On-the-tape

Donald Bartlett and James Steel's book, "Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes" is an excellent example of journalistic reporting converted into book form. The book is simply fascinating. The authors accomplish the gargantuan task of separating fact from fiction in the very complex life of Howard Hughes. "Empire" is impeccably researched and documented; It is a bona fide biography that reads more like fiction than real life-such was the world of Howard Hughes.

"Empire" traces the rise and tragic fall of Howard Hughes; a man who wore many hats, he was an aviator, Hollywood movie producer, Las Vegas hotel/casino owner ... and a recluse. For one brief shining moment, Hughes was considered one of America's premier aviators, breaking flying records, but then falling out of grace with government and the aviation industry for breaking contract deadlines. In the long run, Howard Hughes would become a grand failure in the world of big business.

Bartlett and Steel show the reader a man who had everything to live for, good looks, fame, fortune, power and prestige, but he was unable to triumph over his social and physical phobias that led to psychological, emotional, and physical illnesses and to his final descent into the dwellings of the insane. Hughes' deep mistrust of all people-even family, worked against him and led to his demise and the lose of his billion dollar empire by the very people whose job it was to safeguard him and his empire.

By the time I finished reading "Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes", I was much more accepting of my status as a non wealthy individual. Although Howard Hughes had everything a man could possibly wish for, he was underprivileged in peace of mind.... The authors do a superb job in separating fact from myth in the life of Howard Hughes. The book is worth reading.

"Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes" is indeed an empire within itself. This book manages to expose the life of a very seceretive and private man of power who lived in his own unique way in the world. An incredible book about an incredible man...

This is the first book I had read about Mr. Hughes. A wonderful book. At times slightly more detailed than I would like.. Buts lots of great information about truly one of the most interesting characters of the 20th century.

Well, if you are able to be objective, it can. She really hit the nail on the head with with one. I was BLOWN away. I couldn't believe how right she was. I borrowed the book from the Library, to check it out. I had to buy it. It is one of the most eye-opening self help books ever. To realize that you really are 'text-book' is shocking. My best friend agreed with most of what was said about my type, something she has always known, but never told me. It's okay, I probably wouldn't have taken it well anyway, if she did. It's better coming from a third, completely impartial party. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!

The BEST self help book I have ever read. It not only tells you, who you are, but why you are that way. Great for those who think they have to be in total control,because no matter how much you want control, you can't have total control, and have a productive life

I was not expecting to find such an accurate description of myself in this book, but as I read on I did and I was amazed at how Stills hit the mark dead on. I pondered her assessment of my behavior and her suggestions on fixing things for days. I've also used the book to help understand other people. Self-help books are meant to bring about a stronger sense of self-awareness and if you're reading this and need a tool to help you start finding out who you are, READ THIS BOOK.

Well, I'm not sure that I have the ability to express my sentiments and thoughts any better than the other reviewers here, but with the hope of perhaps affecting one reader, I'll share a slightly different experience...

I read this book at a time when my life was falling apart. My marriage was in shambles, my business was bordering bankruptcy, my faith was wavering, and I didn't know what else to do or where else to turn. I didn't know whether or not to pray scriptures, get on my knees 3 times/day, get counseling, rebuke Satan, start fasting, give more money to church, or drop down and just want to die.

The point is that many of these things are well and good in and of themselves, but they have very little to do with understanding and trusting God. He's not a magic Geenie, He's not here for our personal material comforts, and much of today's teachings about God seem to lead us toward Him with the expectation that He'll solve our problems and make things better here on earth.

Dr. Larry Crabb truly puts life's difficulties into perspective and certainly helped me to turn to the Lord and turn away from trying to use "tricks" to get Him to do what I want. That alone is worth all of the pain and suffering I've been through.

Hope this helps. God Bless.

Finding God speaks honestly and openly about the pain and hardship in our circumstances. Larry Crabb writes about the hurt in the loss of his brother in a plane crash and how this pain has impacted his walk with Christ. He lends his own insights as to the why and the answers God won't provide as well as what He does provide.

I read this challenging book during a time of personal hurt and questioning. It helped me see that the answers to questions concerning why things happen as they do are not as important as the Christ who came as The Answer. I learned that our feeble attempts to manipulate and control God by our prayers and whining will not work -- we must accept the fallen-ness of our world and through faith in God's ultimate goodness we find Him. Very thought provoking and inciteful.

Every parent and person that works with youths should have this book. It is THE manual for understanding teenagers. Chapman does a fantastic job of explaining that a child's language does not change when they become a teenager, but they do adopt a different dialect. How fascinating! His advice and techniques are solid and effective. Get this book and watch the way it improves your relationship with all the children in your life. It is worth its weight in gold.

I will give you a short background so you will know where I am coming from. My husband and I have been married eleven years and have tried to conceive a child for about nine of those years with no success. Well, since July 2003 we have adopted four children. They all are teenagers. I bought this book with the hopes of understanding each of my teenagers love languages. It is hard to figure out their love languages especially since we did not have to opportunity to have them when they were younger.
This book was very helpful.I really enjoyed this book.
The way this book was written made it easy to understand and I have already tried some of the suggestions from the book and they have worked. Thanks so much.

I have been in the youth ministry for 8 years now and this is one of the best books that I have ever read for those who have teenagers. I have bought over 25 copies of this book and have given them to every parent who's child graduates up to youth. Many parents have found what Chapman says as invaluable information. We now even do a special discipleship class based around the material in this book. I highly recommend it to any parent who has a teenager...it will change the way you view your student and the way you treat them. If you want to build a better relationship with your student...I would read this book, and then put it to practice.

I ordered the Fly Without Fear CD several months ago, as I was planning a vacation and knew I would have to fly to get there. Although I enjoyed flying when I was younger, I had been afraid to fly for well over 10 years.

I practiced the rehearsal several times in preparation and listened to the CD throughout the actual flight and it was an incredible help to me. I am actually looking forward to flying again as soon as I can. I never imagined I could conquer my fear of flying but I have!!! You absolutely can too with this CD. I can't recommend it highly enough!

This is a must have for fearful flyers. Her voice is soothing and comforting and confident. I highly recommend this CD. Simply listen to it in the car and your flight will be smoother!

I listened to this CD at least once per day - sometimes twice a week before I had to fly for something related to my job. I have been so afraid that I have been avoiding flying for years. I had even grown so fearful of flying that just thinking about it got me upset. Listening to this CD taught me how to manage my fear and release it. Even when we were told to turn off electronic equipment on the flight, I was able to use the techniques I learned with this CD to stay calm and comfortable.

I won't say that I was not nervous at all, but I was far from terrified, and not upset. I was able to manage my feelings and enjoy myself and make it to my destination without drinking down any tiny bottles, if you know what I mean.

I CAN FLY!!! I CAN FLY!! I can't believe that I can fly - the world just opened up to me again and I am looking forward to seeing beautiful places! I am so grateful for this CD!

thomas mails' honesty and humility in recognition of the potent and vibrant personality of fool's crow allows him to become a nearly transparent medium for this account of a shaman's personal methods and rituals.

at their most effecftive, shamanistic rituals use p[hysical symbols to trigger and continue cycles of effect and reaction between the individual practitioner and the world-system as a whole. this book doesn't go into great depth in presenting the fundamental metaphysic of the native american heritage that fool's crow continued, but provides a rich and meticulously detailed account of demonstrations of its practice by a healer, teacher and leader.

this book may tempt immitators and pretenders; they might find themselves playing with fire. this volume should not be taken as a single source outside of the greater context of the heritage it celebrates and partially describes, but it can be a valuable supplementary resource for a careful student, or the agile and humble explorer.

The legacy of Fools Crow is his wisdom & power as a Lakota medecine man. The path he walked, as a man called to serve his people & the Great Spirit, is recalled in this book. His simple message is that all of us can be "hollow bones" for the Great Spirit to work through. The reader learns that the power & wisdom of Frank Fools Crow's life was in his detachment from ego and submission to a higher force. Some readers may only be interested in the ceremonies & rituals described in the book. However, the message is the spirit of the man & his committment to his God & to his people. I can not imagine that any reader can walk away from this book untouched.

This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read! If you want a book that will draw you closer to God, regardless of your religion or beliefs, this is the book. Frank Fools Crow will teach you by his example what a holy life truly is and the power that will naturally flow from living this type of life.

The beauty of the traditional way of the Sioux is also captured in this book. Yet Fools Crow reaches to the heart of all people with the love he freely gives. Fools Crow's many gifts are laid out here - his healing ability, his compassion. It is made clear these are gift's that come from God, not man, and as are to be shared with all.

"The Golden Mean" is the best of the three books, in my humble opinion. The ending is satisfying and still somehow mysterious. Bantock doesn't spoon-feed his readers information, he seems to want to encourage them to make up their own minds about the nature of Griffin and Sabine's relationship, What It All Means, etc. Altogether, it's a wonderful, nerve-wracking book.

In some ways I felt like this series wrapped up too neatly, and in other ways I felt like it should have been more wrapped up. Oh well. Still a magnificent work of art combined with a compellings and intruiging story.

The hauntingly beautiful writings, will keep you returning to this book (and the previous two) to search for the meaning.

When asked to write a sequel to The Greatest Salesman in the World, Og Mandino said that he "didn't want to risk producing any sort of sequel that might dilute or harm the original in any way." In this sequel, he has actually enhanced the original by seamlessly weaving one story into the next.

Hafid, now 20 years older, has allowed himself to slip into a slumber of self-pity. Through a dream and the timely appearance of a mysterious stranger, the greatest salesman in the world sets out once again to better the world around him. More than just an illustration of ten success principles, this book is a fascinating story with nuggets of wisdom hidden throughout. Each of the ten Vows of Success contain powerful observations that will hit you right between the eyes.

This book stands well on its own, but will be even more meaningful to those who have read and enjoyed the original.

Larry Hehn, Author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

This is such a great book, its so small yet filled with so much helpfull information and advice, I STRONGLY recomend this book to just about anybody. Read the first Part of the 2 book series and then the second and I garantee you will love these 2 books. After reading them, I simply stoped and thought about what i just read, and the information in them is so helpfull and can be applied to just about anything you are going through, it just gives you a whole new way of looking at the world. This book preatty much turns your way of looking at life upside down. One thing though, im 17 and I have never really read anything with such a good positive message to it. And its interesting to read too. So if this is something i liked, this will surely be something you will LOVE !! Take care.

this is the greatest book i have ever read, though i only fowllow half of the book instructions(my father's stroke broke my progress ), i benefit a lot from the book, especially the attitude to the world and human. now i am no longer the boy who feel the world treats him unfair, but a guy feel the world is full of love,and readiy to help anyone who needs help

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.

I liked this book because it has a lot of action and you never know what will happen next. It makes you jumpy and sometimes gets scary. I really would recommend this book to someone else. (Trust me, You'll love it!)

it was so exciting yhay i could not put down the book.i liked the part when they were in the tunnel & they turned on the bright lights & honked the horn and scared godzilla. then these f-18's killed godzilla!

It's really interesting book.It's much better than a movie,although the movie is not bad, either.This book is going to be interesting to everybody,who loves to read science fiction.I like this book very much.