Law Books

Addressing any rational ADULTS who may be reading these reviews; I would like to point out a few obvious facts so that you don't lapse into making a poor purchase.
Each human being is an individual and leads a unique life comprised of a flowing series of unique opportunities. Each human being makes decisions about these opportunities based upon many, many factors revolving around "self" and also around external elements/circumstances. THEREFORE, it is utterly impossible ( and completely insanely ridiculous ) to try and achieve "success" by studying others. Your life is YOUR LIFE. The circumstances and ongoing flow of opportunities which make it up are not the same as the circumstances or opportunities or people or places making up the life of a Donald Trump. Obviously you cannot pattern your advance toward "success" or wealth by looking at Trump's decisions or behavior.
This book is absurd in the extreme. Who can get inside ANYONE'S MIND at any time for any reason? Are human beings robots manufactured on a factory assembly line....with the same software installed for functioning? Of course not!!! The only person who REALLY knows what Donald Trump ( or any other person - wealthy or not ) thinks, it is Trump himself....not his parents, not his kids, not any of his trophy wives, and certainly NOT THIS AUTHOR...only Trump REALLY knows Trump's thinking and reasoning!
And remember, the unique opportunities in each individual's life hang on their time in history, their location on the planet, the other people they've associated with, and so on. And in every case, all of this is totally different from one individual to the next. So, THERE IS NO "MILLIONAIRE MIND"....THERE IS NOTHING STANDARD IN HOW MILLIONAIRES THINK. In other words, don't fall for this sort of sucker bait.
If you want to get wealthy, spend a lot less money than you make and put what you save to work making more money for you. That's all that anyone can really do that is "standard procedure" to gain wealth. Everything else is a matter of what sort of opportunities come your way and what times in your life and how you do or don't uniquely deal with them.

This is a good book - reason - because you must understand that you have to be ready to have money - in order to keep monies - if you are not - it will be gone - understand what is at stake - you may not like the book based on the message because it is work - as everything is in this world -

Thanks Jan Simpson

This book was enjoyable, packed with useful information and a fast, easy read. My husband and I both read it and we are using it to change the way we think about our finances. We are also attending the authors three day FREE workshop this month in New Jersey. When you purchase the book, you get free tickets to his three day workshops that are held all over the US...pretty cool. Highly recommend this to everyone.

This book was an amazing read! With great tips on how to grow your business, your wealth and reach your goals. Learn how to make your financial blueprint work for you and watch your business grow.

Sam Khorramian
La Jolla Lending and Real Estate

Buy this book. Read it. read it again. Take notes. Use highlighter. This is a book that will help to change your life if you let it!

excellent service. item arrived in a timely manner and was in better condition than i expected.
way to go!

I had seen the video "Secrets" before I read this book, hoping to find a written reference for most of the material in "Secrets". While the book starts out pretty good, and definitely has some good material in it for increasing your level of happiness, it starts to fall on lame, Pollyannish ideas from the middle of the book and beyond.

Most of the last half of the book contains a lot of "give into a higher power" pap, which requires a lot of mindlessness. I guess if you become mindless, you also will be happier. I'd rather not find out, as I like to use my mind much of the time.

Nonetheless, there are several tips in the book that would allow you to increase your level of happiness a degree or two (on a 10-point scale). Just don't expect too much, and you will be satisfied.

I got this for my sweetheart because she was a bit down. She saw that it I meant well by it but has not read it probably because the last thing you want to do when your depressed is see that other people have noticed it too. If I ever get the chance to read it I'll let you know.

'Happy for no reason' has to be the best motivational/self help book i have read in ages. Besides 'Feel the fear and do it anyway' by Susan Jeffers, Marci Shimoff get's right to the point. Happiness comes from within. I like a lot of people i know have never looked at happiness in this way.

I asked a friend if they were truly happy and they gave me the answer i expected, "Yes I'm happy because i have.........." It's the same with work collegues.
People are living unhappy lives and masking it with external things. They're happy because they have a pretty girlfriend, handsome boyfriend, nice house, money, nice job, designer clothes etc.......... but what if those things were taking away from them?

Happiness is internal and Marci breaks this down perfectly in 'Happy for no reason'.
Her study on the 100 happy people was interesting.

The one negative thing about this book was the input of 'Rhonda Byrne'. I think 'the secret' was a fantastic marketing and money making tool, it was designed for unhappy insecure depressed down on their luck individuals.

You can read 'Happy for no reason' and close the last chapter feeling no shame or blame. You can look at your life now and make gradual changes everyday to feel happier from the inside out. She informs you of the power of forgiveness, passion and purpose.

The exercises are good too. She doesn't spend pages trying to get you to buy any additional products.

This book has made a big impact on me. I look forward to more books by this author.

Wonderful book showing you all the steps to find happiness...definitely reminds me of Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook also guiding you to finding happiness thru the Law of Attraction.

A great source of information on the Law of Attraction and how to apply it. An Easy read and feel it has helped me to attract that which I want. Also another book Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook has guided me through its workbook, exercises and journal. Also a must read.

A great guide to learning what and how to use the Law of Attraction. I believe he covers alot of territory and of course, there are many books out there on this subject since The Secret brought this to the forefront.
I have also read Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook another guide using the interactive workbook approach with all its many exercises reinforces and helps one follow the Law of Attraction.

The book is easy to read and very practical.
I am thankful that the author took the time to write and share with all of us.

I was very satisfied with this book. I wanted something that would practically give instruction as to how to achieve results with the law of attraction and this book is it. It doesn't get into all the philosophy of it, but there are other books that do that, which is what I wanted. Great instructional book, easy to read, and doesn't take a lot of time. I especially liked that the worksheets could be downloaded from the author's website.

Losier's book is a good introduction to the Law of Attraction(LOA) for those who appreciate a more practical step-by-step approach. Its easy to read and I think Losier's worksheets and examples are helpful in breaking down more abstract concepts in a way that everyone can relate to. If you have any skepticism, about the LOA this might be a good start. You will see value in beginning to organize your thoughts about what you want and how you feel about those things. On some level, though, you do need to accept the workings of the LOA. Losier may gloss over these in an effort to reach a broader audience, but he does credit Abraham-Hicks for much of his inspiration and information, so the next step would be to go directly to the source and then your understanding of, and ability to use, the LOA will really take off. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Note: Many have criticized this book for its short length, but content is what matters. For the price, it is good value if you are new to the LOA, after a short read, you'll know enough to start "using" the LOA, which is the whole point.

As is usually the treatment of any policy issue during a campaign, the ideas presented in FairTax: The Truth - Answering the Critics are cloaked in more than a bit of hyperbole. Most of the following examples of this exaggeration have been mentioned by others. Still, they are worth repeating:

- The IRS will probably not disappear if FairTax is adopted. Some government body will be needed to collect and audit the FairTax proceeds. That organization will likely be the IRS.

- On page 30, the authors state, "The FairTax would eliminate the embedded costs of the American tax code - taxes on capital and labor - from the retail price, allowing corporations and businesses operating in the United States to sell their good and services to the global marketplace with no tax component." However, on several other pages in the book, the authors state that the FairTax would be an embedded component of a product's retail price. Nowhere else in the book do they indicate/imply that products/services sold overseas would be exempt from FairTax. Thus, the claim on page 30 doesn't seem plausible, given the book's other information.

- Several states have a sales tax and an income tax. Most of those states have experienced severe budget problems despite the multiple revenue streams (the best example being California's recent budget ordeal). Consequently, it seems that revenue streams play little part in whether governments can live within their means (that seems to be more a function of controlling spending urges). Thus, it is unlikely that shifting from an income tax to a sales-based FairTax system would lead to widespread budget reform, as is implied by the authors.

Despite these grandiose claims, there is a lot of validity for the arguments that Boortz and Linder present. There is little doubt that the current tax system is stifling economic growth and is in desperate need of an overhaul. The plan that Boortz and Linder present is a carefully crafted policy document that has a very strong likelihood of removing many of the productivity impediments and inequities that exist in the current system. Additionally, Boortz and Linder present generally sound rebuttals to many of the criticisms that have been leveled at the FairTax proposal.

Yes, there is more than a little hype in FairTax: The Truth - Answering The Critics. But, once a reader gets past the hype, the book contains a very sound tax policy within its pages. This policy and arguments presented in the book not only deserve to be read by the tax-paying public, but also deserve to be debated within our legislatures.

Whether or not you like Neal Boortz, you must read this book. It should be required reading for anyone running for office or going into a voting booth.

This tax system is fair and definitely what America needs. It would help all economic levels. The IRS presents more problems to tax payers. The data processing people make incorrect entries and it costs Americans--------mostly small independent business people------thousands of dollars to try to correct the problem. Just when you think it is corrected, you receive another notification that you owe more interest and penalties for a problem you thought was solved. In the event you retire and move-----prepare yourself to hear from IRS again-----------from a new district. The Fair Tax is the way to go for everyone. The truly wealthy will pay their fair share of taxes. I doubt it ever happens as you will have lobbyists working for the Estate planning experts that set up family trusts to protect the money. As most of Congress is very wealthy they will not want to see a Fair Tax----------not even the so called liberals.

Read and pass on!
If everyone understood what this would mean to them, we could force the politicians to switch Federal taxation to the Fair Tax system, and we would all pay a lot less in Federal taxes! No more withholding or tax returns!!!

Yes the subject is a little dry, but if you will read this and the companion book with an open mind, I believe you too will become a fervent Fair Tax supporter. Don't fall into the trap that this is just another giveaway for the wealthy. It is the single best way to tax wealth that I have ever seen. The reason Congress won't do this is it takes away their power and would put their spending under the public microscope. Congress wants to continue their pork barrel spending without having to answer to their boss, the American taxpayer.

Bought this book for my son who is an attorney. I admire Judge Scalia and hopefully my son will find this book informative.

Justice Scalia is one of the most controversial justices of our time, and is not shy about sharing his views, whether you like it or not. I don't agree with him on most of his points, but I do enjoy his writings and speeches. He spends time thinking about what he believes in and why, long before he speaks. So even if you disagree with him, his reasoning is clear, well thought out, and thought provoking.

Having said that this book is flavored by Scalia's personality, but what he is saying is often correct. This is a book that law student should read, unfortunately this book has been written in response to the actions of practicing lawyers. Reading it makes me wonder what it is that law schools are teaching lawyers, the advice in this book seems to be common sense.

The book is an easy read and any person, layman, student, lawyer will be able to read this book and gain a better understanding of good writing, speaking, and research skills. I found my self even laughing out loud at some of the stories, and comments. I love all the quotes from prominent lawyers, and justices which are found through out the book.

I only gave this book four stars because I felt that although it is a well written, it fell short of the skill and depth that Justice Scalia is capable of. I have no argument with those who give it 5 stars, for all most anyone else it would be a 5 star work.

I'll be brief (no pun intended). If you are a lawyer or law student who wants to write better and more persuasive briefs - buy or borrow this book! I've completely changed my legal writing style after reading Judge Scalia and Garner's book.

This book is written for the first year law student and not an average lay reader. Reads like a textbook.

If you are a practitioner seeking insightful wisdom from a Supreme Court Justice to improve your advocacy skills, this book is not for you. Those who have taken a basic legal writing and/or moot court course will not find any new information here. Essentially, the authors have compiled highlights from a legal writing textbook, added a few quotes from famous judges and a few examples from their own experience, and billed this as a book of wisdom. It appears that most of the book was written by co-author Bryan Garner, drawing on the material from his past publications on the same subject, with Justice Scalia merely placing his name on the cover in order to sell more copies. This is evident by comparing the writing styles of the co-authors when they disagree at a few points in the book. Garner's entries read like the rest of the book; Justice Scalia's entries read like one of his court opinions. Overall, if you are a practitioner, you likely already have a legal writing book stashed away in a box from law school that will serve you just as well.

The 2008 AP Stylebook is a useful guide to any potential journalist. It is necessary to know the ins and outs of writing and nothing articulates it better than this book.

This was quite helpful while taking a journalism course. It takes a few minutes to understand the layout of the book to lookup things, but once you get it, it's easy.

I think this book helped raise me a letter grade in my course. Anyone taking a journalism course with a strict professor or planning on entering journalism should get a copy. My textbook had a reference in it, but it was quite small. With the low cost of this book, you can't go wrong.

If you're taking the course without an intent to go into journalism, check to see if you can use copies from the department first.

I have used the AP Stylebook for over 5 years. The entries are easy to find and easy to understand. Entries are brief and to the point. Are the seasons capitalized? How about north, south, east and west? Where do you place adverbs - before or after the verb, or someplace else? It's Web site - two words and the first one is capitalized. Internet is capitalized because it's a proper noun.

This book has the definitive answers. I don't work for a newspaper anymore, but, as a freelance writer, I miss this book more and more everyday. I must get my own. You will never be sorry that you bought this book. It will help you no matter what kind of writing you do.

I have YET to receive my book, its been weeks. I am very unhappy with amazon for the second time in a row.

The issue with this book is not that it is not relevant or useful. To the contrary, it is much too relevant to be left on the shelf. It needs to be published and indexed in an electronic format that can be quickly searched and accessed by writers under deadline.

The stylebook can be read front-to-back as a condensed general knowledge tome.

Makes a great gift, especially for people stumped by the basics of professional writing.

The suggestions and explanations in this book are very limited. The best part about the book is the exams, but there are many other books out there that also have practice exams and also explain the solutions better. The most frustrating thing about this book is that on the practice exams, some of the answers don't match the questions. It is hard to get a feel for how well you would do on an actual exma when it is impossible to complete the exam fully due to not having answers that have anything to do with the questions. It isn't by design, just a poor job in editing.

I found this LSAT prep book much more helpful then the Kaplan prep book. Very informative and gives you examples from actual LSATs since they write the actual LSAT.

I only had 3 weeks to prepare for the LSAT, and this book helped me quickly spot my weaknesses and create solutions to tackle them effectively.

I tried the Princeton Review books first and they were very difficult - by working in this prep book I realized that the Princeton materials were way harder than the test. This book helped build my confidence until I could tackle the more difficult questions in the PR materials, knowing that the actual tests published in the Official LSAT Superprep book were closer to actual test difficulty. I still used the PR materials too, knowing that if I could answer those tough questions then I could answer anything on the test, but I found the Official LSAT Superprep to be closer to the difficulty of the test, and more realistic by far.

The explanations in this book are not as clear or accessible as the Powerscore LGB or LRB, and the explanations will not help you form any kind of coherent strategy or methodology for attacking the test...they will just show you what you should have recognized in each individual case.

There are only 2 real reasons to buy this:
(1) You are looking for Reading Comprehension tips
(2) You have already worked through all other released LSATs and need these February ones for additional practice.

Great practice set for a more comprehensive study of the LSAT. Goes great with any study guide. The best way to ace the LSAT is to do as many tests as you can, time yourself, and review your mistakes.

if you are going to take the lsat, you need lots of practice and that is just what this book will give you. the answer sheet is identical to the real thing, and all of the answers and scoring are included so you will know just how you did on any test.

This book was well worth the money. If you are serious about taking the LSAT, you must commit to sitting down and taking real, timed tests. This book gives you ten to use, and it's great.

For all the people out there that look forward to taking the LSAT (note sarcasm). This is the official test in all its glory. While I have yet to take the Lsat I am ready and waiting to take it in October. I think these tests have helped me get a better understanding of the beast. A must purchase to understand the Lsat's. Best way to take them. Timed. Good luck.

Good book, and a good resource for extra practice. However, the tests are ten years old and a newer version of this book may be helpful as well.

This extraordinary book details the reactions and responses of the human body under battle conditions. During such an event, our physical systems transform for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The book is quite fascinating in its details on the nervous system, the heart, eyesight, hearing, breathe, etc., The author, Lt. Colonel Grossman, has considerable experience in the field as an expert in psychology. He has taught at West Point and is a Professor of Military Science.

The point of the book is to acquaint the warrior (including soldiers, police, citizen soldiers, etc., ) with the effects of combat to understand their own physical responses - and better perform in the field. This knowledge is critical. The warrior will begin to understand his own physical transformation in combat and perform better. Grossman examines the nature of combat and violence including its evolution and also the requirements both physically and psychologically which are necessary for the warrior. Grossman details research how to buttress the mind against stress and fear. He even explores the body's response in the post-combat arena.

Overall, this book is essential for combat training for the Police Officer, the soldier or America's Citizen Soldier.

Michael Mandaville, Author of the upcoming, "Citizen Soldier Handbook: 101 Ways for Every American To Fight Terrorism"

This is one of those must read titles! Lt. Col Grossman is a brilliant writer, with a narrative style that is so detailed and descriptive the reader can easily picture the scenarios and situations described. This book reminds us of how crucial the warrior mindset really is. Combat is not only a physical condition, but mental as well. The book contains numerous accounts of people who have faced combat not only on distant battlefields, but also in the streets of American cities. Soldiers, police officers and other first responders should all read and understand the concepts and ideas presented in this book and apply it to their official duties. Outstanding!

I read this book while serving in Iraq as a Combat Infantry Soldier in the US Army. I was not a Fobbit, meaning I went on on patrol everyday into the 'dreaded Red Zone'. I conducted raids, TCPs (Traffic Control Points), responeded to - and found IEDs ( sometime the hard way, meaning they blew us up) and toom part in many, many QRF (Quick Reaction Force) missions... And yes, I shot people. And hit them.
Everything described in this book I went through. Memory loss, feeling outside myself, auditory exculsion, reacting without thinking, blah, blah, blah...
This book has it nailed. LTC Grossman knows what he is talking about.
If you are a Vet, read it. If you know a Vet, read it. If you are a nobody, read it.

I would recommend this book to any combat vet. I had the opportunity to hear him speak as well, great man, great book.

WOW, this is a must read for anyone in the military or Law Enforcement. They cover things I had never before been told but should have. This will change the way you think and prepare for your daily task. A must read for everyone from a recruit to seasoned veteran.

When I read this book I felt like I was going thru my custody battle all over again. The judges, lawyers, therapist, social workers and the process couldn't be more accurate. They couldn't care less about your child. It is all about money. The lawyers will spin everything against you in a negative light. Judges don't want to make a decision. You spend thousands to defend yourself. It took me 6 months to prove myself innocent and get my daughter back. This book chronicles everything. Anyone that is preparing for a custody battle must read this book and understand this will happen to them in our courts

I wonder if Haley177 has had the children she loved and nurtured daily for years ripped from her and been unable to see them except through court ordered visits. When someone she once loved started rumors, downright lies about her. Something most people are unaware of is why would a mother do this to her children when there is no evidence of abuse of any kind.
An alienating parent is most likely to have mental illness issues. This makes sense: What mentally or emotionally healthy parent would force their child to choose between parents? What mentally or emotionally healthy parent would continue fighting when they have "won" full control of the child? What mentally or emotionally healthy parent would so abuse their child (because poisoning a child against the other parent is truly child abuse)that the child, himself/herself would have mental health issues to work out throughout her life.
Only a "Narcissist"
A narcissist cannot take any responsibility or blame for their actions. It is always the other persons fault. They project all their own unpleasant traits, behaviors or feeling by attributing them in an accusing way to someone else. When their feelings don't fit the facts, they may unconsciously revise the facts to fit their feelings. This may be one reason why their perception of events is so different from yours.
You can surely feel the pain that Alec Baldwin has endured all those years. To have someone you once loved and had a child with do what was done to Alec Baldwin is unconsciousable.
The "Phone call" was the only tangible evidence that could be latched onto and was used in a very abusive way to the child.

I couldn't put the book down! It's well written and reads like a novel page turner, filled with suspense, intensity of emotions, and drama.

Having just completed a divorce myself as a mother of two where I kept not only the welfare of my girls' future emotional and psychological well-being primary, I also considered with utmost care the feelings of their father that I could no longer stay married to. So this meant that we took our time with mediation, we personally served our papers to one another, and shared in 50/50 joint custody. We agreed to all this and more not only for our children but for our own individual futures. This has kept our family emotionally whole and now a year later are thriving as a new kind of family! Unfortunately, as just one example in the book, this was not the same for Kim Basinger who had Alec Baldwin served with their Separation Papers, which is more a punch to the gut than most women (and men when reversed) realize. How can anyone respond without retaliation, swords drawn and ready for battle? And then, of course, how can one not eventually lose control of one's anger when legal minefields release destruction and anguish at every step along the way. Sure Alec was wrong to hurl such words and accusations at his daughter on the phone, but I can see the path to that call more clearly now. So sad. Oh yes, and BTW, "leaking" that call to the public had to have been horribly painful for their daughter--and all for what? To show Alec as a bad man? Surely there was no consideration whatsoever for the child!

And then the climax of using and abusing the legal system to inflict the parental alienation tactics I think is reprehensible. Unless the target parent is abusive in some way or involved in drugs or crime, I can't think of any justifiable reason to inflict such pain on both the parent and child! To me then what this book represents is more than a legal system where fathers' rights take back seat, and quite obviously that's painfully true, it represents more a world where many mothers (and fathers too) fail to fully comprehend the possible permanent damage they do to their children through their intentional or unintentional Parental Alienation (Syndrome). Sure it's painful and frightening facing a future alone, but our children are NOT our emotional keepers and it's up to us to teach them resilience, strength, and compassion, not manipulation and hate. In the meantime though, I advocate changes to our legal system where children aren't abused in this way!

And so I wonder why we've become so self-absorbed or damaged to not see the obvious manipulations of the divorce legal system that helps to escalate these types of damaging scenarios. I could see it when I visited my first referred barracuda divorce attorney. It was then and there that I decided that a loving divorce was the only ethical and moral journey for all of us. Thank God!

And so we did it and not only is it possible (through hard work), it should be a new norm. I wish Alec and Kim could have enjoyed a loving divorce by doing what became some of our strict tenets which were all based upon the foundations of compassion and empathy: 1) Shun at all cost the temptation to litigate, unless there's no other option, through mediation! 2) Share equal custody with your ex-spouse, keeping ALL parent-child relationships intact, exceptions noted above. 3)And speak kindly of and civilly toward your ex-spouse to your children and others (even if you feel completely the opposite). Otherwise, we're all destined to break not only our promises to ourselves but everyone else in our lives and society. Our country may be falling apart financially because of greed, but let us at least cling to some sort of societal decency where our families aren't destined to a similar demise.

Any man or woman who finds themselves in the same custody trap as Baldwin should have this book. He tells a very sad story about trying to be a father while the entire world seems (and in most cases is) against him, and it's the most readable and digestible treatment of the family court, custody battles, and Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) I have read. To be balanced I do think Alec skips over some important ideas but it's amazing to me that he was able to get so much of his experience on paper.

It took a tremendous amount of courage to write this book. I honestly don't think many people could put themselves in Alec's position but I could and I completely understood (but do not condone in anyway) his "blow up" in the phone message he left for his daughter. It was a dumb thing to do that he will regret forever. I am positive thousands of such messages, even worse, have been recorded by mothers and fathers. But to have it radiated across the internet, on television, tabloids, magazines and so on has to be devastating. There is no question he loves his daughter unconditionally, but like any human being he has flaws, and his book shows he takes responsibility for them. However his flaws are now public in an indelible way. Think about this - thanks to search engines like the mighty Google and Amazon's Alexa - whatever you write or record on the internet will be there forever. When you are buried and your daughter is a mom her children will still find the recording. I don't think most people grasp these immense ramifications. And for that I detest the creep that started TMZ and the world of entertainment that preys on celebs. But I digress.

My point is if you find yourself caught in the bowels of the family court system this book is a must read. But let me warn you - having been though all this and come out the other side - his book missing something very important. There are concepts the book glides over I believe are incredibly necessary to understand. But so did every book I have read on the topic. The missing ingredient? There is nothing about how to survive, cope and endure the misfortune of being trapped in a custody struggle, there are no insights on how to maneuver and keep your sanity though a system so incorrigible you may wish to jump off a bridge (as he contemplated) or lash out (as he unfortunately followed through on).

And that is what men (or women) who find themselves in a similar situation need to learn about, know about, and be counseled in. In my entire 10 year ordeal there were only a few precious individuals that knew how to address this agony in a way that was constructive and helpful. It's such a tricky subject to give advice about because no one really has any answers.

If you jump to the Afterword of "A Promise to Ourselves" you will discover a very honest self appraisal (which wont' detract from reading the book). Alec berates himself for breaking 3 of the 4 promises he made: the first was to cherish his marriage until death; the second he would never let his divorce become his daughter's problem; the third was that he would never give up on his daughter (which he did for a brief period of time). But his fourth promise he kept, which was "to write a book that would help people better understand the terrible and unnecessary pain that the divorce industry inflicts on those people who have the bad fortune to enter that world." I believe he accomplishes that promise and I respect him for having the guts to follow though.

Okay now some of my criticisms, none of which significantly lower the value of the book. I think the way he presents PAS is misleading. The phase as created by Gardner means that one parent uses alienation as a tool to poison the child against the non custodial parent. In my experience and study it's not always as intentional as he makes it sound. PAS is a continuum which at one end is the deliberate and overt techniques he refers to but at the other end of the spectrum is parents who create alienation without even knowing it, who think they are doing something good for the child when in fact they are driving a wedge between the child and the co-parent. Take for example alienation by omission, where the custodial parent may be so upset that when the child brings up the co-parent they freeze up or change the subject. They may not be aware they are even doing it but this sends a clear message to the child that speaking about the co parent is not okay with mommy or daddy. Now we can play the blame game and say all parents should be self aware but in the toxic battle of custody self awareness is usually tossed out the window and replaced by paranoia.

Alec tries very hard to get the courts to see there was PAS at work with his daughter and yet most courts will not let the concept into their courtrooms. So I don't think harboring on it is going to really help men or women that much. PAS I think falls into the same category as lie detectors - you can't use it as evidence because it's not an exact science. Lie detector tests are inadmissible in most family courts because some people are skilled enough to fake there way thought them (although I have never seen any scientific evidence of this). PAS is not accepted by the APA as a "syndrome" perhaps because it's not something that can be as clearly demarked and classified as disorders such as Agoraphobia, Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome, Bulimia, Cocaine Dependence, etc. I guess I would rather Mr. Baldwin devoted more pages to neutralizing and defeating signs of PAS then complaining so often that he was a victim of it (and there is no doubt he was).

My other complaint is that he really rakes Kim across the coals, too much I think. There are times in the book when he seems to be presenting some of her virtues but the tone was to paint her as bordering on evil. I understand why he feels that way; I have had very similar thoughts about my child's mother, but now being at the other side of our protracted battle I don't feel it was all because of her we ended up as we did. Alec touches on what I believe is the real truth but he does not overtly spell it out, and that is both he and Kim were caught in a war not between them but between armies. The real battle was a war between armies of experts, attorneys, family therapists, child protective social workers, special masters, and a toxic court system which really encourages and condones the war rather than trying to neutralize it. He is absolutely correct that the system is a mess. But the armies were caught up as much in the battle as Alec was and so was Kim. He talks about how she would bring in a collection of professionals to the court room while he had only one attorney, and how this shows her weakness. What it really shows is how caught up she was, how fearful and trapped and scared she was. From my viewpoint Kim, Alec and Ireland are victims of a system that has failed miserably. And to be fair he does focus much of his book on this topic, I just think I would have edited down some of his vitriol.

Another curious aspect of the book is how it ends. It felt like an Editor at work here or maybe his coauthor (which by the way there is no acknowledgments about which was kind of confusing). The book has two endings. One is a list of 10 pieces of advice for people who find themselves in divorce or custody battle. I am not very impressed with the list; in fact some of it is just downright wrong. Like he says always get a prenup. I'm sorry but almost every state refuses to accept them. It's the state that has the final say on child custody and money, so it's a waste of time, UNLESS you are sure your partner is the kind of person that will not turn a break up into a battle (which is very hard to know ahead). But there are gems like find yourself a good family therapist just for you alone, for support. I would add that you need to make sure this person is really good and experienced. I found a wonderful woman to help me that was such a blessing, plus she was a brilliant, perceptive, intuitive and a published author.

The real curiosity to me was Alec's interview of Jeannie Suk, a law professor at Harvard Law School. She has published an article which you can buy in digital format here on Amazon: Criminal law comes home. (Criminal law applied to domestic violence): An article from: Yale Law Journal. The gist of the interview is about sexual subordination of woman and how the feminist movement has been able to move the law to protect woman from abuse. At the same time these changes in the law have removed the discretion that law enforcement officers once had so that it's extremely easy for a woman to claim abuse if a man throws an alarm clock on the ground in anger. I am not debating this issue I just could not figure out why it was included in the book. Perhaps it was to point out that the law now puts woman's interests ahead of men's and the disadvantages of that in a court battle?

Before this review turns into my own book let me leave this parting question for Alec. It's one I ask myself often. Knowing what he knows now, seeing clear enough the impact of this custody battle on himself and his daughter, then given a chance to play it all over what would he do differently? I am sure he will never answer that question but I think the kernel of the answer is on page 171. If you want to know what's on that page read the book.

PS The phase Parental Alienation Syndrome has been replaced by simply Child Alienation.

haley177 is absolutely wrong, is either a female or a male who has never gone through a divorce ( at least in CA ). What Baldwin says is right on the mark. I recently read an article about a divorce attorney who changed careers, because he finally realized that he was stoking the anger between husband/wife, who until they went into full-fledged attorney mode, had come to a reasonable agreement between themselves, amicably. My ex hired her Beverly Hills attorneys, and it was most definitely the cause of our inability to forge a post-marriage relationship and has hurt our children. With attorneys, divorce is MEANT to be adversarial, that is how they make their money, and ostensibly make "gains" for their client. When I went to court, my female attorney warned me ahead of time that the judge I was going in front of was anti-father, and would grill me like I had never been grilled before. My ex was able to get a letter she wrote about my family ( whom she never got to know ) admitted into records, her pseudo-psychological review, without question by the court. My mom was already dead, so couldn't defend herself. WTF relevance did that have to anything? That kind of crap made me extremely angry, and I was told I couldn't respond in kind. I think Baldwin crossed the line with that phone call to his daughter, but I do understand the anger and rage that the non-custodial parent ( read 99% men ) feel during the divorce process. Glenn Sacks has made a career out of the disparity in the courts against fathers. It is a sick system, and only ends up draining future college funds from the kids, enraging the NCP, and most importantly, allowing the former spouses to forge a good relationship for the sake of the children. Let's make it as hard to get married as it is to get divorced. Maybe some court hearings on compatibility, what-if scenarios, are you going to have kids, etc. The critical mass of angry and more importantly, very sad fathers, is testimony that this isn't just a bunch of guys pushing blame onto someone other than themselves. I've moved twice to stay close to my kids, and the only choice I had was whether to do it or not. The court didn't care, my ex didn't care. So that is my rant. If we could all get published, I'm sure each father could and would right a book. Good on ya, Alec.