autobiography, "Jack: Straight From the Gut", tells how he rose from small town roots to become CEO of General Electric, arguably the greatest corporation in America and the world at the end of the 20th Century. During his life's journey, Welch accomplished more than most ever dream of. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering by the age of 25. During his 20 year tenure as head of GE, company revenues soared from $27 billion in 1981 to $130 billion in 2001. GE's annual growth rate averaged 18.9 percent during this period, and its stock rose a staggering 3,098 percent.

Without any formal management training, Welch worked his way up from "process development specialist" in 1960 to CEO of GE in 1981. His management secret? Welch attributes his success in life and business to living the lessons his mother drilled into him during his youth. She taught him early that he had better face the facts of any tough situation if he was to succeed: "Don't kid yourself. It is the way it is." she would tell him repeatedly. "Grace Welch taught me the value of competition, just as she taught me the pleasure of winning and the need to take defeat in stride,"... "If I have any leadership style, a way of getting the best out of people, I owe it to her," Welch writes.

And getting the best out of people, himself included, is what Jack Welch did best. He was such a great manager largely because he focused on bringing out the best in his employees, making GE into a "people factory". He knew that a business cannot afford to be soft-hearted when it comes to grading and rewarding, or punishing, employees based upon their performance. He knew that the value of a business is primarily the talents, skills, and knowledge of its people. Under Jack Welch, GE changed from bureaucracy to meritocracy - focused on grading its people, rewarding the best, encouraging the middle, and getting rid of the rest. As he writes: "Performance management has been part of everyone's life from the first grade. It starts in grade school with advanced placement. Differentiation applies to football teams, cheerleading squads, and honor societies....There's differentiation for all of us in our first 20 years. Why should it stop in the workplace, where most of our waking hours are spent?"

Welch characterized the traits that made him successful and that he sought in others as "The Four E's": 1. Energy of personality, 2. the Enthusiasm to communicate that energy to others, 3. the Edge to make tough decisions, and 4. the Execution to see those decisions implemented. The Four E's were connected by the "Big P: Passion". Welch's integrity to this vision of employee excellence is seen repeatedly in the book when he promotes unrecognized and unrewarded employees because he saw the four E's and big P in them, where others did not. Most of these individuals went on to become successful upper managers at GE and even CEO's of other large corporations.

Whether being blasted in the media as "Neutron Jack" for laying off thousands of employees while building a state-of-the-art management training center, or executing the buyout of other companies, such as RCA with its NBC network, or implementing a system to share best practices among GE companies world-wide (a concept he termed "boundaryless"), Welch dove into each project with seemingly inexhaustible passion and zeal. He brought the same dedication to implementing each company-wide program he initiated: Globalization, Growing Services, Six Sigma, and E-business. Welch loves what he created at GE. The company definitely became his baby - and he was the heart and soul of GE during his time as CEO.

As an autobiography, Jack Straight from the Gut, is a pleasure to read. Welch's A-type, straight talking personality comes through, with the help of co-author John A. Byrne, in a natural, down-to-earth writing style. Jack Welch's rise from small town Irish immigrant roots to chairman of General Electric is one of the most engaging and inspiring business tales you will ever read. Welch is a late Twentieth Century version of Andrew Carnegie: rising to fame and fortune from a humble background. His life is a confirmation of the American virtues of free enterprise system, with its focus on the values of hard work, integrity, ambition and excellence. Jack Welch is a real life Ayn Rand business hero. Like Howard Roark or John Galt, he struggled across his career, and despite numerous set-backs, he ultimately rose up to create a life of great achievements. Welch sought excellence in himself and those around him. As a result, he drove GE, its thousands of employees, and the American economy to unprecedented levels of productivity and prosperity.

Jack Who? People who are in college at this moment might not know the name. Does that really matter? No!

This book is about Jack Welch and his amazing story up the ladder of corporate America. It teaches us about guts, hard work and true dedication. It actually reads like 'Once upon a time in America' featuring Robert de Niro.

As Jack begins his journey with childhood memories, it shows how anyone can achieve great things and have an amazing career. It features hard work and some luck, but most of all the book shows there are no shortcuts. As so many books tell you how you can get that promotion as fast as possible, this story shows no 'dot-com millionaire' or 'america's next top model'. These are all longshots.

If you value a career and are ready to learn from someone who's been there and done that, grab your copy. When you want to succeed in business, it'll take more than just a fancy website... it'll take a lot of guts.

This book is without question the top of my list of favorites. I have given it as gifts, and treasure my copy. I found it to be faith-building and life-changing!

Those familiar with the lives of George Muller of Bristol, or J. Hudson Taylor will appreciate the story of Rees Howell's life. Here is another giant of the faith who's life, more than anything else, is a testimony to the security found in totally trusting God for all our needs. This book is also an excellent primer on what it means to be, and how to live out the life of, an intercessory prayer warrior.

Rees Howells: Intercessor book is very good. I am in the middle of reading it now. I find it hard to put it down. He really shows what surrendering your whole life over to the Lord is all about. I am learning so much from his book and see in my own life how I must get closer to the Lord. I thought I was doing OK until I started reading this. Excellent book for new believers and well seasoned believers. You will want to buy a few to give out to your friends and family!

I read this book for the 1st time more than 25 years ago and have re-read it many times over the years. It is easy to read and understand and yet, with each reading, it so inspires you to move closer to God, be willing to surrender and do all that He asks, and to seek a deeper relationship of service. The tests may be difficult, as with Mr. Howells, but that makes the reward even sweeter!!

If you seek an inspiring book, with the power of the Holy Spirit, read this book and let the Lord use it to give you passion for His work.

I find it interesting that the few reviewers' low rating of this book because of Howells theological understanding of intercession. As though we can't find fault with his life, we must fault his theology. Notice this man, like many in the Bible, does not talk to God, or merely listen to Him--he talks WITH Him. That's the greatness of this man. After reading this book, by His grace, I will be on my knees more often. Perphas one day, I will talk less to Him, listen more from Him, and in between talk more WITH Him. Another thought: as exemplfied in this book. Prayer and faith are inseparable. The deeper the prayer, the greater the faith. And in turn, that faith reinforces even a greater need for prayer and dependence upon the Lord.

I would definitely reccommend this text as an overview of many nursing theorist. It is very user friendly and well-written.

Tom Brokaw has brought forth one of the most inspiring and touching
accounts ever written.The Greatest Generation is a must-read for each
and every American.
His subjects will leave the reader feeling both admiration and gratitude
for these wonderful individuals and their sacrifices for our great nation.
You will be thankful for being an American when you experience this book.
Jeffrey Bryan
white Oak,NC

America how it should be. All liberal idiots should be required to read this to understand patriotism.

this is a great book - every red blooded american should read this no matter his or her party affiliation, politics, race, creed, color or gender - i think brokaw did an excellent job of representing the mix of WWII characters fairly - definitely should be required reading in all high schools

I wanted to love this book and place it on a pedestal. The concept of young adults (such as my father) steeled during the Great Depression, rising to the occasion in World War II to do what needed to be done and often more, and then coming home to better themselves, their families, communities, and country is a wonderful story. If not the Greatest Generation of all, they were among the best that our country can produce. In fact, while the era was tainted by injustice at home, the men and women of this generation were the ones that really led the post-war battles for social equality. Being a baby-boomer myself, Brokaw's book adds a lot of substance and meaning to the adults around during my childhood. I wonder how many of the often distant and stern and sometimes opaque men of my neighborhood and elsewhere were heroes with stories as inspiring as those told by Brokaw. My father never talked much about the War and I wonder what he could tell me of his time in Europe.

In the sense of being a tribute to its subject, "The Greatest Generating" is a success. Unfortunately there is a big "however." Basically, "The Greatest Generation" is a 5 Star concept that fell short in execution. The book consists of many profiles that are several pages in length. Each one generally tells the story of where the person came from, his or her service during World War II, re-entry into civilian society, and how the whole process affected one's life, ambitions, and ideals. Most of these are interesting to read and Brokaw does convey his message that they were people to be admired with something to teach younger generations. However as I progressed through the book, the individual parts of it seemed stronger than the whole. The problem is that the profiles appeared more and more repetitive and superficial as the book went on (I recently read Brokaw's "Boom" and had similar criticisms). Often, just as a subject person became very interesting and his story moving, the book would go on to somebody else. Perhaps Brokaw should have covered few people in more detail, but I am sure he felt overwhelmed by the number of stories to tell. This book is good, just not up to my expectations. Based on a 5 star concept and 3 star execution, I give it 4 Stars.

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw is what I would call a "pop" book. It's written to be a bestseller but not what I would consider a literary heavyweight. While the premise of The Greatest Generation is very noble, the writing was too simplistic.

Tom Brokaw traveled to Normandy, France for both the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the D-Day Invasion. He was especially touched by the stories of the returning veterans, which gave him the idea for this book. Each chapter is devoted to a different person or persons. Most were soldiers, some were famous and some not. He also highlights people who had support roles during World War II. Many opportunities opened up for women as so many men were in uniform. Brokaw also covers the shameful aspects of this period including discrimination of blacks and women by the military as well as the Japanese Internment Camps.

I do believe that the people who lived through World War II are the greatest generation. My parents are included in this group. Having barely survived the Depression, they were then forced to deal with the realities of war. According to Brokaw, they were all honorable, courageous, spiritual, dependable, hardworking, loyal and modest. Although these are noble attributes, Brokaw showcases the best and the brightest. What about the soldiers who returned home with psychological scars? I'm sure many became alcoholics or drug addicts. Other veterans were not easy to live with as they bottled up all their memories and emotions from the war. I just think that in trying to be a cheerleader for this generation, Brokaw is not providing a true picture. It also seems as if The Greatest Generation is written on a 5th grade reading level.

I did learn a few facts by reading The Greatest Generation and many of Brokaw's profiles are interesting. But do not think that this book is a major literary work.

This book is hard to classify: Is it autobiography? Primatolgy? Travel adventures? Humanist philosophy? Humor? Basically it is all of these and more. It is a real page turner. Sapolsky has a truly marvelous sense of humor that includes knowing how to laugh at himself. I rank it with in the top 10 favorite books I've ever read. Bravo!

This book is an excellent insight into the 20 year life of a biologist who grow as a person while studying baboons and navigating the up and downs of life in Kenya.

This is a fun recollection of Sapolsky's experiences in Africa.

Somebody looking for data might want to avoid it as the information is more about things that struck him through his observations with his baboon troop. Some would be reminded of Goodall's earlier books when he writes about his interactions with the baboon.

There are many chapters on what he went through and the people he meet and interacted.

Some are great such as Thomas who had the great ability to pull endless fish out of a river but it was offset by his other great ability to attract buffalo. As Sapolsky wrote: "Buffalo would scamper in from miles away to nail Thomas, toss him over their shoulders, and send his fish sailing into mudholes, thorn bushes, high into trees." Sapolsky comments about looking for him and find him cursing and spitting and cackling at some buffalo, threatening it with his trademark an astounding pelvic grind, as the monster approached.

That whole imagery made me laugh.

His own personal reflections of living in Africa are rather interesting as he interjects himself into the community. Some of his comments bring another picture to the Masai who many times are pictured as the noble warriors and yet they do questionable things.

Probably one disheartening thing is the corruption that existed and probably still exists. As he prided himself on being a New Yorker; he finds himself being conned and regularly pressed for bribes. And yet, he himself takes to conning people when his money runs out.

An outbreak of Bovine TB ravishes a Baboon troop and eventually hits his troop. Sapolsky finds himself unenviable task of killing Baboons as he tries to discover what is killing the Baboons and where is it coming from. Eventually, he figures it out and it involves corruption and the Masai. He can't even tell people about it because wealthy British hotel owners are against it and the local government is against it as it would hurt the tourist trade.

One thing I thought was interesting was his comments about Fosse. He is not a fan.

Overall it's a fun read.

This is a beautiful, poignant, fascinating and enlightening read. It's also a bit heart-wrenching. Despite the fact that it is ostensibly about baboons, each sentence within this book contains more humanity and feeling than a typical week of day to day living on our strange modern worlds.

I am a student of Bio-Anthropology, and I have to say that when it comes to bio-anthro, especially my specialty- Primatology- the textbooks NEVER tell you everything you need to know in order to be a good Primatologist, but Robert Sapolsky does in "A Primate's Memoir."

Sapolsky delivers a narrative that is at once fanciful and credible. Too bizarre to be taken as anything other than reality. The experience of the author as a budding scientist in the Kenyan Serengeti, coming of age amidst the incongruous corruption and stark beauty of the African continent, as he works his way through the American Academic Dominance Hierarchy while conducting a long-term study on Savannah Baboons. He mixes cross-cultural social commentary with humorous storytelling. It is literally a laugh-out loud kind of book, particularly for the budding anthropologist. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the field. In a way, it is like the primatological equivalent of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," except that is all true. A brilliant book, which every anthropologist should read.

BTW, all anthro textbooks should have chapters dedicated to the trials and tribulations one must endure while living among other cultures, dealing with third world corruption, and knowing how to negotiate the African social arena. I feel more worldly for having read this masterpiece.

I just dont understand how anyone could rate this so well. Unless they are friends trying to help her out. Do not waste your money on this book. not only is some of the advice just horrible, but where was the editor of this book? In the same chapter you go from one case to the next with no warning. There were missing words, typos--it just didnt make sense, either. I dont think I have ever read a book so poorly composed. 81 pages of pure drivel. And for $15????

I thought I was doing the right thing, but I only ended up pushing him farther away. After reading your book I now understand why. He's coming back around now and I am following your advice. It seems to be working!"

I had struggled through the dating scene, going to clubs and bars most weekends and always ended up going home alone. I always had fun, as I was with my friends, but I was always aware that I had trouble meeting men. I mean, I wanted to meet men, but it was hard approaching them, and I didn't get approached by men much.

My sisters and friends all had boyfriends and long-term partners except for me. Then I stumbled across this book and read it. It really forced me to change the way I looked at things, especially my self confidence. It took me about a month of gradually getting the confidence to change things before men started to notice me.

Now when I walk into a bar, men notice me and I have a great time! I find it easier to approach men and talk to them. It's really not as hard as I thought it might be. I feel so great, and it's all thanks to this book! Another book that I recommend is Women Men Love, Women Men Leave: What Makes Men Want to Commit?

Before I came across 'how to snag a guy and keep him hooked' I'd had some pretty poor success with men. I have a little bit of weight and I used to use that as my excuse for why men always dated me then dumped me. I was actually quite skeptical when I came across this book, but I read it and found the advice to be something that I could really relate to and that's when I started to make some changes to my attitude and the way I live my life.

I've not only used the advice to meet and attract the love of my life, I've gained confidence in myself that I never had before. I'm no longer as shy around men as I used to be and I really feel valuable as a person. My new man treats me like none have ever before. And he loves spending time with me, which is great! I'm certain we wouldn't be together right now if it wasn't for what I learnt from this book and I owe the author my heartfelt thanks!

This book surprised me. I was expecting some lame information but you went right into the heart of the why and how and what to do. Very good work.

I think John Edward is genuine, and I loved "One Last Time." But I found this book to be a little tedious. It contains too many long transcripts of his readings. They go on and on and on. I've been reading it when I have trouble falling asleep.

For those who are skeptical about life after death or heaven/god, this book is probably only going to annoy you. For those seeking some comfort for a loss, this is probably a very good book for you.

I've been a nurse since "Moses" and have worked in ICU, the ICU float pool, and PACU in a university hospital for most of that time. I finally had to stop doing it, because I found that I had exhausted my capacity to deal with the dying. I love equipment, drips, and the complexity of the patient with multi-system failure. The intellectual challenge of navigating a patient's course through the tumult is--or was--very satisfying for me; sort of a tug of war, with me pulling in one direction and god in the other. I can honestly say that in all my years of practice, I could count on the fingers of one hand with fingers to spare the number of patients I've "lost" who didn't have a doctor's order permitting it. Even with children, I could handle the concept of death. A child is a human being like other human beings afterall, and human beings die; therefore children also die. What I couldn't handle--and why I finally quit doing such intensive work--was the emotional "dying" of the family at the bedside of their loved one. When the patient died, the pain and suffering was over. For the family, it was just beginning. There was so little I could do for their anguish; no magic words that would provide real comfort. Sometimes all I could do was cry along with them.

Mr. Edward offers some real comfort to real people. Say what you will about spirits, heaven, god, etc. I figure if I can believe in the things that theoretical physicists tell us may be true of reality, which I do, than what's so difficult about god? If one were to apply Occam's Razor to both, god would win hands down! But it doesn't really matter. It's the comfort that's provided the family of the deceased that matters. Not everyone is up for this type of comfort, admittedly, and those that aren't will have to chart their own course to the shores of meaningfulness. At least for those that do believe, he provides a service. From what little I know of him, while he benefits financially from his work as does any service industry individual, he is not taking advantage of anyone. I feel he is sincere in what he undertakes, and that's what is most important to me. There are many ghosts wandering the dark corridors of my mind, but they're not the ghosts of the dead. They're those of the living, and I can hear their questions echoing in my head: "why my son," "why my wife," "what did my mother ever do to deserve this?" As a health professional, I can do little to help people who have lost a loved one; if Mr. Edward can, and the book suggests he can and does, then more power to him.

John Edward talks about his gift in a very down to earth manner. I love the topic and I loved this book!

I believe in psychics as I have psychic dreams of what I am going to see or hear the next day myself. The one story that got me was the story of the Dad astronaut and the child waving good-bye as he blasted off into space. I won't give out anymore details, but buy it and see for yourself. It was tear jerking. All of his books are worth reading, even though this is my first one and his audio CDs are worth getting too.

John's book is written as a collection of transcripts from various places and times in the
John - .."
Client- .."
John - .."
format, and as you read through them you glean all manner of answers from the afterlife. If you're reading them in conjunction with current research on past life therapy, life between lives regression, and even ancient writings, the cases that John presents support the theory of the immortal soul, Karma and pre-destiny for soul growth. Otherwise, if you're reading John Edwards for comfort and reassurance that the soul personality exists indefinitely and stays in contact with this human existence, his case studies more than satisfy. Read Gordon Jones and Michael Newton as well and they'll change the way you view death and the afterlife.