Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Product Description

Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Amazon.com

Think you've got a book inside of you? Anne Lamott isn't afraid to help you let it out. She'll help you find your passion and your voice, beginning from the first really crummy draft to the peculiar letdown of publication. Readers will be reminded of the energizing books of writer Natalie Goldberg and will be seduced by Lamott's witty take on the reality of a writer's life, which has little to do with literary parties and a lot to do with jealousy, writer's block and going for broke with each paragraph. Marvelously wise and best of all, great reading.

Customer Reviews:

Best of the Bunch.......2007-09-22

Unassuming and astonishing. Of all the books on writing I have read, and I have read a truckload, this one delivers more good advice than any other.

Here's the odd thing, though: when I first tried to read this a few years ago, I didn't get very far. I thought the writer was far too full of herself for her or my good. Then I picked the book up again recently and it blew me away. Maybe a lot of books are like that--you just have to be ready for them.

just what I was looking for.......2007-08-16

This book puts in a nutshell all the answers I as a budding writer was looking for. Take notes as you read and laugh!

A Writer's World.......2007-08-06

What type of book is "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" by Anne Lamott? It's one of those rare books that makes you want to start reading it all over again just as soon as you finish. In a word, wonderful. Better than that, "Bird by Bird" has something to teach, or at least some helpful advice about writing, writers, and getting published. It's all there: the anxiety, the yearning, the misplaced thought, the jealously, the longing, the joy. The words here don't really do it justice. However favorable an impression you may have at this moment in time, at this point in the review, know this: The book is so much better than what I can describe, and when you actually sit down and read this book (and you should), you will say to yourself, "I didn't know it would be this good!"

Lamott is the published author of eight books, including her most famous novel "Traveling Mercies." If you've never read any Anne Lamott, join the club, but don't let it stop you from getting this book. "Bird by Bird" is a series of discussions about writing and the writing life that reflect some of what Lamott teaches in her UC-Davis writing classes. And yet, there is so much more. She has infused her lessons with charm and grace, with stories of her family and her teaching, and above all, with her own day-to-day writing life. If you've ever wondered how a real author, a published author, goes about creating the magic, Lamott is ready to let you peak in. She talks about real writing tricks that work. She starts with the basics. She confronts her own inner demons and all those internal voices that tell every author his or her work just isn't good enough, and tells you how to get past them and write anyway.

A little bit about the title, which I know must be making you wonder at this point. "Bird by Bird" refers to a story she tells about her brother and her father (another writer). Her brother was then a 10-year old who hadn't done his report on birds the night before it was due at school (although he'd had 3 months to complete it...sound familiar?). He had worked himself up into a panic, wondering how he could possibly accomplish his monumental task. Finally, Lamott's father sits down beside her brother, puts an arm around his shoulder, and says, "Bird by bird, buddy, just take it bird by bird."

This gem of a book is filled with so many wonderful stories, so much humor and pathos, so many identifiable writer crises that you will be astonished at how effortlessly Lamott has accomplished her goal--helping us become better writers. I've never read a book about writing that was so practical, so humane, so lovingly created. This is the most practical guide to writing I've ever read, yet it's never (no, not once) boring. She never gets bogged down in detail. Her writing never wavers. It's an amazing book on those counts alone. That it has so much to teach as well truly makes it a treaure, a golden egg.

Interesting and Informative.......2007-07-21

I expected this book to be informative and was not disappointed. The fact it was also entertaining was a bonus. The author's empathy for other writers was refreshing, as well. I appreciated the many tips sprinkled throughout and would recommend this book to anyone who likes to write.

A good read, but..............2007-07-05

This book is a good read, but don't count on it to get you through the difficult task of writing your first book, which is what I am doing. Bird by Bird, for me, was an uninspiring, scatter-brained collection of stories about past failures, and hoped-for successes. It lacked substance. To be honest, it caused me to lose focus and really threw me off course. To get back to the basics, I purchased another book from Amazon, Stephen Hawley, Writing Instructions for Middle School. Sounds elementary, but it cleansed my head of Bird by Bird and I finished my first book. If you want to read a story, buy Bird by Bird. If you want writing instructions, buy Stephen Hawley's book.

Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same: The Life and Times of Some Chickens

Average customer rating:

the chicks are SOOOOO cute
Really funny, fun book
i love mini chickens with feelings
Bitter with Baggage boring
Not great to show a first date...

Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same: The Life and Times of Some Chickens
Sloane Tanen
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1582343764

Book Description

Chickens show off their human side in Sloane Tanen's irresistible dioramas.

With more personality than most people have to spare, New York artist Sloane Tanen's tiny yellow chickens negotiate the tricky modern world, filled with three-headed blind dates, menacing KFCs, playground popularity battles, and annoyingly crowded yoga classes. They perch amid doll furniture, in scenes photographed in glorious color and brilliantly captioned- and their lives will strike you as strangely familiar...

Charming, spiky with off-kilter wit (or waxing jobs gone terribly wrong), and somehow larger than life, these chickens win the hearts of all who behold them.

Customer Reviews:

the chicks are SOOOOO cute.......2007-05-20

My new favorite animals are now chicks because of this book.

Really funny, fun book.......2007-01-10

This is such a great coffee table book. Sloane Tanen is really ingenious with her creative work. Each little vignette has fantastic details, many of which you only see the second or third time you've looked at the book.

A great girlfriends present or birthday gift... after you've bought one for yourself!

You really will enjoy Tanen's chicks!

i love mini chickens with feelings.......2007-01-06

this is a great book, good gift..
highly reccommend it.
does have adult humor, which makes it great.
but i imagine it could be used as a children's picture book too, so the parents have something interesting to read.

Bitter with Baggage boring.......2006-11-06

Sorry, but I bought this book with quite high expectations of being intrigued and entertained and I found it really boring.

Not great to show a first date..........2006-07-07

I learned the hard way. He was late..and I popped into the local bookstore and spotted this. I like chickens..so I had to pick it up..and I couldn't put it down! Hysterically funny! So I bought it. Naturally when "he" showed up he asked what was in the bag..not thinking about the title...I showed it to him. He didn't get it..or a second date for that matter. I went home and drank wine and laughed my rear-end off! A must have for men or women. Has nothing to do with being bitter or having baggage..just funny life and times of some chickens...

Parrot-Toys and Play Areas : How To Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's Life

Average customer rating:

Great Book!
Great directions and ideas for all birds.
Parrot toy and Play areas
Parrot Toys
Parrot-Toys and Play Areas:How to Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's Life

Parrot-Toys and Play Areas : How To Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's Life
Lauren Shannon-Nunn , and Carol S. D'Arezzo
Manufacturer: CrowFire Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0967882001

Book Description

Providing activities for "Birdie Buzzsaws" and "Avian Einsteins" is a challenging and ongoing task for companion parrot owners. Parrot-Toys and Play Areas covers all aspects of play and encourages owners to "put some fun" into their parrot's life. Whether they choose to purchase or make their own parrot toys or play areas, bird owners will find this book loaded with practical advice, safety tips, and loads of ideas for both toys and play areas. By identifying their parrot's Play Style, an owner can find out what kinds of toys their parrot really likes. The Eleven Parrot Toy Categories then make toy selection fun and easy. In Part 2, play areas become exciting Parrot Adventure Stations with buying guides and building instructions.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-10-04

The toy & play gym directions are easy to understand and thorough. I highly recommend this book!!

Great directions and ideas for all birds........2007-08-26

I absolutely love this book. I made the small gym for my Conure and Quaker. The Conure absolutely adores it. She begs to go play on it. The Quaker is a little more subdued but is warming up to it since I added a container of seeds.

There are a lot of great ideas for toys. They help you identify the kind of bird you have as far as what kind of toys they would be interested in and that is a great help.

Parrot toy and Play areas.......2007-07-30

I've read the entire book, and it has so much helpful information on using simple items found around the house, or that are inexpensive to purchace. I can't wait to make the play stand for my birds.

Parrot Toys.......2007-07-16

I bought this book hoping to get ideas to make toys for my parrot, maybe save some money. The book is informative as far as learning about why parrots need these toys and the like, I was hoping for more pictures of toys and ideas, maybe a website or two on where to find the 'ingredients'.

Parrot-Toys and Play Areas:How to Put Some Fun Into Your Parrot's Life.......2007-06-09

The book is terrific., I would like see some absolute instructions on Parrot Toy Building, however.

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (Arkana)

Average customer rating:

This book changed my life
An unforgettable book
A mixed blessing
Of Water and the Spirit, and contradictory book
Malidoma blurs the line between Western Fiction and African Nonfiction

Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (Arkana)
Patrice Malidoma Some
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Secrets of the Talking Jaguar

ASIN: 0140194967

Customer Reviews:

This book changed my life.......2006-10-16

I read this book in the midst of discovering the myriad of hidden truths about african history. Being African American myself I have spent many years trying to undo the backwards education that I was subjected to about my culture in this country by doing extensive research.

If for anything, read this book alone to gain an inside experience of what horrors Africans suffered at the hands of missionaries who felt it was their duty to "save" african children from their "barbaric" roots. They stole these children away from their villages to bring them up in seminary schools where they were subject to brutal treatment and the brainwashing of their religion. I feel it is people's duty to understand the raw effects of these events as it has also happened to indigenous cultures all over the world.

As some reviewers say below, there is a lot about this book that seems fantastical. Malidoma takes us far into the magic and ritual of his culture. It takes an open mind, one that recognizes that the destructive path of colonialism was not only physical but emotional and spiritual. Take time if you will to reflect that if you think colonialism was a destructive force, it also took it's toll on our openess to the possibility of realities other than our own. There isn't hocus pocus in this book, Malidoma a very grounded, extremely well educated gentlemen who has experienced the western world and his traditional one inside out. What he offers in this book is an invaluable opportunity to see the remnants of a culture that we have lost touch with and just how important it is to reconnect to the possibility that what we experience as solid reality is only that which we have been brought up to believe in. It does not mean that it is the only one.

Malidoma's writing is also beautiful and engrossing, I couldn't put it down. I was left with a more solid sense of who I was as an African American, I have learned about the advanced architecture and maths that africans had but I had never had a chance to look this deeply into our spiritual history.

An unforgettable book.......2006-08-26

A riveting and beautiful mystical story that encompasses many lessons that we all could learn from. I could feel Malidoma's pain in his struggle with the evil criminals that complicated his life. This book is absolutely wonderful for all who appreciate the mysteries of existence but it also has many very important lessons that the Africans in America and the diaspora would do well to take notice of.In my opinion,this book should be in schools.

A mixed blessing.......2006-06-29

Malidoma Some's book is truly a mixed blessing! He writes about his personal experiences and life journey, about the spirituality of his people and the contrasts between the African Mindset and the ideas and pre-conceptions of Western people/white people.

Some parts of this book truly deserve 5 starts, other parts deserve 0! The most important part of this book is indeed Mr Some's return to his own village and his struggles to re-claim his own roots. Every practitioner and every seeker of African religions should have a look at this section of the book. It clearly shows that the western mindset can hinder us from fully embracing what African spirituality has to offer and how different the TRADITIONAL African mindset is to the mindset of western people. Just like Mr Some, who in the course of his journey realized that his "Europeanization" hindered him from fully embracing his own tradition, so should many Europeans who search for "greater powers" within the African traditions examine their own preconceptions and ideas. This part alone deserves 5 starts!

Other parts of the book read much like a fiction story and should be take with a big pinch of salt. This being said, some of the things Mr Some describes can still be found within African Traditional Religions in the West - visible spirit manifestations being just one example. However, others are rather dubious...0 stars for that part of the work!

Of Water and the Spirit, and contradictory book.......2006-02-13

first of all, i would like to have it known that i am 15, and i had to read this book for AC Writing Workshop. the first 4 or 5 chapters are very dull. the next few chapters are mildly distrubing, for he gets molested, and it is hinted that other boys are getting raped. later on, the book gets better. this book is entertaining, but unrealistic, i highly disagree with its title as an autobiography, for there is no way many of these happenings could have taken place. if it was classified as a fictional story, i would have no problem, but it is classified as an autobiography. i believe that many of his "experiences" have to do with either, dehydration, heat stroke, hallucinagents, or hypnosis. it is impossible for someone to jump into a light portal and disappear into another dimension. for this reason, i would not recomend using this book for a class, for it is completely ridiculus. it is entertaining towards the latter half of the book, the author occasionally slips into a few instances when he uses circumlocution, but other then that, its not too bad. read this book, if ur believe in spirits, but i would not recomend it if u are into science, and the phisical limits of certain things, for this book is completely contradictory to "western" beliefs.
John G.

Malidoma blurs the line between Western Fiction and African Nonfiction.......2006-01-03

I was given this book by a friend because of my interest in Water (see: Masaru Emoto's "The Hidden Messages in Water") and my interest in Shamanism (see: Tom Cowan's "Fire in the Head").

Generally, I read these kinds of books because of personal soul-searching, so it is good that Malidoma's book delivers some of his personal answers and leaves other answers open. It struck me as a nonfiction that read as a fiction novel. The downside is that Malidoma learns something deep in this novel, but the reader is not privy to his experience: even Malidoma says that a lot of what he sees cannot be described, for personal reasons or due to the limits of our language. It is a palpatable feeling of loss when Malidoma comes out of his experience enlightened, but many readers would not.

I would recommend this book for people who already live in a world of fiction: Malidoma has seen a lot of things that defy Western "reality," and some straightlaced readers may not be able to accept or respect Malidoma enough to continue reading. If you can suspend your beliefs, however, the book is completely engrossing: I found it hard to put down! Malidoma is a sympathetic character in his own book, and characterizes the people he met very well.

The book itself is jam-packed full of text: a cursory glance at the textual presentation makes you blink. Take a look at an excerpt above.

I found this book hard to put down. Any fiction-lover who is interested in a new culture that is not fictional at all should this book.

A-List #6, The: Some Like It Hot: An A-List Novel (A-List)

Average customer rating:

Amazing, interesting read!
Awesome details
Loved It!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A-List #6: Some Like it Hot
prom

A-List #6, The: Some Like It Hot: An A-List Novel (A-List)
Zoey Dean
Manufacturer: Poppy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Gossip Girl #9: Only In Your Dreams: A Gossip Girl Novel (Gossip Girl)

ASIN: 0316010936

Book Description

It's prom season, and no town does prom like Tinsel Town. Ben is back for the summer - just in time to be Anna's prom date. But his family has a house guest who's so hot, she's bound to burn up their perfect plans. Adam finds out a scandalous secret that threatens to tear Cammie's world to pieces. Sam agrees to take Parker to the prom and they end up doing a lot more than dancing. What happens when Sam's romance-obsessed boyfriend Eduardo flies in from Paris to surprise Sam? This prom is sure to be glamorous, scandalous, and occasionally downright schocking! It's just the kind of night the A List crew will never forget. Soon to be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures, THE A-LIST and its bestselling sequels, GIRLS ON FILM, BLONDE AMBITION, TALL COOL ONE, and BACK IN BLACK are full of unforgettable stories about the fast times of Beverly Hills' most beautiful and glamorous people.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing, interesting read!.......2007-08-06

Zoey Dean is back with her sixth book in the A- List series. In this book, it's Prom at the Beverly Hills High School and noone on the A- List goes, but when Sam hears about a film contest, and when Anna wants to go, she decides to go and make a video on the prom weenies b- listers. Also Anna gets jealous of a gorgeous junior staying at Ben's house for school, but she gets over it and she and her friends help for her prom. At Anna's prom everything goes a little too well and Sam decides not to release her film because she's to happy and was awarded prom queen. Cammie on the other hand a horrofying secret that her father had an affair with Sam's mother during the time of Cammie's mother's death. Zoey Dean is back with her probably best book so far in the series, leaving her fans dying to read the next book. I would definitely recommend this book and this series.

Awesome details.......2006-10-31

I love all of Zoey Deans books because she uses so much description and detail. It's amazing. This book is great because it has mystery and it also has some unexpected things in it. I love how Maddie didn't really like Ben. I really love these books.I also recommend these to teenage girls.

Loved It!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-08-11

This had to be the best A- List book. There was so much intriguy in it. It also was the longest A- List book. It was all set around prom and all the stress that goes into it. The new information that Cammie found out about her mother's death was scary, but it added a new twist. Also with Maddy and her crush on her math teacher. I have to admitt, It was kind of funny when Cammie found out that she burned down an LA landmark. I reccoamend this to everyone!

A-List #6: Some Like it Hot.......2006-07-13

Welcome to Beverly Hills High School Prom.
This was boring in the beginning, but once it picks up you can't put it down. So good... worth the read.
Dee is getting better and saner than ever.
Anna and Ben's relationship is threatened by a new guest in Ben's house.
Cammie and Adam are fighting because Adam found out a strange secret about her mother.
Sam misses Eduardo and wonders how she can compete with all the other beautiful European women that he's around every single day, becoming jealous over nonexistant people.
This book has some awesome twists and I really enjoyed it.

prom.......2006-06-16

It's that time of year... prom!!!
Anna and Ben are finally together, but will an attractive girl staying at the Birnbaum's mess with their relationship again?
Cammie and Adam are doing well, until Cammie finds out more about the night her mother died.
Sam is happy with where she's at with Eduardo, until he tells her that he won't be able to come to her prom... or can he?
Drama is abound once more in the juicy sixth book.

Average customer rating:

Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more.
Great understanding of a Brand
Based on Sixty Years of Research
About time
A Great Read For Anyone!

Married to the Brand: Why Consumers Bond with Some Brands for Life
William J. McEwen
Manufacturer: Gallup Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding

ASIN: 1595620052

Amazon.com

How does a brand--a company or one of its products--stand out in an ever-louder and more chaotic marketplace? Why do customers develop intense and lasting bonds with some products they consume, but not others? What do winning brands do better than their competitors? Generations of marketers have pondered these questions, and Married to the Brand offers thought-provoking answers.

Based on 60 years of research from the Gallup Organization, the book combines a thoughtful, data-driven approach with a playful metaphor. Author and Gallup researcher William McEwen sees customers' interactions with brands as markedly similar to the in-depth, extended relationships we see in marriages. From his opening pages, McEwen draws parallels between customers' feelings about brands and romantic relationships. For example, he points to the differences between "dating" and "long-term engagement". He explains how both commercial and romantic relationships require trust to start and build, but passion to flourish and sustain. He describes situations in which people might fall in love, then later seek a "divorce".

Like other recent classics about brand marketing, like Scott Bedbury's A New Brand World and Al and Laura Ries' The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, McEwen's book makes good use of anecdotal personal examples. He uses stories about individual consumers' interactions with the Starbucks (coffee) or Morton's (salt) brands, for example, to illustrate one of his central points: that brands grow not just from products, but from an overall customer experience which may include the original advertising that first drew attention to the brand, personal memories tied to the product, interactions with sales staff, the appearance and location of the physical store in which the product was purchased, and so on. He summarizes by describing a framework of "5 P's" that drive customers' perceptions of brands: product, place, promotion, price, and people.

Taken as a whole, this book's lessons provide a provocative and interesting rethinking of brand management for marketers in a wide variety of industries. As McEwen himself writes, emotions connected to brands "aren't merely warm and fuzzy, nor should they be relegated to the world of greeting card poetry and Hollywood scripts. Emotions are both powerful and profitable, whether a company is marketing hamburgers or microprocessors." McEwen challenges his readers to build their brands patiently, over time. He attacks the conventional wisdom behind most companies' customer relationship management (CRM) or loyalty-marketing programs. Perhaps most importantly, he is realistic in stating from the book's outset that even the best brands will engage only a minority of their customers in true "marriage"-like relationships. But for the readers willing to invest the effort, in this book and then in the brand building that follows, the payoff appears worthwhile. --Peter Han

Book Description

Although American companies spend a staggering $500 billion on advertising annually, many fail to establish an emotional connection with consumers. Married to the Brand examines why some companies develop this most desirable consumer connection, and why others don't. Using Gallup's 60 years of global consumer data and tons of consumer stories, William McEwen shows that many marketers are great at wooing a "first date" with consumers, but only the best can create a lasting marriage between buyer and brand. The book explores how emotions such as confidence, integrity, pride, and passion can make consumers want to stand by a brand, and shows how skillful brand management can keep a consumer-brand marriage fresh and satisfying. Tools to rate Engagement Potential and Customer Engagement are also provided, allowing marketers to quickly and objectively rate their own brand's performance.

Customer Reviews:

Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more........2007-01-07

Why do some consumers bond to brand names for life? Sixty years of Gallup research into consumer habits and their psychology lend to MARRIED TO THE BRAND: WHY CONSUMERS BOND WITH SOME BRANDS FOR LIFE. Many marketers work on first impressions without considering the reasons why consumers will stick with a brand. MARRIED TO THE BRAND tells how the most successful marketer not only creates the bond, but strengthens it over the years so that consumers come to equate the brand with quality and value. Chapters survey pride levels, common brand dilemmas, and more.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Great understanding of a Brand.......2006-03-16

This book gives you a good insight about a brand and the marriage it has with its customers. Its very easy to read and enjoyable.

Based on Sixty Years of Research.......2006-01-11

Dr. McEwen is a consultant with the Gallup polling people. For over sixty years they have researched brands and branding. In this book he analyzes and explains what he has discovered.

His comparison is that branding is a lot like marrying. It is a merger of company and customer and both have obligations to the other. The company has most of the responsibilities because they are the ones that have the power to change things that attract or drive away the customer. But like any marriage, the customer also has the obligation to buy the brand so long as it meets their needs.

And if brands are a marriage, he also talks about divorce. My family has always used Crest toothpaste. I go to the store, I want the same old Crest I used as a kid. Now there's Gel Crest, Mint Crest, Crest with special this, and special that. New is a magic word in marketing, but I don't want NEW, I want the same old stuff I had before. I honestly couldn't tell which was the same old stuff. I bought Colgate.

Sears was a great brand, then they went all goofy. But the Craftsman brand of Sears tool has held it's place. I bought some tools for Christmas presents. They were Craftsman -- but it was the only thing I bought in the Sears store.

This is the best book on understanding brands and branding I've ever seen.

About time.......2005-12-04

Disney has a brand loyalty that is the envy of Hollywood. (Ever hear anyone say, "Let's go see the lastest Columbia movie?" But ask a dad on Saturday what he's doing, and you may hear, "Taking the kids to the new Disney flic.") How did they do it? And how can they keep it?

This book delves into the mystery of brand loyalty with interesting anecdotes and examples from the marketing kings: McDonalds in America, Coca Cola in Asia, and of course, Disney. But the author doesn't pull punches. McDonalds marketing, once so effective, now reeks of 40 year olds in suits trying to sound "hip." That's where the book is well worth a read: the author's discussion of how brand loyalty is built is carefully balanced with how it can be lost.

Fascinating reading for anyone--marketing pros or consumers who enjoy the ride.

A Great Read For Anyone!.......2005-10-14

This book is a great read for market researchers and the general population alike. Dr. McEwen has put together a truly compelling "tale" of how certain brands entice followings, and how or why said followings are either maintained and groomed, or discarded. A fascinating cultural study, as well as a meticulous scientific one, this is a great present for anyone who's ever wondered how Disney or Coca Cola has come to the prominence they enjoy today. To have put together so much information in such a fun, readable way is Dr. McEwen's true gift, and he should be lauded for it. Bravo!

Add 10 Years to Your Life with some of Best of Dr. Douglass

Average customer rating:

Add 10 Years to Your Life with some of Best of Dr. Douglass
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
Manufacturer: Rhino Publishing, S.A.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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ASIN: 9962636043
Release Date: 2003-06-25

Book Description

To add ten years to your life, you need more than just a good doctor. You need to have the right attitude about health and an understanding of the health industry and what it's feeding you. Following the established line on many health issues could make you very sick or worse! Achieve dynamic health with this collection of some of the "best of" Dr. Douglass' newsletters.

Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid

Average customer rating:

Shallow, quick and to the point... and then?
A Call to All Christians
Good, but not the greatest.
Jesus Christ...
Be Intolerant

Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid
Ryan Dobson , and Jefferson Scott
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1590521528
Release Date: 2003-09-04

Book Description

"Whatever" is now the password into civilized youth culture. Alarming numbers of Christians eighteen to twenty-five years old believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Yet, Ryan Dobson proclaims, we can't even function if we believe that everything is relative. In his first book, the impassioned youth speaker explains God's establishment of absolutes, using relevant examples to awaken Christians to the world's desperate hunger for absolute truth -- and the church's duty to proclaim it.

OUR GENERATION IS BEING DESTROYED BY RAMPANT TOLERANCE.

Somebody’s cheating at school?

“Well, that’s his business.”

Your roommate wants an abortion?

“I wouldn’t do it, but hey, it’s her life.”

Accepting everything means you believe in nothing. When it comes to right and wrong, sitting on the fence won’t get you—or the people you love—anywhere. Passiveness is not love. Love is getting in people’s face and telling them the truth.

Finally, someone has the courage to point out that some ideas are simply stupid. Honest and unflinching, Ryan Dobson will show you how to back up your beliefs and be intolerant—in love.

Customer Reviews:

Shallow, quick and to the point... and then?.......2007-09-20

I highly recommend this book for someone with a short attention span, little or no training in philosophy and has trouble reading in-depth material. Pretty much a short read (took about an 40 minutes) that offers introductory ideas of the very basics of apologetics with a modern theme that appeals to teenagers.
I think this would be a half decent book for 12-15 year olds, maybe even some 16 year olds but that is about as high as I would go before someone would be thinking "and then...?"
The stylized text and tone of the author had me thinking he was a 20-something writing verses a 40-something year old, I will give him props for having a message that reaches the youth but I would expect more from such a book with a engaging title.

A Call to All Christians.......2007-03-30

Christians in this country are so persecuted. As Pat Robertson said, "Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history." Liberals are sending Christians to concentration camps, not allowing them to get married, making them eat at seperate restaurants, and enslaving them. The Horor! Ryan Dobson, you go put those hippy-liberals back where they belong.

(just in case anyone was wondering, this was meant to be sarcastic)

Good, but not the greatest........2006-11-01

First, I can see how someone who is not an evangelical will have a problem with this book and the things that Dobson has to say. In fact, he says in the beginning of the book that he knows he will "lose some readers" because of the truths that he expounds on in this book. Is the book a great read? - well, yes and no. Keep in mind that the target audience for this book is young people, I would guess teens and early twenties. For someone older, or more mature, then I am sure that a book by the elder Dobson (Christian author James Dobson is his dad) would be a better read. Yes, Ryan Dobson can come across as intolerant to someone who does not take the time to read the whole book and understand what he is saying. Yes, it can seem slightly annoying that he (and some of his friends) seem to have "perfect" lives. However, in the whole scheme of this book, I think he presents a down to earth and "real" message to today's young evangelicals. I think this would be a great book for a youth group or youth Bible study to read and discuss together.

Jesus Christ..........2006-10-10

...would loathe this book. Its message is the polar opposite of the love, acceptance and forgiveness that Christ personified with His life and death.

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important? Jesus answered, `The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." The second is this, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.'

-- Mark 12:28-31

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself" - is it sinking in yet? Dobson and his followers are *defying Christ*, not following Him, so I do not consider them Christians.

Be Intolerant.......2006-09-15

Must read for any one with young children. Great thought starter for those seeking the Truth.

Four Hundred Million Customers: The Experiences--Some Happy, Some Sad of an American in China and What They Taught Him (D'asia Vu Reprint Library (Series).)

Average customer rating:

A glimpse into China's past
Classic Problems Doing Business in China

Four Hundred Million Customers: The Experiences--Some Happy, Some Sad of an American in China and What They Taught Him (D'asia Vu Reprint Library (Series).)
Carl Crow , and Ezra F. Vogel
Manufacturer: Eastbridge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Carl Crow, a Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times, and Adventures of an American in Shanghai
One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China
Throwing the Emperor from His Horse: Portrait of a Village Leader in China, 1923-1995
Revolution and Its Past: Indentities and Change in Modern Chinese History (2nd Edition)
A Daughter of Han: The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman

ASIN: 1891936077

Book Description

Four Hundred Million Customers (1937) is a collection of humorous essays and piquant anecdotes underpinned by well-informed insight and highlighted by witty drawings by G. Sapojnikoff. Like a bowl of salted peanuts, these vignettes make you want "more." The book was welcomed on its publication as the most entertaining and instructive introduction to the rapidly modernizing people of the new China and their resilient customs. While it has been taught in recent years at the Harvard Business School, the book — or at least its title — has been cited much more than read, usually to illustrate American illusions about the China market. Yet the book has lost none of its still perceptive insights into China, which is now more than triple "four hundred million."

"Crow, living in Shanghai [in the early twentieth century], wrote in a bemused manner about city dwellers. [While] Crow's book was of little value to the China watcher of the 1950s and 1960s … once Chinese reform and opening took off after 1978, the clever city dwellers that Crow described in the 1930s are a far better guide to the China of today than [Edgar] Snow's revolutionaries or [Pearl] Buck's peasants.

"I have a former student, a successful businessman, who opened a factory in Shanghai a few months ago. On his reading stand he keeps a copy of Four Hundred Million Customers. `No other book,' he said, `including many more contemporary works on the Chinese economy, provides as much insight into the business environment I face. And it helps me keep my sense of humor as I face the frustrations of doing business in China.' No need to repeat the wonderful stories and phrases found in the book. Enjoy." —from the Introduction by Ezra F. Vogel

Customer Reviews:

A glimpse into China's past.......2006-02-15

This book offers a wonderful reflection of life, business and Chinese culture from a period before the second world war. For those who have been to Shanghai or other parts of China you can close your eyes and make more sense of the experience through the eyes of Carl Crow. For those who are planning a trip to China this book offers some cultural perspective and preparation for your travels. Irrespective of your reasons for studying or visiting China, this book is a sentimental must-have for any China library.

Classic Problems Doing Business in China.......2004-07-05

For anyone who has studied China in advance of doing business there since Deng took his tour of the south and suggested to be rich is glorious or who has already ventured into the Chinese market, Crow's 65-year old story is reassuring. Everything in China has changed and nothing has changed. Perhaps the greatest lesson is that China changes but VERY slowly.
Crow's insight into China and especially Shanghai "before Liberation" provides wonderful stories of how to develop ads and merchandising tactics, deal with Chinese customers, and keep on laughing. If you have ever read any other book about the Chinese market, it invariably cited Crow. Now, go to the primary source. It is somewhat frustrating to know he dealt with the same issues with which we deal now, but it is also reassuring to know that he did encounter similar problems. It makes forecasting in China a bit easier.

Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book (Charlotte's Web)

Average customer rating:

Disturbing ending
Great but it covers 1/3 of the story...
Perfect Introduction to E.B. White for Pre-Schoolers
Great start, excellent illustrations, but ends abruptly!

Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book (Charlotte's Web)
E. B. White
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Charlotte's Web: Coloring and Activity Book 3-in-1 (Charlotte's Web)
Charlotte's Web: Wilbur Finds a Friend (I Can Read Book 2)
Charlotte's Web Read-Aloud Edition
Charlotte's Web: Wilbur's Prize (I Can Read Book 2)
Charlotte's Web: The Movie Storybook (Charlotte's Web)

ASIN: 0060781610
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

Fern loved Wilbur more than anything, and Wilbur loved her too. . . .

Some Pig! introduces a new generation to Wilbur, the most lovable pig in children's literature. E. B. White's masterful text from the classic Charlotte's Web, combined with artist Maggie Kneen's finely detailed work, brings to life the enchanting friendship between Fern and Wilbur. This charming picture-book edition will capture the imagination and win the hearts of young readers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Disturbing ending.......2007-07-06

If you think that this book is the picture book version of the story, you're in for a big surprise. This book doesn't even cover 1/10th of the story in my opinion, definitely no mention of the spider, or the other animals in the barn. It only focuses on the friendship between Fern and Wilbur, and the good times they spent together. Then it ended VERY ABRUPTLY when Wilbur is sold to Fern's uncle's farm and went to live in a "menure pile". My child finds it terribly disburbing, and I was left saying, "What kind of ending is this?"

I'm giving it 2 stars for the nice illustrations. But it needs to be at least 4 times longer to cover the whole story.

Great but it covers 1/3 of the story..........2007-02-05

This is a great picture book of Charlotte's Web.

- It ends when Wilbur is sold (lots more story to tell...)
- The drawings are different than the 1973 movie (still great)

I would increase my rating if it was clearer that this picture book contains about 1/3 of the entire story. I hope the author releases more additions that continue to cover the original book in its entirety.

Perfect Introduction to E.B. White for Pre-Schoolers.......2007-01-06

My 4 year old loves this version of the story. The classic book it is based upon simply has far too many words for her at this age. The illustrations are wonderful and evoke memories from my own childhood on my grandparents farm. The story is just the right length for a toddler or pre-school age child. No bedtime is complete without this story.

Great start, excellent illustrations, but ends abruptly!.......2006-12-31

This is a good book with a strong start and good illustrations. Certainly, the author is extremely credible and this book charms from the beginning. However, I found that it ended abruptly and I was disappointed with the ending. It seems like it was incomplete and something that a child would find a bit disturbing rather than having real finality that satisifies.

The story basically involves a girls relationship with a pig as a pet. It is very charming and there is an obvious bond between the two that is built up over the course of the story. The pig basically lives a life similar to a dog or cat with respect to its place in the family. However, at the end it is suddenly sold and there is a page that says it is now living in the manure pile of a neighbor. Huh?!

From a child's perspective, this seems like almost a tragic ending. It also comes suddenly and doesn't seem to have that happy close that is so typical of good children's literature. I guess it how it lands emotionally with a child depends upon how the parents frame the ending. However, I think this is really the job of the writer and not the parent.

I think this could have been a little better, but it is still worth buying because the rest of the text is good. The interplay of the text and illustrations really generates good emotions and a sense of story. That is partly why I was so disturbed by the abrupt ending. I'm not sure it will make sense to a child or that they will view it as necessarily happy.

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