"The Gatehouse" is a cutting edge business book that addresses the issue of today - what gives meaning to our lives at work and how do we fulfill/sustain that. Strengthening cultural capital is the new paradigm of business management, and this book not only provides methodologies on how to achieve this, but insight into the human forces that actualize it. Realizing how we impact others and how we can better do so is one of life's greatest and ultimately most rewarding challenges. I applaud Craig Elkins for putting the material in the form of a novel so that we can better see ourselves as we read relative to our work position. This is a book for all managers regardless of level, MBA students and anyone aspiring to be a leader.

Craig Elkins has taken the best of life and organisational transformation thinking and moved out of the text book format into a compelling, fun, emotional and deeply connecting story. The four main characters, while so different in personality managed to capture the fears, desires and dreams that I have inside me too. This is the sort of book that a manager should consider buying for all the people in a department or company. It would create great new conversations, connections and possibilities for transformation. Thank you Craig

Whether male or female, business person or not, The Gatehouse inspires on multiple levels (philosophically, intellectually, spiritually). The four strong characters are people you'd like to know; they grapple with life's great truths (e.g. paying attention to coincidences that personalize our individual path) through years of friendship, humor and crisis. Business/work ethics, friendship, romance, and a humorous spiritual entity make this book a "gift" for anyone on my list.

This is an extremely funny book about the Old West as told from the point of view of the Indians. Reminds me so much of "F Troop" in the old days, or any of Mel Brooks' hilarious movies.
At times I was laughing so hard tears ran down my face. This is highly recommended for anyone who would like a lighter look at the old west. Pick up a copy soon... you'll be glad you did. Believe me; you will see much more of this talented and humorous writer in the future.

The entire time I was reading "How the West was Lost" I was imagining it as a movie. The writing is top knotch and could easily be adapted to script form. Author Albitz has created a humorously clever spoof that sends subtle messages disguised in belly laughs about the Old West. Even the title, "How the West was Lost" sets the reader up for the red man vs white man, buffalo chasing, laughfest they are in for with this delightful book. Albitz not only writes well, he writes for all audiences; not an easy thing to do if you want all readers to be equally entertained. I have every confidence all readers will...will what? Thoroughly enjoy, "How the West was Lost."

George Albitz's unique writing style and sense of humor comes through brillantly in How The West Was Lost. The reader is given the opportunity to view the old west from an Indian's perspective. Truely a witty point of view of the whiteman. A must read for anyone who enjoys reading about the old west!

Chatty and irresistable, rather than being the harsh polemic that the title might suggest, this volume is a multifaceted discussion of the issues involved in teaching and studying art in a studio environment. Anyone who has ever lived through a studio critique will find the book hard to put down. Like Elkin's earlier work, "What Painting Is," it will make any art-student readers wish that they could study with him at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Despite the provocative title, Elkins has very little interest in transforming arts education. Rather, he wants to point to both the virtues and the pitfalls of critique-based evaluation, and to get both teachers and students to appreciate just what a mysterious and irrational process it is to attempt to teach/learn the studio arts.

The author is an insider speaking candidly for other insiders -- the audience for this valuable and intelligent essay may not be huge, but within that group, it will stimulate many electrifying conversations.

The answer: I think so. The author changed my way of thinking about the subject of what is plausible in arts education in our time. The apprearance of total artistic freedom from judgement as formulated by postmodernists, yet the intrinsic nature of how the academy/school affects an artist, is seriously examined by Elkins.

This book is amongst the first to pragmatically question some of our common misunderstandings about the methodology involved in teaching the visual arts. The reason for this maybe due in part to modernist and postmodernist intellectualizing of art (e.g.-the endless pages of ink spilled in history books about content free Minimalist paintings and Conceptual Art). Elkins really does an marvelous job at collecting the evidence that studio art teaching and learning is fundamentally different in goals from more conventional subjects such as the sciences, languages and even music...yet, artists should have a somewhat rounded education.

To the authors credit, the book avoids the idealistic view of the arts, dispenses with the RomanticEra cliches of " the gifted talent" or "starving artist" or "outsider art" and deals with THE pragmatic reality of art instruction. Elkins' surveys are about the historical roots of art instruction: the Medieval workshops, the Renaissance guilds,the Baroque academies, and the 20th c. Bauhaus School are compared and contrasted with one another.

THIS comparison of instruction models is EXCELLENT!

The assumed historical 'reality' of the types of artists each system was capable of producing serves as a spring board for discussions on how philosophical discourse influences the instruction model. The book addresses the question of "what body of knowledge is central to the education of an artist?" Is it life drawing, technical and mechanical skills or is it a selected reading and immersion in the liberal arts(i.e.- should an artist have a classical education w/ emphasis on Greek literature -or- postmodernist and shifting in emphasis related to an artist's native culture?_)

Elkin's book fully illustrates the very real world dilemna that students interested in the visual arts face when choosing between "art schools" and small "Liberal arts colleges." "Art schools" tend to only be interested in art, with a myriad of opportunities to be exposed to the art world, with little if any exposure to core general education courses. Paradoxically, the art schools are also places where one is likely to find the latest art theory in deployment despite an 'art school'student populace that MAY NOT have the educational background to engage in meaningful discussion with instructors. The situation is the exact inverse with students at "liberal arts colleges" (and the university in general) where the student is academically armed, yet, is enrolled in significantly less demanding studio courses. "Liberal Arts colleges" and art departments of universities,while providing excellant general education for an art student -most barely engage in the issues of making Studio Art much beyond the dilettante level. Elkins makes a very fine point of emphasis on what is either impractical or too obscure to teach about art in the general curriculum of both classroom enviroments-i.e.-such things as art that uses obscure techniques, extremely radical and/or conservative methods. He deals with that rarely mentioned art class phenomenon- "the critque"- where the student presents thier work to the class to be analyized. Elkins illuminates 'The critque' of art schools (and studio art departments) in a manner that should deal with every sort of postive and negative experience that could be siphoned from such an ordeal.

Essentially the heart of "Why Art Cannot be Taught" is to illuminate what works and what makes 'sense' to teach in the pedantic school environment about art. Elkin's thesis ("that art cannot be taught") is a descriptive interpretation of the reality that art education like 'true art', the 100%creative stuff, is something unique and irrational that can't be easily duplicated at the whim of educators. A must for anyone that has interest in the peculiarities of being a student of the visual arts!

The author details art instruction through the ages and discusses the question asked in the title. Art and artists would be so much better thought of by society, and art istself would improve, if the ideas in this book were taken seriously. It is a DEEP book, not for casual reading.

A friend of mine said this was her favorite book as a child, and when I read it I found out why. While it is not flashy or geared towards "saving the world," as most children's books are today, in the old style of children's literature it is simple and enchanting. The characters are tastefully unique (I especially love the bizarre king) and the stories are . . . cute. While this book is not a "big jump" in the quality of the children's literary world, it is simply enjoyable.

The Big Jump by Benjamin Elkin is a great children's book. It has a good king and a bad king, but the bad king is not very bad. It has a magic wish sack, a wonderful dog, and a lot of other fun things packed into several different short stories. These are gentle stories that remind me of the way things were when I was a kid, and the way little kids' books should be. The stories are told with imagination and simplicity, and are wonderful to read. We've read it often to our little ones and it is a book that I recommend keeping forever.

Gillespie is a small boy who is determined to fool the king's guards in order to win a terrific prize. It's not easy to fool the king's guards. They have incredible eyesight, so you can't sneak a thing by them. But guess what - don't bet against our little hero.

Ben Elkin was one of the premier writers of children's books. I'm happy to see his books still in the libraries of public schools. He was a school principal. When we got together for family gatherings he would often have a story for us, sometimes about exploding bubble gum. I think he was fascinated by exploding bubble gum, possibly because he was a school principal. In any event, I really like this story about Gillespie, a little boy out to win a prize by fooling three palace guards who have incredible eyesight.

Numerous studies have shown that by increasing your own HGH levers you can reverse the signs of aging in your body. This works internally, no plastic surgery required. Until recently, one of the only ways to increase HGH levels in the body was by injections and those cost over one thousand dollars a month. The simpler and more cost effective way is to use natural HGH releasers. By taking two capsules in the morning and two in the evening, you can see results in a short period of time. You will start to notice a loss of fat, higher energy levels, diminished wrinkles, improved memory, mood elevation...and the list goes on. My dad looks younger and younger each time I see him, so I believe this works. If you can reverse the aging process by 20 years, soon he will only be 50 years old. Doctors are recommending this to those who have reached their 40's and have noticed the aches and pains and stiffness when getting up in the morning. I highly recommend reading more about this medical discovery. Apparently the stars have known about this for a while. It was just so expensive, hardly anyone could afford the thousands you had to spend every month. Now it is available for less than $40 a month. Not a bad price to reverse the aging process.

I had heard of HGH before, but was hesitant about a few things. First, I had heard it could have potentially harmful side effects. Also, there was much confusion about what I could actually expect from such a product. Rita's booklet provided me with the hardcore answers I was looking for. Backed by medical journals, I learned the difference in HGH and HGH secretagogue. I was also finally able to understand just what benefits such a product can provide. After reading it, I was convinced to try the product with dramatic results.

....this book is the last one from a series of five, published as "Law of One" (also as "The Ra Material"). Included is the personal material removed from the previous four volumes. The subject of the Law of One books is the spiritual evolution of humankind. This is a channeled material in a question-and-answer format that requires some attention to grasp. The entity providing the answers ("RA")claims to be an extra-terrestrial. I have found the books inspiring, although this applies more to the first four volumes which are more general. This last volume (Personal Material) builds on the info given in the previous four books.

When Don Elkins, Carla Rueckert, and Jim McCarty embarked on their journey into the world of trance mediumship, UFOs, and extra-terrestial communication, little did they know that they would become the bearers of one of the most profound messages ever to be given to the human race. If you have ever wondered about the spiritual evolution of the human race and the influence of extra-terrrestial forces, I urge you to read the Law of One, books I, II and III. Then read this book about the personal drama that unfolded behind the scenes. The courage, committment, and humanity of these three companions is a poweful inspiration for all those who passionately seek the truth.

Elkin displays knowledge of the subject and knows the meaning of "city dweller". He highlights all the streeses of the city then pin points how to ease the tension. It really prepared me while at the same time not scaring me for an urban lifestyle.

It is widely acknowledged that in order to advance in many careers, you must move to major city (at least for a little while) and live in a cramped shoebox and put up with all the trials and tribulations that come with an overpopulated concrete jungle. This handy little book with the attractive cover shows you how to do it all with style. From a section on which houseplants thrive without much natural sunlight, to how to handle rude people on the subway, this guide to life will make you feel better about yours, and recognize that it's not all hopeless -- it's an adventure.

this was his book i was most excited to read, and while i think the concept is great, i don't think it really worked. the accounts were often long-winded and dull, and when there were little gems within that made it worth wading through, they were often hidden amidst pages of muck. i still think the idea behind the book is strong and could work, however, and i admire yalom for trying, but at the same time i wonder if it's not somewhat unethical to reveal so much to a patient about the therapist's feelings, and also to give her free therapy in exchange for writing for him - like, is it a conflict of interest on his part, and therefore countertherapeutic? also, the book doesn't really say if she got better in the long-term. i'm not so sure... still glad i read the book, but didn't honestly feel i got too much out of it. many of his other books are head and shoulders above this one...

After reading 2 other books by Dr. Yalom ("Love's executioner.." & "Momma..." I came to "Every day gets a little closer". I'm glad I read the other two books first, because they make a better introduction to the writer / psychiatrist's work. "Every day gets a little closer" is a much more "closed" book, meaning that it takes some time & patience to get through it.

What it is the account of Ginny Elkin's (pseudonym) therapy, written from the point of view of both Dr. Yalom, & Ginny. It is often striking how these 2 points of view can be so different! & yet, while reading this book, you get a definite sense of the therapeutic relationship developing, of the existing & growing feelings between doctor & patient.

The down side is that the book is definitely slow, although very rewarding at times. But then, the therapeutic process itself is slow. What I found really interesting was the afterword by Dr. Yalom which describes the process & the methods he used while treating Ginny. It put a new light on the whole book, which at times seemed chaotic.

All in all, definitely give this book a go if you're interested in the therapy relationship, in the magic & slow change that occurs in the therapist's office. But don't expect a quick & easy read, because you'll be disappointed.

This book and others written by Yalom changed my life.I would suggest reading it to every person (especially young women)having self-esteem problems.I find Yalom extremely intelligent,warm hearted,subtle.He uses simple language to deal with the deepest topics. By the way,I'm rather envious of Ginny Elkin, because I would have liked to have the same experience of therapy.

Forensic anthropologist Professor Gideon Oliver and his wife Julie are on vacation when his old friend Inspector Lucien Jolly asks for his help. The finding of bones in caves near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is the norm as this locale is the center of numerous prehistoric finds including skeletons. However, these bones are human remains of the late twentieth century.

Gideon was planning to come to the area to do research on hoaxes for his book. He changes his schedule and arrives at the famous site. Gideon begins an investigation into the modern bones. Other murders soon follow as Gideon gets closer to the truth that prove scientists can be as cold blooded as the extinct species they study.

The return of Professor Oliver will please fans of anthropologic mysteries. His current tale, SKELETON DANCE, is an intriguing story that will entertain fans with its red herrings turning it into a difficult puzzler. The story line is slower than the Edgar Award winning OLD BONES although the novel remains fun to read. Action gurus should pass, but anyone who relishes a cerebral mystery will gain much pleasure from Aaron Elkins' latest who-done-it.

I have read "Loot" by Aaron Elkins and found that art can be a great center for a mystery novel. I was a little skeptical that Elkins series revolving around an archaeology would be as good. I am glad I gave it a shot. Gideon Oliver the main character in this series is a wonderful character that any mystery fan can get into.

The story starts when a local dog starts bring home human bones from a cave in France. However these bones are no remains of any old Cro-magnon. These are much to new. Oliver is brought in to determine the age of the bones, and slowly uncovers a scandal in the local institute of archaeology. At the institute is a group of possible suspects of the unknown victim in the cave. Oliver along with detective Joly must put all the pieces together to solve this tricky murder.

This novel remains me of Agatha Christie, with it's uniquue locatons and list of suspects. Elkins has a great ability to weace a great story along with not the most enthralling topics. However he makes it work and should be on everyones too read list.

When a modern skeleton turns up in a French Paleolithic cave, the local police call on visiting American archaeologist and "skeleton detective" Gideon Oliver to help identify the bones. Already probing at a sensitive wound (a fossil hoax perpetrated on - or by - the Insitut de Prehistoire in that very same cave) for a popular book he's writing on archaeological blunders, Oliver soon finds relations with his old academic Institut friends strained.

Edgar winner Aaron Elkins delivers the sort of witty, well-paced bone puzzle readers of his Oliver series have come to expect. Poking gentle fun at mainstream publishing, the ferocious arguments of academia and French and American cultural differences, Elkins heaps up murder and mayhem while Oliver's wife Julie attempts to enjoy her vacation. The rural setting, in the midst of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon fossil-filled caves, and the smattering of science adds to the enjoyment of Oliver's spectacular Holmes-like bone reading and the friendly and productive relationship with his wife.