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Customer Reviews (3)

A 'must' for any fan of Minnesota sports
SID! THE SPORTS LEGENDS, THE INSIDE SCOOPS, AND THE CLOSE PERSONAL FRIENDS surveys one who has seen many changes to Minnesota sports for over sixty years. His memoir originally appeared in 1997: this newly update edition includes a new epilogue about the past 10 years in Minnesota sports and presents new audiences with sports commentary and insights which are a 'must' for any fan of Minnesota sports history and any collection catering to sports enthusiasts.

unbelievable
This book is mildly interesting as fiction but bears little or no resemblance to fact.One question:Why does someone who makes a living as a writer have to use a ghost writer for his "autobiography?"Don't waste your money on this.

Love him or not, this book is a must read for MN sports fans
Sid's book is a fantastic ride through Minnesota sports history. I picked up the book a true Sid Hartman sceptic. Come on, does he really know all these people? I won't give it all away, but Sid is the real-deal Minnesota sports fan. A true Minnesota legend. The many tales of Bud Grant, the Gophers, the Vikings, the Millers, his role in the Minneapolis Lakers, the Twins, and yes, Bob Knight keep you both entertained and laughing from start to finish. Read this book and you will know a true hometown fan. I only wish Sid liked hockey a little more. Love him or not, this book is a must read for any Minnesota sports fan, and makes a great gift to those no longer living in Minnesota, like me. Thanks Demps! Another must read for Twins fans is "Calvin: The Last Dinosaur," author unknown. ... Read more

Product Description
Six Dinner Sid has been settled at Pythagoras Place for some time - but what happens when all his six owners decide to go on holiday at the same time? How will Sid get his six dinners a day...? This brand-new Sid adventure is destined to join the original story to becomebecome a much-loved classic picture book. ... Read more

Product Description
It is 1849 and Jack Flagg stows away on a ship headed for the California gold fields where he plans to recoup his Auntie Arabella's fortune. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Item came as described.Good seller!
The book came as described and on time.I got this book for my daughter's project.She appreciated the book and she was happy that it was delivered on time.Good price too.

Thank you.

book
Was able to use this book for three kids. Highly recommend. Thank you for the fast shipping.

Brought back childhood memories
I'm 37, and have had this book in the back of my mind for years since reading it as a teenager.Finally found it online and read it again - well worth it. :-)

A hit with my 9 year old
My 9 year old son is a voracious reader, and was positively enthralled by this book.it was completely age appropriate, and as a historical novel, had some educational value.

By The Great Horn Spoon!- a review by baseballdude10
This story is about a boy named Jack and a butler named Praiseworthy that go on an adventure to the California Gold Rush. The book was interesting, teaching me about mining, and was even funny. This book has taught me to keep trying no matter how tough things are. The Characters were very adventurous. I liked the way the author kept them in the story. This book kept me on my toes through out the story. U never knew what was going to happen next. As I got deeper into the book, I learned more and more about the characters. Also, as the story went on, I understood it better..This made the story more fun to read and more enjoyable. When the story got to the end, it really got good and I just needed to finish the book. I wish there was a full series to read. I enjoyed this book because I could really follow the story. I understood each character and their personalities. I got so into the story, I forgot I was reading. It felt like I was there and to me that is what makes a great book. ... Read more

Product Description
Josh McBroom relates how he and his family harness the rambunctious prairie wind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Another Windy, wild yarn about the McBrooms' wonderful farm
I believe this is the second "McBroom" book, originally published in 1967, and it's illustrated by original artist Kurt Werth who did the first three books.Having just read McBROOM'S GHOST and noted the rather unattractive way in which the redheaded rural family is drawn in that one, I have to mention that Werth's art is more conventionally "pretty", if also more cartoony and less distinctive than that of Robert Frankenberg.Well, "perfect" illustrations aren't easy, and somehow for me at least the pictures never quite match Fleischman's charming text.

But that's a small quibble.Here we are regaled with the story of how McBroom gets a broken leg due to a bigger-than-usual wind - but of course, we have to wait until the end of the book to find out how, exactly, he broke it.How big is the wind?Powerful blustery, I'd say; it threatens to blow away all of McBroom's wonderful topsoil, until the marbles dropped by one of the kids (was is WillJILLHesterCHESTERPeterPOLLYTimTOMMaryLARRY or littleCLARINDA? I forget) grow up into giant stones that hold it down.So blustery that the only way to keep the door of the house from blowing open is to pile some of Mrs McBroom's lead-heavy muffins against it.So blustery that a sheet attached to a plow can turn the farm implement into a speedy sailing vehicle.You get the idea.

Loads of fun.I think I liked McBROOM'S GHOST more; maybe I just like winter storms more than spring ones?Recommended to all lovers of tall tales.

Love McBroom!
My kids and I just love all the McBroom stories.They are tall tales of a family with (I think) 12 kids living on a farm where stuff grows instantaneously after being planted in the "very rich soil".They are totally hilarious!

Big wind adventure.
There is a different feel to "McBroom and the Big Wind," as compared to "McBroom Tells the Truth."While the artwork in "McBroom and the Big Wind" is cartoon style, the artwork in theother is more sophisticated and expressive, giving the story an addedvisually expressive dimension.The story itself is about how McBroom isable to saveWilljillhesterchesterpeterpollytimtommarylarryandlittleclarinda from thebig wind.As Fleischman's stories go, he hints at the real story, butbuilds up to the climax with all of the outrageous lead up encounters. Then he ends by saying, "That's the bottom truth.Everyone on theprairie knows Josh McBroom would rather break his leg than tell a fib(p.40)."The art is fair while the text is stronger.With the run-onnames and narrated style, the book makes a good read-aloud title.Middleschool readers make a good audience for this book and Fleischman hasincluded words like "rambunctious" (p.14), "tacking"(p. 16) and "ornery" (p.22) to keep the vocabulary challenging. ... Read more

Product Description
"There's been so much tomfool nonsense told about McBroom's wonderful one-acre farm." It's a good thing Farmer Josh McBroom is back, setting matters straight in this pair of hilarious, homespun, illustrated chapter books, issued in an easy-to-read paperback format for the very first time!Ghosts? Mercy, yes! Josh McBroom can tell you a thing or three about ghosts-including how an honest-to-goodness haunt came lurking about his one-acre farm one uncommonly cold winter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great read-aloud book
This was one of my children's favorite read-aloud books - especially the sing-song reciting of the names. Read it with drama. Read it with laughter. It's great fun for every child.

Charming tall tale of a Great Plains winter on the McBroom farm
Judging from the reviews - or lack of them - the McBroom books by Sid Fleischman have more or less gone by the wayside and disappeared from kids' reading today.That's a shame; while I wouldn't necessarily call them "classics", they're fun tall tales that are neither moralizing nor pedagogical, just good fun reading for kids, and the adults who grew up on them, or have a fondness for the old-fashioned tale-spinning that they embody.

This is the 4th book, originally published in 1971, and it features a classic old-fashioned yarn: the winter "So cold that..."How cold was it?So cold that the comb's teeth chattered...so cold that the rooster's crow froze....so cold that the red barns turned blue.You get the idea.The story here is that there seems to be a ghost making the rounds on Josh McBroom's one-acre wonderful farm, and McBroom tries all kinds of things to get rid of it.His wife Melinda and 11 kids (WillJILLHesterCHESTERPeterPOLLYTimTOMMaryLARRYandlittleCLARINDA) aren't fans of staying on - but if McBroom leaves he'll be giving in to his no-good neighbor Heck Jones who stands on the hill above his house dressed all in white, looking like Colonel Sanders and eating shoofly pie.Jones' razorback hogs are also contributing to McBroom's misfortune and...well, you'll have to get it yourself to see how it turns out.

This brought back memories - I loved the tall tales of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, etc as a kid, and had at least one other McBroom book in addition to this one; I suspect it was "McBroom Tells the Truth", in which we learn the origin and secret of the magical one-acre wonder-farm.I'll have to go rooting around in the attic for that one, too.

Charmingly illustrated (in pencil/pen & ink I think; some of the book is just blue tones, other pages are full color) by Robert Frankenberg - though I use the word "charm" advisedly, as McBroom and his family aren't the prettiest bunch of red-headed hillbillies you'll see.But I bet you'll love 'em anyway. ... Read more

Product Description
No one embodied the Sex Pistols raw, anarchic excesses like bassist Sid Vicious. Told from an insider’s perspective, Sid Vicious: Rock 'n' Roll Star covers the brief life of punk’s original poster boy including everything from Vicious’s lowly beginning as the only child of a drug-addicted parent to his obsession with violence and the notorious death of girlfriend Nancy Spungen. New material and numerous photographs capture the extremes of this charismatic rebel who crashed and burned at 21. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

the best book about sidney
This was the best book that i read about 'Sid'. It's very comprehensive, and seems factual, but i don't think it includes anything about the animal abuse and mugging old ladies allegations that John Wardle talked about. I don't know, of course, if it's true, but i think i believe Wardle, but again, i don't know. What i do know is that this guy had a great look, no talent whatsoever, and to see the Pistols in their 50's with Glen Matlock (always the coolest guy in the group) pumping out the bass notes, so great even without any new songs, makes Sid seem anecdotal and irrelevant.

Fascinating
Just got the book today, and i picked it up and dint put it down untill i finished. Well written, has good pictures. As a Sex Pistols fan from then and now, it was fascinating to read. In a way i wished it had been longer, hated to get to the end. What else can i say but if you are a fan, you must read it..

RIP Sid Vicious!
When I first got this book in the mail and opened the box, my first impressions were a little deflating as there lay before me an oversized, glossy, relatively thin affair that looked like it had very little substance and about as much information as a cheap tabloid. I was however pleasantly surprised when I cracked it open and started digging in.

The author has a very good flowing writing style which mixes just the right amount of antidotal evidence as well as factual content. What it does not do, which is a good thing, is be to over zealous with the outrageous legend of what we know to be Sid Vicious.
Instead, the author takes a very matter of fact approach and doesn't try and glorify the cartoon caricature that has become such a punk icon. This is a very eye opening and sobering read that delves deep into Sid's psyche and at times makes you wish someone back then could somehow reach out to Sid and just shake him up or help him change his ways. Then there are times when it seems completely hopeless and there wasn't anything anyone could do to help him. This book is also a very good glimps into the shocking and sometimes degrading world of 1970's punk counter culture in general and gives a very good "vibe" of what it was like. A very short read, but there isn't any fluff so it feels like you get enough and are satisfied. This is definitely recommended even if you have a passing interest in old school Punk but have a bigger interest in the human condition and subculture in general.

If he only had talent
I do admit he had the look and attitude of punk and the right person along with Lydon that would take the band into infamy. He is a fashion plate for the movement but he had no talent at all. He just got lucky being friends with Lydon. He could not play bass at all and never played bass for any of the song tracks the pistols recorded. Another interesting fact that a lot of the gigs his bass was turned off and sometimes somebody was playing his bass lines backstage. Rotten said "this is Rock music so the bass doesn't matter anyway"

This book did tell you how he got the way he was but many junkies have the same sad story. Since he was famous we are suppose to feel sorry for him. It isn't like we lost a great mind. The murder of his girlfriend and his death was the perfect scenario to clinch his position as punks ultimate self destructive outlaw hero. Just think if him and his girlfriend lived and straightened up would anybody care about him? Probably not. He sure couldn't get by on his sneer at age forty and he wouldn't have anything else to contribute musically or otherwise.

Overall he was a glorified untalented junkie that was in the right place at the right time. Without Lydon he was nothing.


If you want more info on him by the people that new him best get the "Sex Pistols" Never Mind the Bullocks Documentary DVD and read the Johnny Lydon book "No Irish No Blacks No Dogs" both of these will shine light on his life.

A short but turbulent life
Sid Vicious: Rock 'n' Roll Star is a good little overview of the short but turbulent life of a strange and enigmatic figure. It's brevity does not compensate for quality, however and is suitable for dealing with such a short amount of time. The book paints Sid Vicious as a confused, paradoxical kid (I don't know if it is appropriate to refer to him as a man) who was trying to live up to his imagined ideal of what it was to be a 'Sex Pistol'. Along with his drug-fuelled union with Nancy Spungen, it was upholding this reputation that ultimately brought him to his end. This book gives you the required details & images to gain a better understanding of Sid Vicious and his time here on Earth. ... Read more

Product Description
If you're going to live outside the law, you'd better be honest. This seeming paradox was the operating principle of Sid Probstein's life. Guileless and endlessly optimistic, he was known as Honest Sid around his stomping ground of New York's Broadway. Sid wasn't a tough guy, or even a bad guy. He just never had the patience for the "straight" life, grinding out a living at some monotonous desk job. He was the quintessential American dreamer, always sure that the good life was just one big score away, a man who never stopped believing in his own good luck, even when the evidence said otherwise. He had all the tools, he was charming, good- looking, quick- witted and decent, but he had an obsession he couldn't escape. Honest Sid is the story of an American archetype as seen through the eyes of his son, Ronald, who loved him, and who almost lost him. It follows Sid's adventures in the world of bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, players and suckers set against the often- romanticized backdrop of Depression- era New York. It is also the passionate tale of the great and tempestuous love between Sid and his wife Sally, and of his son Ronald whom he idolized. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Sometimes Honest Sid: A remarkable story of love and tragedy
"Honest Sid" is is a heart warming story chronicling the life of Sid Probstein.Sid was handsome, quick witted, and athletic.He pitched semipro baseball and got an offer to go with the Giants to spring training and a tryout in Texas.His baseball career ended abruptly when he threw an exhibition game when playing for Dallas in the Texas League.He served in the Army in France in World War I (one of the few periods in his life when he received a regular pay check).Discharged from the Army after the war, he lived by his wits as a bookie, ticket scalper, horse player, gambler, and all around hustler and con man.His "office" was the streets of Manhattan.In spite of ups and downs, he did well in the Roaring '20s, but suffered disasterously during the horrendous economic times of the Great Depression.Nontheless he relentlessly pursued the "good life" of achieving the "American dream", hoping to score big or "hit the jackpot" on his gambling ventures.He achieved fleeting sucesses, but inevitably lost it all and more when fortune turned against him.The book tells the story of Sid's adventures and misadventures, together with his wife Sally and their "kid" (the author of the book).Sid was scrupulously honest with his compatriots who lived outside of the legal system (and who gave him the moniker "Honest Sid"), understanding that his continued physical well-being was dependent on prompt payment of any losses he incurred.Non-payment was not an option.If he didn't have the money, he had to borrow it from loan sharks.When this left no money for his family they had to adapt.When they couldn't pay the rent, they moved out in the middle of the night.When they couldn't buy food, they went hungry or got minimal sustenance from free items placed on the tables at the Automat.Still when Sid had a winning street, he was generous to a fault.He bought Sally flowers and clothes, and they frequented fine restaurants just as they had before the depression.But it didn't last - they were on an irreversable downward spiral.Sally was beautiful - mixing love with reality.She took the roller coaster ups and downs of life as Sid's wife with love, grace, wisdom, fortitude, anger, and realism - making sometimes impossible situations at least tolerable.In the end, Sally went blind, and Sid died of a heart attack under a heavy burden of debt that he could not pay.Yet he did achieve one element of the "American dream" - he left his "kid" and his wife with a better standard of living than he and Sally had.
I have loaned this book to six people, and can summarize their remarks as follows;A beautiful love story about a very talented, if flawed (addicted to gambling) human being.The reader cannot help but to have understanding and compassion for those dealing with the problems of surviving in the harsh economic conditions existing during the Great Depression in New York when there was no "Safety Net" of social services. A truly moving story.Really worth reading to understand a trying time of American history.

review of "Honest Sid" posted on behalf of K.R. Sreenivasan, New York University
A brief review of "Honest Sid" by R.F. Probstein

K.R. Sreenivasan
New York University

The book jacket correctly states that the author, Professor Ronald Probstein, is an accomplished scientist and the creator of many eminent scientific papers and critically acclaimed technical books. In writing this particular book, Ronnie Probstein has now ventured into an unfamiliar domain for him: general writing for the public. Here I give my impressions of the book. In the interests of full disclosure, Ronnie is a senior colleague of mine in our common field of research, one to whom I have looked up quite often; I admire for his no-nonsense approach to both science and the evaluation of scientists.

The book is a loving rendering of the life of Ronnie's father. The sphere in which the father lived is as far away as possible from the son's later life, so it is interesting to recognize glimpses of the distinguished Professor Probstein in Ronnie the child---or the "kid" of the book. The child is indeed the father of the man. I found the book fascinating, and wish to briefly explain why a general reader with no prior relation to the author may like it as well.

The place of action is mostly New York City, Broadway in particular, and the period is just before the First World War to just after the Second World War. The world is that of "bookies and bettors, fighters and fixers, players and suckers set against the ... backdrop of Depression era New York." What was Honest Sid, as Ronnie's father was known, doing in this world? As Ronnie says, Sid wasn't a tough guy, or even a bad guy; it is just that he never had the patience to lead a "straight" life in which one had to work hard to make one's living. He was too romantic and too optimistic---always thinking that one more bet would change his life for the better. This obsession had a great impact on his life and that of his family---particularly Ronnie. The need to finesse and escape the creditors and loan sharks was never far away.A few prison sentences followed. It is no wonder that Ronnie, despite his obvious love for the subject, concludes with the definitive maxim of Damon Runyon: "All Horse Players Die Broke".

But you must admit that Sid had style: somewhere in the book he says to the "kid": "Look kid, there are a coupla rules when you are making book. The first one is you always gotta look like you're flush whether you are or not. The bettors want to see you've got a roll." He certainly courted his future wife with style, took her and his young son out to fancy restaurants and theatre when things looked good. He was obsessively cheerful. While he was outside the law, he knew his limits and was always honest in what rules he could flout and how much. And many men in service (Sid himself served in the First World War) sought him out.

There were occasions when the family had to use fire escapes to flee, when the mother went hungry because there was no food on the table; to Ronnie's horror, the relationship between Sid and his wife was indifferent for a good part of the time and non-existent for some time; there wasn't enough money to fix the mother's eye sight when it went bad, and so forth.

Through it all, Ronnie worked hard as a student and made it to the top of academics. As a young boy, caught by the fervor of the war efforts, he worked and lectured, commuting furiously between boroughs, putting himself through the NYU engineering school at night. Eventually, after his NYU degree, he went to Princeton for the graduate school, and never had to look back.And he has been luckier in love and life than his father.

The book flows rather easily as a narrative (and I finished reading it in three hours of train ride) and does not dwell too much on the author's personal reflections, value judgment or philosophy of life. The reader will have to form these higher-level thoughts herself. The overwhelming feeling with which I came away after reading the book is this: It is astonishing that through the perennial instability of his life, Ronnie emerged as an academic, which is probably the most stable of professions. It is equally amazing that from the midst of the blustery life of a bookie, he emerged as a researcher who let only facts speak for themselves. One can bluster and err up to a point in research but will lose face if it is repeated often.One may imagine, not too surprisingly, that the stability provided by the mother was somehow the huge shield for the child. It may be. But Ronnie does not come away unimpressed by his father: his immense understanding for human life seems to be very much Sid's legacy; what Ronnie learnt from him was not merely how to calculate best the racing odds.

A fine and fascinating read
To make ends meet and to keep your sanity is a hard compromise to make. "Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man" is a son looking back towards his father and reflecting on how he lived his life. Ronald Probstein reflects on the figure known as Honest Sid, who he knew as Dad, and how he lived his life. Giving original insight in how the families of these individuals who will delve into the underworld to make ends meet and how they are not necessarily bad people, "Honest Sid" is a fine and fascinating read.

Inspirational
The author of Honest Sid, is also the author of numerous scientific/engineering books listed in these pages, over the wide subject areas of Hypersonic Flow Theory, Synthetic Fuels, Physicochemical Hydrodynamics,
Physics of Shock Waves and High-Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena to mention a few. The present book is a warm and moving and very human story of Honest Sid and his family. It is also recognised in the scientific research world as the fantastic story of the beginnings of the author who became the world's leading scientist/engineer. As such, it is inspirational for the young engineer/scientist-to-be as well as the not-so-young. One cannot help but to walk away after reading this book to be touched by how also to be persistingly gentle, humane and loving and selflessly helping others in the midst of hard work and struggles for a noble goal.

A Social History of the 1920's & 30's
Sid Probstein lived the life of a gambler and bookie in and around the area of Broadway in New York City during the post WWI and Great Depression era of the 1920's and 30's.Sid lived by the motto, "If you're going to live outside the law, you'd better be honest."Friendly and well liked, as well as a master of impression, Honest Sid (as he came to be known) was skilled at covering up his shortcomings, creating the guise of success and accomplishment while in fact, he was often just one bet away from financial ruin.Ever the optimist, Honest Sid was quick to find the silver lining in every cloud that darkened his path.He lovingly pursued his wife-to-be, Sally and doted on his only child, Ronald, whom he came to view as his one big success.

Author Ronald Probstein provides for us, in Honest Sid: Memoir of a Gambling Man, a peek inside the social scene of two important decades in American history through the daily life and experiences of his father.Much more insightful than a typical history textbook outlining the facts and figures of a generation, memoirs such as Honest Sid serve to reconstruct the fabric of daily life for which written evidence is often scarce and would otherwise be lost to those of us who have not lived it.

Ronald Probstein left his father's world of illegal gambling after graduating from high school in 1944 and enrolling at New York University where, during his sophomore year, he was offered a paid research position and awarded an academic scholarship to continue his studies.Probstein went on to become an eminent scientist and is now Ford Professor of Engineering, Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Although they came to lead dissimilar lives (My father neither knew nor understood anything about science or engineering), the father-son bond remained strong until Sid's untimely death.Mr. Probstein's book is a loving tribute to his father's life and is of greatest value to both his family for generations to come, and to those of us who savor the opportunity to step back and experience life in a different time.

Technically this book is very well done with a uniform, visually appealing layout and only a few errors in spelling and punctuation - easily overlooked by the engaged reader.I would have enjoyed the addition of some period photographs not only of the book's characters but also of the NYC landmarks mentioned in the book and the family's various living and work spaces.I enjoyed reading and learning about Honest Sid and can readily recommend Mr. Probstein's book to anyone with an interest in the memoir genre or life during the pre-depression and Great Depression era.

... Read more

Product Description
Who thinks you're the most wonderful, irreplaceable being in existence (even when you're cranky, have bed head, or have put on a few pounds)? Who loves you unconditionally? Who among your best friends will you likely have to make the unthinkable, heartbreaking decision of when they must die when ill-health/pain dominates their life?The answer is: our animal companions. We share an intense emotional bond with them, yet when grieving their passing, many of us still feel we must suffer in silence or be labeled somehow defective."Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss" provides personal and professional insights on the animal lover's unique grieving process and shows you how to: 1) emotionally prepare for a pet's euthanasia-understand when it's time; 2) view death not as an ending, but (as animals do) a natural transformation; 3) take care of yourself around insensitive people; 4) memorialize and celebrate your pet's life; and 5) move on after your loss and love again."A wonderful, wonderful tribute to companion animals everywhere! Just a fabulous read!" -author/editor Rosemary Wallner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A gentle and compassionate guide through pet loss
There are quite a few books about pet loss on the market, and I've read a good number of them over the years, but none has resonated with me as much as Good Grief - Finding Peace After Pet Loss by Sid Korpi.Korpi is a writer, editor, journalist and ordained minister, and most importantly, a lifelong animal lover who understands the human-animal bond. While most pet loss books focus on the stages of grief and the psychology of the mourning process, Korpi goes beyond those aspects in her book.She shows the reader how to :

-Emotionally prepare for a pet's euthanasia and understand when it's time
-View death not as an ending, but (as animals see it) a natural transition
-Cope with being around insensitive people
-Memorialize and celebrate the pet's life
-Move on after loss and love again.

The book addresses all aspects of the grieving process, from understanding what to expect to how to move on after loss.I particularly enjoyed the two sections Korpi presents about afterlife connections.She shares stories of humans and animals and how they've connected with their surviving loved ones after their deaths.Some of the stories are taken from her own life, others come from a wide variety of animal lovers from around the world, and all are comforting and will reassure the reader that the love betwen humans and their beloved animal companions truly is eternal.Korpi also offers suggestions on how we can feel and encourage this connection with our departed loved ones.

The section on memorializing methods offers many wonderful suggestions on how to remember a pet in both public and private ways, stressing that this is an important part of the grieving process. Korpi addresses the role of spirituality, philosophy and religion in healing from pet loss by sharing the different viewpoints, including some from the perspectives of various religious leaders. The book contains an impressive bibliographyand grief support resource section.

What makes this book different from other pet loss books is Korpi's compassion, empathy and sometimes, even a gentle sense of humor.Rather than feeling like a book written by a counselor, reading Good Grief feels like a conversation with a supportive, caring friend.It certainly provided comfort for my own grieving heart.

Ingrid King, Author Buckley's Story

A "must read" for all who share their lives with animals
With this book, Sid Korpi helps us better understand, prepare for, and cope with the loss of our animal companions. She recognizes that our animal companions are often very truly our best friends and gives us permission (if we need it) to fully feel and share our sadness over their losses. Korpi helps us understand that animals see their passing as a natural transformation, not an abrupt ending, and encourages us to recognize the "coincidences" that occur after an animal's passing as signs that they're checking in with us. "Good Grief" is filled with wonderful stories to help us celebrate our animal companions' lives, memorialize them as they well deserve, and truly feel the deep emotions they bring out in us. Easily readable and very thorough, this book is a "must read" for all who share their lives with animals.
-- Jenny Pavlovic, author of "8 State Hurricane Kate: The Journey and Legacy of a Katrina Cattle Dog" and "The Not Without My Dog Resource & Record Book"

A must read for all
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD,for Reader Views (01/10)

Needless to say there are many out there that do not understand how the loss of a pet can cause depression or how family members grieve. What they don't understand is that families and individuals bond with their pets and consider them part of their family. There will be times in our lives where we will have to put a pet down due to critical health issues or they have just lived their lives to the fullest.

Having experienced this with two of my pets recently, I can honestly say that I thought I could handle it; however, my heart told me otherwise.

The author states that each of us is unique in the way we grieve for our family members and our pets. How many of us have a family member who loves us unconditionally and are there for us twenty-four/seven? Who can you touch for just a second and feel better?

This is a book that needed to be written long ago. The author provides steps in handling the grief of a pet's loss, how to handle those who are insensitive to our grief, and gives wonderful stories about individuals who have lost a pet.

As the author does, I feel it is very important for us to recognize our feelings, learn to express them and memorialize our pet loss. This is a natural process.

I liked the fact that "Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss" by Sid Korpi was easy to read and relate to. No one was condemning us for being dramatic. This book gives pet owners permission to express our feelings and really provided emotional support. As one reads this book, they will find it is having a conversation with other pet owners. But most importantly it validates our feelings.

If you've ever lost a pet
Good Grief is that rare pet-loss book that offers practical insights and professional advice for dealing with the greiving process from a number of perspectives.The book is well-organized into sections that touch on issues like death and dying, human reactions, memorializing and moving on, but I think the real strength of this book is the opportunity to read the personal stories included in the book.

Good Grief allows people to express their grief without coming across as sappy or trite.These are real people sharing their feelings about their pets, and alot of the stories are cathartic, feel emotionally mature and thoughtful, and therefore are truly helpful to others.

I also appreciate the spiritual dimensions explored in this book.Our culture has been particularly bad about acknowledging the pain of pet loss.Good Grief can help break the silence around how we acknowledge pet loss as a society, and promote greater understanding that pets are close family members and that their death can be difficult.I think Good Grief, and it's approach to the death and grieving experience, can teach us alot about the life cycle as a whole.

Nice addition to the pet loss literature
If I were to use one word to describe this book, it would be "thorough."Sid Korpi has examined virtually every aspect of pet loss, not only from her own perspective but from that of many other bereaved animal lovers as well.I especially appreciate her emphasis on maintaining the bond we have with our animals, long after their spirits have left their earthly bodies, along with her suggestions for all the different and creative ways we can memorialize them and carry them with us in our hearts.

Because this book is so comprehensive, I think some readers may find it difficult to absorb so much material, especially in the time immediately surrounding a loss (I'm thinking of someone in the freshest throes of grief, when the attention span of the bereaved is so short that it's difficult to concentrate) - but overall I think it's a fine contribution to the pet loss literature and one that (as a grief counselor who also specializes in pet loss) I will be pleased to recommend to my clients and colleagues.I'm sure it will help many people better understand the strength and power of the human-animal bond and the deep sense of loss that is felt when a beloved animal companion has died.

This title is now listed on the Articles ~ Columns ~ Books page of my GriefHealing Web site (under the Books about Pet Loss category) as one that I've read and personally recommend. ... Read more

Product Description

There is a bandit who comes in the night. He does not want pretty silver earrings or dangly gold necklaces, not diamonds or rubies.

Customer Reviews (1)

A TEACHING TOOL
Talk about an exciting story!My 4th grade students can't put the book down!

Yes, the Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman mirrors Roald Dahl' BFG in many ways, but that makes it a great tool to teach comparing/contrasting.It also has similes on almost every page, which the kids love interpreting and using in their own writing.I also like the fact that the book takes place in Mexico, hence, giving its main characters and setting a non-stereotypical flair.My students took weeks to learn to say the name Consuelo Louisa properly, and I'm fine, fine, fine with that. ... Read more

Product Description
In the very near future, the combined forces of history and immigration have led to a crisis in relations between California and Mexico. A charismatic Mexican woman has gathered a vast group of one million Mexicans and is leading them on a non-violent march from deep in Mexico to the California border, in an attempt to reclaim Mexican land grant lands now part of California.

The narrator, journalist Sam Leonard, moves back and forth between the Governor of California, and the leader of the marchers, Maria Chavez. He sees the forces pressuring each of them, as their very different perspectives on the problems of Mexico and California reflect their very different constituencies. Sam eventually has to make a choice about what events he should spotlight and which ones he should overlook.

The March challenges attitudes on both sides of the border, as several characters, including the Governor of California ask, "How do you stop a million people when they all come at once?" Military confrontation, tense political negotiations, and armed groups taking unilateral action--all these ingredients make Like a Single River an exciting preview of events that may be moving from fiction to fact.

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic book
I just finished Sid Gardner's outstanding debut novel, "Like a Single River," that covers thorny issues of economic and social justice between Mexico and the US.Set in Mexico to Southern California, Gardner tells the story of a charismatic Mexican woman who leads a million people to walk 1,800 miles to Southern California to stake a claim on land grants that may or may not have been illegally taken from Californios more than 150 years ago.Her key is a well-organized non-violent march that seeks to enter the country to get what they want.Sam Leonard, the narrator, is an NPR journalist given close access to the woman and her cause as well as to the California governor seeking a peaceful resolution.Its a fantastic story about human dignity, respect, compromise, and honor.It would make a great movie. ... Read more

Product Description
Formerly THE SIDS SURVIVAL GUIDE, this anthology was re-named in 2003 to reflect a broader readership. Revised and updated for 2003, it provides new research information and new articles and poems by parents who've lost children to SIDS and other deaths such as suffocation. Nineteen chapters cover everything from the particular grief of mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, and child-care providers to guilt, anger, dreams, premonitions, peer and professional support, planning funerals, enduring anniversaries, and having subsequent children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

the best book for SIDS survivors
This by far, was an amazing SIDS book.It's been almost a year since we lost Jacob to SIDS, and I still go back and re-read the book.It's so hard to find people that could relate to your SIDS loss, and this book is full of them.I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book.

I've been through this loss.Chances are, if you're searching for this book, you have just experienced your own loss.READ this book.

A must have
If you have lost a child to sids then you must get this.It was recommended to me and it has been a valuable tool.It is fully of case studies, answers to questions you wont have thought of and usefull information on how to try and get through this.

Helpful Resource For Grieving Families
Horchler and Rice give comfort, encouragement, and insight to the issues that surround Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infant Death.Families who have suffered the devastating loss of a baby will find many questions they may have answered among the pages.The topics covered bring a sense of normalcy and healing to the bereaved as the authors guide the reader down the path of surviving their loss and again finding joy in living.

A Life Saver
The SIDS Survival Guide was my beacon of light during the darkest part of my life.My son, Dominic, passed away from SIDS on April 10, 2001, at only 4 1/2 months young.I began to reach out and search for all the information I could find on SIDS, drinking it all in by the bucket.A few months after he died, I found "The SIDS Survival Guide", and am so incredibly thankful.There was so much information, so many stories so like my own.I shed many tears while reading it for the first time, and even now, when I go back to read sections, I still cry.I am now expecting our second child in June 2002, and am scared to death.But knowing that I am informed about SIDS is somewhat of a comfort to me; in a way, I am as prepared as I can ever be.I would recommend this book to anyone expecting a child, who has a young baby, or knows someone who is or does.

Sanity check
My husband and I lost our son to SIDS in September of 2000.Our souls have been torn.The grieving process over his death has been draining. I recall little over the past 4+ months since his death.The one thing I do recall is thinking I was going crazy.I had wished their was another SIDS survivor I could speak with.Someone who could possibly relate to what my husband and I were going through.Someone who could understand our emotions.I searched under the keyword SIDS and found this book.I have not read the book in its entirety.I have read the sections I have needed at the particular times in my grieving.This book has helped me confirm that I am not going crazy.What I am feeling, though very personal, is normal.I feel this book is a neccesity for any parent who has to suffer this terrible tragedy.I have placed an order of these books in my babies memory to send to my state SIDS Coordinator in hopes that other parents may find comfort in its contents. Thank you Joani and Robin. ... Read more

Product Description

A magic show is in town!

See Jane float through the air. Watch the head in the box move its lips and talk (that's Paul behind the whiskers). See tall, light-hearted Mr. Mysterious--Pa himself--make a cow lay an egg and a chicken give milk. Follow the adventures and high comedy of this family of magicians traveling in a show wagon through the Old West. The wonder workers are heading for California, where Pa intends to retire the show so that the kids can go to school. But the frontier has tricks of its own up its sleeve, and the magicians find themselves in hairbreadth escapes and nose-to-nose encounters with villains galore--including the notorious and short-tempered Badlands Kid.

Customer Reviews (3)

delightful!
A charming and fun book for children -great charachters, well written, a childhood favorite of mine that I've passed along to others. Part of the fun is the behind-the-scenes look at a traveling old west magic show!

The Grapes of Wrath for ten year olds.......
I once saw a talk by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, when he became exasperated with a audience member and said "The Grapes of Wrath is a great book because it's about a family!"And that's what this book is about: a family.
Mr. Mysterious & Co. a family headed west, twenty years after the civil war, performing a magic stage show in small, western towns.The three children, ages 12, 9, and 6, each have their own conflicting dreams, fears and desires.
But what really makes this book work is not just that it is well written, and the characters are supurb, it's that it is about a family, and some of the struggles that familes have.Jane, the oldest, wonders when she can have real friends and stop being a child.Paul, the middle child, wants to keep traveling and "having adventures."Anne, the youngest, looks forward to "settling down," and living in a town.
Even though this book was written forty years ago, it still holds up well.It was one of my favorite books as a kid, and remains so today.I must have read this thirty times, and have given away at least twenty copies.
If you're looking for an interesting, funny, gentle, and simply altogether charming book about the old west--this is it. ...

Mr. Mysterious and Company
My 11 year old and I both enjoyed this book.The story is set in the Old West and holds one's interest with lots of humor and suprising twists in the adventures. ... Read more

Product Description
In describing the true events surrounding a series of frightening bear attacks in l980, a bestselling nature/adventure author explores our relationship with the great grizzly.

Many citizens of Banff, Alberta, valued living in a place where wildlife grazed on the front lawn; others saw wild bears as a mere roadside attraction. None were expecting the bear attacks that summer, which led to one man’s death. During the massive hunt that followed, Banff was portrayed in the international media as a town under siege by a killer bear, and the tourists stayed away. The pressure was on to find and destroy the Whiskey Creek mauler, but he evaded park wardens and struck again — and again. When the fight was over, the hard lessons learned led to changes that would save the lives of both bears and people in the coming years.

Sid Marty’s The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek is an evocative and gripping story that speaks to our complex and increasingly combative relationship with the wilderness and its inhabitants.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Insider View
After reading the account by Stephen Herrero of this bear and the events surrounding its attacks in Banff and its ultimate death, I have remained intrigued and wishing I knew more details. Sid Marty has done that in his book. Herrero is a noted and respected bear biologist who reports the facts. Sid Marty has gone into the hearts and minds of those involved with this bear and has tried to describe the whole situation from both a factual and personally descriptive manner. I was very satisfied when I finished the book, as Marty had given me the insider story of what went on in the park, in the minds of the people, and even in the mind of the bear. I think he told a great story, regardless of any negative critiques on Marty's writing style. I am keeping this as one of my "forever" books on my special bookshelf.

Awesome
This book rivals Jaws, only instead of a scary box office smash hit fiction, this one really happened.Marty would make Stephen King proud with this.

Nature's Beauty; Nature's Wrath
I read this book while returning from another hiking/camping trip in the Canadian Rockies just two days ago.I was, in fact, camped about a mile from the scene of the Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek serial maulings twenty-eight years ago.

Time and distance do not make the telling any less horrifying, the issue any less compelling. Sid Marty weaves natural history, bear biology, ecology, politics, spirituality, and the imagination of both the bear and ourselves in a book that is, in turn, frightening, beautiful, and sad.

The history of man-bear conflict is a long and fascinating one; and there is a long list of books on the subject. This is among the very best.

Marsh Muirhead - author of "Key West Explained - a guide for the traveler." ... Read more

Product Description
An important addition to the improvising jazz guitarist's library, this thoughtful blend of text and musical examples focuses on the vocabulary of modern jazz and some of the applications of modern harmony. With examples written in standard notation and tablature, Jacobs offers instruction on bebop style phrases, playing fourths, inside-outside playing, pentatonic, whole-tone and symmetrical scales, slash chords, polychords, hip lines, fingerings and much more. The companion CD presents the material in the text played with chord accompaniment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Sid on a looper
I had to order the CD that goes with this book from Mel Bay for 10 bucks and you get Sid Jacobs on a looper going thru the material quickly. I don't think I would classify this book as beginning level because the theory can get pretty dense but Mel Bay classifies it as beginner's level. Sid tries to teach you how to put jazz lines together from fragments with mixed results I think. You will get some lines that you'll use but there are better books for licks. Sid composed 4 etudes for this book and recorded 2 of those etudes('Another Blues in F' and 'Blues For Poly'). For me, that was where the most value in the book was so if the other two etudes had been recorded it would have been all the better. I do like this book because you get a technical discourse on jazz from an accomplished player with many examples and from the CD you get a sense of this man's work ethic which is extraordinary. Sid Jacob's will get you thinking about what it is that you are doing when you play jazz. For pure licks I recommend 1001 jazz licks(cHERRY Lane Publishing and 1001 Blues Licks by the same publisher). Beware these books have no CD and are not tabbed out for you but there is enough room left under each lick for you to draw a tab staff if you are a guitarist. This book is tabbed out for you and it's a good instructional experience,unique to this author.

Good lines, poor tab
I've been playing guitar for six years now, and only recently took up jazz the last year. This book has excellent transcriptions of very useful lines. However, it is lacking in explanation, making it a bit hard for beginners to get a grasp on what is going on. While the musical notation is very well annotated and written, it seems that the majority of the tabulature was sloppily transcribed and has a lot of glaring mistakes, which makes quickly learning the lines difficult for people who prefer tab over musical notation.

Could of been better.
The book has lots of good phrases that range from easy to difficult to play.Biggest drawback is that everything is in the key of C. The author tells you to transcribe the phrases yourself but it would of been very helpful if they were written in different keys in order to teach the fretboard better.

Excellent book!
This is a great book, especially for the guitarists who have done their homework on scales-arpeggios and look for a way to start bulding jazz vocabulary with that material. The book grabs you from the start; the introduction section named "The Craft" gives you very practical and musical ways to embellish your typical triads and diatonic scales with chromatic and diatonic passing tones. For the hardworking player, these a few pages provide tons of practical material to be applied to scales and triads and you can start sounding jazzy right away, this part alone is worth the price and that is just the beginning! Beware that this book does not include beginner level information though, so you should know your major and melodic minor scales and basic triads to get the most out of this material. The book continues to present typical bebop language "idioms" on different chord types and they sound very musical. These are not some hot licks invented by the author, they are definitely classical bebop ideas that are in every good jazz musician's arsenal. You will find all your favorite licks in there! Plus, Jacobs provides tablature as well and and his ideas suit very naturally to guitar fingerboard.
After the bebop oriented section (it lasts about 50 pages and if you can assimilate all the ideas in there, you are on your well on your way to start improvising in jazz language), Jacobs moves onto more modern sounds, such as applying pentatonic scales and fourths to produce modern and "outside" ideas. The third section adresses symmetrical scales including the augmented, whole-tone and diminished scales. In these sections Jacobs provide theoretical explanation as well (unlike the first section where you are expected to know and understand theory fundamentals, but Jacobs' other books adresses these issues as well, so you might want to check them out) and the fingerings he provides are extremely practical to get you started playing those unusual scales. Finally he addresses polychords at the end of the book. The book definitely delivers what its title promises, so what you see is what you get. If you have been loooking for a guitar oriented book to start playing the jazz language right away, this is what you have been looking for.

Best jazz guitar book I've ever used.
I have dozens of books on jazz guitar.Method books.Books of licks.This is the best one I've found.Includes dozens of simple concepts that can be easily digested and incorporated into your playing.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The sea is wide, the winds are fair, the ship is yours.
·Strategies for land and sea battles
·Learn how to woo the governors' daughters
·Details on Ships, Upgrades and Promotions
·Strategies for sacking cities ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pirates
Simple, consise and well written strategy guide for a very good computer game.Helped me immensly.I highly recommend this book.

Pretty good, but not really needed
There is nothing wrong with this book. It is well done, covers a lot of ground, and explains a few details and tricks that you might now know otherwise.

However, the game itself is not that complicated. I would argue that there is not much of a reason to buy a strategy guide for a game this straightforward. It is a bit of a shame, because this book isn't bad (perhaps even better than a 4-star review would suggest), but there just isn't much need for it. ... Read more