This book really opened my eyes. My boyfriend and I have lived together for 3 years, and I couldn't understand why he didn't want to get married right away. I found this book, and it really helped me understand his perspective. The book is very helpful. Each chapter is very informative. The book includes how to answer questions about your relationship, important legal issues, and a guide that tells you how to do something whether you are married or unmarried (i.e., changing your name, custody of children, etc.) A good read for any couple - living together or not, considering marriage or not, same-sex or different-sex couples.

I was half way finished with this book, when I realized how thankful I was for the intelligent perspective and reporting of this alternative lifestyle. I have been in an unmarried relationship for twelve years. We have attempted the engagement and planning of a wedding twice. Both times the decision was made to call it off.This book helps me understand and accept our unconventional relationship and the reality that marriage may not be in our future. It helped me tremendously with the anger, sadness, and disappointment associated with the decision not to marry. Thank you to the authors for tackling this topic with humor, insight, and a lot of great information!

It is a good resource which discusses all kinds of reasons that people decide not to get married and includes all kinds of different relationships. It discusses financial and legal issues. It is a book that made me feel more confident about my ability to make this important change in my life, that the risk might be worth it.

I am so glad that I read this book.

A terrific resource! Comprehensive and reader-friendly. Great for those curious about the current state of the women's movement and critical reading for the seriously committed community activist.

Thank you for sharing Beyond Beijing with us. The film is a touching and relevant portrait of women as activists. Several people stopped to watch portions of the video during the reception for our event; many commented on what an accurate portrayal of Beijing you have produced.

This film is a provocative, engaging window into women's explorations of the possible. It is truly one of a kind.

Though contractors don't always realize it, marketing always has--and will continue to be-- the best way for them to distinguish themselves from their competition. Now, for the first time, everything a building professional needs to know about marketing construction services has been pulled together in one easy-to-follow book. A "must read" for success in the twenty-first century!

The reviewer is the Past-President of the Construction Writers Association, and Publisher of the award-winning construction newsletter "Words from Woody."

Authors Kubal, Miller and SMPS' own Ron Worth have put togetherone of the strongest marketing books to come along in a long, longtime. This is a virtual encyclopedia of how-to marketing, weighting in at 420 pages plus a CD-ROM.

Finally we have a marketing book that recognizes we are in the electronic and digital age and that the internet has changes marketing forever. The summary of Chapter Two on "Virtual Construction" starts out, "Undoubtedly the virtual age is encroaching upon the construction industry. Its effects on how construction is completed will become obvious, and changes to how construction is sold and marketed in the twenty-first century will also occur." while that is an understatement, many firms have not yet realized that the twenty-first century is here and these things are happening all around us.

The CD-Rom, with its listing of internet hyperlinks, is worth the price of the book alone. Using this CD, you can access most of the information about our industry that is available today. The book's chapter on market research will show you just how valuable the internet and the CD can be.

While some of the chapters in the book are targeted to the construction field, most of the book is directly applicable to our entire industry. The chapters on "Creating a Marketing Plan" and "Marketing and Sales Technology and Marketing Materials," while illustrated with examples from the construction industry, are as good a general guide on "how to do it right" as you will find anywhere.

Some of the best of the book can be found in "Marketing Communication Plan" and "Getting Publicity for Your Business." Any firm can gain from reading and implementing the material in these chapters. The list of questions on how to quantify your prospects on page 99 needs to be copied and given to every marketer and principal in every firm in the land. It is a list of the basic questions, the ones not asked or, if they are, the answers are ignored.

I have a couple of bones to pick about the book. One is the title. Why not just call it Marketing Techniques for the Construction Industry? I guess they thought that mentioning 'profits' would get more attention. My problem with the title is that some will buy the book looking for the wrong thing and, more importantly, some will not buy the book when they go looking for good marketing advice.

The other problem I have with the book (and I am being really picky here) is that the authors, from time to time, get too caught up in the widgets and wizardry of technology. The danger here is that the widgets and wizardry change every day. When you mention Palm Pilot III, you are already yesterday's news. The concepts are right, but listing today's technology tools is a mistake.

Today, it's everyone's role to market and sell. The book will help you with everything from implementing a marketing plan and building strategic alliances to selling virtual construction and design-build methodologies. What an effective and powerful tool for the construction industry and about time!

My best friend introduced me to the Christy Miller series this summer. I haven't been able to put them down! Christy and her friends go through the exact same things that most teens face. Not only do you read ABOUT Christy, you get inside her head, which can be encouraging because she ISN'T perfect. She's just a normal girl. However, Christy has one advantage - a complete love relationship with a God who loves her more than anyone else ever can and is there to give her strength and courage 24/7. If you are a Christian girl looking for a romance book that will actually bring you closer to God - these books are for you. If you aren't a Christian, I dare you to discover with Christy all that God has for everyone who loves Him.

The Christy Miller Series # 1-4 Are totally awesome. I loved them!! They give Christian perspectives on issues that teenage christians fight everyday. It also has twists of romance an tragedy! It is a totally awesome book And Anyone would LUV IT!! If you're a teen, get these books!!!!

I first discovered the Christy Miller seris when I was in 8th grade and since then I have grown up with her. She has helped me understand how God works in my life and that he is always there!! This seris is THE BEST for teens and young adults both! I'm now a sophomore in college and the situations and words in the Christy Miller seris and Sierra Jenson seris still hold true. This is a MUST read for everyone!!!

This is one of the most powerful books I've read in a long time. Richard L. Miller deserves an award. In this book, the author details the erosion of civil liberties by the current war on drugs. For those familiar with this area, he trots out the typical points: harsh penalties for minor violations and loss of civil liberties for all.

But what makes this book special is the author's analysis of legal issues and history. Richard Miller is an independent scholar who has written about Nazi justice (in "Nazi Justiz"). I thought his application of Nazi jurisprudence to the drug war was overkill at first. Little did I know just how wrong I was. As one reviewer put it, this book will help you lose weight.

What sets this book above the others on the drug war is that Miller explains how the war effects the innocent, and how innocence is no longer an adequate defense. In fact, Miller has a Justice Department official quoted as saying that innocence was not a defense to forfeiture of assets. He argues that asset forfeiture has corrupted law enforcement at all levels.

In one example, Miller tells of an elderly couple in one California county who owned a mutil-million dollar ranch adjacent to a national park. Apparently, the Park Service wanted the land, the local law enforcement the assets (in the form of the house, possessions, etc.). Thus, police had to get a warrant to raid the property. First, they searched it illegally. This is a typical tactic of DEA agents and local law enforcement, who search a house and either plant or discover evidence that they can use to get a warrent later. Regardless, the courts have determined that even illegal searches and seizures are acceptable in the war on drugs. All of this is documented in the book. Even in the illegal search, no drugs were discovered. An elderly couple, go figure?

If you think that stopped the police, DEA, et al., then you haven't read the book. One local officer testified before a judge that "thousands" of marijuana plants were being cultivated on the property. This testimony was based on a lie told to the officer by another. Although both were aware of the lie (and the couple's complete innocence of ANYTHING), this way neither officer could be chared with perjury. Needless to say, the judge issued the warrant.

During the raid, the husband was sleeping. He was roused awake by his wife's screaming and was shot to death as he put down his rifle, which he had becuase he thought he was being robbed and was defending his wife. The agents participating in the raid evicted the wife. Even agents of the U.S. Park Service were involved, in case you doubted their complicity.

It gets better. The location of the ranch was in a different county than the one in which the local police were from! They went out of their own jurisdiction for the express purpose of seizing property from people THEY KNEW were innocent. All of this was expressed by the county prosecutor (where the ranch was), when he said that they appeared to be motivated by a desire to obtain the property and assests of its owners.

This book is meticulously documented and researched. The analysis of the legal issues with references to the Nuremburg Tribunal and Nazi legal principles is stunning. As well as his telling of the internment of Japenese-Americans to demonstrate how segments of society can be treated if the propaganda warriors desire their elimination.

If you're not enraged by the time you're finished reading this book, your heart is dead.

The author has done the work and now the citizens must spread the "gospel". Like a seer Lawrence is able to anticipate the insane trajectory of where this drug war is leading. Though the picture he paints is ugly, if these drug warrior zealots are not vigorously challenged now he clearly shows how much uglier it will become. The evil of Nazi Germany and that of the US drug war are clearly shown to progress via the same chain of events: identification, ostracism, confiscation, concentration, and the final solution ie annihilation. Miller is an American hero doing the best he can to awaken conciousness.

As a passionate archenemy of the "Drug War", the "Drug Czar" and everything else brearhing of fascism in this once-free country, I have read many many boks and articles against this so-called war. I even try (if possible without gagging) to read books that try to support this horrendous farce - many of which are written by people who are drug warriors themselves or just terribly deluded) because I think it's very important to know my enemy. Of all the books that I have ever read on this atrocity, this book has got to be the most articulate and momentous. Other books slash at the war, make fun of it, and are often quite entertaining as well as frightening. Entertainment definitely has its place, and it is great when one is (somehow) able to laugh at even matters as horrendous as child-beatings, rapes, and drug warriors. Sometimes that's the only way we can face the grim realities. This book spares, for the most part, any humor, however, and just tells us, very convincingly, how it is. The author's thesis is simple: He sees a direct parallel between the drug war and the Nazis in Germany. I would like to believe that he is being too extremist in his position. Surely our drug czar and his henchmen will never be as ruthless and terrifying as Hitler! That's what I once thought too, but after reading the book I was convinced otherwise. The creators of this "drug-war" are no mere well-intentioned fools or people ignorant of abstract concepts such as freedom. They have one clear goal in mind: power, power and more power. Let's hope enough Americans wake up in time and the see chasm into which the road is leading us! This incredibly well researched and articulate just may wake us up in time - that is, if it doesn't scare us to death first. Read the book! Read it NOW!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!

Gordon Wilson (Mathematician, Libertarian, and a bit of a mixture between Paul Revere and Patrick Henry )

I love all the Christy books and this one is no different! In this book, Christy is planning the perfect Christmas Vacation with Todd. But as soon as she arrives at the beach, all of Christy's plans blow up in her face. She gets her entire family mad at her, including her Aunt Marti, (whom she learns a secret about) and Todd. She even upsets Tracy (over a guy) without realizing it. But, Christy manages to hand it all over to God and let him help her through. One of the best things about the series is that Christy is just like you and I. She messes up. She's stubborn. She jumps to conclusions. But she trusts God, and though she sometimes takes the long way, she always comes back to him. This was a great Christy book, one that allows you to truthfully say, Christy is the Coolest!

This book is so good! I read it about 5 times in a row while waiting for the next book. you just fall in love with Todd and become best friends with Christy. I encourage all girls to read this that are from ages 12 and up. You'll get attached!

This book is so so good, the picnic on the beach,the New Years' kiss, Oh so romatic with a Christian point of view. These are just a few reasons I started reading the Christy Miller series, but my first book was Sierra Jensen series, and from then on it was them and nothing else I don't read any other books but these. Mrs.Gunn I think you are a very great writer but one thing what happened to Paul and Sierra? Please write more or have them made into movies or something. But no matter how you look at it these books rule. Thanks agin Mrs.Gunn

This book is a must read in todays changing times. Especially in the wake of Sept l1/01 and all its leading events.We have come to
the threshold of the Biokind Path experience Biokind in all levels
of our existence, inwardly and outwardly.
Take this knowledge gleamed from this book and apply it to your life in todays ever changing world . Take our children by the hand of knowledge and
lead them into Biokind.

Biokind speaks with a passion that should be felt by every human being. It reminds us of where we've come from and our oneness with every living creature in the pyramid of life. As a former science teacher, I taught my students to learn through reading and exploring nature on field trips. Only by using all the senses can the true meaning of life be understood and appreciated. Biokind will awaken a reality deep within your heart and soul. A reality that all life is sacred and deserves the same respect, honor and dignity we wish for ourselves.

Captain W. K. Miller created the concept of "biokind" and draws upon her more than twenty-five years of experience to present the reading public with Biokind: Rhetoric For A New Paradigm. This exceptionally well crafted affirmation that human beings are one with the ecosystem we inhabit, and coins a the word "biokind" reflects how we should best live in harmony with the natural world that sustains us. Faith, kindness, conservation and ecosystem-friendly behavior bring physical and spiritual renewal. Highly recommended reading for students of metaphysics, environmental concerns, and Gaia compatible lifestyles, Biokind speaks from the heart and soil of the Earth itself.

Black Spring is the antithesis of the "small talk" which defines commercial literature. And henceforth, if you should choose to be so morbid, if you acknowledge the loneliness of our age of instant communication you realize that Miller is the antithesis of our neighbors as well. In this stellar performance Miller plays friend and educator. He manages an astounding approachability for such scholarly work. You'll get the feeling early on that much like his beat cousins honesty is his game. But Miller's honesty seems to be more interested in its absorption into the common public denominator. This Book finds Miller at his best do what he does better than anyone else...Writing fine & insightful literature in a style, which accomplishes confession devoid of the triteness of ego

"I am dazzled by the glorious collapse of the world."

....some vignettes here start out pretty innocent here but once Henry Miller gets a figurative and literal bug up his-- he waxes and waxes and waxes poetically (a lot of times in alliteration) about life, death and the cosmos. He and Bukowski are my favorite derelict writers, I feel I always get something from them although their story-telling is not always linear. And I love to read them both aloud. Why, when Henry really starts these tirades, sometimes its best to have an unabridged dictionary on hand. All the previous reviewers seem to like the recounting of Henry in the pissoire. My favorite piece is the hilarious and poignant "Jabberwhorl ("But it must be in the key of C") Crondstadt" who turns out to have a refugee sanctuary and who's own illness (abated by cognac and cayenne) exposes to Henry something about madness and art and creation. It simply must be read aloud for appreciation. Henry Miller is not evvybody's glass of absinthe, but for me, he is great...like he says, "What is not in the open street is false, that is derived, that is, literature" I have not been everywhere he has, but I have been where he has been a lot and most of his writings, even those which are way too funky to decipher are fun and enjoyable to read in my opinion. Most of his writing may be just too, too real for anyone who is not willing to take up the challenge...

Black Spring is one of Miller's earlier efforts belonging to the Paris-written era of The Tropic's of Cancer and Capricorn. Whilst hilarious and enjoyable to read it suffers from too much Capricorn-esque angst-ridden soul rimming. A great book to read, but I would recommend Quiet Days In Clinchy as Miller's best French novel. It is equally humourous and has no extra pussyfooting around.

As anyone who's seen my reviews of her other books, I am not a fan of Nadine Miller; in fact, I would never buy another book by her. But this is actually the first book of hers I read, and on the strength of that I went out and bought several others.

THIS is a great book - and I still want to know what's happened to Miller since she wrote it!

Jared, the Duke, has decided that it's time to marry, and so he's asked his elderly female relations to gather together several possible brides for him (shades of Emma Jensen's Best Laid Plans here). One of the possibles has brought with her a cousin/companion, Emily - a slightly overweight, plain little mouse of a woman, and certainly not someone who would be thought to attract a Duke; only she doesn't meet the Duke. She meets someone who calls himself Jared, and who seems to be an ordinary local farmer - but who, judging by his strong resemblance to the Duke, must be a half-brother. Emily has absolutely no doubt that he is not the Duke, however - he couldn't be. He's charming and rogueish and fun to be with, while the Duke is top-lofty and disapproving.

An entertaining and occasionally heart-wrenching story follows, in which the Duke gets himself more and more deeply entangled in a mess entirely of his own making.

There are also some great secondary characters here, including Jared's heir and his secretary, Edgar Rankin - I would have liked a book with Edgar as the hero, since there was clearly a story here, strongly hinted at in conversations between Jared and Edgar. Those two had a 'past,' and I wanted to know more.

Highly recommended, even if I can't recommend any of Miller's subsequent books!

I laughed out loud when reading this book. For me, that is the greatest compliment. The duke has a dilemma. Should he marry the woman he loves or should he marry the woman who is "right" for him? Of course, he chooses true love over societal dictates. The minor characters make this book ever so more enjoyable, especially the duke's secretary, his cousin, and of course his dotty old aunts. The characters push the plot forward with outrageous humor. I've read this book several times and I laugh every time.

I absolutely adored this book. It's well written, with characters that are three-dimensional and very likable. There is a lot of warm, wonderful humor that makes this book a true joy to read.

Reggie Bynum has a long and hard road to toll; he is a single father raising two teenage daughters in Harlem. On top of this, his sister Charlene (Charlie) visits often to cook and offer her own brand of discipline and advice. The novel is prefaced with a brief story of Reggie and Charlie as teenagers and the responsibilities put upon them. We get a glimpse of Reggie and his interactions with women, which sets the stage for his adulthood relationships. Reggie promises himself that he will never leave his family, like his father did, and will always provide what he can for them. Because of this affirmation, Reggie, a former professional gambler, takes a job as a garbage collector; it is honest and steady work. Reggie's wife Sharon and the girls' mother, abandons the family because of this decision.

Nineteen-year-old Tiara Bynum is a beautiful and smart college student and she knows it. She uses her looks to get what she wants; it is all about Tiara and she damns anyone who gets in her way. Sister Josephine (Jo-Jo) is a basketball phenomenon suffering through the growing pains of adolescence. She is typically Tiara's punching bag. Tiara is caught in a dangerous game because she has her eyes set on two young men; one who is interested in her and one who could not care less. Rashad presents a challenge to Tiara because no man has ever resisted her charm. Rashad is a cab driver and film school student. Lionel presents a different challenge to Tiara; he is rich and able to provide her with any tangible item her little heart desires. Lionel has a dark side and the entire family is caught up in his web of deceit.

Using What You Got offers some life lessons that can be enjoyed by both teenagers and adults. Miller has offered a very realistic and engaging look into the trials and tribulations that many families can go through based on poor decision making; the meaning of family first and forgiveness.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
APOOO BookClub

With her third book firmly under her belt, readers will learn that Karen Quinones Miller is absolutely here to stay! In "Using What You Got," Ms. Miller uses a much gritter style of writing than previously seen in her first two books. But the language and situations ring crystal clear and utterly true for who and where her characters are: where they live, how they live, and where they come from.

In this book, we meet the overindulged, self-absorbed Tiara. Girlfriend is smooth as silk and fine as wine. A legion in her own mind. Just when you think this chick doesn't have one redeeming quality, we find that she is nothing short of a brainiac and sporatic bouts of random acts of kindness that has nothing to do with how it is going to benefit her. Like everything else in her life, learning comes as easilty to Tiara as the latest pair of designer jeans or whatever she can conjole out of her father. Men have also been easy for Tiara to acquire, whether she wanted them or not. That is, until she meets the one that doesn't seem to be that impressed with what she has to offer. Should she be satisfied with the man with the money, the car, the clothes and the style to give her the lifestyle she wants or will she throw it all away to get the one that got away? Also, while it seems that Tiara and her younger sister, Jo-Jo, who loves sports almost as much as irritating Tiara, have nothing in common, we learn that when push comes to shove, Tiara is more than ready to throw down to defend and protect her baby sister.

Next, we also meet the handsome and very responsible Reggie, Jo-Jo and Tiara's father who has raised them almost entirely by himself when their mother runs off shortly after Jo-Jo's birth. Reggie is the kind of man any woman would love to get her hands on. He's an ex-boxer who is still fine and sexy as all get out. He is assisted by his seemingly forever cranky sister, Charlene, whom everyone calls Charlie. Charlie has her own substory and probably could carry her own book. There is a lot of unspoken, undealt with pain over an accident from when she was a teenager that forever changes how Charlie sees herself, and has clouded how she lives her life. However, through her own changes and disappointments in life, Charlie is right there to help Reggie with raising his beloved daughters.

Using What You Got is about what it means to be a sibling, a family, a friend and a lover. Its about learning to love your family, even when you don't always necessarily like them, finding out who your true friends are as well as learning to be a friend, and everything that glitters is not gold. Quinones Miller covers all the bases with this one, and she covers them well!

Very good read from cover to cover.