This book and the Author really lays it all out for you and is very insight full. It is easy to read and understand and I got a lot out of it.

I have read a lot of self-help books on success over the years and this is one is a keeper. You definitely want to add to your shelf and reference it often. The material is both timeless and fresh and the author writes with a very unique style that made the material easy to understand.

I must say that I am also very impressed with the author's attitude and drive. The accomplishments he has made are inspiring and the stories he shares about his life really touched home for me.

The author may take some flack for putting his beliefs out in the open like he does in this book and for taking a no-excuse position with personal responsibility, but the people that will grumble will be those who will never step up to the plate and take a swing.

Take it from someone who has read the book from cover-to-cover and can honestly and objectively comment on the content: it is an excellent read full of very insightful information. I highly recommend it.

James L. Clark's book WADING THROUGH THE CRAP is excellent! When I first read the title I laughed out loud and just had to find out what was inside. I was not disappointed. The author uses his well developed wit and intelligence to convey, in plain speak, effective tools to taking immediate control over your life. It is simple but powerful guidebook that is an essential part of anyone's library that is serious about success.

In particular, I really liked the chapter on emotions. It is tremendously insightful and filled with all kinds of information about how our feelings work and how states are created. Best of all, the author provides examples and tools of how to manage them to prevent being controlled by them.

In my opinion, this book is top notch.

After finally finding this book I was glad that I did. This was a true love story. It was so different than most of the stories that I have read because the main character was blind. Augusta was a real strong person and when she fell in love with Todd there were true sparks and passion.

Miss Clark did a very good job researching the information for this book. I enjoyed learning as I was reading.

The ending is very surprising, you will not want to put this book down so you can see what happens next. I read this book within 2 days and enjoyed every minute of it.

I truly enjoyed this story and it was well done by Ms. Clark. The research that she puts into the storyline leaves the reader feeling the pain Augusta must endure and the painful guilt that the Hero must experience. To not give the subject of the plot away, you will find at the end the full awareness of the subject matter and the growing deep love that was developed between this couple. If you like Beverly Clark's work check out her other two books: A Love To Cherish and The Price of Love.

I read this book two years ago and couldn't put it down. I'm not the type who loves to read a lot of books. But I know a good book when I read one. This book is "must read". I let a friend read this book & I've never received it back. I'm here to purchase the book again & give you all my opinion. Take my word & purchase this book. You will definitely enjoy this Awesome story.

This is a comprehensive volume of the bamboos native to the Americas (only one of which is native to the United States). Anyone fascinated with the giant bamboos (as well as others) of Central and South America will love this beautifully illustrated and well written book. For anyone who is already a bamboo lover, this book is a must-have. An instant classic, books on bamboo just don't get any better than this. Highly recommended.

An excellent resource for American Bamboos. There is not much out in the market on these often forgotten plants. There are loads of color pictures that make the book invaluable. East-to-read text with plenty of location maps so you know where the plants are found. Anyone interested in bamboos must get this resource!

there is not much information out there on bamboos and this book fills the gap. It's a must buy for the biologist in the grass world. Lots of excellent pictures of the plants and good text to go with it. Well written.

This is a lovely publication, full of photos from the show and lots of great recipes. I collect cookbooks and this is now one of the "finds" of my collection. Thank you.

I read this book from cover to cover today at work and being an "Andy of Mayberry" fan (and I love to cook, too), I found it delightful and typed 4 of the 'choicest' recipes. I'd love to own it and to give it to some special friends for Christmas, too.

I bought the book thinking it was just a little "Andy Griffith" nostalgia, but was pleasantly surprised when the recipes were actually great! As a mother of 6, my family welcomed some new ideas for dinner (I welcomed that they were simple to make)! Also get "Aunt Bea's Delightful Desserts."

Andy Clark provides us with a new framework for thinking about the mind. Gone are the old notions of a clean boundary between the thinker and the world. Clark does a great job of making the point that our brains are essentially embodied agents that profit profoundly from the local environmental structure. He introduces this new movement in cognitive science to study the brain, body, and world together as a complex system of interactions and dependencies and calls for a cognitive science of the embodied mind.
Clark is not proposing a radical idea. In fact, he defends at some length that his work is in fact a solution to the radical ideas that currently dominate the field. Clark suggests refining the tools of study used, and finding a middle ground between competing theories. I personally question whether a middle ground is appropriate in science. When anomalies exist in current models, does it serve us well to take the best of all available theories and smooth them together as Clark does? Perhaps in the case of the brain, this is a good idea, even though many other sciences (like physics) fair better with simpler one-size-fits-all solutions. Due to the brain's complexity unmatched anywhere in the known universe, maybe a simple (radical) way of studying it isn't possible (or at least within human capabilities).
Clark certainly builds a strong case, particularly by applying examples and comparisons throughout the book. His ideas are well thought out, his writing is clear (though perhaps a little repetitive), and the book as a whole is well worth reading.
Being There definitely gets you thinking.

For those dissatisfied with both dualism and West Coast eliminative materialism, Andy Clark's philosophy of mind offers readers an alternative: an embodied mind. Here's a philosophy that embeds the human mind in its environment, its culture, and its history. And and author who writes like a dream! For a revitalized philosophy of mind, read it together with Alicia Juarrero's Dynamics in Action: Intentional Behavior as a Complex System and Merlin Donald's Origins of the Modern Mind!Enjoy!

When read in tandem with Paul Cilliers Complexity and Postmodernism, and Alicia Juarrero's Dynamics in Action, Andy Clark's Being There articulates the outline of a new philosophical framework: one which takes complexity, embodiment, history and context seriously. Kudos!

I had known and been a fan of Marge Clark for several years, and it was with great saddness that we lost our gardening sister last summer. As with all her cookbooks, Best of Thymes is tried and true. I have yet to try a recipe that wasn't excellent, creative and lovely. Who would think of adding basil to a nectarine lemonade? Brilliant! The cookbook is also very readable with many delightful comments in the margins. Thank you, Marge, for this and your other three cookbooks during your time here on earth.

The Best of Thymes should be in the Top Ten cookbooks in America! You can't beat it. This book is often billed as an herb cookbook. It's that, but so much more. There is a plethora of gorgeous, delicious recipes for anyone who likes to cook or eat! Not all recipes are herbal but many are. By herbal, I mean they contain wonderful flavoring agents like rosemary, thyme, sage, etc. - those great enhancers that gourmet cooks have relied on forever to create wonderful taste sensations. It is also packed with informative growing and use information. And it's beautiful to look at. Food lovers of all kinds should have this book. You won't need any other.

The size of this book is the first thing that impresses you, then the exquisite water color illustrations. But that's just the beginning. This is jam-packed with mouth-watering recipes that run the culinary gamut! As an extra plus, there is concise, accurate growing information for the most popular herbs featured here. Marge Clark has definitely done it again! Her award-winning Christmas Thyme At Oak Hill Farm seemed to be the last word in the culinary arts. Not so. The Best of Thymes is on equal footing! If you love to cook and/or eat, you'll want this!

And her name is Helma Clark. The Big Game is a magnificent tale of life and love. It is a novel, which captivates from page one. The Big Game is packed with dynamic characters who leap off the pages and with dialogue so real and brilliant that it causes one to rethink his/her own participation in this Big Game we call life. If you're looking to score big, then read this book!

Helma Clark delivers all the must-have's for a good summer read, and she does it with style. I found myself alternately laughing out loud and sitting on the edge of my seat. A great first novel. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Helma Clark delivers the best of summer by skillfully packaging all four elements into her first novel. Her characters are human and her dialogue is terrific... I found myself laughing out loud at some points and hanging on the edge of my seat at others. The plot twits in The Big Game are inspired, far beyond the usual romance fare. I'm looking forward to more of Ms. Clark's works.

I can't say enough about Black mothers. I especially liked the pictures that the author included of black mothers and their kids from way back. There is scriptures included, and all so personal accounts from different people about their mother. The last chapter had me crying because it was dealing with people that had lost their mothers. A great book to have in your collection

The reviews of this book have been deservedly and enthusiastically positive. It's a wonderful and useful book in all ways. There is a wide range of sources and source materials, and evocative illustrations. The one additional thing that I wished for is an index, especially of the men and women quoted. In a sense this book really is to a large extent a collection of quotations, and an index would be appropriate.

All in all, a wonderful book.

As a mother, these tales of motherhood and inspiration brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. This is a simply a wonderful book, filled with brilliant photos and memorable quotes.

First off, contrary to earlier reviewers, this book has NOTHING to do with the Lewis and Clark expedition. Out of the 350 pages in the book, they might be mentioned a half dozen times and one might want to get Lavender's "The Way to the Western Sea," if interested on Meriweather and William's trip.
Instead, "Let me Be Free," is on the Nez Perce tribe which lived in Oregon's Wallowa Valley until it was forced from the land in the 1860's. This is a great book if the reader is interested in a century's worth of history about the tribe but I'd suggest something else if the intent on reading this is solely learning about Chief Joseph's tragic flight from the US military in 1877.
I originally got into Lavender's works after reading his fantastic book, "Bents' Fort" which is about the trading family of William Bent in SE Colorado. I had no interest in the subject but was recommended the book and I fell fully immersed into it because of Lavender's detailed writing-style and ability to create real identities to the historical characters instead of just giving names and dates. He has the same writing style in "Let Me Be Free," and will never shy from a unimportant but lighthearted side story. The writing is anything but dry.
The first half of LMBF is on how the tribe lived and existed, its neighbors, and its relations with the first whites to reach Oregon. Lavender has a contentious understanding of the western Native American tribes and writes in a fair and unbiased reader-friendly style and includes the correct names and terms the Nez Perce (Nimipu) used.
The last 100 pages cover Chief Joseph's (Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kehht's) flight and includes a fantastic map in the front for the reader to follow the tribe along on its failed march to freedom.
The book fails to get five stars from me because I was most interested in the Nez Perce march and it just took too long to finally reach that subject in the book. It reminded me of "Undaunted Courage," (Ambrose's book on Meriweather Lewis) where there is no much buildup to the expedition that once the reader finally reaches it in the book, it falls a bit flat. However, if anyone is interested on the Nez Perce tribe itself, you won't find a better book. Any Western Oregon historians would also immensely enjoy this work.

David Lavender just may have written the definitive history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is a wonderfully wrought narrative, capturing the full width and breadth of this incredible journey. Lavender's sardonic tongue deflates many of the myths surrounding the "voyage of discovery," noting that for the most part this was a well-trodden path. The only actual "discovery" was that of linking the Missouri to the Columbia. However, this makes it no less an adventure.

He downplays the significance of Sacagewea. For the most part she was little used on this voyage. Her one major contribution was helping to secure horses for the great fording of the Bitteroot Mountains. Still, Lavender lavishes much attention on her and her son, which it seems that William Clark did as well. Her presence seemed to secure safe passage during their final leg down the Columbia River, as it made the expedition team seem less war-like.

Lavender also provides the background for the voyage, detailing President Jefferson's dream to establish an American Northwest Passage, linking one ocean to another. Lavender probes the seemingly paternal relationship between Jefferson and Lewis, and how Jefferson was able to win Congress over to a third attempt to cross the continent, despite questions regarding Lewis' qualifications. Jefferson personally trained Lewis for the expedition and provided added tutelage in the form of the leading lights of American science. Like a devoted son, Lewis made every effort to carry out the mission, which Jefferson sponsored, even when it seemed foolhardy to do so.

For those who haven't travelled this route before, you will be in good hands with David Lavender. For those who have, I think you will marvel at how masterful a job Lavender does in recording the events, giving the best rounded version of the "voyage of discovery" that I have read.

Originally subtitled "the U.S. Army's War Against Seven Hundred Nez Perce Men,Women, and Children," this moving history documents the brutal persecution of a small Northwestern tribe. Western historian David lavender never hides his sympathy in this powerful chronicle of Chief Joseph's "flight toward freedom" in 1877 to avoid reservation life. This is a really sad story filled with overlooked possibilities for compromise, understanding, and tolerance. Lavender considers the Nex Perce War the final betrayal of a long and once-promising relationship between white explorers, fur trappers, Christian missionairies, and the tribe. Chief Old Joseph, father of the more famous Chief Joseph, even converted to Christianity for both spiritual and practical reasons. Peaceful coexistence and friendship with the new settlers was his policy. Greed, cultural intolerance, and racial hatred eventually doomed those possibilities for Nez Perce. Although Chief Joseph developed a reputation as an Indian Napeleon for his brilliant fighting tactics, Lavender emphasizes that Chief Joseph continually sought to avoid war. Chief Joseph's simple hope was to have a reservation that would allow his people to live in their traditional land and stay close to his father's grave in Wallowa Valley, Oregon. The United States military commanders of that time, however, demanded the tribe move. This compelling account of the Nez Perce's failed 1700 mile exodus to join Sitting Bull in Canada captures the cruelty, mindlessness, and viciousness of 19th century America's expansionist policies. Chief Joseph's eloquent words, especially when surrending after a blizzard just a few miles south of the Canadian border, accents the pain and injustice.

This book is a great way to introuduce art to a young child. It has wonderful pictures and good questions to help start a discussion with your child. IE) A is for Angel, followed by questions about how the angel differs from you. A nice way to help have a conversation with your child. I only gave it 4 stars however because I don't see it having great appeal for children younger than a year or two, whereas the Baby Einstein board books entertain my daughter for longer periods of time.

Makes art reallly fun for little kids! I use this book with my two year old and also with my five year old in different ways. It's a great way to get kids to talk about art and the selections are fantastic! Julie Clark has done it again!

if only they had a book like this one 28 years ago when my own children could enjoy and understand art in such a clever way. on every page vincent van goat appears with a bandaged ear and a short beard. the selections of art are excellent and the facing page leads children to discussion about the work. i would like to see more books like this one.