Anybody in the business world or on the inside track of Los Angeles life knows who Marilyn and Harry Lewis are; their building of the Hamburger Hamlet dynasty is legendary. What makes this truly fascinating book come to life though, is the "true Marilyn" who jumps from the page. With many autobios, you can read it cover to cover and not know a whit more about the real person behind that public visage when you're done.

Not here. There's a lot more served up than some famous recipes and a few anecdotes; Lewis manages to capture the Zeitgeist of the time in which she and Harry lived and loved; a period of Show Business and Big Business colliding an L.A. full of fashion and film and some sad realities along the way.

I'd love to give details but I'm not blowing any surprises. Suffice to say the book is a surprise a mix of personal and public life, and every darn thing that happens when you're a woman with boundless talent and the energy of a high school sprinter. For instance, did you know that under a completely different name,in a completely different world, Marilyn Lewis was also famous for something that had nothing to do with her culinary crown? Double-famous in two different worlds: that's not luck. This is an extraordinary woman.

Marilyn Lewis's own peronal story is downright fascinating; from such humble beginnings she became the Grande Dame of Los Angeles's love for food, fashion, and passion. You can't put Lewis in a box.....her proven "wins" in evrything from film to filet mignon come with a story, a real story, about a real woman who was ahead of her time and made a lot of people plain catch up.

Written with the class you'd expect from one of the shining stars of Los Angeles social life, Marilyn tosses class and candor like a salad, and the result is a can't-put-it-down page turner.

I give this prize of a book my highest recommendation. The Marilyn Lewis you're going to meet in this book is probably not who you thought was on the menu. But I'd put her compelling voice and prolific humanity up against any creme brulee in town: Mrs. Lewis emerges like a creme brulee, in fact: a tough cookie and nobody's fool on the outside, and downright delicious, smooth and all class on the inside.

Give this book a read; it'll show you a Los Angeles (and a world) that may not even be possible anymore.....unless another Marilyn and Harry Lewis show up in town. For now, I'll take the originals....and they're both right here in plaintive sight. Enjoy the meal, and boy, does she know some of the juciest tidbits of Los Angeles's golden age. Enjoy, and don't forget to tip well.

MARILYN ARE YOU SURE YOU CAN COOK? HE ASKED
Every once in a while one comes across a book that's truly inspirational, and this one says it all. Marilyn Lewis takes you by the hand and thrusts you into the world of entertainment, excitement, movie stars, recipes, design, and family, all the while introducing us to her own style of prose. There are poignant moments, understated and wise, that speak volumes to the reader. This was not an easy road, and it was told honestly and with a rare sense of innocence, savvy and humor.We are given a personal tour of the thoughts and feelings of a true entrepreneur, and we learn that anyone wanting to achieve a modicum of success must take risks.I think that everyone SECRETLY wants to run a restaurant, and Marilyn shows us how to pull it off. And if that's not all...she makes a movie! Kidnapped? Yes! Disappointed? Many times! Survivor? You bet! This is not just a woman's story, but a benchmark for anyone who has a dream--and seeks the blueprints for success. A MUST READ! Take a much deserved bow, Ms. Lewis!

Marilyn Lewis hitch-hiked from Cleveland to Hollywood when she was 14. She owned a modeling agency when she was 16. She later married a hansom movie star.

Together they founded a successful chain of restaurants. In between Ms. Lewis designed clothes for the Marlo Thomas TV show and hosted a late night radio talk show!

This charming autobiography spans 40 years of her life in Hollywood, and includes numerous little-known stories about her movie star friends.

Ms. Lewis combines humor with her insight into how to succeed in a mans world. A MUST read!

I've read it twice. Great for those interested in physics but who are not physicists. Well written. Book builds your knowledge chapter by chapter. Lots of thought problems to check your understanding. Diagrams are very helpful and plentiful. Covers theories preceding and superceding theories of relativity. Very good explanation of string theory.

Simply put, this is the best book on relativity (special and general) currently available. Anybody can read it: shoe salesmen, physics students, whatever. It includes a very small number of elementary equations (on the scale of things like distance = velocity times time) and yet manages to convey the essence of the general theory of relativity to the reader. It certainly dispels the aura of mystery around this quite simple theory and when you have finished reading this slim book you'll be able to effectively argue with advanced physics students (hey, I'm an advanced physics student and, believe me, you know _alot_ after reading this!). Too bad Mr. Epstein hasn't also written such a book on Quantum Mechanics or Field Theory, where the inaccessibility of the texts for most people is legendary. Thus, in short: buy this book, you'll love it.

I owe a lot to this book. I've since gone on to read more advanced books on relativity, quantum physics, and string theory. What makes this book special is that it will make relativity an intuitive concept. As relativity is a foundation for so many other things, I needed a book which would give me a rock solid foundation. The book made relativity so simple that a child would understand it. And not only understand it, but be utterly convinced that it is correct. I now understand how relativity works about as well as I do the law of conservation of energy, as an example.
After you read this, you will want to move on, and I recomment "Quantum Reality". It's not simple like this book, though. I haven't found any books that do for quantum physics what Epstien does for relativity.

This volume and its sequel capture events from issues 19 through 28 of the manga comic books, and represents events in the earlier phases of the adventures of Rin and Manji. It contains two stories, "Rin's Bane," and the first part of "On Silent Wings." Both of these are strong stories that trace Rin's growth from a young girl hell-bent on vengeance for the murder of her parents into a woman who is beginning to understand the real price of retaliations.

In "Rin's Bane," the young swordswoman, smarting from an argument with Manji over her fighting skills heads off into the woods to wash her hair. There she finds herself face to face with Kagehisa Anotsu, the leader of the Itto-Ryu swordsmen. Anotsu brushes aside her skills, and she is forced to face some very unpleasant truths about her beliefs. The lessons of this encounter haunt Rin in the next story, "On Silent Wings." Manji and Rin are at a local fair when the immortal swordsman suddenly finds that a local mask maker is another Itto-Ryu. In a parallel encounter, Rin risks her own life to prevent a haughty samurai from killing a young child. Manji barely avoids a public battle, and Rin is shocked to recognize the artist as the killer who defiled her mother.

As events proceed inexorably towards the second volume's part of the story, we sense the internal tensions in Rin and her swordsman as they confront the possible outcomes of their actions. Hiroaki Samura's tale again touches on complex moral issues rather than simply dishing out a violent samurai melodrama. The grim horror that counterpoints the lighter exchanges between Samura's main encounters provides the basis for much thought and consideration. One of the surprises in this series has been the quality of the translation, which manages to carry through the whole range of the dialog. Yet Japanese is preserved where it is part if the detailed and carefully composed artwork. This extremely high level of artistic integrity grows on the reader. "Blade of the Immortal" is much more a genuine graphic novel than it is a simple manga.

Finally, after many volumes, we get some real exploration of Rin as a charater. Both 'On Silent Wings' and 'On Silent Wings II' deal with Rin's inner struggle. In this volume, Rin describes the rest of the events that occured the night her father died. It is both a sickening and an illuminating scene. This scene is very telling about several members of the Itto Ryu - some of them are even worse than they seem, others prove themselves more worthy than Rin would be willing to admit. This series is really begining to flesh out. The question raised by the On Silent Wings story arc is, what will Rin do? She can't seem to stop killing the men she hates, yet deep inside she knows it to be wrong. One thing is for sure, Rin is tearing herself apart with self-loathing and doubt. Meanwhile, Manji is becoming more protective of her, but at a loss as to how to help her.

As to the artwork, it is beautiful as always. One picture that I particularly enjoyed was one of Manji holding the unconcious Rin in his arms, looking at her with the most boyish expression I've seen on his face so far. It is a beautiful moment, and Samura captures it perfectly. Another interesting moment in the artwork is Rin's dream, which marvelously illustrates her feelings of doubt and anger, as well as her growing respect for Anotsu.

A great manga series. I think everyone should read it, especially those of you who think that 'comic books' are kids' stuff. The intricate plot, the detailed, realistic artwork, and the fascinating characters all contribute to make this one of the best books I've ever read

community-help@amazon.com.

I stumbled onto "Blade of the Immortal" translations in comic book format. Attracted by the art, and the unusually deep dialogue between the opponents (as dramatic as Kazou Kioke's "Lone Wolf and Cub", but much more up-to-date in sensibility and subject matter) I immediately began looking for back issues, which was difficult. Many retailers don't seem to order many issues of this book. Fortunately the trade paperbacks started coming out soon after.

"Blade of the Immortal" starts off as a fairly typical samurai revenge story, with some unusual horror movie twists. We meet Manji, a guilt-ridden outlaw and expert swordsman, who is cursed with an odd form of immortality. No matter how grievously he is injured, he cannot die. Manji makes a deal with a magical buddhist nun. He will gain the release of death, if he slays 1000 evil men. Soon we meet Rin, a young girl, the daughter of a swordsmanship teacher who witnessed the horrific murder of her parents at the hands of the Itto-Ryu, a renegade sword school. Tortured by nightmares, she seeks revenge, but realizing she has no hope of surviving a direct confrontation with even one Itto-Ryu swordsman, she convinces Manji to serve as her bodyguard and stand in. Taking up Rin's quest seems a perfect confluence of both of their desires: her need to put her parents memory to rest, his to earn his redemption.

The stories take you through dramatic encounters with various members of the sword school. All are dangerous swordsmen with unique styles of combat. Some are quite literally monsters. Each has a unique story, an unique reason for having become a renegade, and this becomes the source of much thought provoking drama before, during and after the battles. All are memorable characters, in particular Shimuzu (Book Two: "Cry of the Worm"), a fellow immortal and Maki, a swordswoman forced into prostitution who fights like the wind (Book 3: "Dreamsong").

Harioki Samura has great timing, the panel layouts make the fight scenes breathtaking and exciting. Also wonderful is the developing relationship between Manji and Rin, a kind of older brother, little sister dynamic that lends the book much humor and necessary warmth (given the bloodiness of the battles).

Beginning with "Rins Bane" (Book 4) Rin's internal debate about the morality and human costs of her quest, takes center stage, and make this one of the deepest and most interesting books to cross the Pacific in years. There's still plenty of action, and the relationship between Rin and Manji continues to deepen, but it's the debates about the sanity of the bushido code, about memory, about filial duty, and hints of political intrigue to come, that make this book an thought provoking and engrossing read.

If you have any taste for the high drama and action, as well as the deeper issues running through comic books like "the Authority", you have to give "Blade" a try. This is the best dramatic manga translation I've read, and it compares favorably with "Lone Wolf & Cub" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion". I really don't think you will be disappointed.

Before you read the rest of the review go out and BUY THIS IMMEDIATELY...YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED! The story revolves around one time bad guy Manji who is immortal. To make up for his sins of killing 100 good guys who were after him (including his sisters husband) he must slay 1000 bad guys!!! On the way he befriends a small girl called Rin and becomes her bodyguard. They are looking for an evil leader called anotsu...however as the story goes on it becomes less clear how evil anotsu is especially with his romance with a geisha swordswoman called makie... Hiroaki samura is truly the master at creating a thought provoking samurai epic manga... His storytelling is interesting and unique and comprises modern american slang as well as olden times speak! The art...what can I say! Although at times gory it is truly beautiful and all the panels are drawn with a loving care. The front covers alone are something to behold... It is very hard to persuade me to part with my dosh on manga books but this does it...adults cartoons indeed!!

In many ways Samura's manga series Blade of the Immortal tops all other manga series. His artwork is awestriking, the action is exciting, the characters are more intricate and interesting then most I've seen, and the drama is unmatched, but in all of these aspects Samura has outdone himself in Dreamsong.

Lover to Kagehisa Anotsu, Makie sets out to proove her love by killing Manji, the immortal ronin who protects Rin. Though her love from Anotsu is strong, Makie's conscience gets in the way, and she is forced to choose between her love for Anotsu, or killing a human being.

For a while I thought Cry of the Worm was the best TPB of Blade of the Immortal, but Dreamsong has complicated things. The fights are, as usual, bloody, and the characters are amazing complex. If you are a fan of any manga, GET DREAMSONG!

If people say we've outgrown the traditional hero then BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL might be one of the best cases to support that point. If our protagonists Manji and Rin are respectively driven by guilt and revenge how noble is that? If the antagonist Anotsu is motivated by reforming the sword schools of Japan (al beit by destroying them) is that all wrong, isn't he performing a grisly, yet patriotic duty?

I've had quibbles with the art, particularly the confusing two-page spreads but by this third book Samura has almost completely dropped it. And even if his female character designs mostly look the same (their faces anyway) he has such a clear grasp of character that you'd never mistake Rin for Makie, for instance, in this story.

I won't give any plot points away but the thing that impressed me about this book was when one of the character's makes a surprisingly convincing argument that a prostitute has more honor and concern for humanity than any person weilding a sword. There's an exotic twist on a samurai story.

I read this trilogy after reading Lewis's delightful series, The Chronicles of Narnia. I was totally unprepared for the insightful criticisms and tough disposition displayed in the books after reading the Narnian books that were colorful and fun. I quickly adapted to his more difficult style of writing, and began to understand that beneath the oddly beautiful science fiction novels there was a high level of spirituality, not found in many books. There was also several basic criticisms Lewis makes about the world he is living in, including human greed, imperialism, (Out of The Silent Planet and Perelandra), conformity (That Hideous Strength), among other things.

The first two books of this trilogy are basically about Ransom's adventures and sets up the events that are going to occur in That Hideous Strength. They outline the segregation of the Silent Planet, and give the history of the eldil. They also contain an exciting good versus evil plot line that is extremely complex. The third book takes up where Perelandra left off, but follows the actions of a Mark Studdock and his wife, Jane, instead of Ransom. In an exciting, but tremendously thorough book Lewis ties all the threads of the plot line together and gives an apocalyptic conclusion.

The series is great and is definetly a Sci-Fi epic worthy of your time and effort to read. It is a difficult book to read, not recommended for children, but is definetly recommend for those who like religious undertones, or those who enjoy great ability and creativity.

The SPACE TRILOGY is C.S. Lewis' allegorical fantasy masterwork. It combines Christian Theology with philosophy, mythology and conventions of science fiction to produce one of the great Quest adventures of 20th century fiction.

OUT of the SILENT PLANET introduces Ransom.... Lewis' surrogate voice of traditional Reason tempered by Faith...who is kidnapped by contemporary forces of (literally) superstitous adherrence to Modern/Post-Modern radical secularism and Scientism. Taken to "Mars"((to be victim of blood sacrifice to Alien Intelligences)) Ransom is made aware of the consequences of ORIGINAL SIN that made Earth, THE SILENT PLANET; and battle ground for Cosmic Powers of Good and Evil.

PERELANDRA, in my estimate the most fascinating of the three books, is modern re-Telling of The GARDEN OF EDEN parable. Here Ransom and a character named Weston (believed by some scholars to represent H.G.Wells)become locked in spiritual, psychological and ultimately physical combat to preserve or corrupt an INNOCENT WORLD. C.S.Lewis description of "Venus"...the Edenic Planet...is startling and unique. The battle between the Two WORLD VIEWS is exciting and thought-provoking.

THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH is scary...
In The Trilogy's conclusion, Lewis(again through his hero Ransom) posits the Forces of Modern/ Post-Modernism are an anti-Faith in league with Demonic Powers. This "Fairy Tale for Adults" imaginatively evokes the myth of the Tower of Babel combined with Arthurian Legends, and New Age Occultism to produce a story of...until the climax when demonic influences are overtly revealed...subtle horror. The N.I.C.E. is described as a scientific United Nations devoted to establishment of a utopian Order of World Peace and Prosperity. The startling climax reveals its leaders as Conspirators with Evil, trading the souls and Nature of Mankind for Power.

The SPACE TRILOGY is great story telling. Philosophically, C.S. Lewis dealt with many of its themes in his renowned essay,THE ABOLITION OF MAN. Like the latter,the premise of TST may unacceptably challenge or offend mature readers. What begins as Fairy Tale in guise of Science Fiction concludes as MODERN FABLE employing The Quest to probe ultimate metaphysical and ethical questions. Unlike The Chronicles of Narnia, THE SPACE TRILOGY is not for children.It is for adults who wish to travel Inner Spaces of the mind, heart and Soul and be marvelously entertained by The Trip......

The theme throughout these three books is man's battle (or, rather, intelligent life's battle) between good and evil, with some very obvious, but not stifling, religious overtones also found in CS Lewis' nonfiction work. For adults who absolutely adored the Chronicles of Narnia set, this trilogy takes you through the battle between good and evil in a more sophisticated manner. Granted, these are not nearly as easy to read, but adapting to the more complex (sometimes slow-moving in Hideous Strength) writing style was quick.

If you are primarily interested in religious fiction, and have the patience to read books with more complexity than, say, the Left Behind series, you will like these allegorical journeys through the fall of man. If you are primarily interested in SciFi, CS Lewis takes you to other worlds (Silent Planet, Perelandra) and introduces beings from another Earth-time (Hideous Strength) with an original twist of the good vs. evil storyline.

All three books can be read on their own, however I found that "That Hideous Strength" would have been difficult to follow without the background provided in either "Out of the Silent Planet" or "Perelandra". Regardless of the individual readability of the 3 stories, I started with the 1st book (Out of the Silent Planet) not sure I would enjoy it, and ended up finishing all 3 within a week or two.

Until The End is the second and final instalment of Harold Coyle's Civil War series. As with the first in the series - Look Away - the novel chronicles the lives of the Bannon brothers as they continue to fight on opposite sides of the conflict. Although Until The End is the second instalment of a series it can be read as a stand-alone novel. However, I would encourage you to initially read Look Away.

As with Look Away, Until The End is a splendid read if you're interested in the battles of the Civil War. This novel takes us to the end of the war and includes amongst others, battles scenes from the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, a particularly realistic account of The Bloody Angle, Jubal Early's aborted raid on Washington, the mud of the trenches at Petersburg and the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House. Although there are chapter notes at the end of the book I certainly benefited from a little previous knowledge of these battles. If you're able to get a copy you would find it useful to have The Conservation Fund's 'The Civil War Battlefield Guide' as a reference source

I feel that the author has fine-tuned his skills in writing about this subject matter, as a result Until The End is the better of the two novels. It still has the realism of the War but has lost some of the need to over elaborate on the nature of social relationships that was to be found within Look Away. I enjoyed the focus on the Bannon's personal lives in the shape of Harriet Shields and Mary Beth McPherson and found that Coyle had developed this element of the plot in a more believable manner than the previous novel.

Until The End, as with Look Away, can not be described as high literature, it does not have any hidden agendas and it does not try to convert the reader to any particular Civil War bias. It is, however, fast paced, realistic, gritty and enjoyable. If these are qualities that you enjoy in your Civil War fiction then whether read on it's own or as a conclusion to the story of the Bannon brothers I do recommend this book to you.

Look Away and Until the End were my first 2 Civil War novels. I was not dissappointed. The battles are described in vivid detail. Coyle makes the 1860's come alive with wonderful plot AND character development. The only bad thing that could possibly be said about this book is that it is not "to be continued".

Much better than first novel MUCH, MUCH better. In my review for the first book I noticed I'd accidently reviewed the audio book. I didn't mean to... Benn M. Limburg, NL

Few authors become more relevant as time passes. Lewis, who died in 1963, is more relevant now than ever before. This collection of 38 essays and letters is not only enjoyable to read over and over since Lewis is a master at prose and image, it is food for your mind and soul, helping us to see reality more clearly. His sharp intellect and readable style help show the results of various codes of ethics, the joy of reading old books, the ultimate meaning of Christ, the logic of miracles, the logic of monothiesm, his doubts about animal experimentation, the morality of punishment, the nature happiness, and much more. Since each essay stands on its own, this is a convenient read for those who don't want to read a whole book or want something to ponder throughout the day.

Essays are: PART I 1)Evil and God 2)Miracles 3)Dogma and the Universe 4)Answers to Questions on Christianity 5)Myth Became Fact 6)'Horrid Red Things' 7)Religion and Science 8)The Laws of Nature 9)The Grand Miracle 10)Christian Apologetics 11)Work and Prayer 12)Man or Rabbit? 13)On the Transmission of Christianity 14)'Miserable Offenders' 15)The Founding of the Oxford Socratic Club 16)Religion without Dogma? 17)Some Thoughts 18)'The Trouble with X...' 19)What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ? 20)The Pains of Animals 21)Is Theism Important? 22)Rejoinder to Dr Pittenger 23)Must our Image of God Go?

PART II 1)Dangers of National Repentance 2)Two Ways with the Self 3)Meditation on the Third Commandment 4)On the Reading of Old Books 5)Two Lectures 6)Meditation in a Toolshed 7)Scraps 8)The Decline of Religion 9)Vivisection 10)Modern Translations of the Bible 11)Priestesses in the Church? 12)God in the Dock? 13)Behind the Scenes 14)Revival or Decay? 15)Before We Can Communicate 16)Cross-Examination

PART III 1)'Bulverism' 2)First and Second Things 3)The Sermon and the Lunch 4)The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment 5)Xmas and Christmas 6)What Christmas Means to Me 7)Delinquints in the Snow 8)Is Progress Possible? 9)We Have No 'Right to Happiness'

Part IV Letters

Have you ever wanted to read C.S. Lewis' thoughts on a variety of subjects? If so, then this book is for you. There are 48 separate essays, which vary in length from a few pages to around 12. Such topics include "Religion and Science," "Is Theism Important?" "The Decline of Religion," and the actual essay entitled "God in the Dock." The latter essay is about how we put ourselves on the bench and God in the dock. We will believe in God only if he answers the hard questions for us, and then we may actually "acquit" God. Like Lewis' other works, it is very thought prokoving. There are also 12 letters which Lewis wrote that cover a variety of topics including capital punishment and singing hymns. These letters show both Lewis' personality and intellect. When I first checked this book out of the library and read a few of the essays, I had to buy it. For a long time I have asked myself, "What does Lewis think of this or that issue?" This book is a good way to find out basically what he believes. I don't think reading these essays is an excuse not to read his longer works (such as the utterly amazing "Great Divorce), but they do give a broad picture of what Lewis thinks.

It's hard to summarize a book that contains all essays. All I can say by way of summary that there are four parts: Part One contains twenty three essays, Part Two contains sixteen, Part Three contains nine. Part Four contains letters written by Lewis.

These essays deal with a lot of subjects written by C. S. Lewis, one of the most thorough and profound Christian writers that I have read. This book has influenced me beyond my ability to describe it. I've been a student of the Bible all of my life and of C. S. Lewis for more than 25 years -- and I can truthfully say that Lewis has helped me more than any other single Christian author, and I've read some good ones.

Of special interest to me were (and still are)Essay #13 on page 114 (Section one) Essay #1 on page 189 (Section 2) and Essay #3 on page 196 (also Section 2) which deal directly or indirectly with the subject of politics and religion. I won't tell you what Lewis says about it -- I'd be happier if you'd read it for yourself.

Even the articles I didn't agree with (and there were very few of those) still were worth reading and gave me a lot to think about.

If you're a thinking person, this will be some of the best money you will spend on any Christian book -- except for the Bible itself.

Let's not get too mushy about this book. I agree that it has its message about spiritual aspects to healing, and that modern medicine ain't the godsend that seems to justify all the faith people put in it. But I want to point out a couple of things: First of all Mehl-Madrona's spirituality is not pure native american by any stretch of the imagination. I would be generous if I said it was a combination of native american and christian beliefs. Second, and more important, the "healing" that he claims occured was never proven medically. There's no official results shown before or after the "treatment" that indicates there was indeed a sick person that became well. You're just taking Lewis's word for it, and the truth of the matter is that I doubt it - I read it and I doubt it.

I'm all in favor of getting in touch with our spiritual nature, and I do believe that good medicine requires strong direction from the patient as to the course of the cure. The kidney patients in the beginning of the book are a prime example of how "medicine" can go bad when it takes it's own unmanaged course. I applaud Mehl-Madrona for writing about that. But oddly, he exudes powerlessness throughout the entire book. There are many such inconsistencies here, so be forewarned.

I think that in summary I have to say that the Coyote he claims to know is not the one I am familiar with. Nevertheless, for what it's worth, I liked it.

This book blew me away. I have reread much of it so many times and bought multiple copies for friends. I have filled the margins of my copy with notes and filled notebooks with essays and thoughts inspired by Dr. Mehl-Madrona's book. It is nothing short of miraculous itself, in addition to describing medical miracles and how they are brought about by spiritual intervention and Native American healing.

A child prodigy, Lewis Mehl-Madrona hitchhiked to a local college while still in high school, read philosophy science voraciously and was the youngest peacetime graduate of Stanford Medical School. The more impressive since his childhood was at times difficult.

At medical school, Dr. Mehl-Madrona became interested in shamanic traditions and attended some sweat lodge and tipi ceremonies. Here he encountered otherwordly phenomena such as blue light, sparks, sensorial stimulation and miracle cures in cases that were deemed too far gone by western doctors. Most importantly, Dr. Mehl-Madrona learned how shamans talked to patients, asked questions about their families and lives and spent long periods of time with them. The author learned that shamans tap into the inner healer of the patient, and consider themselves only partially responsible for any cure.

At the same time, Dr. Mehl-Madrona was encountering negligent and dehumanizing healing practices in his western medical pursuits. A few spine-chilling tales display the callousness and arrogance that exists in some hospitals and clinics. One example: two obstetricians made a bet concerning the fastest C-Section birth and the winner, very triumphant at seventeen minutes, accidentally tied something shut in the woman's internal organs. It was fixed and the woman even wrote a letter of thanks to the hospital! Such is the blind and sometimes unjustified trust the public has in the medical establishment.

The book is wonderfully woven with many colorful strands of storytelling. On one level, it is a memoir of Dr. Mehl-Madrona's journey to reconcile his western medical training with holistic and in particular Native American healing. He is part Native American, so this pursuit poignantly reflects his mixed heritage. Poignant because Dr. Mehl-Madrona often felt like an outsider in all areas of his life, as a Native American man, as an American man, as a western doctor and as an aspiring and ultimately successful shaman.

Another strand of his story is the Native American tradition of healing itself, which we discover in almost the same timeframe that he does. We are introduced to the traditional practice of storytelling as a healing technique at the same time that he is. Early in the book, when the doctor is a resident, he is tending a man whose medical condition is exacerbated (and perhaps caused) by his intensely critical nature. A wonderful passage in recounts Dr. Mehl-Madrona's tentative attempt at telling a story to the cynical patient, himself a psychologist, who groans with sarcasm as the story begins. As it continued, he was intrigued, however, and even hazards a guess at the meaning, to which guess the doctor gives an ambiguous confirmation. The great part of this passage is how Dr. Mehl-Madrona successfully enacts the role of enigmatic shaman even though he himself is still unsure of the story's meaning.

Coyote Medicine also discusses the role of the supernatural in shamanic healing, and the perception of magic and nature. For anyone who ever sat in the woods or even on his aparment steps late at night and felt a mystical connection to something unseen and bigger than himself, Coyote Medicine is a kindred spirit.

At one point the author goes on his vision quest and meets his power animals and is given shamanic healing tools. We as readers are present at many important moments in his life, including personal and family struggles (his first wife, according to the book, seemed to wrestle his children away from him and resented his shamanic efforts), professional travails (Dr. Mehl-Madrona's questioning intelligence, sense of dignity for the patient and also his holistic beliefs created friction with several different western medical institutions). When, at the end of the book, the author finds an accepting partner and on a professional level, a venue where he could combine holistic healing with Western, we feel as thought a close friend has triumphed in the face of great odds.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in healing, either for herself or others, and also about finding one's own individual path, as difficult as and untraveled as it might be, but that is true to the traveler.

Many blessings on this book and thank you Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona.

Robert Murray Diefendorf, Author of Release the Butterfly

This is THE best book on Native American spirituality I have ever read. Lewis Mehl-Medrano did an excellent job of sharing his autobiographical experiences as a "half-breed" in learning the spirituality of his family in a way that was relevant to those readers unfamiliar with N.A. spirituality. His presentation was refreshingly non-New Age in an honest, clearly written description of Native American healing beliefs and practices juxtaposed with his training and experiences as a western-trained medical doctor. The book was inspirational without being syrupy or lecturing. I truly enjoyed this book and will read it again.

This gut-wrenching book is five stories. Each is fascinating... The first is that of a young man growing up in the shadow of his famous father, Marine Corps General "Chesty" Puller, "the most decorated man in Marine Corps history." The second is that of a young marine corps lieutenant leading a 40-man platoon in combat, trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to keep everyone alive. He was doing what he thought was right. His tour ends in disaster; he is med-evaced out with horrific injuries. The third story is his hospitalization -- missing legs, missing fingers, he fights through a pain-ridden recovery. The fourth tale is his humiliating 1978 defeat in a Congressional race against Republican Paul Trible. The final story is Lewis Puller's battle against alcoholism. "Fortunate Son" was published in 1991, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1992. But in the alcohol war, this book just marked the eye of the storm. Shortly after it was honored with the prize, Lewis Puller relapsed into alcoholism; he and his wife separated. And on May 11, 1994, Lewis B. Puller, Jr., picked up a gun and killed himself. ---- Sometimes (to boomers) the Vietnam era and its aftermath now seem dreamlike; Puller's book is an icy hook, pulling us into the river of times past. It was VERY real! Throughout this book, the thought keeps recurring, this was a man who trusted too much, too many, too often, and was destroyed. He was indeed a tragic figure. There are many lessons to be learned from his life... but I suspect every reader will take different ones from this work...

What separates a good book from a great book is its ability to change the way the reader perceives the world and himself. Lewis Puller, Jr. has accomplished this difficult feat with his autobiography. Fabulously written and lavishly detailed, it takes the reader on a journey from Puller's hometown to the rice paddies of Vietnam and back. Lewis Puller, Jr's pain can be felt when the booby-trapped howitzer round erupts beneath his feet and when he struggles to learn how to use prosthetics in a military hospital. His emotional suffering is also felt when he loses the Virginia congressional election, and when he deals with both alcoholism and his growing bitterness for the war he gave so much to. Then, after all he fought through, after everything he accomplished, Lewis Puller, Jr. committed suicide three years after publishing his book. The book was powerful, but the knowledge that he could not, in the end, survive the horrors of a war that ended nearly twenty years earlier is truly moving. This book provides insight into what war really is, and into the lives of the everyday men and women that comprise our armed services. It is a lasting memorial to the sacrifice of those soldiers that offered their lives to protect our country, and to the shame all Americans should feel because of the way those veterans were treated when they returned to the States. I am convinced that Mr. Puller would still be with us today, sharing his incredible gift and influencing the world if the American people had been more supportive of his sacrafice in the years following Vietnam. He and those like him did not, after all, direct the war and the make the mistakes that lost it. Their country called and they answered, for better or for worse, and because of that we should have a great deal of respect for all veterens.

I just read this book for the second time. The spread between the first and second reading is nearly a decade. The first time I read this book I became emotional. Now that I have read it again, with added maturity...I fully appreciate its greatness.

Lewis B. Puller, Jr. is the patriotic son of a beloved Marine Corps legend. "Fortunate Son," is the story of how the author follows his father's footsteps...joining the Marines and going to war. What follows is a chilling portrait of the Vietnam war. It is also a fabulous window of understanding of how many Vienam veterans turned against the war.

The author's narrative of his childhood and his relationship with his famous military father is outstanding. Moreover, the tale of his combat wound and his subsequent survival along with other American casualties of the war while in military hospitals in the States is comprehensive and objective.

Puller does an enormous service for the nation. He honestly delivers one of the most powerful...as well as painful first hand testimonies of the longest war in the history of the United States of America. This book will endure the test of time.

Renato's Luck, from the first word to the last visual, is the perfect read for anyone seeking a renewed taste for life. Jeff Shapiro has taken the Italian culture and woven a tale of hope, faith, and new-found happiness throughout his characters. Renato, in particular, becomes the small town hero of a delightful Tuscan town. Every character that Renato encounters shares a unique tale, simple yet so very Italian. Amazing for an American expat living in Tuscany. The visuals in this book are so precise that anyone who has visited Siena, Montalcino, or anywhere in Tuscany for that matter will no doubt be transported back to the tranquility of the Italian countryside. I loved the Italian phrases throughout the book, including their incredible translations! Bravo, Jeff Shapiro. Bravo, indeed. A must read for all!

Having returned from a few months in Italy, I have wanted to stay in touch with all the "life" that Italia offers ... this book is a wonderful way to recapture the experience. The way Shapiro builds his characters and their dilemma, he really wraps the reader into Sant'Angelo. Che bello ... bravo Shapiro!

I highly reccommend Renato's Luck to anyone who enjoys a chraacter driven novel full of interesting yet familiar characters. I found Renato and his fellow Tuscan villagers to have sharp insight into the absurdities and joys present in everyday life. Renato confronts the fears and challenges we all face as we get older and begin to question the choices we have made in life. The answers that Renato finds to these questions point to important truths that are present in our own lives.