This Is An AMAZING book!! It truly is the best most moving book that I have ever read!!!!

This book is used continually in my classroom. My students use it to write reports about the time periods of history. It really helps them develop research skills and interest in the topic of Pre-History.

There were 3 aspects of this book that made a differecne for me: Thinking Differently, Making Shifts, and understanding the Structure found in all difficult conversations. If you understand these aspects it will significantly improve how well you handle difficult conversations.

This is about Thinking Differently-- 1. This is an approach. 2. It's not about doing differently; it's about thinking differently. 3. It's about shifting from a message delivery stance to a learning stance. 4. All difficult conversations have the same structure. The structure is almost always "below the surface." It is hidden in what people are thinking and feeling, but not saying.

Shifts (with this approach)-- We must shift our internal orientation: FROM: Certainty (I understand) TO: Curiosity (Help me understand); FROM: I am right TO: I am curious; FROM: I know what was intended TO:I know the impact; FROM: I know who is to blame TO: I know who contributed what; FROM: Debate TO: Exploration; FROM: Simplicity TO: Complexity; FROM: "Either/or" TO: "And".

Understanding the Structure-- 1. All difficult conversations share a common structure. To make the structure visible, we not only need to understand what was said, but also what was not said. We need to understand what the people involved are thinking and feeling, but not saying to each other. This is usually where the real action is. 2. What makes a conversation difficult? The gap between what you are really thinking and what you are saying is part of it. 3. Our thoughts and feelings of all difficult conversations fall into the same three categories, or "conversations". 4. And, in each of the conversations, we make predictable errors that distort our thoughts and feelings and get us in trouble. 5. There predictable errors can be overcome this specific strategies that the authors suggest.

I have developed workshops based on this material that we are finding very helpful in our hospital setting.

Spend some time with this book - it will be worth your while.

Life is all about relationships, and this book is about life. Whether at work or at home, all of us come across difficult conversations - they're inevitable. When we get stuck, it's refreshing to know that there's a way out. That's what makes Difficult Conversations so special.

Heen, Stone, and Patton share insights on how to get past arguments of right versus wrong, blame versus defend, and other obstacles to effectively dealing with our differences. The framework is simple and elegant, while at the same time explored with remarkable depth and breadth.

There's a wonderful story about a student and his Aikido master. Watching his teacher demonstrate a technique, the student said, "Master - what amazes me is that you never lose your balance". The master replied, "You are wrong. I always lose my balance. The secret is that I regain my balance faster." Difficult Conversations has done exactly that for me. I've discovered ways to regain my balance when it comes to difficult conversations, faster.

My copy is tattered and highlighted more than any of the recent books I've read. I found that it got even better with each chapter. The last half of the book was especially good. When it all came together at the end (the last chapter is excellent), I closed the book, thought about what I had just read, and began reading it all over again.

Why not have more of a good thing? Like going for seconds.

Difficult conversations is not just a book, it's a powerful tool for changing the course of the conversations that matter the most. The only danger you'll face in reading this book is the danger of failing to make use of the life-enhancing concepts that fill each page. For example, the principle of shifting from assigning blame to discussing various "contributions" to problem situations has helped me personally to defuse upset emotions and get a conversation back on track.
Congratulations to these fine scholars and practitioners for a timeless contribution.
Joseph Grenny, co-author Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

After reading McNab's "Bravo Two Zero" and "Immediate Action," I thought I'd give his fiction a try. Overall this book is entertaining, with more action than recent vintage Clancy novels. The action is often quite intense and, in those moments, it is a real page turner. The technical and tradecraft details are what really make this book. McNab, or course, is all the more believable in these areas due to his personal experiences as relayed in his non-fiction work. He buys a credibility there that Clancy, et al. just can't match. Worth reading for that fact alone.

While the story is good and the details better, the writing itself is sometimes clumsy. Maybe this is nitpicking, since the reality is that the writing somehow seems to "fit" the story (you wouldn't want Steinbeck or Hemingway telling the story, would you?). However, I suspect that the writing is simply due to first novel syndrome (I had no complaints about his writing in Bravo Two Zero), and would expect this to improve in future works.

Although I only gave the book 3 stars, I'll definitely keep McNab on my "read" list.

REMOTE CONTROL is an exciting, bullet flying, rib cracking, guts spewing story about an ex-SAS man, Nick Stone, who gets caught up in the vicious murder of an old friend and his family. Rescuing the only surviving member of the massacre a seven-year-old shell shocked little girl called Kelly, Nick goes on the run, and finds out that even friends are potential enemies in a world of IRA deals, drug cartels and messy TransAtlantic politics. This is a knuckle bitingly good book and I spent the whole of an evening reading it from cover to cover. Andy McNab is as good a writer of fiction as he is of fact. I liked his hero because it showed the man to be human and not just a killing machine as SAS soldiers are often portrayed in many novels. I hope that McNab thinks of writing a sequel to REMOTE CONTROL as Nick Stone and Kelly make quite a formidable team. A big thumbs up for this cracker of a first novel.

this is the first of his i've read, and i was suitably impressed. Nick Stone strikes me somewhat as a more realist, more modern James Bond, an ex-SAS man, he now works for the "deniable operations" unit of the British secret service.

The book is well written, and easy to read. the pace is fast, the plot is exciting and never lets up. the action is constant, and the ending is full of surprises.

Stone is a likeable "hero", and seems very human. His relationship with Kelly, the young girl he is trying to save, is touching and at times very sad. The book has a fierce realism, borne from the fact that McNab has been there, done that.

I would reccomend it.

This is a big book that covers a lot of topics relating to Linux. If you're looking for a introductory book or a somewhat intermediate book that will help you get a jump on Linux programming then this is probably the best one released for this operating system so far. Although you'll find many typos and misaligned text in this book, as well as some dated code and libraries, it still does provide a lot of useful examples into how Linux programs are written and created. Most of the things covered in this book are done rather quickly so it is not a complete reference manual at all and it doesn't aim to be. It is more or less just a large book on many key Linux subjects and you will not be wasting your time picking up a copy of this book. Hopefully we'll see more books like this one released for this operating system.

When I began this book, I was comfortable with Linux and I had written several C programs for Mac and Windows. I like the tutorial style of this and my other Wrox book, Beginning Access VBA Programming. The examples are clear and concise, and the book moves VERY quickly from basic to advanced concepts, which I prefer. However, I think more explanation of why the examples work is needed. Often, commands are introduced with no or little explanation, only to be explained later. This can be annoying. Also, you must be fairly comfortable with Linux to make use of the book. Also, I don't think you could follow this book if you've never done any programming before.

I would advise people using this and other Wrox "Beginning" books to have other reference books on hand, when concepts spring up without sufficient explanation. Also, spend more time with the examples and try to use the examples to write your own unique programs before moving on. It will take a little longer, but you'll learn better and faster in the long run.

I found this book an excellent introduction for wide range of topics which can be roughly bundled as Linux programming topics (but I think that there's more inside). If you're looking for a book which will cover many topics in a quick-yet-not-that-shallow tutorial, then I highly recommend this book. This book covers many, many important topics from the basics of Linux/UNIX such as terminals, shell programming(scripting), through more proramming issues like Inter Programming Communication (IPC), X programming, debugging and building issues under Linux to the more sysadmin oriented topics such as Perl, HTML programming, etc'. It also includes many other important things, which can be easily viewed in it's TOC... . What I can add is that it's explanation and building of the chapters is very good. This book covers many topics so each chapter isn't too deep, but yet not shallow at all. Most of the time, at the right ratio.

So, all in all, I think the authors did a good job in the balance between delving into details and coverage of wide range of topics.

I recommend this book to the following: 1. Junior sysadmins (like me!): just make sure you go through an extensive C/C++ tutorial (C++ even better) before getting this one. Go through *all* of this book's chapters. It'll teach you ALOT more than you know about Linux and it'll give you in depth understanding of many things. 2. Programmers in Linux: Well, this is just your first step but, IMHO, it's very important to know your surroundings even if you'de never mess with some of the book's stuff in the future. 3. Every "Linux lover"/hacker (not cracker!) out there. Get this book. you'll love it. It'll feed you with a perfect mixture of topics/details about the Linux system.

I truly enjoyed reading this book (quick read). And it is a true indication of how some of these "preachers" can lose sight of everything (i.e Jesse Jackson). I can understand everything that Tanya had to come to terms with and how difficult her decisions had to be. We can often offer advise to others about their relationships, but never can take our own advise, often trying to show how our situation is "a little" different. And when you are the "first lady" of the church, not only is your marriage considered the sacrament but representation of the entire church family. So no matter what happens Monday - Saturday on Sunday you still have to look like a happy church family. With the growing number of 'called' preachers, reverands, evangelists and Bishops, I'm certain there will be many Tanya's to come. Overall the book offers a great story with a strong spiritual background. And it also shows how our deep roots and upbringing in the church affects how we deal with our marital relationship, the decisions we make and why we sometimes endure so much.

This book was great. I enjoyed it to the utmost. I am very involved in my church and we had a similar situation a few years ago, so I know it is "real." It is very sad when these things happen with supposedly "spiritual" individuals, but some people aren't able to handle "fame" and the responsibilities that go with it. It is unfortunate that some pastors of large churches have to be strong and able to avoid temptations that are so easy available. NOt only did Curtis do wrong, but he didn't seem to be able to distinguish the difference. He had too much "going on" in his life and he got exactly what he deserved in the end. I read with baited breath, hoping that his wife wasn't going to give in, in the end. I'm glad she went on with her life. Kimberla did an excellent job. I e-mailed her to let her know and she responded the very next day. A wonderful person!

This was our [ReadSistahRead@egroup.com] first book of the month. An excellent, well-written book, Casting the First Stone, centers around the rise and fall of a Southern-born minister who is overcome by power, money and women. Because money and power rule his life, God, his family, and others are placed on the back burner.

Calvin's meager beginnings as a dedicated minister, his gradual rise to fame and fortune, and his ultimate fall will affect the reader as much as his loved ones, his congregation, and the 'other' women he used and abused are affected.

This excellent, well-written book contains well-developed characters that the reader will both love and hate. They are believable people with personalities of their own. I found myself discussing portions of the book with others who had not read it, remarking about the characters as though they were real people.

An excellent read, sums up my opinion of this well-written, attention-commanding book. Kudos to you, Ms. Roby.

Irving Stone had the ability to do for a single person what James Michener had the ability to do for an entire country. Stone gives us biography on a large scale and it is impossible to read him without learning something or coming away from the novel a better person.

The Agony and the Ecstacy is the "biographical novel" of Michelangelo but much more than that it is the story of the Italian Renaissance in all its glory. Through Michelangelo's eyes one gets a full feeling for Florence and Rome at the time. Stone paints with a broad brush the stories of wars, feuding princes, religious machinations, and the wonderful art that the Renaissance produced.

This novel is however much more than that. It is an analysis of the struggle that is necessary to create. We experience the creation of just about every major work of art of Michelangelo and the personal struggles that went into the creative process. We see the artist as he struggles with family, princes, popes and other artists to get his designs accepted.And finally we see the glory of a life well lived as the artist dies leaving a truly monumental body of work behind.

I don't know how much of this work was novel and how much was pure biography but I do know that the result was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences that I've had for many years. The reader need not worry that he or she is not an expert on Renaissance art when this work is read. Supplemental material and photographs of the works discussed may be found on several web sites. Jump in and enjoy.

I must first say that I was very skeptical when I first started reading this book (having seem the movie and loving it, I was afraid that it would be poorly written); however, it, i.e., The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone turned out be a real gem. In fact, I wish that more modern authors could write with the eloquence that Mr. Stone shows thought this book. The book itself can be said to easy to read and its, i.e., The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone descriptions are so vivid and alive that one could have thought that one had known or been acquainted with all of these characters in previous life. Irving Stone also makes the reader experience the wild mood swings that Michelangelo experiences during the creation of his pieces and one truly understands the title of the book since Michangelo's life was truly filled with Agony and the Ecstasy.

The book is so beautifully written that it will make you read it again and again.It takes you back to the renaissance.It talks about Michelangelo's agonies & ecstasies.His troubled times with the popes.His life under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici.The troubles he had making his masterpieces,such as,the Sistine ceiling,David,the dome of St.Peters.It also talks about his life love,the plagues,the wars,the arts and the artists of his time.Over all this book Fanstastic & out of this world.After reading this you would want to read Stone's other books.

Few stories are more popular among readers than the age old battle between good and evil, which is exemplified in the legend of King Arthur. Susan Cooper gives that scenario an imaginative twist with "Over Sea, Under Stone." It's a narrative sure to pique the imaginations of young ones, especially as read by popular British actor Alex Jennings.

When, during a vacation in today's Cornwall, the Drew children discover an old manuscript in the attic of their rented house, they suddenly find themselves involved in an exciting and dangerous quest. Their very lives are jeopardized as they search for the grail, the one antidote to the power of evil called the Dark. Their Great Uncle Merry is on their side, but much of what he knows he isn't telling.

Ms. Cooper's prose is both concise and thrilling; Mr. Jennings's reading is superb.

After a couple of introductory chapters to lay a foundation, this tale explodes into a fast moving suspense drama with a touch of fantasy that readers of all ages are sure to love.

The Drew children Barney, Simon, and Jane are on holiday (British term for vacation) in Cornwall England with their parents and great-uncle Merriam Lyon. While exploring a hidden room in the old Grey House in which they are staying, they stumble across an ancient map that throws them into a desperate search for an ancient grail which will unlock power to war against the Dark side. The Dark forces (real life people) are also in hot pursuit of the much-coveted grail that links back to the days of King Arthur and a fierce battle between good and evil that has ensued for hundreds of years.

One chase scene mid-way through is as suspenseful as any that you will find even in adult fiction. Susan Cooper not only is talented at spinning yarns of intrigue, but also adept at creating real life characters that you almost feel you know.

Be sure to read the epilogue at the end for one additional big plot twist!

You will not be disappointed in this one.

Thanks for reading...

TRW

This book is so exciting, after you read it you will be looking back over your shoulder expecting a tall guy in black coming after you because you know too much about him. Hastings, as he's called appears in most of the other books in some form or another. The book begins in Cornwall, England, where three children find a strange parchment, and with the help of their Great-uncle Merry, try to find the treasure that it leads to without getting cought by the Dark. The treasure it leads to is a grail, one of the four things of power that the Light needs to stop the Dark before it takes over the world. This book has many high points in which you'll think that the Dark will win, like when Simon gets chased by Hastings on foot. Or when Barney gets kiddnapped by the Withers (some others from the Dark) and is put under a spell by Hastings, and almost gives him the location of the grail. If you read the other books after this one then you will smile at the familiarity that you see. Read this book, everyone! You'll love it!!!

Sun Tzu "The Art of War" was excellent. This book is a great book on strategy. Whether you command a nations army, war games or a moderen business. If the reader uses some of these war tactics and strategies in the modern world, they may find it easy to relate. Thus it is easy to relate to this book. Even rivals in sports and entertainment can be outwitted by the wisdom in this book. It also adds examples of some actions, which show how these sayings and writings apply to the real world.

So no matter what you were looking for in this book, whether it be business, sports, war games, or actual wars, you can be sure to learn more on how to best deal with the situation through the strategies in this book.

The book is timeless....and should be required reading for all persons.

War is ugly, dirty, brutal, wasteful and expensive. That is the reality of it. Let's not pretend otherwise.

Having said that, the ancient Chinese master strips away all the familiar trappings of war - the warriors, weapons, forts and tactics - to reveal the essence of conflict and how to win.

His lessons are as valid here and now as they were in an empire a long time ago and far, far away. It simply does not matter how you are fighting, what you are fighting over nor even why you are fighting. If you are forced into conflict with another, the lessons in this book will guarantee victory.

Brute strength, overwhelming force, super weapons, holding the high ground, none of these are required for victory. All that is needed is a leader who can understand and apply the principles of warfare.

Essentially it boils down to three ideas.
1. Know yourself.
2. Know your enemy.
3. Only fight when you can win.

Do this, and you will win competitions, elections, games. Anything that involves conflict. Even wars.

Sun Tzu's elegant language lays bare the principles of warfare, illustrating his lessons with examples from Ancient China. It is a thought-provoking, colourful and valuable book.

The theories presented by Sun Tzu in this book have just as much weight today as they did 2,000 years ago. The text is pretty short, and is extremely easy to read and understand considering it is in list form. The book is required reading at service academies and is on reading lists for U.S. military officers. Even Napolean studied this book. Chapters: Estimates, Waging War, Offensive Strategy, Dispositions, Energy, Weaknesses and Strengths, Maneuver, The Nine Variables, Marches, Terrain, The Nine Varieties of Ground, Attack by Fire, and Employment of Secret Agents. Also included in this version is Wu Ch'I's "Art of War"

Turning Stones provides an open and honest window to the world of children at risk. A New York City caseworker of four years, Marc Parent selects powerful and vivid stories to humanize the child welfare system. Parent takes us inside the homes and hearts of children he was sent to protect. Readers are provided with a firsthand account of these experiences, exposed to the powerful, almost unbelievable reality that countless children face. If not already in tune with the nature of child welfare work, reading this book quickly opens eyes, forcing thoughtful reflection. Turning Stones provides a solid and descriptive account of being a "caseworker in the field." More importantly, the author's message of family -- and lack thereof -- cannot be ignored. Parent paints quite clearly the absolute importance of the unwavering love necessary to truly keep children safe. Anyone can learn and expand their understanding of children at risk by reading Turning Stones. It may shock you, but definitely for the better.

The book Turning Stones by Marc Parent focuses on Parent's cases as a social worker who makes visits to houses to decide whether or not the children need to be removed from their homes. Parent holds nothing back as he tells of the decisions that he had to make and why he made the choices that he did. The stories that he tells are both true and extremely shocking; including a mom who is trying to throw her kids out of a window, another mom who is convinced that her apartment has been hexed, and of parents who will do anything to stop their kids from being taken away. He also tells the story of a child who died after Parent had just been to the house to check on the child and all of the emotional problems that it caused himself and how he dealt with these problems. Parent uses these stories to try and show the problems that are involved with this line of work and how people can improve them in the future. This book really opened up my eyes about the horrors that face children in the world today.

Marc Parent tells us the story of his 4 years as an Emergency Child Service worker. He gives us a window into the lives of the children he has removed and the parents who raised them. His stories drew me in with their content and attention to detail. He makes you feel as though you know the people he is with and as though you are there with him in the broken down buildings. Whether its the mother who had a bad dream and decided that her kids needed to jump out a window to save them from the fires of hell or its the little boy with the overactive imagination who decides he needs to kill his little brother so the drug dealers in the hall won't find him, "Turning Stones" is a book that when you finish you feel changed.