5 comments about Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems.

1. i didn't know ANYTHING about dogs, so this was a very nice intro. It helps you keep some things in mind in dealing with dogs...mine are puppies and i appreciated the insight.
   
   Easy to read.



2. I recently bought a Yorkie-Poo pup and was looking for a book to help guide me through training her. Cesar's book was very informative and helpful. I am glad that I purchased it.



3. The book was def. a good book, dont get me wrong, but it didn't exactly live up to it's title. It says it teaches you how to correct common dog problems, but instead of teching you, or giving you advice, all I got was examples of what he did without a lot of explanation. He said what he was doing, not how or why, to help me better understand how to correct my own dogs problems. And the first half of the book was Cesar's life story, which, I thought, was kind of unnecesary information. Tell me how to fix my dog, not how you jumped the Mexican/American boarder...



4. I really liked this book because it was not about a "how to" but on how to "relate" to your dogs and understand them. Now, everytime I am in training mode or walking my dogs I make sure I check to see what type of mood I am in and then I close my eyes, take a deep breath and imagine myself walking on a deserted beach (calm part). I am already assertive so that's good! I do get frusterated but that is where the deep breath comes in. And you know what...It works! Your dog(s)can feel your energy. what a big difference! I am now starting to read his recommendations in the back of his books just so I have a better understanidng with my canines!



5. This book was easy to read and really enjoyable. It has given me lots of ideas about how to raise a happy and healthy dog. We have just got a new puppy and it's good to have read Cesar's book right at the beginning. It's so easy to humanise dogs when what they really need is to be treated like a dog! You can just imagine Cesar's talking to you as you read through the pages of his book.

3 comments about Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function.

1. I am in college, currently taking my 2nd term of Anatomy and Physiology as a pre-requisite for nursing school. This textbook has been fundamental to my understanding of this course, both for this term and last term (and I plan to use it next term, as well).
   
   The clincher is that this is not the required text we are using for my class. A friend just happened to give me this Saladin book when she heard I was taking A&P and so I am using it as a companion text. Little did I know how much I would come to rely on this book; I really feel lucky that it was given to me.
   
   The text my school uses is Martini's Fundamentals of Anatomy Physiology, which, to be fair, is also a very good text book. But there is something about the way Saladin writes and the way he organizes his thoughts about the subject matter that makes it so much easier for me to understand.Often, I will read my required textbook and be totally lost, not "getting it." This is especially true when I am researching information to answer essay questions for my exams. Then, I will read the same topic in Saladin's book and a light bulb will go off -- it will finally all make sense. I've even thought about writing a personal letter to the author to express my gratitude.
   
   I highly recommend this textbook to anyone who wants a clear and easy to understand approach to anatomy & physiology. I feel Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function, by Kenneth S. Saladin, has been essential to my comprehension of anatomy & physiology; I'm not exaggerating when I say that being able to count on this book has helped me to keep making A's in this class!



2. The book arrived in poor condition. Although it was new it had a knocked/torn corner on the cover, and a number of the pages were ripped and bent. I believe this is because of the packaging not adequately protecting the book during transit.



3. this was a great buy. im very excited about using this book. it came on time and and perfect condition as promised. extremely satisfied. thank you very much!

5 comments about The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives.

1. This is an appropriate a bathroom reader. Nothing is decribed in much depth.
   
   Not recommended.



2. Have you ever flipped a coin 100 times to see the sequence of heads and tails that comes up? If you have, you know that there can be long streaks of heads and tails. Random results that end up 50-50 don't look that way in the short term.
   
   Human perception is such that we like to find patterns where none exist. I remember the CEO of a company I worked for would draw a trend line through one data point with great authority, totally unaware of what he was doing.
   
   More often, we judge by samples of behavior and time that are too short to be representative. Professor Mlodinow does a good job of showing how executives are often fired just before they get their best results, and how seldom the new executive does any better than the prior one.
   
   In sports, we get all excited about streaks. Professor Mlodinow dampens that enthusiasm by pointing out that like streaks can occur randomly. We need to check to see if the streak exceeds the expected degree of variation before deciding that something significant has taken place. (But don't stop cheering on your favorite team and players.)
   
   The book also provides lots of thumbnail sketches of the human side of those who have advanced the science and math behind our ability to measure and understand randomness. In fact, I don't recall a book on this subject with better anecdotes about the scientists and mathematicians. That's the reward in this book if you already know about randomness.
   
   If you know nothing on the subject, this book is the gentlest possible introduction.
   
   Enjoy!



3. It is always a pleasure to find an author who can write about complex issues and make the writing lucid and entertaining! Leonard does just this. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the forces which influence our lives...



4. Mlodinow's work is solid and entertaining, but I was surprised at his introductory anecdote of when he was drawn to studying randomness.
   
   I love baseball and revel in its stories. The tale of Roger Maris' star-crossed home run-filled season in 1961 has been written about so much that even someone too young to recall its details, like me, has now read enough to know the facts. Too bad that Mlodinow doesn't.
   
   Aside from the odd suggestion that athletic feats are as random as flipping a coin, I could accept the interest Mlodinow had in studying whether the Maris accomplishment in 1961 -- breaking Babe Ruth's 34 year old home run record by hitting a 61st home run -- was as out of character as it seemed.
   
   Mlodinow provides a basis -- Maris' rate of hitting home runs in his "prime" years -- and then explains logically how the rate during the record-setting year was not much out of character. He embellishes the point by explaining -- via randomness theory applied to baseball -- that it was reasonable to expect that someone -- Maris or someone else -- would have broken the Babe's record.
   
   Made sense to me.
   
   Until I researched those "prime" years and found that they could not be depicted by the numbers Mlodinow offered. In fact, they undermined his thesis.
   
   Maris' 1961 season was exceptional, but so was his 1960 season and his 1962 season. In baseball terms, one might characterize his "prime" years as the peak of his career arc. Lots of good players exhibit the same characteristics -- they improve until they reach a peak and then gradually decline. Most of our lives mirror this arc, albeit over a much longer period than the prime of a baseball player.
   
   Mlodinow should know that baseball and its fans live and die by easily found statistics. I simply went to baseball-reference.com, looked up the numbers for Maris, opened up an Excel spreadsheet and computed what Mlodinow said was a given.
   
   I'm sorry to say this baseball example was shabbily researched.
   
   The rest of the book is much more fascinating, but I wondered if it, too, was built on overstated and unverifiable numbers. All aspects of life are not as well-documented as baseball. That is our loss.



5. Great book, received from Amazon in poor condition when book was said to be "new"

5 comments about Biochemistry (Biochemistry (Berg)).

1. I am basing my review primarily on two things in this textbook: the organisation and the definitions.
   
   A textbook MUST be approachable. Students will be covering intricate topics in a book of this sort, and in order to help them, the writer(s) must present the material logically, thematically and beautifully organised.
   
   I'm afraid the writers did not do that here. Systems that should be covered before one proceeds further - information for which knowledge of other systems is presupposed - appear much earlier than they should, leaving the unfortunate student staring wild-eyed at the text, muttering, "What?" This is particularly noticable when explicating chemical pathways.
   
   Definitions are ludicrously lacking. What indexing there is is incomplete and insufficient.
   
   The book fails in its intended purpose, and that is why I simply cannot recommend it. May I suggest using Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews as a better organised textbook? It is quite a good coverage, although it does assume some biochemistry knowledge. I've heard that the Garrett Biochemistry textbook (just released in December 2006) is good for beginner students, so that may well be worth checking.
   
   There are certainly alternatives to this poorly written textbook.



2. What is the difference between this edition and the 6th revised edition, and why is the latter so much cheaper?



3. Most people are probably buying this book because they are a college student and they have to, but compared to some other books, this one is clear and easy to read, so don't be too afraid of Biochemistry if you have this in you bag.



4. Well it's a boring book but biochemistry isn't the most interesting thing to read on your free time. The book is in good condition and came quickly.



5. This book gives the reader an indepth view of Biochemistry. The pictures are helpful and the text is typical of a Biochem book.

5 comments about Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster).

1. This is a helpful book. I would not agree with the ridiculously positive view many of the reviewers have taken. It's very short, covers only the most important bugs, and does so in a very simplistic fashion. That is all for better or worse (if you are a typical med student with more on your plate than most people can imagine, I'd say better).
   
   At the end of the day micro is just a lot of memorization. When you are trying to learn 10 things about 15 bugs for the next test this book may not be the most helpful. Other books like Levinson's have better comparison charts (really the key to learning medical micro in my mind) and more complete text. The charts and text of a book like Levinson's make it a better reference.



2. This book is great for understanding bugs from a clinical perspective. It is concise enough to read easily, and thorough enough for the boards. I don't personally utilize mnemonics, but if you are someone who does, you'll find this book loaded with them, as well pictures and other memory devices.
   
   I use Microcards to complement this text, and find that they work really well together.



3. This is a great text book for micro, the way it is written is
   very unique and helps you remember everything, great sense of humor put in to it, which also as a memory factor, I laugh a lot reading about bacteria or viruses, which i could never think is possible while you are studying micro, Bottom line is this is a great text book for micro



4. I purchased this book so that I could review for a micro class I took, it definitely does the job. It's not as in depth as a textbook, but I wanted a lighter review version and this delivers!



5. I've heard a lot of people talk about how good this book is so I decided to give it a try. I read the first 10 pages and wavered between finding parts of the book funny and annoying. By the end of it, the only thing I remembered was a rather bad joke and a picture of a bacterium wearing sunglasses. If that helps some people learn, then that's great. However, I failed to learn anything from the random jokes and poorly drawn pictures.

5 comments about Essential Cell Biology, Second Edition.

1. It's kind of hard to judge a textbook, especially when you're a student. But i can honestly say that this book is very straight forward. The diagrams are great, and especially if you read the diagrams as you're reading the book, they add a lot of depth and diversity to the reading. The text itself is not mundane...you won't fall asleep reading it. The CD it comes with is nice....but i tend not to use it that much...all it is, is just video clips. Overall i'd say this is one of the best, if not THE best, biology book i've used.
   
   HOWEVER! Remember that this IS a bio book and it DOES get a little tedious at points



2. Is an read easy and understandable read. Explains all topics very thoroughly yet in a clear concise manner especially for a biology text book.



3. bought essential cell bio for school. excellent. just like in ad. thank you very much!



4. came as expected..nice, new.
   good book for details of biology. figures and pictures sup up the chapters and major sections



5. I was satisfied with time it took to receive the book and the book was in excellent condition.

1 comments about Biological Science with MasteringBiology(TM) (3rd Edition).

1. I was pleased to find out that the book we ordered for our daughter was
   the correct one. This is the first time I ordered a textbook from Amazon.com and my concern was that the book would not be exactly like
   the one that was available at her school's bookstore. The condition of
   the book was excellent. I will definitely look for more textbooks next
   semester.

5 comments about The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books).

1. Very interesting and instructing about the wonderful brain we've got.
   A must for all therapists around the world.



2. This is a fantastic book - well written and easy to read and understand; great case studies;a must for anyone with any interest in the brain; anyone who has aged parents or friends and is looking for some help in understanding how to keep the brain alert or even how to reconfigure it!



3. For decades now there has been a longstanding feud between biologists and psychologists on how the human brain forms and develops -- otherwise known as the nature versus nurture debate. Evolutionary biology teaches us that genes is destiny, and with his book the Canadian psychiatrist Norman Doidge makes his case for individual agency and cultural influences.
   
   Like Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, & Steel" Dr. Doidge's book is not original research but rather a synthesis and summary from the frontiers of brain science. Supplemented with case studies "The Brain that Changes Itself" is about neuroplasticity, which argues that the brain is "plastic," or organic and malleable. For hundreds of years, thanks to thinkers like Rene Descartes, scientists have thought of the brain as mechanical, certain functions localized to certain sectors in this machine -- over time it rusts, with no chance of regeneration. Thanks to decades of research by a brave few who dared to defy their mainstream bethren and to the invention of brain scans neuroplasticity is now the accepted view.
   
   The good news about neuroplasticity is that the brain you have is the brain you make it. New external stimuli (such as learning a new language) causes new neural connections in the brain (the "neurons that fire together wire together" rule of neuroplasticity). Often when we're learning a new language or skill after some fast improvement in the early stages we reach a plateau where we seem to have no improvement at all. Then after a while we suddenly make a great leap. That's because it takes time (as measured by nights of good sleep) for these neural connections to consolidate themselves but once they do we can move onto the next level. Of course if we don't keep on practising this skill these connections will weaken (the "use it or lose it" rule of plasticity) because space in the brain is, after all, limited.
   
   Individual agency over our brains gives great hope to those who suffer from aging and brain damage. Scientists have developed brain exercises on the computer to help the elderly maintain a sharp and alert mind, and help stroke victims restore once lost cognitive functions.
   
   The bad news is that the brain you have is the brain that you make it, and unfortunately most of us choose the path of least resistance and decide not to use it at all. As Dr. Doidge explains the plastic paradox means that exposing yourself to new stimuli can make the brain flexible but choosing to stay within your comfort zone will also make the brain rigid. Learning is fast and furious when we're kids but as we reach adulthood the brain becomes less plastic, making learning more difficult, and instead of choosing to learn most of us choose merely to rely on our current belief system. And when the world challenges this belief system we choose to ignore the world, and if forced we'll opt to fight the world. Thus, the plastic brain that allows us to learn new languages can also paradoxically make us intolerant and racist.
   
   Indeed, as Dr. Doidge warns us, the individuals that he profiles who have managed to change themselves have done so because they make a honest and hard commitment to change themselves. Dr. Doidge's patients went into psychotherapy (which operates from the principles of neuroplasticity) to discover how trauma created unhealthy neural connections, and how through discussion, self-analysis, and will-power to create new neural connections. But this process is painful and costly and takes many years.
   
   And it's so hard because the brain is so adept at protecting us. When we suffer a physical injury the brain will actually decide on what the appropriate level of pain we feel is. And when we're traumatized when we're young (for example, our mother dies or we're sexually abused) the brain will often decide to not convert this experience into long-term memory, and build defenses to disassociate ourselves from the possible pain of further trauma. The net effect is that our hippocampus -- the area of our frontal lobe that transfers experience into long-term memory, and thus what governs our ability to learn -- will shrink, thereby giving a scientific explanation to why adult victims of childhood trauma seem so adolescent and immature.
   
   Neuroplasticity offers hope though: love. It seems that our neural network will automatically become more flexible in two critical periods of our adulthood: when we fall in love, and when we have children. Presumably it's because in both instances we need to urgently learn a new skillset to match the two most important circumstances we could find ourselves in. So being in love with someone does allow you to change who you are. Of course, being the circumspect doctor, Dr. Doidge reminds us that if we find ourselves in love with the wrong person we can change for the worst as well, seeing our confidence and healthy attitude suddenly shatter.
   
   I'm not sure how Dr. Doidge would view my summary of his book, because I've taken great liberty in summarizing it. It's a pithy book and there's really a lot of refreshing and insightful material in the book but I'm not happy about the writing style -- which seems rushed and choppy to me -- and the organization, which hurts the clarity and effectiveness of the book. I've read quite a lot on the workings of the brain so I could follow through most chapters but I think a novice will have a particularly hard time reading this book. For a great introduction to how the mind works I suggest watching the BBC documentary series "The Human Series," hosted by Robert Winston -- possibly the greatest documentary series ever made.



4. Although I'm not in the field at all, I found this book enlightening and fun to read. The author illustrates his points about brain plasticity through case studies and mini-biographies of groundbreaking researchers and therapists in the field, including the story of a woman born with only half a brain who amazingly adapts. Easy to read and non-technical, the book traces the history of prevailing scientific thought on brain structure and function, makes a convincing theoretical and practical case for plasticity, and shows how powerfully and positively plasticity concepts can be applied to real life situations to rescue "hopelessly" damaged people from their pain and suffering.



5. Norman Doidge offers an entertaining account of how researchers on the frontiers of neuroscience are creating a better world for all us. The stories he weaves keep our attention on many heroes. These range from researchers who are to be admired for their intelligence and persistence to others who have overcome great difficulties.
   
   Most importantly, Doidge makes significant news readily accessible to those who are seeking better understanding of who they are and they how they might help themselves and others. A brain surgeon colleague was suitably impressed when I prompted him to read this fascinating account of brain science.
   
   This book is a must read for health professionals, educators, mums and dads and all of us over 55. Friends and I have given away numerous copies. The recipients are never disappointed. [BTW, I have never met Norman. I have no shares in the publisher's company nor am I readily given to writing effusive reviews.]

2 comments about Biology: Concepts and Connections (6th Edition) (MyBiology Series).

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2278AHK4SA7YE I am taking the second semester of this class right now.
   I had this book for the first semester. One will
   have to do a lot of reading but the book does a
   good job explaining concepts. The CD that
   comes with the book is awesome for testing
   your knowledge. If I may suggest something that
   has helped my studies greatly, a little book called
   Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to
   Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can
   Be Read to You!. I know that many students out
   there are like me and would rather listen to
   material than have to read it themselves. I use
   programs like the one that is reading this review
   to have my texts read to me. This is a god send
   for me. One can get this title on amazon.



2. I received this book in the time I expected and it was in excellent condition. I am very pleased.

5 comments about Human Anatomy & Physiology (7th Edition).

1. Anatomy & Physiology was really difficult for me... but with this book and the study guide (which wasn't used at my school but I got on my own) made a HUGE difference in learning the information. The book made the subject interesting and you wanted to learn more. It had helpful tips and analogies for remembering key points. I like the book alot and was able to pull off a "B" which for me was wonderful. The study guide is a helpful tool that I think is a "must have" to go with this book if science is a challenging subject for people.Human Anatomy & Physiology (Study Guide)



2. I used this book for two semesters of college (A&P I and II). It is thorough in its explanations and gives you a clear understanding of all of the subject matter. It has great illustrations and the chapters are broken up well. It has question and answer sections at the end of each chapter that aid in learning. My professors where both well known from Wash. U and the course was quite difficult but, I recieved A's (and I am no rocket scientist). I had the 6th edition but I have worked out of the 7th, both are sufficient. ENJOY!



3. A Dictionary of Nursing
   Human Anatomy and Physiology Edition 7 is excellent in defining what is needed when you are studying.
   studying nursing you need a book that can deliver the message quickly and precisely
   the pictures make all the difference and the size of the pictures can help you understand what the part of the body's function is.
   I have not covered a full science course but i am finding this book has helped with the understanding of the complexity of the body.



4. First let me say that Human Anatomy and Physiology is not an easy subject. I'm a good student and I appreciate a good textbook. The level of detail in this text is very good. The problem is the way the author presents it. First because there is so much detail, it would be helpful if the author had indicated some way to discern the trivial from the essential. Do I have to master every detail? Second, the information is given in a chatty style of writing. That's fine but it takes too long to piece together the relevant details when they're scattered non-linearly around the page. And time is what you don't have when you're studying A & P. Third, the author doesn't know when to end a chapter. Sometimes it felt like she was getting paid by the word. Or perhaps she was trying to stay ahead of her competition and didn't want to miss including every bit of info however trivial, if her competition was including it in their textbook. Fourth, the author tended to use substitute terms for the same thing - way before the topics were presented in later chapters. For instance, neuron, cell body, and soma all mean the same thing - and once I got to the nervous system section, it became very basic. But way back in epithelium, connective tissue, and muscles it confused the heck out of me. Marieb does this a lot, probably to keep her writing from becoming tedious and boring. But, it's a text book - it's perfectly okay to be tedious if it makes things easier to understand!



5. Product was shipped quickly (as requested) and arrived in the exact condition as desribed! Excellent seller!