The book may be good. I don't know but these people have obviously written their own testimonials. How do the readers happen to know how many have been sold etc.

My in-laws had been putting off estate planning, which would put the family business at jeopardy at their death. The first chapter gives examples of what happens without planning, and after reading it, they started the process of a living trust and most importantly finished it!
The book also showed my husband and I why we needed a living trust to protect our young son (so he would not inherit wealth, without strings, at a naive 18), and why my widowed sister needed a trust to protect her children receiving an inheritance if she died after remarriage -- without a trust her inheritance would go to husband #2, and not her children.
The book helps.

this book really stunk don't get it

I bought this book based on the other two customer reviews, hoping to find a decently priced book that could answer some of my questions. It answered one of them. Oh, I'm sure all the other answers are in there somewhere, but I certainly can't find them. This is not a book for newbies to the field! Unless you've got a healthy understanding of electronics already, it sounds like the author is describing something from Star Trek. Sure, there's no math to worry about, but the jargon alone is enough to baffle the average Joe. You'd have to eat, sleep, and breathe science just to stay awake while reading it. Do they make an Electric Motors for Dummies...?

Lots of good theory and application on electric motors, but to get the most out of it, you really should have 2 semesters of college level physics and 1 semester of electrical engineering. The book covers the theory of how and why motors work, but could have been a better book with a simple explanation as a preface to each chapter. Also, a simple explanation of the differences between the various types motors. It seems that this is a sophmore level college text and is excellent for that purpose.

The book presents the key points about how motors function without the labor of all the math. I would suggest this book as required reading prior to taking an electrical engineering class on motors to all undergrads. It will help when they are writing all those equations in one of the electromechanical machine classes. The beauty of the book is that it presents what you "need to walk around with" to understand motor functions.

Personally, I was disappointed by the fourth edition of this venerable text, for it has become increasingly mathematical and problem oriented. If you like sitting down and whiling away your afternoon with a problem set -- this is the text for you. But if instead you wish to study acoustics through a pedagogical method that is more verbal and graphical in nature -- better texts are available.

Indeed, in my opinion, prior editions (1950, 1962, 1981) of this same text are superior, particularly the second edition. Although these too have their share of integral calculus and complex algebra, the quantity is more appropriate for a discipline that is mostly science and engineering but with aspects of art to it as well.

Bear in mind that aside from a few specialized areas -- like ultrasonics and its use in medical imaging and non-destructive testing, or the use of digital processing in sound generation and vibration analysis -- little new has come about in the field of acoustics since World War II. Thus unlike with most fields of science, there is no necessity to have the most modern texts to gather a wholly modern understanding of the field (with a few minor exceptions).

Indeed, I recently examined almost every text relating to acoustics contained in the circumferential stacks of the Barker Engineering Library under the Great Dome of M.I.T. (and sadly, there aren't as many texts as one might hope). I was surprised both at the age of most volumes in the collection -- and the fact that most had not been checked out of the library in years.

Indeed, from the "Date Due" slips in the back, you could see the field was very popular in the 1960's and 1970's, but popularity seemed to wane in the early 1980's -- approximately contemporaneously, curiously, with the introduction of the digital CD format of audio recording.

By the mid-1990's, at M.I.T., at least, interest in acoustics among faculty and students seem to have declined precipitiously, if the popularity of library texts and the quantity of student theses published in the field is any indication.

Of all the general texts on acoustics that I examined -- to me, one clearly stood out above the others. It was published in 1957 by Harry F. Olsen, Ph.D., the lead acoustical scientist at the RCA Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. It is entitled, "Acoustical Engineering", although the text contains all the fundamental science as well. This volume was reprinted in 1991 and is currently available.

Olsen's work is surely a magnum opus, comprising 736 pages and 567 illustrations. It has its fair share of math, but the concepts are often additionally explained through well-crafted line drawings, showing, for example, wave forms drawn in progressive fashion in serial graphs, some of which are designed so that one can even mentally rotate the graphics to gather a three-dimensional perspective. Furthermore, the graphs are often supplemented by art showing equivalent mechanical and electrical analogs, to further assist in understanding.

Best of all, Olsen explains virtually everything acoustical you would ever want to know, from theories of acoustical wave propagation, to an enormous variety of loudspeaker designs, to the mathematical reasoning behind Johann Sebastian Bach's tempered tuning of musical instruments, an artistic practice that is almost universal today.

Thus if it is a text for a problem-oriented course in acoustics that one seeks -- the fourth edition of the "Fundamentals of Acoustics" is a fine text. However, if one wishes to have a ready reference that is extraordinarily comprehensive, or a pedagogical work that doesn't focus on mathematical derivations, better choices can surely be made.

This book provides a good introduction to the subject, but I would not consider it hard core by any means. Morse is hard core, Pierce a far second in dificulty. Blackstock's book is superior. Blackstock provides a physical explanation of the theory of sound, Kinsler relies a bit too much on simple equations and does not provide insight into what the math is telling you. A good entry level book to use as a reference, and self study.

If you are interested in a solid introduction to the science of sound, then this is your book. Kinsler and Frey is not an advanced text, nor a reference manual for research scientists. It is simply a classic introduction to the physical principles of acoustics geared toward upper level undergraduates or graduate students.

I have been doing intermediate Pilates for about 18 months now. I saw this book in a store and was curious about it, so I picked it up and started flipping through it. I was shocked to see that in each photo, Denise has her head turned, grinning at the camera instead of actually putting her head in the proper position for the move. Head position is essential to all the moves, and I don't know very many that involve turning one's head to one side and smiling widely! LOL Anyway, to be fair once I saw that I didn't read any of the book. Maybe she makes up for it in the written descriptions. But that photo faux pas was enough to make me put down the book and not look back. I can't believe some editor let that book get published that way! It could be a great book for all I know, but just those photos were enough to make me cringe!

Hi out there. I bought this book because it offered what I was looking for. I am not the type to buy an exercise book either. In particular I liked the drawing of the muscle per exercise. I like knowing what it is I am working on. As for equipment: bands, ball, weights ... those are used in the book, though not exclusively.

I am a beginner yoga student. I wanted to try pilates as well, because I like the idea of toning my body, using my body. I bought this particular book by Denise Austin and I felt like it was very informative. However, I think it would be best if I learn from the book, but purchase a pilates DVD, as well. You an only learn so much from a book...you need to see it performed correctly.

This is a wacky book. I'm not even sure how to classify it really - fantasy/contemporary/comedy. In a nutshell it's about a guy, Jack, who is in love with a moon goddess. His friends, neighbors, and local cops all think he's a loon because he spends one night a month outside, naked as can be, awaiting his lover from the moon (it's the only way she's able to find him).

In an attempt to save him from a permanent stint in jail his friends spend each full moon with him in a cabin located way out in the boonies. It's not long before his friends begin to become affected by the presence of Jack's moon goddess and they begin to have relationship troubles. The book started out funny and the premise was wild but eventually the story turned dull as more and more time was spent on Jack's self-centered, annoying friends who were lusting after each others' wives/boyfriends/etc. etc. I really liked Jack and his moon goddess Lily - they were the only compassionate characters in the bunch - but his friends hogged up most of the book

I thought of the movie The Big Chill while I read this. I also thought of the small number of writers who write fantasy from their private slice of reality. Denton's writing is a wonder, and unlike the moon with its habit of coming and going, my interest in Lunatics never waned. Every character was unique and worth knowing. I've given this book as a gift many times. Smart, endearing writing.

Someone mentions in another review that this book is unlike Blackburn (another great book.) Which it is. Thus the wonder of Bradley Denton. I'm looking forward to his next book.

I'm only 16 years old but i picked up this book in the library, just to have something to read. I brought i over to a friend's house and read it and it was an amazing story. Every character fit in with the personality of every close friend i had. To tell the truth, the book got really creepy because it was so accurate with the characters. This is one of the few books that i could'nt put down, literally. And surprisingly enough it was a romance novel but still humorous and very very clever witha touch of fantasy in it. Very good novel.

I'll begin by saying that whoever J.D.Austin is, i would guess that he or she has seen military service, and probably in the Navy, at that. About half of the important human characters in this book are Navy vets, and, to this Navy vet at least, they ring true -- written by someone who knows whereof they speak.

That aside, this is a cheerful romp through some of the same territory that my brother (David Weber)'s "Apocalypse Troll" covered a lot more seriously.

The storytelling is neatly divided between a current action story set on Earth and a series of flashbacks set on Planet Thradon, beginning two years ago as the latest in a series of wars between the planet's two largest nations has go badly indeed for the larger of the two.

To begin: General Ket Mhulhar has been on diplomatic duty, and consequently is not in her home country when the big coup goes down; as senior surviving military officer, she is suddenly Premier. But it's not safe for her to stay. The Space Force is going to send her away to a distant planet, which only one ship on the whole world can reach. Knowing she is safe, they can base a Resistance movement on that fact.

But, she has to be disguised surgically to match the inhabitants of her new foster world. Which is, of course, Earth. Working from pictures, the doctors do as well as they can.

Possibly too well.

As the one Thradonian who has actually *been* to Earth looks at the unconscious form lying on the table, he bemoans the fact that with those looks, keeping a low profile on Earth may be difficult -- "Terran males" he explains "go to sleep hoping they'll *dream* about girls who look like that!" On the other hand, he allows, she *is* headed for the one place on Earth where beauty and oddity hand-in-hand are taken for granted -- Los Angeles.

But it's too late to change -- into the ship and off she goes, arriving two years later on Earth, where she is taken under the wing of a retired couple. A retired couple whose son is a successful independent film writer/producer/director (think Tarentino, from the plot descriptions of his films). A film maker whose script girl has just quit.

And "Kathy" goes to work for Bobby, soon talking him into letting her try wearing the "Producer" hat on this film so that he can concentrate on directing. And she tries to decide just what she will do when the Bad Guys manage to follow her here.

Meanwhile, back on Thradon, the military of Dalyi, Ket's home nation, are organising a Resistance.

The two stories alternate neatly, the Thadon story skipping closer anf closer to Present Day, and Kathy and her Terran friends get ready for the Arrival...

Though much of the story is played lightly, there are darker underpinnings, and some fairly serious thoughts about war and peace and patriotism and chauvinism, not to mention the responsibilities of honor and friendship.

The characters, human and Thradonian alike, though mostly lightly sketched are still acceptably plausible -- one of them is a retired Master Chief Petty Officer who was a Seaman Apprentice aboard the Forrestal off the coast of Viet Nam the day a missile on deck cooked off and started one of the most terrifying fires ever to strike a ship that didn't eventually sink, and he *absolutely* reads like the real thing.

Both sides in the conflict on Thradon learn lessons that we haven't yet learnt fully and properly here on Earth, and it is obvious that its aftermath is going to poison Thradonian society and politics for a long time to come, even after the "Good Guys" win a (comparatively) near-bloodless victory.

But it all comes out in the end more or less for the best.

One Thing More Dept: If Austin writes any more books -- either sequels to this one or independent settings -- i hope he takes us back to "The Stupid Elf", one of the more amusing sleazy bars i've run across in fiction of film in a while. I'd like to know more about the "Elf" and Buzz, the unflappable ex-cop bartender.

On a distant planet, after a short brutal war, a woman general finds herself the ranking leader in the country. She has received orders to go into hiding and remain safe until it is the right time to strike back. Hiding goes against her nature, but the rest of the staff comply and have her surgically altered to be human and then ship her off to Earth.

Ket Mulhar lands in California where she is promptly picked up by an aging golf-loving couple and her new life as Kathy begins. The couple have a son who is in the movie business and Kathy is soon working for him and making him more successful.

Meanwhile, the resistance begins to form on her home planet and a war of rebellion begins. The aggressors want to know where Ket is and why she has not shown herself.

The rest of the book is a true delight. Action passes back and forth between planets. Kathy develops a new life, first as a script girl and then as a producer. But Kathy is very honest. She has told the couple who befriended her who she is. Bobby, their son, is also told. Bobby, his parents, and his friends are all veterans (WWII and Desert Storm).

Needless to say, everyone takes a real shine to Kathy and we get a story of Family and friends sticking together and doing everything they need to in order to protect their own.

With General Ket in charge, you expect a big smash explosive battle ending, but this book is more intelligent than that.

I will leave revelations of endings to the readers as friend and foe all come together in the Californian desert.

A wonderful read that is pretty much unlike anything else out there. A fine book.

I just finished reading Bobby's Girl and it was great. Fast paced and an easy read, it was difficult to put the book down once I picked it up. The main character, General Ket Mhulhar, is a strong and honor bound woman - who is incredibly loyal and loving to her friends, both old and new. Ket, or Kathy as she is known on Earth, leaves her war torn planet and ends up in on the set of a movie in Los Angeles.

The author has an eye for detail and makes you feel as if you are with the characters in any setting, whether its in a bar on Earth or war torn Thradon. As with Ket, all of the main characters in the book are, someway or another, loyal and honorable - whether they are Ket's boyfriend Bobby or the "bad guy" Celin Kwa.

This is a book that deals with action, love and war, but it is free of any violence and bloodshed that may be considered graphic and therefore I think this book is suitable for younger readers as well, not just adults.

A review by Lacy

This book was about a group of boys named Levi, Jupiter and Possum. This story takes place back when slavery was a big issue, when the North and South were battling against one another. They were living in the north with Miss Amelia because they didn't want to have any part of the slavery. Levi always writes to his brother Austin who he doesn't see that often.

In this book there isn't just one plot there is a series of things going on in a lot of the letter there is a different topic and new things going on. Like when they were scared the bully was going to throw his dog into the river from the cliff and then the author starting talking about Levi having to take dance classes. I think that the author could have explained some areas better and put more detail in to what he was explaining. Some of the conflicts are expressed pretty well but some others really need some work on. I couldn't really follow a lot of the book because it was a hard book to get into. The length of this book was pretty fair. It probably should have been longer and add some more detail in it. I was happy when I finished the book; I thought it would never end. It was just so boring. The vocabulary of this book was easy to understand. I didn't have any trouble reading words but some of the sentence was confusing.

I would highly recommend you not to read this book. It is really hard to get into. This book was a very slow pace book. If you like being confused then I recommend this book to you but for the people like me who don't like being confused don't read the book.

Dear Austin, Right now Im out looking for Darcy, Juipters sister,Yesterday Black Rustlers stole her! Me and Jup have set out to find Darcy. Please don't worry while im out there. A body couldn't get nothin much don to him the wild. Don't worry Austin. I'll be saving y'all some letters as im out. Don't when i'll be sendin' 'em to ya'. Till then just stay come. Is how Levi talks to Austin thorough out the whole thing, in letters. AS they set out they meet the famous "Moses," a.k.a Hariet Truman. A black slave leader, the slave train, and suspence, history, and all around tightnes! I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS TO READERS HOW LOVE TO READ! (of course.) And people how love to read about the stuf I like to read about, like this story. So go out and buy it!

I used this book with my fifth grade class. The author's ability to blend history, humor, and heart gave me just the story I was looking for to use on my unit about slavery.It totally hooked my students and I had to read much more each day than I had planned on!(They didn't want me to put it down!)I was also glad that the author didn't shy away from the truth and though the ending was hard it gave us a very moving and accurate description of the horrors of slavery- as much as a ten year old need digest. I would highly recommend this to both students and teachers, alike. M. Stevens

First published at the height of the televangelism scandals of the late 1980's, "Don't Call Me Brother" recounts the story of a boy who ran away to join the circus, became a well-known ringmaster, found Jesus after a miraculous healing of an audience member that occurred after Miles asked for silent prayer for the man, and later became a fixture on the PTL Club. Much of the material here will not be shocking to anyone who followed PTL scandal (and who didn't?), but the slander, hatred, and hypocrisy shown by rank-and-file ministers of the Gospel was quite surprising, at least to me. Also surprising is the contention by Miles that homosexuality and adultery run rampant in the Assemblies of God denomination. I can't help but think he's overstating this just a little. But, there's more to the story than what is emphasized.

Miles is somewhat mysterious early in the book about his first marriage. It almost seems like his daughter just arrives on the scene with scant explanation. As the story unfolds, it seems that his first wife was responsible for getting him caught up in a conspiracy concerning the Kennedy presidency and Marilyn Monroe. Thus, Miles has to go through a name change from Al Maddox, his previous stage name, to Austin Miles. Toward the end of the book, we learn that the FBI has been harrassing acquaintances of Miles, paying them off (or not paying them off, in the case of the good church folks) to come up with dirt on him to destroy his reputation. Therefore, the FBI seems to be as much or more to blame than the church. The hostility he received from the church could have simply come from fear of the FBI. But then, this is a book attacking the church, not the FBI. Miles will probably never write that book.

His second marriage to the love of his life, a Swiss heiress, is threatened by his religious conversion and subsequent departure from his life as a ringmaster to constantly be on the road to speak at churches and religious functions. Once again, it seems the church is to blame for destroying his family. However, if he'd have handled things with a little more wisdom, he could have had Jesus and his family, too. Could it be that he was at least a little bit to blame for the situation?

Interestingly, he still cannot bring himself to explain away the healings and miracles that were part of his ministry. If what a previous reviewer said is true, that Austin Miles has returned to the ministry, then it's probably the undeniable power of God that he experienced firsthand that kept him connected. Hopefully, there are some needed reconciliations that have taken place since this book was written. With all that said, this is a book that is hard to put down once you've started, and is a worthwhile read if the reader keeps things in perspective.

The author is not a particularly loveable guy. After all he was one among the traveling preachers whom he exposes here. However you probably will feel for him as his life and family fall apart. His stories of the evangelists who travel from church to church rang true to me. My childhood church was involved with the things Miles talks about and he even mentions my former church's pastor by name. (See Angels on Assignment.) I have a childhood memory of a one eyed traveling preacher coming to preach at our church. After having someone blindfold his good eye he proceeded to 'read' people's names off their driver's licenses. Once the congregation was all worked up by this 'miracle' they passed the collection plate. (If you're wondering how he may have managed this trick of reading with an empty eye socket read James Randi's book The Faith Healers.) Read this book for an eye opening peek behind the scenes of Pentecostalism, televangelism, and the Assembly of God church. If you or someone you care about is involved with this movement I especially urge you to read this book. The connection to Jim Jones (remember poison kool-aid?) was a shock to me.

This book is told in the 1st person and is a fairly easy read. It is a story of a man's journey into the world of the Born Again Christian movement, the Assemblies of God Church, and televangelism. As you can probably guess, the book is divided into, essentially, three parts: 1) Austin's life before the movement, 2) Austin's life during his "holy" days, and 3) The aftermath resulting therein.

But the book is much more than that. Part 1 of the book provides a unique insight into the author's rise from a young misfit lad in a mid-western American town to that of a successful circus ringmaster. Part 1 of the book has a Horatio Alger theme and, in my opinion, is the best part. Part 1 also contains a classic love story--new money falls head deeply in love with European "old money." Read this book, if for nothing else, for Part 1.

Parts 2 and 3 of the book show how a successful self-made man gets snookered by the Born-Again Christian movement. The brutal honesty and detail are striking. His decription of the hypocrisy of the pious is humorous at times and depressing at others. As a result, it unfortunately becomes a bit draggy.

If you are an atheist or agnostic, then what Austin has to tell you is nothing new, but you'll still find it interesting. If you are a Catholic, mainstream Protestant, or Jew, you may fall into the trap of reading this book and of judging the author and the Pentescostal movement with smugness and inwardly declaring them to be a bunch of kooks--don't do this. If you are currently active in the Pentecostal movement, you will be offended by the book and will find it difficult to read. You may even wish that Austin Miles had been born a few hundred years ago where heretics of his sort were burned at the stake.

My only criticism of the author is that he plays the victim card a trifle too much. Contrary to the author's assertions, no one twisted his arm or forced him to do what he did. He may have been "vulnerable" to the overtures of the Pentecostal movement, but all of us are vulnerable at times.

At any rate, this book is eye-opening and should be required reading in the public schools (i.e. the "secular world"). You probably, however, won't find the book in your local high school library any time soon and you definitely won't find it in your local private Christian school until Hell freezes over.

I have not yet read her book, but I want to because I enjoy her weekly article in our paper. If you have dogmatic views and don't enjoy having your mind stretched DON'T read her because she presents her opinions in a nontraditional way that makes you think even if you don't agree with her. I manage a bookstore where we've had her come for a booksigning. She is a down-to-earth, unpretentious person just like her writing. We have sold lots of her book.

A well-written collection of columns that tell the tales of everday life as once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We are fortunate to have Ms. Austin put pen to paper and share her stories with us.

A great selection of her columns from the past 10 years, this book made me reflect on life and how we spend our time. Her honesty is refreshing - she is open about the questions we all have about our faith, and reminds us that we still have hope, no matter how idyll or bleak life may be.

I like the fact that this book is short. It leaves out all of the nonsense and gets right to it by delivering a new idea to win the war at the point-of-sale, which is what the title promises. This book is NOT about fixing tactical retailing problems - it's about a forward thinking strategic vision.

I like the fact that this book is short. It leaves out all of the nonsense and gets right to it by delivering a new idea to win the war at the point-of-sale, which is what the title promises. This book is NOT about fixing tactical retailing problems - it's about a forward thinking strategic vision.

Your view of the retail customer's point of sale experience today and in the very near future is 100% on track. The technology exists today to implement what the book predicts. It is a clear definition of what it will take to win in the new "clicks-and-mortar" retail world. Well done Tom!