It can be embarassing sometimes for a reader to hear about sexual desire-- particularly when it reveals so well that forbidden place men seem to know. Somehow, Wheelis avoids going overboard. At one point, he admits to the reader that if we like him, he has failed to truly reveal himself. Perhaps the reason I like him is that I am thankful. Usually male sexual desire is loaded-- we (as men) are either taught to embrace it (machismo) or chastise it. In this case I it was simply felt and explained.

I am editor of the professional journal "Psychotherapy In Australia" and also a therapist. So I've read many many books on, by, and for therapy and therapists. Allen Wheelis' "The Listener" is utterly distinctive and forced me to confront myself about just how honest I have been with myself in my own life. It is also beautifully written. I've read this book three times now, ans gained more each time, and I've set off on a quest to read all his other books. Irvin Yalom has reviewed this book by asking if a more honest autobiography has ever been written. I have no fear in answering "No".

I've read many, many self-help books in my pursuit to resolve issues such as controlling food intake, poor social skills, negative self-image, and just simply how to manage what happens externally, so that I'm internally balanced. Then I read Wheelis's "How People Change". POW. What a great impact on me. And in that small book, I got a good glimpse into his life. I absolutely had to know more about him. But while reading Listener, I had to keep reminding myself that is not a self-help book. What I was thinking while reading, was how interesting it was to hear about his emotional challenges, the whole range of dilemma's he lived through. This book supplies a lot of very valuable lessons on how *not* to live life, in contrast to his People Change book. 1.) I will make absolutely sure I am emotionally available to my wife when I do find her and get married. LIke Wheelis, I've been over-analytical, but moreso than Wheelis, been very lonely,( full of meaningless short relationships where sex was pretty much it) 2.) Concerning his agony over not being able to sow his wild oates, not getting enough sex as a young man, this is something I used to dwell on. My attitude, as a Christian I've recently become, is, everytime I feel that heart-in-the-pit-of-my-stomach feeling when I see a beautiful woman with wonder what I'm missing out or how I'm suffering, this life as a human being is short and I'm running out of time to give as much as possible, not lust as much as possible. The lust you experience with one spouse is enough! No other sex is necessary. I wish that Wheelis could have replaced his thoughts of deprivation, during his life, with these sort of thoughts. I am not saying to be a Christian or even religious, but take *some* kind of spirtual approach and realize that a part of you never dies and just because you didn't experience as much sex as you wanted, doesn't mean you've officially blown a "chance". You are eternal, and there are joys ahead after this little margin of human existence, I'm convinced (yeah i guess I *am* asking you to a little religious), that make human lust very minor in comparison. I really felt for him and the pain he described. In an especially sexually-explicit segment of about two pages, he speaks for all men, in terms of our unfortunate hard-wiredness to want sex so bad and under any condition that we want. More than anything, this book will drive you right back to his How People Change book to re-read it and absorb it. ( If your inspirational book of choice is something else, then go re-read that again. I recommend the road less traveled)

I just got a puppy and a friend gave me this book, On All Fours. It was super. I have read several puppy books after, but I keep coming back to this one. No fluff, just great tips on thinking like a puppy and relating to one.

One thousand words is nary a splash and sip of good brandy I declare and hardly adequate to do justice to this delicious book. With a judicious use of words, I offer this:
She captures the essence of all that it takes to make any animal whole... be they a hamster or a human. This book teaches kindness. She has a wonderful grasp of her subject... I can only embaress her if I continue. Brutal? Yes! > Her book is too short!

The best, most stratforward book on dealing with dogs that I have ever read!

A really outstanding book! It presumes a very basic level of knowledge and builds your confidence - from the history and making of climbing rope to all the hardware and knowledge needed to descend and ascend. All the techniques are listed and advantages/disadvantages noted for each. There is information for cavers and explorers as well as sportsmen and rescue pros. Some of the most interesting passages in the book describe real situations, poor planning, and what happened. If you want information good enough to go out and survive a dangle from a rope, this is it.

This is a wonderful book. It shows knots in detail, it shows when and how to use them. We use the book all the time as a training manual.

This by far the most comprehensive book on technical rope work and rigging I have ever found. The information is of value to anyone who does high-angle work, not just cavers. The authors do a fabulous job explaining different techniques and WHY they work-an attribute lacking in many other such books. ON ROPE has been the single greatest non-human teacher in my climbing career. Its a must-own for anyone who puts their life on a rope.

I have read many books about pioneering women who set up homes from scratch and quilted for practical and soul-fulfilling reasons. Usually though, those women are long gone and we are left with rather dry details of their lives. The joy of this book is that the women whose words are recorded in it are living, breathing members of that pioneer group, and, even though their experiences were in the 20th rather than the 19th century,the issues and incidents are the same and they tell a vibrant story.
The book records conversations amongst Texas quilting groups, to which the authors were invited and the ladies seem eager to tell stories of their early days in dug outs and cabins, their families scaping a life from the soil and their role in that. None of them ever sound hard done by or as if they wish their lives had been different. And they are all keen to express the creative and fulfilling role that quilting has had in their lives.
If you are not a quilter, you will still enjoy the strength, friendship and nobility that run through these conversations - they are a link with a passed era, which I felt honoured to share as I read.

This book is facinating with it's history of American pioneer women. It contains real quotes from real people about the lives that they lived. If you have seen or been in the play you will be delighted to see that some of the show's monologues are word-for-word from this book! I't's a moving book and a moving play.

This book is a wonderful tribute to women...quilters or not. The book is filled with interviews, pictures, and descriptions that bring the joy and sorrow of daily living to life. If the simple things in life are indeed the sweetest.... then these women and their quilts tell the sweetest story ever...they tell our story... they are our history.

I have an 8 month old son who can't get enough of this book. He loves it! I think he also likes the way it tastes. :-) We are probably going to have to buy another one because he keeps eating the corners.

We have to read it at least 3 times in a row every time he sees it.

Could you write some more books like this one please??!!!

When I first read "What is it" my children instantly took to it. They are 5, 3 and 2 and it is a favorite of all of them. So much so that I had to purchase one for each as they would fight over it! We have read it so many times that they now "read " it to me, which isn't a difficult task as it is very age appropriate. It gives them a huge self-esteem boost to think they are really reading it "like mommy and daddy". We love the simplicity and surprise of each page. I am going to add it to my gift giving list for all my friends with little ones!

What a wonderful book! So simple, yet so fun. My squirmy two year old instantly loved it and insisted we read it time and again. I can tell it will be one of those books he spends time "reading" alone in his bed. Hope for more from Amy Allen!

This is one of a 14-volume series of writings by Leon Trotsky, who along with V.I. Lenin was a central leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution. These volumes cover the years 1929-1940, when Trotsky led the political fight world-wide to maintain the continuity of Bolshevik's revolutionary perspective and leadership against the reactionary policies imposed by the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union. Reading Trotsky carefully, one can learn a lot about history and about today's world, as well as how to apply Marxist methods to orient oneself for working-class political action.

This volume includes more than 100 articles and letters. They cover topics ranging from the economic depression and the rising inter-imperialist tensions leading to World War II, to the Stalinist frame-up trials in the Soviet Union, the Spanish Civil War, and detailed leadership questions posed in workers movements in different countries at the time. These volumes are lively, pointed and have extensive notes and chronologies to aid the reader today.

I'd also recommend some other titles written by Trotsky at this time, including The History of the Russian Revolution, The Fight Against Fascism in Germany, Trade Unions in the Epoch of Imperialist Decay, and The Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution, all available from the same publisher, Pathfinder Press.

This volume contains lessons crucial for those committed to the goal of emancipating working people and oppressed nations.

The workers movement of that time was misled by parties - social democratic and fake communist -- which preferred imperialist "democracy" over workers revolution. This allowed fascism to triumph and, together with "democratic" imperialism, brought us the second world war which slaughtered tens of millions and included the U.S. - supposedly the most "democratic" imperialists - initiating the threat of human extinction with the nuclear bombing of Japan.

Trotsky explains how Lenin's program could have resulted in workers victories over capitalism all over Europe, as well as the overthrow of the murderous Stalin regime and the regeneration of the Soviet Union on a course of world revolution and workers democracy.

Studying Trotsky's writings today is timely as imperialism is again on the march toward fascism and war.

You can see why Trotsky was reknown as a fiery public speaker -- he writes with passion, intelligence and friendly, human humour. These pieces written while living in Mexico, staying with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Correspondence with and about them included here, too. Articles on the eve of World War II, with fascism triumphant in Germany and Italy especially thought-provoking in light of recent developments in France with LePen's electoral showing. He scathingly makes the point in polemic with "our Palestinian friends" (gives you a feel for the international scope of the debate that was raging) that it is meaningless to talk about the fascist danger without addressing the danger of ordinary democratic imperialism. How else, he points out, to join the Indian masses in their quest for independence from the Mother of parliamentary democracy? Unexpectedly fun to browse through and think about.

I have free-lanced as a comic book writer since 1997. The money has been alright, but what I have sought is the sheer, incomparable fun of making up stories, of having characters I made up come alive. Last year, I hit a dry spell. I could come up with decent ideas and force myself to write them down, but the fun, the magic, had disappeared. Everything I came up with was drab and contrived, the writing was mechanical, riddled with clichés and cardboard solutions. I didn't know what to do. My mood soured, slowly the world started turning to stone. One day in December I came across Roberta Allen's THE PLAYFUL WAY TO SERIOUS WRITING. From then on, things began turning around. Her book describes the most original and powerful cure for writer's block that I have found. Every day I'll do two, three exercises from the book to get me started, and sometimes I'll use the techniques to do the actual work. Most importantly, using her method, I have discovered that the juice, the magic, the white light, that special something that makes it all worthwhile, has returned.

In this book, Roberta Allen says "pressure brings energy to the surface." The book explains how tapping into the energy of a moment is the key to bringing out the flow of writing.

The book has many photos and lines to stimulate response. It's an energizing book to read, and the kind that you stop reading so you can go write!

I've read and taught many writing techniques to get people writing and this book was a fabulous find. Though using a timer seemed unnecessary to do the writing, I tried the five-minute technique. The emotional energy I felt in a word, picture, or memory DID move the writing forward in a playful, yet productive way. This technique injects a gaming element into what could be a drudge.

I normally write non-fiction and poetry, but have never been able to enjoy writing fiction. Using this approach of "finding the energy" has energized my fiction process as I follow the energy to new action, characters, and scenes.

As a child who grew up in the fifties loving to play with words more than with my Barbie doll, I was inspired and delighted by this "Anything-Can-Happen" book by Roberta Allen.

I literally stumbled on "The Playful Way to Serious Writing" while putting together a writing workshop for children. After testing out a number of the exercises on myself, my own imagination began to soar.

This book is designed for all ages sparking a sense of energy and freshness that can be applied to any form of writing.The children delighted in these exercises and were writing even when not "assigned."

I am a Lutheran Pastor and a trained psychotherapist working in a congregation that is racially, economically, and educationally diverse. I especially appreciated the way Roberta Allen made her book accessible to a wide population. Her photography as well as the way she uses words, numbers, and shapes makes this book highly adaptable.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves to write, anyone who hates to write, and to anyone who needs more play time in their lives. This is definitely one for your holiday gift list!

Great book for all levels.
Ina and Allan Marx run a great faux finishing school that has spawned this great book. Complete
and through it a bible for novice to expert painters. Not only do they teach you the technique, but alos
how to "look and see" the item you are painting from nature. They are true professionals and
above all both are excellent teachers. I have taken their classes, and as there is no substituion for
taking one of their classes, this book is a great how to guide if you can't take one.
Excellent. Their knowledge of teaching and superb knowledge of faux painting marry in this books.

I have a library full of books on painting techniques but this and the Finklestein book are the two that I consider "must haves." While most new books on decorative finishings repeat and repeat and repeat . . . the same pedestrian information on faux treatments, these give much more indept information on the techniques involved.

This is a wonderfully thorough book on creating the highest quality specialty painted finishes. It is advanced enough for the serious decorative painter while the instructions are detailed enough to allow the amateur or novice to try these techniques with outstanding results. The interior designer will also find it to be a valuable source book for fresh exciting design ideas.

Overall, the projects are more sophisticated and time-consuming than those in most books. A great deal attention is paid to tiniest details that make these finishes really stand out. The instructions are excellent, showing you how to create each finish step-by-step with a complete text description and demonstrative photos. Complete material and supply lists and recipes accompany each project.

The book starts out with the basics such as materials, safety, surface preparation and finishing coats. The glaze section is next with information on multi-layer glazing, novelty effects and techniques for glazing in small and large areas. There is great chart of problems and solutions and another on how tools affect glazing as well.

The simulation of marble and stone follows. Here the author talks about the formation and replication of stone before going on to the projects, which include fifteen marble and stone types such as malachite, granite, red levanto and French grand antique.

The section on graining is fantastic. It contains the most in-depth information on graining I have found anywhere. There is an analysis of patterns, a discussion of color, techniques for creating knots, troubleshooting section and color swatches of straight gained wood styles. There are over 20 wood types covered. Some include American oak, Brazilian rosewood, orientalwood, burl and birds-eye maple.

The final section of the book talks about setting up a professional practice. It contains financial planning, estimating, sample-making and much more. The appendix gives a great list of sources, lists English and metric equivalents and has a nice glossary of terms. If you want to create truly professional looking finishes, this is the book to get.

Korean-American executive protection expert Allen Choice has doubts about his failing romance with Hispanic reporter Linda Maldonaldo while concerned with his weak business. The adrenaline that fueled the beginning of his relationship with Linda (see OVER THE SHOULDER) is gone along with the thrill. The lack of executive protection clients in the Bay area has forced Allen to accept sleazy sleuthing that he knows is way below his skill level, but allows him to eat.

Adding to his depression is his feelings of guilt for not being there when Linda's brother died in a drug-related car crash. To ease his remorse Allen travels to Malibu to be there for his girlfriend. Already feeling like a fish out of water, instead of finding a family mourning a tragedy, Allen walks into a nasty Internet child pornography venture that could leave him as the next accident victim.

Readers who took delight in Allen's first tale will enjoy this story, but will quickly realize that it is not quite on a level with its predecessor. Perhaps it is the change of location, but Allen seems out of place in Malibu because he fits so well in San Francisco. Still readers will appreciate his self-deprecating doubts about himself and Linda, and enjoy his latest investigation just not the first choice.

Harriet Klausner

I'm a literature grad student, and I've had the opportunity to follow Chang's writing for some time now. His first two novels were clearly attempts to delineate the racial dynamics in America (Asian/African American as well as class issues), and with this Allen Choice series he seems to be trying to write about Korean Americans in a similar but almost subterranean way. He is writing about an Americanized Korean American man as a Private Investigator, a man who looks into the grit of American lives (Korean American lives in Over the Shoulder, and now the L.A. Underground and ecstasy scene in Underkill) all the while investigating his own life, both external and internal life. Allen Choice has no ethnic or racial ties--he's afloat and alone. He actually has NO ties (familial or relationship), which on some level echoes Chang's previous novels. The archetype of the PI is the isolated man, and here Allen Choice is isolated on so many levels it's dizzying, because family, race, profession, and now relationships have served to separate him from conventional society. Chang has taken the model of the PI and used this to exploit his other themes of alienation. This takes not only mystery fiction but Asian American fiction to new levels. I highly recommend this series for readers looking for exciting, well-written stories with a bit more substance than the usual genre entertainments.

Wow. I was up all night reading this. I loved Over the Shoulder, and found Underkill to be equally engrossing. Chang does an incredible job of writing literary fiction (his use of language is just gorgeous) that's propelled by a real, page-turner plot. I wish more books combined being this well-written with being this suspenseful.

Choice makes a great reluctant protagonist, and his thoughtful, candid narration is enough to make this book worth reading by itself (even without the raves, car chases, and gun fights!).

As a psychotherapist, I appreciate the psychologically sound principles Gates put in this primer for adolescents on the nature and necessity of"work." For example, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Erikson's stages of identity formation are evident in his elegantly simple and logical communications to his sons about the fundamentals of money, career and balance in one's life. The cost and format are not ideal; it would be great to see this packaged as an affordable paperback for teenagers.

Like a good parent, Mr.Gates is both firm and understanding in introducing the young reader to the realities of the workplace. From a history of labor, to the meaning of modern employment, the author provides fresh answers to old questions, without ever becoming pedantic.

The uniqueness of Todd Gate's book, "Why Do We Have To Work", lies in the fact that it addresses a question on the mind of every student: What can I do to bring meaning to my life? Students who may be bombarded with messages from family and and friends about the need to make as much money as possible, will enjoy Gate's presentation of another view- a need to strive for a balance in life. Todd Gate's book should attract a wide range of readers who are in need of thinking things through and coming to their own determination about Why We Have to Work.