Books

Men on Top
The Nation's Diet: Social Science of Food Choice
Let Evening Come
Sensual Massage (Pocket Guide to Loving S.)
Potty Training ("Practical Parenting" Problem Solvers S.)
Food and Diet Counter
"Essence": Total Makeover - Beauty, Body, Spirit
Body Bazaar: The Market for Human Tissue in the Biotechnology Age
Great Parties
10 Bad Choices That Ruin Black Women's Lives
Whole Person Fertility Programme
The Gentleman's Guide to Life
Hormone of Desire
The Terrible Teens: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Natural Woman, Natural Menopause
The Way of Herbs: Herbal Remedies for Natural Health and Healing
Just Checking: Scenes from the Life of an Obsessive-compulsive
The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition
Gentle Healing for Baby and Child
Eating for a Perfect Pregnancy (You Are What You Eat)
The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy: (or Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You)
The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity (Positive Paperbacks)
Bewitching
Dr. Atkins' Vita-nutrient Solution: Nature's Answer to Drugs
Overcome Neck and Back Pain

Venus on Top: Women Who Are Born to Lead and the Men Who Love Them

Average customer rating:

New Age Dominance?
A thought provoking guide to exploring your feminine power ..
For those of us who march to the beat of a different drummer..
Philosophical Ramblings of a Rodent-brained Moron
Serious Advice for Dominant Women Seeking Cooperative Men

Venus on Top: Women Who Are Born to Lead and the Men Who Love Them
Barbara Wright Abernathy
Manufacturer: OakHill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1886939667

Book Description

Women in positions of leadership in our society are often forced to choose between professional and personal relationships. Some men are intimidated or affronted by these women's power and accomplishments, while leading women can themselves show poor discernment, choosing male partners who insist on dominating and controlling their relationships. Author Barbara Wright Abernathy says that a new understanding of gender is the answer. Stepping away from patriarchal Old World Conventions, she draws on Native American traditions for her exciting premise: four out of five women are Earth Mothers--nurturing and others-oriented--while the remaining fifth is a Star Woman whose nature is to lead and inspire. Both types of women are valid, but neither will have happy romances or relationships if they do not find the right kind of men to compliment their distinctly different personalities and needs. "Venus On Top" will help each woman discover her own inner Earth Mother or Star Woman, teaching her how to discern, attract and keep the man who is right for her.

Customer Reviews:

New Age Dominance?.......2007-01-11

This book is interesting. The author's personal tale of her life journey is much more fascinanting than the description of the different types of women and how this affects their abilities to lead those around them. I did find some useful ideas; however there is a chapter in the book about the men's perspective that does not give the first person account but rather a generalization. I would have preferred to read what drew a man to the powerful woman (or women) in his life. Maybe the author, Barbara Wright Abernathy, will one day write a follow-up......

A thought provoking guide to exploring your feminine power .. .......2006-07-30

Barbara, thank you for writing with those new to FLR's in mind. Having been raised around female-led relationships, "Venus On Top" reads as a common sense outline for those interested in finding out more about the rewards and possibilities a female-led relationship has to offer.

Some women fail to realize their personal power, unnecessarily resorting to manipulation or deceit to get what they want. This book can help replace these negative tendencies with mutually acceptable ways of communicating needs/desires. Most men crave to make their women happy anyway, and need nothing more than for her to start taking ownership of her desires and then sharing them with him in a healthy way. Rewarding him well as a result of his unconditional support doesn't hurt either ;). So thanks again for this entertaining, thought-provoking book.

For those of us who march to the beat of a different drummer.........2006-06-06

This book was given to me as a gift. A male friend had heard Barbara Wright Abernathy at a speaking engagement and told me "She says the same things you've been thinking". With the book in hand I also took the time to visit the authors website.

Have you ever heard someone say "She wears the pants in that family", or "She's one bossy/powerful/in control woman"? Well, that is the type of woman this book was written for. Barbara had failed relationships and didn't know why. This book details her experience and what she and her husband, Stephen, learned together. Relationships like this aren't for everyone, but there are a lot of us who needed someone to put the idea into writing.

No one talks about power levels between partners. Some partners argue all the time about finances, even though one is clearly more adept at managing money than the other. With help from this book, I can see where it's possible to have a relationship with clearly defined roles. Perhaps I get an extra vote when we're tied on a decision. Or he agrees to always check the 'Honey-Do-List' first thing on a Saturday morning. If you're a strong woman, it helps you figure out how you and your partner can simply clearly define your roles in the relationship.

It's been my experience that men love to please their women. This book just brings certain aspects to light and helps women to see and acknowledge the power we DO have..and how to use it in a healthy way for creating happiness in our relationship.

This book isn't about living with a Female Dominatrix or involving heavy 'kink' into your home life. If that's your choice, fine. But this book is more for the average folks - of which I am one - who would simply like to have their relationship be closer and more loving.

There are more of us powerful women out here than you would think! This book gives me food for thought .. and action. Thanks Barbara and Stephen!

Philosophical Ramblings of a Rodent-brained Moron .......2005-12-20

[...]

So let's get this straight. Either a man dominantes a woman and basically has her serving him at home or he then essentially runs a buisness and is the work horse while his "working" wife "runs" the buisness but proves more a show horse than anything else and then the man suddenly swtiches over from being "cooperative" (i.e. submissive) to running off with what Mitchell calls a submissive wife.

Yeah this makes lots of sense. A woman is either a bossy twit that doesn't see it coming or a guy is a boorish brute or a milquetoast.

Please this book is not a serious academic or analytical take on a supposed natural inclination of leadership--regardless of gender. Rather it is clearly a fantasia catering to the female domination fetish. Any author or idiotic reviewer with such a black and white view of human interaction is fundamentally jaded, narrow-minded, and nearsighted.

Mitchell, for example, sounds like a man with much want to have the opportunity to run off with any woman and most likely has had little interaction with the opposite sex to know anything of value to pass along to a reader.

The bottom line is that leaders are more made than born. There are an endless supply of people with raw talent. The world is overflowing with them. What it lacks is those with the discipline and not just the "drive," which is so often chimed as a great attribute. The dedication to grooming oneself and staying focus on long-term goals that can literally take many years to attain is a requirement few with all the talent in the world are ready to undertake.

In our me-me, show-me-the-results-right-now demanding, impatient, immediacy, few men--or women--have what it takes to be a leader. Men have suffered from this for decades, namely believing that they can do anything simply because they think it. It takes work though more than anything to make it. Women today, however, have caught up with male ego and vanity in that now women genuinely beleive this is "their time" and they have an inherent right to claim the future without actually doing what is required to truly make it and have earned that right. Birth and gender and all that glorious talent alone do not make it in the world.

This book only caters to the the insecure and delussional.

Serious Advice for Dominant Women Seeking Cooperative Men.......2005-04-18

In the franchising business, franchisors have long known to look for husband-and-wife teams where the wife runs the marriage and the business . . . and keeps the books while the man follows her orders ungrudgingly until he drops from fatigue. If you recruit dominant males instead, the wife stays at home . . . and you get only one person working on the business rather than two. The only downside to these hard-working couples is that when the men hit their 50s, they often run off with a submissive female employee and stop working on the business. Smart franchisors help these couples sell their franchise businesses at that point to pay for the divorce settlement.

What's that story got to do with Venus on Top? More than you would expect. Many women are born to lead in their work, their businesses and in their marriages. Pair those women with men who want to lead in the same ways . . . and you have one leader too many. Pair them with a man who wants to follow and please them, and you can have a recipe for more successful marriages.

I decided to read this book to gain more perspective on my great grandparents and parents . . . where in both generations the women led. The men followed silently in their wake . . . but not always happily. This book echoed one phrase the males all learned early in our family, "When the women are happy, the men are happy."

Ms. Abernathy describes her experiences with three failed marriages and her conclusions about how women who want to lead at work and at home can find compatible males who will enjoy that kind of relationship. She also provides advice for those who are willing to be a woman who follows her husband's lead . . . but the primary value of this book comes for those who want to know how to get what they want . . . and know what that is.

Much of the book is based on Jung, studies of ancient goddess-based religions, positive thinking and self-help methods. If you are familiar with those subjects, you won't find anything new in those sections. If you would like to learn a little in those areas, the material is accessible.

Most women I know would call this a five-star book just for chapter 10, Training Your Man or Why Real Women Don't Do Housework. That section provides the best explanation I've ever seen of how to help men take on household chores in ways that will be pleasing to women. The essence of the advice is to provide hands-on demonstrations, answer questions, observe, correct and provide encouragement. Now, was that so hard? Men can learn. Every household chore that I do now was learned through that process.

The book veers off in a few places that can be misunderstood by being too literal about what she says. Ms. Abernathy, like a large percentage of women, has a thing about men leaving the toilet seat up. She does go on in addressing that problem which really bugs her. This is a litmus test of a man's devotion to her. She also makes it sound like giving or withholding sexual favors in some random fashion is great for a marriage. On closer reading, I think her message is a little different from her words. The real message, I think, is to create a positive relationship through personal warmth and mutual sexual gratification that relies as much on flirting and surprise as it does on accommodating men's desire for sex.

Overall, I found the tone of the book to be refreshing coming from a woman in her 50s. If something's important to a woman in a relationship . . . why shouldn't she be on top (which Ms. Abernathy means both literally and psychologically) in the relationship?

I suspect that many younger women will wonder what all the fuss is about.

Ms. Abernathy describes her philosophy with enthusiasm. I suspect she would be an entertaining speaker on this subject.

Top Shape: 12 Weeks to Your Ideal Physique

Average customer rating:

Good for beginners, but do NOT continue after you start getting in shape
Good but some mistakes
Perfect Book to Start you off and more
A simple program made more complex by book layout.
It delivers.And spectacularly !

Top Shape: 12 Weeks to Your Ideal Physique
Joyce L. Vedral
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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12-Minute Total-Body Workout

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0446395331

Customer Reviews:

Good for beginners, but do NOT continue after you start getting in shape.......2005-10-02

Joyce Vedral addresses the typical sedentary American who's a novice at working out. This book is targeted at the sort of guy shown in the "before & after" photos; middle-aged men (or men getting close to middle-age) who are out of shape but not TERRIBLY out of shape, have little or no experience with weight lifting, and want to start looking less pudgy and more muscular.

As a gentle introduction to working the upper body using free weights, the program Vedral recommends will start getting you in shape. She emphasizes the upper body because that's what most men are concerned with, but (correctly) points out that you really need to do lower body work as well. She includes plenty of optional leg exercises in her program, but really should recommend them more strongly -- someone who is serious about getting in shape and is willing to work with weights should not consider leg workouts "optional"! The good thing about her program is that it can be done entirely with dumbells and a bench, so if you don't have the time or money to go to a gym, it won't cost too much to buy what you need for a home workout. She does give options for using machines at a gym, although the dumbell workout is superior.

I got started with her program, over a year ago, and it did begin to shape me up. My muscles got bigger, I could feel my chest and arms firming up, and I gradually increased the amount I was lifting.

Now, here's what's wrong with her program and why you won't want to stick with it indefinitely if you intend to continue improving herself:

1. As mentioned above, she doesn't put enough emphasis on the need for working your ENTIRE body. I took her half-hearted plea to work the legs too as "permission" to ignore them. I didn't really start achieving my overall fitness goals until I began working my lower body.

2. She doesn't emphasize nutrition enough, which most bodybuilders will tell you is MORE important than your workout! An inferior workout program with a good diet will gain you some improvement and at least you'll be healthier; a superior workout program with a lousy diet will gain you minimal improvements at best and not much gains in your health. The book does talk about nutrition a little and gives some recommendations for good eating, but her "diet" is austere and won't appeal to someone just getting into fitness.

3. The weight recommendations are TOO LIGHT. It's fine for a beginner who's never done weightlifting before to start with small weights and gradually increase them, but Vedral has you increasing the amount you lift by minute amounts and then tells you that once you get to a certain point, you can stop increasing the weight and continue working out at that level forever! This will never dramatically reshape your body, and frankly, I find it hard to believe that some of her success stories really achieved the shape they are in merely following this program, without some serious extra weight exercises, cardio, and nutritional support. You certainly will not get the dramatic results in those photos just doing the dozen or so sets of upper-body dumbell exercises with the low weights Vedral recommends. Once I got into a more serious weightlifting program, I suddenly found myself regularly lifting FAR more weight than I had been while following the program in this book! If I had not "graduated" and realized this book was inadequate for further progress, I'd still be lifting much smaller weights and thinking I was doing fine.

4. The upper body workout is adequate for a beginner, but it's not good for someone who really wants a stronger, muscular figure. It's important to know which muscle groups you should exercise in what order, and Vedral has you doing exercises in which you'll overwork some muscles without giving them adequate time to recover. This won't be a major factor when you are working those muscles for the first time, but as you progress, it will begin to hinder your progress.

5. Some of her claims are overhyped and inaccurate. Vedral is an English professor, and her credentials as a nutritionist and personal trainer are sketchy. She leads you to believe that you can simultaneously burn fat while building muscle, which any fitness expert or bodybuilder can tell you is not true. You can experience *some* muscle growth while you are losing fat, but you can't gain weight (which is what building muscle requires) and lose weight (which is what burning fat requires) at the same time, nor do both consistently over the long term. You have to focus on one or the other. First burn the fat, then build the muscle. This book will also lead you to believe that weightlifting is a fat-burning activity. You SHOULD lift weights as part of a fat-burning program, for too many reasons to elaborate on here, but lifting weights alone WILL NOT burn fat. If you're fat, and you do weights but no cardio or diet adjustments, you'll be a stronger fat person.

In short, I'd recommend this book for a total beginner who needs a friendly, personable guide and an easy program to get started with, but only with the understanding that after a few months (assuming you follow the program diligently and make good progress), you will need to start reading more serious books and follow a more comprehensive program that works your entire body in a more scientific manner.

Good but some mistakes.......2005-07-11

This book is a great way to start your weight lifting workout. BUT i have found a few problems with it as i have progressed.

1] The split routine she recommends is WRONG. She recommends biceps, triceps, and then chest, shoulders, and chest [and then a day off]. NO, the back exercises work out your biceps.. and the shoulder and chest exercises will work out your triceps... THUS violating the VERY Important rule of letting a body party have 24 hours off before you work it out again. The REAL split routine should be biceps, back, then chest, shoulders, and triceps. Doing it her way not only hurt my development but also was harmful to my overworked muscles that never really got enough time to heal between workouts.

2] The second and third shoulder exercises she lists are HORRIBLE. I have never seen them in ANY OTHER workout book, that is because you should always lift away from the floor against gravity. Those two exercises have to lifting the weights paralla to the floor, BAD and hard to do. She probably did this because she was hard up for exercises that allow you to always use the same 3 sets of dumbells.

3] Back exercise 3 [upward row] is also works shoulders too. This is bad if again you are using the split routine. Also I have heard from experienced lifters that the upward row is a horrible exercise and should be eliminated all together.

Otherwise an excellent do-it-yourself starting workout. Simple and straight forward. Start with it and see the results, BUT if you stick with it you will need more and better books then this.

Perfect Book to Start you off and more.......2004-07-02

If you are the target for this book just stop looking and get it. I have been promising myself forever that I was going to start excercising but I just never seemed to start. I finally got serious about it but I wanted to do weight training -not just cardio. I did this out of vanity since I wanted to have something to show for my hard work on the outside, not just the inside. Anyway I am a skinny guy and I did a little lifting in HS/college but now that I'm a little older, I have the wisdom to know you just can't wing it. I searched for a book that will break it down as simple as possible: Do ___ step by step. Well this is the book. I have been doing it for 4 months now and there has been a dramatic difference in my upper body. That's the funny thing -in the book Joyce tells you that the initial workout concentrates on the upper body only (since that is what most guys want). She forewarns that as you advance you will probably have to incorporate the leg routine into the workout. Well she's right. Already my legs are looking way to skinny to the muscle I have put on so I have to begin the alternating workout instead of the 3X per week one.

Bottom line is this is the perfect book to put yourself to the test and prove to yourself that you really can change the look of your body with a minimal amount of $ (just a bench and some dumbells are all that's needed). Thanks Joyce (and no I'm not going to send in a before/after picture!) :)

A simple program made more complex by book layout........2002-04-17

First, some disclosure: I have not actually continued the program past the first day. Firstly, the weight recommendations are overly ambitious for the beginner. I recommend starting with much smaller weights. Secondly, the tables listing the reps would be easier to follow if placed right next to the illustrations of the exercise. Workouts are tough to stay focused on if one has to repeatedly flip between multiple sets of pages in a book. Perhaps a detachable foldout chart giving a visual overview would be helpful.

It delivers.And spectacularly !.......2001-10-09

I never really believed that I could work off the flab and fat that I had accumulated over the last 20 years.That was before I came across this book ! Believe me,this book worked.Maybe not in 12 weeks(mine was a pretty serious case !)but certainly over 6 months,it worked wonders on me !And all with some floor exercices and a pair of dumbells ! My stomach is iron-hard,and every part of my body is taut and muscled!

Lady,you sure know how to handle a body !! Great show and THANKS !

Tattoos on My Soul: From the Ghetto to the Top of the World

Average customer rating:

What an amazing story
REAL TATTOOS
So true and so powerful!
A waste of money
Weak, but mildly amusing

Tattoos on My Soul: From the Ghetto to the Top of the World
Burrel Lee Wilks
Manufacturer: Burrel Streetwise
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0976873605

Book Description

Looking into the head and heart of a man who rose above a life of narcotics, violence, and fast money to become someone with his own voice and dreams, this memoir humanizes the dilemma many youngsters face today and underscores the role the streets play as both proving ground and educational institution. By the age of 9, Buddy Burrel was a millionaire with his own flourishing crime empire, having followed in the footsteps of his iron-willed, often-brutal father, a West-Side Chicago kingpin. A gang chief in the powerful Vice Lords family at the age of 11, Burrel attracted the attention of Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, an infamous boss of the Chicago outfit, under whose tutelage he rose to become a serious player at the age of 16. Yet after realizing he had the wherewithal to lead a different life, Burrel turned from ghetto grit—his father's house, the gangs, the hard drugs, and the streets—to glitz and glamour. Immersed in a world of coast-to-coast living, golf, gambling, and entrepreneurism, populated with idiosyncratic characters and underscored by a painful emotional awakening, he eventually broke away from the dark side with his spirit, heart, and hopefulness intact.

Customer Reviews:

What an amazing story.......2007-05-20

This book is something else - what a page turner! For me, reading Tattoos had the same effect as going to Vegas - I developed a swagger like an unstoppable VIP, and suddenly, a wallet full of $100 bills didn't seem like an impossible goal. For those who commented that some of the stories are unbelievable, open your eyes: this kind of money exchanges hands in legal and illegal enterprises every day. Burrel has given us a rare glimpse into the world of big thinkers. Okay, sure, it's the literary version of a daredevil's televised stunt: kids, don't try this at home. But I think he does a good job of explaining WHY the gangsta life is ultimately self-defeating. Bravo!

REAL TATTOOS.......2006-11-11

It's raw reality, hard to swallow-but still true! He shows the glamour and the seduction of a successful gang leader, but as you keep on reading, he makes clear how shallow, empty and lifeless was his life. How easy to get in and how hard to get out! It trilled me to follow the thoughts that would lead him to get out of it all. Finally, he ends up giving it back - a confession to inspire personal growth without being a self-help book.

So true and so powerful!.......2006-11-08

The first thing that called my attention was the book's title. I got totally hooked on this true story of a man who survived the best and the worst - many times in the same day. Burrel's story stood up to the powerful title. His character, his persona, his friends jump out of the page from beginning to end. I was very impressed that he had courage and determination not only to get out of the thug-business, but also to tell everything to the public. It's a story of survival indeed. Told by a man who has been there, seen that, done that. And that's one of the reasons that Burrel has the authority to talk about crime, drugs and the worst of the world with clarity and knowledge to people around the world - not just ghettos.

A waste of money.......2006-11-04

This ghetto dude glorifies a life of pimpin,druggin,and other illicit business's he spends about 2 pages in the book talking about his so called new profession as a life coach and mentor. I saw him on the news show fox thing in the morning in chicago and from the title of the book and his so called conversion from being a thug to being an honest businessman made me want to support the brother, but after reading this book I wished I had saved my money!

I get the impression he is still probebly doing stuff that is illegal and his story is not one I would want my children or anyone I know imulating! Life Coach? Pulezze! There are alot of hardworking folks who grew up poor and made it without all of the activities he is glorifying in this book. This book is a waste of money!

artj

Weak, but mildly amusing.......2006-10-14

If you can get past the over-the-top exagerations, you might even finish this book.

Example (pages 57 & 58):

"The most gut-wrenching loss I personally experienced was a $10 million betting disaster when I was 17."

"They were all kingpins, sitting on ridiculous cash surpluses."

"They played, as did I, soley with C-notes..."

"The pot was brewing, $30 million strong..."

$30 million is the equivilent of 300,000 C-notes...just how big was the table?

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful new Southern voice
Civil Rights era blacks with blue collar jobs
A real page-turner of a novel
Magic and Tragedy in the South
Seven Laurels is an exceptionally beautiful song of life

Seven Laurels
Linda Busby Parker
Manufacturer: Southeast Missouri State University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0972430474

Book Description

The Civil Rights Movement in the South represents one of American history's most important, bloody, and terrifying periods. Seven Laurels takes place during that time, encompassing the years between 1954 and 1994. The novel traces the life of African-American Brewster McAtee, a hardworking and innovative carpenter, as he struggles for his dreams to own land and build a home and respectability in rural Alabama. When the Civil Rights Movement explodes, he is drawn into the core of the conflict, where he and his family face the ultimate loss from which they may never recover.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful new Southern voice.......2004-10-14

Thank you Linda Busby Parker for writing the life of Brewster McAtee, an Alabama African-American. I met Brewster as a boy in Low Ridge, Alabama in 1956. I watched this very determined and focused young man grow into a wonderful husband, father and furniture maker. I rejoiced in his many accomplishments and shared his pride in his talented son Laurel. I was awed how he overcome the obstacles of the segragated south with dignity. I traveled with him from hope, through tragedy, and back to hope again. I loved this story because it spoke to my heart and was filled with many positive values. I felt Brewster's family's tragedy did not belong to just them, but to the world.

Civil Rights era blacks with blue collar jobs.......2004-08-08

In this remarkable novel, Linda Busby Parker takes us on a journey of a black man's life in rural Alabama during the Civil Rights era. Over and over we admire Brewster McAtee as he deals with an abusive father, poverty, and the degrading insults of living in the pivotal time of enforced equality by law and citizen agreement. We delight in Brewster's determination to own land, build a home, and raise a family with the cultured woman of his dreams. We mourn his losses and exult in his triumphs while fulfilling the American dream.

A real page-turner of a novel.......2004-07-17

Winner of the James Jones First Novel Award, Seven Laurels is the story of a black man, Brewster McAtee, and his daily effort to earn a living as a skilled carpenter in 1950's Alabama - an era that saw the beginning of the end of legal segregation in America, as well as a change in long-standing American assumptions and prejudices about race. A tense, story of having to deal with changes, tension, and murderous hositility that is far greater than the will of any one individual, Seven Laurels is a real page-turner of a novel that keeps the reader hooked to the end.

Magic and Tragedy in the South.......2004-07-03

This is a novel about all the travails and joys of life, the fragility of human nature, and a family's love that spans decades. Parker has succeeded in capturing life in the troubled South; she has also managed to render a realistic picture of all the levels of racial tensions still rife here. But SEVEN LAURELS is primarily a personal and riveting story about a man we readers come to love: Brewster McAtee. I felt I was there with Brewster, I KNOW this man. I could not put the novel down. Perhaps it was Parker's beautiful, decorous language, her masterfully wrought characters or maybe it was the hard subject matter. However she did it, one thing is for sure: Parker is an ALCHEMIST. Buy and read this book. You will not be disappointed!

Seven Laurels is an exceptionally beautiful song of life.......2004-06-28

The newest novel from the Southeast University Press, Linda Busby Parker's Seven Laurels, is an exceptional story of life, trial, joy, devastation and hope. Parker creates memorable characters the reader can identify with and care about. Her beautiful use of language moves readers to feel the boundless joy of new life, and the crushing shock of life cruelly cut short.
Seven Laurels is an emotional and compelling tale that traverses the life of Brewster McAtee, a strong and gifted African-American living and surviving in Alabama through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and into the 1980s. Flashbacks reveal Brewster's childhood and adolescence, and all the obstacles he overcomes to develop into a land-owning master carpenter raising a family in the South.
Readers follow Brewster as works to save enough money to buy land and build a home. We meet the girl of his dreams and watch as he tries to win her love and measure up to her father's expectations. We see him become a father, then a grandfather, all in a hostile time and place that seems to actively work against him on occasion.
The breadth and depth of human emotion and potential are displayed by various characters in the novel. The love and support of family contrast an irrational hated and separation by skin color. The kindness and compassion of an elderly Dutch immigrant are juxtaposed with the blind prejudice and hatred of a poor, ignorant white man who lives in a tiny shack near Brewster's land.
Race and prejudice are key themes in the novel. Brewster works every minute of his life to overcome the stereotypes surrounding black men. Scene after scene portrays the unjust practices perpetuated by white people. Decent education, voter registration, buying land, a home, even a car were privileges not readily extended to blacks. Major civil rights events-the bus boycott, Malcolm X's speeches and murder, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches and murder, formation of the NAACP and many more-affect Brewster and his family in a variety of ways.
This novel is not just about race and prejudice, however. It's about family, growth and life. It's about church suppers, birthday cakes, piano lessons, wood carving. It's about perseverance through adversity, patience and understanding, pride in the accomplishments of people you care about.
That is not to say the novel is always rosy or that things work out all the time. They don't. As much as this is a story of triumph, it is also one of defeat. Deaths and accidents occur. Things don't always work out as they should. The point of this whole experience, however, is to realize what can be accomplished in spite of destruction and tragedy. The novel is complex and full, but the straightforward description and conversational tone make the beautiful language easy to read.
The novel has won the James Jones First Novel Award, and deservedly so. I encourage everyone to put it on their summer reading lists.

The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate--and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top

Average customer rating:

Good Tips And Conversational
He's Hip and Hot
Helpful beyond belief.
If you are newly divorced and just entering the dating world this is book is a must!
Fun and Informative

The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date, and Mate--and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top
Steve Santagati
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Love & Romance | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Dating Rocks!: The 21 Smartest Moves Women Make for Love
Women Men Love, Women Men Leave: What Makes Men Want to Commit?

ASIN: 0307345696
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Book Description

How many times have you and your friends asked one another these questions without ever coming up with any good answers? Your girlfriends just tell you what you want to hear. At the end of the day, the only person who can give you insight into man problems is—that’s right—a man! But guys have hidden agendas. What guy would give up all his dating advantages by spilling the goods?

Steve Santagati would. A self-confessed serial dater and Bad Boy, Steve is telling all for the benefit of womankind. Every guy is at least part Bad Boy, and in The Manual, this prime specimen reveals what every woman needs to know to counter Bad Boy tactics, both amateur and professional. Steve is never condescending or callous, but honest, perceptive, and street-smart. His guidance is straightforward and his insights are dead-on, giving women tools they can immediately put to work.

Discover what you may not want to know but need to know about:

•The Heart of the Bad Boy (i.e., the nature of the beast)
•The Male Mind: how he sees you and how you can make this worko your advantage
•Guys on the Hunt: the male modus operandi, from the grocery store to Home Depot
•When Boy Meets Girl: how to handle dating, from flirting to “sext” messaging to learning his weaknesses
•Mating: so you’ve got him . . . should you keep him?

Why learn from a Bad Boy instead of, say, a psychologist? Because there’s no replacement for “in the field” experience. You’ll benefit from (and laugh at) stories of real things Steve has done in relationships with women as well as of women turning the tables on him when he least expected it. The book also includes a question-and-answer section, in which Steve explores some of the toughest dating issues.

To understand Steve is to understand the Bad Boy, and that will take you a long way in understanding all men. Find out how much more fun dating can be when you get the upper hand on Bad Boys . . .
for good.

Customer Reviews:

Good Tips And Conversational.......2007-06-27

What's with all the sudden books on dating for women by guys? I don't mean guys like PhD's, they've been around forever. I mean books by guys who are in the game, playing the field. I find these books refreshing and to have good tips. They are also conversational. I recently engaged in a conversation with an author about her book, which has lots of good advice but it's delivered in such a textbook manner, I don't think it will get much real use. This book, and ones like it, are just the opposite. It was an easy, conversational read. The advice is geared to dealing with guys who know what they are doing when it comes to women. A good read and lots of good tips. Also read God Is a Woman: Dating Disasters. It is also conversational, by a guy, and very funny, to boot. These are the best two books I've ever read on dating; I cannot emphasize the importance of reading them enough.

He's Hip and Hot.......2007-06-24

The guy with the edge who's playful? Who doesn't want that? Gotta say, this book spins in like no other: I laughed out loud, chuckled, smirked, and recognized many things (instinctively) that have worked - as well as a few newbies. We all get roped in - hook, line and sinker - but this one makes putting out that bait a whole lot less smelly.

Helpful beyond belief........2007-06-16

I thoroughly enjoyed The Manual. I had just broken up with my boyfriend 3 days before I read it and was having a very rough time. As soon as I started reading the book I began bookmarking pages. The section on "How to Get Over a Breakup" felt like it was written just for me. Now whenever Im feeling a litte vulnerable I just refer to my bookmarks, especially the one on why 'silence is golden.' If you have every dated, are dating, or are planning on dating this is a must read. It gives you the courage to put yourself out there and makes you feel like you are a step ahead in this game of dating.

If you are newly divorced and just entering the dating world this is book is a must!.......2007-06-14

I am newly divorced and just barely over the age of 40. I would consider myself a very smart, intelligent, and savy woman. However, being out of the dating world for 20 years I was one of the many who blindly got roped in by a badboy my first night out on the town.

I so wish I would have read the Manual before my first outting as a single woman. It would have prepared me for knowing how to handle these type of guys. I would have had fun with the game. I would have known how to spot these type of men. Then, instead of experiencing unnecessary heartache, pain, and humiliation I would have been able to see this monster coming and given him a little run for his money!

The good news is, is that was just one of the few badboys I've met so far. So guess what??? I have been able to actually institute much of the advice in the Manual on a few other guys I've dated. I feel like I've gained some control back in my dating life due to these tips.

Steve, thanks for going out on a limb and giving up all the secrets of the badboy type. This book is a MUST read for all women over the age of 18 who are out in the dating world. Additionally, Steve hosts a great website and graciously answers your personal e-mail questions. That is so impressive. Thank you.

Jill from Arizona

Fun and Informative.......2007-06-14

Steve keeps it real. I found this book to be very pratical and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to any woman who wants to really get insight as to what goes on in a man's head and how to work with men to have a successful relationship and not against them.

Funinbed.com's Top 100 Lovemaking Techniques of All Time

Average customer rating:

I can do better
Awesome Ways To Please Each Other!
Funninbed a Bust
Not for the person who learns visually
Great Book

Funinbed.com's Top 100 Lovemaking Techniques of All Time
Jennifer Allen , and Chris Allen
Manufacturer: Creative Fire
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

Forget all that touchy-feely psycho-babble. You just want some great ways to easily deliver the most incredible orgasms ever! The trick is finding them. And you just did.

The Venus Butterfly, Passion Peach, Concord Catapult, Spooning Turtle--these intensely erotic, time-tested techniques hold the secrets to instant ecstasy! Half are for her pleasure, half for his. Step-by-step instructions guarantee one mind-blowing orgasm after another! No filler--just non-stop, wall-to-wall sex tricks that will send you and your lover through the roof!

Customer Reviews:

I can do better.......2000-12-28

Mostly food stuff...things i have already done...and disappointingly...I do more than what they have suggested for my man! NOT worth my money!

Awesome Ways To Please Each Other!.......2000-12-12

I heard about this book on a radio station in Dallas ............. and I got it for my man and me. We are having a riot trying these things on each other! They really are fun and we've both had some .............! If you enjoy ....and know that you're only going to get as good as you give then put this baby in your shopping cart let the good times roll!

Funninbed a Bust.......2000-05-23

Funninbed appears to be nothing more than a compilation of write-in comments from a website. Though the format is useful, i.e, a list of "equipment" needed, and a step-by-step description of the technique, this book holds nothing new for the sophisticated lover who has gone a long way on his/her own. If you are a creative person, you will have already experimented with most of the techniques in this book. Might make fun reading at a party, however. My advice: don't buy it.

Not for the person who learns visually.......2000-05-17

This book is NOT for anyone who needs to have pictures or illustrations to "guide" them. In some cases the descriptions for different positions were hard to visulize mentally and/or the directions didn't make any sense. On a positive note--definately creative!

The quality of the book was fair. I found words which were mispelled or missing altogether. Definitely not worth the purchase price--I returned mine for a refund.

Great Book.......2000-02-22

This book was great. It had ideas to help him and her. It gave great instructions, and was wrote so that it did not embarrass the shyest people, but encouraged them. The book gave new twists to old ideas, and helped to broaden even the most experienced peoples knowledge.

Big Trouble at the Big Top! (X-Men Power Pack - 4 Titles)

Average customer rating:

Big Trouble at the Big Top! (X-Men Power Pack - 4 Titles)
Marc Sumerak
Manufacturer: Spotlight
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 1599612194

Top Boys: True Stories of Football's Hardest Men

Average customer rating:

Top Boys: True Stories of Football's Hardest Men
Cass Pennant
Manufacturer: John Blake
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1844542769

Top 10 African-American Men's Athletes (Sports Top 10.)

Average customer rating:

Top 10 African-American Men's Athletes (Sports Top 10.)
Jeff Savage
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0766014940

Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles

Average customer rating:

Great!!
Interesting..
missed opportunity
"The Choice is Up to You"

Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles
Steven G. Underwood
Manufacturer: Harrington Park Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1560233753

Customer Reviews:

Great!!.......2003-12-11

I enjoyed this book sincerely, especially the detailed imagery on every page!!

Interesting.........2003-09-03

This was a very good read. When I bought it, I must say I thought it was something different. But I kept reading, and learned alot about myself in the process. It reads more like a philosphy kinda style as to why gay men are tops, bottoms, or both. I'm impressed.

missed opportunity.......2003-08-17

this book had the chance to privide some interesting insights into the subject, covering ground that has been largely untread. instead, what we get is a litany of sexual histories for 20 or so men that the author has scrounged up from 2 east coast locales, with precious little insight as to their roles as tops or bottoms. curiously, several interviewees seem to be under the impression that they have responded to a sex ad and that their sex talk will be a prelude to an erotic encounter with the author. which would be fine if anyone had anything interesting to say beforehand.

the book's ending is as abrupt as it is welcome. there is no attempt to summarize and digest anything we've been told. in contrast to another reviewers comments, this is about the last book i would recommend to someone just coming out. i had hoped for an interesting but sleazy summer read. well, all i can say is that it wasn't too interesting.

"The Choice is Up to You".......2003-04-01

Revealing! Honest! & Sexually Taboo! All of these twenty-one refreshingly candid interviews with gay men are about their sexual preferences and the reasons behind their choices. This is not a study about right or wrong when it comes to anal eroticism, but a study of what it means for gay men to be a Top, Bottom, or Versatile. The author interviews gay men in Boston and Provincetown. Each interview is like a coming out story, totally refreshing and honest. The information presented in the interviews is there for your individual interpretation, or merely for your reading enjoyment. That such a taboo subject is finally laid out in print in such an informal and intelligent manner is quite an achievement by Underwood and long overdue.

These interviews read more like short stories than gay study interviews as you get a history of each gay man's sexual experiences, and their opinions about anal eroticism. It is to the credit of the author that he does not get in the way by asking questions, but lets each man speak for himself and reveal his own personal history and beliefs. These are heart-felt confessions that will get you thinking, questioning and reviewing your own life. These are real people who talk honestly about their sexual lives, desires and obsessions.

This is a great book for any gay male who is just coming-out. It should be included in any gay curriculum or gay study group. It is an excellent overview of how all of these different gay men have dealt with coming out, their first sexual experiences, the reason for their sexual preferences, and how it has affected their lives. I wish this honest and helpful book had been available when I was first coming out. These are thoughtful, courageous, humorous, and touching interviews. Steven Underwood's excellent introduction says it all, and especially his statement, "that equality in man-to-man sex is as varied as the number of individuals who strive for it." That says it all. Highly Recommended!!!

Joe Hanssen

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