FO Books

The authors offer their Seven Qualities of Authentic Adulthood as an antidote to the conventional ideal of the "grown-up" which distracts so many of us away from the personal and social goals of individuation: Adulthood and the refounding of culture as a wisdom tradition. Read this book and join in the dawning of the age of adulthood!

If you ever wondered why you feel like a child hiding in an adult's body playing "grownup", this book is for you. The authors clearly explore the differences between "grownups" and "adults". "Grownups" are cut-off from their feelings and base their behavior on surface behavioral norms. "Adults" however, are able to comfortably integrate all their feelings without splitting them into "child" and "adult". The authors explain in a clear way how our self is a constant that all too often is parsed into pieces in order to satisfy the perceived expections of other "grownups". Afterall, we don't cross a magical threshold seperating childhood from adulthood.

I enjoyed the book so much I bought four copies to share with family and friends.

The authors contrasted characters of grownup with those of adult. Being adult means shedding of defensive and reactive mechanisms of grownups that shield oneself from experiencing the richfulness of life. Only when truly value the worthfulness and purposeful from inside, recognizing both power and limitation of human being, can one breaks free from the bondage of perfectionism and self-doubtfulness. A highly readable guide of personal growth and development

CEOs and Board members, don't be fooled. This book is NOT just for donors - it's for YOU!

Here's the way I figure it: If a book advises donors on what to look for when "investing" in a NonProfit, doesn't it make sense that NonProfits use that same book to help make their organization worth investing in?

NonProfit leaders should think of this book as one of those magazine cover stories that says "What Men Should Look for in a Woman" (or vice versa!). As a woman, I'd sure want to know what men are being advised to look for! And as NonProfits seeking donors, we should all want to know what those donors are being advised to look for in a worthy NonProfit. That's why this book is such a valuable tool.

In my NonProfit consulting work, I've used the fundraising and marketing insights from Ms. Rafferty's chapters on donor motivation when creating marketing plans, because it forces a NonProfit to think like a donor. And the chapters on performing due diligence ("Ten Warning Signs: Where to Look for the Bodies") are a GREAT checklist for ensuring your organization's ducks are in a row.

Being a NonProfit author myself, my favorite compliment is when a reader says their copy of the book is all marked up - that the pages are dog-eared and the spine cracked from use. Well, my copy of Ms. Rafferty's book is not only yellow from highlighting, but the book automatically opens to the sections I love.

So do your NonProfit a favor - don't be fooled into thinking this book is only for donors. Buy it, incorporate its messages into your marketing and fund development efforts, and watch your organization flourish.

After reading this book, I now understand why those with deep pockets, like Paul Newman and Doris Buffett, turn to Rafferty for guidance in setting up a not-for-profit organization. In this book she not only provides excellent guidelines as how to set up and run a philantrophic organization, she explains how to systematically analize one from top-to-bottom (Chapter 8 "Due Diligence"). Rafferty teaches the reader how to define ones on goals so as to maximize the "return on investment" in philantrophic giving (Appendix 1). Both board member and donor alike will benefit from this book! (I own this book)

Most of us in this audience have spent years (and some, decades) on the inside of one nonprofit organization or another, wondering, "How can our organization attract more (or even more) charitable donations?"

We've established annual fund drives, grant-seeking programs, fielded special events, and maybe even launched planned giving programs. Some of us are in one stage or other of a capital campaign on the way toward meeting our six-, seven-, eight-, or even nine-figure goals.

Collectively, we've done a fantastic job. In 1997 alone, Americans gave us $143 billion, most of that in the form of direct gifts or bequests. We expend nearly $500 billion per year, control more than $800 billion in assets, employ nearly 11 percent of the American workforce, represent nearly eight percent of the American gross domestic product, and constitute 20 percent of the American service economy.

The money flows. Donors more or less leave us alone to spend it as we see fit and as long as we don't break some law or line our own pockets, things hum along nicely. As those of us who have been on the inside know, there is typically little or no investigation by most donors prior to the gift, much less once the gift has been made.

From our vantage point - on the inside looking out - all is well with the world. Few donors would think to ask hard questions before making a donation, much less to follow up on a donation to see that we've been wise stewards of it. That is why Renata J. Rafferty's new book, Don't Just Give It Away, How to Make the Most of Your Charitable Giving, is so startling. Written not by an outsider with an axe to grind, but by one of us, Rafferty turns things on their head by asking the public, "does it seem that $143 billion of 'social progress' was achieved through the activities of the charitable sector? How much of that $143 billion did you and your family contribute, and do you believe it was used as wisely as it could have been?"

Rafferty contends that while, in her more than 20 years in the charitable arena, she has "witnessed the integrity and industry of the men and women . . . who commit their lives - professionally and or as volunteers - to make this world a better place for all of us," she has also seen "waste and poor financial management that substantially eroded the value" of contributions. . . ."

"Like a leaking faucet that accumulates in wasted gallons," writes Rafferty, "minor misuses of each of our charitable investments add up. In fact, they amount to huge amounts of donated money annually that could have - and should have - been applied to programs and services for the community . . . but weren't. And that's why we don't see $143 billion worth of progress from our contributions."

Notice the shift by Rafferty from the industry insiders' perspective to that of the donors'? This is an insider breaking ranks, throwing open the door to the closet, and shining a bright light on, well, if not "skeletons," the family's closely-guarded secrets.

Every once in a while a book comes along which, though written with down-to-earth clarity and simplicity, carries within its covers a clarion call to reverse the flow of power and unsettle the status quo in an entire facet of society. This is that book.

Don't Just Give It Away teaches donors to conduct their giving "as thoughtfully and insightfully - and personally - as (they) approach . . . financial investing." She walks the reader through the process of defining philanthropic goals, finding a charity that fits those goals, performing due diligence on that charity, and tracking what the charity does with the gift after it's been given.

My favorite chapter - and one that poorly-run nonprofit organizations would do well to keep out of the hands of donors - is Chapter 9's "Ten Warning Signs: Where to Look for 'The Bodies.'" A sampling:

--You are discouraged or barred from a site visit or board meeting;

--Financial records are unavailable, unintelligible, or generally in disarray;

--There is no written strategic or business plan for the organization;

--Fewer than 70% of the board members have made a financial contribution to the organization within the last twelve months;

--And more.

It's occurred to me that one sign of a healthy organization is its enthusiasm in providing Rafferty's book to prospective and existing donors. An organization that is well managed and healthy will have nothing to fear, and perhaps much to gain, in educating its donors about such things. Indeed, arming donors with this kind of information - as simple as providing them a copy of this book - is one way to strengthen our nonprofit sector.

One thing the book is not is a "technique" book. Rafferty makes it clear she is not instructing donors on "how" to structure a gift - that's what attorneys and other advisors are for, she says - but on how to ensure that giving is done with maximum impact. I can imagine one pitfall is locating advisors who will understand, and add value to, the process described by Rafferty. The book is concise enough, though, that a donor might wish to provide a copy to any advisor assisting in the gift-making process.

Not surprisingly, Don't Just Give It Away has already attracted quite a few fans, including Paul Newman who, in the book's Foreword, writes: "I wish Don't Just Give It Away had been written years earlier - I could have used it. I'm delighted that it's here now and that I can share this book with friends, family, and colleagues who are searching for their own ways - more personal ways - to make this world a better place through wiser charitable giving." Newman should know. To date, his company, Newman's Own, has contributed over $100 million to charities worldwide from after-tax profits.

I arrived at this page somewhat by accident. But since I'm here,, It has been a long time since I have read any of the "November Man" series but it has always been one of my favorites. I rank it up there with John LeCarres George Smiley, Len Deightons Bernard Sampson and Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm Series for top flight down and dirty espionage stories. Henry Mcgee Is Not Dead is my favorite of the November Man books and that is high praise indeed as every single book is exceptional. I would suggest that you indulge yourself and read the entire series in order starting with The November Man. You will thank me when you are done. You know what? I think I'll take my own advice and have another run through them.

This novel takes place mostly in Alaska where a fur trapper named Henry McGee has been found shot to death. It turns out that the man is not McGee, but someone who has been paid to say that he is. Once the name McGee makes its way into government channels, it sets off a red light at R Section where Operations Head, Hanley sends the reluctant Deveroux to find out what happened. It turns out that Henry McGee is not dead, hence the title.
McGee is a double or triple agent who plays all sides of the cold war against each other for his own personal gain. Always thinking 3 steps ahead, McGee has devised a plan for the destruction of the Alaska oil pipeline with a nuclear device. Using unwitting pawns at his disposal, McGee spins his web and Deveroux and two former Soviet agents, now reluctant defectors are drawn in. With blackmail and a multimillion dollar payoff as his ultimate goal, McGee uses others greed and makes them accomplices in his dastardly plans.
The character of Henry McGee is complex and written perfectly by author Bill Granger. A man capable of unflinching cruelty and persuasive manipulation are just the tip of the iceberg with this guy. In the end it comes down to Deveroux and McGee in a duel more mental than physical which makes me believe we have'nt seen the last of Henry McGee.
I read on the internet that there is going to be a November Man movie with Pierce Brosnan, I can't wait.

This is an interesting novel of suspense and action which pits the December man against his arch rival Henry McGee who is ruthless, cunning, amoral and the most dangerous man in the world. HENRY MCGEE IS NOT DEAD is a facinating spy/adventure/suspense/revenge novel that comes along only once in a long while. Do not try to read this book if you can not stay up all night to find out the end...it is that good.

Nicely done! A good follow-up to his WISC-R book, this is an enjoyable, in-depth look at something most psychologists don't know enough about.

brilliant, incisive, surprisingly funny and readable. A must-hav

I read Kaufman's book in a graduate class on assessment and intelligence testing. I still refer to it whenever I have unusual test scores with a WISC-III. It explains in a comprehensive and clear manner how a competent psychologist should interpret the WISC-III. It is worth every penny.

I think I will try weaving a big yarn web in our tv room tonight (just like the book suggests! ), and turn off that ol' TV. It will be a whole lot better for the kids (and us) than watching Third Rock from the Sun, don't you think? I'm excited about the variety of pretend and play ideas in this book, and am especially interested in the chapter that gives pretending projects and activities to go with favorite children's books like Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things are. Yes, even Curious George is there!

This is the best book I have seen on what kids can make to motivate and enhance their pretend time. Let's turn off more tv's and get kids busy with their imagainations! Excellent book.

Many of the ideas in this book were contributed through email sharing groups with MaryAnn, from teachers and parents all over the world.If you like pretending, or think it's important for your kids, you will like this book. All of the 44 people who contributed to it feel the same way!

I love all the moon handbooks and this one is no exception - combines the basics with "out of the way" surprises that make for a great trip!

When I'm planning a trip the first thing I do is order a Moon Handbook for the area in which I want to travel. They are invariably well informed because the people who write are passionate about the area and will suggest places that some people may miss out on.

The layout is good and the maps are excellent - simple to read and navigate by. We travel pretty extensively in Canada and America and the Moon Travel Handbooks are the only travel books we take with us.

I particularly like the suggestions for hiking trails and what you can expect to see as well as the rating for each hike e.g. easy flat walk or moderate walk with some steep ascents.

Before you book the suggested accommodation check on tripadvisor to get traveller reviews and make your judgement from those. This book had the usual good tips on where to eat.

If you're planning an extended visit to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, I highly recommend this guidebook. (If you're only going to visit the Parks for three or four days as part of a longer trip, however, it's probably more detail than you would need.) We recently visited the two Parks for a total of twelve days, and I found this Guide extremely helpful. Unusually for a guidebook, I actually read it pretty much straight through before we left. It's an enjoyable read, even aside from the quality of the information it presents.

The Moon Guidebooks only seem to have emerged onto the scene within the past several years, and for many readers they are still likely to be less familiar than such old standbys as Fodor's or even Lonely Planet. But I've used several guides from this publisher now and have found them to be uniformly excellent.

In terms of the book's coverage, you get 70 pages on Yellowstone Park itself; 64 pages on the Yellowstone Gateway communities; 33 on Grand Tetons National Park; and 91 on the Jackson Hole area. There's also a 33-page "Background" section that provides interesting information about the geography and climate, flora and fauna, and the often controversy-ridden history of both Parks, and a 4-page section on avoiding or dealing with bear attacks. Finally, there's a solid 6-page bibliography with suggestions for other reading.

The book includes an abundance of maps - in the sections focused on sightseeing (as opposed to where to stay and eat), you'll typically find at least one map every four pages. There are interesting, even compelling sidebars, such as the one about "Beaver Dick" Leigh, an English immigrant and early resident of Jackson Hole who on Christmas Day 1887 watched his wife Jenny, newborn baby, and four other children all die of smallpox and left a heartbreaking account of the experience, which the author quotes in full (p. 113).

This guidebook is thorough, accurate, and useful, but beyond that, I enjoyed the glimpses of the author's personality that he lets come through in his writing. "The Buffalo Bill Museum is a real joy," he tells you, although his assessment of the Cody Firearms Museum is more restrained: "it's interesting even for those of us who consider the proliferation of guns a national menace. . . . All told, this museum houses more implements of destruction and mayhem than you're likely to see at an NRA convention." Or: "For those who love history, Trail Town is an incredible treasure trove without the fancy gift shops and commercial junk that tag along with most such endeavors. This is the real thing, low-key and genuine."

He also writes effective descriptions that will help you decide what you may want to see:

"Togwotee Pass is one of the most scenic drives imaginable, with Ramshorn Peak peeking down from the north for several miles until the road plunges into dense lodgepole forests (Shoshone National Forest) with lingering glimpses of the Pinnacle Buttes. At the crest it emerges into the grass-, willow-, and flower-bedecked meadows with Blackrock Creek winding through. Whitebark pine and Englemann spruce trees cover the nearby slopes. . . . Togwotee Pass is a complete shock after all the miles of sagebrush and grassland that control the heartland of Wyoming. It's like entering another world - one of cool, forested mountains and lofty peaks instead of the arid land with horizonwide vistas."

In short, this is an excellent guidebook to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the immediately adjacent areas. If you're planning a more extensive ramble around other parts of Wyoming, then you'll want to check out the author's Wyoming volume for Moon, which tops out at a comprehensive 728 pages. (The Yellowstone-Grand Tetons coverage in the statewide volume runs about 180 pages, about half as long as in this separate volume specifically focusing on the Parks.)

This a a book that is so reminiscing of Brer Rabbit and Anansi stories. Finally there's a book our children of color can read and learn a lesson from. I had the opportunity to purchase the book in the Gallery in Philly where K. Christopher Toussaint was doing a book signing. I was able to get an autographed copy for my son who was then in the hospital in 2000 and now that he is 3 this is his favorite book and he is always asking questions about the moral. Thank you!!!!

I purchased this book for the beautiful ones that are not yet born.... This fable is so unique and the book is a keepsake. I fell in love with Toussaint's excellent storytelling ability and the simplicity of a childhood lessons learned. Mom always said "don't tease other children". If you didn't believe her, you'll be convinced once you read this book. I can't wait for the series.

After purchasing this book, i sat down to read it with my son. It was educational, fun, stimulating among other things. It got my child asking numerous questions on black History. He enjoyed it enough to want to share it with his friends, and said his school library needs it to. He's taking it to school with him to share with his classmates. This book is a fine example for children of all races.Thank you K. Christopher Toussaint, We will be buying the series.

This book was sent in a timely manner and was in excellent condition as stated.

I don't generally keep textbooks but this is one that I will hold onto for quite some time. This book has been completely worth it and I keep referring back to it as I have been out of college.

Personally, I think that we would all be better off if we spent more time in our education process teaching people about the realities of their economic lives. This is especially true of their choice of careers, managing those resources, and preparing for their "golden years". I could nominate a few topics I think we could cease teaching in order to have room for the necessary classes to provide people with real life financial management skills that can have a direct impact on the improvement of all aspects of their lives.

This book, "Personal Finance - Turning Money into Wealth" is a fantastic tool for students and ANY interested reader. I wish everyone would work through this book (or one very much like it). While it is never too late to develop these skills, the younger a person gets a plan for their economic life in place, the more power it has and the better off they will be long term.

I like the way Prof. Keown emphasizes basic principles (he has 15 of them) and planning. He begins the book by providing the foundation of financial planning, teaching the student how to measure their financial health and using that to inform their plan, understanding the Time Value of Money (a topic so vital that no one should graduate high school without knowing, in my opinion), and the basics of tax planning.

The author then provides some great information on managing money by understanding the realities of cash and liquid assets, credit cards (open credit) and the traps it represents, using consumer loans in PLANNED BORROWING (another important topic that is almost unknown to most consumers because of the misuse of open credit), and buying homes and automobiles.

I really enjoyed his next discussion on insurance. He talks about the various kinds of insurance, the kinds of protection they provide at what costs, and especially the situations in which buying insurance makes sense and when it does not.

The section on managing investments is good, solid, but BASIC information. Anyone doing anything beyond a few basic retirement plans will need to study other materials. This section is the one where I have a tiny quibble with the author. He differentiates investing and speculation by saying that investing involves putting money in assets that provide returns - stocks, bonds, etc - but that speculating is putting money in things like baseball cards that only have a price based on what others are willing to pay. I sort of understand what I think he is trying to say.

However, all investing is in some sense speculating. The buyer and seller have different views of the future (speculating about the future) and so they make opposite choices at a certain price. Either of them would change their view, presumably, at some other price. Stocks do not have a built in return and many do not pay dividends and too often nowadays their residual value is zero. Too often people buy stocks simply because they are going up (the greater fool theory) and get badly burned as we saw in the Internet Bubble collapse in early 2000. In any case, the caution the author advocates is sufficient and sound. I am just concerned that others use the terms "investment" and "speculation" differently than the author and might confuse those trying to enter the fray for the first time.

This fine text ends with a discussion of life cycle issues such as retirement planning, estate planning, and how all the pieces studied fit together into the grand plan.

The author also provides online helps such as problems, quizzes, and especially many useful spreadsheets that the student can not only use, but study to help them build their own that will be tailored to the student's specific situation. There is also a workbook with the basics of using a financial calculator and the worksheets called for in the text.

This is a superb text on a vital topic. Strongly Recommended for general readers as well as students in a class on this subject (which EVERY college student should be REQUIRED to take - or pass out of by test).

Rosalie's best friend, a gentle Morgan named Major, is bound to be sold. Rosalie's father went to fight in the Civil War, and her mother is left with three children and a farm to care for. When she cannot pay off the morgage, she goes to plan B. "We have to sell Major." Rosalie can't believe her ears, and tries her hardest to think up a plan to keep her horse. The 10-year-old that she is, it seems impossible...when she strikes up an idea. Will her plan work and will Major be able to stay?

Rosalie is determined to keep her family's horse, Major, from being sold. But how else can Rosalie's mother pay the mortgage on the family's Vermont farm with Rosalie's father away fighting in the Civil War? But then Rosalie comes up with the perfect plan to keep Major and stil be able to pay the mortgage.

Since this was my favorite Treasured Horses book I'll give it a 10. Anyways this was about Rosalie Goodman, a daughter of Vermont farmer. But it's 1864 and her father took his horse Captain, with him to the Vermont Calvary to fight for the Yankees. Rosalies family, her sister Mathilde and her brother Albert, and her mother have to raise the farm themselves. Luckily they have a little help from Ed, the farmhand. But soon Mrs. Goodman doesn't have enough for the farm's mortgage. She lets Ed go and now it the plan is for the children to stay home from school and work on the farm. But that still doesn't bring in money. So Mrs. Goodman can only think of one other thing. Sell Rosalie's precious horse, Major. Rosalie must find a plan or a compromise to keep her horse, and what about her father? Will he ever come home? Will they be able to keep their farm? Read and FIND OUT!

Many people do not relize the necessity of support for pastors and ministers. As a pastor's daughter I daily see the stress, pressure and frustration weighing on my father. This book has excellent suggestions for ways to bless those who bless others. There is no way any pastor or religious worker can perform their duty to the community and God without the support of EVERYONE in their congregation. Please read and use!

(Initial review Aug. 25, 1999)
I'm now reading it thru for the 2nd time, the first being two years ago. I have put some of the suggestions into action and have had great success with them. If you have a good pastor (I have the best one in the world) and you want to encourage/assist/take care of him, you simply must read this book. It has so many practical ideas in it, and they are pretty easy to put into action. Now, two years later, knowing my pastor better, some of the ideas are more timely, so the book is fresh even the second time around. But make no mistake, there are many things you can do right away!

I have alot of "how to" books, and this one goes on the top shelf. Recently, my pastor told me "Jamey, you are a pastor's dream". This book will help YOU get the same compliment.

I wish everybody in our congregation would read this book - You know what? I think I will buy it for them!!

2005 - Recently we used this book as a guide to determining benefits, vacation, time off, sick time and things like that for our Pastor.

Practical...doable...easy to use and follow...a must for all people interested in seeing their pastors thrive and grow in their ministries. Especially useful for church boards. Can also be useful for those searching for new pastors.