This is the best book I have ever read because this book shows how you can start out with so little, but if you try hard you will have so much! This is a truly inspirational and uplifting book about the life of Cynthia Cooper. Cynthia was always the underdog in sports and in life. Cynthia grew up in a money wise poor family. Her mother was a single parent who raised eight children by herself when Cynthia's father left them. Cynthia lost her best friend/brother when he was murdered. Cynthia played basketball in other countries, but was always the second best. Cynthia Cooper's mother died because of breast cancer one year ago, and her best friend and WNBA teammate died because of lung cancer that spread to her brain a half a year ago. Cynthia currently plays in the WNBA. She was named MVP for the first two years of the WNBA and has helped the Houston Comets win the Championship every year that the WNBA has existed which is three years. Even though Cynthia went through so many hardships in life she is no longer an underdog. She has claimed a triumphant victory and will always be a Champion!

I loved this book! It made me realize how tough some poeple have it in life and all the fears that they have. I admire Cynthia even more, now that I have read her book. It was cool reading about her love life, and all her accomplishments in basketball. It was very interesting to learn where she came from and her experiences in Europe. I recommend this book to every basketball player, or just anyone who wants to read an inspirational story about such a great person, Cynthia Cooper.

Coop is sharing so many facets of her life: her childhood, teenage years, college years, her experiences in Europe, her love life and her love for basketball. Adversity, splendor, tragedy and beauty entwined to make the fabric that is her life. She had to learn many lessons along the way, and now her story can be an inspiration to others. You don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy this book. This is a book about life, and how your choices can lead you to success if you are willing to do the work and have faith in yourself. An easy read - I bought this book one evening after work and read it cover to cover that night. I just refuse to stop reading; I did not want to close the book. Cynthia Cooper - you got game and a whole lot more.

This book is just hysterical. I read it, the whole time trying to read the funniest parst to my friends, but eventually I just had to stop trying to do that because there are so many funny parts. There are even a few references to a couple skits from the show. Basically, if you liked the show, you will love this book.

This book is by far the funniest book. The show "The State" went off the air but it still makes me laugh. The hidden satanic, subliminal messages are pretty funny and so's the Wooster natural cat guyser where all the cats surface dead and nearly all of them are HIV positie and the goernor of Oklahoma who VOMITS chili down the side of the house while his wife and secretary who just so happen to be conjoined twins connected at the face copulte on the kitchen table as they pour conjac on each other . It's pretty funny.

This is hands down THE funniest book I have ever read. I meant to just read a little bit, but when I picked it up I couldn't put it back down. I finished the whole book in a day.

It is totally unique. They certainly have a perculiar sense of humor, but I think that anyone who is not easily offended would find it funny.

The whole thing is written as if it were completely factual a completely factual account of a trip through the U.S., which of course it isn't.

If you enjoyed the T.V. show, you have to read the book. It is unforgetable.

I picked up this book and I could NOT put it down. What a wonderful journey described here....how she interlocks traditional medicine with Navajo, how harmony and positive spirit is such a process in the healing world. You will not be disappointed with this read. I have shared this with all those close to me. Make it part of your list

The story of Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord's courage and determination to bridge the Navajo world with modern medicine is excellently written. For those of us who've had little exposure to the ways of the Navajo world, this book is part history and part culture. As America continues to find new ways to maintain and improve health care, it's refreshing to consider how living a balanced life has the potential to make a huge difference. Alvord's story, artfully told with the assistance of Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt, a former New York Post reporter, is by turns heartwarming, soulful and inspirational. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that Elizabeth is now a co-worker of mine.

This book was outstanding. Once I began reading about Dr. Alvord's journey from Western Medicine to Navajo Medicine and back, I could not put it down. Those of us in the nursing field have often known about this connection to help patients heal faster and better. This excellent book describes a journey combining local medical technigues with western medicine. Highly recommended for all persons in the health care field, especially those of us in the Nurse Practitioner field.

Since we frequent Perini's Steakhouse, we know Tom's award-winning cuisine first-hand! His cookbook is a "no-holds barred" approach... giving ALL of his famous recipes from his unbeatable steak rub to green chile hominy to his signature bread pudding with whiskey sauce!

In addition to fabulous recipes, the book also showcases wonderful photography depecting life in West Texas. Sidelines feature insights into several famous Texas ranches.

Your cookbook collection shouldn't be without this book! It is one you will be sure to use often!

Texas Cowboy Cooking by Tom Perini arrived yesterday. It is a cookbook that makes you want to jump up and make the recipes as you are turning the pages of the book. We have already tried the Cowboy Bloody Mary, Lisa's Favorite Caesar Salad, the seasoned olive oil for the Sourdough Bread Chips to use as croutons for the salad and are in the process of making the Sourdough Starter for the Sourdough Bread. It's the best Caesar Dressing that we've tried and the croutons are very good.

The historical information is good and has added color to this cookbook. It is not Texas boastful--simply well done. We plan on giving it as Christmas gifts to family members who have visited us here in Abilene, Texas.

The book would be a welcome addition to any cookbook library, but we don't think you will be content looking at this book on a shelf. Our guess is the purchaser will find the book being used over and over. There is a wonderful variety of recipes from which to choose, whether preparing a meal for family or friends from the neighboring ranches or, shoot, if you happen to live in a city then this type of cooking is sure to please. Over the years we have been fortunate to enjoy many pounds of prime rib cooked the Perini way with the flavor of the beef drawn out with his Texas Herb Rub found on page 85, cooked over mesquite coals and served with some of the delicous recipes that can be found in the side dishes section, followed by Tom's bread pudding with whiskey sauce found on page 173, leaves me hoping others will be so fortunate. In additon to recipes, the book is filled with ranch photographs taken by a well-known rancher/photographer and the food photography is stunning. Also the information about historic ranches, ranch cooking and the old photographs will be fascinating to anyone with an interest in real Texas food told by a man who is now sharing great food ideas with you.

The first edition of Understanding Wall Street was published in 1978. Like Wall Street itself, this classic has endured the test of time. Written by two investment bankers (Jeffrey Little and Lucien Rhodes), they cover topics, ranging from "Reading the Financial Pages" (Chapter 4) to "Worldwide Investing" (Chapter 8). In general, the text is well-written and concise.

From the preface:

"The stock market is rarely taught in high school, and even on the college level, investment courses are typically selected only by students with specialized business interests. Moreover, investors have found it difficult to educate themselves, even with the flood of literature available to date. Free pamphlets and superficial guides have not provided substance, encyclopedic texts have been too intimidating, and the "get-rich-quick" books have deluded investors with false hopes of easy gains.

Understanding Wall Street provides a good practical education by combining investment fundamentals and many useful analytical techniques."

This book is the perfect manual for the novice investor as in how to understand the finance world. Students would also benefit greatly specially if entering an internship. Thoughout its eleven sections, the book covers all of the basic topics that make Wall Street such an intriguing center of finance. It provides a detailed desrcription of the most simple concepts in finance. From what is a share of stock to stock options; it also breezes trhough a carefully told history of how Wall Street was born, grew, and became the international giant for which is known today. By becoming an ally of the reader, the book helps understand the theories behind investing, how to choose and analize a company so that it can meet the reader's financial needs. It also explains the various alternatives offered to novices and experts so they can see their money grow, it explains the mystery of risk, long-term and short-term financing. As well as it points out the importance of gold. Comparisons among the bull and bear markets come out, and the recent chaos would've been perfeclty understood if this book would've been part of your collection and you had little knowledge of this world. It's just an amazing book!!!!

The BEST way to understand how Wall Street Work. Descriptions and Analysis are laid out in layman's terms. Im currently as a "junior" working for wall street. Fresh from college, I needed a book that I will enjoy and learn from it by heart. The analyst of my firm recommended this book. I, too, highly recommend this book for people who are determined to make MONEY in trading. It'll help you lessen your risks and sharpen your skills in determining factor that affects the stock market. Hope I was able to help.

This is one of the best history books I have ever read. John C. Waugh has written a lively story of an extraordinary election campaign - the reelection of Lincoln in 1864 as the Civil War dragged on. The contrasts with modern election campaigns are striking. We take 2-term presidencies as if not a given then certainly a standard goal. When Lincoln ran again in 1864, however, no president had been reelected in over 30 years! Neither Lincoln nor his Democratic opponent, George B. McClellan (the general Lincoln fired because he had the "slows") attended the conventions that nominated them or made any campaign speeches once they were nominated. Instead surrogates did all the compaigning for the two candidates. Mr. Waugh's book is a wonderful account of all the lively personalities who were players large and small in this campaign. As a newspaperman himself, he clearly relishes the highly partisan style of journalism which was prevalent at this time, and delights in leading his reader to a lively newspaper quote, or to yet another funny Lincoln story. I would have liked to have seen a few maps to help follow the Civil War campaigns. I also think Mr. Waugh would have done well to provide a brief "cast of characters" listing to help the reader keep all these people sorted out. But these are minor quibbles and this is history the way it should be written - always lively, informative and never losing sight of the humanity of the players upon the painted stage at this pivotal moment in American history. If you are an American history buff, a Lincoln admirer, or a person who loves the presidential campaign season, then this is a book you will delight in.

John Waugh's book is a great insight into Lincoln's re-election bid in 1864. The book is replete with examples of Lincoln's astuteness as a politician. Although, Lincoln was a self-made commander in chief with no real military experience, he was very able. Lincoln envisioned, before his generals, that the war would be protracted. He came to mistrust many of his top generals; they were not aggressive enough for him. The conduct of the war is starting to wear on the morale at home. This causes a split in the fledgling Republican Party. The Abolitionist thought that Lincoln was too soft on eradicating slavery, but they couldn't get a candidate of their liking chosen at convention. The anti-war wing of the party believed that Lincoln was bleeding the country dry; they abhorred the human and economic suffering. Lincoln was able to out maneuver both factions and win re-nomination.

He then had to prepare to run against General McClellan, the Democratic Party's nominee, who he had fired for not aggressively prosecuting the war. The Democrats had selected McClellan on an anti war platform. Much to their chagrin McClellan ignores the party platform and runs as a pro-war candidate. This reversal is the first time in presidential political history that a candidate runs counter to the party platform. Despite McClellan's reversal the election is looking dire for Lincoln in August. Although Grant, the new general, is at least pursuing Lee's army, the war isn't moving fast enough. Many people in the North are looking to a decisive field victory to show that the war is at least coming to an end. All the doom and gloom in the White House comes to an end in September when General Sherman burns Atlanta. Lincoln can show the nation that the end is finally in sight. Lincoln very adroitly allows military units, especially from New York to travel home to vote. This shrewd political tactic garners Lincoln 7 out of 10 military votes. He winds up winning the election with 55% of the vote and a large portion of the Electoral College.

Waugh who is a journalist by trade writes in a style reminiscent of the great newspaper editors of Lincoln's day. He uses many of the articles as background information for the book. This was a very interesting book, which illuminates Lincoln's adroitness as a politician. As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be a great book on leadership. Highly recommended.

The election of 1864 was probably the most important Presidential election in our History.It is no understatement to say that if Abraham Lincoln had not been re-elected Our History would have been very different.In fact had Lincoln not won the United States might not even exsist today. In Re-electing Lincoln John Waugh gives us a superb account of this crucial campaign.Mr. Waugh is a former Political Reporter. And it shows.As I read this Book I often had the sensation that I was reading this in the newspaper or watching it on CNN. Mr. Waugh also has the gifts of a Novelist. He gives us a powerful and a suspenseful story with a cast of simply unforgetable Characters. As a History Teacher the thing that I gained most from Re-electing Lincoln was the realization that Political campaigns really have''nt changed much in 134 years.Those who think Campaign finance practices are sleazy today will find this Book a real eye opener.This Book is a wonderful read,even if your not a Civil War Buff. Don't pass it up.

If you were born during the tail end of the Baby Boom or are part of Gen-X, think of "Retro Hell" as a travel guide to Memory Lane. This book covers almost every aspect of life in the 1970's and '80's, from the most profound to the most trivial. What makes this book a joy is its ability to remind you of the little things you've forgotten -- toys, fads, fashions, one-hit-wonder bands, TV shows, commercials -- and bring back a flood of memories.

Though much of the writing is strongly tongue-in-cheek, it's not all cynical... which is quite refreshing. Not everything about the '70's and '80's was horrible; indeed, in an age of terrorism and war, roller disco doesn't seem so bad.

This book was originally published in 1997. If a newer edition is planned, adding some context would be especially helpful, now that the entire decade of the '90's has passed. For it's the seemingly frivolous things that ultimately shape our lives in unexpected ways.

If you were born between 1965 to 1979, this book is aimed at you. You may end up disagreeing with many of the entries, but not because they're wrong- just because it can be so embarrassing to see your past held up in a modern light.

This is an encyclopaedic recounting of pop-culture memories of many authors, and was originally published in 3 consecutive issues of Darby's magazine "Ben is Dead". One of the unfortunate side-effects of the translation from magazine to book has been the loss of a bit of material. Most/all of the supplementary articles and sidebars have been lost; a lot of pictures have been dropped (possibly from copyright or trademark infringement?); individual entries have been changed, either to remove possibly inflammatory material, or for some judicious editing. Some entries are gone all-together.

But, after 5+ years, my copies of BiD are brown and curling from acidic decay, water damage, constant re-reading. This book is a more durable, more easily transportable, more easily read and shared compendium of what is undoubtedly the best part of the original 3 issues.

For most entries, there are comments from multiple authors- if you don't like what someone wrote about your favorite subject, there's someone else right after them that wrote exactly what you wish you could say. You'll have old dusty memories jarred- both pleasant and unpleasant. You'll cringe in agony when you realize just how stupid we looked drawing a "Z" in the dirt to run faster when wearing Zips shoes. You'll recall that night you saw Pink Lady & Jeff on TV and realized adults didn't know what they were doing, either. You'll also get a lot of info on regional fads (typically southern California) that may not mean much in the rest of the country, but makes for interesting reading.

The best part about the book is the editorial decision to not just concentrate on the happy/good parts of our collective past. A lot of dirt is listed, too, which will make some people uncomfortable, but it makes the book probably the most honest of the pop-culture books that reference the 70s. Instead of sanitizing and making palatable what was, in all honesty, an incredibly vapid and tasteless era, Retro Hell is more of a catharsis for everyone who grew up in that time. The book's not just a fun read, but it'll probably make you a better person, too.

Perfectly suited to its target audience both in subject matter and in presentation, this little encyclopedia is guaranteed to be incomprehensible to anyone who was not a small child during the Ford and Carter administrations. It is an exhaustive laundry list of toys, television shows, and other products marketed to children mostly in the 1970's and early 1980's. Said children grew up, went to college, and spent many a late-night dorm room session processing their mixed amusement and time-gilded fondness for these products. Generation X's strangely premature nostalgia was in the mid-'90's documented and catalogued by the staffers of a 'zine called Ben Is Dead, and subsequently released as a book, published with a silver cover, adorned with a flaming disco ball and digito-futuro typeface, called "Retro Hell".

As with any encyclopedia, this book is not to be read cover to cover. Unlike with an encyclopedia, the entries will not strain the most fragile of attention spans, as they are brief and anecdotal. Some merely invoke the commercial slogan attached to the toy in order to clarify the meaning of the item. Chances are good that if you, a friend or a sibling had a particular game, toy, or favorite TV actor in 1976, it will merit an entry in this book, presumably to your surprise and affectionate delight.

OK, let's face it. We GenX'ers (my DOB: 12/20/69) had discussions about these silly things with our friends as far back as 1986, and it all began with our laughter at the memory of the Brady Bunch, with its plaid polyester and relentless good cheer. (Surprisingly no one has ever called attention in print to the sublime musical score of the Brady Bunch.) By the mid-1990's, most of us were a bit burnt out on that sort of discussion. And yet, the sheer inclusiveness of this book guarantees that the late-night discussions will continue for at least as long as it takes to comb through it, as the diligent editors of BID have dredged up for us memories of long-forgotten things like Wacky Packages, checkered Vans, and Operation!. One can imagine that this catalogue was generated with competitive passion, as the youthful 'zinesters engaged in that most cherished of all verbal sports, "Obscurity One-Upmanship", or "Who can recall the most marginal bit of shameless pop culture detritus from the furthest corners of their memory?

Their effort is worthwhile, despite its novelty. It is as ironic as the generation it was written for, as it is in fact useful trash. It is the narrowest history of minutiae you can possibly find, and therefore the most telling. As might once have been said on a nighttime infomercial somewhere around 1980, "It makes a great gift ! "

It's hard to believe that sexual harassment is a reality in today's workplace. Unfortunately it is and this book is truly insightful and provides a needed safety net of information for those dealing with this difficult subject. Definitely the best I've seen on this subject.

I am an employment attorney who trains corporate america about harassment in the workplace. I found this book to be an excellent balance between the law and the emotion of sexual harassment. As I train managers and supervisors in my workshops, I intend to reference this work and use it to introduce the real pain and emotional cost of harassment. It will be an excellent training tool.

This book gives a very comprehensive overview of the real impact of sexual harassment on the victim. It covers the emotional, legal and "real life" implications of suffering sexual harassment on the job. It does not advocate one strategy over another, but gives the reader the information to make their own informed decision.

Florence King and Molly Ivins are the two funniest contemporary American writers. Miss King writes for the _National Review_, and Ms. Ivins for _The Progressive_.

When I moved to the South to attend graduate school, I dutifully read _The Mind of the South_, to ready myself. I was utterly unprepared nevertheless. I simply had never met people who talked about their ancestors, or didn't know the price of a movie ticket because: "Mah escort always buys the tickets!"

Then, a kind soul told me to read _Southern Ladies and Gentleman_. After reading it, nothing Southern surprised me. Thanks to Miss King, I knew about the tombstone twitch, i.e. geneaologists who desperately wanted to prove they had royal blood, self-rejuvenating virgins, why you never, ever cross
a Dowager, Rock or a Dear Old Thing--three varieties of southern old ladies, and the Pert Plague, that is the tendency of some southern women to shriek loudly and at length about the strangest things. This behavior will greatly puzzle anyone who is a stranger to the south. If you read _Southern Ladies and Gentlemen_, gentle reader, you will UNDERSTAND.

So, if you are about to spend substantial amounts of time south of the Mason-Dixon line, spare yourself much anxiety, and read this book. I predict that once you have read this title, you will immediately want to read everything Miss King has written.

It's a comical examination of the south, written with a stilleto rather than a pen. And yet, that stilleto is an elegant instrument. Florence King is a wonderful writer.

Miss King, I beg of you, write another book, please. Soon.

Southern Ladies and Gentlemen was the first book by Miss King that I read. Since that time several years ago I have read every title I could find. S L&G is a laugh out loud, wipe the tears from your eyes look at a group of people that I have always thought to be just a little boring. How wrong I was. After looking at them through Miss King's eyes and with the help of her biting humor and mastery of the language, I always look forward to my travels in the south. It seems I can almost point out the folks in Miss King's book and I find myself trying to classify them according to her "system". I'm a professional pilot and although I usually have one of Miss King's books with me to read on layovers, I don't dare peek at one when I'm on the flight deck. Belly laughs aren't appreciated there.

Just like everyone else, I've read and re-read this book until I'm forced to buy another copy - it's the funniest, most accurate depiction of life in the South! Born a Texan and raised in Alabama, I went to school with Good Good Ol' Boys and Self-Rejuvinating virgins (Muffy, are you reading this! ) And I swear, I really did have this devastingly handsome Good Ol' Boy whisper, in the height of passion, that he'd kill for me. Honest.