I love this collection of poems. The poems are well-organized and compelling. A good read! Not just for men--I'm female and enjoyed going through the book.

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There is nothing but water in the holy pools,

I know, I have been swimming in them.

All the gods sculpted of wood or ivory can't say a word,

I know, I have been crying out to them.

The Sacred Books of the East are nothing but words,

I looked through their covers one day sideways.

What Kabir talks of is only what he has lived through.

If you have not lived through something, it is not true.

-- Kabir, translated by Robert Bly (p. 282)

This eclectic offering of verse reminds the reader of what he has lived through. It illuminates forgotten & ignored experiences through rhythms and images of people who have made their lives' works out of committing the unconscious to the written page. These nuggets of truth find value as they elicit Truth from the reader's experience.

DON'T trace out your profile

forget your side view--

all that is outer sutff.

LOOK for your other half

who walks always next to you

and tends to be who you aren't.

-- Antonio Machado, translated by Bly, (p. 366)

It's difficult to flip at random through these pages, and not find an echo of something stirring deep, writhing in forgotten darkness. These words shine from the page to cast the shadow of that "Other" in sharp relief upon your mind. This is not a book of pretty verse, not poetry to read to grandma during the Christian Ladies Tea Party in the rose garden. These are words to sever the bondage to dysfunctional social programming: "We have been busy accumulating solace / Make us afraid of how we were." (Rumi, p. 135)

Although the subtitle says "Poems for Men," I'm certain women will find power & freedom in these words, too. Some poems specifically name masculine woes, sorrows & challenges. Where these do not apply directly to the lives of women, perhaps they will open a portal into men's souls for the other gender.

I've nearly worn mine out and will soon be getting another copy. If I only had one book of poetry to take to a desert island, this would be the one.

I have been hooked on the power of words in poetry -- secretly, of course, since I'm a guy -- since I was a little kid. I have absolutely no problem with reading an entire book of modern poetry and coming away with a single line, a single image that moved me, the hunger is that great in me.

I found this book back in '92 when it was first published. It spans the centuries and the continents; but has a healthy dollop of contemporary writing that is stunning. It's quite possible to imagine that all greatness belongs to ages past; this book proves that a lie by nestling examples of past excellence with their contemporary heirs.

My favorite pieces especially include "Becoming Milton" (p. 81), "The Colonel" (p. 89), "A Story About the Body" (p. 266), and "What Happened During the Ice Storm" (p. 249); which I have redubbed "A Sack Full of Ears," "Entombed in Tanks," "A Bowl Full of Bees," and "Frozen Pheasants," respectively. I just read the last one at a poetry reading in New Hampshire on the first Wednesday in January 2001. A third of the way into the poem, the entire room audibly gasped and tensed. At the end, I felt a tremendous sense of redemption and relief overcome the SRO room as they burst into applause. No credit is due to myself; it's entirely the power of Jim Heynan's words. If you believe, or need to believe, in good poetry, you should own this anthology and read from it frequently, as I do.

And the search continues ...

I was given this book and read it one day out of lack of anything else to do and i was more than surprised. A good read.

MR. MEADE IS THE BEST AUTHOR I HAVE EVER READ.

BEST STORY. STONG CHARACTERS. GOOD ENDING.

I started to fly fish about a year ago. I quickly mastered the basics of fly fishing. "Essential Fly Fishing" helped me learn the how to on fly-casting, where to fish, what flies to use for different kinds of fish, and how to put together a balanced system. This book also touches on how to tie basic flies and shows step by step instructions on how to tie a Wooly Worm. This is an exelent book for beginers. Although I know the basic principles that the book teaches, I still refer to it when I am fishing in new environments and using unfamiliar flies.

This is an extremely clear, knowledgable, well set out book especially for a beginner like myself. Even my husband, who is not a beginner, really likes the book and uses it too.

This book takes you through the basic pricibles of the art of fly fishing. It explains in depth who to cast your fly onto the water. It gives a clear idea of how to tie 7your fly to the line. It even explains how to make your own fly.

Michael Meade has picked up right where Robert Bly's "Iron John" left off.

"Men And The Water Of Life" is an in-depth collection of tales and myths from all over the world that will offer profound insight into the question of what it means to be a man. Deeply affecting and informative ... this book is essential.

I highly recommend this book to everybody.

....if you want to understand men. Celtic storyteller Michael Meade has put together a remarkable blend of ancient stories and modern insight into the psychology of the development of men from boys. Can't recommend this one enough.

Like Joseph Campbell, Michael Meade understands the mythic meanings of our human story and illuminates our sometimes shadowy roles as men in modern society. Michael doesn't pander to anyone and his insights go beyond the touchy, feely, washed out views of masculinity of the latter 20th century. This book is a treatise on the core of true masculinity, which honors and nurtures all of life. It is a book I am proud to have grace my book shelves.

I am so pleased to have heard from many children and parents who have enjoyed reading CocoaIce together. I hope that some of the parents and teachers who have enjoyed this book, will also enjoy reading BULLOUGH'S POND, a book for grownups published under my childhood name, Diana Muir.

Cocoa Ice shows me two different worlds which is why I really like it. I live in Maine and have seen ice ponds and ice being harvested. It seems silly to us in Maine that people would pay money for ice because it is everywhere in the winter, but when you go someplace hot and tropical you realize the ice is something good. I like having stories that are about girls, and different places and times. Cocoa Ice makes me smile and want hot chocolate.

This book shows two sides of the historical journey of chocolate from producer to market -- but really it is the personal story of two little girls from two cultures who both enjoy chocolate (what little girl doesn't?). The illustrations are wonderfully evocative. We have to read this book again and again to our 4-year-old for the story, and to our 7-year-old "because it has facts in it." I am ordering extra copies to give for birthday presents for all the upcoming 5-year-old parties.

my children enjoyed the musical presentation over and over again. our whole family enjoyed the colorful illustrations. the voices on the cassette tape were delightfully funny. overall a great story that brings a family togather. hope to read a sequel very soon.

THE CARTOON FERRETS ARE ENTERTAINING AND SEND A MESSAGE OF GOOD FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND VALUES. THE MUSIC IS UPLIFTING AND FUN. THE GUITAR SHAPED BOOK IS A TREASURE FOR CHILDREN

A unique, entertaining, and melodious book that engenders, structures and infuses family and social values within the hearts of children.

This is a fish of a good book! The information that has come out in the last ten years about photonic band-gap materiels can be confusing and offputting. This book enables any astute reader a comprehension of the various properties that come into play when dealing with and controlling the propogation of light. I recommend it highly for use in the classroom as well as for the bedstand.

Graduate students (or advanced physics undergrads) will appreciate the beautiful analogy this book makes between solid state physics, which gave us semiconductor devices, and the newer field of photonics, which promises a revolution in optical devices. The writing is clear and consise, and the many colorful illustrations aid the reader in formulating a picture of how it all works. Just plain WELL DONE -- more physics texts should read like this one.

With help of this new theory,we can turn so many things into realities which can't even be imagined several years ago. This theory urges us to look on things in a brand new way! I think miracles will come forth after our studying.

Daily Bread will take you mere hours to read, but will remain with you for years to come. In frankly searching into his own past for spiritual turning points, Dr. Robert Meade helps us to find such moments in our own existence. Regardless of your personal faith, Daily Bread will will lead you to find the devine in this world, and in doing so will help you to gain some insight into the possibilities of the next. It is a read you will not regret.

Dr. Robert Meade discusses different aspects of his life, such as relationships, work and spirituality, in a comprehensible, insightful manner. The author's experiences demonstrate that he has found God in his life, which we should all strive to do. A genuine success.

Daily Bread: Seven Days To A Healthier Soul by Robert Meade (Kairos Team, Loyola School, New York City) is a powerfully written and deeply reverent of one man's personal spiritual journey, and its implications to leading a more fulfilled, enlightened, and faithful life in accordance with the wisdom of God. This "reader friendly", 63-page treatise offers a brief yet profound introduction to self-examination and expansion of the soul, as well as offering questions to reflect and ponder upon at the close of each chapter. Daily Bread is recommended for students of sanctity with a Christian context, as well as the conditions and circumstances of the human experience with the spiritual realities of contemporary everyday life.

A nice, simple little book . . . but my almost-4 year old was bored the first time through because of the heavy repetition. It would have been great before he turned 3, but not afterwards.

My kindergartener, who can read, loved this book. She loved the rhyme for each animal: "Hush! who's that peeping? can't you see that baby's sleeping? ... don't you cry, baby's sleeping right nearby" because she could join in. It was also easy enough for her to read. I heard her repeating it in the car for several days afterward. I enjoyed it too. Great for diverse classrooms and parents of children adopted from Asia.

My 19 month old daughter loves this book, especially the beautiful illustrations. Although there are too many words per page for her age - or perhaps her attention span! - this is a book that will grow with your child.

Those of us who love guinea pigs can become addicted; we can become fanatics. And why not? They're cute, they're cuddly, they're charming. This book may be a story for children, but it emphasizes the playful nature of guinea pigs that outsiders are unaware of.

Many people think of small cage pets as boring - well, you'd be boring too, if you spent your whole life in a room only a little larger than you are! But give a guinea pig room to explore, and explore he will. Real guinea pigs explore rooms in trains (one piggle behind another); these two piggies illustrate this behavior excellently. Real piggies push balls around with their noses, run through PVC tubes or ferret tubes, and occasionally tease larger pets by running under their noses; John Willie and Freddy McGee again illustrate this real behavior, in an amusing way.

The pictures are great - they'll have you saying "I know a guinea pig that looks like that!" The text is minimal, as would be expected, but what there is, is amusing. Words are not confined to one-syllable words; the author is aware that young children may have a receptive vocabulary larger than their speaking vocabulary, and also is aware that a book should be amusing for the adult who may have to read it 80 times in a row for their child.

I own this book and I don't even have children; other adults who visit us and are amused by our pet guinea pigs wind up taking this book off our shelves and reading it all the way through. Sometimes, it never makes it back off the coffee table and onto the shelf, because friends keep reading it. Buy your own copy, people!

I enjoy sharing this book with my preschool class. It never fails to invite speculation and the creation of our own stories on the adventures of our own pet guinea pigs.

Everyone in our family LOVED reading about the adventures of John Willie and Freddy McGee. From the start, these two curious guinea pigs with interesting names kept all of us laughing and looking forward to the next page. The colorful pictures along with lively descriptions kept us interested in their adventures from beginning to end. Although our Kindergartener brought this book home from the school library, our 2nd grader and our 6th grader read it often and loved it too. It has truly become one of my own personal favorites. This is a book any parent wouldn't mind reading over and over again.