Accessories Books

I usually don't like getting books that I did not ask for. When someone buys a book for me, there is a certain obligation to actually read it, but doing so takes away time from the books I really want to read. There are so many books on my reading list and so little time to read them all that getting an unasked-for book feels like someone actually stealing from me: stealing valuable reading time.

In the case of *The Prophet,* however, I did not resent the choice of my benefactor, even though I had not asked for it.

First of all, it was a very quick read, consisting of twenty-nine poetic speeches by the fictional "prophet." He delivers them as his last word on various topics, since he is about to head back home after having lived in a foreign city for twelve years, and the people ask him to speak on all the important issues that touch on human life: family, food, work, emotions, economics, social problems, art, morality, spirituality, death, etc.

On most of these issues, the prophet takes what might be called an Eastern stance. He stresses the importance of "letting go" rather than "taking charge," whether it's in relationship to your children, conflict situations, or the end of your life.

I did not find it necessary, however, to fully agree with this Eastern outlook to appreciate the book, both for its poetic beauty and for inspiring thoughts. For whatever your own worldview, a degree of "letting go" is an art we can all learn.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of Job's Wager: An Alternative to Pascal's Wager and the Atheist's Wager (With Color Illustrations)

Gibran was a great author and in this book he truly shines. I recommend this book to anyone, even if he/she is not into reading. The book is short but full of wisdom. I only gave it 4 stars because the idea of the book (and even the title) are taken from "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" which I gave 5 stars. So I didnt think it would be fair to give this one an equal grading. I actually recommend both books, but The Prophet is much easier to read, while Thus Spoke Zarathustra is deeper and more intelligent.

I keep a copy of this book nearby at all times for quick reference, my personal copy home to numerous marks and marginal notes. Every line reads as the most delicate of poetry, honed and refined to the purest and most undeniable words of truth and wisdom.
This may be the height of human understanding, bringing a peace and solidarity which encompasses the many to make us all one.

These days, Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" often gets dismissed as "hippie" literature. Yet, this book had been a bestseller LONG before the 1960s. Originally published in 1923, it almost instantly became a hit and even did well through the Great Depression. Today, Gibran's claim to fame is being the third best-selling poet of our time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu... and pretty much entirely based on sales of this book. When his publisher, Alfred Knopf was asked who the audience for the book was, he flippantly dismissed the question. "It Must be a cult," he retorted.

Yet there is no such cult. What's incredible is that there's absolutely no marketing hype behind the success of this book. Gibran himself is long gone. There is no political, religious, or commercial enterprise attached to his name bent on winning souls and/or profits. The Gibran estate has merely been licensing copies year after year in response to the demand - a demand fueled pretty much entirely by word-of-mouth and chance discovery. The fact is, the twenty-six poems in this book have a surprising and suprassing relevance, insight and compassion. Broken down into several topics ("On Love", "On Work", "On Joy and Sorrow", etc.) the book itself recounts the sermons of a fictional poet leaving behind the gift of knowledge before he leaves his homeland.

I first found Gibran through a setting of his poem "On Children" by local Washington, D.C. singers Sweet Honey in the Rock on their album, "Breaths."

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."

At the time I was about to leave for college and eighteen years of living under my parent's roof had made me restless for autonomy. That poem eloquently expressed everything I was yearning to say to them in my hours of frustration and adolescent angst. It later proved to be a reference to turn to in times where I needed confidence to live an independent and fulfilling life, while still maintaining respect and compassion towards the parents who had raised me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that the poems in this book have kept me grounded and sane throughout some of the most troubling times in my life. Our modern lives are ever hectic, stressful and busy - wrought with drama, frustration, depression, etc. The knowledge in these poems brings me back to a "middle ground" - there is a sage wisdom and clarity in the poems that has often been helpful for me in "unwinding" and coming back to earth. They bring me back to a place of clarity from whcih I can see my life from a wider perspective.

Though Gibran himself was a Christian and despite the title and conceit of the book, this is not really a religious book. The insight in this book would be applicable to your life even if you are an atheist. What's more, the poetry is mostly imagistic. Do not expect the academic poetics of Gibran's contemporaries Eliot or Pound or even Frost. They are written with the aim of being accessible and immediate to the reader and rely mostly on clear metaphors and vivid imagery.

Copies of "The Prophet" are not hard to come by. Perhaps check out the book's table of contexts either using Amazon's "Search Inside" feature or in your local bookstore and see if it addresses a problem or issue you are dealing with. That's a good a place as any to start with. Chances are, you will find something that speaks to you on some level.

This book is a sort of Hallmark Greeting card compilation of the type of vacuous garbage-thought that made the 1970s a cultural disaster. Are you a sentimental pacifist who thinks Gandhi was swell, but never heard of the Moriori? Do you think of love as some sort of emotional flatulence that comes and goes the way weather does? Do you think evil is only a result of people being insufficiently nice to one another? Are your views on child rearing that you should let the kids do what they want because they're individuals? Do you think business is evil and soul destroying, and hurts the world more than it helps? Do you think religion is bad, but spiiiiirituality is good? Do you think criminals shouldn't be punished, because it's not really their fault? Do you think a mindless pursuit of pleasure is necessary for a healthy life? Well, if you believe any of these things, and enjoy saccharine sweet sing-songey prose, this book is for you. It comes in an attractive hard cover, making it appear to be a very serious book, on the same level as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but with more naked lady pictures inside. It will provide you with many prim moments of doltish piety in your cloud cuckoo land. You may even be able to use this tome to pick up on people who are as morally defective as you are.

Personally, I prefer my wisdom to be, you know, at least vaguely wise. If I want florid saccharine language, I'll go read some Browning or other Victorian poetry. You can pick up antique volumes of such stuff for cheap, since books which required effort to write or read are unfashionable these days. They also look nicer on your bookshelf. As a bonus, it might actually be good for you to read Browning, whereas reading Gibran is sort of like giving yourself a mental venereal disease.

Please, humanity, restore my faith in basic human decency: stop reading this book. This book destroys souls and stunts aesthetics. If you must give copies of the book to people, give it to people you don't like. Give this book in the same spirit the British sold Opium to the Chinese. The end result will be much the same if they take the precepts of this silly book seriously.

Suitable for newborns because of bright colors. Enjoyable for all pre-schoolers and perhaps above. Even adults. Interesting things are happening on every page. Many details catch your attention.

Children love this book. They will ask you to read it again and again. I love the fact it's oversized.

I ordered this book based on the reviews, and when I first introduced it to my son (at 18 months) he didn't go for it. But a year later, this is his favorite bedtime story! Granted, there are very few words in the story...but I think that's actually a good thing. I provide my own narrative based on the pictures, and I ask my son questions about what he sees as we go through the book. He really enjoys identifying the animals in the story, and his favorite thing is pointing out where the balloon is on every page. On the first page of the story, a balloon is released into the air. In subsequent pages, the balloon gets smaller and smaller as it floats away. It's a nice added bonus to this story. I really recommend this story!

My son loves this book. He really enjoys listening to the stories that his dad makes up about each animal. There aren't too many words, leaving you room to ad-lib it, which is fun! This is one of our many books we tend to read at night.

In this beautifully-illustrated bedtime book, the gorilla steals the key from the zookeeper, letting out all the animals, who follow the zookeeper home to bed.

The story is cute, but what I really loved about this book was the great illustrations. The colors pop out at you from the page and capture your attention.

This book is one of my new bedtime favorites! I can't wait to read it to my son.

The Shrimp recipe alone is worth the price of the book. Can't go wrong with this one.

Exactly what I was looking for--techniques, recipes, examples,all with great color photos. I will enjoy this grilling book greatly!

My friends and I wouldn't be without this Grilling book for our husbands!
They love it and barbecue more than ever!
You only need this one, forget the others. My friend has
been using it for 3 years and recommended it to me. A very good
gift to give someone for Christmas, Birthday, etc.

A very good book covering all types of meats & preparations to BBQ.
Lots of usefull info.

I used to eat every meal out. I bought a grill because it is getting so expensive to eat out. I bought this book to teach me how to use it. This book is great. It removes the guess work, for every question I've had the answer is there. One tip, buy the book before you buy the grill because it even covers what to look for in a grill.

I have the WORST time ordering on Amazon.com. I ended up with two of these cookbooks (one new and one used). That was after I was told they were out of stock/unavailable. I DON'T want to pay to ship it back!! I have ordered from Amazon.com before and had problems. I will avoid this website in the future!

I love this book! It's very interesting! Come with good recipes and techniques! If your looking for a grilling book I really suggest this one! You'll be amaze of all the recipes it comes with and its has a good assortment of them.

This is not only a great book of recipes, but the high quality paper and the beautiful pictures make this a perfect coffee table book. Leaf through it when you have a few minutes to get inspired for the next grilled meal.

I cook for myself and I like to keep things simple. When I see interesting recipes that list two or three ingredients that I know I would never have at the same time, I cease to consider making that meal. Most recipes in this book list fairly basic ingredients that most kitchens would have on hand.

The author doesn't just use terms for techniques that many more experienced cooks would know, but gives a little detail on how to do the procedure for the novice. Besides the recipes, many topics on basics are covered in the front of the book. Humor is used on occasion, which can lighten the mood for the harried grill-master with hungry guests to feed.

I liked this book so much, I purchased two more for friends who don't eat to live, but live to eat.

This is a great guide to a first time owner of a Weber Grill.The recipes are easy to make and the tips and anecdotle information are great!!!

I have to bow down to this book as the best grilling book EVER. We've tried many of the recipes and never been disappointed. Plus, it's entertaining to read with great pictures. Can't ask for much more than that.

Here's a book Dad's to Be and new Dad's will definately want by their bed-side. A Man's look at caring for a newborn baby & what to expect when the new little one arrives. Humerous and practical has great tips like how to construct an emergency diaper with duct tape and a few other easily accesible supplies. Be Prepared is a great resource and help for surving this trek through unexplored territory!

I'm a new dad and I love this book. I'm a younger father (25-30 range) and this book's sense of humor and direct-style really spoke to me. The info is useful and presented in a way that will help you remember it. If you're an expecting father and want the basics with some nifty bonus tips, go pick this up. You'll have a blast while preparing for fatherhood.

My husband found this at a used bookstore and the book is excellent. The cover makes it look like it's an old book but it is updated and down to earth. We have bought this book for a couple of our friends that are expecting. It's humorous and really full of information.

Funny parts..it mentions men saying "so long to the breasts for a while" because they belong to the baby. haha And even talks about changing a diaper at a football stadium.

This is the book we wish had been around when we had our children over 30 years ago. Who knew that you could quiet a colicky child by wrapping him in a warm towel and sitting on a jiggling dryer? This and many other practical (and the emphasis is on practical in this book) tips are what make this book invaluable. It's written in a humorous style with spare verbiage and fun illustrations, which appeals to many new parents (especially dads) who don't want to plow through chapter after chapter of infinite written detail. In partnership with some of the more detailed books, which a new parent can read at their leisure (if they have any), this book is a treasure. I now order it as a baby gift for every set of new parents. It's a reassuring, helpful, terrific book for parents of newborns, especially.

I bought this for my husband to announce that we were expecting. He skimmed though it once and while he found it funny, he put it on the shelf to collect dust the next nine months. Once our son arrived I blew off the dust and left it in plain sight for him to remind him he had it.
Our son is now 7 weeks old and he has read it at least 20 times cover to cover and will go back to reference it when we are facing a new baby challenge. At least daily I hear "Well, according to my daddy book...". This book has been a sanity saver for him as it puts the intricacies of having a baby into "man terms". We now buy this book for every new expecting dad we know.

Right now, I'd rank this third among the best sports books I've ever read, and I've enjoyed quite a few of them over the years. I loved this book because it got me so involved with the main characters. Author Mark Frost really makes you care about Francis Ouimet, his 10-year-old caddy Eddie Lowery and chief golf opponent Harry Vardon. All of them are fantastically interesting people and Frost is like a great artist painting their portraits.

The story is written so well that even though I knew what happened in the climactic 1913 U.S. Open tournament, I will still a nervous wreck reading about it. That's the mark of good writer, to still make it fascinating and tense even when the reader knows the final result!

Years after reading this, the exploits of three people mentioned above, and a few others, are still vividly in my mind. The human interest angles are what make this a great, great sports book. It's the same winning formula that me love Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit" and Jack Cavanaugh's "Tunney."

Like those above, this is a book I would glady read a second time. It's filled with unforgettable moments and truly good people who transcend their sports accomplishments. Meanwhile, Frost has gone to write several other best-selling golf books but this first effort will tough to top.

Short review. This is one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure to read. A complete masterpiece.

Documents the real birth of the game in the USA, and much more. A 'must read' for every passionate golf fan.

This I believe was Frost's 1st golf history book and previously all his other work had been fiction. Which explains the fictional feel of this book. Frost cites conversation and internal thoughts from the characters to an exent that he can't possibly know if that's what happened. In addition to compromising accuracy, it also makes for a book that's about 2x as long as it needs to be. I found myself often scanning large sections rather than reading every word.

Even with that flaw he still produced a must-read golf history book, that many non-golfers will also enjoy. He excels at putting things in historical and social context, and building fiction-like edge of your seat tension. He's also a master at researching the lives of the main characters, from their beginnings to their endings in the must-read "Afterward" section.

In this case the main characters are British legendary professional golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, US amateur golfer Francis Quimet and his young caddie Eddie Lowery. Although Mr. Quimet's story is reasonably well known in golf circles, Eddie's isn't. And in some ways Eddie is actually the most interesting character, if not the most important. The story goes that young Eddie escaped the grade school truant officer every day so he could caddie for Quimet. And it was Eddie's inspiration, tenacity and timely advice that pushed the young unaccomplished amateur Quimet to an historic conquest over then golfing titans Vardon and Ray.

In Frost's 3rd golf book "The Match" released last year, Eddie would again enter the picture. Now a middle aged successful businessman, he sets up a historic match between the 2 best amateurs of the day (Ken Venturi and Harvey Ward) and the 2 best Pros (Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson). At stake is a presumed $10,000 personal bet (if not more) but even more importantly a seminal event in the future direction of American golf: would the essence of the game remain in the hands of high-minded amateurs who played for pride and honor, or pros who at the time carried the stigma that playing for money compromised their golfing integrity?

In this 2nd effort, Frost clearly refines his style by eliminating much of the characters' internal and external "filler" dialogue, and the result is a book with better momentum and few if any question marks on accuracy. Not coincidentally, "The Match" is about 1/2 the page count of "Greastest Game."

In any case, both of these books are clearly "can't miss" and go together like Godfather's I & II.

I found this incredible interview regarding how the game of Golf has changed over the years. You wouldn't believe the evolution! If you have any interest in the history of Golf, this is a must read. If you want to become even more knowledgeable on the subject, scroll to the bottom of the interview and get in touch with the author. After reading, I guarantee you will be able to lead the most interesting discussions and impress your friends!

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewroden.html

My read this to me and I still remember it still almost 25 years later.

My father remembers reading this book when he was a child and now my daughter has become a fan. It's an adorable book with a simple story. I recommend it.

Seeing this book for sale brought me back to when I was a kid. I have the hardcover from back in the late 70's. After all this time it sticks out a one of my favorites. If you have the chance I would definitely pick up a copy.

This is a great book for kids, even young ones around 2.5 years old. It's an engaging story and my son loves the part where the man wakes up to find his hats gone, and looks up and sees all the monkeys wearing the hats! He asks me to read it everynight, and remembers the phrase "caps for sale."

I loved this book as a child and I love sharing it with my children.

Gary Vaynerchuk.

I admit, I never would have recognized this name two years ago. But in two very short years (perhaps less) this name and the wine-infused, palate-drenching, non-traditional approach to wine his name symbolizes has had an infectious effect on wine consumers world wide. I had the pleasure of meeting Gary just before the wild fire was set and ever since the first Wine 2.0 event my appreciation and respect for Gary has grown tremendously.

Gary would be the first to admit that he's not a Rhodes scholar and didn't study English at Oxford, and as you might guess, neither have I. He chose video as his medium because he is raw, unrefined, reactionary, and as in your face "Jersey" as it gets.

After seeing Gary on Conan the second time, I asked myself if Gary could ever enter the mainstream wine drinker channels, e.g. Gary giving his two cents on wine in the Wall Street Journal or NY Times? To do that, Gary would have to be able to string a conscious, coherent stream of impulses to text-something that rarely happens, as his type of enthusiasm is hard to lasso to text. However, Vaynerchuk's book, 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder To Your World comes across as genuinely Gary as possible and is a great read for any wine drinker who has ever wanted more from their wine review!

Gary's genuine lack of finesse, lack of snobbery, and most importantly, lack of boring moments, comes straight through in his book with wine review titles like "Oak Monster Be Damned," and `risque' topics like "Red Wine with Fish." Read it cover to cover, browse it from the toilet, or use it for inspiration when you find a wine that really brings the thunder - but whatever you do, get yourself a copy!

This book far exceeded my expectations, broght a thunder of enjoyment, and contributed yet more valuable knowledge and tidbits to my understanding of the wine world. Gary offers every description in a fun and easy to read, down-to-earth, interest catching manner and language. Besides the fact that in my opinion this book is so good, spreading also the writer's exquisite taste in choosing this wine list, I must enrich this concept by adding that Gary Vaynerchuk is the most influential person in my life, as far as my relationship with wines go. That is also to say that this young man clearly promises to be the next generation Robert Parker, or wine authority of that scope.

this is a book about joy...words like "Inspire" and "Delight" accurately describe the contents of the book..after starting to read wine reviews (and collecting wines) 25 years ago, I gave up; the previous wine commentaries all sounded like clinical reviews of new drugs; I found no joy in reading the "taste list" of samplings and felt stupid. Gary V has it right..wine (and wine tasting) should be a passion, a new experience, something fun, something to be shared..the comments in the book sound just like those on his PODcast(check it out). He will show you how to enjoy new tastes. Buy the book and read it. Mark the pages about the wines which you might be interested in. Start watching the show. Visit your local wine store regularly. You will forever be changed..

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3SK7UFPK9STIH Gary Vaynerchuk's 101 Wines: Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World is a great, fun book that talks about wines you should try. Fast read, and I learned a lot from Gary. Funny headlines and copy too. Not your typical wine review book. I don't even drink wine! My wife loved it. Found a wine she absolutely loves now.

Gary Vaynerchuk is a charlatan within nothing insightful or informative to say. How he got to where is is a mystery to me. I guess it's because he's done a good job of positioning himself as a "shock" wine critic. He acts like a complete goofball his video reviews, and not in a good way. That really annoys me - not because he acts goofy, but because it's obviously FORCED and unnatural. He probably believes he needs to do something to make his subject matter more interesting. (After all, wine doesn't lend itself to a visual medium like video, right? Please.) Ironically, good wine needs no embellishment. All he needs to do is tell the stories behind the wines he's reviewing and the producers who make them, and do that in a straightforward way, and he would be fascinating. When it comes to wine, reality is more interesting than fantasy.

Brilliant! Well written and easily understood this book gives you the tools that will change your life [even on the golf course].

I was very surprised reading this book. I never thought the mental aspect of golf could have that much impact on my game. The explainations and comparisons make sense and a light goes on as soon as you read them. I can't wait to put the PAR approach into play next spring.

Really enjoyed this book. Great way of looking at the game. Seemed more helpful than other "sports psychology" books.

After being frustrated with myself on the golf course during the past few months I was beginning to wonder if I might stop playing.I have a handicap of 19 and was really struggling to play to it.Once I had a bad hole I would get down on myself and the whole thing would snowball.
After reading Zen Golf and putting into practice some of the techniques I have played two lots of 9 hole stableford competitions and had 23+25 points.
I have played 2 rounds of 18 holes in competition.The first round of our club championship at 85-19-66 (par is 69).In our annual men's tournament 83-19-64.During these rounds I have only had one 7 and nothing higher.
Most importantly I have actually been enjoying myself.
I am certain this booked has really helped me and I will continue to use the techniques that I have learnt.I will probably read this book over and over when I need to as there are several more things I want to try.

I am a beginner golfer and this book is helpful for the mental part of golf! I would suggest it to anyone that plays golf. I gave to a friend that throws clubs in frustration and she played a round for the first time with no broken clubs and was relaxed, she says the book is helping her too

Philip Reed's "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" reveals his elevating but daunting experience as a student, friend, and biographer of the amazing Mike Austin. Mr. Reed's humbling yet successful quest to learn the keys to super-human drives endured the gauntlet of Mike Austin's piercing, super-energized, indomitable personality. At the age of 64, over 33 years ago during competition, Mr. Austin achieved the still-standing Guinness Book of World Records standard of 515 yards for longest recorded drive. Curiously, until now, Mike Austin was largely ignored in conventional golf history though knowledgeable insiders believe he was a half-century or more ahead in power-golf technique. Philip Reed's documentary has filled a significant gap in our golfing lore. For the dedicated golfer who seeks an honest inside-the-ropes story, "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" is a terrific value.

Ostensibly this book is half biography of little-known long driver Mike Austin and half technical discussion of Austin's revolutionary swing, many aspects of which run counter to conventional PGA wisdom. But as the artfully written narrative progresses, a third element emerges as well -- the touching story of the friendship that develops between Austin and author Reed during the writing of the book.

No avid golfer could read this book and fail to feel inspired to work on his or her game (I finished it yesterday and headed straight for the driving range today); some might even want to try out Austin's unorthodox mechanics. Yet there is a human-interest story here as well, the story of a larger-than-life golfing god who smacked a 515-yard drive at age 64 but somehow couldn't putt to save his life; lived it up with Hollywood celebrities and was respected by the best golfers in the world; studied the human anatomy and wore a skeleton suit while giving golf lessons to demonstrate proper body movement; and forged an unlikely friendship with a journalist decades his junior who weathered Austin's steely gruffness until it gave way to genuine respect and affection.

Highly recommended -- not just for golfers, but also for anyone interested in a well-crafted feel-good story about a fascinating man and his iconoclastic genius.

I've just finished reading this book and I have to say it is a great read and is well worth buying.

It is a story of how the author, Philip Reed, sets off to document the world's longest ever drive in a tournament set in 1974 by Mike Austin, and along the way wants to learn enough about this swing so he can transform his own drive of 200 yards into a more manly 300 yards.

The books gets off to a shaky start but I stuck with it. And after a couple of chapters I could no longer put it down. He helped me get to know more about Mike Austin, his history and his achievements.

It made me want to be there in the place of the author since Mike seems like a real character and a throwback to a different age and a different world.

It even gave me a few tips, and some hope, on how I might possibly be able to improve my own swing to give 300 yard drives. Now that would be nice.

Read this and give yourself a pleasant break from all those golf instruction manuals out there while enjoying a good golfing story.

The other reviews say it all - that this is a wonderful book on many different levels. I trust that some day it will be recognized as a sports classic.

I just want to add that Reed's book is an invaluable companion to Dan Shauger's 'The 21st Century Golf Swing'. This latter book has such an odd and uncomfortable style (my opinion only, of course) that it was hard for me to know whether to take the technical parts of it seriously. After reading this fine book it became clear that, yes indeed, you can.

It would be great if Shauger and Reed could collaborate on a second edition of '21st Century...'. I'll put up some front money, if that would help.

This book is absolutely wonderful. I picked it up out of curiosity after learning about Mike Austin's record-breaking achievement (longest drive in professional golf competition history), and ended up being completely drawn into the story. With a straightforward, honest writing style that moves at a nice pace and never gets bogged down, Philip Reed does a masterful job of portraying a complex man filled with both flaws and greatness, who not only achieved a stupendous feat that no one has ever topped, but also lived a fascinating life that plays like a great movie. Reed deftly weaves Austin's story together with his own journey by bringing the reader along with him as he describes his efforts to get to know Mike Austin and learn his swing secrets. He sets out not only to write about Austin, but also to experience for himself the power of Mike Austin's swing, hoping to harness it to achieve a personal goal of hitting the ball 300 yards. As we learn about Austin's amazing life and unmatched golf swing alongside the author, we are simultaneously drawn into a surprisingly touching story of how Reed came to develop a bond of friendship with Austin. Viewed through the lens of Reed's relationship with Austin, we come to understand and truly appreciate Mike Austin at a much deeper level, and also come away with important lessons about life. This is a magnificent book, and I can't recommend it highly enough.