We all love this book. It's about the only one that I have to read again and again and don't get bored with it.... Our baby loves lifting the flaps (and she's only 13 months), and smiles when we make animal noises that go along with the picture (the monkey page is the funniest!) A great buy.

This book is not only interesting for my toddler daughter, it is very sturdy as well. The flaps are very well constructed and have withheld the test of time from when she was only 6 months old. This book was also a great book for her to learn the names of animals through anticipation. We both love this book!

My 21 month old loves this - it's got great animals & nice pictures. Highly recommend

I just finished reading this book and found I could not put it down.It is one of the most enlightening, well written, important books on living with a disability that I've ever read.The author's descriptions are so precise I really feel as if I'm there or following behind her. I can almost smell the food as she describes it or see the cobblestones on the uneven surface as she tries to manuver.
I feel this book is so important in seeing the world through the eyes of a disabled person that Iam requiring it for all of my staff.I thank the author for sharing her life with me. She is a most remarkable person.

I read this book in one sitting and I really enjoyed it. I was impressed with the author's honesty and really appreciated her candor in reactions to each new development in her disease.

While she did not always have positive reactions at every stage, she focused on what she "could do" rather than staying in the "land of what she couldn't do." She was never a "Pollyanna" and I found that very refreshing.

I could relate to her anger with people that ignored her and/or her needs in various circumstances, as well as her inventiveness (i.e. peeong on the lawn) was not only entertaining, it made me think about how I have handled what life has thrown at me, how I handled that in the past, how I handle it now, and how I will handle it in the future.

The author comes across as a person that is in charge of her life, and I admire that quality.

I would recommend this book not only to people living with a chronic illness, but to anyone interested in living life to it's fullest.

A READER WITH LUPUS

Teresa is an amazing and courageous woman. Her book is
uplifting and inspirational. Her life before and after
her diagnosis of MS was well written and I found I had to
finish reading it even though I had already started a
John Grisham novel. She has lived her life well and
fully. I recommend Life is an Adventure to anyone--
whether disabled or not.

I purchased this book after the sudden death of a friend. I was at a complete loss as to how to deal with it, and had never experienced this type of loss before. I was shaken.

I can't believe my good fortune to have this book. It taught me so much about the role Grief plays in our lives, as well as it's not just limited to the lose of a person or relationship. Grief can come in all forms from all things. I found it very comforting to discover this and it actually helped me to embrace grief as a natural precursor to healing.

This is definitely a great book to have around, and did give me some tremendous insights. I highly recommend this book for anyone having experience a loss or a feeling of loss that you can't seem to attach to anything. I really feel like this book was a sanity saver in a sense, as it helped me identify something I would have never recognized as 'grief-worthy.'

This book has helped me so much during a very rough time in my life where I've split from my husband, lost my house that I dearly loved, and moved to a place that I hate. It helps you understand what you're going through, and it gives you things to do that can help. An amazingly good book!

This book was an excellent guide for me when my husband came out of the closet. I felt like I was lost, floating in space. I was so scared to face what was happening to me. This book gave me the courage to face my worst fears and continue on. This book helped me at the worst time of my life by giving me a map to follow to get through. Thank you Alla writting such a read able book.

McGrath's poetry combines the lyricism and lines of Whitman with 500 channels of cable television. Even though I hate the word "postmodern," that's probably the best adjective for this book. It is truly a stunning statement to the author's knowledge and grasp of American culture.

It's refreshing to see a poet who displays almost no allegiance to formal styles and is stunning in his originality.

I must confess two of my opinions concerning Mc Grath's "Spring Comes to Chicago": 1) it is an often confusing collection of lyrical thoughts and flashy originality, and: 2) it is truly one of the most gorgeous experiments in contemporary poetical forms.

I agree with one of the previous reviewers that Mc Grath immediately reminds one of Whitman and Ginsberg, especially in his use of the catalogue-length lines and his often satirical commentary on American life and living. However, he seems to lean more towards Ginsberg than Whitman, for the American Bard has not Mc Grath's and Ginsberg's sense of humor and irony. The title poem (or should I say section?) "Spring Comes to Chicago" is the closest to Ginsberg as this collection gets...the opening lines are especially familar in cadence to the famous lines from Ginsberg's polemic, "Howl."

Nevertheless, while Mc Grath's lines often remind readers of other poets (did everyone catch Williams in there too?), Mc Grath's collage of prose pieces are used in an awe-inspring and masterful way. They are not, as someone noted in a review on his "Road Atlas," simply journal sketches or a rough blue-print for the spirit of this poem. Instead, they are isolated moments where philosphical, scientific, or literary speculation bring us back to the matters the poem discusses.

My favorite device of the entire volume is the what I term "the Squirrel stitch." Mc grath playfully and sensitively writes his meditations on the habits of these creatures, sewing a few lines here, then there--- almost as if too unite the thought patterns of the poem with a common element of praise and bewilderment.

Anyway, enough of my banter. Read this collection for yourself. You will see how clearly it stands out from the muck being written and sold today. Mc Grath should stick to his guns! If he remains true to the voices recorded in the lines of "Spring Comes to Chicago" he is sure to do something more important and amazing in a future collection.

Two years ago, I sat down with this thin book and a bottle of expensive bourbon. I remember becoming aware of my breathing as I read "The Golden Angel Pancake House" and soon, without having touched any liquor yet, my head started to spin. I had forgotten that words could have such power and irresistible momentum. Only Whitman had ever done that for me.

The following day, I read "The Bob Hope Poem" in one sitting, pulled along by the language at great speed. The thing is a glorious beast of a poem, a swooping roller coaster that raises your spirits to nose-bleed heights, sends you careening downhill under 5 g's of sadness, and then redeems you with pure happiness. Never mind "I laughed, I cried" - you will gain a new understanding of emotion.

That someone can write like this is inspiring and renewing; it reminds us why poetry matters.

To have a work of this philosophic profoundness translated by someone who was himself steeped in the very same tradition as the work that he is translating is a privelege.
Swami Nikhilananda was a genuine Hindu holy man who was also a scholar and he brings to this translation rare insights that can only be found from the actual experience of what he is writing of.
Be careful of premature comparisons between the Upanishads and the teachings of Buddhism: While there are similarities between both traditions, they are each distinct and have their own value and integrity as religious systems and both make a decided contribution to the wisdom of the religions of the east.

This volume contains most of the stories told in the Buddhist Teachings. Many examples seen in this volume can also be found in the Teachings of the Buddha Gotama. Brahman is explained through symbols like the "elements" (air, fire,...), objects for meditation, short stories that also appear in the Buddhist literature. However, these examples and stories are explained in a rather crude manner in this volume, compared to what can be found in the Buddhist Teachings. The advantage being that they are presented in a condensed manner here, with the most profound ones in this single volume...

So if your purpose is to try to understand this volume just by itself, there are chances you'll get struck by the depth of its meaning. So please first get into some other medium to advanced books in Hinduism and Buddhism before trying to absorb this volume, because the other previous three volumes are not enough to get across this one...but the essence is there, Gotama relied on the content of this volume for his Teachings, no doubt.

When you'll be done with the four volumes, you'll understand where the Buddhist Teachings come from...these Upanishads constitute the essence of the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies.

Unfortunately, they are probably the most cryptic texts that deal with the Ultimate, the style is so crude that one should not read them nor teach them to people that have not spent many years at studying the basics of the Indo-aryan philosophy (be it Hinduism, Buddhism,...) and are not prepared to approach the Absolute. Find a qualified teacher before reading them, unless you could be mislead and loose more time than if you had learned the basics before. So unless you know what you'll find in there, don't read them. If you feel prepared to it, get into it. If the Vedanta considered them as the secret teachings, it's not for the sake of hiding them, but rather because their use should be restricted to the most advanced scholars. There is no discrimination in this, only a will to prevent misunderstanding and misinterpreting of this difficult topic, nothing else. If you don't trust me, get into it and you'll understand very soon what i'm talking about. It's useless to begin learning a subject with the most advanced textbooks, except making you disgusted of it, so please don't try to catch the Ultimate directly with the Upanishads.

This third volume deals with the relative truth provided by rituals and sacrifices, which objective is to bring conscience about their "unefficiency" at an absolute point of view for bringing knowledge of "Brahman" (the ultimate reality). These rituals and sacrifices are means for realizing it through superimposition, i.e. adding some false semantics over what is to be understood and then invalidating it by showing its inconsistency with what is to be understood. One should hence meditate on them to better dwelve into the difference between the relative and the absolute.

This volume is less abstract than the previous two volumes so people that prefer metaphors and more practical stories will be more at ease with this volume.

Bonita Campbell has done a phenomenal job. She has the gift of providing whatever needs to be said. i am amazed at the scope and accuracy of her work, and ma the good Lord bless her and the work she is doing.

I wear the hats of both an artist, and a collector of decorative aluminum. As an artist, I am drawn to the Campbell book, because it represents the first fully researched history of the company that introduced this uniquely American art form. As a collector, I am delighted to find a work that gives me information to determine the provenance, including dating, of the Wendell August Forge artifacts.

A beautifully illustrated book showing countless vintage pieces of hand forged aluminum artwork of exceptional rarity. Comprehensive appendixes on trademark handstamp marks and dating clues allows collectors and dealers to date peices with considerable accuracy. This book is valuable to novice and experienced collectors, antique dealers, researchers and historians. It is destined to become an essential resource to anyone interested in decorative, architectural or hand hammered aluminum.

Solo Crossing is the original book by Split Verse editor Meg Campbell. Here poems touch on all topics, though many are framed by Campbell's divorce. "Ode to a Single Mother" and "Leavetaking" address Campbell's experiences in single motherhood. Many poems on childhood as well. These poems are stunning in their portrayal of a woman's life.

Ms. Campbell's imagery is evocative and yet accessible. While maintaining a distinctly imaginative voice throughout the collection, the poems are etched deeply in a life which could be anyone's. Whether young or old, in love or out, we all know loss, and this poet tells a story which is important to hear.

The strength of these poems goes far beyond the all-too-human experience of divorce and betrayal. Here is a rich poetic voice, fresh in metaphor (from Crocuses: Synchronized/as infant birds straining gullets), and fearless in romantic honesty (from Airborne: My mother, 72,/turns to the handsome man seated beside/her on the plane./I bet you were hoping to sit next to/an attractive young blonde./Smiling, he replies, I am.) These poems are ringingly lyrical and unselfconscious, sometimes a bit spare and clipped, but always redeemed by their music.

Split Verse is the finest collection of serious poetry I've seen in a long time. The layout of the book is clean and each section contains poetry on a different aspect of the subject, allowing the reader to choose what they'd like to see and the sequence. When reading a book on a topic that is none too happy, it's a pleasure to be able to move around the subject, yet still get the feeling of a unified theme at work. It's also especially exciting to see new work from New York writers like David Mark Speer, whose piece, "At Least Half the Man My Father Was," is probably the most heartfelt, wry and touching poem in the book. Overall, the editors did a great job and I can't wait to see what's next. If you're interested in serious literature about a sometimes tragic yet fully human topic, Split Verse is the book for you.

Often "theme" anthologies end up too small in their focus and their reach. While SPLIT VERSE certainly concentrates on divorce, the poems are true to any experience of loss, devastation or betrayal. William Duke's erotic masterpiece "The Best Sex" bites you with its final judgement. Nita Penfold's recurring narrator reminds you of a favorite wise aunt, long since recovered from a bad choice. These poets aren't bitter but one can tell they spent some time there. SPLIT VERSE will surprise you every time you open it. Enjoy!

Separation and divorce are things that touch everyone and need to be talked about. Whether you are a child of divorced parents, or simply suffering from a break-up, even if you are happy and in love these poems cover the full spectrum of emotions involved. Each section speaks to a particular place in your soul and yet inspires you to remember the strength of the whole. At once funny and clever, or wry and difficult, they are beautifully written and collected. You will be glad you picked it up.

This is a very handy resource for high school age students of theatre arts. My 22 students found that the reading level, vocabulary and style combined to make a very accessible introduction to technical aspects of theatre. The anecdotes provided clear examples and advice, to which the students could relate readily, and the author's unique style manages to assume that the reader is ignorant of the subject without insulting the reader. My students were grateful to find the questions they would be afraid to ask (the "dumb questions"), answered clearly and comprehensively. The many and well-placed diagrams and illustrations add significantly to the value of the book as a whole. I highly recommend this book for any youth theatre program, or high school theatre arts class.

Very practical and straightforward. An essential tool for anyone starting in theater as it discusses the very basic materials for survival in the trade. Theater old timers will also like the book for the numerous sample situations (anecdotes) included.

The book went beyond academic and in fact, is more experiential in content. It's a balance blend of terminologies, systems and case studies.

Simply put, this is the most helpful book on the technical side of theater I have ever read. Mr. Campbell is a rare individual. Although a technichian, he has written a sympathetic and yet extremely informative book on lighting, sound, stage terminology, etc. The amount of really usefull information in the book is astounding. I am a high school drama teacher, and I think this book should be in the library of every theater teacher and theater student. No other book I've read so clearly explains the essentials one needs to know about the technical craft of theater. If you are a person who doesn't want a book where the author is trying to show what an expert he or she is and what an idiot you are, then Drew Campbell's book is just for you. He is an expert who understands his job is to help those of us who aren't. Bravo for this book. I hope Mr. Campbell keeps writing on theater. We can use his knowledge, wit, and empathy. Five stars for this book, and a few thrown in for the actor with glass in his butt telling jokes on the way to the hospital. Thanks for a great book.

Through her journey, Ffyona learned and shows us what it is and what it takes to be "human",what true courage is, as she bares her soul. Without embellishing anything,the author faces her demons and finds herself, she speaks about the process of growing:the pain,the lessons and joys of life...How she became who she is,why... As the aboriginals she admired, she made her journey...it's pure and beautiful.

I have just finished reading Ffyona Campbells brilliant new book "The Whole Story " and for the first time i have been unable to put the book down like no other . I bought this book for £1 in my local bargain bookshop and I consider it to be the best £1 i have or ever will spend .The journey Ffyona takes is truly epic in milage and emotional terms as she walks and confronts her true inner self along the route . Ffyona finds herself sitting next to a person she once was on a flight to America and for any one to admit their personal failings must be saluted .I have read before that in order to tell a true autobiography /travel account then the author must be truthful and when you finally find the inner truth then the telling of the story must be easy .A truly well writen book from start to end from a truly couragous person .My ambition now would be to srtive to be like Ffyona and meet such agreat person of the 20th century . bravo Ffyona !

In its simplicity the book is invincibly entering into something deeply philosophical. Very plaintively a finger has been laid on all the maladies of the earth. The sick earth, or sickened. Man stopped long time ago. Why? We don't know. May be he was insecure, may be greedy, may be ... but none is an excuse befitting to exonerate him. But perhaps not everybody stopped. Some refused. They understood the true, or more true nature of life. That it flows. As long as it's alive it flows. Or as long as it flows, is alive. When it stops starts the permeation of death. Ugliness and disease. Stench, scum... There is no end.

Speaking broadly, there were, are, people called tribals, aboriginals. The man who stopped, permeated by death devoured these people, tried to devour them all, in the name of civilisation, in the disguised name of sickness. Strangely as the common logic doesn't operate here, contrary to the man who devoured last, the man who got devoured, won. The sensible in the devouring man appears to be begging.

The other man is always walking.

It appears the sensible in the stopped man or rather the man who stopped, longs to walk now. In order to be healed. To not to contradict life anymore. To follow it, and flow.

That a girl of 16 would lead us to all this, is amazing. Salute Ffyona.