I loved the author's Dedication found at the beginning of the book: "This book is dedicated to all those people who do necessary but dull, monotonous jobs and who therefore have time on their hands....To cab drivers, everywhere..."

What makes this book so good is that not only does the "regular guy" lead character who has been seriously exploited by the system, used by his wife and hung out to dry for crimes SHE committed devises a mastermind scheme to forge traveler's checks but he also gets away with it and lives happily ever after...It is a fantasy come true for anyone who has been deeply wronged by an unfeeling judicial system, trashed by their significant others (female OR male)and further been subjected to ongoing abuse. I loved the idea of the book!

There are times I must admit that the book gets a little tedious with the details of the planning of the crime of the century and I do feel I would like to have seen greater character development of our hero and his new girlfriend, however, the book is still a good read worth your time.

Anyone who has ever practiced meditation effectively enough will agree, as the author claims with the White Light Meditation he developed, that meditation "can help you to enjoy heightened mental clarity, a sense of emotional calm, overall physical relaxation, general well-being and alertness." In my opinion it does not take the author's specific method to produce results. It is, however, worth a try. In reading the book the experienced meditator may learn at least some new techniques. In my case I particularly liked the stressing of the "guyan mudra" finger-thumb posture. I remember my yoga instructor introducing it sometime ago although she did not spend much time stressing its use. It is significant then that the author claims: "As your meditation sessions progress you may find that after five or ten minutes your fingers are so comfortable in guyan mudra that you can sense your hands radiating energy."

I think it is significant to note especially for religious fundamentalists that the author's developed White Light Meditation is not a religion, cult or spiritual sect with no beliefs to embrace nor doctrines to subscribe to. This type of meditation is not restricted to any race, color or creed and there is no age requirement "although it does require maturity to sit still for about twenty to thirty minutes per session." This should attract individuals that heretofor were reticent about trying meditation thinking it might be something calling on unseen negative forces. It is truly something that will help you "center yourself on your own being."

The author describes White Light Meditation and how it is to be practiced in ten very specific steps. While strictly adhering to what the author prescribes may be helpful to some I had concern when the author recommended NOT practicing meditation outside in natural surroundings or playing relaxing, calmative music while meditating. The "diversions" the author describes as coming from nature i.e. laughing children and buzzing mosquitoes do not pose a problem for me personally. Living in an apartment I am more distracted by indoor diversions from neighbors above or below me playing loud music to whining dogs left locked in apartments while their owners work to people pounding on their walls to nail something to them. Meditating outside, on the other hand, enhances my personal experience. I feel calmed by such things as gentle breezes, the smell of green grass or the warmth of sunshine. The right type of music can also produce positive not negative effects. So personally I would not necessarily want to meet the author's recommendations so exactly.

Since meditation is such a highly subjective experience and needs to be adjusted to one's personal requirements, I would offer this book as one technique of meditating that is worth a try for those that it may work for. The book is a comprehensive guide from which one can learn much.

This is an interesting and surprisingly captivating book about the travels through the Middle Eastern countries of Oman, The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Syria, of one rather daring western bicyclist with a spirit of adventure. In a way it is a travelogue of the Middle East most people would never actually experience. I know, as an American born Lithuanian, I would not even consider taking such a journey myself, particularly alone and particularly as a female in the Middle East. That alone makes me grateful that I can somehow vicariously experience what it was like through the eyes of this young male who did not mind roughing it along the way.

Introducing the book, the author admits that "For a very long time, indeed, the Middle East hasn't received a very good rap. Quite frankly, most of the world perceives the Middle East to be an absolute nuisance....Yet in spite of all its reputation, I was convinced there must be a great deal more to the Middle East than bad news. I needed to visit. To unravel the mystery. To see the truth behind the tale. To discover the true Arabia."

From experiencing the Pyramids of Giza to the catacombs, Mount Sinai and the sight of Bedouin Camps in Egypt, the author departs for the country of Jordan. Here he visits Aqaba, Petra ("Jordan's busiest and most popular tourist destination), Kerak ("most famous for its Crusader castle, which was built in 1142...) and Amman, the capital and largest city. He had wanted to go swimming in the Dead Sea and did so only to find it a most disappointing experience..."Let's just say how on earth anyone might equate the properties of the Dead Sea with good health is beyond me. After bobbing about on the water for the thirty obligatory seconds, I leapt out in severe discomfort wondering if there might be a nearby bath of hydrochloric acid which could perhaps offer more comfortable respite."

It is from his experience in Syria, however, the author's final destination, from which the title of the book is drawn. After experiencing Damascus, "the oldest continually inhabited city on Earth". whose centerpiece is the Umayyad Mosque (one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world), the author finds out that the convent of Saint Takla rents out rooms for a reasonable price. Not only did it offer "the adventure of staying somewhere so historic, it also had the first decent shower I'd experienced since Vietnam. The hot water came quickly and there was an endless supply of it, the water pressure was consistent so you didn't shriek with cold every thirty seconds, and the bathroom itself was squeaky clean." Unfortunately there did turn out to be a catch. Two hours after declining food at the dinner hour the author found himself hungry and decided he would walk his way into town for a quick meal before returning to the convent for an early night's sleep. To his disappointment this was not to be: "I walked my way toward the door that leads from the building annex housing my room to the courtyard at the centre of the convent. With a sort of bewildered surprise, I discovered that it was locked. That's interesting, I thought, and from there I made my way donwnstairs to the alternate exit. Bolted shut again....All windows with safe access to the ground outside were securely locked, and I tried every other door possible, but the place was a fortress. And, in fact, a prison. So I spent a night in Saint Takla convent, isolated in a building annex which I occupied alone."

All in all I rather liked this book. It would have been nice if a short sketch of a map could have been provided showing where the author traveled as well as a short paragraph or so telling us something biographical about the man. Otherwise the book is a truly unique, enjoyable and worthwhile read.

When my father died in his home from aortic stenosis, just over five years ago now, it was the services of hospice workers that made the transition gentler for myself and my family members. Although my father did die in his home surrounded by supportive family members and a community mourning to assist those of us remaining it was still a very difficult process for all of us. Caring nurses, home health aides and social workers made all the difference.

This book was written by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a doctorate and over 30 years experience as a social work practicioner and teacher. She is Professor Emeritus from the San Jose State University School of Social Work. As a fellow social worker myself, I applaud her for writing such a book.

In Chapter 1 Current Situation the author stresses the importance of the social worker first facing his or her own fears and attitudes towards death before they enter the room of a dying person. She explains that "Death is viewed by society as a feared intruder. The fact of death is avoided: youth, happiness and health are expressed as eternal verities in American society. To die is to fail; to stop producing is to be untrue to the American Ideal. American culture stresses the future, activity and mastery of the environment; death stands in opposition to this spectrum of values....Although it can be handled intelligently and humanely, death is final, nonpreventable, universal and irreversible. As a result it requires a strategy of acceptance and adjustment." The hospice movement was indeed first developed to address such an important need. Its origins can be traced back to its founding by a co-worker of Florence Nightingale, Sister Mary Aiken, head of the Irish Sisters of Charity who owned a hospice in Dublin in the late nineteenth century. A Dr Cicely Saunders developed the modern concept of hospice in England in the 1960s. This hospice concept then took root in the United States in the early 1970s. Hospices were then organized in many different forms: home care only, hospital-based with dedicated beds or wings, scattered hospital beds with a rotating hospice team, a skilled nursing facility with dedicated beds or freestanding hospice unit.

In Chapter 2 Defining Terminal Illness the author describes coping patterns of the terminally ill and how social workers can help: "Fears of the unknown,abandonment, isolation,loss of bodily control, and pain are some of the recurrent characteristics. Such feelings are punctuated with denial, anger and sadness. The social worker's focus is to help patients express some of these feelings or at least to accept the person in distress....Additionally the social worker must recognize each patient and family member's right to considerate, respectful and individualized care; relief from pain and unpleasant symptoms; open and complete information concerning diagnosis, treatment procedurs and prognosis; privacy, discretion, and confidentiality; a safe environment; and the opportunity for their own decision making about care and treatment."

Chapter 3 describes work involved with members of an interdisciplinary team while Chapters 4 Working with the Patient and the Family and 5 Grief: Working with the Survivors were my favorite chapters as they were the most helpful.

The book concludes with Chapter 6 Transitions and Reflections followed by a Bibliography. It is a most valuable work and I highly recommend it to both novice social work practicioners and seasoned clinicians as well.

Mahatma Gandhi is reported to have said, "The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members." This statement could well be applied to this book.

The author of this book is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, is married and the mother of two sons. This book is a compilation of some research she did on the subject of bullying and possible solutions towards stemming its increase in our public school system. I believe I saw her 19 March 2013 on the DAILY SHOW quoting what she identified as "an academic" (in the book she identified Norwegian psychologist Dan Olweus). This individual's definition of bullying was; "verbal or physical harrassment that occurs repeatedly over time and involves an imbalance of power." Clearly the stories of Monique, Jacob and Flannery which the author spends a lot of time documenting were tragic stories of three more vulnerable young people having suffered the serious effects of bullying. Additionally it seems at least at first the author is very sympathetic towards these individuals.

After reading a number of reviews of this book, it appears there is a great deal of controversy surrounding it. I could not understand what people were struggling with until I read Chapter 6 Flannery. In this chapter, it appears that the author wants to give the perpetrators of bullying a pass because their victims, had either previously or at the time of their bullying, been suffering from emotional problems such as depression and anxiety and thus were more prone to self destructive behavior in the first place. Although she denies it, the author does seem to, at least in strong implication, blame the victims for the bullying they sustained. Ethically I have real problems with this. It seems that in these cases perpetrators should be held MORE responsible and punishment more severe than on bullies who had preyed on more emotionally healthy individuals. Of course one might accuse me of bias because for over 20 years I worked with military families in the area of domestic violence not limited to spousal abuse but including child abuse and neglect, sibling abuse, workplace violence and I guess you could easily include bullying in an area where one of your roles is to protect the victims of abusive behavior. Overall I suspect Chapter 6 was the most controversial.

The book is composed of three parts: Part I:Trouble, Part II:Escalation, Part III:Solutions and Part IV:What Next? This is followed by a secton on Frequently Asked Questions About Bullying and Resources for Readers. There is significant time spent on what has worked in dealing with school bullies and what has not. The book is worth reading if you can get past author bias.

One of the reasons I liked this book was that it was so very readable. It is like the author is speaking directly to you when he tells you his story. Seriously burned in Iraq when his truck hit an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in 2003, at the age of 19 the author could have decided that life was no longer worth living. God knows too many of our returning combat veterans have taken the "permanent solution to a temporary problem." It is a fact that more servicemembers committed suicide last year than the total numbers that were actually killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. This soldier did have the shocking experience of having seen what terrible burns could do to a young face. Admirably he decided however that even WITH this (not-so-temporary) problem he was not going to give up and would do the best he could to go on with his life. His efforts proved successful as he later had the opportunity to actually serve as an actor in the daytime drama ALL MY CHILDREN as well as to win a dance competition in DANCING WITH THE STARS. This was just the springboard however for him to continue on with the rest of his life.

A previous reviewer on www.amazon.com , a veteran like myself. (although I would be the first to say I was NOT a combat veteran), claimed that the book was "not what" he "expected". Yes, the author was crystal clear by honestly admitting that, as a new recruit, he repeatedly defied authority while on active duty. Many a servicemember in his age group has. In fact that is what military service claims to do "make men out of boys". Many of these same defiant individuals, with time, adjust to military service and become the finest of soldiers. It is also not unusual that at his age, with his disfiguring injuries, the author was rather fearful that he would never attract members of the opposite sex and tended to obsess on those thoughts. Again at his age that would be quite normal. I then thoroughly object to this reviewer's comment that the underlying theme of this book "is not of a wounded war veteran but more accurately one of a young, immature, self-absorbed mama's boy who chose the path of personal gain and Hollywood fame over the one true trait of a soldier...character." On the contrary, the author showed TRUE character by being able to get past his injuries, go on with his life and provide testimony to other disabled soldiers with disfiguring injuries and amputations on just how it was possible to do so. J.R. Martinez, then, should be commended not criticized for his actions. As far as being a "mama's boy" I think that comment was totally uncalled for. As a social worker who has worked with military families having a good support system is essential to be able to survive both physical and emotional injuries. Raised by his mother, never really knowing his father, of course the author would be grateful to her for standing by him in all the many hours she spent with him in the hospital while he recovered from life threatening injuries.

I would highy recommend this book to any servicemember, especially those who have sustained serious injuries, and their family members. It takes courage and true grit to write such an honest account of one's wartime experiences. To some returning combat veterans the ONLY individuals who are able to get through to them that their life is still worth living despite their disabilities IS another such disabled combat veteran. J.R. Martinez proves to us that a physical disability need not become a permanent emotional or mental disability. There is hope. There ARE people out there who care...

I bought this book last year at the United States Army Infantry Museum located near the "Home of the Infantry", Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. My husband, a retired American soldier, still employed by the United States Department of the Army, had to attend training there. Having some free time available, I decided to visit this outstanding museum where I purchased a copy of this book at their bookstore.

The book was written by an American Command Sergeant Major who retired from the United States Army in January 2009 after serving in combat as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Introducing the book he admits that he wrote it, in part, to help soldiers overcome "the stigma associated with mental health issues." He courageously writes of his own personal struggles with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and includes, at the end of the book, an apparent Powerpoint preesentation he has most likely used to educate servicemembers and their families about PTSD, the staggering rates of suicide among returning combat veterans, the definition and importance of psychological resiliency and where to get help. There is even a section on Wounded Warrior Horsemanship or what we in the social work community might call Equestrian Therapy.

I think that this book, short and to the point as it is, nevertheless does an outstanding job of advocating for the importance of combat veterans seeking help for mental health issues while destigmatizing efforts to obtain same. As a career soldier and a role model CSM-Retired Samuel Rhodes should be commended for taking the important step of writing such a book.

This nifty little book (only about 116 pages in length) left me with mixed feelings. I was initially put off by it because it is somewhat anecdotal not legitimately research based. The author does not appear to be clinically trained and admits that he came up with the idea of the book over a meal while investigating real estate values in Uruguay with a long time friend whose marriage had failed. In contrast the author's marriage had been working and he was quite satisfied with it. After comparing their marriages, the author and his friend noticed "Persistent patterns began to appear, too frequent to be chance. We were able to identify reliable indicators of a relationship's failure or success." (As a clinically trained mental health professional I guess I would wonder reliability determined by whom--how did they measure it? how valid were their conclusions?)

As the author states in his Introduction "KEEPING SCORE is a common sense approach to relationship evaluation intertwined with grade school math." He goes on to tell us that "A relationship is a collection of experiences, sensations, and interactions between two people that are both positive and negative. How you feel sbout someone is directly influenced by the balance of positive to negative. I have chosen to call these positives and negatives, FACTORS, as their values can change. To properly evaluate a relationship you first need to know what factors are important to both women and men, the significance of these factors in a relationship can be quite different."

The book consists of four parts. The first part is an evaluation (or self-test) divided into four sections for each gender (spouse/partner). Answers are recorded on the evaluation forms provided at the back of the book. After completing the evaluation, you use a key to determine your relationship score.

Another problem I had with the book is that it appears to be geared for those dating or in more traditional marriages who married young enough to have produced children. It tends to assume that the man is going to be evaluated for his capabiity of being a breadwinner and the woman for her ability to be physically attractive and fertile. It seems to overlook more "mature" couples like my husband and me, both career professionals, who met in our mid-40's marrying a short time afterwards. Both of us had been self sustaining and I certainly did not look to my husband to be someone to financially support me. At the same time my husband, although not repelled by my looks, was initially attracted to me because of my intelligence. I once even asked him the question what about me first attracted him the most. He replied "Because you are so smart." Therefore some rather obvious biases are quite noticeable in this book. That being said there ARE areas for ALL couples that I see could affect future happiness i.e. shared views about financial responsibilities, religious compatibility (or at least tolerance) and shared interests and activities.

All in all, taking it with a grain of salt, I think this book is worth reading. At the very least my husband and I found out we scored in the Above Average to Excellent range in marital satisfaction. After meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany and marrying in Skarbek, Denmark, while he was still a soldier, my husband and me will have been married thirteen (13) years March 20th, 2013. And this involving two people whose families of origin had given up on ever marrying! Yes, I would recommend the book.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) myself, I have, at times, recommended rather anxious clients to try yoga. It is, as the back cover describes,an excellent way of "healing to calm yourself and to reclaim your sense of innate goodness and well-being. For centuries, yoga has offered a quiet retreat away from life's pressures and has enabled us to reconnect to our inner wisdom and peace." For those suffering from heightened anxiety it is a most appropriate recommendation indeed.

I have read a number of books about yoga and practice it myself both in structured classes and individually in my home. I have never, however, read a better book about yoga then this one. Written by an LCSW and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and a meditation teacher it is an excellent work not only describing how deeply anxiety can affect an individual adversely but just how healing practicing yoga can be in dealing with it. The first two chapters, Chapter 1 Understanding Anxiety and Chapter 2 How Thinking Makes You Anxious are an excellent introduction to Chapter 3 How Yoga Heals Anxiety. My favorite chapter of the book, however, is Chapter 4 A Deeper Look at Anxiety which addresses attachment: "Attachment is so powerful that in the book Yoga and Psychotherapy: The Evolution of Consciousness Swami Rama refers to it as the primary cause of anxiety...True healing from anxiety involves seeing and acknowledging our underlying attachment to control and certainty....Healing involves becoming able to deal with the inevitable anxiety that accompanies moving on and keeping our hearts open." Later in this same chapter the authors speak to Attachment to Being Perfect (including Perfectionism and Addiction and Perfectionism and Criticiam), Fear of Death, Fear of Loving and Fear of Abandonment.

Chapter 5 Practices for Calming Your Mind, 6 Practices for Comforting Your Body and 7 Meditation and Mindfulness for Anxiety describe specifically how yoga can be applied in the healing process. Chapter 6 includes a number of black-and-white photographs demonstrating a number of yoga postures. The book concludes with Chapter 8 Relieving Anxiety with Ethical Living.

After reading this book, if you are currently practicing yoga, it will confirm you are doing one of the best things you can to self nurture and take care of yourself. Not only is it a practice involving physical posturing but yoga promotes meditation and prayer. It is getting in touch with yourself and connecting with your Creator in a very special way that is caring and calming. If you have never practiced yoga, it will encourage you to begin either through carefully watching and following instruction on a yoga DVD or, better yet, attending an actual yoga class. Either way, as this book so excellently describes, it is an outstanding practice especially for those suffering from higher levels of anxiety.

Over 55 I am DEFINITELY not a teen OR tween but overall, I did like this book. It has an interesting story line, reminding me at times of something Dan Brown, the author of THE LOST SYMBOL, ANGELS AND DEMONS, and THE DA VINCI CODE might have penned.

While I will not go into details about the plot in this review (as this has already been adequately described) I will say it is about human beings and aliens from another world trying to find a way to coexist peacefully. The book's central character, Addison aka "Addy", is a young woman whose parents were killed at her birth resulting in her being raised by a handful of humans in a surrealistic alien kingdom aka "Tremain" positioned on earth but having to "travel" to different regions in order to not be detected. These aliens aka "Akori" do not die when they are killed but instead are "scattered" able to return as they were in a 20 year period. The Akori are marked by ancient symbols and the power of those currently holding it is being threatned by a seemingly renegade group of Akori aka "Mesen". There is an Overseer's Stone which is the responsibility of the leading human and is ceremoniously passed from one generation to another. Power struggles ensue, Addy starts to develop romantic feelings for an Akori who is tragically scattered in trying to heal someone (his energy is drained), and trust issues develop between Addy and other young people she grew up with. The story line does move along and keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen next.

I do realize that this book was written for a young adult audience in mind. There is some emphasis on what the young people are wearing in a "trendy" kind of way. I wish, however, that the author would have developed the characters a little more deeply so that you could really get to know who they were as people. I also would have liked to have the geographic areas to which the alien/human kingdom Tremain traveled to described in greater detail. That would probably be the only real criticism I would have. Otherwise I really LIKED this book. It is a good read for young and old alike.