I recently bought it and read Kabloona in a weekend. The result was an incredibly valuable experience that has increased my awareness not only of Inuit life in the Netsilik area but of human behavior in general.Dde Poncins' prose is magnificent, even poetic. Numerous passages simply sing. Whether he is describing the describing bouts of cabin fever at the post in Gjoa Haven or celebrating the renewed vigor of villiage life that Springtime brings, De Poncins's eye for detail is refreshingly balanced and clear. What's more, Kabloona does not pretend to be an unbiased narrative. Instead, the author leads us through his physical and spiritual journey to show us how living with the Inuit has allowed him to become "a man preeminently." Certain passages seem somewhat romanticized, while others reveal the author's deeply-entrenched provincial values. The latter is evident when he describes an Inuit "pedarast" with a mixed sense of fascination and revulsion. But rather than hindering the narrative, such honesty and straightforwardness only enhances the humanity of this book. Kabloona is a thoroughly engrossing read that feeds into many areas of Inuit life, including myths, legends, and belief systems, as well as daily life and habitat.

It's been years since I read "Kabloona" by gontran de poncins. I don't remember the specifics of the book (I'm going to read it again, soon). What I do remember is the lingering humanity of the people. The hard life they lived. The culture shock between my life and theirs. I remember the mirror they held before me, forcing me to question our idea of "progress," "civility," and "modern man". Books such as "Kabloona" and "Black Elk Speaks" by John G. Neihardt and "Mutant Message" by Marlo Morgan tells us more about our roots as a species than many of the great thinkers and philosphers who speak in the abstract and grandeur of modern man. You read a book like this and you must pause and reflect, look deeper into yourself and the rushing stream you were born into. Step back and look at life from a different perspective. It can be life-altering or at the very least a stunning revelation.

I read this book many, many years ago and have forgotten many of the details. I remember one, however. When the old one couldn't travel, they put her out on the ice and drove off. That is so relevant to our contemporary society and the discussions of social security and the elderly, caring for the disabled, etc. We can't leave the disadvantaged on the ice and drive off but must find some way to care for them.

This book gets one excited about physics. Common physical phenoman like rate, speed, mass and force are explained in very ingenious ways. What is more the writing is good and to the point. Even though there is not much math to speak of the author explains things in a concise manner. What got me hooked to this book is that it does require thinking on part of the reader. One quickly finds out that what may seem intuitive and common sense is in fact precisely the wrong answer. Another major advantage of the book is that you do not have to read it from page one onwards. Turn to any segment and you are sure to be sucked in. Page after page is filled with nice little nuggets of fun. Get this book you will not regret it.

If you ever took a college class in physics, or maybe even high school, or ever wanted to understand physics, this is the book for you. I'm an electrical engineer, and my physics classes were 20 years ago, but I love this book. It really does make you think!! Buy it now (and get one for your friends).

This is a jewel of a book. The latest second edition includes additional material on waves, which addresses a lack in the earlier edition. There are sections on optics, momentum, kinetic and potential energy, etc..

My favorite problem, and this is typical of the sort of material presented, is to decide whether or not a car suffers more damage in

A. hitting an immovable brick wall at 50 m.p.h.

B. having a head-on collision with an identical car both travelling at 50 m.p.h. ?

The usual response is to say B. However, Newton's 3rd law of motion, ("forces always act in pairs; if a exerts a force on b, then b exerts an equal and oppositely-directed force on a), maintains that the damage is the same, i.e., the wall strikes the car with the force of a head-on collision. This problem, by the way, is particularly juicy - I remember the head of a university physics department discussing this one at considerable length with two other physicists! (They more or less agreed, with provisos, that B. is indeed correct.)

The author encourages thinking without mathematics, to come to terms with the physical reality of what is occurring. This approach closely mirrors that of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell, who felt that mathematics was useful only as an adjunct to science and no substitute for clear thinking... A marvellous book.

"That summer the fence that stretched through our town seemed bigger. We lived in a yellow house on one side of it. White people lived on the other. And Mama said, "Don't climb over that fence when you play." She said it wasn't safe..." Soon our narrator, Clover, sees a little white girl, Annie, hanging on the fence and staring into their yard, day after day. She was always alone. Finally, one day Clover gets close enough to the fence to talk to the little girl. They exchange names, and smiles, and pretty soon the two are sitting together on top of the fence. "My mama says I shouldn't go on the other side," I said. "My mama says the same thing. But she never said nothing about sitting on it." "Neither did mine," I said. That summer me and Annie sat on that fence and watched the whole wide world around us..." Jacqueline Woodson's eloquent and understated prose captures the feel of the old South in the 1950's, before integration, and is both poignant and uplifting. E B Lewis's elegant watercolors complement the text with expressive heartwarming and lifelike illustrations in soft summer tones. Together, word and art paint an engaging portrait of times gone by with a gentle message that won't be lost on young readers. Perfect for youngsters 7-10, or as a read aloud for younger children, The Other Side is a sensitive and evocative story, told with great insight, wisdom, and truth. "Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down," Annie said. And I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "Someday."

I used this book last semester for both my seventh grade students, and my team of teachers. The teachers loved the story as well as the delicate illustrations. My seventh grade students listened patiently, seeming to wait for every breath of the story. We analyzed the story and the historical period. I love using picture books for middle school students, and I think this book makes an excellent addition to any bookshelf, old or young!

When reading through this book I was throughly impressed with the authour's talented description of the events that were taking place. The pictures protrayed a great image of actions of the girls. This book is for children who are just learning about how segragation used to be. Parents, this is a amazing book to read to your children, when teaaching them about old times. This book clearly gets the point across in an entertaining manner. I definately reccommend this to younger kids.

Project Manager's Desk Reference is a complete, well-written guide about Project Management intended to college students and to any person not familiar with this subject.

The topics covered by this book include Project Planning, Scheduling (PERT), Controlling (Earned Value Analysis), Reporting/Evaluating and Risk Analysis. The book also discusses other subjects that certainly will be faced by the Project Manager, like how to Improve the Communication Skills, how to Solve Problems and Making Decisions.

This book is not intended to experienced managers that need more tools to conduct their projects. These people should look for specific books about the aspect of Project Management that they need to deep into, like Risk Management.

This is direct and to the point. Lewis' writing style is solid and very readable. He does not have a pretentious know it all attitude like so many authors have today. Not only is this an excellent desk reference, but it also can guide you through the essential concepts needed for effective PM duties.

This book was a Required Book for a Project Management college course that I took. The book gives a good overview of the basic Project Management techniques that everyone uses, however, it does not get into real detail about some topics. It is good for the beginning Project Manager, or a student, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone studying for their PMP exam. The PMI PMBOK is a better reference for studying for the exam in my opinion.

Sharpshooter Blues is a dark and twisted story about life and trying to find a place to fit in, and what can happen if one never happens to find that place. At times it is funny, but mostly somewhat sad. Lewis Nordan has quite a talent for getting the reader to connect with the characters. I would have liked to see a little more character development....I felt like I wanted to know the people a little better, but I still really enjoyed the book. I think this would actually make a pretty good movie.

This was my first Nordan book. I found his quirky story both funny and heart-wrenching. The writing is everything the previous reviewers say it is--very very good. I look forward to readindg more Nordan soon.

Imagine being in a world filled with humidity, drooping moss, parrots flying, sounds of Robert Johnson singing to the wind and motoring the swampy delta in a boat powered by an evinrude motor. This is the world of Hydro Raney a young man stunted mentally by hydro-encephalitis. Lewis Nordan draws us into this strange and magical world in his book Sharp-Shooter Blues. Every character is deftly created and a pleasure to meet.

Hydro Raney is a gentle and innocent young man who readers will easily takes into their heart. He is a person of simple wants and needs who takes people he meets at face value. His father loves him dearly and sings him to sleep at night. Hydro willingly places a cantaloupe on his head for his sharpshooter friend Morgan to shoot off. While this turns out successfully, Hydro in his innocence is not prepared to deal with everyone who comes his way.

Prepare to meet as well: the Lovely children who are beautiful to look at, but hide behind their looks and beauty; Louis, the young comic book geek who is witness to the darkest moments of the book; the Prince of Darkness the mortician that rose from the dead. The Sharp Shooter Blues is awash with wonderful southern characters that, leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Lewis Nordan is a gifted story teller who has crafted a book of extreme pain and beauty. There is so much life, sadness and depth to the book that I dog eared numerous pages to go back and read again. It is beautifully written and leave the reader with much to think about.

If you have not yet discovered Lewis Nordan do pick up a copy of the Sharp Shooter Blues. It is a story that reads swiftly but that will stay with you long after.

The portrayal of our defense industry in this story is unfortunately accurate. We have placed so much emphasis on "smart weapons", that we have forgotten the real effectiveness of our military. The action and pace of this book will keep the reader enthralled and they will not want to put it down.

I've read almost all of Ralph Peters' novels, and this is probably my favorite to date. I passed it over in hardcover--frankly it didn't sound very interesting. I couldn't have been more wrong: it's one of the best written, engrossing novels I've read in a long time. Peters is one of the few military thriller writers that can name drop Thomas Hardy novels and actually make us believe his characters read them. I know what a cliche this sounds, but I couldn' t put it down. Peters has within him his best novel yet--some day he'll write the Once An Eagle of his generation of officers.

After 25 years in the defense industry, watching the Services buy big things they don't need while neglecting small things they do (like enough pay so the troops don't have to be on food stamps), it continues to disturb me that the American taxpayer continues to allow Congress to sell out to what Ike Eisenhower called the "military-industrial complex". TRAITOR could have been a documentary. This is a great novel, thrilling and unpredictable, but it is also based on the real world and all the more gripping because of this.

NEVERMIND THE BOOK. THIS DUDE WAS ON THE TV SHOW "CHIPS". THATS TOO COOL. 7 MARY 3 LEWIS, WHERES BARICZA?

I thoroughly enjoyed the poetry contained in this book. I found the poetry to be insightful, emotional, thought-provoking, informative and enlightening. This should be required reading for every woman and man (in or out of a relationship). I was entralled by the poetry because it provided me with a better understanding of what men go through when embarking upon new relationships, ending relationships, etc. I appreciated the poetry because it demonstrated that it is okay for men to share their feelings. The author was masterful in his ability to convey the emotions of men.

I "HIGHLY" recommend that you read this wonderful collection of poetry in addition to sharing the book with family and friends.
Ladies, if you truly want to understand what men want, think and need-this is the book for you!!!!

The soul touching poetry of Lewis Saunders is a therapist's couch bound into a book. Lewis Saunders touches the core of your emotions that have been adversely impacted by the malice of words and actions of those we love or have loved or even worse, by the pain we have inflicted upon others. I walked away with a better understanding of the emotions men experience in the face of painful good-byes and separations.

At the time of Rumi/Molana/Molavi/Jalaledin Mohammad Balkhi and many tens of centuries before it and centuries after, there was no country called Afghanistan (how could he be an Afghani when Afghanistan didn't exist). I fully understand this is besides the message he conveys in his books, however from a scholarly point of view it would be appropriate to identify his country appropriately. Dari and Persian are the same language (two names for the same language), my friend Dari is short for Darbari, the language of Iran (Persia).

"Light a fire of love within your soul," Rumi tells us, "burn up these thoughts and words from head to toe" (p. 400). In his impressive, 686-page scholarly study of Jalal al-Din Rumi, Persian scholar Franklin Lewis illuminates the man behind the thirteenth century mystic poet and preacher. Through his meticulous research, Lewis, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, offers us "a glimpse" into Rumi's life, as well as new insights into Rumi's teachings, widely-popular poetry, and modern influence.

"Three short phrases tell the story of my life," Rumi said, "I was raw, I got cooked, I burned" (p. 404). Many of the biographical details of Rumi's life remain unknown. ""Most of what we know about Rumi," Lewis writes, "comes to us clouded by a heavy mist of myth and legend" (p. 272). We follow Rumi from his birth to an Islamic preacher in September, 1207 (p. 272) to his death on December 17, 1273 (p. 276). Along the way, Lewis reveals that his subject married at a young age, about seventeen (p. 320), fathered two children, pursued legal and religious studies in Aleppo and Damascus (p. 273), became a lawyer or professor of law (pp. 123, 274), married again (after his first wife died) and fathered at least two more children (p. 320) before his death. Lewis also examines Rumi's relationship with Shams al-Din Tabrizi, the encounter that transformed Rumi's spirituality; "he became more ecstatic in his worship, expressing his love for God not only in a careful attitude of self-renunciation and control, but also through the joy of poetry, music and meditative dance" (p. 274). Rumi and Shams became "Sufi Bohemians," tasting life for themselves. Their path involved "disciplining and training one's soul, watching over one's heart and concentrating the mind on God" (p. 34). Rumi tells us that "the law of religion is like a candle that shows us the way; without that candle we cannot even set foot on the spiritual path. Once the way is lit with the light of the law, the wayfarer begins his spiritual quest" (p. 37). When Shams disappeared mysteriously, we witness Rumi's "frenetic quest to recover the vision of this spiritual guide turned inward" to the point where Rumi discovers Shams "within himself" (p. 275). Inspired by this remarkable relationship, Rumi composed more than 60,000 lines of verse (p. 314). Lewis includes a sampling of fifty Rumi poems in his book.

Lewis tells us that his book should be considered a starting point, at best, for understanding Rumi. Although it should not be considered "the final and definitive biography of Rumi," Lewis writes, it is "intended, then, as a kind of Rumi bible, a manual for anyone interested in the life, poetry, teachings and influence of Jalal al-Din Rumi, who has been called the greatest poet of mankind. The whirling dervishes plant one foot on the floor with their toes fixed around a wooden peg and turn in Rumi's memory. In like manner, I hope this book will help ground all lovers of Rumi as they circle, moth-like, around the flame of his works" (pp. 8-9).

G. Merritt

Rumi's works are valuable as social science in their reference to psychological development (the journey of soul). In order to understand Rumi, one must take a classical hermeneutical stance to uncover his intended meanings. This can only be done well if one understands Rumi himself. Franklin Lewis' text is now the greatest aid in so doing: there is no other extant text that gives such a thorough and accurate portrait of Rumi. It offers in-depth description and analysis of his antecedents, as well as the 13th century contemporary influences on his own psychological development. Other than Rumi's works themselves, no other book has been written that allows such insight into who he really was. Professor Lewis has written a work that is an invaluable aid in hermeneutically understanding Rumi, and in providing a richness of context through which one can better decode Rumi's own meaning-making.

This book represents the most complete and comprehensive approach to total quality of any I've read on either software testing or software quality assurance.

Highlights include:

- A structured quality cycle based on Plan-Do-Check-Act. This cycle is the foundation of continuous improvement, which is the theme of the book.

- Complete description of testing techniques - in this respect the book is an encyclopedia for software test professionals and a definitive reference.

- Comprehensive resource for forms and checklists (I wish these were also provided in soft copy on a CD ROM or author's web site, but they are not).

- Full view of metrics across every aspect of the development life cycle. In the same manner that the testing techniques are encyclopedic, the metrics are also an encyclopedia for SQA professionals.

I've used this book as a reference, and it had a heavy influence on a reference chart a colleague and I developed for depicting life cycle key metrics. It does not confine itself to testing alone, and in fact, has something for production services and service delivery professionals, as well as project managers involved with large scale development and implementation projects. You would have to buy at least a dozen books or download thousands of documents off the Internet to get the information contained between the covers of this book.

You'd have to download over a gigabyte of internet resources, then cross-reference them to come anywhere close to having a resource as valuable as this book. Lewis has taken proven techniques spanning both software testing and SQA, wrapped them into a quality process based on the PDCA model and places all of the information you need to master testing and SQA between the covers of this outstanding book.

All you need to add is the ability to think. If you can do that you'll be able to transform the incredible amount of information in this book into action. If you do that I guarantee you that you'll be able to develop a world class quality organization.

Of course, you can mine the publicly available resources and sort through them. Before you do, think carefully about how much your time is worth and just how much you can absorb. If you're intelligent enough to understand this book, you'll quickly see that you'll save thousands of manhours. If not, you still need this book because approach will make you think in terms of cost/benefit.

The forms and checklists in this book alone are worth many times the price.

After reading Software Test and Continual Process Improvement, I am impressed by the breadth and depth of William Lewis' test and quality process coverage. I recommend his book to anyone who is involved in the software development life cycle, including Project Managers, System Analysts, and IT Directors.

Mr. Lewis' book is particularly relevant those of us who must reduce development costs while meeting our customers' maturing expectations. Times have changed; financial restrictions prevent using development resources to correct software defects. Initiating the prevention processes outlined in Software Test and Continual Process Improvement will boost project efficiency and product value.

My suggestions for improvement: If Mr. Lewis left out the vendor references (in Sections IV and VI), then his book would be less vulnerable to obsolescence. More emphasis on how requirement and test management tools map to each other would strengthen the same sections.

It's naive to assume that a book on software test and quality can describe all the components and nuances of thorough testing. Software Test and Continual Process Improvement comes closer than any other book I've read to describing effective end-to-end software quality interventions. It's the software test compendium to hold on to.

This is one book I had wanted to read for along time. It just seemed like an excellent idea to be able to experience an author in this extraordinary way, communicating with his number one fans: kids.

Sadly, when I read it, I didn't like it that much. First of all, it was a very short read. I finished reading it in one afternoon. Secondly, I found the book to be lacking information, because letters are presented here and there, but most of the time we don't get to read a "two-way" conversation, so it is hard to follow. Also, I expected to read letters to and from many children, and was a bit disappointed when I realised only a few children's letters were featured.

Still, I love C.S. Lewis, and was very happy to read his Letters to Children, and feel as if some had been written for me.

Every time I read another book by C.S. Lewis I become more grateful for his life and his writings. This book is a gem, and a wonderful window into Lewis' soul. He answers these children's letters with self-effacing grace and humor, and with a sincere respect for their opinions and their dignity. While being a great writer has no particular connection with being a good person, this book is, to me, irresistable evidence of Lewis' personal goodness. The Angler (as he once referred to God in "Surprised by Joy") snared a fine specimen when he snared the soul of C.S. Lewis.

It is said that as regularly as the mail arrived, professor Lewis sat down at his desk and personally responded... even if the correspondents were little children who had come to know of him through his Narnia books. In fact, he felt it was his God-given duty to do so! "C.S. Lewis: Letters to Children" is a collection of these heartfelt responses, spanning nearly 20 years (1944-1963).

Lewis's own direct contact with children was limited. He once said, "I theoretically hold that one ought to like children, but am shy with them in practice." (Letter to Arthur Greeves, Dec.'35). And in his "The Abolition of Man" he says (chap.1, para.11) "I myself do not enjoy the society of small children... I recognize this as a defect in myself." What he may have lacked in direct contact with children he certainly seems to have displaced with these personal letters, in which we see a lofty Oxford academic who is able to freely converse with children about such diverse topics as (of all things) Zoroastrianism, cats, the Gauls, Virgilian hexameter, the Renaissance, and his opinion that human faces are much easier to draw than animal faces. Never does he talk DOWN to his younger "friends". He usually signs off with an affectionate "yours ever"! And often he sprinkles a question or two of his own in a letter, which, rather than dismissing the sender, invites a response, showing he values these children. For example, an American girl (Joan) received 28 letters from Lewis over a 20 year period!

Why do I give this book a rating of 5 stars? Is the writing as deep, weighty, and significant as War & Peace? Not even remotely. But, to me, it is remarkable that an academician/author of the caliber of C.S. Lewis found the time to write such beautiful simple letters to inquiring kids all over the world. There's something very refreshing (for Lewis fans like me at least) about picking this book up and just turning at random to any letter. One ends with "It is still cold here but the snowdrops, crocuses, primroses and daffodils are up and the thrushes are building nests." Or another "Well, I can't say I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately got married and my wife is very, very ill." Such disclosure is an example of the respect Lewis felt children worthy of. One word of caution though: Does a proper appreciation of this book require a familiarity with Lewis's works? Quite frankly: Yes! The Narnia books! Because so many of the letters are alluding to Narnia, readers unfamiliar with that cycle of books may find most of this book quite boring.

Lewis never tired of corresponding with his child fans. His final letter, to a boy named Philip was written on November 21, 1963. The following day Lewis passed away peacefully at his Oxford home. Earlier, he had written the following to a group of fifth graders:

"I'm tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading.

The only way for us to get to Aslan's country is through death, as far as I know: perhaps some very good people get just a tiny glimpse before then.
Best love to you all. When you say your prayers sometimes ask God to bless me,

Yours ever, C.S. Lewis"