D-A Books

Many insights to bring you a turn around in a small business. Written in an engaging fiction-style, many insights are taught to help you recognise the valuable resource you have in your small business and make the most out of it, and bring it to its potential for profit and success without going more deeply into debt or pouring money into forms of advertising that don't work. It gives great hope to business owners who have been discouraged by heavy adversity.

As I have said elsewhere, I think Steve Chandler is among the wittiest and most intelligent guys around. His writing is a lovely combination of autobiography, insight, humor and analysis. His "self-help" books are among the finest I've read.

I'm guessing I've read a few more novels than the folks who poured out the 5 star reviews. Because this is a very bad novel, revealing the flaws of those who think that fiction writing is easy and who have access to a publisher. Any editor would have prevented this dog from being published as is.

Here's one sentence emblematic of the many things wrong with this book:

Jonathan looked around for a while before seating himself at a quiet table by the window and waited until a large, overweight gentleman who looked to be anywhere between 50 and 70 came to the table with a menu and a pitcher of water.

If you like that, you might enjoy this book. If you find it a bit of a run-on, with sloppy redundancies, irrelevant detail, an endless parade of prepositional phrases (a guaranteed murderer of snappy prose) and poorly chosen modifiers, as I did, then you will stop now.

As another reviewer suggests, read their non-fiction. It works. This doesn't. Well, at least it was brief.

I stumbled across Steve Chandler's writings as I was meandering one day through the local bookstore. I was frustrated and disillusioned by my small business and wondering if I should continue it. I accidentally (if you believe in accidents) found his book, "9 Lies That are Holding Your Business Back...", co-authored by Sam Beckford. The first chapter deeply offended me; so I knew that I needed to buy it. These guys knew way more than I did about business and I wanted to learn every bit.

This discovery led me to other Steve Chandler treasures and I promptly purchased this book, The Small Business Millionaire. First of all, we meet our hero, Jonathan. I was shocked to discover his obsession with the hit show Magnum P.I., because I currently am watching the entire series via DVD with my husband.

Jonathan's character obviously has a 'wealth mentality' and he assists his friends, Jennifer and her father Frank in their restaurant business. Anyone who has ever owned a business will see their thoughts mirrored in Frank's comments throughout the book. Anyone who hasn't lost hope in their business will eat up every word uttered by Jonathan. Jonathan obviously has a good heart with an excellent business mind; the challenge for us is not only to listen, but to be brave enough to follow his advice.

My small business has improved dramatically in the short timespan that I have read this book. I'd like to see where I am in a year from now, as I apply these techniques to my everyday life. This book is worth every penny, along with "9 Lies" and "Reinventing Yourself". Thanks Steve:)

Annie Bathgate

Yesterday was a long day. Up at 4:30AM for a flight down to LA. A day of meetings then back on a plane to get home by 10:30PM. Too wired to sleep and nothing on TV but people talking about Michael Vick. Time to grab a book.

I figured that I would read a couple of chapters then off to bed. A couple of hours later and the book was finished. It is not a surprise that it only took a couple of hours, the book is barely over 120 pages. The surprise is I finished it before going to bed. I was that tired and it was that good.

This is an easy book to read, and it is a good story, but at 120 pages, I do not think it will teach you how to run a business. It does make you think about the business side of business.

There are two really good things in this book, you have to love business nearly as much as you love the business you are in and don't waste money on advertising.

The author's depiction of advertising sales people is classic. "Of course this Ad will help your business, you just have to keep advertising until people recognize your name." Right, but do you guarantee this will bring in customers? "We can't do that, of course. How do we know why someone came in? But, just keep running the ad and I'm sure it will work." I have been there often.

The danger after reading it is that you may conclude that you should never advertise. Not true. Advertising may or may not be great for your business. Maybe the kind of advertising you are doing is not right.

I ran a business where we were spending $15,000 a month on ads. How did we know what ads worked? We asked. We kept track of which ads worked and which didn't. We changed what the ads said. We changed where they ran. We changed when they ran. And, we asked customers how they found us and noted how much they spent. All of this data helped show that the $5000 we were spending a month in yellow page ads was wasting lots of money and the $3000 a month we spent in Val Pak coupons was bringing in 50% of our business. The other 50% came from repeat, word of mouth, and the rest of the $15000 we spent on other types of ads.

Because we asked, we started running much smaller ads in Yellow Pages and moving that money to send out more Val Pak ads. Sales increased. We then set aside some of the budget to experiment with. We used it to try all kinds of things. Those that worked earned the right to continue, those that didn't, well let's just say Edison had a lot of failures too.

There are many good books on advertising out there, Much thicker than this wonderful novel. I like Dan Kennedy's stuff for how to test and write copy. The guerrilla marketing series is also very good.

So why 5 stars? Because this book does a great job at what it does. It is not trying to be a complete business book. It does a great job in showing you that there is a difference between having a hobby that you are good at and turning it into a business. The difference is you have to spend as much or more time doing the business stuff, as you spend on the fun stuff. And if you do not excel at the business side, there will be a lot of pain.

Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (1/07)

"The Small Business Millionaire" is about a mysterious patron of a failing restaurant who aids the owners in restoring their business. The cook/owner of the restaurant, Frank, just wants to cook. He really does not want to run the business. His daughter Jennifer was just a college student who worked in the restaurant. She then, inspired by the annoyingly mysterious coach, Jonathan, quits college and starts managing the restaurant. She sees it as means to saving the restaurant and increasing her practical business knowledge. This brazen move worries her father. Is Jennifer making a foolish decision?

There are only 121 pages in "The Small Business Millionaire." I thought it would be concise and to the point. This is not the case.

When I began to read "The Small Business Millionaire," I was surprised to see that it was a novel, not a textbook-like guide to getting rich quickly. I read through the first half of the book, hoping that the degrading preaching would end, and the exciting novel would begin. No such luck.

I felt hostage in one of those get-rich-quick seminars. It was as if the doors were locked or the television could not be turned off. The coach in the book would not answer a question in a straight-forward manner. Everything had to be in riddle form.

I am sure that there were many great lessons to learn from "The Small Business Millionaire," but I could not get past the fact that the book was written for the lowest common denominator. Why insult your readers by dumbing down the material?

Regardless of how poorly written, "The Small Business Millionaire," Chandler and Beckford are superb coaches. To learn from Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford, skip reading "The Small Business Millionaire." Read "9 Lies that are Holding Your Business Back." You will learn so much more. I also recommend visiting their website.

"Spiritual Progress" by Thomas D. Williams is my favorite of his books! Although there is a distinct Catholic flavor due to quotes from and references to prominent figures in the Catholic church, this non-fiction work transcends denomination. Pertinent scripture begins most of the chapters and Jesus Christ saturates these pages. Contemporary references are also used to reinforce the chapter topics that inspire the reader to live their Christian faith out loud for others to witness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is a wonderful book because it is very practical and easy to understand. In his book Spiritual Theology, Jordan Aumann gets very theoretical. I think this is a perfect complement to Jordan Aumann's Spiritual Theology because it is the other side of the same coin. The theology of the spiritual life has two aspects, both of which are absolutely necessary: theoretical and practical.

This spiritual book is for all levels, even if you are starting to become interested in your spiritual life or if you are someone very spiritual this will help both.

It is easy to read, fun and deep

I recomemd it to EVERYONE.

This is the best book I have read on steps to increasing your faith. It is a well written guide to bring you closer to Christ. I would recommend this book to everyone!

This book is written in real, every day english. Fr. Thomas is great at conveying his message in a way for real people who would like to live their Christian faith more deeply, to grasp. These are big Spiritual concepts that I can understand and live in my life as a Mom.

Delivery was immediate and product was in the condition as described. I would buy from this vendor again!

This is exactly the book I've been looking for! Objective, to-the-point facts on nutrition, vitamins, eating habits, and other topics such as preservatives, toxins, etc. I've seen too many "fad" nutritional books that are biased toward either vegan/vegetarian, low carb, low fat, high fat-low carb, etc. This book seems to be objective enough to allow the readers to decide on their own what diet path to take. This book, a good diet, and exercise can stand on their own and I feel this book can last a long time as a good reference book. Personally, I prefer a well-rounded diet (including some red meat), chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts. I lean toward organic or natural foods. Should readers decide to focus on another particular diet, they can supplement this book with one that follows their philosophy. I highly recommend this book as a stand alone or as a starting point to other diets.

This is an awesome book for anyone interested in nutrition. Very indepth text book style reading but worth every miniute!

When this book showed up I was a bit overwhelmed. It is more of a reference manual than practical reading, but this volume has SO MUCH valuable information! I will consult this often!

I have used this book for everything from looking up recipes to researching diets, cleanses, learning about vitamins, minerals and diseases. Every household should have this book!

As a young teenager, I babysat for a woman who loved to read novels. The best ones, she told me, had stories that never leave you. A Stone for Danny Fisher is one of those novels.

At my advanced age, I've lost count of the number of books I've read that really mattered to me. But when I'm in a nostalgic frame of mind, and go back to the book shelf for something to read again, Harold Robbins' magnificent autobiorgaphical novel is one that comes to mind.

I read this book only recently, after my dad recommended it to me. I had heard of Harold Robbins before, and had looked into his novels, but this is probably the best of his works. Danny is one of those characters you can feel for. Robbins manages to entwine his readers in the life of Danny by creating a very realistic story that everyone can, at one point, relate to. I enjoyed the novel immensely as it comprised of ups and downs, and looking back at it, I can't really point out one part which might have been better than the other. Being from a different generation from my dad, I can say that it is one of those books you recommend to your kids years from now, as I recommend it to my friends and family. It's very real.

I snuck this book from my Mom's bedside table and read the whole thing in one night. It was a wildly exotic tale for an 11 year old girl living in the woods in industrial Western Pennsylvania, and since I listed it as one of the three 'unforgettable reads from my childhood', I can't wait to read it again. And my Mom wasn't even mad at me for reading it!

Harold Robbins, as he became more successful, mastered the art of the pulp fiction stereotype and much of his later work was pure trash. But his initial novels demonstrated what talent the man had, and are as different from his later trash as cheese from chalk. A Stone For Danny Fisher is his best book ever in my opinion : had he never written another book, this alone would have made him an author to remember.

Set in Depression era New York (Robbins himself was born and raised in Brooklyn, though in vastly better circumstances), this is a coming of age story with a difference. Danny Fisher narrates his own story in the first person, starting with a short, stark depiction of his family meeting at a pre-arranged place and then cutting to flashback mode to explain why. He tells of a Jewish kid growing up in the gritty streets of hard-bitten Brooklyn, battling anti-Semitic abuse, using boxing as a way of escaping the economic fates closing in on his family. No punches are pulled as we experience with Danny the world of organised crime, first as victim, then as onlooker, finally as willing (even enthusiastic) participant. Danny is an anti-hero here, but rarely a villain, so sympathetically and starkly are his story and dilemmas painted. Reading it the first time as a teenager, this book had me outraged and disillusioned repeatedly as Danny takes his knocks and too often faces rejection, even betrayal. At heart, he is still a little boy and remains so till the bitter-sweet ending, where the flashback ends and we rejoin the opening scene.

A high quality book, a story that grips the heart, a sparse writing style that wastes no words, a glimpse at the best and worst of human life. Highly recommended.

I read this book when I was in College, oh about 20+ years ago. I have read more books than I can count since then. I am horrible about remembering Authors, Titles and story lines. This is one of the very FEW that I remembered them ALL. I think that this book should be a classic to be read in schools along the lines of "A Scarlett Letter", "Ethan Frome" and others.

I will be purchasing this book for my daughter to read and pass on to my sons...Truly a classic...Too bad Mr. Robbins abandoned his true talent.

Well written history is a rare treat, and rarer still is a history by one who lived through it. Grant writes engagingly and humorously and with great humility for a man who achieved so much. That he wrote this in the throes of cancer, finishing it on death's door and yet has no sence of savig himself or self pity is remarkable. It's a pity there is no one like this in the elections.

References to political memoirs often suggest that Grant's memoirs are some of the best ever published. Have worked my way slowly through almost 800 pages of his memoirs, the accolades are deserved. Autobiographies by their nature are bound to be someway self-serving (he makes no reference to his well documented drink problems) and I am sure many historians could pick flaws with some of Grant's recollections, but the book is exceptionally well written and interesting. To my surprise, the author comes across as being compassionate and showing a high degree of empathy for many he fought against during the civil war.

He is very honest in his commentaries and is not afraid to be critical of US policy. The Mexican-American war (1846-1848) was unnecessarily provoked and in his opinion "the war which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation. ... We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that the Mexicans should commence it."

Grant is not shy in admitting that especially in his early military career, he was often frightened and would rather have been somewhere else when the bullets were flying. He is also self-effacing and sometimes humorous about his impact in early combat situations. "My exploit was equal to that of the soldier who boasted that he had cut of the leg of one of the enemy. When asked why he had not cut off his head, he replied: `Someone had done that before.' "

Grant is a very good storyteller and has an excellent eye for detail and description. His contrasting profiles of Generals Taylor and Scott whom he fought under during the Mexican war are models of clarity and painting pictures with words.

His account of the civil war contains numerous interesting anecdotes including one instance when inspecting a picket line which was close to a Confederate picket line. After his picket line called "Turn out the guard for the commanding General," he heard a similar command from the Confederate picket and a reference to General Grant. The Confederate line saluted "which I returned." - Amazing!

Obviously, the bulk of his memoirs relate to the civil war. He suggests that he was of the same mind set as Secretary of State Seward, "that the war would be over in ninety days." Grant is very respectful of many of his former colleagues who fought against him during this war. He has little respect for the "Demagogues who were to old to enter the army ... others who entertained so high an opinion of their own ability that they did not believe they could be spared from the direction of the state of affairs," but who constantly poured oil on the secessionist fire.

He lauds many of his comrades including Generals Sherman and Sheridan. While respecting Secretary of War Stanton, he does not appear to have been a great fan of his style of management. He also writes approvingly of Confederate Generals Longstreet, Lee, Bragg, Joseph Johnston and others, and takes great delight in ridiculing the military genius of Confederate President Jefferson Davis who he obviously despised. Grant writes sensitively of General Lee and the surrender at Appomattox.

The author believes the death of Lincoln was a disaster not just for the North, but for the vanquished South. "He would have proven the best friend the South could have had." Interestingly, Grant makes no reference to the Gettysburg Address and to the best of my recollection only references the Battle of Gettysburg but once. He was otherwise involved in the Battle of Vicksburg at the same time.

I glossed over some of the detailed military and battle descriptions in this book, but overall it is a great read. It is also interesting to note that the book saved Grant's penurious family from a life of poverty. Published by his friend Samuel Clemens, these memoirs became a bestseller after Grant died from throat cancer.

U.S. Grant is often said to have been a failure at everything in his life except his marriage, war, and his memoirs. The latter, written as he was dying of throat cancer in 1884-1885, provide a straightforward account of his years in uniform during the Civil War.

Grant passes quickly over his Ohio boyhood and time at the United States Military Academy. His service in the Mexican War and his financial misfortunes out of uniform between the wars get only slightly more coverage. His story really begins with his return to uniform in 1861 as a commander of Illinois volunteers. The narrative follows Grant's campaigns in Missouri, Tennessee, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, his elevation to supreme command of the Union Armies, and the final grinding agony of the war in Virgina. The account ends with the cessation of hostilies in 1865.

Grant's memoirs are remarkable reading for a number of reasons. First, they provide insight into the first-rate military mind of a consistantly successful general. Grant's ability to determine the essentials of a situation and remain focused on them are evident. Second, the memoirs are a classic example of clear, simple, English narrative. Third, they display the considerable modesty of a naturally reserved man, a departure from the egotism often found in the personal memoirs of famous men. Grant himself continues to be something of a mystery to historians; these memoirs do not really lift the veil of his sense of privacy.

The Union Army of the Civil War had more than its fair share of politicians in uniform and politically-minded generals. Grant was not immune to spinning history his way; careful-eyed scholars have found more than a few instances where Grant remembered only part of the story or settled a few scores with old opponents. Nevertheless, Grant's memoirs are a valuable resource for understanding the conduct of the Civil War, not least because Grant became such a key figure in the winning of it.

Grant's memoirs are highly recommended to students of the Civil War, and to scholars seeking to understand the art of war in the midst of rebellion.

General Grant's use of the English language is very interesting and informative. Absolutely a pleasure to read.

This book is a must-read for any Civil War or American history buff. Grant's writing is consistently clear, elegant, beautiful. He gives an engaging account of his wartime experiences that are accurate to the best of his ability, and he writes with introspection and humility. The personal letters at the end of the volume reveal much about this fascinating man, and are a welcome addition. Please read this one! Another wonderful book in this series is the volume containing Frederick Douglass's autobiographical works.

I bought this book through the amazon link provided for the used book. It so happened that amazon was still showing the book whereas the book was already sold. The product was sold again to me. I was amazed as to how amazon could list a sold item again. However the seller was very nice and he returned the money back..
Looks like the issue is still not corrected by amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385310277/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img
WHAT YOUR SECOND GRADER NEEDS TO KNOW (The Core Knowledge Series. Resource Books for Grades One Throu)

This was a gift to my son's family. I did not see this book. I hope they will look at it.

This book is essential to any family with a core curriculum student. A must have!

Every parent should have these books for the grade school children. It's a great way to know if your school and/or child are keeping up with your childrens grade level. I used the book in the summer, prior to my childen entering the grade to make sure they were ready for their next school year.

Every parent should buy these books for their children. We bought the Fourth grade, second grade and Kindergarten and they are all fabulous. The kids find them very interesting and my husband and I even enjoy them. They are packed full of terrific information. Highly recommend. This is a book your child has to have.

THE BOOK GIVES NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT IS NOT ENTIRELY VALID. YOU CAN SUM UP HER BOOK BY SAYING SIMPLY THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS WRITTEN BY PEOPLE WHO DID NOT WITNESS WHAT THEY CLAIM, BUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND OTHER CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS WANT YOU TO BELIEVE THAT WHAT IS SAID IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS TRUE REGARDLESS OF THE LACK OF ACCURACY OR MISTRANSLATION. I WILL SAY THAT IT ANSWERED ONE OF MY QUESTIONS, BUT THE BOOK DOES EXPLAIN WHY THE NEW TESTAMENTS' VALIDITY IS QUESTIONABLE. ITS A GOOD BOOK TO READ IF YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR EXAMPLES OF WHY THERE ARE QUESTIONABLE AREAS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, CHRONOLOGICAL ERRORS, MISTRANSLATIONS OF THOSE WHO WROTE THE CHAPTERS, MISREPRESENTATIONS OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED AND WHERE THEY HAPPENED AS WELL AS WHY. IT MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2000 + YEARS AGO IF NO ONE LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO WRITE ABOUT IT. WHAT WAS STATED HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN SIMILAR TO STORIES, ONE MORE GRANDIOSE THAN THE ONE BEFORE IT.

Who was Jesus? is an exceptionally well written and researched investigation into the Jesus story and the New Testament. The author, D.M. Murdock, brings logic, reason, and intelligence to a subject that has held human kind captive for centuries and dares to go where so very few ever dare go. This book rates among the top of a very small group of other equally as compelling books such as "The Age of Reason" written by Thomas Paine in 1794, "The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors" written by Kersey Graves in 1824, and more recent publications "Caesar's Messiah" by Joseph Atwill and "An Infidel Manifesto" by Gary Lenaire.

Theologian David Bosch stated that, "The mission of the church needs constantly to be renewed and reconceived." And so Christianity and its myriad churches have adapted to the changing climate of secular cultural beliefs and methods which gain wide popular acclamation. By the time Voltaire wrote in "Candide" of his devoted disciple to ultra-rationalist Alfred Leibnitz, Prof. Pangloss, the "take it on faith" appeal of the churches toward less acculturated masses seemed glumly passe in the craze of the western cogniscenti toward the new rationalism that stressed study of evidence in rigorous empiricism and epistemology. By the 19th century, the gospels, scriptures, older apologies and other early Christian texts were beginning to be scrutinized by the criteria of rational method formulated in the immediate prior decades. Dissatisfied with the veneer of vague metaphysics in the literal content, the early Christian rationalists employed methods of literary criticism and developed "higher criticism" as a means of analogous and metaphorical interpretation.

Especially in the U.S., starting in the mid-20th century a reactive more fundamental and evangelical school of clerical scholarship is determined to take their "new" rationalism public. In the day and age of rocket science and electronic engineering, both in sermon and classroom, the scholars would spread the word that faith alone is no longer required to embrace Christ's one "true" revelation -- hence, books written for popular appeal such as "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell. (Apparently that was not enough : "The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict".) Alleged ex-Atheist journalists like Lee Strobel become super-stars on Christian television with books like "The Case for Christ", ad nauseum.

D.M. Murdock is not the first detective among skeptics to casually but surgically burst the bubble and pollute the punch of modern Christian claims of evidence. But in less than 200 pages she does so with an alacrity and thoroughness that is nothing less than stunning for the quantity of information imparted but brevity in outlining a counter-case. I am reminded of an especially skilled courtroom attorney orating a final summary of arguments to a jury.

She has the ability to make her case quite ably from a minimally clinical perspective, to be sure. But the reader is treated to so much more. We recognize in the writing style here, the sumptuous ability to engage her reader and immerse one in the vagaries of comparative mythology and religion that is the trademark of Acharya S. A passionate archeologist, classicist, and historian, she has that knack of being able to guide the reader into sharing with her the adventure of exploring intellectual realms not commonly known or appreciated. She uses such talent here in spades. From a respectful summarizing of Gospel Matthew, we are alerted to the problem of harmonizing the gospels, the problems of evidences outside the Christian paradigm, the problem of dating the gospels and other Christian documents by standards of best tangible evidence, the earlier Jewish scriptural and pagan influences on the NT, other issues aside, each more enthralling than the preceding, until finally debunking the weak claims of evidence, some clothed no better than the proverbial emperor, insisted upon by the growing range of evangelical Christian scholarship. The pages turn, the momentum builds, and even the most disinterested reader is introduced to fascinating aspects of literary development and mythologizing in the earlier ancient realm of our western tradition.

This book is as intellectually honest as it is timely. The Evangelical movement and neo-conservatives have sought to exploit the uncertainty and fear caused by the attacks of 9/11 and this book is a shining example of the rationality, courage, and intellect that surfaces when society needs a drastic course adjustment. The ugly hegemonic aspect of organized religion has created "godly" millionaires and "humble" political powerhouses bent on the fulfillment of violent prophecies. Without the dissemination of the wisdom contained in this book, and others like it, it is a historically proven certainty that America will become a tyrannical fascist police state with Christianity at its "moral" foundation. If this is to be our fate, the very least that every person of good conscience owes to themselves, friends, and family is to set aside blind faith for a moment and challenge the beliefs that are brining it about. My only criticism of the book is that the author relies heavily on a scientific voice. I have found that logical argumentation conjures, in a split second, the cognitive consonance of blind faith which leads to paranoia, then anger. But, in the end, it is up to the "true believer" to work past this bias. I implore every person with the courage to take personal responsibility for their spirituality to get this book in front of as many Christians as you can, quickly!

As a Religious Studies student at Indiana University I am extremely fascinated by the historical origins of Christianity. Ms. Murdock has provided a much needed objective evaluation of the supposed "evidence" which is usually marshalled in defense of traditional and conservative approaches to the topic. With an even handed use of logic, she forensically examines primary sources. While often citing mainstream and conservative scholars, she doesn't limit herself to their timid conclusions. In fact, her analysis leads to conclusions that are as reasonable as they are shocking. This work is both consice and thorough. It deserves strong attention from aspiring academics as well as those of the conservative literalist fold. Rather than dogmatize out of some hidden agenda, she, more rationally, lets the evidence speak for itself. I highly recommend this eloquent and persuasive volume!

A nice book, but something about it made me not really wanting to read it and I love reading.
Not sure what it was, it is okay, depends on the person. Parent probably would not enjoy it, a person in the practice would.

When I was taking a class with Bobby Newman he suggested I get this book - and I'm so please he did. It's comprehensive, explanatory, and a must have for those of us in the field using the principles of applied behavior analysis to bring about change in the behavior of children with autism. I have many other books - but this is the one I turn to first!

This book is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to set up formal ABA programming for their child or for anyone who wants to understand the steps of development in specific areas such as making conversation, understanding the difference between yes/no and learning how to read. I found the checklists at the back of the book to be the most helpful. I have had extensive training (as a parent) in ABA principles and Discrete Trial Training procedures and I found that this book was accurate and gave the right amount of detail when I wanted to set up my own programs to be implemented in my home.

This book is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in behaviorism or anyone who knows a child on the Austic Spectrum.
If this topic isn't your cup of tea, then there's no reason for you to be interested in this book, but if you are into this sort of thing, it's amazing.

Right after I got the autism diagnosis for my son I realized that behavioral therapy would be our main focus of treatment and due to financial constraints, I would be the primary therapist.

After reading some really heady and intellectual literature on behavioral therapy I just wanted to scream, "Yes, I know, but tell me what to do!!"

A Work in Progress does just that. It is simply written and easy to use. Look up the behavior you wish to address in the table of contents, turn to the indicated page, and there, clearly written is a step-by-step plan. Brilliant. Just what we needed.

I found this book to be an excellent resource for getting the special education my 10 year old son needed. Not only does it point out the "common" methods school systems circumvent the Law (and your childs education), it tells the reader how to deal with it. Also of note was the text of several court cases on special education law and how it relates to the parents. Yes, we have a lot more rights and control of our childrens education than the school systems are willing to acknowledge! Especially educational was how it pointed out that school systems often do not have all the members present for a meeting, but the law requires ALL members to be present. This is a must have for parents of Special Educational need students.

As a parent of a child with autism, I have faced many struggles.
Working with the public school system to provide my son an appropriate education has been the hardest struggle by far. I have read Wrightslaw: Special Ed Law and From Emotions to Advocacy by Peter Wright and have found them to be an invaluable resource for parents of special needs children. As with any disability, parents must educate themselves in order to help their child. These books are loaded with information that is essential for parents who wants to be strong advocates. I recommend these books to every parent who has a child in the public school system.

This book is a must have if you have a child with special needs. It is the most comprehensive book around for helping your child get an education! I call it my special education bible. If you can only afford one book to help you through the special education maze, this is the ONE to buy!

Sissy

This book is extremely well written, concise and incredibly practical. As a parent of a special needs child, my copy is dogeared with tons of stickies coming out the sides and highlighted paragraphs throughout. The unraveling of caselaw portions and the clear writing style help you understand the nuances of special ed law, expectations you can have, how to be smarter in and out of an IEP meeting, and how not to be bushwacked. It has the good stuff, but doesn't skip on the real language either. Well balanced with nothing fluffy. I'd rather lose my dayrunner than my copy of Wrightslaw.

This book, is THE guide to protecting your child and making sure he receives the special education services that he needs. The author's give some VERY good, sound advice throughout the book. Just having the laws handy makes it worth the price, the legal commentaries are just the icing on the cake. It it the best book I have bought and highly recommended to anyone who has a special needs child. Whether you are familiar with the laws or not, you should own this book. There is also a companion strategy guide available from the same publisher that is very good. And there is also a Advocate's Guide coming out soon from the same author's and I will buy that as soon as it is released. Knowledge is power. The best way to help your kids is to learn as much as you can. This book is your best resource to do that.

After doing some research and reading this book, I discovered there is a lot to know to build a bat house that will actually appeal to bats. It turns out the most important factors are location, size and color. This book covers everything in great detail, based on research with thousands of bat house builders.

This book is published by the deans of bat conservancy, Bat Conservation International (batcon dot org). They know their stuff. There's a map showing what color you should paint your bat house, based on where you live in the USA (sorry, no international maps, but you can use the temperature guides to figure out what color if you don't live in the USA).

This book is large format, and very concise (35 pages, none wasted). The plans have actual cutting diagrams, to show you how to cut the lumber most efficiently. Highly recommended!

This is a well written informative book. It contains great diagrahms and pictures, along with easy to read instructions. It also has many great facts and sourses.

For a small, pamphlet like publication this handbook packs a surprising amount of information about bats and bat houses. It has several very detailed plans for bat houses and accompanying materials list that simplify the purchasing process. Very happy with this purchase.

My grand daughter's are anxious to get started building! I bought this and the Stokes Guide to Bats. They love the books. Easy to use and with a little help 8 & 10 years-old understand the blueprints.

I was a bit annoyed to open the package from Amazon and see this glorified pamphlet inside. "There goes ten bucks!" I thought. Don't let the size fool you, though. When I opened the booklet and started flipping through, I saw that it really is an excellent guide. It is far superior to anything else I have seen on the subject. I have seen bat houses for sale in my area that do not come close to meeting the well researched guidelines described in this book. Worth buying, definitely. I just wanted to combat the mosquitos in my neighborhood -- now I will likely join the Bat Conservancy and build houses for any friends who ask.