Thomas Merton said, "Nhat Hanh Is My Brother," coming to this conclusion after meeting him but once.
Robert H. King traces the paths of these two men toward their historic meeting, yet respects their differences and the differences between Christianity and Buddhism. According to King, the contemplative practice which each of them followed in his own tradition led both of them into an active role in worldly affairs and to a deep respect for each other and for one another's tradition. King sees here the start of a fruitful inter-religious dialogue and the beginning of relationship between very different traditions.
I really enjoyed hearing how these two men, from such very different backgrounds, arrived at a similar place of "engaging" the world and its problems.
Anyone interested in learning about contemplation, either Christian or Buddhist, will find much to think about in this book.

Sept 11 demands a new perspective on old issues. Dr King gives readers just that with a beautifully written, fascinating look at these two peace advocates, who tried to expose the true face of peace hidden by the clouds of political dust during the turbulent Sixties. This is an elightened look at bringing major religions together for peaceful exchange.

I bought this because I wanted a thoroughly written Timbale method. It is that, and much more. The history of Tito, and Mambo/Latin music is engaging and well written; the CD combines teaching tracks with some of Tito's best commercial recordings. Tito and co-author Jim Payne prove excellent teachers. I have found it easy to immerse myself in the music, and develop a proper "feel" because of both the CD AND the history. A masterful work. I am really happy I purchased THIS book.

Tito Puente's Drumming with The Mambo King By Jim Payne & Tito Puente. Just as Latin music is just beginning to be felt in the mainstream landscape of music consumers, dancers, students, and aspiring musicians. Tito Puente left us library of music productions, some videos, scholarships, and now a new book/audio package that pulls together the multiple elements of Latin music tempos. This book is more like a dream come true. I remember going to music stores so many times looking for books on Latin music, and guest what; NADA! All that has changed, almost two years in the making, this project was developed with very close involvement from Tito. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in Latin music and its history. Additionally it gives a technical understanding of the rudiments of Latin percussion for the student and layman alike, in Tito's own voice (replete with New York City accent). Each Latin rhythm explained in the book and demonstrated on the CD is followed by a Tito classic which exemplifies the rhythm he is teaching. It is an incredible archive just to have a Tito Puente CD with many of his hits, but this one has the King's voice explaining his rhythms.  And, as always was so important to Tito, one of his last legacies was to provide us with an amazing educational tool that combines musical technique, arrangements and history, --the one lived by the King TITO PUENTE (TP).

I can't say enough about the book specially when I see a picture of Arserio Rodriguez and another one of Tito Puente as a Sax-Alto player in the Navy. Then as I scroll through Chapter One the following quote reinforces everything I have been saying about clave in my writings "Every instrument has to abide by the Clave. Stay on the Clave and you'll make it." - TP. Chapter two starts with this quote, "You can even dance to the Timbales without anything else. That's how important they are in the rhythm section. The Timbale player keeps the band together with the Clave." - TP. Clave is so important both for the musician and dancer. Without Clave there's nothing regardless of how many solos or shines one can memorize. This book has thorough explanations and exercises both in writing and audio in the form of the included CD.

If all musicians and dancers could digest this basic concept more people would switch to Latin music as the number one choice of musical entertainment; this book explains it very well.

While lots of the cooking recepies outdated, the baking recepies still alive. I do not agree with the listings of so many gulash recepies, there are a lot bigger variety of the astro-hungarian cooking. Anyway I do love the book, there are many old treasures can be revived and used in the every day cooking. The baking is an other story. From the cresent recepie I was able to recreate my Grandmother's chesnut filled cresents, which she used to make for every Christmas. The walnut filling is missing some presoaked raisins, or without it the filling will be too dry. The linzer recepie will need more sour cream too, or the dough will be too dry. These are wonderfull old recepies, all should be treasured by all of us.

This book is fun to read on three levels. First it has a short biography of Katharina Schratt, the close friend and confidant of Emperor Franz Josef in 19th Century Vienna for over 30 years. This is a great story of a relationship that is legendary and inspirational - the original story of the Emperor and the actress. Following this are two completely different but complimentary cookbooks on 19th Century Viennese cooking. One is a translation of recipes used by Schratt and hand-copied into a notebook in 1905. These are brief and somewhat difficult for the modern reader to understand because they were never intended for publication and they are from a different time and place. To help the modern reader 13 pages of notes bring these recipes to life. Yet still, they will challenge all but the most experienced Austrian cooks. The second cookbook is called Bring Vienna to Your Table! and includes modern versions of many of the classic recipes of Old Vienna. In this section you will find all the famous dishes that make Viennese cooking world-renowned: strudel, Linzer torte, gugelhupf, stuffed cabbage, creamed spinach, rice sausages, goulash, tafelspitz, dumplings, spaetzle, and croustades. All the recipes are easy to follow. These are the real thing and not for those on a diet. Treat yourself to a little of Old Vienna and read this book. You may find yourself in the kitchen like I did with my mouth watering and ready to cook.

This was my first Tim Parks' novel, and led me to read other works by him. His characters are dimensional and intriguing. This novel also challenges the notion of "cult" and religion in an interesting fashion. Definitely a great, quick read.

This is Tim Parks' excellent first novel, set in 1968, where charismatic Christianity and the prevailing hippie culture clash in the household of a previously conventional Protestant minister. Parks does a wonderful job evoking the time and place in the funny, spellbinding voice of the family's youngest 14-year old son. The narrative whips along until its frenzied climax and sadly insightful conclusion. An excellent read, fast but deep.

The DK series of eyewitness books are all fabulous, but this has to be my favorite. Dinosaurs are always appealing to children and adults and this book is no disappointment. Superb studio-quality, well lit photographs give you close-up shots of teeth and bones so real, you'll feel like they're right there for you to touch and pick up.

Theories on how dinosaurs really looked on the outside and how they walked are explored. Every caption has a tidbit of information that is interesting to anyone who reads it. A book like this will keep a child of any reading age occupied for no less than an hour on a road trip... and it will constantly be read over and over again... it's just intriguing and beautifully presented.

I appreciate this book because it gives you drawings and paintings of how prehistoric creatures lived millions of years ago. It gives a perfect understanding of the study and also art of Paleontology. This book is, in my opinion, 1 of 2 of my most favorite books ever published for the scientific review of more than just a few species...This concludes my review.

The lessons that Dr. King teaches can be applied in all areas of your life. Be patient, everything cycles. The thoughts that you carry with you in your life, you also carry to the golf course. Dr. King tells you how to deal with your mind so that you can focus on what you want to accomplish.

This book gave me some new ideas about how to use to mind to help me on the course and also in my business. It's easy and fun to read. I recommend it.

I don't actually own this book, however, I spent no less than an hour and a half staring at the pages, wishing I had sixty dollars to spend on it. Now I'm glad I didn't have that money, considering I can buy the same book for twenty dollars less!

Anyways, this book is literally filled with beautiful photos, and information about each one. I am sure that if I had been given the opportunity to read it, page by page, I would have other wonderful comments to make. However, I only know the bare minimum about it, and I strongly suggest anyone who is truly interested in Ancient Egypt, and Tutankhamun, to buy this astounding book.

This new volume is a refreshing addition to any collection on the subject of Tutankhamun. For those of us who have not been able to actually visit the Egyptian Museum and see the treasures of the king for ourselves, Tutankhamun, by T.G.H. James is essential. There have been many publications on the subject, and many fine photographs of the objects of the tomb reproduced. T.G.H. James has collected a totally new set of images, many of objects which are not published previously. The reproductions are superbly done, the accompanying text is refreshing and illuminating. If you have read everything you could find on the subject, and perused each object until the page begins to wear, this book is for you. I am totally delighted with this book!

I have studied Christianity for many years and have always been fascinated by Jesus. I never liked the dogma that surrounded this religion and when I first read The Twelve Blessings,I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. I believed instantly that these were teachings of Jesus. They are extremely powerful and the prayers in this book are unbelievable. I would say that this book is a must-read: nobody can afford to ignore it. If it is true, which I believe it is, it gives spiritually-minded people of every religion a tremendous opportunity to really help our world. It's amazing - poetic, beautiful, inspiring, powerful, really spiritual. I can't recommend it enough.

The Master Jesus has never left us. He is still helping us. The "Twelve Blessings" will ring true to the serious student of this great Master. This book is composed of Cosmic Transmissions through His Eminence Sir George King. These Transmissions were received in a public setting and recorded word for word.

The "Twelve Blessings" can be performed as a practice to send spiritual energy to the world. They are beautiful beyond words.

If there is a chance that what I'm saying is true, and it is, you owe it to yourself to prove or disprove it for yourself.

God Bless you in your search for the Truth.

Author AJ Jacobs nails genius Eric White illustrations of Elvis & Jesus to satirical crosses in order to rightfully outrage the millions of humorless freaks who brainlessly worship them. I read about the Elvis freaks complaining to book store managers. White's illustrations deserve framing, as a tribute to him and the writing that inspired it.

This irrevent comparison between Jesus and Elvis is hysterically funny! (Jesus was a Jew/Elvis played raquetball at the Jewish Community Center) The illustrations are great too. I can't believe it's out of print!

Henry King was actually there. As a young man, he volunteered to be a prosecutor at the most important trial ever held. While in Nuremberg, he became fascinated with the one defendant who provoked reluctant admiration due to his aristocratic bearing and obvious intelligence. This fascination has continued throughout King's life. Now nearing 80, King is one of the few prosecutors still living and coherent. His memories and impressions offer an in-depth, close-up view of one of history's most important events.

SPEER REVIEW

by

T.S. Peric'

"I knew Albert Speer better than any American," said Henry King during an interview, at 26-years-old, the youngest prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials and the author of "The Two Worlds of Albert Speer: Reflections of a Nuremberg Prosecutor" (University Press of America). It was not a comment filled with braggadocio. In 1946, fallow and a few years out of Yale Law School, King dreamt the dreams of many young men: accomplish a great deed or participate in a grand undertaking. Hearing about a friend's appointment to the American "team" at Nuremberg, King immediately applied for a position. Within a few months, he arrived at Nuremberg in the middle of a rainstorm and soon found himself collecting evidence against Erhard Milch, deputy chief of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), who was charged with participating in Nazi slave labor and human experiment programs. King also interviewed Reichsmarshall and Luftwaffe chief, Hermann Goering and Wilhelm Keitel, the chief of staff of Germany's military high command. But frozen in King's memory were the interviews with Speer in a bleak interrogation room. "Speer was remarkably composed and unshaken; he seemed to possess an inner security and objectivity that many of the others lacked," King recalls. His composure was all the more remarkable because of the unique and key role he played in the Third Reich. "From 1942 to 1945 not only was he one of the men closest to Hitler, but he was also one who influenced Hitler's decisions. At one time in late 1943, Speer was reputed to be Hitler's heir apparent." Speer was unemotional, analytical, almost regal in his deportment. And unlike the other 20 defendants, he accepted full responsibility for his actions. "The question that haunted me then and still does today was why Speer, who appeared so decent and honest, was a close collaborator of Hitler," King writes. "Why had he served such a monster." Nearly half a century would intervene before King could offer any answers. Speer spent the next 20 years locked away in Spandau prison (kept incommunicado except to his attorney and family). After his release, he became a best-selling author with "Inside the Third Reich" (1970) a personal look into the sanctum sanctorum of the Nazi leadership and "Spandau: The Secret Diaries" (1976) which described his imprisonment. King continued practicing law, including a stint as general counsel to the U.S. Foreign Economic Aid Program, moving to the private sector and eventually settling in as a professor of international law at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. In 1966, King reestablished contact with Speer, but was unable to pursue his goal of a book until his retirement from TRW where he served as general counsel of Automotive Operations. King interviewed Speer repeatedly (including Speer's last interview, one month before his death in 1981). He consulted the Nuremberg records, his own notes and the literature on Speer and the Nazis. He also interviewed Speer's daughter and Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary, who observed the interaction between Hitler and Speer. King's book carefully plots the conditions and events in Speer's life that drew the architect toward the summit of Nazi power. Speer was politically naïve, despite his aristocratic background, growing up in a cold, emotionless family, where intellectual prowess was demanded and ambition expected. Introduced to the Nazis at Berlin's Institute of Technology, Speer fell victim - as did millions of Germans -- to the zeitgeist of Nazi Germany before the war, a time when the promise of a new Reich seemed to represent an unfettered, glorious future. Speer's ability to organize was quickly recognized, reaching new heights at the Nuremberg rallies. His Pantheon-like "Cathedral of Lights," established Speer's chilling brilliance for displaying raw power. The final, crowning jewel, that firmly enthroned Speer to the Nazis fold was his artistic talent which brought him within handshaking distance of Adolph Hitler. Now, Hitler, the failed Viennese artist, would live vicariously through Speer's artistic triumphs. The Nazis' world was Albert Speer's first world, according to King. It was among the Nazis that Speer performed with remarkable thoroughness and unquestioned devotion, rising to the position of the Third Reich's Architect and Minister of Armament Production. Indeed, if Speer's artistic triumphs contributed to the physical manifestation of how the Nazi's viewed themselves, his star as Armament Minister shone even brighter. Experts estimate that Speer's contribution to industrial production lengthened the war by at least two years. Despite Speer's success, he began to enter his "second world," according to King, even before Germany's surrender. Speer was the only top Nazi to act in defiance of Hitler-and did so openly. He refused to carry out Hitler's "scorched earth policy" that would destroy the remains of German industry. Speer's second world is "where his horizon broadened and his values changed," writes King. "The second and succeeding world of Albert Speer was the horizontal world of the questioning spirit. This was a world of ethical and cultural values, a humanistic world . . . " In "The Two Worlds of Albert Speer," King deftly presents how naiveté, seduction and ambition drove Speer to the pinnacle of Nazi power. He concludes that Speer was clearly unique among the top Nazis that survived the war. Speer accepted responsibility for his actions and offered mea culpas for his sins. During and after his imprisonment, Speer pondered his actions and began to search for some degree of redemption until the end of his life. While supporting the prison sentence Speer received, King ably demonstrates that Speer was not some cardboard character from the Nazi past. Rather, he was a complex and brilliant individual who confronted issues of good and evil on a scale that most of us cannot imagine. King succeeded in his search for a great undertaking with his successful role in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg. More than one half century later, he succeeds with another marvelous undertaking: the writing of "The Two Worlds of Albert Speer."