From seaman recruit to a three-star general? What a tremendous achievement. And what a tremendous book. Petersen and Phelps (Phelps being one of our most important writers), has managed to take us to another level of pride and determination. Well done, Gentlemen. And thank you for it.

This is an important book for all readers who want to understand the history of this great Republic. Although he does not want to be known as the first black Marine aviator or the first black Marine general, Frank Petersen, nonetheless, occupies a signficant place in American history because of his achievements. He does not want to be known as a pioneer, a trailblazer, or a point man in the fight for racial equality; he wants to simply be known as a leader, and most of all...a loyal Marine. He served his country in far more ways than most people realize and in ways hard for many to comprehend. We are a better country -- a better Republic -- and certainly we have a better Corps because of the service of this Marine. This should be required reading for any academic or education course on the struggle against racial injustice and the triumph of perseverance, reason and a steady hand against the forces of prejudice and hatred. Semper Fidelis, Marine.

It's one thing to hear about how great someone is; it's something totally different to have met that person and to KNOW how great that person is. Lt. Gen. Petersen was my Wing Commander while I was stationed in Okinawa (Headquarters, G-3) during my '83-'84 tour of "The Rock." Though we chatted briefly on a few occasions after his afternoon workouts (yes, he ran daily with that bad hip), he helped me forge an extremely strong sense of duty and honor, and he has been a very positive influence in my life that carries on even today. What's great about the book is that it grabs you and dives right in, taking you on a spellbinding trip that explores the heart and soul of a true battle-hardened, no-nonsense warrior. It could also serve as a seminal work on the history of race relations in the military over the past 50 years. Readers will be thrilled, fascinated, and even brought to tears as they become one with the words which flow so well that it's almost as if General Petersen has a direct link to your brain. There is high drama on all fronts, whether it's in the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom sustaining 37mm anti-aircraft fire, or in the military courtroom showcasing some of the world's most notorious people. The story of Lt. Gen. Petersen's personal life and his career in the Corps will be very inspirational and highly motivating for anyone who reads it. What else would you expect from a Marine?

Semper Fidelis.

John's work reminds me of a Zen saying-- that you can never step into the same river twice. (Because, as with everything, the river is constantly changing and becoming new all the time). So it is with John's poetry-- it will present new and differing meanings, patterns and images with each reading.

He writes as he feels-- not to some prescribed form or method but simply as he is. Longitudes is a delightful read that you'll wish to share over and over again. My favorite line is from the poem, "The One-Legged Hopping Man-- "In a world of the misbegotten, perfection is seen as error ..."

Do yourself a favor and read this collection.

This book is like a tray full of interestingly shaped and tasty poetic hors d'oeuvres. The sense I get from these damn fine and fun poems, is that of the eternal college student, someone never quite finished with his master's thesis and quite comfortable, nay, ecstatic, with the fact. These are poems full of history, philosophy, art and gritty street hunger, lust and thirst.

You're walking down the richly-appointed hallway of a luxurious Florntine palace, basking in stupefied wonder and awe of your surroundings. Suddenly, one if the lavish tapestries is yanked away and you're left looking at what's really there-- curious water marks on the wallpaper. That's what reading Birkbeck's poems is like; the yanking away of apparent reality, and the glimpse underneath of the virtual reality. This poet is a magician!

Baby Matters: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring For Your Baby by natural childbirth educator Linda Folden Palmer provides a straightforward examination of many key issues new parents might be unfamiliar with, ranging from why cow's milk is not the best food for an infant, to preventing and treating food allergies, to the inside scoop on bonding. Dr. Palmer, is an instructor in pediatric nutrition (among other health fields), and writes in "reader friendly", down-to-earth terms especially accessible to non-specialist readers in general, and anxious mothers in particular. Baby Matters is an excellent and highly recommended reader for the new mother!

So your know-it-all cousin chides that your baby's being spoiled by all that attention. Last time you talked, she disapproved of prolonged breastfeeding. What'll it be next? Don't you wish you had some scientific evidence to back up your choices? Well, now you do. Dr. Linda Folden Palmer's book, Baby Matters, exhaustively lists the scientific evidence behind attachment parenting, breastfeeding, and the reality of food allergies. With chapters such as, "The Attachment Advantage," "Bonding: the Inside Story," " Crying & Caring," and "The Dangers of Cow's Milk," Dr. Palmer shows how the establishment of science-conquering-nature has caused unnecessary suffering and heartache to parents and babies alike. Leaving babies to "cry it out," forcing them to sleep alone, giving them formula instead of breastfeeding, ignoring possible food allergies, and indiscriminate vaccination have all resulted in alarming SIDS rates, aggressiveness, emotional detachment and physical illness. Not to be accused of selectively culling sources, Palmer evenhandedly discusses vaccines, for example, deflating the overblown cons and discussing the details of what the research really shows. This is truly a valuable resource for attachment parents, and perhaps if you gave it to your cousin at her baby shower, she might just learn a thing or two. What you (and your great grandma) knew in your heart was right all along'it simply took some time for our society to catch up. 'Reviewed by Regina Cassidy

Baby Matters is the latest word on responsive baby care, warmly written and backed up by a wealth of research references and academic articles.

This is the book I wish I'd had when my son was born. I would have had a an abundance of helpful information, I would have been reassured that it was OK - in fact, essential - to trust what my heart told me, and I would have had the perfect book to show skeptical friends and relatives.

Baby Matters would make an especially welcome and useful baby shower gift. It is an excellent choice for any new parent. If babies could talk, I'm sure they would agree!

Jan Hunt, M.Sc., author of The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart (New Society, 2001)

For a Northerner who can't cook (i.e. follow dirctions wellwhen cooking) and doesn't particularly like to cook, I LOVED this cookbook. Now you may be asking yourself why a self described non-cooking woman would by this book. It's very simple. I've eaten the wonderful food Martha Stamps cooks up at her restaurant at the Belle Meade Plantation. I'll also confess that initially I purchased the book just because I loved the tea punch and knew I'd never remember the recipe until I got home from Nashville.

What I found not only by eating at her restaurant but by actually reading the cookbook is that her passion for cooking is clearly evident. While the recipes can stand on their own, what
makes this cook book so special are the details about Martha and her family that accompany the recipes. It is clearly evident that cooking is not just a vocation for her but a passion. These recipes aren't just thrown together, they have a history to them.

Even if you buy this book for just one recipe - it's worth it.

This cookbook is wonderful!
I was looking for a cookbook that had the recipes that my Grandmothers, from Southern Illionis, would cook when I would visit every summer.

What you will find most amazing about this cookbook is that you will have many of the ingredients in your panty. (Even if it's not stocked with fancy foodstuff!)

My husband thinks the meatloaf recipe is simply the best and raves and raves about it! The cheese straws I made for a Thanksgiving were all devoured in one night! As did they love the pimento cheese. The beef stew is wonderful as is the pot roast, chicken and dumplings, chicken salad, and the maccaroni and cheese is great. I've made the beef stew. Oh my goodness, was it good! Oh and the recipe for Banana Nut Bread is the best I've ever made, per my neighbors, my doctor, his wife, and even my Mama. Forget about my kids, I make double and triple batches and it's gone within a few day! For a Christmas get together I made the fudge pie and bought peppermint ice cream.(I had been out all day and was so tired, it really is an easy dessert!) The men loved it even more than the kids!

If Mrs. Stamps ever reads these reviews: Please get another cookbook out with some "More Southern Basics".

When I use this cookbook I am always thinking about my Grandmothers. They loved their men and their children, grandchildren and great grand-children, and most of all they loved who they were - Women raising a family, being smart, yet furgal when it came to providing for those they loved. And so proud.

Can a cookbook evolve all this emotion?
Yes it can and it does.

This is the kind of book that reads as much as a novel as it does a cookbook. With little anecdotes, rememberances, and stories accompanying almost every recipe, it is a delight to read and can be done so in one sitting. Being born and raised far from the South, some of the recipes sounded a little unusual to me, but no less intriguing. The recipes are easy to follow and often use ingredients that are already in the pantry or cupboards. So many of the recipes can be classified as "comfort food", as they are not only pleasing to the stomach but bring back those feelings of contentment so many people feel after a favorite meal. After trying Phelps-Stamps recipe for Scalloped Potatoes, I will never again make them from a boxed mix. Her recipe is just too easy and the result is too delicious to ever go back to its "convenience based" counterpart. And this is a sentiment I find myself discovering over and over as I try more recipes from the book. As a cookbook collector with over 100 books in my collection, "The New Southern Basics" cookbook is a favorite and one I find myself reaching for quite often.

At once social satire, romping good farce, and touching human story, this novel satisfies on many levels. Set somewhere on the high plains of eastern Colorado, or perhaps the Texas or Oklahoma panhandle, or possibly western Kansas, this is a masterly portrait of a quirky American town, under very unusual circumstances. Whew, good stuff. Now I can't wait to see the movie.

Jim Phelps, who described himself to me as "America's foremost unpublished author" last year, as we were sunning ourselves in a sidewalk café in Oaxaca, Mexico, can no longer claim that distinction. About time, I say.

Jim, no ordinary "good old boy", is an extraordinary practitioner of a fine old folk art: telling a good yarn. "The Pecking Order" is not his first novel: just his first published novel. One hopes that it is not his last. His is an extraordinary voice, and we should hear more from him.

Stan Gotlieb, author
Oaxaca, Mexico: An Expatriate Life

This is a funny and sage book that I had trouble putting down. The characters, in their first-person dialogue, came alive for me when they told of events that they viewed so differently from the other characters in the book. All the mini-chapters added up to a fine story, a good adult fable. Phelps created a different world in Frogly.

My mother purchased this book for me as a very young girl, along with other collections of short-stories, and I remember being enchanted with it. The legends are fascinating, although I don't think the fact that they were all about young women and girls ever crossed my mind (an observation that leads me to believe this book would be good for boys, as well).

I recently re-read the stories, and was delighted. I remember being confused as a girl, since the places, people, and customs are mostly foreign, and so I wouldn't recommend these books to any one younger then six. And even then, with the lack of pictures, it's great for adults to read to kids (no matter what age, within reason). Worth the money.

I bought this book for my son when he was in first grade, at his request, since his teacher had been reading from it. He is now 9 and still enjoys the book. The stories are interesting and readable. The fact that each tale revolves around a strong female is not the most memorable aspect - but the adventures, charecteristics of the protagonists and fun are.

It was not until after reading these stories to my daughter, that I realized that the fairy tales my generation of women had grown up usually had heroines who needed to be rescued. The heroines in Tatterhood solve problems, rescue themselves and sometimes their princes. Hopefully girls will identify with these competent and confident heroines. I don't know many women who can afford to sit around in an ivory tower waiting for a prince to rescue them. These are wonderful, amusing tales from another and equally valid perspective.

Being sceptical about anything "divine," this book made me think about divine influences on us humans down here on Earth. I recommend this book without reservations to anyone who isn't fearful to take a look at divine possibilities.

I picked this book up for my Mom for Mother's Day after a conversation we had one night about Spirituality. I read the book myself before I sent it to Mom, just to be sure it would be something she would really have an interest in. Not only are the stories of the three women who wrote the book interesting but also reading about what they experienced individually and as a team as they were writing the book made this book a true gem and something I decided I had to have a copy of for myself. I learned a great deal about angels, spirituality and the uniqueness of each of our personal journeys in life from this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking within themselves for answers to life's questions.

I was getting ready to teach an Angel Class in St. Charles, IL. and reading anything I could get my hands on that would help. When this book literally came on the screen. I was at the Amazon Book web site and looking for a different book. This book appeared on my screen. I knew than and there that this was the book I needed in teaching people to listen to their Angels. The authors teach you that our Angels are anxiously waiting for us to ask them for divine guidance. Once you read this book you will never feel alone or unloved again. You will never feel helpless or at the mercy of events. Read this book it will change your life, it has changed mine.

I'm definitely moved by Bill Goss' luck, and I'm definitely moved by his book, THE LUCKIEST UNLUCKY MAN ALIVE, and I'm definitely moved that you would come on my show...you're a true Nugent warrior, Bill Goss!

Your book talks about getting past the landmine fields of adversity that we all have to face at some cluster puck moment in our hockey life of roller coaster hell...THE LUCKIEST UNLUCKY MAN ALIVE is about Bill's life of being wacked, stacked,and otherwise tracked and then packed again throughout his life, then made dead and dead again...Bill Goss, we hope your luck continues --- I SALUTE YOU!

The Associated Press...

Syracuse Herald American, November 7, 1999...

....Young Bill Goss plunged his head into a sink full of water, hoping to get the wethead look of Elvis Presley. His head wedged between two facets as the water poured in. Bill, just 9 years old then, thought for sure he was going to drown.

"My screams dissipated into gurgling noises, since my face was immersed in the water," he recalls. "My head was too big and the basin too small. There was simply no way I could get my hands around my face to to unplug the lifesaving stopper and drain the water. That's when I knew I was going to die."

Goss survived by ripping out two hunks of scalp, denting the facet handles. It was the first of 30 near-death experiences that he says he survived over the next three decades. From mine collapses to plane wrecks, his dances with the grim reaper are recounted in his book, "The Luckiest Unlucky Man Alive."

TAKING ON CANCER. The most threatening of the retired Navy pilot's experiences began five years ago with a small pink cyst-like bump behind his ear. Navy and civilian doctors told him to get his life in order because the cyst was a rare form of malignant melanoma, a quick killer. In a desperate attempt to stay alive, Goss found a doctor who removed his left ear and 200 lymph nodes.

The stitches along the side of his head and down his neck made the dashing naval officer look like he had been put together with spare parts. Reconstructive surgery helped him look normal again, but for a while he had to glue on his silicon ear with rubber cement.

Greg O'Neil, a Cinncinnati businessman and lifelong friend of Goss who was with him on several misadventures, thought the cancer would kill Goss.

"I was devastated. I thought this was it for Bill," said O'Neil, who grew up with Goss in the Millburn, N.J. area.

Goss, 44, has been cancer-free for five years now. "I lucked out," he said. "I learned from those dark days that behind every challenge are great opportunities."

O'Neil doesn't see Goss as being unlucky.

He was always able to pull something positive out of bad circumstances," O'Neil said. "Bill Goss is like 'Forrest Gump' meets 'Terminator II."

BRUSHES WITH DISASTER. Few people, however, would wish to be quite as "lucky" as Goss.

While attending University of Arizon in 1974, he worked weekends at a nearby copper mine. He was rigging blasting caps 5,000 feet underground to clear a chute along a 40 foot hole when he heard the sound of splitting granite. When the dust cleared, he was dangling over the chasm by his safety belt.

In 1985, Goss was in Spain as a Navy pilot of a P-3 Orion, an aircraft used for tracking soviet submarines and drug runners. He was doing test landings when a crew member inadvertently shut down one of the planes four engines.

"Suddenly the aircraft snapped to the left more violently than before," he wrote in his autobiography. "It departed the left side of the runway, twisting off the landing gear and causing the number 3 propeller to touch the ground. That instantly tore the entire 4600 shaft horsepower engine propeller assembly off the aircraft. I remember seeing it out the corner of my eye as it flew over the right wing."

Damage amounted to $3.5 million. No one was injured.

In 1991, Goss stopped his car on Interstate 295 in Jacksonville to remove a box of garbage from the roadway. As he stood in the median, he was struck by a car going about 50 mph. The police report stated he flew 45 feet through the air and he had an out-of-body experience, but he escaped without serious injury.

"It felt great to be dead, still able to think but no longer constrained to my physical being," Goss wrote. "I felt my mind and spirit advance out beyond our stars. In the big picture; I mean the really big picture, time, space, distance, structure, weight, dimension -- these things have no meaning -- only human spirit does."

His cancer forced Goss to retire from the Navy. Now he spends much of his time writing and giving inspirational and motivational talks, billing himself as a "totally unique speaker" on his website: www.luckiestman.com

Bill Goss lives on historic Fleming Island, in Orange Park, southwest of Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife Peggy and their 12-year-old twins, Brian and Christie. He said the kids were his inspiration for writing the book.

"I wanted to leave something behind -- something for my kids to remember me by just in case I didn't make it -- something to let them know who their dad was," he said.

"Bill has been knocked down, but never out, and he would always rise again. The guy I married has nine lives," Peggy said. "My problem was I didn't know what number he was on."

You'll want to read this book.

YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK ON PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FULFILLMENT! If people invested their money like Bill Goss invested in life, we'd all be billionaires.....Executives can relate with Bill's background as a Navy pilot because we too fly high-performance aircraft at over 500 mph---it's called your company---and we're all on this plane together---and we don't want to crash and burn either! ..................YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO GET YOUR TWO HANDS ON THIS BOOK AND READ EVERY WORD OF IT!

This playful and imaginative book is about an elephant that comes across a bird that is extremely stressed and does not wish to sit on her egg anymore. So Horton decides to sit on the egg so the bird can take a break. Well the bird ends up taking a tropical vacation and doesn't want to return. Well Horton very patiently sat on the egg through sleet and rain and the most horrible conditions. Well some people decide that this is a hilarious site and feel that he should be on display for all to see. So the men dig up the tree in which Horton is patiently perched and is taken down south. When Horton and the tree reach the south the mother bird finds Horton just as his egg starts to hatch and she demands it back. Horton is very displeased and states that he did all the work and deserves the egg. Well just as that was said out of the egg jumps an Elephant bird, which is a trophy for all Horton's hard work.
Dr. Seuss yet again did a wonderful job with rhymes and engaging children to read. I love the moral that was being put into place that if you work hard and stay focused then it will all pay off and you will be rewarded in the end.
This is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss book if not my favorite. I have always been a fan of his ability to draw children in and engage them in reading. Also the rhymes and silly words are great for young readers. Also what better then to have a moral tied along with it?

This is the tale of a bird that has an egg but he gets bored sitting on it. He decided to ask Horton the elephant to sit on the egg for him. He says he will and the bird flies away to go on vacation. He sits and sits on the egg and the bird doesn't come back. Eventually people find the elephant sitting up in the tree and he will not leave because he promises he will sit on it for the bird. Some people take him to a carnival as a show. Then the bird shows up at the carnival and sees the elephant on the tree. The egg starts to hatch and the bird comes back to take all the credit for it but when the egg is hatch it is an elephant bird.
This is a story that shows that you can't just let someone else do all the work and expect to get something. This is a great moralistic tale and I think Dr. Suess does a really good job illustrating this point. I think that this is a great book for children because it teaches them a lesson and it is a fun story at the same time. It also has great pictures as all of Dr. Suess books do.

This book clearly deserves more than five stars!

Horton Hatches the Egg is one of my very favorite children's books. The story opens with Mayzie, a lazy bird, sitting on her nest hatching an egg. She's terribly bored and tired and wants a break. She persuades Horton, the elephant, to take over for her. This is a good choice on her part because, "An elephant's faithful -- one hundred percent!"

So Horton props up the tree so it can take his weight, climbs up onto the nest, and ever so gently . . . sits on the egg.

Mayzie decides a little vacation in Palm Beach will be in order. Once there, she says . . . "why bother?" and abandons her egg.

What Horton didn't know is that this egg needed 51 more weeks of hatching! But, never mind. "He said what he meant and he meant what he said." He sat on that egg, no matter what.

Through a long series of misadventures, Mayzie and Horton are reunited just as the egg hatches. Mayzie wants her egg back, and Horton doesn't agree. Then the big surprise happens and Horton gets his reward!

Teaching children patience and persistence . . . well, that takes a lot of patience and persistence. Horton Hatches the Egg is a way to provide a small fictional example when setbacks and delays occur. My youngsters didn't understand Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration until they were well past their Dr. Seuss days. I like to think that their hard-working adult selves (for the three who are adults) were formed in part by Horton's example in this book.

This book contains many valuable lessons to encourage such as: keeping your word; being honest; looking out for those in need; sticking through to the end; facing your fears; and many others. It's a remarkable thing to realize also how well the ridiculous image of an unhappy elephant sitting on a nest is a bare tree can create all of those good notions. Way to go, Dr. Seuss!

I got the book yesterday and my husband immediately picked out the cover sweater. I did a search for the yarn and found out that the sweater would cost $... to make. Other patterns use cashmere or pashimina which is also costly. I do like the schematics but I find it very boring to knit a seed stitch sweater even though the yarn is fabulous. Also, I wish they had included more bulky patterns. It will take months to knit a man's sweater on 8s.

I know the title says "Sweaters for Men", but women will love this book too. The structure and color of each sweater are lovely and the knitting is not too complicated.

Sweaters for Men is a beautiful book, excellent photographs. The directions are plain, clear and easy to follow. I liked the schematic that showed all increases, decreases, bind offs. I bought yarn at my local store and made a vest and have started a crew neck sweater. I will probably make two more sweaters from this book.