This book gives a clear, step-by-step method for therapists working with adult survivors of sexual abuse. The writing is basic and no-nonsense - an excellent guide for those working in the field.

As a group therapist who has faciliated time limited groups for over 12 years, I highly recommend and support the work of Bonnie Collins as outlined in this important book. Her program utilizes a structured 12 session group model that addresses all aspects of the group participants. Mind, body and spirit. Compassion, skill, tremendous sensitivity are woven into this treatment model. For example, Bonnie is aware of the normal anxiety of these women discussing such issues in public and in a group setting, that she has written material available for the group members upon walking into the first group session, as a way to bind some intial expected anxiety. The approach is not solely a cognitive one--the excercises outlines and suggested are often times experiential in nature. Well thought out and easilly read. I especially liked the handouts, assessment tools, and suggested letters offered at the end of the book. A must read for anyone working with this difficult issue in a group setting.

Bonnie Collins and Kathryn Marsh's book Healing for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A 12-Session Group Treatment Program, published by Whole Person Associates out of Duluth, Minnesota is a wonderful model for professionals who choose to facilitate groups for survivors of incest. Although the book is written for adult survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, I feel it can be adapted to adolescent survivors as well. The user friendly style in which the guide is written allows for easy adaptation. The authors have thought of everything from the comfort of chairs chosen to experiential exercises to develop safety. They truly attempted to put themselves in the shoes (chairs) of the survivors they serve! Collins and Marsh start with the item survivors need most - SAFETY - an item that is taken for granted by many non-survivors! Choices are given at every turn - something that survivors may also see as very foreign. The survivor is in control of whether they contribute or not. Survivors need to hear that they have permission, even if it seems redundant. Ms. Collins and Ms. Marsh recognize their very important role of re-parenting and providing for a corrective emotional experience. Inner Child Work and the use of song/lyrics entitled How Could Anyone exemplify this process clearly. The anger releasing idea of throwing ice cubes into a bathtub sounds like it could be a winner in terms of getting the different senses involved with this process. It's also an affordable way to "rid the rage." The use of meditation and relaxation done in a structured, predictable way allows for the subtle implementation of spirituality and understanding that can offer healing on a different level to those who partake. The "earthquake" guided imagery exercise helps significant others of survivors. This visualization exercise may allow the respective parties to better understand what a survivor goes through, how a flashback may be elicited, or what it might look like. After reading this book, I have decided to use this model as a guide for the teenage survivors I work with. Don't miss out on the well developed insight and knowledge that Bonnie Collins and Kathryn Marsh put together to use in this sensitive, delicate and rewarding process. Such practical tools of this nature may take years for a therapist to collect. Here it is , all in one single book!

Andrea M. Binner, M.S. Ed., C.S.W. Supervisor of the P.A.C.T. Program Hamburg, New York

To add sexy spice into her life Corinne McCourt decides to surprise her fiancé Tony Bergerson. However the surprise is on Corrine as she catches Tony with some bimbo. Outraged, Corrine takes her two-week vacation from work immediately, steals Tony's Ferrari, and drives from Denver to her cousin Sandie's apartment in Las Vegas.

Sandie welcomes Corrine, but informs her favorite relative that she needs to go away. Her lover pulled a bump and run with Sandie in his car on an old man's Studebaker and she needs time to think. Corrine pretends to be Sandie over the next few days. Vegas police detective Leo Wolfman still recovers from a bullet he took on a case that involved his now ex-wife. His first non-desk assignment since the injury is the Studebaker case. However, when he sees Corrine masquerading as Sandie, he struggles with an attraction he does not want, but soon love proves too powerful even for this romantic turned cynic. Corrine shares his feelings, but wonders if he loves her or her Sandie impersonation.

JOYRIDE is a humorous contemporary romance that category readers will enjoy. Though the story line requires acceptance of the quirks of the cast especially why Sandie would potentially endanger her beloved cousin, fans will enjoy their eccentricity. Colleen Collins has written a fun book that deserves a sequel starring a lovesick professional wrestler.

Harriet Klausner

What an amazing story!!!!! I immediately fell in love with Corrine McCourt in the opening chapter. I was so connected with her as a character and cheered her along on her journey. Collins is such a creative and gifted writer. I'm eager to read more of her books. This one is a favorite of mine, and believe me, I read plenty of books. Bravo Colleen!

A five year engagement leads to dreams of marriage and children for Corinne McCourt. But with fiancé Tony Borgeson continuing to drag his feet on setting a wedding day, Corinne resorts to desperate measures to rekindle his flame. Rather than attending her annual company picnic this year, Corinne plans to surprise Tony for lunch. Dressed in nothing but plastic wrap and stiletto heels, she greets Tony at the door. But he isn't alone. Some frizzy-haired blond calls Corinne the cleaning lady while Tony still treats her like Inconspicuous Corinne. While Tony argues with the frizzy ditz, Corinne picks up the keys to his Porsche, and leaves. She had planned to shed her inhibitions; instead, she leaves behind her whole life.

Detective Leo Wolfman hates the desk assignment he received following a drug bust in which he was shot. But four months of typing with two fingers leaves him desperate for a "real" assignment. So his boss says if Leo solves a "bump and run" then he can return to regular duty. The investigation leads him to a boxing ring and a gorgeous woman he only knows as Red. Leo doesn't suspect the woman follows actually took her cousin's place for a few weeks, and is really Corinne. The subterfuge gives her opportunity to be as wild and sexy as she wants. Leo doesn't know Corinne is attracted to and excited by his bold perusal when he enters her dressing room and finds her naked. Indeed, her mixed signals baffle him with her mix of siren and innocence. Leo only knows that his reaction throws his libido into overdrive.

Author Colleen Collins brings the humor that makes her popular in Harlequin's Duet line to the Temptation selection JOY RIDE. Dramatic, uninhibited and a touch of the forbidden make JOY RIDE a thrilling experience. Collins exploits what anonymity can do for a woman with a suppresses streak of daring and boldness when that anonymity gives room for sensual self-discovery that transforms the previous inconspicuous Corinne. Further, Collins has a deft touch for creating outrageous yet believable characterizations. The hero and heroine have depth while still allowing the narrative to remain light in tone. In addition, not only does the naughty cousin that Corinne replace walk on the wild side, but so does the hero's pet parrot who's named Mel Gibson and has a drinking problem. Indeed, all the secondary characters sparkle as brilliantly as Corinne and Leo. Very highly recommended.

If you've ever read Michael Collins' "Carrying the Fire," you owe it to yourself to get a copy of "Liftoff."

In "Liftoff," Collins relates the history of NASA's spacecrafts and the people who created them. The best aspect of his story is that it is not a timeline of spacecraft A, spacecraft B, spacecraft C, etc. "Liftoff" is an appreciation of the clunky Mercury capsule, the complex and triumphant Apollo spacecrafts, the grace (or at least relative grace) of the space shuttle, and so many other NASA innovations.

Partnered alongside the machines are the early NASA pioneers who envisioned them. Collins lets you in on the aims behind their designs. He also writes about these men as professionals, some of them visionaries, and others just nuts-and-bolts engineers.

So "Liftoff" is a great read for what it is and what it is not. It is not a NASA history with the adventure, drama, and action of space flight (although that is often very exciting to read). Instead, it is a technical book for non-technical readers, a NASA history for non-space buffs, and a personal story about machines.

After reading Collins' "Carrying the Fire" and "Liftoff," I believe that no other author has ever written as well about NASA. Only Andrew Chaikin has come close with "A Man on the Moon." Collins transcends what an astronaut can say about space travel, and he does it with humor, an almost poetic fluidity, and the perspective of someone who was there.

Fantastic! Michael Collins really knows how to write! He turns non-fiction material into a real page turner. I learned a lot from this book. It is well organized and includes a U.S. manned spaceflight log at the end. This book not only provides information about NASA from Mercury to the shuttle but also includes information on military research with aircraft predating the space program and how NASA itself was formed. Collins' own expeirience as an astronaut makes the book even more exciting. The first chapter is a detailed firsthand account of the Apollo 11 flight, the first mission to land on the moon, upon which Collins was a crew member. Later in the book he writes a similar type of account about his earlier Gemini 10 flight which involved an EVA (spacewalk). The illustrations are also beautiful. James Dean does a good job capturing the essence of space exploration in his detailed sketches. If you know nothing about NASA and want to learn, it's time to read this book!!! -Roxana Safipour

I rarely look at a book for its pictures, but in "LIFTOFF" the illustrations are fabulous! I remember seeing this images reproduced in the exhibit "You Are Here, _Wondering_ Through the Solar System" at the Austin Children's Museum... by far the best part of that exhibit!

I really liked Marissa. It was a very unique book. I loved reading about the events that led up to her party. The book had a great amount of detail. Just readng about the part, I could visulize it , I wish I had been here. Buy this book ! Just like the other books in the series, it won't fail to make you want more. so hey.. What ya waitin for Go BUy It.

This is a great book about the party that latinos have for their 16th birthdays and Jamie Pittel does a great job talking about what that kind of party is like but I forget what that party is called. It's funny and not cheesy and really GOOD!! I like this book! Buy it!

I thought Marisa was a really cool book. It had a lot of interesting information on the Cuban culture. I think this is an awesome book and all the young adult readers should get a copy for themselves. Oh and Jamie Pittel is a great author! I can't wait until she has a new book out.

Michael Collins and the Making of the Irish State had its genesis in the Peace and Reconciliation conference held at University College Cork in 1997. Later, the essays were collected and edited into this volume.

The essays look at the various aspects of Michael Collins as historical figure, romantic figure, military leader, political leader and terrorist. For the most part, they are even handed attempts to place the man against the backdrop of turbulent times and strong personalities.

The essays do assume that the reader has some knowledge of Irish history and politics; that aside, they are still interesting to someone new to the field and valuable for the scholar of Irish history.

Though I had some difficulty tracking this title down, finding it was well worth my effort. This book contains articles by the editors, Mary Banotti (grandniece of Collins' and MEP), Joe Lee, Margot Gearty, Gearóid O'Sullivan, Dr. Andrew McCarthy, Eunan O'Halpin, Peter Young, Éamon Phoenix, John Regan, Deirdre McMahon, Diarmuid Ã" Giolláin, Tom Garvin, Martin Mansergh, and Ronan Fanning. To someone already familiar with Irish history, many of these names are recognizable and to the Irish history newcomer, expect to learn a lot. As one review noted, these articles do presume at the very least a rudimentary knowledge of Irish history. If you are looking to read your first book on the subject, I would suggest starting out with something less difficult. For the history buff with a die-hard interest in Michael Collins, this book provides intriguing, absorbing information. It includes Collins' experiences in Granard with the Kiernan family, Collins' relationships both romantic and platonic, Collins' role as Minister for Finance and Director of Intelligence, Collins' military skills, Collins' place in the Northern Question, the possibility that Collins died intestate, Collins' biographers, Collins and propaganda funerals, Collins and de Valera, etc., etc. The book also includes several b/w photos, two of which I hadn't seen before. For anyone conducting academic research on Collins or for anyone simply reading about his life for personal enrichment, I would highly recommend this book as an unbeatable addition to your library.

This compilation of articles on Ireland's legendary revolutionary hero is particularly interesting in that it offers assessments of him on many levels--the comrade, the suitor, the financial brain, the intelligence chief, the practical idealist, the hard man, the soft man, the visionary. All the aspects are fascinating and the individual essays are well written as well as very balanced, for the most part. The collection appears to be an attempt--generally successful--to put into perspective a man and a life that have been alternately obscured by deliberate attempts to keep his accomplishments in the shadows, over-idealized by admirers attempting to rectify the former, or simply distorted by being too closely linked to the wrenching times in which he lived. This is a book which helps the interested reader understand the real man and his critical importance to the creation of the Free State of Ireland, now the Republic.

R. Collins jerks a jazz history fan out of a comfy chair. The author dismisses traditional myths about the beginning of jazz. Forget African slave origins. Go to Creoles. Forget drums. Go to tin bands and string bands melting with brass bands. Forget slopiness and easy. Go to Professors, musicianers, readers, spellers and fakers. Reread Ramsay and Smith's seminal Jazzmen. Buy Collins' book for that loveable but opinionated jazz friend or relative you love to taunt.

Gasp, sigh or scream over his portrayal of 19th and 20th century New Orleans. While he documents a lot of his sources, be ready to accept or challenge those he doesn't.

45 illustrations include old jazz photos of musicians, New Orleans' historic dance halls, Storyville District, a Race Record Cover, jazz business cards and other interesting sites. The book's 293 pages are indexed. More fun to look up a favorite musician, place or subject. Interesting, quick read that is certain to provoke your favorite jazz fan. What a fun book to give

In New Orleans Jazz: A Revised History, Collins surveys the development of a uniquely American music from its southern origins in the founding of New Orleans in 1718 down to the era of the Big Bands. This remarkable music history is enhanced with more than 50 maps, documents and photographs. Informative, meticulously researched, articulate and engaging, New Orleans Jazz: A Revised History is very highly recommended reading for all students of jazz history, and an invaluable addition to any academic or community library American music history collection.

I started reading this book and my first reaction was - "What the hell"! As I read more into the book I could follow the author's logic and found myself agreeing with many of the things he said. While we all knew that a lot of the things said in "Jazzmen" was a load of *#@#$@**&^*! we did not have a lot to back it up with. R Collins has done the research that we could not/did not have the ability to do. He has not cast aspersions on the original musicans or authors of books on this music. He acknowledges the use of the original researches and the knowledge he has gained from them. He also shows how he has built on this previous research, and with modern tecniques has been able to go further. For a serious observer of New Orleans Jazz this book is a must even if only because it shows the history of the music in a different light.

This relatively short book, a little more than a 100 pages, presents the US-USSR space race in high quality pictures with a small amount of accompanying text. Some of the pictures are the classic photographs from the space race; however, most of the photographs have rarely been publishing and even then only in specialized publications. There is a great presentation of Russian documents and hardware.

The book opens with a section on the German development of the V-2, the race to be the first country to place satellite in orbit, and the development of each countries ICBM arsenal. The next section, which covers more than half the book, is devoted to the race to the moon. This section also contains a great deal about the Russian moon program and has some really nice photographs of the Russian Moon Rocket, the N-1. The final section of the book covers spying from space.

While I doubt this book contains any real new information, the many highly photographs, especially of the Russian hardware, makes this book well worth its price.

This relatively short book, a little more than a 100 pages, presents the US-USSR space race in high quality pictures with a small amount of accompanying text. Some of the pictures are the classic photographs from the space race; however, most of the photographs have rarely been published and even then only in specialized publications. There is a great presentation of Russian documents and hardware.

The book opens with a section on the German development of the V-2, the race to be the first country to place satellite in orbit, and the development of each countries ICBM arsenal. The next section, which covers more than half the book, is devoted to the race to the moon. This section also contains a great deal about the Russian moon program and has some really nice photographs of the Russian Moon Rocket, the N-1. The final section of the book covers spying from space.

While I doubt this book contains any real new information, the many high quality photographs, especially of the Russian hardware, makes this book well worth its price.

Space Race offers the casual reader a glimpse of the "space race" from its humble beginnings to the triumphant landing on the moon.

Many of the photos presented in the book have never before been published before.

I bought this book for my collection of other books on astronomy, space exploration, etc.

I have not regretted my decision.

Some of the chapters (esp. of physical geography + tides + winds) were interesting, making me aware of things I never thought about before.

But a fair amount of the book was just average, almost filler, and added little to my knowledge.

Overall, the book is worth reading.

Sun Tzu the greatest military strategist to ever live dedicated two complete scrolls to the use of geography in warfare. The two scrolls were (translated) "Terrain" and the second was "Nine Grounds". Today the out come of all major conflicts are determined with a list of various factors one of those being geography. Knowing the "lay of the land" is a major asset to a tactician, knowing the "land" enables a planner to estimate probably courses of actions the enemy may take and how he may counter this move while using all available assets to his advantage, like the local geography. This includes every element from the weather, season, night, day, terrain, and that is to name but a few. The book covers topics from sea states to atmosphere as well as outer space and moon conditions. The book uses historical events to promote the topic by illustrating the events outcome due to some overlooked or advantages geographical condition. This book is not just for some planning officer at corps level but is an awesome primer for squad leaders and specialty troops like scouts, snipers and Special Forces operators. The book is also quite a good read for the armchair historian. The content of the book is put together excellent, the text, illustrations, and pictures are crisp and clear. The book is also oversized which makes it easier to read and handle. As a final not if you own this book, or like this topic I also recommend; "Battling The Elements" by Harold A. Winters.

If you are a serious reader of military history, a serving military professional, or a specialist in international security and defense issues, this book is worth your time. As an introductory text, it covers many topics that are crucial to military planning but often receive only brief mention in histories or briefings. Collins, a former Army officer, stresses land geography, but does not stint oceans, the atmosphere or interplanetary space. His discussions of urban areas are too brief, given the increasing amount of large-scale violence in cities since the end of World War II. More maps would also be an improvement. Nonetheless, highly recommended.

An interesting and winding plot, the Moonstone puts a twist on the traditional detective story. Containing several narratives rather than just the single side of the story usually pretaining to the detective alone, the reader has a chance to see every possible angle of the story. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel, and I find myself now wishing that more books had followed Wilkie Collin's example.

The one negative thing about this book, if anything, is that the narratives tend to be dragged out to almost excessive lengths. I found myself wishing at some points that the characters would just shut up and move on with the story. Some of the things that they were discussing in no means were related to the story, so I couldn't see why they had to be mentioned.

But all in all, this is a rather good read, whether for the detective lover or first time reader.

A great film! Highly recommended

I watched this video twice, and found this is simply a superb adaptation of Wilkie Collins' classic
novel, and the film succeeds not only in presenting the
atomosphere of the original novel but in drawing the viewers
into the complicated mystery about the missing stone, faith and
betrayal, and secret love.

There a lot of things in it, which a great mystery fans as well as avid readers of 19th century novels would relish;
the brooding sinister-looking quicksand in the opening secne, a dashing hero and
strong-willed heroine, a mysterious housemaid, and of course,
the Moonstone, a cursed diamond which brings sudden
unhappiness to a peaceful country house. As this beautiful
diamond vanishes one night, a series of mysterious incidents
ensues. Now enters the rose-loving detective Sgt. Cuff, and
his investigation starts, but ... well, after that see what
happens for yourself, if you haven't read the origibal novel yet.

For those who have already read the novel, and know the plot
from the beginning to the end, the way they adapted the original
is so skillful that you will never feel disappointed. The spirit of Wilkie Collins' classic tale is preserved intact
like the acclaimed Sherlock Holmes series featureing the late, great Jeremy
Brett, and no unnecessary liberty was taken during the process
of making it a film. Shot with visually fine production designs
and based on good script which faithfully visualize the original, "The Moonstone" comes out as a winner, including first-
rate cast. Greg Wise, after rather minor role in "Sense and
Sensibility," portrays the likable hero with good acting, and
Keeley Hawes is a standout as the lovely but independent heroine who is not afraid of having her own will (a kind of a woman
Collins loved to portray). Minor characters are also given
moments to shine, and even comic relief Miss Clack is no exception.

Of course, there are several changes done; for example, Mr.
Candy is given another job of explaining something about the
diamond, (which, by the way, he didn't do in the original novel),
but those changes are all reasonable.
And some scenes may look strange to the 21st century audiences,
(especailly how to locate the missing stone with some medical
help), but after all the book was written more than 130 years
ago, and we should accept these things as they are, shouldn't we?

So, to all fans of good, old-fahioned detective story and Victorian novels, this video is strongly recommended, and I hope
you will enjoy watching it, as I did.

I don't doubt that it's possible to enjoy Emily Dickinson's poems in editions like this. But you should be aware that you are not really reading what she wrote. You are reading what earlier editors _wish_ she had written - a sort of 'tidied-up' and regularized version, the badly tampered-with-text of a genius by those who weren't.

In a way, the situation is a bit like the one that prevails with regard to food. Would you rather eat natural food or genetically modified food? Maybe the modified food doesn't taste any different, but it might be doing harmful things to you that the author of real food never intended. So why take a risk when we can have the real thing ?

There are two major editors who can be relied on for accurate texts of ED's poems. These are Dickinson scholars R. W. Franklin and Thomas H. Johnson. Both produced large Variorum editions for scholars, along with reader's editions of the Complete Poems for the ordinary reader. Details of their respective reader's editions are as follows.

THE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON : Reading Edition. Edited by R. W. Franklin. 692 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-674-67624-6 (hbk.)

THE COMPLETE POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson. 784 pp. Boston : Little, Brown, 1960 and Reissued. ISBN: 0316184136 (pbk.)

For those who don't feel up to tackling the Complete Poems, there is Johnson's abridgement of his Reader's edition, an excellent selection of what he feels were her best poems:

FINAL HARVEST : Emily Dickinson's Poems. Edited by Thomas H. Johnson. 352 pages. New York : Little Brown & Co, 1997. ISBN: 0316184152 (paperbound).

Friends, do yourself a favor and get Johnson's edition. Why accept a watered-down version when you can have the real thing?

This book is awesome! Everyone should buy it.

This is a superb edition of Dickinson's poems. It is "reader friendly" with updated punctuation (which purists may not like) with an excellent selection. The Billy Collins introduction is outstanding, being highly informative and entertaining without any pretensions whatsoever. He adds great insight into Dickinson's use of common meter, language, metaphor, and other techniques. Grab a bottle of water and an apple and spend a great afternoon or two with this exceptional volume.