Book Description
A consistent program of running or walking is the fastest, easiest, and least expensive road to overall fitness and well-being for women and men at any age. For women over forty it can be the key to the most fulfilling years life has in store.Katherine Switzer, a pioneer in women's fitness since 1967, when she became the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon is once again blazing a trail with the very first running and walking program designed specifically for women over forty. Now every woman can benefit from Katherine's highly personal, motivational, and step-by-step advice."For women beginning fitness programs at age forty, fifty, and beyond, the results can be nothing short of dramatic. For the first time they are reaching the body weight and physical conditioning they've always dreamed of. Women who have been reasonably active off their lives can also firnd a new and exciting road of fitness ahead of them after age forty. Some even find themselves outrunning women half their age!" --Katherine Switzer ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good for the beginner
If you are just getting into or thinking about a walking/running program this book is for you.If you have been doing both for some time, its a great read, just beyond where you are at in your program. I have given this book to my sister who has just turned 40 and she loved it.

Awesome book for the experienced runner and novice walker
As I read this book (I am beginning a walking program), I became very honored to read about all the blood, sweat, and tears Ms. Switzer went through during her career as a runner.She makes you feel you are with her during those times.Her advice is sound, professional, and in your best interest.If you listen to what she tells you, i.e., how your shoes and clothes should fit; how you should start out on your program; and the wonderful advice to "get you out the door," you willhave a very long and rewarding running/walking program, that can and will enhance your life.This book has really changed my outlook, my exercise capacity, and pretty much my overall health!Thanks for writing this book, Ms. Switzer. I owe you big time!Sandy, in Florida.

Errors
This book comes across as poorly edited and researched.Contains mispelled words and incorrect statements such as "air is 80% oxygen".It is also hard for a beginning runner to relate to a marathoner who has run for almost her entire life.

INSPIRING AND SENSIBLE! BRAVO!
I hadn't run for 17 years and never ran more than 3.5 miles. (I'm 40.)With the help of this book, I am up to 5 miles (and counting!).The book is easy to read.The program is easy to follow.However, this book is for people who are basically in good health and who like to exercise.The book will not GIVE you motivation, it will simply help you if you are already somewhat motivated and want to get in better shape.I have followed her advice, gotten great results and enjoyed the process. This book has been worth a million to me!

Excellent Resource
I picked up this book after making a decision to get in better shape (even though I'm only 34).I've always hated running, so I'm not sure what prompted me to consider it.Her system for becoming a 30-minute runner definitely works.Both my partner and I made it to 30 minutes (although it took a little longer than ten weeks).I am now running 54 minutes, my partner 45 minutes.I'd recommend this book to anyone (not only women), even if you only use the time charts for becoming a 30 minute walker/runner and not the rest of the book. ... Read more

Book Description
Los Angeles is a great place to walk. Really, it is--don't bedeterred by the maze of freeways and pervasive car culture. Set out on footand you'll be rewarded with the discovery of hidden streets, architecturalmasterpieces, historical facts, and cultural influences as you wanderthrough the hills and canyons, along peaceful residential neighborhoods,and gritty urban zones. Author and LA local Erin Mahoney is a knowledgeabletour guide to the treasures in neighborhoods dotting LA's hills, valleys,and flatlands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Awful Book
As an Angeleno my whole life and an avid walker myself this book was a huge waste of money even for the most jaded west-sider who never travels east of Hollywood Blvd. Most of the tours are through the well paved neighborhoods of urbanized Los Angeles and there isn't a single tour of any area, park or point of interest east of the 110 freeway! To add insult to injury even her food recommendations are lousy (save for a few no brainers}. Mahoney is referred to as a native Angeleno. I hope a review like this encourages her to really explore a city she has very little knowledge about.

No one walksin LA....
At least, I thought that until I read this great book.The walks are fun and give you a different view of Los Angeles.Highly recommended!

Great Walking In A Great City
I found this book to be fun to use, accurate, and articulate. Walking is the best way to see any place, you get exercise, see many things you would otherwise miss, eat at out of the way places and generally just have more fun. With this book you can do it with amuch better understanding of where to go and what to see.This book gives you great guides to not only walk portions of the city, but also ideas about where to go even if you are riding. Even if you do not plan to see LA by foot I would recommend this book for any resident or tourist.I bet any resident will find this is a great book to use to see and appreciate more of the city they live in.For the visitor this book has so much useful information that other guide books never address. I am buying copies for both friends and relatives.Buy a copy and carry it with you, we just might meet each other carrying the book and walking LA

A must read!
I picked up this book in hopes of finding some places to actually walk around LA and enjoy it for more than just what you see when you drive around everywhere. I have only been to one of the spots so far, but my girlfriend and I were blown away by what we found. Not only are the routes well planned, and a nice distance, but the information that comes with each is well researched and makes the walk all the better. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent way to discover the hidden LA.
Very fun and interesting route maps outlining cool things to see in LA that you may have missed. Cool descriptions of things to keep an eye out for on the walks. My wife and I have been going to funky areas and neighborhoods to take walks for awhile. This book takes that to the next level and really points out a side of LA that you may not have seen when passing by in a car. Good stuff! ... Read more

Book Description
By the bestselling author of Polar Dream (more than 40,000copies sold)At the age of 63, Helen Thayer fulfilled her lifelong dream of crossingMongolia's Gobi Desert. Accompanied by her 74-year-old husband Bill and twocamels, Tom and Jerry, Thayer walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures,battling fierce sandstorms, dehydration, dangerous drug smugglers, andubiquitous scorpions. For more than 60 days Helen struggled to keep movingthrough this inhospitable terrain despite a severe leg injury. Withoutsponsors, a support team, or radio contact, hers is a journey of purediscovery and adventure.

Walking the Gobi takes readers on a trip through a little-knownlandscape and introduces them to the culture of the nomadic people whoseancestors have eked out an existence in the Gobi for thousands of years.Thayer's respect and admiration for the culture of Gobi and her gentleweaving of natural history shine throughout this remarkable story. Theauthor proves that Baby Boomers don't have to take life lying down-theiradventures have just begun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Modern adventurers
Modern day adventurers do exist.This is the first thing the reader will realize wehn reading "Walking the Gobi" by Helen Thayer.Ms. Thayer brings the reader with us as she traverses one of the most dangerous places on earth, the Gobi desert.It details a journey she and her husband made across the Gobi desert.From page one, I could not really put the book down.With her we meet Mongolian tribesman, smugglers along the Chinease border, rare Gobi bears, desert scorpions and the occasional Mongolian bureaucrat.Throughout, Ms. Thayer never lets the reader forget how truly amazing and beautiful this part of the world is. Any expedition like this would be a challenge for any healthy individual, but Ms. Thayer manages her journey with an injured leg throghout most of the book.Through sheer mental fortitude Ms. Thayer wills herself to complete her journey across one of the most hostile environments on earth, on step at a time.This is a must read for anyone who enjoys the spirit of adventure.

You're going WHERE?
"You're going WHERE?"

"WHY?"

These are the questions Helen Thayer is asked by the people she meets in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.

The answer to the first question is--walking across the Gobi Desert from west to east at its widest spot. One thousand six hundred miles in 81 days, to be exact.

The answer to the second question is more difficult to answer:
Because it's never been done before.
Because Mongolia has at last been opened to travelers, after nearly 80 years of isolation under Soviet rule.
Because there is no better way to challenge yourself (at age 63) or your husband (at age 74).
Because the Gobi is one of the least hospitable places on earth.
Because its people, few as they are, are among the MOST hospitable on earth.

Already established as one of the greatest explorer-adventurers of our time, Helen Thayer, with her husband Bill, travel across the world's second-largest desert with only two intransigent camels as companions. No radio contact, no support team; just a single local pilot whom they must meet at pre-established coordinates every twenty days for resupply. Over 81 days of hiking, they must encounter border guards, smugglers, wolves, thirst, scorpions, giant spiders, and sandstorms. In return, they meet perhaps the kindest and most gentle people on earth, who are more than willing to share what little they have with strangers.

Alternately sad, incisive, moving, and exciting, Helen's narrative keeps you turning the pages until--too soon--the journey is over.

Now what do we do? Go there ourselves?--no, few of us could survive that. So we do the next-best thing and read her older books--and eagerly await her next one.

A pick for any general-interest library where adventure travel is prized.
In 2001, at age 63, the author achieved her life's goal of crossing Mongolia's Gobi Desert, accompanied by her 74-year-old husband and two camels. They walked 1600 miles in 126-degree temperatures - and WALKING THE GOBI recounts their adventure, which was undertaken without the usual support team, sponsors or even radio contact. The people and cultures of the Gobi desert come to life in this fine adventure read, a pick for any general-interest library where adventure travel is prized.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Walking the Gobi
Helen and Bill Thayer, in their sixties and seventies respectively, walked across the Gobi Desert accompanied only by two camels. This book chronicles their journey.

It's fascinating to read about the Gobi, one of the harshest environments on the planet, and the wildlife that survives there. The pack camels are a surprise -- intelligent animals with distinct personalities.

It's depressing but instructive to read about the crushing poverty of the native people and the Orwellian militarism of the Chinese border stations.

Thrilling and Inspirational
Another Helen Thayer (Polar Dream and 3 Among the Wolves) non-fiction thriller that takes the reader on an adventure of discovery and inspiration. The heart-felt understanding and sincere admiration of the Mongolian culture she clearly admires and grew to love shines throughout the book. For 81 days and 1,600 miles she and her husband Bill endured hardship, sometimes life-threatening, in one of the harshest places on earth. Crossing this dry, desparately hot desert in summer temperatures over 120 degrees would test even the hardiest soul. But these two walked all the way at age 63 (Helen) and 74 (Bill). Their close personal relationship as husband and wife never wavered throughout even the worst encounters with extreme thirst, scorpions, snakes and smugglers. Thayer's gift of vivid description takes the reader along as if walking at her side all the way. I laughed with her as she described some of their antics and I cried with her when they tried to save a dying animal they encountered. And I wanted to reach out and pat their two beloved camels they called Tom and Jerry. This is an "I can't put it down" book of not only an enduring close personal relationship of a husband and wife, but also of a thrilling adventure, and an oportunity to learn more about a remarkable culture. A truly inspirational read! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Stunning works
I would give this a six star rating if possible.Beautiful examples of what can be attained.Extensive review of woods, their appearence and workability properties, grains, etc.Wide array of styles and methods, superb sourcebook. ... Read more

Book Description

Bruce Feiler recently reprised the journey through the Holy Land that led to his breakthrough bestseller Walking the Bible––this time he took along a documentary film crew. The result will be a heavily marketed PBS series in January 2006 and a lush illustrated book, WALKING THE BIBLE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY.

One part adventure story, one part archaeological detective work, one part spiritual exploration, WALKING THE BIBLE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY is a fascinating, unprecedented journey––by foot, jeep, rowboat, and camel––through the most famous stories ever told. The combination of beautiful photography and Feiler's evocative prose will irresistibly draw readers into the Holy Land. In these pages the biblical landscape comes alive as Feiler treks though Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, the Sinai, and Jordan visiting the actual places where some of history's most famous events took place, from the mountain where Noah's ark landed to the site of the legendary burning bush. He visits the desert outpost in Turkey where Abraham first heard the words of God and sleeps on the summit where Moses overlooked the Promised Land.

Customer Reviews (14)

beautiful book, great gift
I purchased this book last year as a Christmas gift for my grandmother.The photos are lovely and the accompanying text proved just right for a non-reader - interesting captions and short readable paragraphs, nothing lengthy. She was very happy with it and later said it was "beautiful and interesting to read and look through". Several of us enjoyed looking through it on Christmas day, and we were all impressed with it overall.

beautiful photographs
We bought this book for my father-in-law.My husband was skeptical because he wasn't sure he would have the time to read a book.My 8-year-old daughter looked through the whole book before we wrapped it, exclaming on just about every page, "Oh, this is so beautiful!" and then said, "This will be okay for Grandad, it's mostly pictures."He did seem to like it on Christmas Day

Beautiful
This book is a great companion to Walking the Bible book or CD set

A striking visual panorama, not to be missed.
WALKING THE BIBLE: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY could also have been featured in our Spirituality section: it's reviewed here for its striking photo impact so that artists don't miss the value of its presentation. It's a companion volume to the new PBS series on its way: in 2004 Feiler reprised the 10,000 mile walk through the Middle East deserts which led to his WALKING THE BIBLE. This photographic odyssey blends stunning photos - many taken by Feiler - with a survey of Biblical places and landscapes. A striking visual panorama, not to be missed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A beautiful walk
This is a real walk through the holy land especially if you can't get there. ... Read more

Book Description
This dialogue between two of the most prominent thinkers on social change in the twentieth century was certainly a meeting of giants. Throughout their highly personal conversations recorded here, Horton and Freire discuss the nature of social change and empowerment and their individual literacy campaigns. The ideas of these men developed through two very different channels: Horton's, from the Highlander Center, a small, independent residential education center situated outside the formal schooling system and the state; Freire's, from within university and state-sponsored programs.

Myles Horton, who died in January 1990, was a major figure in the civil rights movement and founder of the Highlander Folk School, later the highlander Research and Education Center. Paulo Freire, author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, established the Popular Culture Movement in Recife, Brazil's poorest region, and later was named head of the New National Literacy Campaign until a military coup forced his exile from Brazil. He has been active in educational development programs worldwide.

For both men, real liberation is achieved through popular participation. The themes they discuss illuminate problems faced by educators and activists around the world who are concerned with linking participatory education to the practice of liberation and social change. How could two men, working in such different social spaces and times, arrive at similar ideas and methods? These conversations answer that question in rich detail and engaging anecdotes, and show that, underlying the philosophy of both, is the idea that theory emanates from practice and that knowledge grows from and is a reflection of social experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent book on education and social change
Just wanted to say ditto to the previous reviewers. Highly readable, engaging dialogue between the two great minds, a great introduction to their lives and thought. I give this book to friends as a gift probably half a dozen times a year it is that good. Trust me. Buy it. Read it. Go out and transform this world into one less ugly.

An amazing book!
I agree with the last reader that this is one of the best books I have ever read.Horton (may he rest in peace) and Freire have been on the front lines of using education for social progress and change.They discusstheir philosophies and principles about education, illustrated by powerfulstories of their work over the years, in an informal, conversational style. It has made me totally rethink the way I approach teaching adult ESLstudents.

One of the greatest books I have ever read!
There is no better book that combines education and social change than "We Make the Road By Walking".The dialog format truly lets the reader feel as though you are sitting next to Freire and Horton in a rocking chair at Highlander.This book is nothing short of a guide for all of us to shape the world we live in. ... Read more

Book Description
Zacharias invites readers to follow him on this journey through his life and into the lives of others, and see how he has become more convinced with each year that Jesus Christ is the one who came to give us life to the fullest and to point us to the freedom and beauty of truth for everyone--easterner or westerner--all over the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Learn more about one of today's best Christian Apologists
My in-laws recently moved to Oxford, England so that my father-in-law can pursue his PhD at the University. Luckily for me, Ravi Zacharias recently visited Oxford, and my favorite mother-in-law was able to get me a signed copy of this book that tells Ravi's life story.

Having listened to Ravi's radio shows, read his books, and pariticipated in one of his conferences, I have always been thoroughly impressed by his humble, yet insightful approach to apologetics. In this book, he let's the reader know more about his life, and how it has been shaped by God. It is a quick read that really shows how much God can change a life and use it for good. Ravi is a master storyteller, so it is a quick read that strings together the threads of his life in a meaningful, and powerful way.

As expected, I learned a lot from the book and was really encouraged to know that Ravi has faced several trials during his life, just like the rest of us. If you enjoy Ravi's books, or have listened to him speak then you will enjoy this book. In Paul Harvey's words...it tells the rest of the story. Enjoy.

Ravi is an inspiration
Ravi Zacharias gives a moving account of his life, from humble beginnings in India to his worldwide ministry today.The accounts of his diverse experience and perspective make this book invaluable.I highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who would like to be inspired by Ravi again.

Ravi Zacharias' Sanctification
Ravi Zacharias, a longtime favorite of our family, writes honestly and poignantly about his painful process in coming to know Christ, and God's amazing work in him since that time.He illustrates the purpose of pain in making God's children into His image.

The Long Road Home...
In his autobiography "Walking From East to West", internationally known speaker Ravi Zacharias details his long and often painful journey to where he is now.The book can certainly grab the reader's attention as it flows from the poverty ridden streets of India to the war-torn jungles of Southeast Asia to the Untied Nations.Ravi Zacharias effectively describes his own spiritual and emotional journey that turned a depressed youth on the brink of suicide (he came extremely close to death) into a well known evangelist and intellectual.Along the way, the author looks back to his often troubled relationship with his dad.
As the book progresses, readers also meet an extradinary variety of people whom Ravi met ranging from average people to intellectuals to martyrs to Soviet generals to Billy Graham.Ravi also mentions a number of interesting episodes in which he almost became a fighter pilot or went into the hotel business.The author also writes about his sneaky prankster side when he was a youth and the fairly gripping account of how he tried to kill himself when he was a teenager and how it turned his life around.Overall, a fascinating story of a man overcoming the odds.

A Life of Exceptional Experiences Dosed w/ Humility
When this book first came out, I wasn't as interested as I was reading RZ's other more apologetic books.This was more of a biography, very anecdotal, but the more I read it, I saw how so many of what he's seen and experienced were just microcosms of so many worldviews.He himself was a huge cynic, but after his regenerative experience at the hospital, he was led to really explore who God was and His message through Jesus, as well as test the seemingly competitive other world views.And he quotes it accurately, saying the more he learned about other world views, the more beautiful Jesus became to him.

Sometimes his biography was comparable to Forrest Gump, with fortunate exceptional destiny, with the exception that Ravi had immense intellectual potential.But he has really humbly been appointedly woven into the lives of many other prominent theological giants, having also crossed paths with world leaders.It's just amazing to realize all he's been through, but only because of the grace of God...continually guiding His path, and using him, from great revivals to personal intimate testimonies.

And amidst all the glorious stories are his heartfelt intimate thoughts of his family and his closest friends, some who died of age, and some who died spreading the gospel.I'm not ashamed to say how much this book has moved me...it is probably one of the most personal books for me...

this book is definitely rich w/ great lessons, great experience, and great proof that God is really there in the shadows, slowly revealing and affirming His will in our lives at the duly appointed time.

it IS an exceptional life, a great book i sadly put down, wishing there was more to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Astronaut Tom Jones had trained for years for one climactic moment: his first step through an airlock into the vast nothingness of space. What neither he nor anyone else had counted on was a door that refused to open. But that is the nature of space flight (as recent experience tragically proves) -- anything can, and sometimes does, go wrong. Fully aware of the possibility of disaster, astronauts still dare to venture to the edge of the cosmos in search of knowledge and adventure. Sky Walking is the story of one of those brave explorers. Jones spent eleven years in the NASA astronaut program, making four trips into space. He ultimately spent fifty-two days orbiting Earth, including more than nineteen hours outside during extravehicular activity -- that is, sky walking. Jones's readers get the inside story, written with a lyrical pen, on life in the new century with NASA, the space shuttle, and the International Space Station.

Customer Reviews (27)

Makes space flight dull and boring
Not the Right Stuff for me.
The writing is wordy, attempts to be profound and "educated" at every turn, and fails.

His single most dramatic story, the stuck hatch, is anti-climatic.

His second most dramatic story: too much air getting into the food packets.

There is very little "inside scoop" here, as NASA is portrayed as all glorious, and almost perfect.Yet we know, and see demonstrated on a regular basis, that the opposite is true.

Find this locally if you can, and browse through it first to see if its the right stuff for you.

A memoir by one of the "new breed" of astronauts
There are many excellent books written by and about the Right Stuff astronauts who flew during the earlier days of the space program.However, until recently, there has been a nearly total lack of books by and about the shuttle astronauts who fly now.For better or worse, today's space program is as different from the program of the early days as the shuttle is different from the Apollo capsules.And today's astronauts are different, too.

Mike Mullane was the first of the shuttle astronauts to write about his experiences in his book Riding Rockets.However, Mullane was a member of the group that made the transition from the Apollo program to the shuttle program, and the tone of his book is almost wistful; he clearly wanted to be one of the Right Stuff guys-- and he means guys-- but he ended up being a shuttle technician.

Sky Walking is a memoir by a very different sort of astronaut.Tom Jones was very young during the "glory days" of the space program, so he has no Right Stuff preconceptions about astronauts as death-defying heroes.Rather, he is an Air Force Academy graduate who flew B-52s, earned a PhD in planetary sciences, and became a dedicated, professional shuttle program technician.That could have made for a dull, technical book if it weren't for his intellect and, more importantly, his powers of observation and ability to reflect on what he experienced.

Jones flew four shuttle missions and took three space walks on his final mission, which was dedicated to construction on the International Space Station.His accounts of what space walks are like-- and of the hundreds of hours of training that precedes each one-- are first rate.His descriptions of the ISS and of the issues surrounding its planning, funding, and construction are excellent.I don't know of any other insider's book that deals with the ISS in such detail or with such authority.This is because Jones was an administrator in the ISS program between his third and fourth shuttle flights.

The subtitle says that this is "an astronaut's memoir," and that's exactly what it is.Jones takes us trough his selection as an astronaut, his general training, his years of waiting for flights, his training for those flights, and the flights themselves.There is considerable technical information in the book, but Jones does an excellent job of clarifying it for non-experts.The real focus is on Jones himself-- what he sees, thinks, and feels about what's happening to him.

This is an outstanding book.It answers the two basic questions many of us have always had:"What's it REALLY like to fly in space?" and "What are those people REALLY like?"I thoroughly enjoyed Sky Walking, and I recommend it most highly.

The Next Best Thing to Traveling to Space Yourself
Sky Walking is the best account of the experience of space that I have ever read. It takes you deep into the physical and emotional sensations of space travel where you the reader experience what astronauts experience right down to the mundane task trying to locate an item that has floated away in the cabin or trying to use an exercise bike with zero gravity. Tom Jones is an articulate writer capable of constructing wonderful imagery and some choice metaphors about every aspect of space travel from training to launch to rentry. His descriptions of his space walks and working aboard the International Space Station are particularly memorable. Jones is also not afraid to render an opinion about this America's commitment to space what can and should be done tomaintain NASA as a shining symbol of American capability. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a curiosity about what space travel is really like.
-- Jerry Burton, author of Zora Arkus-Duntov the Legend Behind Corvette and Corvette, America's Sports Car, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

Sky Walking Reaches High on Many Accounts
This is a highly readable and expertly written account by Tom Jones about his astronaut career.
He writes from his heart, and has clearly thought a lot about how to effectively communicate his experiences.
His use of imagery puts this book in the realm of literature, though it is definitely non-fiction.
A must for your Christmas list if you are or once were an aspiring astronaut,an aspiring writer of topics related to space and technology or just interested in knowing what it is like up there.It is a great read; I laughed, I cried, learned something about space, space policy and history, and was amazed by it all!

Another great astronaut biography
"Sky Walking" is the second space shuttle astronaut biography I have read after Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets".I enjoyed both books a lot but they are very different in style.Mike Mullane's book concentrates mostly on humorous anecdotes from his astronaut career (although there are serious parts) whereas Tom Jones has more of the detail involved in astronaut training and I would have to say that if you want to know the fine details about being an astronaut, get this book.I haven't seen anything better in this regard.

Tom Jones started his astronaut career in 1990, just about the time when Mike Mullane was winding down (he was in the 1978 astronaut class) so the two books cover virtually the whole Space Shuttle era.Tom eventually flew four missions, the last being the outfitting of the Destiny laboratory on ISS in 2001.As the title suggests, there is a lot about space walking but Tom didn't get to do any until the last mission.He was scheduled to do a spacewalk on STS-80 but, as described in the first chapter, the airlock wouldn't open.

The book is simply packed with detail on mission training and the space walk training in the NASA WETF and NBL training facilities is described so well that your body almost starts to ache in sympathy.Being an astronaut is definitely not an easy job.As you would expect, there are numerous anecdotes throughout, one of my favourites being Story Musgrave staying on the Shuttle flight deck during the STS-80 re-entry so he could video it.Certainly a man with the right stuff.

If you just want to get an overview of astronaut training rather than the full detail I would probably recommend Mike Mullane's book ahead of this one.There isn't as much humor in "Sky Walking" either but it's still worth five stars. ... Read more

Book Description
Walking the Talk represents a first: major business leaders arguing that sustainability is not only compatible with but crucial to business success. Drawing on nearly 70 case histories of companies around the world, the authors show how the three pillars of sustainable development -- economic growth, ecological balance, and social progress -- work to improve the bottom line even as they create a better world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Credibility
One of the authors of this book is Mr. Philip Watts, chairman of Shell until 2003. He left the company after it was revealed that under his mandate, Shell has inflated its oil reserves by 20%, with his knowledge and influence. Although the book seems consistent and based on real facts, his presence as an author make it a bit unreliable. I did not realize he is one of the authors. If Iknew it, I would never buy it. Check "Chapter 2 - The Right Framework",particulalrly the item "Transparency and Accountability" and then check the reports on Mr Watts' activities and behaviour at Shell.How can one trust on what reads??

Read this book if you want to improve your bottom line
Business has always had as its prime responsibility making profits and this is what most stakeholders seek from their investment. It is only when business is convinced that it will make better profits over the long term by being socially and environmentally responsible that we will see the changes that are required to leave a better world to our children. It was therefore like a breath of fresh air to discover this book written by influential businessmen showing that corporate social and environmental practice will improve both the bottom line and the planet. More than 160 companies have joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and are trying to run their companies in the best interests of human society and the natural environment. Emerging from the vision of a small group of business leaders prior to the 1992 Earth Summit, the WBCSD published this book prior to the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. They found that the term 'sustainable development' is unknown to most of the world's inhabitants and that it is mildly annoying to almost all environment actors and thinkers but some corporations were drawn to it because it is not anti-growth and serious economic growth is required to meet the needs of the current population. Moreover, the issues of sustaining a planet are similar to those of sustaining a corporation - primarily managing a balancing act between the short-term and the long-term - and getting it wrong in either direction can mean extinction. Thinking in terms of sustainable development opens up new ways to grow and led to the more business friendly term of 'sustainable growth'.

As the market is good at reflecting short-term economic realities but poor at reflecting long-term economic realities and environmental realities the WBCSD prepared a report for the 1992 Summit calling for full-cost pricing, taxes and tradable permits rather than regulation, phasing out of subsidies, and accounting changes to reflect environmental scarcity. However, adoption of these measures would result in higher prices and the other two pillars of society - civil society and government - needed to accept such a change. Each sector tends to wait on the other; politicians do not want to become unpopular by pushing for higher prices nor do consumers want to spend more. "There will not be real progress until business, government, and civil society team up in new and dynamic partnerships."

Adoption of the phrase 'eco-efficiency' was a conceptual breakthrough that allowed moral and ethical practice to be linked to good business practice and set an agenda of producing more with less - a package that would make companies more competitive. Companies could be more profitable while keeping a human face and as few companies were prepared for consumer's ability to get their concerns into board rooms, managing a company's reputation became a central element in managing a corporation. This led to companies adding an environmental section to their annual financial report and reporting on the triple bottom line - financial, environmental and social. This has already brought about some radical changes. "Companies that once sold paint to car companies now sell the service of painting cars. So where once they improved their bottom line by maximizing cans of paint sold, they now improve the bottom line by minimizing the use of paint per car." DuPont decided that if it wanted its business to be sustainable it had to improve earnings by using fewer raw materials. This lead to the concept of shareholder value added (SVA) per pound of production and the goal of doubling the SVA of Kevlar fiber over the next five years. "Dupont Flooring Services has developed a system to offer certified installation, patented maintenance and end-of-life recycling to the already world-class carpet offering of DuPont Antron." At DuPont the question of whether sustainability improves the bottom line is not asked any more: "That is how we will get our bottom line, and that is how we will create value for our shareholders and for society."

By devoting 2% of its annual capital investment to environmental performance, a Swiss-based company has a vision of being a 'zero-equivalent carbon dioxide emission company' through a 5% pa annual reduction of energy per unit, increased use of alternative and renewable energy and by planting 35,000 hectares of land with trees to compensate for the remaining emissions, with a projected saving of $1 billion between 1994 and 2010. "Thanks to these measures, the planet has been spared the burden of another 100-megawatt power plant; the water we have saved could quench the thirst of 50 million people a year. We are using 28% less electricity and 45% less water than in 1994 for the same output. This translates, with a large increase in volume today, into a saving of $50 million in 2000 alone."

This book has 67 case studies that present current leading edge thinking. For a company that believes that it will remain competitive by neglecting environmental issues, this book will be an eye-opener. For others it is impossible to read this book without coming away with ideas for improving performance and the bottom line.

a persuasive business case
In the next society', observes Peter Drucker, 'the biggest challenge for the large company - especially for the multinational-may be its social legitimacy: its values, its missions, its vision.' (quoted on P. 128 of Walking the Talk).
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is an association of over 160 large companies who believe that the imperatives of making a profit are compatible with "... [running] their companies in the best interests of human society and the natural environment, now and in the future."
The book seeks to explore the opportunities and problems in doing so, and to describe the progress made over the last ten years. It is overtly evangelical, seeking to recruit more successful businesses (and specifically their CEOs) to the cause of sustainability as the authors define it. The authors are writing within a mental model that believes in the benefits of free markets, globalization, continuing economic growth and in the contemporary model of business. Although they recognize that there are alternative mental models, their primary purpose is not to address these, but to persuade those who share their broad views (which would include the vast majority of business people) that a concern for environmental sustainability and social justice is good business - that pursuit of these wider goals is the best way of ensuring a healthy bottom line now and in the future.
The book is well argued within its framework. More important, it carries the names of three of the world's most senior Chief Executives, which gives it immense clout in its avowed task of persuading other CEOs to joint the sustainability movement.
A 'foundation' chapter, which describes the business case for sustainability, is followed by a brief overview of each of ten key elements in moving toward sustainability, with each chapter illustrated with detailed case studies (significantly, they are nearly all companies and utilities which supply to industrial markets).
In building their case, they identify the dilemmas, and particularly the issue of how to balance concern for the future with prudence in the present. They also note that current market failures (failure to price for 'externalities', perverse subsidies, inappropriate tax regimes) make it more difficult to persuade many companies that pursuit of sustainability is in their best interest. In consequence, they call for partnership with government to correct these problems, and describe experience to date and needs for the future.
The 'ten building blocks' therefore include chapters on The Right Framework - what conditions are needed for business success truly to reflect sustainable operation - and From Dialogue to Partnership - how to enter partnership with the full range of stakeholders.
Too much of the literature on sustainability is taken up with immoderate attack on business and globalization - often with the inference that it is inherently evil - and equally immoderate defence of the (implied) perfection of the present state of globalization and behaviour of companies. It is therefore very refreshing to have an impeccable business source that acknowledges the move to sustainability as important business that is still in its early stages and is prepared to describe the successes, failings, dilemmas and rewards on the journey to sustainability.
Given their objective, there are some important and difficult issues that the authors do not tackle. For example, Hamilton in Growth Fetish, points to:
* the inadequacy of economic measures of progress,
* the importance of a distinction between growth and development and
* the evils of a framework that systematically promotes over-consumption.
These issues need to be argued, and could have very serious implications for business, but they are not the subject of this book.
Those who have a radically different view of the current business system and who disagree with the authors' views on globalization may well see the book as simply offering symptomatic solutions without tackling the real issues. They will none the less take comfort from the fact that community protests about unacceptable business activities (environmental degradation, comfort to repressive regimes, sweatshop labour) clearly send signals that influence the behaviour of corporate decision makers.

A fascinating insight into better business practise.
This book will be of interest to anyone remotely curious about economics, finance, society and progress. It is a concrete and realistic account of how businesses can engage in a medium/long term win-win game, benefiting both sustainable development and companies. It shows the evolution in business practise, and the future trend it is likely to take because of the new dimension of competitively in such troubled times: sustainability.

A clear and transparent account of how to achieve it (and what the past and current attempts are) is made through theoretical definitions of eco-efficiency, corporate social responsibility, the role of innovation, the attempt to control market failures, and make both frameworks and consumer choice allies in achieving more environmentally and socially viable economic growth. Those are illustrated by 66 case studies ranging from all sectors and countries. It dares to face many different scenarios so as to recognise possible costs or tradeoffs, but manages to prove the overwhelming victory of the business case for sustainable development.

The importance of this book, setting the trend for the next 60 years or so, comes from the fact that it was written by credible businessman. Their vision on today's and tomorrow's business practise is sharp. As a student at the London School of Economics, concentrating on how markets can bring more efficient solutions to poverty, corruption and environmental crisis, this book comes in as one of my absolute favourites. It is easy to read, and very actual. Though there aren't any easy answers to the problems it tackles, the book provides an important insight of the role of businesses in achieving sustainable development, and the clear advantages that emanate from doing so.

Read before walking!
First of all I should declare my interest and bias: I was involved in the production of the book. But this is also an advantage. I know first hand what the authors wanted to convey - a serious sense of the responsibility and opportunities for business to make globalization and markets work for all and our environment. This book engages in one of the broadest review of the issues of sustainable development as perceived by engaged business leaders. From the "technocratic" approaches to material efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts and risks to the "soft" and daunting issues of fighting poverty through enterprise and wealth creation. It also does not duck the questions of corporate accountability and market reforms.
Plenty of books have covered the issues of globalization but most have an anti-business perspective. Here at last we have a powerful business view.

As business people the authors take a lot of space to provide evidence, from their own organizations and like-minded peers, in the form of case studies. They also look under the top line of financial sustainability indices and provide exclusive statistics of business behavior from the 2002 survey that is at the basis of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Any downside to this book? Yes - It begs the question why the companies next door are not yet following the lead. If they were to "read the talk" would they also "walk the talk"? ... Read more

Book Description
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings epic tale has long captivated readers with its parallels to biblical truth. And now, a new addition to the thirsty(?) line, Walking with Frodo looks at the biblical themes found in the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy. The 18 devotions pair vices and virtues (deception vs. honesty, light vs. darkness, good vs. evil) displayed by characters in The Lord of the Rings and bring to light what the Bible has to say. A must-have for longtime and new series fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Thank You Sarah
Sarah Arthur has become one of my favorite authors with her two devotionals based on the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit.Walking with Frodo, was a tremendous help to me, when I read it I was very angry with a lot of people for a lot of reasons, but as I read it I began to lose my anger, and feel free from that burden.This book helped change my life, and it can do the same for you.The two best ones from my point of view were the devotions writen about Sam and Aragorn.It's a must for any Tolkien fan.

Doesn't always hold up...
This is a very enjoyable devotional book, or just a book to sit down with on a rainy day.I didn't really get much out of it, though, either about Lord of the Rings or Christianity.Some of the "parallels" the author draws between characters in LotR and real life are flimsy and don't make much sense--she compares Faramir, for example, to someone you see at a party one night, having a great old time, and leading a Bible study the next.Huh?It maybe could have benefited from some more in-depth looks at certain things.

But it's good, especially for Lord of the Rings-obsessed Christians.

Walking With Frodo- a teenager's review
I got this book just because I like Lord of the Rings and I thought it sounded cool. I never knew how good it would really be! The author does a really good job of getting into the character's minds and motives and applying their situations and choices to real-life situations. This book was written for high school and college students, but I would reccomend it to adults too. How much spiritual truth can you learn from a pop culture phenomenon? You will be very surprised!

Excellent and make a place on your keeper shelf!
You don't have to be a LOTR fan to enjoy this book.This book can appeal and speak to teenagers and adults alike.In fact, I recommend it for everyone!Sarah Arthur does of marvelous job of using the lush backdrop of Tolkien's fairy tale to speak truth of character from a Christ-like perspective with scriptures as support.It's an easy read, yet deep - leading to thought provoking questions for discussions at the end of each chapter.I love the chapter on Integrity!Hats off and well done Sarah Arthur - truth in character without ever sounding trite!

Terrific novel...
**** For decades, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and all things Middle Earth have captured the hearts and imaginations of young and old alike. Despite J.R.R. Tolkien's insistance that it was not an allegory, millions of Christians see the greatest story ever told just beneath the surface, as if runic words inscribed its pages. Whether or not you read that into this modern mythos, it can not be denied that Aragorn, Gandalf, and the rest of the Fellowship captured the meaning of virtue in their lives. From wisdom to loyalty to graciousness, they were examples of what we should be. Likewise, in Denethor, Grima, Sauron, etc, we see what we should strive not to be. In this book, the author takes these traits two by two, the good and the evil, and shows us how it played out in Middle Earth, in the Bible, and how to carry it into life. Given the popularity of this saga, it works with great efficiency. It would be a wonderful cross generational Bible study, especially since she takes the time to clue readers in on the teen jargon's meaning. For that alone, parents should invest in this book. It's a book designed to be read over several weeks, but you will have to exercise restraint not to sail through it in one sitting, so readable is it. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews. ... Read more

Book Description
A hiking legend, Earl Shaffer in 1948 came home from the SouthPacific and set out to prove the then-little-known Appalachian Trail--itsmaintenance largely and necessarily neglected during the war--could bewalked in a single continuous journey from Georgia to Maine. This is hisown lyrical account of that walk, undertaken also to try to shake off WorldWar II combat, during which he lost his best friend. Illustrated with hisphotographs during the hike, this book has inspired thousands to attemptsimilar "thru-hikes." In 1965, he walked it the other way, and, in 1998 atage 79, he did it again...on a trail far different from the one hebasically rediscovered at mid-century, one that was more difficult than heliked as he neared his eighth decade. Originally self-published (300copies), Walking with Spring was first professionally typeset andpublished in 1983; this is the second printing of a 1996 edition.Only thecovers have changed since 1983. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

He Writes as well as he Hikes
After reading many of the more contemporary accounts of thruhiking the AT, I finally got a hold of this great book.In my opinion, I recommend it the highest of any of them.
Unlike most of the other books, he complains the least about the hike, despite countless detours and the usual hardships (yet he still averaged 17 miles a day!).A real strength to this book is that despite the fact he had suffered such psychological trauma during his service in WWII, he hardly mentions it all.There are no long-winded passages of psycho-babble, self-pity in this book.Many subsequent accounts tend to make their problems too much of the story, dragging the reader down.
Instead, you get a real feeling of interest and wonder at the natural world Schaffer experienced--concisely, yet accurately conveyed in words.In addition, he keeps a steady pace of writing to match his hiking, so there are no slow spots.He simply goes about the business of hiking every day, and that strength is carried over into the book clearly.
Other books, such as Bill Bryson's, give a lot of good background and historical information, but a more perceptive, deeply felt account than Walking with Spring would be very difficult indeed, to produce.
The ATC's website has a good list of recommended memoirs which are good resources for more practical and current information, but in the end, this one stands out from and above them.

Marching to the beat of a different drummer
Earl Shaffer's recounting of the first AT thruhike is a glimpse into history. Perhaps a hundred books have been written about the Appalachian Trail since Earl wrote his. None is more sincere or matter of factly descriptive than Walking With Spring. Earl's life was enigmatic. This book contains hints and clues about this unusual man, the loner, the poet, the man rooted in nature. More than anything, it traces his pioneering journey into the history books as it leads the reader on what in 1948 was an unprecedented quest. At $8.95, it's probably one of today's best literary bargains.

Refreshing and inspiring
This is an essential book for anyone who has thru hiked the AT, or is a vicarious thru hiker. Earl Shaffer is the first confirmed person to complete the trail in one season, though a group of boy scouts later claimed they made the entire journey sometime in the mid-30's. Shaffer writes very well, in a phlegmatic, relaxed and spare style. He was an environmentalist and naturalist in an era when few were of the same mindset. As a former WWII GI, he was restless with civilian life and just decided to walk from Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin. What a pioneer he was, even though he didn't know it!

Schaffer describes many fascinating things about the trail and the physical and mental effects resulting from hiking 2,100 miles. Though the journey took place in 1948, there is nothing dated about the book, except the fact that many shelters have been updated or added, and more towns dot the trail these days. This is a great book for anyone addicted to literature on the beloved Appalachian Trail.

Walking With Spring
Earl Shaffer was a laconic, introverted naturalist, and through his journey developed a deeper appreciation for the wilderness and deeper distrust for the modern world.This chronicle of the first thru-hike of the AT is highly factual, and quite literal.Shaffer did an excellent job of describing the varied terrain and geographic route of the trail.He was intensely serious, and at times the book seems a bit dry and too much of a literal account of the journey.Overall, however, the book is certainly one of a kind and a necessary read for anyone interested in the AT.

The first and the best...
What can you say about the first trail journal on the first solo thru-hike (not counting Myron Avery)?Earl Shaffer is a legend and rightly fully so.

It is interesting to read... especially when you see what troubles he had... and especially the fact that the trail was not as well marked as it is today.

I will be planning my own thru-hike soon - and hope to write (but probably not publish) a journal as half as good as Earl's.

My only complaint - and a minor one at that - is that the book ends with Kathadin.I would have liked to read about his adjustment back to "civilization" after the hike. ... Read more

Book Description
She has as much business keeping a stray dog as she would walking across Egypt–which not so incidentally is the title of her favorite hymn. She’s Mattie Rigsbee, an independent, strong-minded senior citizen who, at seventy-eight, might be slowing down just a bit. When teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield drops in on her life, he is even less likely a companion than the stray dog. But, of course, the dog never tasted her mouth-watering pound cake. Wise and witty, down-home and real, Walking Across Egypt is a book for everyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Surprised delight.
Reading this delightful little story provided me with surprising and pleasing experiences remembering family and neighbors very like Edgerton's characters.Also I found the themes of aging and family intriguing.

Funny and Sweet
Mattie is a little old church going lady who lives alone and gets mixed up with Wesley, a 15 year old jailbird. Her children, a grown son and daughter, are horrified. So are the neighbors,and her fellow church members. But Mattie and Wesley are innocents; Mattie determined to "do good", and Wesley was just there for the cooking. At one point he tried to steal a cake. There is something special about this story, you'd have to read it to understand. And it is truly one of the funniest books I have ever read. The story is wonderful, but the five stars are for making me laugh out loud, not once but all thru the book.

Life in the South of the Past.
Because of that dog, Mattie's life changed from complacency to a purpose which led to a friendship with the local dogcatcher and a fondness for Wesley, the grandchild she'd never have.He wanted to think that she was his grandmother, as he did not remember his mother.

Both her children (daughter and son) had remained unmarried and, like sons today, had little time to attend to her needs.After all, she is aging and having 'problems' coping; that is, until Lamar and Wesley take advantage of her good home cooking.

She not only saves Wesley literally, but the dog also, as she changed her mind about needing a companion in her latter years.She decided maybe it was her time to 'walk across Egypt' and get on with her life.

There were some Southern stereotypes like the Baptist preacher and nosey neighbors, but Wesley was an orphan of the world.He could be anyone's lost child who just needed to feel a bit of love and some direction of right and wrong.Mattie provides both.Each needed the other for different reasons and the ending proves that environment indeed does count more than genes.

Honest, Lighthearted Storytelling
Because I'm a complete and total idiot I read this book and its sequel in reverse order. However, I found that my blunder didn't spoil the plot in the slightest bit. The two plots were completely individual--you needn't read one to understand the other.

Egypt tells a story of an old woman named Mattie who's "slowing down." At 78 she fears she's getting careless and senile, however has too much pride to give up the lifestyle she's become accustomed to: watching her soaps at 1 PM everyday and making sure no one knows it. She won't even keep a dog because she's so set in her routines that she fears she won't have time to mind it.

You know the sort: those Southern women whom would tell strangers fixing their shutters or delivering their mail what time they should stop by on a given day so that they can have a hot slice of pie waiting for them when they come by. Those strangers will inevitably show up, too (wearing a bib and carrying a paper plate and piece of tin foil to take some home with them).

Mattie reminded me so much of my ever-servicing grandmother that I had to cringe. The monkey-wrench that gets thrown into the works is Wesley: a juvenile delinquent who oddly enough is willing to change his heathen ways in exchange for a piece of "the best pound cake ever" and the ability to take a hot bath.

This blend of sinner and saint in novels is nothing innovative, but the extent to which Edgerton stretches it out it seems to be almost hyperbole. (I can assure you from my own experiences that it's not!)

I loved this book. There's so much of the North Carolina I know in it that it makes me giddy

A Fantastic Story for the Whole Family
Mattie Rigsbee, an older woman and mother of two children, lives alone in a small southern town.She is "slowing down" according to her, but keeps up a very lively pace for someone of her age.Her two children are middle aged and still single, something that she just cannot understand or change, no matter how hard she tries.Mattie's enjoyment in life comes from cooking for anyone that stops by, no matter who they are.This little bit of kindness gets her in trouble when she meets Wesley Benfield.

Wesley is the local dogcatcher's nephew and a juvenile delinquent.Mattie cooks him some food and takes it to him in the detention center.This act of kindness towards Wesley makes him believe Mattie is his grandmother.She was only trying to be kind to " the least of [his] brethren" as it says in the Bible, but this little gesture begins a whole lot of trouble for Mattie and the residents of her small town.

This book is a wonderful read for people of all ages.Edgerton does a magnificent job of conveying a story about family values and southern cooking in this outstanding novel.Anyone who has an older grandmother who is "slowing down" will sympathize and relate to this book immediately.Mattie is a wonderfully dynamic character, and this book is filled with delightful humor.This author does an incredible job of displaying old southern values and showing how one person, though a little "out there", can make a difference. ... Read more

Book Description
Remember the days of longing for the hands on the classroom clock to move faster? Most of us would say we love to learn, but we hated school. Why is that? What happens to creativity and individuality as we pass through the educational system?Walking on Water is a startling and provocative look at teaching, writing, creativity, and life by a writer increasingly recognized for his passionate and articulate critique of modern civilization. This time Derrick Jensen brings us into his classroom--whether college or maximum security prison--where he teaches writing. He reveals how schools perpetuate the great illusion that happiness lies outside of ourselves and that learning to please and submit to those in power makes us into lifelong clock-watchers. As a writing teacher Jensen guides his students out of the confines of traditional education to find their own voices, freedom, and creativity.Jensen's great gift as a teacher and writer is to bring us fully alive at the same moment he is making us confront our losses and count our defeats. It is at the center of Walking on Water, a book that is not only a hard-hitting and sometimes scathing critique of our current educational system and not only a hands-on method for learning how to write, but, like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a lesson on how to connect to the core of our creative selves, to the miracle of waking up and arriving breathless (but with dry feet) on the far shore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

forward ever forward
While evangelicals/creationists strive to retard education Derrick Jensen encourages us to inspire and challenge students. Instill passion and imagination and refute mind-numbing dogma.

A Wonderful Read
This is one of the most moving books I've read in several years.If you are a teacher this book will lead you to re-evaluate and think about what you are doing and how you treat your students.This was the first book that I've read by Derrick Jensen and I look forward to reading the rest of his books in the near future.

I had to put the book down to say "wow" at least every other page
No seriously, this book is phenomenally self-aware, and self-critical, while also making a strong case for totally dismantling institutionalized education.But Jensen doesn't simply condemn a system built to squash the human spirit, he goes far, far beyond that.For every page explaining the horrors of the traditional educational model and his problems working within it, he provides ten pages of real life examples of how he answered the toughest question of all, "what would you do instead?"The fact that he gives us a peek into his fantastic classes is tempered by his constant reminders that there is no one answer.Instead, we all must constantly probe our innermost depths to find our own answers.How will we confront systems of conformity and discover how to be ourselves?

Do you teach?
A must have for anyone who works with education...It gives you a fresh outlook on teaching & and that there is a refreshing way to teach various subjects...

I was blown away .. this really hit home
I read this book and throughout I laughed and I cried.No, I am serious.This was one of the most profound and intense and well written books I have read in YEARS.

Derrick Jensen's passion for the subject and the way he conveys his message is too the point and inspirational.

I have read LANGUAGE OLDER THAN WORDS (another excellent book) and I think I was expecting something different from Walking on Water.I didn't really expect it to be really about writing.Yet, while he gives great information about the writing process,he manages to instill an inspirational message about passion, and courage and love and the world around us.

I am impressed with Mr. Jensen overall.I was so inspired by the book that one evening I wrote a letter to him and he had responded by the next day.

I HIGHLY recommend this book and feel it is one of those "required" reading books. ... Read more

Book Description
Steeped in history, Southern charm, cosmopolitan amenities, and award-winning greenways, this corner of North Carolina is ideally suited to explore on foot. This comprehensive guide will lead you to seventeen walking tours of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, from historic neighborhoods and college campuses to public gardens and lakeside parks. There are urban walks and nature rambles for every interest and fitness level, from thirty-minute strolls to half-day excursions.

Inside you'll find: step-by-step directions and detailed maps including wheelchair-accessibility information; descriptions of important landmarks, historic sites, and other points of interest; tips on public transportation, restaurants, restrooms and climate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best way to learn about the area
This is such a useful book it compells a statement. If you visit the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area or North Carolina, or if you live there, this book is an extraordinary guide, written with a sensitivity to place, attractions, events, history, excitement of being there, which makes it a stimulating guide. I have passed places often, but only after I read about them in this book did I see them and experience them. She's done a first-rate job of writing about and explaining an area many people think they already know, but will now realize there is more to learn. Thanks.

"The Best Way to Get Around the Triangle"
"Walking Raleigh/Durham" by Rebecca C Mann is a "must buy as a Christmas present" for friends or family currently living in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill region.As a former Durham resident, I would have loved to have possessed the history, culture, geography and walking oppotunities supplied by Mann's little book.The maps are clear and well drawn and include specific distances and safety considerations.The local architecture and lore are fun and enlightening, and it all fits into a coat pocket with ease. While I intend to send copies to Durham and Chapel Hill friends who walk for exercise, I'm also sending my 65+ year old parents a copy.With descriptions of museums, parks, and historic sites one passes on different walks, it will give my parents something to do after they've watched poor Carolina lose yet another football game.If you need to give a UNC-CH, NC STate, Duke, or Peace College bound student a high school graduation present they'll really appreciate, this book would be it.Better yet, buy it for their parents, who are much more likely to use it during campus visits to their offspring than are the students themselves, since the latter spend most of their time searching for on campus parking spaces.On my next visit to the Triangle, I'm taking "Walking Raleigh/Durham" along. ... Read more

Amazon.com
John Lewis is an authentic American hero, a modest man from the most humble of beginnings who left a rural Alabama cotton farm 40 years ago and strode into the forefront of the civil rights movement. One of the young people who brought the teachings of Ghandi and King to the lunch counters of Nashville in 1960, Lewis suffered taunts and threats, beatings and arrests. He s