Matthew

First, the book is by a British author and an American author might be unfamiliar with some terms like General Practitioner. Not a big deal and I don't think it will get in the way of understanding it.

I don't see that this book does much in the way of helping a depressed person because I doubt they will follow much of its advice. Can you see yourself getting in touch with your "kind self" and writing yourself a reassuring letter to be read when you are depressed?

My recommendation is to get a longer book and more comprehensive book than these overpriced, short "talks".

The narrator is the author and does about as good a job as most authors... poorly. He stumbles over his own writing at times! He tried to talk in a very soothing tone. There are a couple of times where he will be talking about doing something for 30 seconds as a relaxation technique and there will be a 30 second break in the narration.

We have gained a great deal of knowledge in the last few decades on the subject of depression. From what I have learned from other sources I think this book is a bit dated in its approach to depression.

The author takes a Freudian approach to the subject that basically blames depression on your parents treatment of you. The overall theory of the book is that depression in men is rampant, hidden, and passed on generation to generation. The author tells story after story of what seem to me to be "worst-case-scenario" cases that are very extreme. He gets the people in the office with their family, they talk or re-enact, and then a break through happens when the man realizes its all because his dad beat him or his mom was a drunk and now he is hurting his children in the same manner. Oh, and the author admits that the stories are "composite" from various patients, so its hard to tell how much he is sensationalizing. There is a lot of cursing in these tales, such as a son repeatedly telling his dad, "F*** you" in a role play scenario.

If someone is a hard case that wouldn't read a more traditional self-help sort of book, then this book could possibly scare or shock them enough into reading it. Otherwise I do not see any reason for choosing it above any other book on depression. I don't see how I could recommend it.

Spurgeon's "autobiography" was compiled from letters, sermons, and other sources after his death. Portions of the book are written by its editors or Mrs. Spurgeon. I don't think that you'll be lost if you do not first read the volume one of this set, but I'm not sure why you would want to skip it.

This volume deals with the height of Spurgeon's ministry and many of its legendary aspects. There a very intriguing chapters on the Metropolitan Tabernacle, the Pastor's College, and his writing ministry. The only thing lacking, in my opinion, is perspective that only time can give the subject. I'm not sure that when this work was compiled that enough time had passed to adequately understand the items such as the Downgrade Controversy.

I wouldn't recommend the book to someone who is not somewhat familiar with Spurgeon and his ministry. It was not put together to introduce the subject to a reader.

Spurgeon's "autobiography" was compiled from letters, sermons, and other sources after his death. Portions of the book are written by its editors or Mrs. Spurgeon.

The book is a wonderful insight into Spurgeon's life and ministry. The first volume deals with his early life and ministry in London. There is a lot of background and reminisces about his childhood, a lengthy defense of his Calvinistic doctrine, and information about his meteoric rise and popularity.

I wouldn't recommend the book to someone who is not somewhat familiar with Spurgeon and his ministry. It was not put together to introduce the subject to a reader.

Go ahead and get ready to get volume two if you enjoy this.

I'll give it credit for historical accuracy, but little else. I listened to the first three hours before giving up on it. The book is tedious and technical in descriptions of nautical topics. There is a lot of vulgarity, and I mean a lot. I quit after the second "F-bomb". It also references such things as "sodomy with a goat". I was hoping for a naval adventure and was sorely disappointed.

A word on the recording: it is from 1991 and sounds like it was on a cassette tape. The narrator isn't bad, but it is difficult to keep up with the many different characters and their accents.

I'm sure you know the story by heart if you are looking at this. What separates this collection of NPR radio dramas? The production is fantastic, even if only a couple of the actors are the 'real' ones in the film. The depth this adds to the familiar story is what makes this stand out. The first two episodes of the thirteen take place before the film opens. A lot of extra dialog and description too. Not only does Han shoot first, he is a very dark character only redeemed by his heroics at the end.

My only other comment is that I would rate it PG. The film has a few curse words, and this production adds a few. There are also sections that are fairly dark, such as Vader's interrogation of Leia. If you have a younger Star Wars fan I don't think I'd recommend this one.

This book is wonderfully difficult to describe. It is a loosely connected collection of stories about Americans who spent time in Paris. However the richness of the stories and the power of their personalities shine. I felt a connection with almost all of the individuals.

Beyond just the biographical vignettes, the book is a wonderful look at life at the time. The chapter on the training of doctors will no doubt make you thankful for our medical advances today. The details that McCullough gives on various topics from transportation to medicine to revolutions are tremendous.

The first section is narrated by McCullough himself. I love his voice and was afraid the narration would drop in quality, but Herrmann does a spectacular job.

If you are a fan of technology this is a must listen. You get to see the personal computer revolution through the eyes of one of its major figures.

Wozniak's personality shines in this book. I laughed out loud more than once. The story of the TV jammer was hilarious.

My only real complaint is that the last portion of the book drifts a little. It just didn't seem to have the same energy.

A tremendous effort to cover the formation of the American Republic. At 27 hours it is a very long book to listen to, but I found time flew by as I did. It is a compelling story of the factors and figures that shaped America's independence.

My only major complaint is that at times the narrative is uneven. Some battles are covered in detail, others are skimmed by. I was looking forward to learning more about the Articles of Confederation but found that the book basically jumped from the War itself to the creation and adoption of the Constitution.

This is not a history of the war in Europe. It is a study of multiple facets of WWII. The author attempts to take a very broad overview when looking at causes, factors, and fallout of the war. Very little attention is given to discussing battles.

One major theme is that what you know about the war is heavily biased and incomplete. It is asserted that Russia is greatly undervalued in its contribution to the war, and also overlooked when it comes to atrocities. The author goes out of his way to shed light on the evils of Stalin's regime. The case he makes is compelling.