Product Description

“In this second edition of Extreme Programming Explained, Kent Beck organizes and presents five years’ worth of experiences, growth, and change revolving around XP. If you are seriously interested in understanding how you and your team can start down the path of improvement with XP, you must read this book.”

—Francesco Cirillo, Chief Executive Officer, XPLabs S.R.L.

“The first edition of this book told us what XP was—it changed the way many of us think about software development. This second edition takes it farther and gives us a lot more of the ‘why’ of XP, the motivations and the principles behind the practices. This is great stuff. Armed with the ‘what’ and the ‘why,’ we can now all set out to confidently work on the ‘how’: how to run our projects better, and how to get agile techniques adopted in our organizations.”

—Dave Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmers LLC

“This book is dynamite! It was revolutionary when it first appeared a few years ago, and this new edition is equally profound. For those who insist on cookbook checklists, there’s an excellent chapter on ‘primary practices,’ but I urge you to begin by truly contemplating the meaning of the opening sentence in the first chapter of Kent Beck’s book: ‘XP is about social change.’ You should do whatever it takes to ensure that every IT professional and every IT manager—all the way up to the CIO—has a copy of Extreme Programming Explained on his or her desk.”

—Ed Yourdon, author and consultant

“XP is a powerful set of concepts for simplifying the process of software design, development, and testing. It is about minimalism and incrementalism, which are especially useful principles when tackling complex problems that require a balance of creativity and discipline.”

—Michael A. Cusumano, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of The Business of Software

Customer Reviews (14)

Perfection
This book started a movement in software development. Others tried to add to it and change it, but the pendulum is swinging back the other way and the merits of pure XP are becoming more and more clear every day. If you are a programmer, this book belongs on your bookshelf.

perfect to start applying XP in a team!
excellent book! and easy to read, very focus on people!
I bought it for the team leader after reading it and she is loving it. we were already in the first steps of applying XP practices, but now she is in the right track

Thorough Overview of Extreme Programming (XP)
"Extreme Programming Explained" offers a thorough and good overview of the Extreme Programming (XP) approach to software development.

This book covers the fundamentals of XP and describes some of the benefits of this approach to developing software.While this approach may not suit all developers, project managers or companies, this book offers an interesting overview of XP.

A must read for any developer
I believe the basis in software development for business is in this book.
You can have the technique, the skills, and the money, but you will need the human side for any agile way of working.
This is not the silver bullet, but you NEED to read this book.

Nice intro to XP
This book is a good introduction to different aspects involved in extreme programming.

The author is the initial proponent of XP. First part of the book explains the present day software development realities(like deadlines etc) and the pitfalls that take place due to these time sensitive expectations. Author moves onto explain the necessity for XP and what are the basic guidelines of XP.

The author should be commened for covering where XP is impractical and should not be used. The book explains the life cycle of a XP project and different roles that are part of this radical process.

XP is not suitable for many present day organizations(due to age old approaches that are already implanted in the system); but should be considered for time sensitive deliverables. This book will definitely give a headsup on how to approach XP.

Small negative: The book takes too much time on what is wrong in other traditional approached to software development(for the size of the title:about 200 pages) ... Read more

Product Description
Beck can't help wondering what lies outside Pixie Hollow. Then Beck meets a flock of Explorer Birds and has her chance. With Vidia's special pixie dust, Beck can fly faster and farther than ever before. She joins the far-flying Explorer Birds, to see what's beyond the sea. But why would selfish Vidia help Beck? Is it possible she just wants Beck to leave Pixie Hollow . . . for good? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

I liked it but I wanted more
This book was about Beck, an animal talent fairy who's job it is to take care of Mother Dove. She got inspired to travel to the world beyond fairy hollow and the first portion of the book deals with her trying to figure out a way to endure the travel since her fairy dust will most likely run out before she can complete her trip. The obvious answer would have been for her to put in a special request to Queen Ri or something but then we wouldn't have a story. Anyway, after a few mishaps she meets Vidia who gives her some super-strong fairy dust and she's on her way.

her adventures were waaaay too short. I loved the concept of the explorer birds and the striped sea and the desert with the sand that talks but I wish Beck had spent more time exploring, I was real disappointed in how rushed it was.

I hated how Vidia ended up being the bad guy too since she's one of my favorite fairies. but overall this is one of the best fairy books in the series! definitely in my top 3!

Another good Pixie Hollow book
"Beck Beyond The Sea"
Written by Kirsten Larsen; Illustrated by Denise Shimabukuro
(Disney/Random House, 2007)
--------------------------------------
This is one of the more engaging books in Disney's Tinker Bell-related Pixie Hollow series, albeit one with an interesting subtext. Beck, an "animal-talent" fairy with a close connection to the mystical creature called Mother Dove, who is the font of magic in the fairyland called Pixie Hollow. Beck is also restless and dreams of seeing the wide world outside, and tries various means to become able to fly with the migrating birds who fly across the seas. Each of her experiments fails, and she is gulled into trusting bad-girl fairy Vidia, who gives her a way to fly farther and faster than any other fairy -- an illegal supply of super-duper fairy dust, which Vidia made from feathers that were plucked from Mother Dove herself. Beck resists, but is ultimately too tempted by her own desires, and when she finally uses the dust, she is propelled into the most exciting journey of her life.

The anti-drug message is unmistakable, although curiously mixed. Beck (and more to the point, Vidia) get into trouble in the end for using the illicit fairy dust, and yet Beck does have a liberating, life-enriching experience which she does not seem to regret. Beck is made less culpable because she returns as a hero, helping catch Vidia in the act of stealing more feathers -- and yet her use of the illicit powder itself is not clearly condemned. Who knew the folks at Disney had this much moral relativism in them? At any rate, this is also one of the more fun and imaginative Pixie Hollow books -- Beck's journey to foreign lands is exciting and evocative, and this makes for one of the strongest narratives in the series.Definitely worth checking out if you're into the other books! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

Love Tinkerbell
I love these books because they help give more about Tinkerbell, my all time favorite disney character. You have to have an open mind when reading these books, as they are a whole different side of what we have come to know about this little sassy fairy. But my niece and I love to read them together, and these books have helped us create a stronger, more unique bond.

We LOVE this series!!!
We own all of this series!Started reading them when my daughter was 4 (she just turned 5 now), and they are age appropriate.Not too scary and always a happy ending.One book only takes us about 4-5 nights worth of reading together.The longer ones are good too "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" and "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand", but they are a little bit scarrier than the short books (more appropriate for ages 5-7 I would think).

Great book, even for small children
I bought this book on a whim - and my 4 1/2 year old daughter loves it! I thought she might be too young, but she followed along well. We read two chapters a night and finished it in 5 days. We'll be buying more, as I'm getting tired of reading the picture books :-) ... Read more

Product Description
Cognitive therapy offers a well-documented and cost-effective psychosocial treatmentmodel for working with substance abuse disorders. Comprehensive and accessible, thisvolume clearly details the cognitive model of substance abuse, the specifics of caseformulation, management of the therapeutic relationship, and the structure of thetherapy sessions. It discusses how to educate patients in the treatment model andprocedures and manage their cravings and urges for drugs and alcohol. Specificcognitive and behavioral strategies and techniques are described in detail, as aremethods for understanding and working with patients who present concomitantproblems of depression, anxiety, low frustration tolerance, anger, and personalitydisorders. Also addressed are such significant issues as crisis management andrelapse prevention. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Beck on Substance Abuse
This is the ultimate treatise on cognitive therapy in a substance abuse setting.Straight from the father of cognitive therapy, "Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse" is a clear, concise guide to providing effective therapy in both outpatient and inpatient settings.It is an indispensible part of any substance abuse counselor's library.

Required Reading For Substance Abuse Treatment
This book is a foundational work. Be advised that it is not casual reading but is more like a textbook. This work has spawned many take offs and add ons, but for my money going right to the source is best. There is certainly material in here that can be put to immediate use.

Godless Abstinence Chop Chop
Boys and girls, there's a reason why this 15-year-old book continues to command attention in the world of substance (and process behavior) abuse treatment, and here it is: There are just way too many people out there in Intoxicadia who -can- not and -will- sit still for the "spiritual" approach of Alcoholics Anonymous or the "tough love" therapeutic communities that continue to dominate the ways and means of most treatment facilities.

Now, before those of you for whom AA or tough love worked start squirming, lemme say this: I've been in the "industry" for 21 years, sober for 24, and attending AA and NA for 31. I have a -lot- of respect for AA, NA, CA and the therapeutic community method. The addict or alkie who's made it over the hurdles of denial and contemplation into the fertile soil of acceptance and committment will do fine and dandy there.

But denial is -not- the problem for many on the far side of the river. The problem is "God."

AA's 12 Step recovery model may not be "Christian" or even truly "religious," but it surely sounds that way to a lot of people. And many of those folks have long, sordid histories around people who called themselves "religious" or "Christians" that may take years to sort out. If one's liver function is down to 25%, however, we don't have time for all that.

Nor do the the bean counters in the "production imperative" world of the HMO have time for it, either. Most HMOs will go for a 21- or (maybe) a 28-day program, and That... Is... It. Thus (to me, anyway), it's no wonder, that the single most widespread application for Ellis's "thought-challenging" and Beck's CBT is substance abuse. Having whipped depression, anxiety and some of the more odious upshots of the personality disorders in the '80s and early '90s, "what's next?" many asked.

Becks's CBT appeals to the intellect because it's a purely intellectual exercise. This is "critical thinking" and "debunking logical fallacies" reduced to specific application. The boozy-but-brilliant college debater will find it right up his alley. The nihilistic philosopher will be seduced right into the arguements, but he can't win against the irrefutable logic here.

And the anthropomorphic-god-of-our-fathers-rejecting atheist will find A Way Out here for a lot less dough (and time) than he'll plunk down (or waste) with things like Rational Recovery (which was, after all, nothing but an antisocial rip-off of this).

(Lord, he may even find a G.O.D. of "Good Orderly Direction" through accurate evaluation, interpretation and appraisal of current phenomena via re-structured core beliefs, ideas, values and attutudes. Watch out!)

Beck and his crew have a system here. It may even be more system than it needs to be (considering simpler cognitive schemas that have evolved more recently), but it's a very -good- system with more empirical research to support it's efficacy than anything else in history.

For those who need more intellectual stimulation (and less interpersonal frustration), and less Judeo-Christian theism, than they'll find in the typical AA or NA meeting, this may well be the E Ticket.

Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse
This book is a must read for therapists and clients alike.It presents a thorough explanation of the mechanics and the employment of CBT as it relates to substance abuse.The authors extract dialogue from real counseling sessions to give the reader concrete examples of how CBT can be used to strengthen the problem-solving and coping skills that will guide the client through the process of recovery. ... Read more

Product Description
Radio and television host Glenn Beck has experienced the rollercoaster of life like few others.  From the suicide of his mother when he was just thirteen, to his eventual alcoholism, depression, divorce, unemployment, and health scares—Glenn has weathered life’s darkest storms.

Any one of those struggles could’ve ruined him, yet Glenn was able to keep moving forward.  He saw past the darkness into the light; past his grief and addictions and into what his life could be.

YOU CAN DO IT TOO

The process of finding happiness through personal redemption was not easy, but it left Glenn with a blueprint for how to confront future adversity.  Glenn is living proof that these steps—he calls them wonders—don’t just work on paper.  They helped transform his life and can they can help to transform yours as well.  

THE 7 WONDERS

Glenn Beck and Dr. Keith Ablow—two of the most popular and influential personalities in American media today—have joined forces to present a powerful guide to personal transformation and fulfillment that is as unique as their own unlikely partnership.  They are called the “7 Wonders” and they can be used by anyone who has made the decision that they are ready to change their life.

After the television talk show host and the bestselling psychiatrist struck up a fast friendship they realized that their experiences with life’s struggles were complementary.  What Keith had studied, Glenn had lived.  What Keith had counseled patients on for years, Glenn had suffered through for decades.

The deeply personal insights they shared brought them to realize that their life stories had seven key principles in common; seven wonders that seemed to be essential ingredients for anyone attempting to transform their life. 

Where does the courage to persevere come from when everything seems hopeless? Why is it nearly impossible to succeed with faith?  How much do family and friendships matter in our journey? How do we break down our walls and reveal our inner truths? What does having compassion really mean? How do you tell real friends apart from those who are holding you back? If there’s no one to blame for my past, what do you do with your anger and resentment?

These kinds of questions are the starting point toward fundamentally changing how you view past damaging relationships, toward breaking the debilitating grip of addiction and depression, toward injecting life with new meaning and purpose and toward helping you embark on a new journey based on hope, strength, and personal empowerment.

As you unwrap each of the seven wonders for yourself, you’ll discover exactly what Glenn Beck found as he transformed his own life from darkness to light, from dead ends to endless possibilities, from addiction to freedom: it doesn’t take a superhero to find the strength to change—it just takes the courage to take the first step. 

This book, which was only possible by combining together decades of personal struggle with world-class professional experience, can be that first step for you.

The 7 Wonders grows out of a unique friendship that we’ve developed over the last five-years. It is unique because it brought together a psychiatrist who naturally burrows toward the truth, and a recovering addict who spent decades running from it.

As we spent more time together we began to let our guards down.  Over time we reached a level of honesty with each other that is rare.  As a result, we learned that the principles that have guided the well-honed healing techniques of one of us are precisely the same principles that instinctively guided the other to replace nearly unbearable pain with genuine happiness.

We believe that it was God’s plan for us to meet; that it was God’s plan for us to speak so openly with one another; and it was God’s plan that we share with you the seven wonders we discovered together.

We also firmly believe that it was God’s plan that this book now finds you at this exact moment in your life.

 —Glenn Beck & Dr. Keith Ablow ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Making Sense of Phonics
Quick, easy read plus great activities to use.I shared it w/ 3 reading teachers...all of whom went to buy it too!Little expensive for a little book, but I love the activity called Sylla-Search for teaching multi-syllable words.

Current, concise, right on target for today's reading instruction!
I will refer to the information in this book often as a reading specialist.This book combines research proven, common sense approaches toward the teaching of reading.Finally!A usable phonics guide without a 'script' or without being a canned, expensive product.

Excellent Instructional Resource
This is an excellent resources on phonics instruction. It not only gives practical instructional strategies and activities but it also explains the rationale of why the activities are meaningful and necessary. This is a must have resource for a first or second grade reading teacher.

Hows and Whys of Phonics
One of the best professional how-to books in education.I've tried the principles from the book and they work with my hard to teach students.It was also an easy read.

Useful Ideas
In this book, Beck outlines procedures for essential beginning reading activities such as letter-sound correspondences, blending, and word building. I really liked how this book focused on classroom practice, and how the author applies every concept to real students. Beck also supplies appendixes to supply the materials needed to make your own centers that were used in the classroom practice examples.

I really liked the idea for word pockets, where students place the letter where they heard the sound(beginning, middle, or end.)Also, now each one of my students now has their own set of alphabet cards.When we have free time, they are busy putting letters together to make a word. ... Read more

Product Description
A delightfully different approach to religion and spirituality, this collection of engaging personal tales transcends specific doctrines to reveal the presence of God in everyday life.

Father Edward L. Beck spins tales like a master, presenting with candor and a touch of irreverence incidents and events that will resonate with readers. Exploring such universal themes and concerns as friendship, sexuality, illness, alcoholism, loss, and death, the vignettes and stories in this collection are animated by intriguing characters, pitch-perfect dialogue–and a surprising twist. Probing beneath the surface of ordinary life, each selection contains a hidden message, a subtle but powerful reminder of the signposts that mark a spiritual journey.

Quotations from the Scriptures introduce the tales, providing a context that will help readers uncover the meaning the story holds for their own personal lives and beliefs. To encourage further reflection and rumination, Beck offers insights into the specific religious and theological themes that inspired the writing of each tale.

A lively, unabashed look at the challenges of living a spiritual life in contemporary times, God Underneath will appeal not only to Catholics, but to all spiritual seekers, regardless of religious affiliation.Amazon.com Review
God Underneath, a memoir by the Catholic priest EdwardL. Beck, is composed of moving, funny, and profound vignettes thatblur the line between sermon and story. Beck's reflections meanderthrough a variety of topics, including friendship, sexuality, illness,alcoholism, death, demanding mothers, reticent fathers, and thepolitical struggles that doomed a spiritual retreat in Peoria,Illinois. Like a homily, each chapter begins with a verse ofscripture, then proceeds to tell astory that helps readers understand that verse and, even more,learn to live it. In the book's introduction, Beck describeshis belief in "incarnational spirituality," which he explains asfollows:

God chooses to be revealed in the people and events of ourlives. ("Incarnate" comes from the Latin incarnati, to bemade flesh.) Thus, this spirituality is of the very stuff of ourlives. God becomes incarnate, a God with skin.

Customer Reviews (26)

God is NOT Only Underneath
I just read this book for a second time, after recently encountering it in several churches.Turning the pages on parts about Father Beck's high school experiences, I feel as though I were there....because I was there!Though we did not know each other, Father Beck and I were in the same year at the same Brooklyn high school.I actually wrote to Father Beck after the first reading, reminding him that he did NOT have a license to reinvent Catholic theology.

Father Beck is in serious need of remedial theology.To counter such, I would initially recommend Peter Kreeft's Handbook of Christian Apologetics, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and/or the Compendium of the Catechism.

Evidencing serious ignorance about the Church's teaching on marriage and family, as well as the abortifacient potential of hormonal contraceptives, I would prescribe Pope John Paul II's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body and Dr. Thomas Hilgers'Medical Applications of Natural Family Planning.Further along the medical lines, I would recommend the Vatican's Charter Health Care Workersand Dignitas Personae.

Talking lots about "social justice" but showing that he does not actually understand what the Church teaches on social matters, I would further urge him to read the Vatican's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Refreshing and real
Fr. Beck is refreshing and real.He offers humor along with his sharp insights.Hopefully, he will be writing for years to come.

Even Catholics struggle too!
I though Fr. Edward gave us a great insight into the priesthood and what it is like to devote yourself to the church.See what Carly Simon, who Fr. Edward met said about him."The very first time I saw Father Edward's face, I knew I would learn something about `men of the cloth'. A little the way you come to realize that your most erudite teachers have nightmares and hurt feelings and stomach aches. I had always been a little too much in awe of Priests, monks and other clergy or theological types. Maybe this is because they have to keep a distance in order to have you (the hopeful believer) believe they are a link to the great unknown. Edward Beck allows us close enough to see the emotions of a man. Because of the flawed humanity revealed, there is more reason to see that link. It will mean something special to the reader to see the courage that enables him to reveal himself so simply and honestly. To identify with him: to empathize, to feel his doubts , and then his overriding desire to go beyond and through them, is what his journey is about."
-Carly Simon

A Good Book About An Authentic Priest
GOD UNDERNEATH is not a memoir about an extraordinary priest, as its author Edward Beck would readily admit. He was raised in an average Catholic family, his vocational call was somewhat ordinary, he was not a brilliant scholar as a student, and his success does not rival that of a televangelist or a religious celebrity. This is probably why the book is so powerful and such a worthwhile read. We meet a priest who is spiritual, wants to serve God, and has many human ups and downs. He struggles with his call, what it means to be a Catholic, and how to make faith meaningful for people. We see him face some opposition, and we get a sense of his flaws as well. Yet in the end we meet a remarkable person who is able to find God in so many situations and see God in a variety of people. We see an honest and dedicated person of faith succeeding at living his call.

The book is an enjoyable and easy read. We feel we know the author rather well because he is honest about his ministry and faith. Yet while eh tells the story about his priesthood, in many ways the book is not about Edward Beck. The author uses the many people he has encountered in his life and in his ministry, and shows the ways in which God works in their lives. In many cases Beck is the instrument God uses, but we see that Beck clearly grows closer top God by ministering to the many people he meets in his ministry. For this reason too, we can see God at work in Edward Beck was we read this book.

God Underneath-comes to the surface
Fr Beck writes with a journalist's facility and brings the story of his tentative first steps toward the priesthood to his ordination to his life as a Passionist priest and itinerant Retreat Master. Eminently readable,he shows the life of a priest in the modern era who hears confessions with compassion,says Mass with great devotion to God and yet jogs frequently-one time while wearing a Rolling Stones t-shirt with the long red tongue..His brushes with the worldly and the enticing teach us that we are all loved by God and that we can resist the temptations of everyday life and still carry on a full Catholic life-he as a Passionist priest,others like us as ordinary laypeople. He is saddened by what is happening to the modern Catholic Church and his concern shows through..He is also brave enough to point out the lack of leadership from the top and at the parish level that is sometimes lacking and that has allowed some of the misfortunes to happen within our beloved Church.

He also points out the personal miracles he saw-miracles of a relic of St Martin De Porres.a Dominican lay brother-who administered to to poorest of the poor to men of all races.Born in Lima,Peru of Spanish and black parentage,honored even by the animals who recognized his blessedness, and venerated by the local population as soon as word had gotten out that he had passed on to his Eternal Reward..Very appropriate as Fr Beck ministered to the poor African Americans in Chicago and New York while he was undergoing his seminary training and his Retreats all across the country now are for all men and women of whatever race or faith..

He is a good Priest-a Priest forever..we hope he goes on to have a good literary career and that his Retreats thrive for many years.. ... Read more

Product Description
After Beck's epic performance at Grateful Sound, Koyuki is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: a recording deal from Leon Sykes! This is the big break he's been waiting for, but instead of taking it he decides to follow his heart and try to bring Beck back together--for good. But with Ryusuke's disappearance, Taira's commitment to another band, Chiba's ramen shop duties, and Saku's decision to move again, is there still hope for Beck? Or will they just be another band that bites the dust? ... Read more

Product Description
Twenty years ago Ulrich Beck published Risk Society, a book that called our attention to the dangers of environmental catastrophes and changed the way we think about contemporary societies. During the last two decades, the dangers highlighted by Beck have taken on new forms and assumed ever greater significance. Terrorism has shifted to a global arena, financial crises have produced worldwide consequences that are difficult to control and politicians have been forced to accept that climate change is not idle speculation. In short, we have come to see that today we live in a world at risk.

A new feature of our world risk society is that risk is produced for political gain. This political use of risk means that fear creeps into modern life. A need for security encroaches on our liberty and our view of equality.

However, Beck is anything but an alarmist and believes that the anticipation of catastrophe can fundamentally change global politics. We have the opportunity today to reconfigure power in terms of what Beck calls a 'cosmopolitan material politics’.

World at Risk is a timely and far-reaching analysis of the structural dynamics of the modern world, the global nature of risk and the future of global politics by one of the most original and exciting social thinkers writing today. ... Read more

Product Description
Can Poppy find the courage to risk triple the love -- and triple the heartbreak?Poppy Maguire is tired of being a loser. Emotionally neglected as a child, she wants to find the courage to leave her family and the job she hates. She desperately wants to make a change. Little does she realize how much of a change sexy brothers Cody, Michael and Trevor Paraby will bring to her life when the friendly shoulders they offer turn into so much more.Comfort turns to passion and Poppy learns what life could be like in the arms of not one, but three men who love her. But what happens when the pink line on a pregnancy test doubles and she’s expecting twins, courtesy of one of a Parabys?The brothers blow her mind by offering her the family and love she’s always longed for. But do they realize what they’re in for? Cody is moving a little too fast, Michael may not be in for the long haul, and Trevor is a bit self-centered.In order for Poppy to have the extraordinary love she fears she hasn't earned, everyone is going to have to do some growing. But can she break free from the bad seed of her abusive family and have the courage to bloom? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Nice
I liked the middle and ending of this book much better than the first chapters.It took a while to get going and I thought it may just be a one night stand between the characters and then she would move on.But no, they were reunited, fell in love and with many many similarities to Maya Banks books they settled down and worked out all the issues.

I would like to see the author write more of the same - she has all the workings of a regular buy for me.

Disappointing
First of all, I didn't make it through this whole book. It was pathetic... and I'm an avid reader of this genre. The characters were all so shallow and unbelievable. Cardboard cut-outs. Ugh! The sex scenes were boring and unimaginative. Half the fun of reading an erotic romance is the "blow by blow" description of sex. This author skipped through and didn't describe anything, except boring details about family relationships and the tortured past. Skip this one, y'all!

Got Romance Reviews - Poppy's Passions
Rating: 4.5 Diamonds
Heat Level: Erotic

Reviewer: Suki
Date: June 21st 2010


"Can Poppy find the courage to risk triple the love -- and triple the heartbreak? Poppy Maguire is tired of being a loser. Emotionally neglected as a child, she wants to find the courage to leave her family and the job she hates. She desperately wants to make a change. Little does she realize how much of a change sexy brothers Cody, Michael and Trevor Paraby will bring to her life when the friendly shoulders they offer turn into so much more. Comfort turns to passion and Poppy learns what life could be like in the arms of not one, but three men who love her. But what happens when the pink line on a pregnancy test doubles and she-s expecting twins, courtesy of one of a Parabys? The brothers blow her mind by offering her the family and love she-s always longed for. But do they realize what they-re in for? Cody is moving a little too fast, Michael may not be in for the long haul, and Trevor is a bit self-centered.In order for Poppy to have the extraordinary love she fears she hasn't earned, everyone is going to have to do some growing. But can she break free from the bad seed of her abusive family and have the courage to bloom?"

If you are looking for a true Romance with a twist then I highly suggest you take on the love story between Poppy and her men, Michael, Cody, and Trevor. Any one of whom could warm my bed any night but take on all three GRRRRRR. There is such depth in this story. Poppy who has always been treated as the "Spare Parts" of her family has never known love of any kind. So to make up for it she finds three brothers who are more them willing to love her (in every sense of the word), protect her and care for her forever, if she can just allow herself the chance to love and trust them. The emotions literally jump of the page and make the reader want, okay ache, for more. You feel the pain as they stumble to work things through, the sensual tension when they look at each other and the safety she feels in their collective arms. I wooted out loud when Poppy finally found her courage to stand up to her sister Rose. Ms Beck's writing is wonderful, her conversations flow and you believe that this plural marriage is completely normal and has every chance of making it. 4.5 enthusiastic stars.

--

Pleasantly Surprised
Poppy's Passions really surprised me. It not only captured my attention almost from the beginning and kept my interest throughout, but it avoided many of the pitfalls new menage authors get caught up in.

One of my biggest beefs with menage fiction is that too often the male leads feel more like one person inhabiting two (or more) bodies. But Ms. Beck manages to make all three males individuals, each possessing all the charming qualities a male lead needs.

The sex scenes were steamy but did not overwhelm the story. And the story itself, while possibly a little long, was interesting and well paced.

All in all, I would highly recommend Poppy's Passions to anyone looking for a good menage.

Poppy's passionsA wonderful story.
Poppy's passions is one of the best books i have read in a long time. From what i've herd stephanie beck is a new writer but you cant tell from her book. it is far better than others from more well known authors. this story with its witt,charm and steamy romance will make you want to read it over and over, not to mention three sexy brothers.I will be looking for more from this author in the future. I also google'd her name and found she has a website [...] that has alot of stories and info about her books. check it out you wont be disapointed.
Hope this review helps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent
The book was received on a timely basis.Far below the cost the school supplier was asking.Unfortunately, I wound up with two books instead of one.I requested to return the item and the seller took care of the return with no issues.Refund was made promptly upon their receipt of the book; all around great experience throughout the transaction.

Worst deal ever. Never sent item. I contacted 6 times and refused to respond
This must be ponzi scheme. Ordered book 1 month and 1 day ago. Haven't received item seller refuses to answer emails. Don't do business with this thief!!!! I could not file claim because it says it's being shipped.

Bad seller

Anti-Western..
This book has a strong Anti-Western tilt. It whitewashes Islam and is both subtly and at times even overtly negative to Christianity and Western thought. There is "no mention of jihad as a warlike means to expand Islam; Islamic conquest is described as good, Christian conquest as bad; and non-Western civilizations as benign, Western civilizations as evil."A good example is that the book doesn't even mention Muslims or jihad when discussing the 9/11 attacks. It also attributes moral equivalence between the Communists and the West during the Cold War. Its clearly written by far left wing ideologists. I would not want my children to read such a book. Its not objective. It seems like its one of these books funded by the Saudi Arabian Kingdom to promote Islam.

History
I received this book new for my daughters high school history class.As of yet it has not been read, but it came in great condition. ... Read more

Product Description
Ulrich Beck's panaromic analysis of the condition of Western societies has been hailed as a classic. This first English edition has taken its place as a core text of contemporary sociology alongside earlier typifications of society as postindustrial and current debates about the social dimensions of the postmodern.

Western industrial society is widely seen to be going through a decisive transitional period into a form defined variously as `post-Enlightenment', `post-Fordist' or `postmodern'. Arguing that we are instead facing a different modernity typified by reflexivity, Ulrich Beck goes beyond these descriptions to provide a coherent picture of the direction of global social change.

Underpinning the analysis is the notion of the `risk society'. The changing nature of society's relation to production and distribution is related to the environmental impact, as a totalizing, globalizing economy based on scientific and technical knowledge becomes more central to social organization and social conflict. Within this framework, Ulrich Beck develops an overview of other key elements of current social development; the centrality of the political economy of knowledge; the changing roles of class and gender in a new work environment; and the politics (both personal and public) of the the risk society.

This major analysis of the present and future of modernity will be essential reading for students and scholars in sociology and general theory.

Customer Reviews (2)

Risk Society : A departure from Rational Risk
Ulrich Beck argues that industrial society that used to be known as the distribution of goods has now been moved toward distributions of risk and hazard named as risk society. In other words in the advanced modern world, the social production of wealth systematically goes hand in hand with social production of risks. Accordingly, the problems and conflicts of distribution in a society of shortages are over layered by problems and conflicts that arise from over-production, definition and distribution of scientifically and technologically produced risks, says Beck. Then He argues that science has changed from an activity in the service of truth to an activity without truth. Likewise the consequences of this reflexive modernization contain a tendency toward globalization and ignore the boundaries of nation states which lastly results in continuous global endangerment.

The book also describes the way that the general forms of social life has moved from traditional societies in the mid 18th century to early modernity in 20th century and lastly toward reflexive modernity in the late 20th century which individualism is widespread. No longer, unskilled and uneducated people required and instead of high value on long term loyalty to the corporate institutions of the 20th century a shift to the self as the primary agent (i.e. a shift to I) had taken place. To sum up, Beck gives a new identity to risk which long has been dominated by rational doctrine. Manufactured Risks which are at the heart of the Modern society have become a taboo. The modern corporations have build a "Family of Myths" among which the most important is the "Myth of Rationality".

risk society towards a new modernity
The Book consists of two interrelated theses. one reflexive modernization and other issue of risk. The concept of risk is directly bound to theconcept of reflexive modernization.It shows how classical modernization isdifferent from reflexive modernization.Risk may be defined as asystematic way of dealing with hazards and insecurities induced andintroduced by modernization itself.The risk and hazards of today is ofglobal nature of their threat to people,animals and plants .It results inglobal industrial pollution,contamination of air,water,foodstuffs etc. andalso sickness ,death of plants, animals and people. Another dimension ofrisk is social transformation with modernity.There is a process ofindividualization deprive class distints but inequalities by no meansdisappear.There is a shift from the system of standardised full employmentto the system of flexible and pluralised under employment.Risk ofscientific development increases disproportionately faster than solution.With the globalisation of industrial society political system looses itsfunction as modernization, technoeconomic system changes the realms ofsocial life and on other hand political systens pre-supposes condition ofthe system. ... Read more

Product Description
Two renowned psychologists offer an innovative approach to solving long-term emotional problems based on the proven principles of cognitive therapy. As seen on Oprah, this guide shows how to effectively change negative thought patterns. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

Outstanding and Applies to Almost Everyone
I am a psychologist who first read this book about 10 years ago and have purchased well over 100 copies of it to pass on to my clients. A few of them refer to it as their emotional bible or their behavioral bible.Many therapists adhere to cognitive-behavioral therapy which is empirically proven to be effective.However, many cognitive-behavioral therapists discount early learning history, perhaps b/c it's too much like psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy which has limitations in that there are no tools that are taught and it is known for often taking many years to heal.Schema Therapy (the therapy that Jeffrey Young, one of the authors of this book, has developed) takes the best of both worlds integrating traditional psychotherapies, with experiential methods, and cognitive-behavioral methods.It explains how we learned the unhealthy patterns (they call Life Traps) we have carried from childhood into adulthood, gives us advice on how to process the emotions experientially, and gives us tools that are helpful in overcoming the patterns.My only criticism about this book is that they blame the parents a little too much, when sometimes there are other experiences in childhood or even in earlier adulthood that bring about these life-traps.For that reason I give it 4 and 3/4 stars so I rounded up.If you are looking for a light read to help you manage stress without taking time out of your day in such a way that you can actually become more productive, have more energy, and greater balance try reading Active Relaxation. Active Relaxation: How to Increase Productivity and Achieve Balance by Decreasing Stress and Anxiety

Extremely helpful
This book is so helpful and offers such an insight into psychology and chilhood trauma that l've read it twice already and have made a lot of notes.It is best used with cognitive therapy for optimum results. A must read!

A response from the Author of "Reinventing Your Life" to Zorach
As the first author of this book, I feel compelled to respond to one of the reviews here by Alexander Zorach; I have never done this with other online book reviews before.

I can certainly understand that you didn't find the book helpful and that it didn't resonate with you. That's why there are many approaches to change, and we each have to find the ones that fit us best. But there is a level of vitriol in this review that seems more personal. To say "I would not like another human being to read this" or "I would question the competence of any counselor who recommends this book" goes far beyond a logical, objective review. It comes across as someone with an axe to grind -- much too extreme and dogmatic.

Obviously the vast majority of readers on the site have found the book very helpful. I promise you that I have never asked a single person to write a review in support of schema therapy or this book, nor are most of the reviewers connected to schema therapy in any way, as you seem to imply.

One of your main criticisms is that the book is negative and not "fun" to read. This objection is exactly what I, and many other readers, don't like about so many self-help books. They make psychology self-help seem too breezy and simple: "If you just follow this positive path or these simple suggestions or exercises, you will get better." This book is an attempt to rectify this misconception. For readers who have deeper, lifelong problems, they have usually read other self-help books and tried the simple kinds of positive advice you refer to. It just doesn't work with these life patterns. I tried for years to work with lifetraps using the upbeat or inspirational type of advice you find helpful, but it failed for clients with strong feelings such as deep mistrust, abandonment & defectiveness.

I feel that one of the strengths of the book, and why it has been successful in so many translations (including Eastern languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean), is that RYL acknowledges how difficult these patterns are to change and does not try to sugar coat them for the reader. Many people with these specific kinds of life patterns DO find it helpful to understand their self-defeating behaviors, where they come from, how they damage relationships, and even affect the types of partners they are drawn to. Insight is a crucial step in the process of change, although rarely enough on its own.

A second criticism you make is that schema therapy does not have empirical evidence to support it. This is simply wrong. There are several randomized controlled studies -- including a large-scale, major outcome study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry -- establishing the efficacy of schema therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder. As a scholar yourself, you can easily look up this study, and others, using Medline. Also, isn't there something contradictory in your criticizing schema therapy for allegedly not having scientific evidence backing it up, yet you recommend religious teachings from Christianity and Buddhism, and Ferucci's book on kindness? As much as I admire these teachings myself, what scientific evidence is there that these are effective "treatments"? This is the kind of bias that disturbs me in your review.

Regarding Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Beck himself -- the founder of Cognitive Therapy and my mentor -- supports schema therapy as a treatment for personality disorders; he wrote the preface! He also feels, I believe, that cognitive therapy, without the many innovations from schema therapy, would not be as effective with personality disorders. He acknowledges that one has to go beyond what you admire in "Feeling Good" to work with deeper-rooted, personality issues. Schema therapy significantly expands on Burns' interpretation of cognitive therapy for depression, to help people with more complex lifelong issues.

You reserve your strongest critique for Freudian psychoanalysis. You seem to have such an extremely antagonistic, one-sided view of this approach that I sense that this is the result of negative personal experiences with it. Calling an entire therapy "predatory" seems be absurdly simplistic and biased. Having said that, I have never been a fan of Freudian approaches myself, despite your assumption that ST is heavily rooted in it. My primary objection is that Freudian therapists are generally not active enough in the change phase. But I do believe it has benefited many patients and is certainly not predatory.

You seem to assume that, because I believe that understanding the impact of our childhoods is important in working with long-standing life patterns, I must be heavily influenced by Freudian approaches. The recognition of how important insight into childhood is did not come from my exposure to psychoanalysis but from my own clinical work trying to do standard Cognitive Therapy with personality disorders -- and discovering that only by examining the past could I fully understand clients' patterns and then help them change. You can check out many other excellent self-help books, such as those by Harville Hendrix, that similarly recognize the value of exploring childhood without coming primarily from a Freudian perspective.

Regarding your criticism that RYL lacks positive suggestions for change (e.g., "Do X"), this is also false. If you go to Chapter 5 on How Lifetraps Change, you can read the 8 steps in the change process. Only steps 1, 2, and 5 focus on understanding "negative" problems; the other 5 steps all involve positive suggestions for change (e.g., "build a case against your lifetrap) -- but they are simply more complex than those in most psychology self-help books. This is far from the 98% / 2% imbalance you perceive in the book.

As the author, I'm surprised by the extreme and unreasonable antagonism you have toward this book. I don't think RYL is a perfect self-help book -- but I think it's much better than most. At least it's not patronizing to the reader and does not make unrealistic claims. I wish you would try, when you review a psychology self-help book like this in the future, to write primarily from your own personal experiences with the book, without bringing in "scientific" criticisms that simply reveal your lack of expertise in psychology. It appears from the bio on your website that you are a scientist yourself. You should be aware of the dangers involved in critiquing works that are outside of your own field on their scientific merits, unless you are willing to do thorough research first, not just occasional reading or listening to what people you know have told you.

On a more personal level, it's difficult to read a review like yours that is so mean-spirited, under the guise of objectivity. Of course part of my reaction is just personal -- no author likes to hear work that he has put years of his life into trashed in such a way. Despite this, I would not have reacted so strongly if you had limited your review to why the book didn't help you personally. No one can dispute your personal experience with a book or a therapy.

I promise you that my concern in writing this is not with book sales or my reputation. This book has been successful since it was first published. I also apologize for having to rate my own book, but it's the only way for my comments to show up prominently on the site.

I'm concerned that a review like Zorach's could discourage some people who might truly benefit from RYL from reading it, based on the many unfounded and factually incorrect criticisms. I urge those of you who might be interested in this book to try it and then reply to the original review or to these comments.

Jeffrey Young, Ph.D.
October, 2010

Very negative focus, few positive examples and solutions...and outstanding alternative books available!
This is one of the few books I have ever thrown out rather than given away, because I think it is such a negative influence that I would not want another human being to read it.I am surprised by the numerous favorable reviews--I'm wondering if they are just people who have a connection or vested interest in the type of therapy used in this book.

---

I tend to like self-help books, as they tend to be fun to read and I often get useful insights out of them, but I must say, this book is terrible both as a self-help book and a psychology book.I also think that the authors misrepresent the true foundations of the book.My biggest criticism of the book, however, is that it is extremely negative: it is 98% about problems and 2% about solutions; this gets the reader stuck in negativity.There is remarkably little in the text in the way of concrete suggestions of how to get out of negative patterns of behavior and thought, and how to get into more healthy ones.The idea of the book seems to be that "understanding" the patterns is a way to break out of them--but the patterns are subjective interpretations of reality, they are just a story that the reader (or a counselor) could tell to explain what is happening in a person's life.

Jeffrey E. Young is known for his development of "Schema Therapy", which he developed to treat Borderline personality disorder.In this book, Young emphasizes the connection to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a type of therapy that has some fairly compelling evidence of working, from well-designed scientific studies.However, Schema Therapy itself is not the same as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and has not been thoroughly studied scientifically, and has no evidence of working as effectively.

The book, and Jeffrey Young's "Schema Therapy", is heavily rooted in Freudian Psychology, particularly in how it explains everything in terms of childhood events.This form of "psychology" has no rigorous scientific foundation.While it is highly interesting as a cultural, literary, and historical phenomena, it is not suitable for practice in a clinical setting or a practical self-help setting.I think that Freudian Psychology is based on creating a dependence relationship between counselor and patient, and is in a sense, somewhat predatory, because I think that the ideas of this type of therapy, which often involve a focus on negative feelings and negative events in childhood, can sour relationships with family and friends.I see some of these same patterns play out in the way this book is written.Instead of offering concrete suggestions like: "Do Y, or Z", the book focuses on: "Stop doing X."This is not how the brain works...you can't get someone to stop doing X by telling them that "X is bad" or even by demonstrating how X is harming their relationships or their life...you need to give them concrete steps and recommendations of healthier patterns of thinking and acting.This book gives almost none of these suggestions.

My personal experience with psychology, therapy, and personal growth has been that the approaches in this book do not work for me, and instead, that other approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and also certain non-psychological perspectives (including many religious teachings from Christianity and Buddhist) have been highly effective at helping me work through problems in my life.This experience is backed fairly strongly with what I have read in the scientific literature, and from what psychology I studied in college.

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My reaction to this book was so strongly negative that I would question the competence of any counselor who recommends this book.As two books that I would recommend as more helpful, I would point to "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David D. Burns, the "classic" and authoritative self-help text of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy--an outstanding book.For more light reading but along more positive lines, that I ultimately find to be much more helpful at creating beauty and positive things happening in life, I would also recommend "The Power of Kindness" by Pierro Ferucci.These are two excellent books that do not fall into the trap that this one does.

Extremely helpful!
This book has been an eye-opener for me. It is well written and very helpful.I'm now a true believer in the reasoning behind schema therapy and I found the solutions and advice doable. Even though I would like to pursue the issues further with a professional, this book can be helpful to anyone, whether someone with serious need for help or just searching for more insight. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

From a patients view
As someone who is avoidant co morbid with OCPD spent perhaps 40 years depressed more than not before reaching out for any professional help I would like to say especially in the chapter on avoidants the book is pretty much dead on.The chapter on avoidants is the one I can most closely relate to but I see myself in others as well my OCDP us most apparent in hoarding issues a spot my therapist and I are having a hard time pushing me throughI've been working with a therapist for about a year and half now making progress even if it's slow.My therapist knows I am a person who likes to try and understand my disorders and reads as much material as I can.We have both learned a lot together she being my motivator and supporter. She has been outstanding doing her research to help develop plans of actions that have helped knock down some long standing self built walls. She likes to kid me that I could teach a graduate class in personality disorders with all the reading I have done.

To sum this up as a someone who has to deal with these issues as part of my daily life the book is right on with much of the way my thoughts/reactions are if I don't work actively to keep ahead of them to continue on my road to a happier life. And yes even as someone who came to therapy at a high functioning level in many aspects of my life I know at times I can be a frustrating client.But for me the knowledge that both my therapist and I are feeing increasing levels of frustration has been something I have been able to use to finally find the courage to knock down some long standing walls.So a special than you to those of you who choose to try and help those of us who present some special difficulties.

came as ordered
The book came in a timely manner and arrived in new condition exactly as I ordered it. Very pleased.

Very practical, directive strategy
Beck has done a great job describing a very pragmatic, common sense cognitive-behavioral methodology for the treatment of challenging personalities. The research he has done builds confidence in practitioners interested in and using these methods. Each personality style is well-described, and several strategies are provided for addressing these problematic dispositions. The book is very well-organized and easy to read. Assignments and case examples further add to the utility of this text.

Very well organized and researched
I love Becks work in the field of Cognitive therapy.I have long had the trouble of finding a modality that effectivly works with personality disorders.I bought this book in an attempt to bridge my knowledge from purely Axis I to include Axis II disorders.

The book goes through each and every personality disorder one at a time.This made it very easy to research one specific problem without having to sift through pages and pages of irrelevant information for the task at hand.

Within each chapter Beck defines the typical automatic thoughts, or faulty reasoning, that is commonly associated with the personality disorders.He then gives broad treatment plans and goals to deal with the symptoms.

Beck is very well organized and succienct.You will walk away from even a short reading of this book feeling more confident and better equipped to deal with the disorders without the usually doubts that maybe you didnt get the whole gist of what the author was trying to say.

I felt that this was extremely well done.I also appreciate that Beck does not promise more then he can deliver and he is the first one to say that outcomes for Axis II disorders are still poor compared with Axis I.

Classic cognitive therapy
Beck and his group have written a classic in cognitive therapy with clear conceptulization of personality disorders. This is a difficult population to treat and Beck's work is clear and on target. Clincal examples enrichthe theory making it an essential reference. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect gift for Psychologist Son-in-law
My Son-in-law was very happy to receive this book as a Christmas gift.It arrived quickly and well-packed.Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description

NEW 5000 Year Leap: 30 Year Anniversary Edition with Foreword by Glenn Beck - Paperback and CD-Rom with eBook and MP3 Audio. eBook also includes the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, and Democracy in American by Alexis de Tocqueville.

NEW PAPERBACK IN 2009! THE FIVE THOUSAND YEAR LEAP 30 Year Anniversary Edition with Glenn Beck s Foreword! No other edition offers the revisions and updates of this remarkable book detailing how the Founding Fathers used 28 principles to create a 5000 year leap in freedom, prosperity, and progress; all based upon morality, faith, and ethics. THIS NEW EDITION INCLUDES: Two landmark addresses by author, Dr. W. Cleon Skousen never before offered in print, along with the full text of US Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

The Five Thousand Year Leap will take you by the hand as you discover the ideals of the Founding Fathers and their 28 principles for success. The values explored in detail by Dr. Skousen range from the Founder's prerequisite that the Constitution was designed for a moral people, to a government empowered by the people with checks and balances, along with an understanding of the critical nature of fiscal responsibility and family values. This book sums up the secrets to what James Madison called a miracle.

THIS SPECIAL BUNDLE includes the new paperback and a CD-Rom that includes the book in eBook and MP3 audio format.

THE EBOOK EDITION includes the book in electronic format for use on your computer and several mobile devices including Amazon Kindle, Windows Mobile, Smartphone, Blackberry, Pocket PC, Palm OS, Symbian OS and many more. It also includes the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers, Democracy in America, and more. Easily navigate through the collection using hyperlinked table of contents, footnotes and more. Customize your eBook with personal notes, highlighters, and bookmarks

THE MP3 AUDIO EDITION includes the book in MP3 format for use on your computer, iPod, or MP3 player.

The 5,000 Year Leap comes Highly Recommended book by radio and television host Glenn Beck. 28 Principles establishing America in a leap from 5,000 years of come-and-go civilizations to the most advanced and powerful country that world history has ever known, are explored by Dr. Cleon Skousen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

5,000 year leap review
Not easy reading but extremely informative.Learned things I was never exposed to before.

five thousand year leap
fantastic book.not able to use cd-rom because I didn't understand that after downloading to computer that I couldn't transfer to mp3 audio. My intent was to listen during a long trip in car.The folks at Best Buy assured that I could transfer when I purchased mp3 player.

Best information on our founding fathers - Teaches True History
With the purchase of the Five Thousand Year Leap I have a greater understanding of our founding fathers and their vision for our country. There is so much information in this book its hard to put it down. The author sites all of his sources, many of which come directly from the founding fahters via letters and documents. This book should be required reading in our schools. The information in this book shows clearly how our history has been changed by politics. We no longer teach our children the real history of this country. THIS BOOK TEACHES THE HISTORY AS IT HAPPENED AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PUSH TO PUT THIS BOOK ON THE REQUIRED READING FOR EVERY STUDENT IN AMERICA.

a 5000 year leap
This product is a must for all. Learn or refresh your knowledge of what the founding fathers intended the US government to be. Includes all the media formats so yo can use any way that is convenient, on any electronic device or the traditional way.

5000 year leap
An outstanding explanation of the founding process, what the founders had in mind, and how we have migrated away from the founders intent. The book is written in terms that the modern student can follow without learning the dialect of the era. For me it answered many questions and informed of events I was never taught in school. This is the stuff we all must have a firm basic grasp of and it simply has not been taught in schools for over 50 years. ... Read more

Product Description
We can use whatever life presents, Ezra Bayda teaches, to strengthen our spiritual practice—including the turmoil of daily life. What we need is the willingness to just be with our experiences—whether they are painful or pleasing—opening ourselves to the reality of our lives without trying to fix or change anything. But doing this requires that we confront our most deeply rooted fears and assumptions in order to gradually become free of the constrictions and suffering they create. Then we can awaken to the loving-kindness that is at the heart of our being.

While many books aspire to bring meditation into everyday experience,Being Zengives us practical ways to actually do it, introducing techniques that enable the reader to foster qualities essential to continued spiritual awakening. Topics include how to cultivate:

   •  Perseverance: staying with anger, fear, and other distressing emotions.
   •  Stillness: abiding with chaotic experiences without becoming overwhelmed.
   •  Clarity: seeing through the conditioned beliefs and fears that "run" us.
   •  Direct experience: encountering the physical reality of the present moment—even when that moment is exactly where we don't want to be.


Like Pema Chödrön, the best-selling author ofWhen Things Fall Apart,Ezra Bayda writes with clear, heartfelt simplicity, using his own life stories to illustrate the teachings in an immediate and accessible way that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.Amazon.com Review
The paradox of Zen is that learning to just live in the presentrequires lots of hard work. In Being Zen, seasoned Zen teacher EzraBayda unpacks this paradox. He demonstrates the need to just be and theninstructs us how to undertake the hard work with precision andpersistence. Through personal anecdotes he shows us how we keep ourselvesfrom living a genuine life. Instead, we maintain an ideal imageof ourselves by creating strategies that depend on delusive self-images, blind spots, and knee-jerk reactions. He then shows how, by "living the practice life," we can relentlessly observe this process and transform our edifices into open spaces of natural awareness and innate compassion. Bayda offers specificpractices for dealing with such automatic emotions as anger and fear,teaching how they can be dampened and eventually dissolved. A "how-to" bookin the best sense of the word, Being Zen is about how to just live.--Brian Bruya ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Zen is Not Easy
This and the author's other book have as a goal the individual's achieving of inner peace.This is difficult to do in the hub-bub of most of our lives and the author's style of putting the yin and yang of every nuance into written word. Certainly in the way the way the author goes about it.For most another task is another stressor.Though pushing through to his definition of simplicity works for him and helps his family understand it does not seem practical.

I wrote (and collected) and photographed (and collected) simple phrases and natural pictures to allow a reader to find as little as a single stimulus to get to a similar state. for the sanity of my patients and others. Matt Cohen MD Zen of Watering Your Garden

This Is Your Real Life
What a treasure this book is! Bayda helps us understand how practice can help us become free of the constriction of fear, awaken compassion, and "learn to be at home, even in the midst of the muddy water of our lives." His prose is so clear and practical that I would not presume to paraphrase.

"The key to practice," he says, "is not to try to change our life but to change our relationships to our expectations-to learn to see whatever is happening as our path. Our difficulties are not obstacles to the path, they are the path itself."

"What we need is a gradual yet fundamental change in our orientation to life-toward a willingness to see, to learn, to just be with whatever we meet...To simply be with our experience-even with the heaviness and darkness that surround our suffering-engenders a sense of lightness and heart." Learning to approach pain and suffering with "...a certain lightness of heart...is what transforms and softens our will-as ego, as striving, as struggle-into willingness." (I love this idea.)

Bayda offers a lovely meditation consisting of four-line rounds that repeat several times, moving from self to others to all beings. He distinguishes this from affirmations, which he says are "like mental injections we use to change or cover over our feelings." (I couldn't agree more). "This practice is the opposite: it is not about changing or covering over our feelings, it is about experiencing whatever is present." It focuses on the physical awareness of the heartspace, and so is not simply a mental exercise.

As Bayda's teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck, says in her introduction, "Even though all reading is preliminary, it is a crucial first step." Now to practice!

excellent intro
How-to books on Zen can sometimes sound a bit rarified and, oddly enough, spiritually superior.But not this one.It's serves as an excellent introduction for the beginner.Mr Bayda is very clear and sympathetic and he tends to demystify the "practice" that invites even the outsider in. The shortcoming, from my perspective, is that it tries to hard to make itself accessible that it sells the serious of the practice short.

Down to earth Buddhism
I first discovered Zen Buddhism from Ezra Bayda's teacher, Joko Beck, from her book Everyday Zen.That book changed my life.I decided to give her student's book a try and I am enjoying Being Zen very much.It clearly focuses on real life.I like that because I think a spritual practice is something that you have to have available at all times, and not something you go to a quiet space to access.

Ezra Bayda's writing is very readable and it has helped me with my own spiritual growth.

wonderful book!
"being zen" is one of the best books i've ever read.ezra bayda takes life, as it is, and show us how to live it fully, in this moment.he deals with specific emotional reactions in life and how to use them to find out more about our deepest beliefs, the very beliefs that keep us from opening our heart to life and to people.you find yourself on every page.i gave this book to all of my friends because i think it will give them joy. ... Read more

Product Description
As the application of object technology-particularly the Java programming language-has become commonplace, a new problem has emerged to confront the software development community. Significant numbers of poorly designed programs have been created by less-experienced developers, resulting in applications that are inefficient and hard to maintain and extend. Increasingly, software system professionals are discovering just how difficult it is to work with these inherited, "non-optimal" applications. For several years, expert-level object programmers have employed a growing collection of techniques to improve the structural integrity and performance of such existing software programs. Referred to as "refactoring," these practices have remained in the domain of experts because no attempt has been made to transcribe the lore into a form that all developers could use. . .until now. In Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Software, renowned object technology mentor Martin Fowler breaks new ground, demystifying these master practices and demonstrating how software practitioners can realize the significant benefits of this new process.

With proper training a skilled system designer can take a bad design and rework it into well-designed, robust code. In this book, Martin Fowler shows you where opportunities for refactoring typically can be found, and how to go about reworking a bad design into a good one. Each refactoring step is simple-seemingly too simple to be worth doing. Refactoring may involve moving a field from one class to another, or pulling some code out of a method to turn it into its own method, or even pushing some code up or down a hierarchy. While these individual steps may seem elementary, the cumulative effect of such small changes can radically improve the design. Refactoring is a proven way to prevent software decay.

In addition to discussing the various techniques of refactoring, the author provides a detailed catalog of more than seventy proven refactorings with helpful pointers that teach you when to apply them; step-by-step instructions for applying each refactoring; and an example illustrating how the refactoring works. The illustrative examples are written in Java, but the ideas are applicable to any object-oriented programming language.Amazon.com Review
Your class library works, but could it be better? Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code shows howrefactoring can make object-oriented code simpler and easier tomaintain. Today refactoring requires considerable design know-how, butonce tools become available, all programmers should be able to improvetheir code using refactoring techniques.

Besides an introduction torefactoring, this handbook provides a catalog of dozens of tips forimproving code. The best thing about Refactoring is itsremarkably clear presentation, along with excellent nuts-and-boltsadvice, from object expert Martin Fowler. The author is also anauthority on software patterns and UML, and this experience helps makethis a better book, one that should be immediately accessible to anyintermediate or advanced object-oriented developer. (Just likepatterns, each refactoring tip is presented with a simple name, a"motivation," and examples using Java and UML.)

Early chaptersstress the importance of testing in successful refactoring. (When youimprove code, you have to test to verify that it still works.) Afterthe discussion on how to detect the "smell" of bad code, readers getto the heart of the book, its catalog of over 70 "refactorings"--tipsfor better and simpler class design. Each tip is illustrated with"before" and "after" code, along with an explanation. Later chaptersprovide a quick look at refactoring research.

Like softwarepatterns, refactoring may be an idea whose time has come. Thisgroundbreaking title will surely help bring refactoring to theprogramming mainstream. With its clear advice on a hot new topic,Refactoring is sure to be essential reading for anyone whowrites or maintains object-oriented software. --RichardDragan

Topics Covered: Refactoring, improving software code, redesign, design tips, patterns, unit testing, refactoring research, and tools. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (140)

One of the most useful software development books I've read
I bought this book in 2004 and have read most of it multiple times.This is not a how to write code book, it's a how to write and rewrite code well book.

Frankly, the reason I bought this book was because Kent Beck was a co-author.His book "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns" is a classic, even though it is tough to read.Beck knows software development from practical experience, not only theoretical concepts.

I've been programming for 35 years, and this book reaffirmed what I had learned from working on many projects, writing many tens of thousands lines of code, and maintaining millions of lines of code.Write tiny methods.Each method should do one thing and do it well.Avoid duplicate code for many reasons.

I practice the principles in this book everyday.If you understand and practice them too, you will be a better software developer.

Still relevant today !!
This book should be treated as a classic in software craftmanship, and its contents are still relevant today as they were in 1999.

Essential reading
A great book that uses clean code examples to illustrate powerful concepts. It is good at showing critical OOP concepts as well as refactoring techniques for cleaning up code. Reading this will most likely make you a better programmer.

Great Mentoring...
I learned many things from this book.After reading, I felt like that I had received years of mentoring from an experienced professional.I spent one week reading this on the subway and advanced two years in professional knowledge.Time and money well spent.

Good resource for teaching
What is better? Replacing delegations with inheritance or replacing inheritance with delegation?

The answer is the ultimate answer to most software engineering decisions: DEPENDS, there is always a trade-off that has to be analyzed according to the context! This book addresses those trade-offs very well.

Moreover, I like the examples in the book, good to use in class when teaching. They generate interesting discussions. ... Read more

Product Description

More than forty years ago, Dr. Aaron T. Beck's pioneering Depression: Causes and Treatment presented the first comprehensive account of all aspects of depression and introduced cognitive therapy to health care providers and patients struggling with one of the most common and devastating diseases of the modern age. Since that classic text first appeared, the appreciation of the multifaceted nature of mood disorders has grown, and the phenomenological and biological aspects of psychology are increasingly seen as intertwined. Taking these developments into account, Beck and his colleague Brad A. Alford have written a second edition of Depression that will help patients and caregivers understand depression as a cognitive disorder.

The new edition of Depression builds on the original research and approach of the seminal first edition, including the tests of Freud's theory that led to a new system of psychological theory and therapy, one that addresses the negative schema and automatic thoughts that can trap people in painful emotional states. Beck and Alford examine selected scientific tests and randomized controlled trials that have enhanced the cognitive approach since the time it was first introduced.

Incorporating accepted changes in the definitions and categories of the various mood disorders into its discussion, Depression addresses the treatment role of revolutionary drugs, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in relation to cognitive approaches. Beck and Alford explore research on neurotrophic and neurogenesis theories of depression. They also report on advances in psychosocial treatment of depression, including the value of cognitive therapy in the prevention of relapse.

Product Description
Since the publication of Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy in 1967, cognitive therapy has established itself as one of the principal means of treating depression. Its applications are, however, much wider, and it is being used in an increasingly broad range of clinical situations--from drug abuse and eating disorders to obsessive behavior. Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice discusses the use of cognitive therapy in these and other contexts. It combines an overview of the state of the art with case studies that demonstrate the particular applications of cognitive therapy. Readers will hear the voices of the clients and empathize with both client and therapist as they seek to build a collaborative relationship.
Any therapist, however experienced, will learn from `listening in' on the case studies presented and, for students of psychology, it will be essential reading. ... Read more