If you're a thinking baseball fan you need to read this book. It covers every player you've heard of, and most of those you haven't. After reading this book, your next step is to go to their website ... on a daily basis for more of their top notch writing and analysis.

Their team articles are insightful, witty, biting and entertaining. I find myself grabbing one of my three copies from my shelf and enjoying them, even if I pick the one that's three years old. How many other baseball annuals can you say that about?

Thanks guys...keep up the good work.

Baseball Prospectus opens up a new world for the uninitiated and continues to inform those of us who've studied the game. Just put it on your springtime shopping list each year, kind of like grass seed.

After years of withdrawal symptoms from missing my annual dose of Bill James, I have at last found a substitute. These guys are not always on the nose -- their obsession with positions is a bit limiting to my mind, for one thing -- but they're right a helluva lot more often than they're wrong, and they've already proven themselves prophetic in many instances (for example, the White Sox's migrating back to the middle of the pack and the Mets' collapse). Plus, they're good writers -- not only are their analyses far more cogent than most sportswriters (admittedly, not a difficult task, since most sportswriters, not to mention analysts, can't tell their rear ends from their elbows), but those analyses are great fun to read for aesthetic reasons.

Anybody who really cares about the game will love this book.

It is no doubt MLK's speeches are great and did alot
to shape American thinking. Unfortunately, I can only
play the first 2 CDs on my CD player. I have a friend
who has a CD player that can play all of them. Apparently
it has something to do with the index numbering on each
CD. Instead of each CD starting at 1 it starts where the previous CD left off. I wouldn't take a chance that this
product won't play in your CD player. I think it is very
unfortunate that I paid so much for the complete set of speeches
and I can't listen to most of it.
I WOULD WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT VERSION COMES OUT THAT CORRECTS THIS
FLAW.
It would have been also nice to have some text to accompany the
audio CDs.

An outstanding history of the Civil Rights movement through the most famous speeches of MLK. I particularly enjoyed his final speech which we hear words from but was full of inspiration and foresight as to what would become of America and its black citizens and their victory in the struggle for freedom.
A must for every buddding philosopher, peace activist and politician.

Reviewer: Mark Lamendola,... author of over 3500 articles.

Inspiring, informative, and soul-stirring, this tape brings to life the original recordings of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Having grown up in the era of the Vietnam war and civil rights demonstrations, I got this tape thinking it would help me remember some of the key issues of the time and compare them to where we are now.

What I was not expecting was the emotional and spiritual journey this tape took me on--it was a journey at a speed that made me look for my seat belt.

Let me interject a personal note here. I am not an African American. I am not black, but neither am I white. My family name is an "Americanized" version of a Sicilian name. While my family did not emerge from slavery on southern plantations, it did emerge from near slave conditions in Sicily. I would also like to note that Sicily was invaded by the African Moors, as is evident by the curly hair and nose structure of modern Sicilians--and by the fact we get sickle cell anemia (whites do not get this disease).

Italian-Americans, who make up 6% of the USA population also underwent an era of extreme prejudice and discrimination--as did African-Americans, who make up 13% of the American population.

Some people malign Dr. King as "that nigger who riled up all the niggers." Others said he was moving too fast. Others said he was asking for too much. And on and on. What these people fail to realize is Dr. King wasn't riling up anybody. He was not an agitator. He made a call to love. When you listen to his speeches, this all becomes very clear. I am not comparing King the Man to Christ the Lord, but to condemn his call to love does compare him to Christ and does condemn both King the man and Christ the Lord. To my mind, that is hypocritical and presumptuous.

In his speeches, Dr. King presented such concepts as:

*African-American slaves are not rightful property and never were. These people were kidnapped from their homes in the area of the Gold Coast.

*The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared all men (grammatical convention makes the pronoun gender-neutral in this context) equal. Yet, 100 years later, American people of color had actually moved backwards in relation to "white people." King presented incontrovertible evidence of the nullification of the Emancipation Proclamation and the abandonment of law and order that allowed suppression and oppression of an entire race of people.

*The segregation movement was part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to keep poor whites--especially poor Southern whites in their place by creating an even lower class.

*As a unit, African-Americans have more wealth than most countries--including France!

*No violent uprising has ever succeeded, unless it had the support of the general population. African-Americans did not have, and could not possibly have, such support in the USA.

*A violent uprising by African-Americans could never come to any possible good. At the outset, it would increase fear and mistrust. The government would be duty-bound to squash it, and had the power to do so. Violent uprisers would have to defeat the local police, then the county police, then the state police, then the state militia, then the National Guard, then the US Armed Forces--not exactly the recipe for success.
But non-violent action could succeed. This is what Dr. King espoused.

Dr. King said two conditions existed:
1. Power without love--this characterized the white system .
2. Love without power--this characterized the black community.

His goal was to combine power with love--not for black people, but for the brotherhood of mankind. His vision was that people would be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin.

This tape concludes with an incredibly moving speech, given to an audience of 10,000 in Tennessee. ...

It was Dr. King's last speech, given the day before a killer stopped Dr. King's campaign of love and brotherhood by severing Dr. King's spine just below his chin.

At first I thought that eating clay was crazy. After reading this book I am a true believer. The author takes a step by step approach that is simple to understand and creates a strong argument for the benefits of this substance. Nature also uses these healing benefits and we are just getting back to our roots of the earth.

I read this book and it was very helpful to me. It helped me to understand the very mysterious habit of clay eating. With some good anecdotes, and straight-to-the-point writing, I was certainly pleased with the manuscript. There are lots of clays on the marketplace and the author helps the reader to categorize the various clays and choose one that is right for him or her. Not to mention that there are so many different delivery systems for the clay!

I would enthusiastically reccomend this book. I hear that it is going to go to a 2nd printing. I will buy that one, too.

I have always been interested in clay eating. It is such a fascinating topic. I like the book and was able to finish it in good time. It is good easy reading and straight to the point. I just started eating the clay and hoping for good results!

Get this book on clay. You will learn a lot.Call the companies in the back if you have questions. I ordered from two of them back there, and they sent me the products already.

There are much better books to start with. Don't waste your money on this one, it should have been titled "Polymer Clay for the Last Time".

Got teens? Problems with Boredom? Solve it by buying this book. Your teenager will thank you. This book is expertly written for the teenager. The easy to follow steps are perfect for your teenager. The projects are very simple and easy for twelve year olds and up to follow. My teenager and her friends enjoyed the book and projects. This book will help keep the winter boredom blues away. A must have book for any teen library.

As a polymer clay artist, I found this a fun and innovative book. Lots of neat ideas, fun for both the beginner and advanced polymer artist. It has a great variation of projects. Would recommend it to any polymer artist.

I have been a fan of Margaret Maron's for years. I read all of her first series of books, the Sigrid Harald mysteries. I was at first disappointed when she had made the switch to Deboral Knott and had a hard time liking Deborah as much as Sigrid - maybe with Sigrid, "like" is not the right word, but rather "fascinated by" is better put. I have now, however, come to enjoy this series as much. In this episode, Judge Knott has recently broken with her semi-boyfriend and she is assigned to a divorce settlement case in a neighboring city. One of the divorcing spouses is killed and Deborah steps in to help solve the murder. This is a bit different from the regular Judge Knott mysteries as she does not actively work on finding the culprit, rather she lets people around her gossip, watches peoples'interactions, and puts two and two together. Maron's writing, as usual, is topnotch; the mystery is easy to figure out but the book is still a winner because she always makes the surrondings and people inhabiting the book interesting. Can't wait for the next episode, "Slow Dollar." Keep 'em coming, Ms. Maron!

Uncommon Clay is not one of Margaret Maron's best Judge Deborah Knott books. That said, it is still very much worth reading. The ending was a little too easy to figure out for my tastes. However, Maron (in the Knott series) has a great ability to describe people and places so that you truly feel that not only can you imagine what it would be like - but you can feel like you are there. Uncommon Clay taught me a lot about pottery making in the area. Also, we learn more about Deborah's friendships. I was glad to see the end of her relationship; although, I do think it would be nice to see her get revenge. "Living well is the best revenge" and by the end of the book, I'm not sure I was satisfied that she was living well. I highly recommend all of the Judge Deborah Knott books.

Continuing my love affair with the works of Margaret Maron, I returned to her Deborah Knott series and really enjoyed "Uncommon Clay", which is a quick read with an ending that surprised me.

Deb is again on the road, visiting Asheboro this time, and the reader gets the treat of learning more about NC folk crafts...(prior novels have featured furniture), this time with the work of Carolina's folk pottery industry. Some interesting and colorful new characters and friends are added to the story line. The book also continues the saga of Deb's romances, and how badly they go sometimes. In this tale, Deb has two embarrassing scrapes with the down side of relationships. Maron also takes the time to insert a small tidbit about Oscar Nauman, a character from her Sigrid Harald series, in a way that makes the reference seem real and natural.

With its interesting plots, spunky heroine, delightful descriptions of large southern families and friends, and its ability to educate the reader on the life and times of beautiful NC, the Knott series is a fast, entertaining, and well written group of books. Uncommon Clay still leaves me hungry for more!

. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would give it an 8 of 10 or four stars ****. I liked how the story was told in three points of view and how it went into detail. At the beginning the story was a little boring because it was over descriptive and there wasn't any action or conversation, but at the middle and the end it became more of a story than a description. Another problem was at the beginning of the story, the characters weren't introduced yet and the perspectives switched about every three paragraphs so I didn't know who was thinking and it confused me. I would recommend it to anyone in high school or older. When the boy was emotional the sentences would be run-ons, which I had mixed feelings about because they were run-ons but they conveyed his feelings better than a regular sentence ever could. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it's definitely up there

I enjoyed it thoroughly and would give it four stars ****. I liked how the story was told in three points of view and how it went into detail. At the beginning the story was a little boring because it was over descriptive and there wasn't any action or conversation, but at the middle and the end it became more of a story than a description. Another problem was at the beginning of the story, the characters weren't introduced yet and the perspectives switched about every three paragraphs so I didn't know who was thinking and it confused me. I would recommend it to anyone in high school or older. When the boy was emotional the sentences would be run-ons, which I had mixed feelings about because they were run-ons but they conveyed his feelings better than a regular sentence ever could. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it's up there.

I enjoyed it thoroughly and would give it an 8 of 10 or four stars ****. I liked how the story was told in three points of view and how it went into detail. At the beginning the story was a little boring because it was over descriptive and there wasn't any action or conversation, but at the middle and the end it became more of a story than a description. Another problem was at the beginning of the story, the characters weren't introduced yet and the perspectives switched about every three paragraphs so I didn't know who was thinking and it confused me. I would recommend it to anyone in high school or older. When the boy was emotional the sentences would be run-ons, which I had mixed feelings about because they were run-ons but they conveyed his feelings better than a regular sentence ever could. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it's up there.

I have read all of Clay Harveys "Tyler Vance" books and "Dwelling in the Gray" is by far the best of the 3 books. This book tells of Tylers Vances' early years and his army "experience". Frankly I was expecting Tylers' experiences in Korea to involve, cross border raids, assiniations and etc. Tyler spent all his time on the South Korean side of the Demarcation Line. Tylers past as a good samaritian catches up with him when he returns home after his stint in the Army. If you haven't read any of Harvey's "Tyler Vance" books, read this one first. However, the other books do not come up to Harveys writing in "Dwelling in the Gray"

I've read all of Clancy, Cussler, Dale Brown, most of W.E.B. Griffin, Ludlum, and Stephen Hunter, and others, and I find this book a moving read with real heroes. "Dwelling In The Gray" was written by Clay Harvey after he wrote "A Flash Of Red" and "A Whisper Of Gray", but the story line occurs years earlier. This is the best of the three. This book is moving because of Clay Harvey's real characters you can envision meeting in real life, his humor that will have you laughing to tears, and his development of character inner struggles with his main character, Tyler Vance, that leaves you wondering how you would handle the situation.

Harvey is at his best with his realistic and surprising humor, his description of a close friendship between Tyler Vance and his best friend, and his way of writing that puts you as an observer in the action scenes. As with his two previous books, Harvey knows his guns, and he knows how to describe fight scenes up close.

After reading this book, I have continued to look for it's sequel to come out - both to continue good writing, and to fill in the gap between this book and "A Flash Of Red." I hope Clay Harvey continues writing. His writing leaves me with a desire to meet him in person.

this book is one of the best books i have ever read it is written so well it is like the author was actually there. i loved this book so mutch i could not stop reading it it took me to days to read it. i could not put it down the action is superb i truly hope they make it a movie but i dont know how it could measure up to the book.

What makes us who we are? Are we simply our physical being, the sum of our actions, or who we wish to be? Elizabeth Evans takes these questions on while delivering an entertaining and suspenseful novel. The tragic consequences of people lying to others, God, and even themselves about who they are drive this story forward as protagonist Jersey must deal with her own identity issues: Is she still her mother's daughter and is her mother still the same person after their horrifying accident. Wanting the best for this amazing young girl as she struggles with the failings of the adults around her kept me intensely interested until the last sentence. This book is also a wonderful illustration of how religion and faith, when misunderstood and misused, can be a weapon of destruction.

"Like Scott Smith's A SIMPLE PLAN. . .CARTER CLAY demonstrates with awful clarity the unintended consequences of good intentions. And like Elizabeth Evans' fine first novel, it shows a novelist working her way into the literary stratosphere." --Newsday

This was the first book that I've read by Elizabeth Evans, and I must admit, it was a great story. Carter Clay, the burned out Vietnam vet is as complex and spellbinding a character as you'll come across in any book. It's a story of his fight for redemption after he hits the Alitz family, Joe, Katherine, and their daughter Jersey, with his van. But it's not just that. Evans tackles questions about God's "inhumanity to humans" and religion as a whole. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!

This is the first Walter Mosley book I have read. Everybody seems to be rating this author very highly and say that his books are amazing. I'm not convinced. It seems like an ordinary mystery story to me. The dialogue and language is a lot more relaxed than you would find in most books which makes it easy to read. Nevertheless, I found a lot of it hard to follow and found that I got bored with it very easily even though I did manage to finish it. It is worth reading but don't expect anything special because it really isn't. The characters are very believable but they suffer from a disjointed and in some ways unbelieveable story. Make your own mind up. I prefer John Grisham every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

This is the second Easy Rwalings book, a series by Walter Mosley.
It's a short and fast-paced book, easy to read. There are two problems with Easy Rawlings, though. As happens with all Mosley books, the plots are kind of misty, you just don't know for sure what Rawlings must do or discover through the story. Other thing I find extremely annoying is that, except Rawlings, other characters are completely undeveloped, they're just names thrown into the story, making it a little confusing, you almost never know who is who and what part they seem to take in the plot.

Easy Rawlings is a funny character, though a little too stupid. He acts before he thinks. Mosley thinks this is a means to provide action in the book and it works well, but I thought Easy was rather obtuse sometimes. But maybe Mosley just wanted to create a story as close to reality as possible. As in "Devil in a blue dress", the most interesting character is Mouse, Easy's friend, a murderer without scruples, who should get a book of his own.

I'll give a try to "White Butterfly", the next book in the series.

Grade 7.3/10

This was my first Walter Mosley novel. I had not done any reading for fun for some time. This book engulfs the reader in the world that Easy Rawlins exists in. All characters are beautifully distinct and colorful. You will truly enjoy this book.

Charlie Peacock has done the CCM community a fine service by writing this book. He clearly spells out the evolution of Christian music tracing it from it's roots in the Jesus movement of the 60s and 70s. Though not a lesson in history it does lay the groundwork to share the various viewpoints and belief systems of the pioneers that brings the reader to today's modern times. The author addresses some age-old issues of motivation and quality vs. quantity. The views and conclusions expressed in these pages mirror many topics that society addresses each day beyond the walls of CCM and gospel music. Take for example a recent airline commercial that featured a wise old company patriarch admonishing his staff to make personal contact with their clients after being fired by a long-time customer. Charlie addresses how our modern "worldly" tools and mechanisms often get in the way of our personal ministry.

This book's target audiences are proponents of the CCM culture. I found the first half quite verbose and lengthy in getting to the heart of the matter. Though sometimes saying a lot to convey a little the book is well versed and presents many opinions by today's artists. A notable illustration is found in chapter 14 with the parable of a Christian coffeehouse that compromises the intent of their ministry by using cheap coffee beans. I find the title of the book to be debatable as it relates to the entire industry although it does ask pertinent questions that would behoove anyone considering involvement in CCM to ask.

Charlie has written probably one of the most thoughtful treatise on the CCM monster. I have my own issues with this industry and dare I say, Peacock addresses 90% of them. He also does it in a fashion that is fair and careful. He clearly wants to see the artists thrive and looks at the chasm that has grown between the church and the artist. Leaving many artists to forage on their own without support from fellow Christians, or to water down their art into a palatable cheerleading craft. Ministry, art, stardom are all topics Charlie approaches with great care and concern. If some are offended by Charlie's approach, it is through not fault of his, and they are likely people who find fault everywhere but with themselves. This is an excellent book for anyone curious about Christian music, both where it's been and where it's can go.

While this book is primarily aimed at people involved in Christian music (including the listeners), Peacock's insight into having a "kingdom perspective" on life is a refreshing one that all Christians should consider. A very thorough book. Let's hope this isn't the last time Peacock commits his ideas to print.