Some leaders I would follow, others leave me high and dry; what a fun task- interviewing leaders....

I was totally motivated in reading this very comprehensive book. I felt my purpose in life was revived after many years of suffering a busy yet empty life. Now I have found what specific personal interests and career to pursue and my skills and abilities are already showing up. I have evaluated myself on every level and decided on a new set of values to follow. I'm a new man. And I believe now that I too can be a leader in what I love to do. So I recommend this book to my family and my business partners and customer. You will be definitely motivated and shown exactly how to lead a better life by reading this book.

I'm a CEO and found this book so inspiring and empowering for every part of my life and work, that I have given it to my executive team, staff, customers, business associates and friends. There are all kinds of good ideas for running a successful company and really any organization large and small, including non profit and community groups. This book helped me get on track with my vision, our company mission, and accomplishing what we set out to do. Many leaders in this book are great examples to follow and they become your mentors. Rare it is to find such a positive helpful book. We should encourage college kids to read this too, so they start early knowing how to be a leader and follow their life path.

Mark has a talent for writing prose that is simultaneoulsy thought-provoking and hysterically funny; his world is both authentic and bizzare. He is a master at capturing the experience of youth -- the combination of innocence and growing awareness that we all experienced in some form or another, and his narrative voice is so strong that you'll easily go along for the ride, forgetting you're laughing because one of the women carries around her husband's head in tupperware, or that the people you care about so much are only fabricated characters in a book. This is a highly enjoyable novel that weaves together the story of a woman chasing her dream of stardom with the story of a young boy growing up in the South during the height of the Civil Rights struggle. Besides being a great read, it raises thought provoking questions about how we have treated and continue to treat each other.

A reviewer cited on the back cover of this novel calls it "a combination of Thelma and Louise and To Kill a Mockingbird, and that's about right. Beginning in 1965 in the tiny town of Pigeon Creek, Alabama, a single explosive event scatters the characters and sends the story in two directions at once. Twelve-year-old Peejoe (short for Peter Joseph) and his brother are sent to live with their Uncle Dove, a mortician in nearby Industry, while their Aunt Lucille takes off for Hollywood, chasing her dream of landing a starring role on "The Beverly Hillbillies". While Peejoe witnesses both sides of the civil rights movement, right in his own backyard, Lucille seeks the freedom she never had as a frustrated housewife. As the two stories alternately diverge and intertwine, often hilariously, Childress still manages to present an important social commentary.

Your homework for tonight: Drop everything and read Crazy in Alabama! This is such a great book -- much better than the movie. Mark Childress's carefully drawn characters come alive in these pages. Aunt Lucille will amaze you will all the nutty things she does. And Peejoe's story will have your heart breaking.

It all starts when Aunt Lucille and her six children come ambling up the driveway of her mother's house early May 1965. She's killed her bullying husband and stashed his head in a Tupperware bowl (with a Press-and-Lock seal that really works!), and now with him out of the way, she's free to pursue her dream: to become an actress. Leaving her children with her mother, Lucille has zoomed off to Hollywood, evoking suspicion and evading arrest at every turn.

Twisted into this story is another tale told through the eyes of 12-year-old Peejoe. He and his brother, Wiley, spend the summer in Industry, Alabama with Lucille's brother, Uncle Dove. As the county coroner and local funeral director, Dove has quite a busy summer ahead of him -- when Industry opens up their new "whites only" municipal swimming pool and the entire town takes a tragic turn.

Crazy in Alabama is both riotous and rollicking as well as a sad reminder of the Civil Rights Movement and its history. Lucille's adventures will have readers laughing out loud as suppressed feelings awaken in her on her journey across the country. And the view through the innocent eyes of Peejoe will have readers wondering why all life's answers can't be so simple. An action-packed novel and one that won't be forgotten! Has all the qualities of a quirky southern tale that will amuse you and move you.

The Secret Of A Winning Culture: Building High Performance Teams is a groundbreaking, practical study based on the management principles developed by the Senn-Delaney Leadership Consulting Group. Senn-Delaney Leadership's philosophy is based on a simple concept: culture and teamwork are everything. The character of the culture, how employees and managers perceive it and their roles within it, how the culture supports teamwork and reacts to change (whether occasioned by expansion, merger, acquisition, technological advances, fluctuations in domestic or global economies) are critical to a company's short-term and long-term success. The Secret Of A Winning Culture is a superbly written, "reader friendly" guide that is highly recommended for anyone aspiring to or charged with managerial responsibilities at any corporate level.

This slim volume has packed so many practical and wise ideas, examples and tools gleaned from "20 years of consulting with hundreds of organizations and over 200,000 managers." It is worth repeated readings and reference. The authors have focused on the key components of building winning culture and high-performance teams. Many other approaches to management change fall short because they failed to integrate or align strategies, structures with culture. Different phases in reshaping the corporate culture are clearly explained and illustrated. There are many useful questions, measurement tools, quotes, lists of attributes, guiding behaviors for teamwork and tables of comparison. The listing of "Ineffectual Organizational Habits (old culture) in contrast to "High Performance Behaviors (desired culture) on p. 51, the "high-performance pyramid" chart on p. 136 and the table of "Transitions Toward Leadership in 21st Century" on p. 172 alone are already worth the price of the book. There is much more. For example: a quote from Jack Welch, CEO of GE, General Electric. "Our job is to provide a culture in which people can flourish and reach their dreams--in which they can be all they want to be." (p. 92)

V for Victor was the second book I read by Mark Childress and I wasn't disappointed. Being from Alabama, I could definately relate to this 16-year old boy and his need for adventure. From the first moment to the last, I was enthralled by this book and the eye-popping adventures Victor experienced. Shouldn't everyone have a summer like this?

I loved the whole watery world of Mobile Bay, and so did my nephew, 14 years younger than I. I think this is one of the most accomplished, poetic adventure novels I've ever read. Victor and his buddy Butch are unforgettable. Definitely one of this author's best.

The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

I received this book as a birthday present last month from a friend who has read a number of Childress's books. As we share an interest in anthropology and have visited some of the sites in New Mexico mentioned in this book, she thought I would enjoy it. And I did! This book is part travelogue, part archaeology text, and part collection of legends, folktales, and any odd theories he comes across. The mix makes for interesting reading. Childress is intelligent and well-informed but quirky as well. His observations on people he meets and life in the places he visits are at times insightful, funny, and strange.

The only warning I'd give is that the books published by Adventures Unlimited tend to be poorly edited so don't be surprised to find some spelling and grammar errors present. Still, these errors didn't detract from my enjoyment of "Lost Cities of North and Central America."

This isn't a serious academic text, but it's quite informative, an excellent read, and lots of fun!

David H. Childress's Lost City series has been one of the most interesting collection of books I have read in a long time, however, I really don't know how accurate many of his theories are. Even many minor statements he makes, such as "Native Americans can not grow facial hair" are fallacies, I know an abundance of Native Americans, and they're facial hair rivals that of Che and Fidel. So when a guy gets facts as simple as these garbled, how much credibility can he possibly have when he starts rambling on about "Smithsoniangate", and "living dinosaurs".

I find these possibilites as intriuguing as the next guy, but exactly where is his proof. He cites some archival information from an Arizona newspaper as proof that in the Grand Canyon in the early 1900's researchers found a cave full of Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Egyptian artifacts, and the Smithsonian museum came in and barricaded the area to this day(sort of like Raiders of the Lost Ark). And he uses oral history as proof that there are living Pteradactyls in the forests of Arizona. Perhaps Childress is correct in these assertions, and the US gov't is suppressing evidence of his relatively outlandish claims, then again, perhaps he's just trying to exploit the gullibility of the American public. But judging from his appearances on various talk shows, my guess is that he honestly believes that the gov't is suppressing information on the esoteric subjects he discusses in his books, of course this doesn't neccessarily mean that he's correct in these claims. I suppose that Childress's writings are extremely interesting, whether they are complete fabrications or are truisms. Reading this book certainly won't make you a better person, but it will force you to question what the author is claiming(that the US gov't is involved in clandestine activities of a paranormal nature, and that there are living prehistoric creatures), and will almost definitely force you to ponder what the US gov't plans to accomplish by suppressing ancient history(from my perspective they recieve no incentive by suppressing info that would link the Egyptians with North America). If you have a relatively large amount of time on your hands, I would definitely recommend this book, it makes you question the "accepted" history of the North American continent, but it also frustrates the reader with the lack of viable evidence to support his outrageous suggestions.

This book is one of the worst written I have ever encountered. The ideas and concepts are interesting--the title and the photos are inviting. But the breezy style that wastes so much space on insignificant detail of the authors travels is just space filler. And the grammatical and spelling mistakes are just unforgiveable. I just cannot read something that has multiple, numerous mistakes throughout the book--you cannot escape them, and they are so blatant and numerous that the detract from thinking about the subject matter.

Through the high altitude ruins of Peru and the dust-dry deserts of Chile, across the fertile range of Argentina and the carnival-infested streets of Rio, David Childress seeks the unknown, the undetermined, the secretive and the source of strange rumors; of vanished cities and twelve-foot-tall giants; and though he finds relatively little in the way of closure for the mysteries presented in _Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of South America_, one must remember it is the trip, not the destination, that buoys the author along...and for the casual reader, there is much to learn.

Despite his hyperbolic claims, Childress is definitely not an archeologist, a profession that tends to be dry, dusty, and for the most part dull-rather, he is a shoestring traveler with a yen for history and adventure. Which suits this material fine: instead of a 'professional' report detailing one particular society as it lived and co-existed in its environment, Childress' breezy travelogue takes us through a dozen different societies, ancient and modern, with a fair amount of speculation that most academics wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole: the lost continents of Atlantis and Mu and how they relate to the rise of Inca civilization; supposed alien visitors; Amazon dinosaurs still on the prowl; a tunnel system spanning the American continent; a half-dozen myths of missing gold-hordes... nothing here that would impress the professor, but it certainly is an entertaining read, and the theories about South America's ancient colonies, including the Irish (!), Egyptians and Romans, are fun to ponder over.

Moreover, Childress' tone throughout places his book above the usual alternative-history exhortations, for he takes each and every story/legend with a grain of salt, even discrediting some by pointing to obvious discrepancies. By compiling these theories, he lets the reader sort through it all rather than try to hammer in a belief structure. The good-natured ease of the author's voice as he distills these legends/theories makes this tome a pleasant affair rather than tedious or obnoxious.

One thing did bother me: because of a variety of problems, including low funds, low energy, and the dangers involved in trekking through out of the way regions (snakes, mountain cats, cocaine smugglers), Childress doesn't actually visit the majority of the sites/cities he writes about. This is rather disappointing, as are the numerous typos and grammatical mistakes. One star deduction.

Recommended to those interested about South America and/or alternative history.

The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

This book is filled with incredible and plausible descriptions of technology that has been ignored or explained away by traditional science. A MUST read for anyone that believes there are many secrets hidden in the past.

Some of the pictures really make you think, what did the ancients really know. The theories on the pyramids is very original. This whole book is original.Filled with interesting stuff, you'll learn many new ideas from this book.

Even if you do not agree with everything in this book, this author does a great job of discussing technology that ancient people had. The text is highlighted by pictures that enhance many of this statements he makes. The author does a great job of taking information from a variety of sources to prove his points and clarify his writing.

My two complaints are that some of the pictures are so small that they are frustrating because you can't see much of the detail. Second, the assumption is made that you know about many of the places in this book and I don't. I had never heard of many of these places until reading this book. I would have appreciated a few maps to help clarify where some of these places are.

Great book. Very interesting. Enjoy.

Despite the careless editing of the previous entry in the "Lost Cities" series (Lost Cities of North & Central America), that book was interesting enough for me want to continue on with the series and buy this latest volume covering the search for Atlantis.

Well...the editing is back up to where it should be, but I find this book to be a bit of a letdown. Having read the entire series, I was already familiar with the rehash of information, and I wish that there was more narrative on the author's actual travel experiences. It also seems that the open-mindedness tinged with healthy skepticism in the earlier books has become less consistent. While David Hatcher Childress still professes to be unsure about some aspects of his research, he clearly has developed a set of beliefs out of the mishmash of theories, philosophies and spiritual concepts that he has studied over the last several years.

On a personal level, the most disappointing aspect is the author's own little holy war: blaming the Vatican as the cause of the Dark Ages and other assorted evils. His tolerance and acceptance of other religions becomes marred by more and more Roman Catholic-bashing as the series progresses. There is no question that the Vatican, like ANY OTHER POWERFUL INSTITUTION RUN BY HUMAN BEINGS, has been responsible for evil and destructive acts over the centuries. However, repeatedly describing the Catholic Church, ad nauseam, solely as an evil entity bent on squashing all the free-thinkers of the world seems like a nyah-nyah mentality better suited to a one-dimensional mind. Then again, as Childress himself has pointed out in earlier volumes, it's sadly easy to dwell on past transgressions and have someone or something to feel superior to...

David Hatcher Childress has written a series of these books, and in this one, he tends to conflate and expand the Atlantis myth past the bounds of any possible credibility. Now, this is fine for me...I love insane speculation...but for those looking for reasoned, conservative exploration of the Atlantis myth, you might want to look elsewhere than a book that postulates that Atlantis was or is everywhere from Ireland to Turkey. The Hittities, the Harrapans, the Egyptians, the megalithic builders of Malta and the pre-Celtic inhabitants of Europe...it's as if David figures if he claims Atlantis was everywhere and did everything, eventually he'll get it right by sheer thoroughness.

This being said, I loved the book. I was a little sad that he didn't do more with events like the possible Hittite/Mycenaean connection to the Iliad and how that might have played out in the post Santorini Bronze Age Aegean, but that's a mere quibble. Just for postulating that the ancient Celts used a gold disc to fire a laser beam into a barrow, Childress earns my loyal readership. An excellent collection of fancies that may hold more truth than they appear to.

The book makes a great read, same as DHC's other books of the "Lost Cities" series. Very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. One thing though: I don't get why the author keeps calling himself "a rogue archeologist": someone has to explain to him what archeologists do. DHC is no archeologist, whatever he might think; he's a traveler, a gossip gatherer, and a free spirit, but all this has little to do with archeology. I enjoyed his open-mindedness, and the relativism with which he judges most of the theories and hypotheses considered. Going through his whole opus, I can't help noticing that this writer is a really great guy, and that his travel companions and friends must have been lucky to have met him, but archeologist? Please, give me a break. And use some proofreader, for the next edition.

~A hero ain~{!/~}t nothing but a sandwich is a great book. I was published in 1973 and it was written by Alice Childress. It was a great book back then, but now there is just a lot of better books. To me it is a boring book, because it mostly the people in the chapter talk about themselves, and some other people that they know. I don~{!/~}t really see anything that has to do with hero or heroin, mostly different people talking about their selves. The book is about Benjie, but I see only a few~~ chapters that he is talking, and some other chapters is about his friend, mom, dad, teacher, and grandma, and some other people.

I think the author wrote this book to tell how the family members feel about their kids when they turn 13, because a lot of kids change when they are 13.~

The novel "A Hero Ain't Nothin But A Sandwich" is a great novel.I enjoyed reading it. This novel is about a young boy name Benjie who is growing up in a gang bang niegborhood. Benjie has been introduced to alot of bad things like drugs(herion). Benjie is trying to deal with school related activites and the temptations of doing drugs. Beening the age that Benjie is, he has alot of people influencing him to do things he knows that he should not do. This novel is so interesting in many differnet ways because it tells the book from different points of views, like his mom, grandma, best friend, and other people. You get to find out their thoughts on life and on Benjie. To find out if Benjie gets hooked on drugs of does the right thing ,you should read this novel.

The major strength of this book is the way the author uses multiple characters' first-person narrations to paint the picture of the multi-dimensional characters and setting. The book is an excellent illustration of the saying that we are all the main characters of our own dramas, and see things from our own perspectives, justifying our own beliefs and actions.
Aside from that, the struggle of those close to Benjie to keep him out of the drug culture is a compelling story.

I bought my copy of David's book from a store before I discovered Amazon.Com. As the clerk bagged the book for me she jokingly remarked "Well this looks like relaxing read for the weekend". This book is more fun to read then the title let's on. However, I don't think It was compiled as well as some other works like in the author's lost cities series. David's chapter on Einstein and unified field was good but the rest of the book looked a little thrown together. Even compulations should be well ordered. And, I am not saying this because my copy was bound with some extra duplicate pages either.

I appreciate the author's open mindedness on many issues. If this work were someones first read of this author they might be tempted to underestimate the rest of his work. I am saying this as fan.

Are you stuck in your thinking, or can you entertain new theories, new thoughts, a new approach to thinking? What we see is not all there is. We live amongst unseen (but not unfelt) waves and vibrations which impact us daily. Yet, we go about our lives in an unthinking way because we cannot actually "see" radio waves and their impact upon us. Yet, they do impact us. Is your mind open or closed to new ideas about who we are and the world around us? Einstein told us that energy and mass are interchangeable. If that doesn't blow you away, then you're a perfect candidate to read this book.

Childress, in his Anti-Gravity books, theorizes that Gravity can be controlled and warped into a field around us, providing propulsion for flying saucers and other aircraft. Apparently, he says, UFOs are already using a kind of technology like this, utilizing the Unified Field of Gravity, Magnetism and Electricity. A fun book on UFOs, suppressed technology, Nikola Tesa and more.