Full Books

This is one of the best military history books out there. Its an account of a raid to free POWs carried out during the Vietnam war. What is so good about it is that it gives a truely comprehensive from top-to-bottom account of the mission from conception to execution and even following through to the political aftermath. while the mission was not successful in its objective (the POWs were moved before the team arrived), the plan involving a raid deep into North Vietnam was carried out flawlessly.

While many things have changed since the time the book was written, people, organizations and politics have not. The book is a case study with wide ongoing application. Its also a fun read for anyone interested in politics, the Vietnam war, special operations or military history in general.

The Son Tay Prison Raid was a good idea but was based on poor intelligence. Benjamin Schemmer did a good telling the story. It's too bad it doesn't have a happy ending.

Sam McGowan
Vietnam Veteran, author "The Cave"

Great account of the brilliantly executed 1970 special operations mission to rescue POWs, and the breakdown in intelligence which resulted in the rescuers coming away empty handed. If you've read about the mission to rescue the hostages at the embassy in Iran a few years later, you'll recognize a number of the names. (See Delta Force by Charlie Beckwith for details on the Iranian mission.)

First published in 1976, "The Raid" is the story of the heroic attempt to rescue 61 Americans from the North Vietnamese POW camp at Son Tay in November, 1970. It is thoroughly and meticulously researched. Its' 3 reprints attest to the quality. Author Schemmer had some obvious command cooperation in its' compilation. "The Raid" devotes more effort -and pages- in depicting the painstaking step by step preparation and practice that was dedicated to the rescue than the actual time on the ground. That is understandable, since the mission lasted less than 30 minutes. The camp was empty and no one was rescued! The author examines the intelligence "considerations' behind that unpleasant fact. More time and space is given to the inevitable damage control that the Pentagon and White House had to tackle. That easy to appreciate as well, given the frantic antiwar feelings in this country at the time. The raid took place less than 4 months after our troops were withdrawn from Cambodia. That incursion had sparked huge domestic protests. There are three outstanding traits to this tale: The first is the obvious bravery and courage shown by the men involved. The second is the sheer amount of logistical support and inter -service coordination that the effort required. There is an impressive array of those Command acronyms. As any veteran would rightly suspect, there was a bit of infighting as well. I appreciated reading that General Ryan, Air Force Chief of Staff, gave an open letter to some of the chief planners directing they receive complete "no questions asked" cooperation. Those who felt unable to comply were to call the General directly! How many calls do we think Ryan received? Finally, we the author incorporates the human beings who were the actual prisoners. We read of some of the more distinguished, such as Robinson Risner and Jerimiah Denton as well as those not as famous but who suffered as much and more. "The Raid" is almost a mini-history of the POW saga-one that extends to this very day. Over 1,800 men remain unaccounted for. Some claimed the raid to be a failure. It strikes this reviewer as an outstanding success. That's because after Son Tay, most POWs were consolidated into the big Hanoi area prisons. There was safety-not to mention a command structure-in numbers. Treatment improved, especially since many prisoners could help themselves. This reviewer would like to compliment President Nixon and Defense Secretary Laird for supporting a military action they knew would be unpopular and suspected might be unsuccessful. Canceling the operation would have been the easy way out; they courageously chose the difficult course. To this day, Mr. Nixon remains the only Chief Executive to seriously address the POW issue. Those buying "The Raid" should strongly consider Frank Anton's "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" It's time frame perfectly complements Mr. Schemmer's tale. Finally, there is the virtual Bible on the subject, "Code Name Bright Light". That may be a lot of reading but what subject is more worthwhile?

On November 21st, 1970, a rescue mission would be launched inside North Vietnam that would eventually gain status as being possibly the most incredible operation ever conducted during the Vietnam war.

The culmination of months of grueling planning and training, intensive coordination through military channels, extensive secrecy, and special operations wizardry would lead to the daring raid on the Son Tay POW camp just 20 short miles outside of Hanoi. So well prepared was the team that after the raid's accomplishment, no lives were lost and everyone returned safely after just 26 minutes on the ground. Everyone except U.S. POW's, that is, who were unfortunately not at the POW compound being that it had been abandoned only months previously. Information discovered as to why the Son Tay facility was empty would prove to be both revealing and disturbing to the raid planners and executers.

In assessing the aftermath of the mission itself, although deemed a failure by the mainstream media and squabbled over by Congress, the military, and intelligence agencies, positive aspects would eventually come to light to justify the raid a success after all. Unknown to many outside the purview of the POW's themselves, the raid was an eye opener to the North Vietnamese who now fully realized that America would defy the greatest of odds to repatriate their POW's and show them that they were not forgotten. The Son Tay rescue mission was a serious morale booster for our U.S. captives and also hastened their improved treatment from their North Vietnamese jailors.

Benjamin F. Schemmer has written a fascinating and in-depth study into one of the most sensational rescue missions ever accomplished in the history of warfare. Richly detailed and researched, included are photographs, maps, and appendixes with a multitude of statistics and operational facts. Whether just a casual reader or an avid fan of Vietnam era history, The Raid is an excellent book from start to finish. For those readers interested in the complete story of POW rescues in Vietnam, I would highly recommend the book "Code Name Bright Light: The Untold Story of POW Rescue Efforts During the Vietnam War" by George J. Veith.

After trying Regina's Herbed Ravioli Soup for the first time, I was floored at how good vegetarian could be. If this was vegetarian, I could easily convert. Well, I didn't convert, but I still grab Regina's book off the shelf from time to time, and I've never once been disappointed by a single recipe. Even my father, a devout carnivore, afraid to try new things, has always been pleased with Regina's fare. I can't wait for her second book to arrive! In the meantime, I highly recommend this book to anyone! You WON'T be disappointed!

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This is the softcover version of Regina's first book, with all the same great recipes. This cookbook isn't just for vegetarians (I'm not one). It's for anyone who likes good food. If you are an omnivore, this is the perfect book to provide great meals many times every week. You won't miss a thing. If you're a vegan, just substitute non-dairy alternatives. It can move you into new cuisines with ease, fill you up, keep you light, provide wide variety, and most are fun to prepare. I ate it while we taped it. I use the book constantly at home. This book takes vegetarian eating out of bland or boring and into great tasting, filling and fun.

I highly recommend this cookbook. The recipes are quite simple to make and soooooo delicious. My two favorite things about this book is the recipes do not call for exotic ingredients, so I'm constantly referring to this for my daily cooking. And, I love the wine suggestions following each entree. I can hardly wait for her next book to come out. I own too many cookbooks, but this is the one I am constantly using on a daily basis. I can't live without it.

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This cookbook isn't just for vegetarians (I'm not one). It's for anyone who likes good food. If you are an omnivore, this is the perfect book to provide great meals many times every week. You won't miss a thing. If you're a vegan, just substitute non-dairy alternatives. It can move you into new cuisines with ease, fill you up, keep you light, provide wide variety, and most are fun to prepare. I ate it while we taped it. I use the book constantly at home. This book takes vegetarian eating out of bland or boring and into great tasting, filling and fun.

This book is pretty good - there are a decent number of recipes that are delicious and have become a staple in my diet.

Standouts incode New England Risotto, Polenta Mexicana, Gumbo Stew (vegan) and Stuffed Zucchini Provencal.

However, there are a few problems:
1. too much dairy: I am not vegan, but after eating a few recipes from this book, I feel cheesed out. Many of the recipes are quite heavy. The Smoked Mushroom Lasagna, which many people rave about, was too greasy, cheesy, and rich for me.

2. Butter: Regina wrote this book during brief period in which people thought butter was healthier than margarine. Therefore margarine is never mentioned, only butter. Do I really need to use so much butter?

3. Instruction problems/omissions/vagueness: Sometimes, Regina forgets to mention where a certain ingredient comes in - it's in the list, but never mentioned in the text. So you have to guess. Also, she says "add seasoning to taste" often. I wish she would provide a range, since I have no idea.

4. Recipes take more time than one would expect: The blurb on the jacket implies this is a good book for busy people ("She has found wonderful shortcuts" "without going to time-consuming extremes"), however, most of the recipes take plenty of time to make. I mostly use this book for weekend cooking.

This book would be more useful if there were estimated preparation times for each recipe.

5. There is no vegan recipe index, although I've seen this in several other cookbooks.

Faults aside, this is still a good book to have, as long as you are not vegan.

Another nice aspect is the huge variety of cheeses used in the recipes. If you are curious about what other cheeses taste like and what they are used for, this cookbook will help you explore them - Gruyere, Edam, Smoked Gouda, Provolone, etc. You'll wonder why so many people limit themselves to American, Cheddar and Mozarella.

Fauré's Requiem is one of the most beautiful pieces of music that has ever been written. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to sing in performance of the piece. Ever since, I have been in love with it. Sadly, I was not allowed to keep the score. Finding the full score online was an answer to prayer (figuratively speaking). I now can follow along as I listen to recordings and even sing my part.

The score itself is in wonderful condition. The printing is clear and easy to read. I was, at first, concerned that I would end up with a huge conductor's style score, but it's of normal size without compromising on readability.

Highly recommended.

This is a great deal for a well-printed score. Beware that there are a couple of different orchestrations for this piece. This is the small orchestra version and there is also a chamber group version. People tend to use the John Rutter edition of the chamber version and that has different rehearsal letters than this one.

Other than that, this is a bargain.

Gabriel Faure's REQUIEM still remains the only piece of music that has ever given me goosebumps. The music can go from bone-chilling to heart warming in the matter of a few bars. My choir that I perform with sang the piece in the spring of this year. To date, I have never sung a piece of music that was more masterfully crafted for the voices of a boy choir than I have this one. Faure's music is as inspireing as it is beautiful. I would highly suggest it to anyone eager to create beautiful music.

This is a beautifully presented score. The type-setting of the music leaves nothing to be desired. The paper it is printed on even has a sensual quality, which matches the music portrayed.
I have already used the score to arrange parts for my wind quintet, and have found the job much easier because of the clear manuscript of the score.

Este Requiem es magnifico, siento como que si estuviera en el Cielo

Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" is excellent, but even if it weren't, this score would still be wonderful.

Major positive points:
1) The score stays open and flat on a table or conductor's stand. Dover seems to take great care with this in their full scores, and it really makes score reading/studying much simpler.

2) The paper is thin enough to keep the size of the score small, but it's thick enough that markings/highlighting don't bleed through, which is wonderful.

3) Every system has either instrument names or understandable abbreviations.

4) MEASURE NUMBERS!

5) The music is dark and easy to read. There are no faded or missing barlines, which is a problem I seem to encounter with Kalmus and Lucks scores, as well as Dover miniature editions.

6) Attractive layout and engraving. This doesn't just look like a Finale print, unlike some other new scores.

I've always been proved with Dover's orchestral scores, and this is no exception. I worked from the Boosey's score last semester, and I definitely prefer this one.

Can anyone actually imagine playing this difficult piece for 33 minutes? If you look inside, you can see the many complexities that are within the score. Time signatures change almost constantly, brass play twenty random notes in one measure, tubas play much higher notes than usual, strings do a lot of plucking, and the woodwinds go all over the place in many scenes )including the Introduction to the "Adoration of the Earth" sequence). This just shows you how much of a genius Stavinsky really was. Fantastic!

Oh, and I never performed this piece, so that's why I was asking in the first place...............

If you are enthralled with the Rite's rhythm, harmony, or whatever... this is the perfect opportunity to see the orchestration and metric usage. As someone who loves the Rite, and analyzing music, this was a no brainer. Cheap and easy to read. Absolutely fantastic.

"The Rite of Spring In Full Score" contains the complete unabridged score of composer Igor Stravinsky's timeless classic "The Rite Of Spring". Besides presenting the full musical notation for the entire piece, this book also contains a brief but detailed history on the work. Looking at the score is an astounding revelation into Stravinsky's creative genius. What often sounds like pure noise on recordings and in performance is in reality carefully notated and fully realized. In other words, Stravinsky knew exactly what he was after when he composed "The Rite of Spring" and the score proves it in all its glory. Even if you can't read music, if you're a fan of Igor Stravinsky and "The Rite Of Spring", this score is an essential guide and study tool to this revolutionary work. It also offers an insight into the composer's fascinating creative mind.

From Jordan in Minnesota
In 1998 I bought the original score of Le Sacre du Printemps from Kalmus for 65.00 dollars!! Although the Kalmus version in cited from numerous musicians and stravinsky himself, this version of dovers is well worth the 10 dollars!! It is pretty much the same as Kalmus' but it has no chief editor, and since its a reprint it will have the same concept as the Kalmus score, only it is 55.00 dollars cheaper. If anyone wants the 4 extra pages of the kalmus version that compares the scores, I would be happy to copy it and send them, as long as people realize that the Kalmus version as of January 16 2006 is almost 100.00. So stick with this dover version it will definately save you the money!!
cojo0502@stcloudstate.edu

I loved this book. Jill Wolfson created a spunky, endearing character in Cal Lavender from the first words on the page. Readers will be drawn into the world (and personality) of this lively, teenage girl living in foster care. But Wolfson's quirky characters don't stop with Cal - short for California which in turn is short for Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama - there are a whole host of fun, lovable characters to get to know, including the Knitting Lady who runs the girls group home. (Check out Wolfson's website, she loves knitting. Could she be the Knitting Lady?)

No matter what the life situation of teenagers, they inevitable feel alienated from those around them. Wolfson's What I Call Life may be about a teen in foster care, but her voice expresses the needs all teens feel to fit in.

What I Call Life by:Jill Wolfson
What is life? Whats your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses?Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry hurry!!! Time is running out!
It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabma Lavendar,Cal for short. She has a unabrow,she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged.Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady.The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney,Amber,Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change.Amber stops pulling her hair out,Monica isnt scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didnt realley change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also leraned that what ever she does whereever sh goes is her real life.She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but,didnt stop them. Will they come back?Red to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. It's even happening as you read this.R ight now there are childeren out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exacly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi C.

What I Call Life by: Jill Wolfson

What is life? What's your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses? Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry!!!
Time is running out! It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavendar, Cal for short. She has a unabrow, she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged. Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady. The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney, Amber, Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change. Amber stops pulling her hair out, Monica isn't scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didn't really change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also learned that what ever she does wherever she goes is her real life. She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but didn't stop them. Will they come back? Read it to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. Its even happening as you read this. Right now there are children out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exactly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi

What I Call Life is an excellent read, quirky, fast-paced, interesting dialog, with even more remarkable characters. Cal Lavender (11 years-old) is a strong protagonist trying to survive, emotionally, after being dumped in a group home for girls. Knitting Lady (the group-home-mother) and the other girls are brought to life with fascinating descriptions and realistic dialog. The story intertwines their lives with the story Knitting Lady is telling throughout the book.
Teachers and Media Specialists: This novel does include a little language, so you would want to preview it before reading aloud to a class (it would still be an appropriate read-aloud). It would also be a good novel for introducing or reinforcing the reading strategies of predictions and inferences.

This is such an endearing story - spoken through an eleven year old girl's voice and thoughts with a refreshing honesty. The girls in this group home all display different strengths, coping methods, and vulnerabilities which are revealed one by one as the story progresses.

The Knitting Lady is an insightful and patient woman, who is not presented as simply "all-knowing and wise", but also as a caring person with her own wounds and self-doubts. She does seem almost too good to be true: occasionally relaxing the rules and letting the girls learn truths on their own, going with the flow and being totally present - but, as I said, she does have her own self-doubts. I feel that the Knitting Lady was not only the girls' mentor in the story, but that she has become my mentor as well.

My daughter observed me while tears ran down my face a few times when I was reading the book and asked, "Why are you crying Mom? Is it sad?" I replied, "Some parts are very sad, but the parts that make me cry are the happy ones.."

This is a very touching book.

The girls, the Knitting Lady, and their stories stayed with me for days after reading the story. Actually, they haven't left - I can still feel them. They make me want to be a better person.

Thank you, Jill Wolfson, for giving all of us this story and for giving us the Knitting Lady.

I really like the content. I like the photos, I like the way it's written and most of all, I like the fact that I can understand it. I would say that this book belongs on every horse owner's bookshelf as a reference guide.

Dr. Loving has done it again with this comprehensive horse owner's "survival' guide. There is nothing left untouched and every horse owner needs to have this book in their library. I read it cover to cover and have dragged it out on many occasions for answers to questions. Dr. Loving converts equine science into lay terms with outstanding photographs illustrating the topic of discussion. I can't thank her enough for her concern for the horse and the years spent compiling this amazing book. I just wish I lived closer to her clinic in Colorado to utilize her vet skills 'hands-on'.

This book I have found to be very valuable as a reference book particularly for people who take their horse sport seriously. I myself am into endurance, and have found absolutely everything I needed to know about what can possibly go wrong with an endurance horse, whether it be training techniques, nutrition, lameness, etc etc. The detail is immnense, and I have not found any veterinary condition not written about, and yet it is easy to understand, and very readable. There are photos and diagrams on almost every page, and the book is 565 pages long, plus has a huge appendix, and bibliography section at the end. I would strongly recommend this book to any competitive horse owner.

This is an exceptionally good reference book, a must-have for horse owners. The photographs are extremely well done. Many are by Dr. Loving herself, and illustrate exactly the points made in the text. I gave this book only 4 of 5 stars because the information on infectious diseases and vaccines is not up to par.

Every horse owner should have a copy of this book. And with the price being less than a vet's farm call, it will pay for itself many times over. What I really appreciated about the book was that it isn't so technical that you need a medical degree to understand it, yet at the same time it is very thorough and the pictures, wow the pictures! For example not only are you told how to care for a deep wound, but how it should look at various staging of healing. How many times have you treated a wound and called the vet daily wondering if it's healing o.k. or getting worse?

The only thing that I was a tad disappointed in was most of the hoof shots showed shod horses and I am practicing natural hoof care and barefoot trimmning. But if you want a book on Barefoot Hoof Care, you should order a book specific to that topic. This book, it covers everything else you will ever wonder about with your horse and health related problems.

I don't call many of my 1000 books a "bible" of whatever subject, but this is my "bible" of horse health.

I highly recommend the Black Dog opera books. They're the perfect way to learn about an opera: They include cd's of the opera by outstanding singers, photos of performances, historical and critical commentary, a scene-by-scene summary of the plot, and the complete libretto in both English and the original language, so you can play around with the translation if you're interested. They can't be beat.

This is a wonderful study score to Rossini's wonderful masterpiece. The story of a Barber named Figaro, who is the person that everyone comes to seeking advice.
It's easy to read and the size is standard (9in x 12in). It lies easily on a music stand or desk. It's low price is great for the starving music student. I highly reccommend this for professionals and opera-goers alike.

Be aware that the book shown when you take a "Look Inside" is NOT the book you get. What they show is a bound copy of the musical score with the libretto added. What you get is the libretto described in the written review, no musical score. That having been said, the book you get is useful and of interest, and the CD is a great recording.

One of Rossini's best operas, the Barber of Seville, is immortalized here in another one of Dover's fine scores. From the fast-paced overture to the "Figaro" aria (both made famous in old Bugs Bunny cartoons), this opera is nonstop greatness.

As usual, Dover has provided us with a book of the highest quality: they sew their books instead of gluing them so as for them to stay bound and be flexible, and they print legibly. Unfortunately, legible print is becoming disappointingly rare in modern scores, but Dover is the exception.

For a great score of a great opera at a great price, you can't go wrong with Rossini's Barber of Seville.

This book and CD set are the perfect combination for those who are new to the world of opera and not fluent in foreign language. Better than just a synopsis, the libretto in English lets you read every word so you won't miss the humor or pathos. As a homeschooling mom, I really appreciated this set as a teaching tool. I hope to increase my collection of The Black Dog Opera Library series.

I bought this book in 1993 and consider it a keeper for life. It has 34 breath-by-breath guided meditations including ones on calming the body, contact with wholesome things, impermanence, accepting parents, anger, death, and the false perception of separateness.

Thich Nhat Hanh offers brief explanations of the importance of each exercise. When I first got it I would take one exercise per day to work with.

It's all quite beautiful. If you are interested in meditation, or want to deepen your practice, seriously consider this book.

Aside from deep meditation, I find myself practicing these meditations whenever I have a few quiet minutes (and even sometimes when I don't). With practice, the key words take root. Thich Nhat Hanh's knowledge and guidance are invaluable.

I just wanted people to know that this is not really a book, like most of Hanh's other books, but rather a collection of guided meditations with some commentary on them.

As such, it is excellent and I highly recommend it. I have read many of Hanh's books and most are excellent, all are worth reading.

My favorite is "Anger", perhaps because I have issues with anger and use Buddhist techniques - meditation, philosophy, loving kindness - to help me control it and - hopefully - eventually put out the fire.

But this book has meditations on about everything, and I like to do 15-40 minutes of regular meditation on the breath (vipissana) and then close with 5-10 minutes of these meditations.

In my opinion, Thay as his students call Thich Nhat Hanh, is a living Buddha or Bodhisatva. He seems to embody what the Buddha taught and yet he is so down to earth he can bring that enlightenment to the common man and woman who know little of Buddhism. His techniques and explanations are so clear and simple, anyone can grasp them, use them, and benefit from them.

Thanks to Thich Nhat Hanh for writing these books!

This is the gist of the practice. You can sit down and use these guided meditations to get started, or to maintain your practice, or to get centered agian, right now in this moment. Some are steeped in Buddhist terminology and structure, which Thich Nhat Hahn explains. But most are non-dogmatic, easily accessible, and potentially life-changing. I've read much by Thich Nhat Hahn, and all of it seems to-the-point and profoundly wise. But this is the book I go back to again and again.

I have enjoyed Thich Nhat Hanh's other books because (the translation of) his writing makes Buddhist thoughts and practices clear and accessible; not too simplistic and not too academic. The guided meditations in this book are no exception. Ranging from very simple to rather complex, each meditation is written in poem like phrases, or stages, with the key words of each in the border off to the side. I have been memorizing the key words and saying them to myself while I run--it makes me much more aware of myself and my surroundings than listening to earphones and makes me concentrate on my breathing, all of which makes the experience more enjoyable.

I have actually met this very talented, classy, funny, " crazy about the color green " ( his quote ) . A very interesting and beautiful book that sits on my coffee table for all to see... Worth every penny ( especially autographed ) As a floral designer I am so glad that I got this book !!
Enjoy looking through it...

This is a stunning book!! It is a treat to sit down and get lost in the creative genious of Ron Morgan and the sensitivity of the photographer. I purchased this as a present for a friend, but will be purchasing another for myself.

Aside from a brief text forward, The Center Of Attention is a splendor-filled book that eschews mere words and devotes itself entirely to photographs of eye-catching and heart-stopping tablescapes using flowers, vegetables, and other plant themes as created by master floral designer Ron Morgan. Powerfully enhanced with a wealth of full-color photographs by Pamela J. (works of art in and of themselves), The Center Of Attention fully captures Morgan's beautiful floral design masterpieces ranging in a wide variety of moods from fresh spring morning to somber candlelight evening. The Center Of Attention is enthusiastically recommended for serious and dedicated students of floral design, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an appreciation of skilled and artistic flower arrangements.

This is a long awaited book by Ron.This is as wonderful as the classes he has given on floral design.I would put him in the same catogory as Kenneth Turner.

WOW! I was just given "The Center of Attention" as a holiday gift and was stunned as I opened each page. The cover did not do the contents justice. Some of his concepts seem simple enough for someone like me to replicate. The photograpahy and lighting was beautiful. This is a book to keep out for others to enjoy as well as a perfect gift for anyone with an eye for beauty.

This book is a good primer to learning about Native American Medicine. The writing is fairly engaging, but reads somewhat as a self-help book, which is either good or bad depending on your perspective. But I like self-help, and I liked this book.

An excellent presentation of Cherokee religion in respect to the harmony in the relationships of cycles. Easily readable, but goes into depth to give good solid understanding. A well done book on the subject!

I bought this book on the basis of the recommendations and a referral. It is very well written and clearly explains the sacred hoop medicine wheel in relation to healing and wellness of spirit, emotion, and body. In fact, it does so better than any other book I've read on the subject. It also provides ways to facilitate healing circles for those who are interested in pursuing that. I look forward to reading more Garrett books.

An amazing study book. Encourages me to continue in my Native American roots search. Thank you. I have all of Garretts books.

Helps me with my meditation practices. Better to use this in the great outdoors but a very sprit building book!