TO Books

As others have noted, it's an easy book to quickly read and underestimate, but it's a very useful book when you actively think it through. I can vouch for its value as I'm about to use it for the second time in my undergrad intro to Entrepreneurship class at Marquette U. Judging from the quality of the plans last time (following the general outline of the appendix) and from their comments, they really have managed to develop personally meaningful, realistic and actionable plans. The first clue I had that the book has this quality was when I noticed that my wife, who is a busy business lawyer, was spending a lot of care going over it in the evenings, while preparing for a major case. So I'd conclude that it is useful for a range of readers.

Make Your Own Luck is an excellent book, with more pragmatic, useful content than I've found in most business books.

My background is in engineering and science, then business. As an engineer, I really liked that there's a "right answer." Or at least, there are clear wrong answers (the bridge will collapse if we make it out of tissue paper, period). In business, things aren't so easy. Most situations have too many factors to identify, let alone consider deeply. Shareholders interact with managers who interact with technology and customer service people and engineers and operations and ... it's tough to know how to think about all this.

Make Your Own Luck lays out a 12-step process (hmm...) for taking risks. Some of the steps sound simple: Know your big goals before you begin, so when you make bets in your life, you're betting on what you actually want. Sounds obvious? Yeah, but in my own work with executives, I've found that people easily lose sight of their real goals(1). The power from Shapiro and Stevenson's approach comes from having a rigorous checklist to consider when making risky bets.

Some of their tools help evaluate risks that I've never known how to tackle. For example, the authors give us "prediction maps," a tool for identifying low-risk, high-reward opportunities. Simple, elegant, and practically useful. Their other big new tool is "uncertainty grids." Uncertainty grids let you quickly test your plans against combinations of uncertainties to realize whether you've unconsciously anchored yourself to a single scenario, or whether your plans can survive multiple uncertain events.

Behind the tools, they slip in some subtle thinking shifts that are worth pondering in detail. In a paragraph or two, they dismiss "high rewards require high risks" and claim you don't need high risk to get high rewards. Maybe in their world, but that's not how I think. Yet I've also heard Warren Buffett say something similar, so I'm changing my beliefs around risk/reward. That said, it would have been nice if they had pulled out some of their mindset shifts and devoted more time to helping me-as-reader explore what amount to big changes in worldview.

The writing style is fun, with thought experiments between the chapters, a final chapter of scenarios to analyze using the 12 steps, and haiku or other verse at the start of each chapter. I found it a pleasant change from the overly heavy style of most substantive business books, and it was an easy read cover-to-cover that did justice to its excellent content.

I heartily recommend the book. Go check it out!

- Stever

(1) Being a professional, of course, I never, ever lose sight of my own goals. Really.

This book has a lot of potential because it covers the hot topic of how to use "predictive intelligence" (PI) to make business or personal decisions. Unfortunately, the execution falters, since both the book and the topic exist at two levels: dry material vs. attempts to explain it. Presentations about probability are inherently dry, so to liven up their discussion, authors Eileen C. Shapiro and Howard H. Stevenson use real-world examples and creative images. However, in the end, their lively metaphors dilute their information delivery. Readers will rightfully wonder what "wallpaper jujitsu," "magic thinking," "strategic rat hole zone," "bolt-on bets" and the "OOPA! Process" are all about, and the authors don't always fully explain these intriguing-sounding devices. Teaching PI is challenging, but breaking it down into a dozen components doesn't help as much as the authors might have hoped. While we find that the book presents a clear process, interesting anecdotes and good analogies, it also ends with a series of quizzes that have more than one right answer - leaving you both puzzled and intrigued. However, those are pretty good starting points for learning about odds-making and PI.

This book is a must read for anyone who is serious about improving the odds that their actions will produce the intended results.

The book has at least four things going for it:
* The authors' deep, relevant experience in business, business theory and real-world decision making.
* A practical, straightforward approach to acting in the face of uncertainty -- based on the sequential application of 12 skills and processes that, taken together, should improve anyone's "predictive intelligence."
* Stories -- lots of engaging, memorable stories that bring the process to life.
* Interactive elements that allow you to test your understanding of the material.

For me, Make Your Own Luck has been more than just another good business book. As the CEO of a start-up business, I and my associates face more than our share of uncertainty. And, given our limited resources, the consequences of bad bets can be particularly unwelcome.

We faced just such a situation a month ago when an important part of our business was underperforming. So, we turned to Make Your Own Luck and quickly realized that the source of our problems laid in steps 5 and 6 of the Gambler's Dozen, where we had relied on too much "magic" while failing to deal with an "elephant in the living room" (read the book and you will understand). Fortunately, we had a Plan B (also covered in step 6) and we are back on track.

The book's advice was direct and effective - almost as though we had Shapiro and Stevenson on our Board asking tough questions and offering possible solutions. Like I said, it is a must read.

Although in previous reviews, the word "easy" is used, the value of this book is found by taking the time to give it serious study. "Make Your Own Luck" is not a simple read with slap-your-head insight at the end of each chapter. Rather, it provides a step-by-step methodology that, if you understand and follow it, increases the odds of your success.

Even though I'm a highly productive person, prior to buying this book, my thoughts and actions related to a business plan were scattered and unproductive. Based on my anxiety, I instantly understood the value of "The Gambler's Dozen Predictive Map." This technique shows how to match goals (bets) against probability (the unknown), a process so clarifying that it inspired me to created a software application so I could easily use this technique on a wide-range of issues.

I just finished studying the concept of "risk splits." After mastering the Predictive Map, it still took a few hours to wrap my mind around what the authors were describing; not because they are unclear, but because I've never before cast my thoughts using the patterns that they suggest. What I learned is that the hardest thing about making winning business decisions is understanding the impact of the future. By employing "risk splits," I can now look back from the future to analyze today, which is a major shift in my thinking process.

I'm starting to define my "It," a task of concisely describing my business that I've put off for the past year. As I'm a writer and a programmer, describing objectives is easy for me. In this case, however, I've come to realize that the uncontrollable elements revealed in my Predictive Map increased my anxiety and scrambled my brain. In other words, without employing "magic thinking" (more commonly called "BS"), I didn't know enough about my own project to make a meaningful statement, or properly invest my time and money (called "marbles" in Luck-speak) to make it come to life.

I purchased this book for my niece as her mother and her have a lot of issues. My Niece tells me she is very pleased with this book and will share it with her mother when she finishes reading it. It does help with the issues and mostly in how a person presents themselves with their wording.

I pre-ordered this book because I was looking for a resource for better understanding my relationship with my mom. It was a great read - and it is a book that I know I will read again.

This book hit the mark for me because it provided incredible, well-researched, insight into the mother-daughter relationship. I enjoyed the fact that the interviews with mothers and daughters really brought the issues to life for the reader. The authors also had helpful, practical advice about how to bridge the generational gap which is where a lot of women and their mothers (or daughters) get hung up.

The last book that I learned this much from was Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Pipher. I plan to give this book as a gift to my mother (and my sister) for Mother's Day. This book has something for everyone.

I loved the book. I have often marveled at the difference between my mother's generational outlook and my own. Clearly we are at a turning point in history which can lead to different interpretations and reactions to similar events. Moms and Daughters share an eternal bond that need to grow, change and adapt to the times. A useful read for anyone interested in improving or just understanding maternal relationships. A perfect gift for mother's day and a great read for any book club.

An enjoyable, easy-to-read book filled with practical advice that fosters more effective communication. I appreciated the empathy the authors and professionals displayed for all of the women in a variety of circumstances. I read the book just before my mother visited and I know we enjoyed each other more partly as a result. I recommend the book to those with strong bonds with their mothers and those who struggle with their moms.

I loved this book. I am very close with my mother and have never reflected too deeply on the dynamics of our relationship--what works, what doesn't work, and why, but reading this book made me laugh in recognition at the accounts of some of the misunderstandings and inadvertently hurt feelings. While laughing and enjoying the book, it also made me reflect with new appreciation of and insignt into how my mother's and my different life circumstances and choices have shaped us and our relationship--insights I fully expect will also be important for me and my daughter (I am going to be sure to read this book again in 20 or so years when my daughter will be 26.) I couldn't put the book down and afterwards immediately sent my mother an email urging her to read it. Next, I'll recommend it to my sister and my best friend (who chafes constantly at how little her mother understands the demands of her life).

Marathon Method is a wonderful book! I bought it to help me run my first half marathon. I recommend it for anyone interested in running any distance. Tom Holland has a great way of motivating you and getting you excited to get out there and run. He also makes it seem very doable and not overwhelming.

What a wonderful book. I used this book to train for my first 1/2 marathon, after I had knee surgery 2 yrs ago @27yrs old. My husband and I loved it so much he used it to train for his 2nd full this weekend. I've been using it to train for my next half this weekend as well and plan on taking off at least 10mins from my first 1/2 just 3 months ago. We so enjoy the book and it's easy reading style. We are looking at his 12 week triathlete in hopes of entering a triathalon sometime next year. I've personally contacted Tom by email to ask questions about my knee surgery and his training schedule. He personally answered them and offered additional advice. He seem geniuely intersted in my race performance. I think I come upon a gem in training, thanks TOM!

I am currently training for my 8th marathon. Tom Holland's book was able to fit my training needs. If this had been my first marathon, it would still have met my needs. Great book. I recommend it for others.

Of the 10 reviews of this book, which readers give an average of 5 stars, I'm noticing that only *two* people have actually used this method to run a marathon! (My review makes three.) It's fine to skim through the book, look at the schedule and think, Wow! That looks do-able! Five stars! But to actually run 26.2 miles using this method? Here are my thoughts:

First, the positive. I did it! I ran my fifth marathon last week using this method, but it was my first in 14 years and my first since kids. There was no way I could do the traditional 6 day a week training, so I was willing to give this a try. I had never done any kind of core or strength training at all, and I'm now completely sold that it is a key piece of marathon training. In the old days my back would often be the sorest part of my body after a long run, but no more, and the arm strength exercises gave me a big boost on hills. Running only 4 days a week also kept running a lot of fun, and I was always excited to get out there and go - definitely not the case when following a 6 day a week schedule.

The negatives of this book: first, the training charts in the back for all but the advanced plan show 1 core weekout a week, on
Friday, but the text description of the training says there are 3 (Tues, Thurs and Fri). I had been following the chart only and didn't notice this until a few weeks before my race, so I probably didn't do enough core exercises, which gave me something to worry about during the taper.

Second, the periodization is very different in a 4 day a week program. Normally you increase the long run milage one week and decrease the next (like 12, 9, 14, 10, 16, 11), so the build up is gradual. In this program, you increase the long run 3-4 weeks in a row (like 12, 16, 18, 20, 10). I found this really tough to do when the milage got longer, and as a result my long runs were often incredibly slow. As was my marathon time. Because the mid week runs were so light (I followed the intermediate plan), and my long runs so slow, I just didn't have the base of running to step up my pace by 1-2 minutes per mile during the race, although this book claims it will happen. More specifically, my long runs were between 9:30 and 10:00 per mile. I ran the marathon with a 3:50 pace group, which is 8:47, and at mile 24 simply fell apart, which I have never done in a marathon before - I've always run negative splits.

On the other hand, I finished in 3:52 (although I don't really consider that an "intermediate" time), and the training schedule never really took over my life as it had in the past. I never felt overtrained, and there were only a few times where the really long Sunday runs cut into my family time.

So, I think if you are very busy and yet want to *finish* a marathon the intermediate schedule is a good program. If you want to run a faster time, I'm not sure it can be done on anything less than the advanced program. Personally I think if you follow the beginning program without making the mid week runs a little faster or challenging, you may finish but I would bet you will have a pretty miserable race.

I wish the author would give more specifics about how the plans connect to various time goals! He says the right plan will "reveal itself" to the reader, but I think that might not happen until after the race!

I bought this book with HUGE apprehension last year. I had just finished the 111th Boston Marathon in 3:04 and was looking for a new running plan. My previous running plan had me running in 10 day cycles with little to no weight/core training and VERY few off days. I had no problem putting the time in because I believed the more days you spent running the faster you will get. So when I bought this book and saw that I would be only running 4 days week I felt very nervous that I would not better my time. How could running less days make you a faster runner for a marathon? I was going to run another marathon that October (2007). I followed the plan as directed only missing a couple of days. In October 2007 I ran my fastest marathon to date: 2:54. 10 minutes faster than earlier in the year! Since then I have been sold on this plan.

My endurance has been increasing and this fall went looking for another marathon plan in order to break 2:45. I felt like I would need to run around 70-80 miles during my peak in order to reach my goal. After much research I decided to stick with this book adding mileage to the days without increasing the number of days running. I will be sticking to the 4 day running plan with core workouts in between.

I have been doing more research on the 4 day a week running. I noticed that even the running plans on runners world have started to move to running less days during the week. Also, there are many articles coming out on this subject.

About the book itself. I found it to be a good read. He gives advice for the newbie marathon runner and information that the veteran runner could brush up on. He gives three different training plans for the novice, intermediate, and advance runner. Also including the training for a half marathon. He gets very specific on the training days, telling you how long of a rest in between tempo runs, which I enjoy. I enjoy the specificity of the training plans and the information he gives you in the chapter to tweak the plan to your goals.

I consistently refer to this book also have referred this book to friends. This book has worked for me and I will continue to use it during my marathon training. It is great for the newbie and advance runners alike. I challenge advance runners who are running 6-7 days a week to just try this for a 16 week period and see how your next marathon goes.

This is not a book which you read through over a period of hours. In fact it is quite possible that you will never read all of the book, but yet find it invaluable.

Fox breaks the sales stage down into logical segments and provides good "plays" to make the sales process more productive. Sales segments include: Thinking, Reaching, Engaging, Keeping.

None of the plays are innovative, but they are relevant. He provides the reader with good insight and detail on "plays" such as print advertising, Linkedin, PR, Customer referrals, Customer surveys etc. He also makes an effort to cost out these plays. I did find some of his costings on the high side, but it is up to you "the player" to make sure you get your value for money.

The book is not cheap, but if you want a good reference, idea book at your fingertip, it is good value.

Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations is a compendium of 102 marketing strategies to meet sales goals. A football-style theme and trappings capture the reader's eye, but at its heart Marketing Playbook is all business. Tips, tricks and techniques include the basics for creating a good business card, how to create a series of "thank you" postcards with impact, using web conferencing to give a sales presentation without leaving one's chair, how to break through voicemail, and much more. A surprisingly intense amount of detail on each topic and full-color photographs on every page distinguish Marketing Playbook as a top-quality reference and resource for marketing professionals.

Over the past several years there has been an outpouring of titles dealing with the topic of effective marketing techniques that has spawned a cottage industry of thousands of books, and whose publishers rant that by purchasing their book you will invariably be led to the Promised Land.

I don't doubt that most authors of marketing books often work extra hard to find new and creative perspectives on their subject. Unfortunately, however, most fail, as very often their approach is filled with a great deal of hype, but little useful content.

Now, along comes John M. Fox's fresh and innovative approach with his manual Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations 102 of the Best Marketing Plays to Get Your Sales Team Across the Goal Line, where the author uses the metaphor of a football playbook to tutor his readers on how to develop an effective and winning marketing plan.

The manual organizes itself into 102 plays, each comprising one glossy page with full color images, wherein you have the following sections: a diagram, illustration or picture of the Play when correctly executed, next to the image you have the number and name of the Play, on the left hand side of the page you have the strategies and costs, while the center of the page consists of the Assignments and Coaching Points, and the bottom of the page indicates the Primary Receivers as types, their level, and who is the product or service best suited for.
In addition, Fox includes a value-added bonus by providing at the end of some of the pages a section called Extra Points, where you can download from the author's website extra information pertaining to the Play. There is even a scoreboard that rates the Play's strategic or tactical applicability.
For example, if we look at Play 35, Press Releases That Get Ink, we notice that the focus of the strategy is to get your news story in the press, what are the expected costs of a professional writer, how the marketing team and the PR agency should work together, and ends with vital coaching points.

By presenting the material in this way, devoid of technical jargon, verbiage and redundancy, fundamental principles are broken down into understandable messages that everyone can easily follow. Moreover, the book is as informative as it is fun, as the author has taken pains to be clear and concise, while keeping the tone light and approachable. Although, the author states in his notes that he has written the book from the first-person to company leaders, rookie employees and the self-employed will likewise benefit from its reading.
For those who wish to explore the various topics further, the author provides a bibliography of references, resources and additional reading that correspond to each of the Plays. There is even at the end of the manual a glossary index containing a listing of some familiar and unfamiliar terms the author uses in his presentations.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

This book is very engaging, in fact, hard to put down. As a seasoned marketing executive, I am often disappointed with marketing books yet this one was a pleasant surprise and loaded with useful information. John's suggestions are easy to implement and focused on helping sales make sales! Too many marketers focus on brand image to the exclusion of lead generation and customer aquisition. What good is a brand if there is no money in the bank! This book will keep new and seasoned marketers in growth companies on track with cost-effective ideas to ring the sales bell. An excellent feature is a list of sample vendors and the approximate cost of various "plays"; this alone will save new marketers research time and money and allow them to maximize tight marketing budgets for maximum results. This book is worth every penny and there is something inside that will work for every type of business.

Whether a company needs to know how to get its news in front of people who care through news distribution, or how to present it in a binder, John Fox's Marketing Playbook lays it out ... plus John gives you the names of sources who will help. It's the kind of book anybody in marketing and sales will keep and refer to often.

"The Seven Decisions" by Andy Andrews is an excellent book that millions of people should read. I suggest that anyone reading through this book keep both a highlighter and a pen in hand in order to make points which you find that apply to your own life STAND OUT. I have read this book along with Andy's other book "The Traveler's Gift" and highly recommend both of them to anyone interested in gaining a very personal understanding of both themselves AND putting into play some life-changing principles.

Kind regards to all, H. K. Leinberger, M.D.

Andy's steps are so simple, not necessarily easy, as they force us to look at habits accumulated over a lifetime

A quick and easy read, the author takes us through the seven decisions in a story-like fashion. A man searches for the best way to lead his life, and Andrews advises through reflections on the experiences of many famous people he has interviewed over the years.
The great nuggets of advice he relates, spoken by celebrities, are very inspiring: how tough it was for Joan Rivers to make it as a prominent comedianne, how Norman Schwarzkopf was passed up for a promotion early in his career. People who we assume easily acquired fame all truly had their own struggles.
My favorite part is reading the quotes and letters from highly respectful professionals in their own fields, explaining how they had to fight an uphill battle to get where they are today.
The principle of the book is that there are 7 decisions you can make that will help you get ahead (persistence, giving freely --- I won't give them all away here!) with examples of how others used them to get where they are today.
I rarely save books after I read them, but not only did I save this one--I continue to buy copies to give as gifts :)

I have the book, but didn't have time to sit and read it. Audio book is the way to go! Hearing Andy Andrews read his book really allows you to get what he was writing and gain a better understanding of the 7 Decisions. It's almost like a conversation than a book! Loved it! Highly recommend reading his "Traveler's Gift" book first.

It's best to read the "Travelrs Gift" before this book. This is one of the most motivating books I have read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. When I finished reading it I read it again.

An excellent message and a good chapter book for those readers who are starting to gain confidence.

THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT LEARNING TOOL. IT IS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT AND I AM SURE IT WILL BE READ AND EACH CHILD WILL LEARN FROM IT!

The Meanest Thing To Say is not about saying mean things back to mean people. And it isn't even about mean people. What it IS about is children learning self-control, level-headedness and heart. When the new kid, Michael, calls Little Bill names, and says he has to think of the meanest things to say back the next day, Bill is frustrated and anxious. This comes up at home and his dad tells him to just say, "So?" to everything. Little Bill does this and it halts Michael. It takes two people to fight. But the moral of the story doesn't stop here. Bill observes Michael is a new student and maybe just needs a friend. So he invites him to play basketball with him and they become friends.

Unfortunately it is reality that children can be very mean and hurtful. As parents, we need to teach our children how to handle bullies and it's equally as important to teach them not to BE a bully. Also, just ignoring mean actions and words doesn't always work. Everyone has good in them and we all, ages 2-102 need to offer kindness instead of anger. Great job, Cosby! Thank you and please keep writing. Peace & Soar!o8E

I just got this book yesterday for my son who just turned 3 years old. He really enjoyed it and after reading it, he kept asking me to read it over. He was very interested because he started asking questions at the end. He just started preschool and I wanted to introduce him to possible situations he might go through while in school. This story gives a great lesson on how to handle a situation when someone says something mean to you. My son also enjoyed it because the situation takes place in school and at a basketball court, which he can relate to because he started school and he loves to play basketball.

I was looking for a book to help my 9 year-old deal with other kids who say cruel and demeaning things. My son and I sat down and read the book together and then discussed how saying "so" when mean things are said takes away the bullies power. We decided that "so" was his new secret weapon.

My son was so excited when the very next day at school he used his secret weapon and it worked. He has also shared the book with a few of his classmates and it has helped them too.

GREAT BOOK!

This is a good book for any John Mellencamp fan. He expresses himself beautifully in his paintings as well as the written essays that accompany the artwork in the book. I was lucky enough to see his paintings on display in a gallery here in the midwest and they are even more colorful and vivid up close in real life.

What an Artist! Lyrically, Mellencamp has the ability to make the listener FEEL what is going on in the song, and relate it to his/her own life. He carries this talent into his paintings also. I don't know all that much about painting, but I do know that I can look at the face of any of Mellencamp's characters, and FEEL their pain, sorrow, see the hope in their eyes...

Words can not express the way I feel about his art work. It is just too beautiful.

John expresses himself quite well in his paintings. I have always been a big fan of his music and his paintings just complement his music and allows me to understand a little bit more about John Mellencamp, the person.

The book is a must for anyone who enjoys John Mellencamp. All the proceeds are given to elementary school children for music. I think this is a great way for John to give back to his fans and to the world in general. Go get yours now!

Found the information we were looking for, which helped explain a change in the behavior of our child with Down Syndrome.

Have shared with caregivers and agencies working with adults with Down Syndrome. Would highly recommend the book.

If you have a loved one in your life with a disability (Down Syndrome in particular), this book is a must have. Teaching our kids to be independent and to maintain a positive self image are both essential to their success in life.

As a mother of an adult with Down syndrome, I found this book to be amazing. I wish I had found this book years ago! I now understand why my daughter does many of the things she does. This book delves into not only physical aspects which might contribute to the mental wellness of adults with Downs, but also the psychological as well.
I was fascinated to learn that so many things my daughter does is very common with many adults with Down syndrome.
This book is a great guide to help all parents, family members, doctors and others who live, help and work with adults with Down syndrome.

I just received this book and I can't put it down. I am mother of a 17 year old daughter going on 30. This book is so informative. I am even learning more things about my daugther and I thought I had it all figured out. I think if the public were to read this book, there would be no more trouble having our kids with DS be more accepted in the public eye. Its so enlightening. Dennis McGuire is going to be at the DS conference in April. I can hardly wait to see him. I have been to one of his presentations before, he is so on the mark, its uncanny. Wouldn't it be great if all the teachers, doctors and public knew all this information.

I work in the healthcare field with persons with Mild Mental Retardation including Down's Syndrome. I'm also a grad student and have taken several courses in this area. This book is a revelation. The first thing that's great is that it's a practical manual specific to just Down's (most caregiver manuals are so broad as to be virtually useless). This book has answers to real world problems culled from experience and insight.

It does a great job at systematizing a lot of the knowledge out there and coming up with ways to apply it. The concept of "groove", chapter on OCD and Down's (something I was having a problem with with a specific client I work with and haven't seen anything useful written on) and Time Perception were all really good.

Lots of helpful, PRACTICAL information and not a bunch of the kind of garbage educational theory and psychobabble that passes as scholarship nowadays. This stuff works. I've used it already. It is obviously written by people who actually work with people with Downs and not ivory tower bureaucrats.

If you're a caregiver, work with persons with Downs' or are a concerned parent, buy this one ASAP. I can't say enough good things about this book.

I've been an Access developer for the past 10 years. Now our company is finally migrating our data over to a SQL 2000 database. This book is an excellent resource for those transitioning from Access to SQL. The information is well thought out, laid out in an easy to use format, supplies good examples, and has a tremendous amount of useful information.

Comprehensive. A good resource to have in the collection of books.

Andre Van Staden - Senior Developer
Marco Giani - Group IT Back end Developer

This is a great book. I have recommended it to coworkers who also purchased the book and they were equally impressed. This helped me have a much greater understanding of both Access and SQL Server and how they work together.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone using Access with SQL Server. It is easy to understand and has plenty of useful code examples. I use this as a reference on a regular basis.

This answers a lot of programmer level questions about using MS-Access with SQL Server. It describes the limits and penalties when going the various routes. The book is quite clear in its descriptions. It would make a good addition to any Access programmer's collection.

I have a lot of SQL server books. Everything from SQL Server 2000 for Dummies up to SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Programming. And many times none of these books had what I needed. Then I would turn to this book. I was using VB.Net, so I figured this book wouldn't apply, but I was wrong. Even if you are not using Access, this book explains SQL Server the right way. Chipman and Baron offer simple but thorough explanations and samples of the things you actually need to know as a developer. They don't spend a lot of time on the things a SQL Server DBA might need to know that a coder would not.

Maybe their approach works so well for me because I came from an Access background, but I am willing to bet anyone coming straight from VB and needing to understand Transact SQL, effective stored procedures, funtions, and triggers would appreciate this book as well.

I found this book to be most helpful for me as a co-caregiver, but would be reticent to have given the book to my dad (the patient) to read as there was a lot of grim discussion that I'm not sure would have been useful to him at this point in his treatment. He was recently diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and was scheduled for a radical nephrectomy when I got this book. His immediate focus was on the surgery and recovery. At this stage he has very good survival odds and this book on the whole seems to be geared for the seriously ill cancer patient. If his disease was one that was terminal or if it becomes terminal, I might think differently about it and recommend the book to him as well.

As a family member/caregiver I found two sections particularly helpful. The first was how to be a supportive family member (i.e. recognizing the stages of grief the patient and family experience) rather than isolating or shutting off the patient (which seems obvious, but when you are dealing with an angry/cranky person you're natural instinct is to leave them alone). The second was the information regarding pain and pain management. There is so much stigma regarding pain medication and fear of addiction that people suffer in pain unnecessarily.

For those reading this book as part of continuing education for psychceu, it's a straight forward question/answer test and the answers are easy to find. You'll also learn something along the way.

This is a MUST READ for anyone who is going through a cancer ordeal. Whether it is for yourself or for someone else, you will find it to be an invaluable resource of practical and inspirational material. It is one of the most comprehensive, inspirational and hopeful books I've read on the subject. It has practical medical information, philosophy and stories of miracles and hope. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs advice and comfort.

Nancy Hassett Dahm has been a God-Send for myself and my family from the initial shock of the diagnosis, through any illness, treatment, etc...all the way to the end. She is knowledgeable, but sensitive. She's a wonderful contact to have. She can answer all your questions and validate all your emotions. She's very honest, but in a very caring way. I am sending her book to my best friend, whose Mother was just diagnosed with cancer. I can't imagine going through this disease or seeing a loved one go through it without the help of this wonderful book. It is informative, comforting and so helpful in every way. Thank you, Nancy.

Mind, Body, And Soul: A Guide To Living With Cancer by Nancy Hassett Dahm is a book that will better the lives of cancer patients, their family and friends. Nancy Dahm reaches out to those who need reaching out. Mind, Body, And Soul presents the answers to the questions that cancer patients need to know for higher quality of life during difficult circumstances. From pain management techniques to spiritual strength, Mind, Body, And Soul is an incredible and solid resource and guide.

John Weaver

My dad was diagnosed with lung, lymphnotic and liver cancer on August 22. My mom and I both have read the book. It has help us to cope, with what to expect, with what he is feeling, what we are feeling and just to learn more. I couldn't have asked for a better book or a more helpful book than Mind, Body and Soul! This has been a God Sent!