This is really a review of a review. I gave one of my best friends a copy StepWise after he remarried. The other day he said, "That book you gave me has been a big help. It has helped me keep perspective. It's not easy putting a new family together. It takes patience, humor and a whole lot of love. It (StepWise)is a wonderful book for parents who find themselves with a new family."

It's about time someone approached stepparenting in an honest way. It's hard! But it can be enriching if you take the right attitude. That's what they show you how to do in Stepwise. They have a real sense of humor which is a MUST for stepparents and stepchildren. They're right, it is like coming into a movie that's already started and not wanting to ask dumb questions about what's going on. Buy this book, memorize it, and give it to other stepparents.

This book says it all. In fact, I think I said some of these things and the authors read my mind. When I went through the stepdad routine, I was ready to give up until I saw it from the kids eyes, which is what the writers of Stepwise did. The book is very funny but every funny idea is really a way to get connected with your kid. I have gone to see really bad movies with my stepchildren and listened to rap music. Just like they say in the book, sometimes you start to like the movies and music yourself. I even went to the mall with my stepchildren. I have at least ten stepparent friends and they're all getting this book from me. My stepkids liked the book too. It's really just about being a good parent who isn't so uptight.

This book was given to me as an extra-early 40th birthday present by a very dear friend. Reading this book of no-nonsense reflections is like sitting with a good friend, wrapped in quilts and drinking tea.

This book is like having a wise friend in the room. Sometimes "quote" books tend to be sappy; this one isn't. It's smart and uplifting - something you can stick on your bedside stand and dip into when you need a pick-me-up.

From as far back as I can remember, I have been drawn to what some call "women of a certain age." It would be many years before I even began to understand the myriad reasons why this was so; and it was not until reading The Woman's Way: Celebrating Life After 40, that I ever saw so many of those reasons spelled out so eloquently.

Regan Brown's keen and witty observations about middle-age resonate with spirit and epitomize growth. Like King Solomon, who wrote "proverbs" about Life, the Universe, and Everything in bite-sized "nuggets" of wisdom, Brown's remarkable look at mid-life comes in short, sweet, touching, humorous, and acutely insightful observations.

The first thing I did upon finishing The Woman's Way was to go right back online and order a copy for my daughter.

During my first drive across the southwest, I recognized the washes, thickets and open spaces Stark so vividly portrayed in his novel and enjoyed the sense that I had been there before. Years had passed since reading Chasing Uncle Charlie, but it all came flooding back: Bo's thirst for adventure, the quirky but powerfully real characters that guide and misguide his journey. This definately ranks among my favorites.

I may be a bit biased, being a friend and student of the author, but here goes... This book is incredible. The characters are unforgettable, the plot compelling, and the writing spellbinding. I couldn't put it down, and that's saying an awful lot considering my attention span. It's not exactly light reading, though. It has its humorous moments, but for the most part, it's very deep. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the American Southwest or American lit; fans of Mark Twain or John Steinbeck would certainly enjoy this book.

I'm not normally a reader of science fiction, but Stark's novel held me from the first page on. Perhaps my experiences of navigating Atlanta, GA added to the intrigue of the story. The reality of that place, coupled with the world-ending storyline, made Stark's novel a particularly chilling one. Fortunately, unlike many other world-ending tales, this story did not steal its plot from the Bible, but rather explained the creation of our civilzation and its religions by using a uniquely original blend of science and spirituality. My reading group anxiously awaits Stark's next offering.

This rollicking sci-fi fantasy is an enjoyable read regardless of the world coming to an end and all hell breaking loose between its covers. The protagonist, Katrina, suffers amnesia till clues chip away at the wall in her memory. Once that wall comes down she finds herself in the midst of a startling journey which takes her to many different places in search of survivors, encountering along the way her nemesis an evil priest and evidence of beings beyond her comprehension. The climax of the story although satisfying begs for a sequel. If there is one downside to this first outing by Jeanette Stark it is that a sequel won't come out fast enough, at least not for this reviewer.

-- C. Donovan

After 6 + years of playing my favorite world is Birthright. I wish they bring the line back, so that the new gamers can see what I mean.

...be part of a cancelled product line? I dunno. TSR has done some amazing work in rising from the ashes of bankruptcy, so it mystifies me that they cancelled the Birthright line despite it being a high quality, high concept idea. This collection of short adventures for regents and future heroes of legend is good enough to justify Birthright's continued existence.

I was looking if there is probably a newer edition of this book and couldn't help writing a review about this one. I bought this book back in 1996 while I was visiting a beginner's course in C++ and data structures during my BS studies. The main reason why I bought it was because it is a relatively thin book (about 300 pages) which was very attractive since I wanted to learn the basics only, and quick! This book has almost no diagrams, no colored text and none of the pedagogical structuring which we see so often in other tutorial books. And, believe it or not, this is what makes this book so clear to understand. The chapters are short and well-written. There are lines of C++ code on almost every page. Nothing is explained without some sample code. I've been programming with Java for a long time and I am refreshing my C++ knowledge these days. I don't even think about looking into any other book before I've re-read this one.

If you enjoyed K&R's C programming text, you'll find the format and style of this book excellent, both as an introduction to the C++ language and a tool for advanced users. I read the book from cover to cover and have not found any other book this fascinating. The authors are excellent writers and tutors. Use it for self-study or as a complete textbook. Ample problems and their solutions are provided. Can't wait for the next edition.

This is in my opinion the most helpful modern book on analysis and design you can read -- and I've been studying and practicing these fields for over twenty years. It offers an incredibly good synthesis, combining the most useful ideas and notational elements of other object-oriented work with the best earlier approaches to analysis and design. The book is very strong on the essentials of software development method. The authors also point to subtle distinctions or variations in methods and techniques and explain why they prefer one variant over another (usually for, in my view, very good reasons of simplicity of notation, or ease of transition from analysis to design). Finally, the book is very clearly written. Ed Seidewitz and Mike Stark's experience stems from Goddard Space Flight Center, considered by many to be one of the best software development organizations in the world. However, methods and techniques illustrated here are shown to work in any domain, not only for space or real-time problems but also for management tools and administrative information systems (which is my field). This book never leaves my desk.

As an introduction to and guide for the practical application of object oriented system design, this book is outstanding. The writing is clear, the subject matter is thoroughly covered and the examples are practical and robust. Essential for anyone interested in effectively applying the principles of object oriented design. Useful for both the novice and the already indoctrinated.

As a Christian worker in China, I had first-hand opportunity to see how we "foreigners" interacted cross-culturally. (Usually, the most successful of us were those who were not on a Mission from God.) Having seen people badly suited to live abroad and admiring those who were very able to do so, the joy of this book by Freya Stark was reading about a woman operating cross-culturally with a world-class ability to encounter persons with a much different backround than her own. Her sheer delight in her Bedouin companions is vicariously enjoyable.
Of course, this book journeys not just across cultures but across times, beginning with the author's introduction, which discusses the antiquity of the regioun she explores, especially in the time of great trade in frankincense, which made the region, for a time, wealthy. It is also reflected in the ancient culture and historical monuments and artifacts the author encounters.
Moreover, Freya Stark writes (wrote) beautifully. This book will appeal to anyone who is curious about other peoples, other lands and other times or who enjoys good writing.

In 1934, Freya Stark determined that she would follow the ancient frankincense routes through the fertile Hadhramaut valley to locate and record what was left of the legendary lost city of Shabwa. In 1936 she published _The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut_ which, as did many of her thirty-odd books, became a best seller. It is now republished by the Modern Library, and is a welcome reminder of a brave, erudite, and witty explorer. The current volume has as an introduction a capsule description of Stark's life by her biographer, Jane Fletcher Geniesse. Born in 1892, Stark was only able to indulge in travel in her thirties; she realized that there was a hunger for knowledge about exotic Arabia, and she schooled herself in the language and history of the area, through which she traveled by foot, car, donkey, and camel well into her eighties. She lived to be 101.

The explorations of these exotic lands are rendered now more strange and lovely by time. Few of us will get to see the lands Stark loved, but we will never see them as she did. For most of the steps along the trail described in this book, Stark was the first European woman to come that way, and that she did so unaccompanied by a European escort gave the Bedouin, the learned men, and the sultans something to admire and wonder at. One who thought himself a leader of her group attempted to exclude her by bringing her meals to a separate area. "He was showing a Victorian disapproval of females who do not keep themselves to themselves, a thing I find dull and difficult to do." She finds that she very much likes being in the middle of the group, even as an outsider. "To sit over the fire with one's fellows in the evening, when the work is over and the talking begins, is the only sure way of keeping harmony and friendship. I never had any difficulties with my beduin and found nothing but friendliness and an anxiety to serve in every way, and I attribute this chiefly to the fact that we had our meals together..." On the last night being with one group, one of the Bedouin thanks her for sharing food together (rather than keeping separate as he had expected the European traveler to do), and says it has been pleasant traveling with her. "'Here we are now,' he said, 'all together. And tomorrow?' - he opened his hand out wide - 'all scattered, where?' After this question, so sad, ancient, and universal, we looked in silence to the darkness and the stars."

Stark's quest was unfulfilled because of all things, measles. The discovery of Shabwa awaited a German traveler the next year, for she was too sick to continue toward her goal. One of her hosts, as she was ailing, reassured her: "Here we have no sickness; we are well or we die." She was carried off in a plane of the Royal Air Force, to whom in gratitude she dedicated her book. Her work is a perfect illustration that journeying well, and not achieving the destination, is the better accomplishment. It is impossible to come away from this volume without admiring this spunky, amused and amusing woman, nor to share in her admiration for those among whom she traveled. "The magic of Arabia," she writes, "which so many have felt, is due perhaps less to the sun-wrinkled arid land itself than to the innate peculiar nobility and charm of its people."

I think what is amazing about this book is that Herbert Benson states without a doubt that faith in God is healthy for us. While our ancestors took it for granted that God healed them, as Dr. Benson explains, we have been taught to see healing purely in technical scientific terms. Dr. Benson explains that when we repudiated the importance of belief in healing we deprived ourselves of a powerful healing force.

Dr. Benson knows that his rational-scientific audience will be skeptical of his arguements. So, he provides us with well-reasoned arguements supported by ample evidence. He explains that we need to relax our over-stressed minds on a regular basis. We need this as an antedote to our hurried lives that stress us out and make us sick. He cites many studies (much from his own research) that daily meditation stimulates the bodies natural healing mechanisms.

Now, the radical finding of Dr. Benson's research is that belief in God makes a difference in healing. If a person meditates regularly using a spiritual phrase they are more likely to heal than those who use a secular word such as "peace". The person's religion doesn't matter. It seems that God is an equal opportunity healer.

Dr Benson presents strong evidence for what others have called the "mind / body connection." Mainstream medical science has not yet recognized the importance belief plays in health but, Dr. Benson presents numerous studies that validate the major role belief plays in the healing process and wellness. Practitioners of complimentary therapies will find this book especially helpful in understanding how many non-drug based therapies can work. Well written and thought provoking!

As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Stark is the most gifted writer in the field. She's a teacher! I understand that her courses are in demand, and I can see why. She's a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Boston Psychoanalytical Institute who can write for people who aren't!

Synthesizing the major theories in psychotherapy, she normalizes the process of healing which tends to go, well, like the illustration on the cover of the book. We fight those who caringly try to change us, and we fight ourselves. It's a struggle!

As a professional coach (personal, not sports), as a parent, as a friend, I've relied on the depth of understanding this book gave me about a phenomenon which can be pervasive and frustrating in relationships with others. It helped me see my own resistances and helped me see how to work with others'.

Through the book shines Dr. Stark the therapist -- there's not one hint of the arrogance or patronization one finds in some therapy books, but rather the sincere compassion, tact and respect of a seasoned professional who loves her work.

It takes patience to deal with resistance, and you have to understand the nature of the beast. "Back and forth," she says, "back and forth, over and over again. Systematically, repeatedly, again and again. This is what is meant by working through the resistance. It is a process requiring that the therapist demonstrate to the patient the same thing again and again, at different times, and in various connections. Here too. Here now. Here also."

As one of the reviewers on the cover of the book said, "Martha Stark ... is able to clarify without sacrificing complexity." Read this book for the best description of working with resistance you're likely to find, and it is through working through the resistance that healing takes place.

Working with Resistance is a book that clearly outlines the theraputic process and it's impact on both the client and the therapist. The book is targeted to a theraputic audience, but Dr. Stark continuously defines the clinical language she uses making the work accessible to anyone. This book has been immensely helpful to me as a client, giving me a road map to help me understand where I have been with my therapist and where I have yet to go. A must read for anyone interested in how therapy heals.