This book is full of history, anecdotes, personal stories, samples from comedians' stand-up material and movie dialog, and immigrant sociology and circumstances. He even gives details tying Yiddish language to Jewish American humor. He tells of vaudeville artists adapting to radio, then tv. So many details provided! At first I was not going to buy it (I am a frugal African American who buys paperbacks), but I am glad I did. Also, at first, I thought it was going to be too scholarly and dry, but once I got INTO IT -- I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!! BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT! And share it with your friends.

This book is a wonderful look at the many Jewish comedians- from the Marx Brothers to Jerry Seinfeld- who have made America (and the world) laugh over the years. This book is more than just a superficial look at Jewish humor, however. It's an insightful and thoughtful probe into the sources of Jewish humor and a tribute to the strength and courage of a people who managed to find humor in even the most desperate of circumstances.American humor just would not be the same without Jewish comedic genius. This book clearly points that out. I thought this was expertly written and very entertaining. Highly recommended.

In 1979 Jews made up three percent of the US population and 80 percent of its professional comedians. To win acceptance, Jews could remake themselves in comedy. The populism of Jewish humor, its basis in language, and its self-mockery spoke for a nation of immigrants. Puns and irreverent satire allowed sanctioned subversion. After all, Judaism would question even God. The more the US knew alienation, insecurity, and intellectual questioning, the more it embraced the pain and liberation of the Jewish experience. Psychologist Samuel Janus found in 76 Jewish comedians a common depression and alienation. From his own interviews, Epstein (English, Suffolk County Community College) fleshes out these statistics with biographical nuggets. He demonstrates how Jewish comedy changed with the US's popular culture: vaudeville, radio, film comedy, Borscht belt, early television, the Mort Sahl revolution in stand-up, post-Woody Allen film, the Seinfeld/Roseanne TV generation, the performance art of Andy Kaufman and Sandra Bernhard. He closes with a chapter on new Jewish comedians and a fine appendix on the nature and sources of Jewish humor. Rippling with exemplary jokes, this shrewd social history belongs in all performing arts collections.

This little book is a reflective how-to manual on continuous prayer/meditation. It takes the reader step by step to the point where he or she is ready to practice what today we would call the centering prayer. It was the text for a workshop on prayer I recently attended, and all of the participants agreed it was a great help. It's also a great guide to books and movies that deal with prayer and meditation.

I wish Walters has written this book 25 years ago, when I was struggling (fruitlessly) with prayer. My failure to make any sort of meaningful connection soured me on the whole thing for the next twenty years. Walters hits the nail on the head in this step-by-step retreat on prayer/meditation. The problem I made years ago, and the problem too many other people make, is that we try too hard when it comes to praying. Letting go is a lot more difficult than grabbing onto. Anybody who wants a richer prayer life will cherish this little book.

I don't much like your typical retreat or howtodoit spirituality book, but this one is different. The best way to describe it is a Zen approach to Xtian prayer, where the reader/retreatist discovers that he's the riddle that needs to be solved. Very good. (although I can't figure out what the description listed by amazon.com has to do with the book. seems like it should be for another book)

I wish W. had chosen Larry over O'Neil!

I sent a copy of Kudlow's "American Abundance" to Gov. George W. Bush about a year ago. He was nice enough to acknowledge that he did receive the book. At that point in time, I had no idea he would be such a strong candidate for president. Hope he reads this book! As should anyone else interested in the key to economic prosperity.

Mr. Kudlow has objectively laid out the case for Reaganomics and also given credit, where credit is due, to the buffoon currently occupying the Oval Office for those policies of Mr. Reagan which he has at least not totally reversed (eg., sticking with Greenspan and a hard dollar policy). The exposition throughout the book is lucid and easily understood--perhaps even by socialists. I hope that a copy of the book will be on the desk of every economic policy maker in Washington in January 2001. A splendid effort.

The situations and the characters are very charming. Theillustrations are lovely. My nephew loooooved it.

THE FORGETFUL BEARS is a wonderful and entertaining story for young children. We have used the book in here classes at Seton School with great success, our young students always entranced with the stirring plot (and the concomitant moral values). Kudos to the authors!

My little girl simply loves The Forgetful Bears story. And as all us parents know, five-year olds are never wrong--about anything. It's a bed time favorite around our house.

I have read Lawrence Watt-Evans' entire world of Esthar series and enjoyed the majority of the books in that series. Based on my experience with the Ethshar series, I decided to give the "Lords of Dus" series a try and having completed the first book I can say the following: The storyline is an entertaining but fairly stock fantasy plot, a hero's quest for glory. The protagonist is well fleshed out, likeable yet pragmatic and complete with personality flaws that make him believable. The world setting is vivid and described well enough, but it would have been nice to have a bit more of the history revealed, explaining the current state of events. For the majority of the book, the plotting was good and moved along at the right clip, only bogging down in a couple of sections. Characters development outside of the protagonist did come across as weak with the majority of the other characters in the story seemingly designed to be disposable. Perhaps this was done intentionally as a way to emphasize the aloofness that a member the main character's race feels towards mere men, but it would still have been nice to have some of the other characters built up a bit. Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to picking up the remaining books in the series.

Take an overmna, mix in mages, fantastic beasts, a quest, wise women of ordunin, and high adventure and you have some gr8 stuff.
Too bad he doesn't write more of this series.
Great interesting stuff that doesn't try and copy tolkien.
very d&d

Watt-Evens is an excellent, if overlooked sci-fi/fantasy writer, and I have been a fan almost as long as he's been writing. This book, the first of the Lords Of Dus or Garth series was the first he published, Dus is his best work, and this is the best of Dus. I can still remember the amazement I felt reading Watt-Evens' book, one of those rare fantasy novels that seems surrounded by a very real and fleshed out world. The main character, acting out of neither good nor noble compunctions is however, a good 'man', which gives hint to the complexity with which Watt-Evens draws his characters and spins his plots. Nothing is as it seems in a Watt-Evens story, and surprise lurks around every corner, and The Lure Of The Basilisk is no exception. I especially enjoyed Garth's practical matter of fact take on everything, truly a convincing character. Shang, The Baron and even The King In Yellow are also fascinating, well drawn characters with complex motivations and realistic reactions. But oh, Garth's poor feet!

Remember when Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small tales were about all there was of Jewish crime fiction? No longer, as editor Lawrence W. Raphael makes clear in "Mystery Midrash: An Anthology of Jewish Mystery and Detective Fiction." Some familiar wordsmiths and characters are to be found in these pages, from Stuart M. Kaminsky (whose Chicago detective, Abe Lieberman, here takes a confession from a lapsed and irate Jew) to Ronald Levitsky (contributing a story in which civil-liberties lawyer Nate Rosen faces a truly unique First Amendment case) and Howard Engel (providing P.I. Benny Cooperman with a light-hearted locked-room puzzle). Although Raphael's selections often deal with Jewish issues, fans of this book will likely stretch across the religious spectrum. ...

A Yiddishe Kop, I know... but a Yiddishe Cop? Will dvar mysteries replace dvar torahs on Shabbat morn? Will parents stop hoping their child will be a doctor or a lawyer, and hope for a Jewish cop or detective? What is midrash? Isn't it a deep investigation of the text in order to learn more about it, and piece things together, to compare various texts and clues? Isn't that what a P.I. (Private Investigator) does, too? In this book are original stories by notable mystery writers. Batya contributes "Kaddish", a mystery about a secular Jew who must console a dead rabbi's family by helping them focus on the rabbi's goodness and not the alleged, scandalous events surrounding his death. In "Bread of Affliction" by Michael Kahn (author of the Rachel Gold series, Sheer Gall, Grave Designs), Chicago Attorney Rachel Gold must use her knowledge of Pesach to solve a mystery surrounding a contested will. Richard Fliegel, creator of the Jewish detective, Shelly Lowenkopf ("A Minyan for the Dead"), writes in "A Final Midrash" about four rabbi's who help a detective solve a murder that one of them has committed. If I had a sack of cash, I would certainly option the film rights for "A Final Midrash"! For not only is it an interesting short mystery, but it is a well crafted allusion to the 3 rabbis who entered Pardes with Rabbi Akiva, as well as the four ways to create a drash, namely Pshat, Sot, Drash, and Mysticism. Other contributors include: Toni Brill, Howard Engel, Stuart Kaminsky, Faye Kellerman, Ronald Levitsky, Ellen Rawlings, Shelly Singer, Bob Sloan, Janice Steinberg, and James Yaffe. I was not used to reading mysteries prior to reading this book, but I think this anthology has sparked that "Pintelye Mystery".

Clever, funny, humane, with a nod at the dark side of the human mind, Mystery Midrash is just what it says: the exploration and development of a common theme, in this case, the mystery short story. As with all midrash, each different take on a story tells us something new; as with all good midrash, that something new returns us to the innate unchangability of the human dilemma, and to humankind's steady relationship with the forces of order in a world of chaos.

Even readers who are not sure why a cheeseburger is a moral decision for a Jew will love this feast.

As a Southern California-based mystery writer, I have been genuinely impressed by Martha Lawrence's works. Many people initially react to Ms. Lawrence's psychic detective as a silly gimmick. As created by Ms. Lawrence, Elizabeth Chase is a fully-realized and realistic character. In this fourth outing,PISCES RISING, Elizabeth is mourning the death of her lover, and she becomes involved in investigating homicides that occur on an Indian reservation. Gambling issues play a major part in this novel, as does Native American beliefs. Ms. Lawrence tells a fine tale with a swiftly moving plot and fabulously drawn characters. Another winner for Martha Lawrence.

I just love entering Martha Lawrence's world, and I so hate to leave it! This one is her best yet, and the others are terrific too. ( I'd recommend reading them all chronologically.) I applaud her gutsiness as an author in doing away with appealing characters in situations that realistically might call for that. (I'm reminded of T. Jefferson Parker doing the same with Tim Hess in The Blue Light--a very interesting and appealing character.) ... was a real loss, I felt, but it's clear that she has even better characters up her sleeve.. I'm particularly drawn to the Sequoia character in this book. Wish I knew someone like him.

Her ear for dialogue is unerring...I'm a stickler for fake-sounding conversation and I can't find remember a false note being struck in any of her books. Wish you could write faster, Martha!

I've been a fan of Martha Lawrence ever since her first book, following her psychic detective, Elizabeth Chase, around the zodiac from Murder in Scorpio to the current Pisces Rising. Her gutsy detective, Chase, combining sound detective skills with her psychic gifts, sets out to discover the murderer of casino owner, Dan Aquillo. Along the way she encounters one of Lawrence's most compelling characters, the Native American shaman, Sequoia. Lawrence introduces the reader to some fascinating Native American lore, as she combines a taut, thrilling tale with tantalizing psychic phenomena. Combining suspense with New Age is rare, but fascinating. The only other book I can think of that does that successfully is "The President's Astrologer", which interweaves an exciting political drama with the world of astrology.

This is the best book I've found that provides an overview of Judaism. Its intention is to inform and provide understanding without needless bias or judgment. I read Harold Kushner's To Life! prior to What is a Jew? and was disappointed. His Conservative bias is obvious and gets in the way of his ability to present an overall understanding of Judaism. I don't get that sense at all with What is a Jew? Rabbi Kertzer and Rabbi Hoffman willingly present all the ways Judaism has come to be interpreted and practiced. They may analyze and draw conclusions, but it is done to help understanding, not to promote their own opinions or to judge others.

This book is a refreshing approach to a difficult topic, filled with wisdom and insight.

What I liked most about WHAT IS A JEW? (aside from the somewhat humorous title) is how succinct and well organized it is. It is written mostly in a question and answer format, and just about all the questions a potential convert will have are listed and then answered. This book is also a good introduction for anyone just interested in learning about Judaism. I was impressed with the author's ability to convey the vastness of Judaism; there are so many different braches within the Jewish family. The author really conveys the love he has for his spiritual path, and makes it sound very exciting and interesting.

I loved this book. I am a Reform Jew but I didn't really know what that meant. A friend of mine was curious about the Jewish religion and started asking me basic questions about what Jews believe but I didn't know how to answer. I picked up this book, thinking I would skim it and find her answers. Instead, I read it cover to cover and enjoyed avery minute of it. It was written in a way that was not overwhelming and it answered every question about what Jews believe from the symbolic meaning of the Star of David to Jews' beliefs on homosexuality. There was a short section on the history and each section talked about the beliefs of all different kinds of Jews. All in all a great read! I DEFINITELY recommend it!

Hopefully my husband will take the hint and read this. The "waiting room" stories are great. Some really hit home for me. Dr. Hakim presents sexual problems and gives real solutions for overcoming them. Sex should be great between married couples, and communication is the key. (Although not the kind of thing we talk about so openly in St. Louis!)

If I was in Florida, I'd try to set up an appointment to see Dr. Hakim - and i'd drag my husband with me.

Don't be afraid to buy this book - it will help!

Written by Lawrence S. Hakim (Head of the Section of Sexual Dysfunction, Male Infertility, and Prosthetics at the Cleveland Clinic, Florida) with the assistance of Donald Michael Platt, The Couple's Disease: Finding A Cure For Your "Lost" Love Life is a helpful and pragmatic look at sexual dysfunction (a problem that afflicts more women than men), and how to go about sustaining or restoring lost love lives for couples in married, long-term, or same-sex relationships. The thoughtful, reader-friendly, informed and informative text by an articulate and knowledgeable physician who is well experienced in treating sexual dysfunction make The Couple's Disease an excellent resource for both professional reference collections and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in an often sensitive and intimately personal subject.

Move over Dr. Phil - A get-real book that covers the emotional and clinical aspects of male AND female sexual dysfuntion, how it affects your relationship and how to cure it. The book is so specific about problems and solutions and is enjoyable to read. I've never read a book as helpful as this one. Even though it's a "couple's" book, I think it's a must for all men and women whether you're in a relationship or not. Just as important, it should be REQUIRED reading for doctors....

As a college placement counselor in a highly-competitive preparatory school for many years, I have found this book to be most valuable in preparing parents for dealing with the angst of a young adult who is going away to college. It also tells you what to expect during their first years away. Buy it early in a student's senior year for the greatest benefit. This is a classic and a jewel!

This book is very easy to read and provides useful information to parents of new college students. I am the author of The ABC's of College Life, a hip street-smart guide for college bound students and I give Letting Go two thumbs up!!

This book and When Your Kid Goes to College were worth many hours of therapy during the late summer and early fall of my son's first quarter at college, especially around the time we took him down to school. I preferred Letting Go because it was more comprehensive, but other parents might prefer When Your Kid...There is a wide array of situations to learn from and to place your own experience in context. The authors provide trend material from their long-term research to help parents distinguish their child's college context from their own. I observed other parents coping with this transition unaided. Some were fine but others were having trouble and personalized the experience. Facts do help mitigate emotions. I recommended this book to one overwhelmed mother whose prodigy had gone far away to pursue her talent. Her response was "Thank you, I'll let you know when I am ready for a book (ital.)" as if this would be cold comfort for her personal loss. But the fact is, the authors know way more than most of our friends and relatives do; and the number of parents going through this experience is very large (check the book for figures). There is a great deal to learn both from the academic analysis and from the many examples of parents' experiences. Well researched, well written, logical and helpful.