Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • corny but good
  • How to get financially naked
  • save your money and your marriage
Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living)
Mary Hunt
Manufacturer: Revell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Budgeting & Money ManagementBudgeting & Money Management | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
MarriageMarriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
  2. Debt-Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free Debt-Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free
  3. Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life You Love (Debt-Proof Living) Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life You Love (Debt-Proof Living)
  4. Debt-Proof Your Kids Debt-Proof Your Kids
  5. The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever

ASIN: 0800758501
Release Date: 2004-09-01

Book Description

Mary Hunt's successful Debt-Proof Your Marriage is now available in paperback. In this highly practical book, Hunt helps couples learn the principles of acceptance, freedom, safety, and honesty in money matters. Debt-Proof Your Marriage covers everything couples need for managing their money harmoniously, including how to: reconcile different money behaviors and beliefs; let go of financial fears; understand the basics of practical money management; share financial work between two people; manage roller coaster income; successfully live debt-free. Hunt's essential guide will help couples protect both their marriage and their money. With the interactive workbook, it's also ideal for small group study or pre-marital counseling.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars corny but good.......2007-05-08

The information was very helpful, and I have passed on copies to my married children. It is a little hard to get past the folksy style of writing.

5 out of 5 stars How to get financially naked.......2006-07-24

Something has happened to Mary Hunt since her 1999 publication on Debt-Free Living. Or perhaps it's happened to her editor. Or perhaps a ghost writer has slipped into her life.

Regardless, the same passion and good sense is now expressed with a pleasant and flowing presentation that makes her medicine all the more bearable to the debt-laden patient.

Simply put, this lady can write!

Mary Hunt's book about finances in marriage sparkles. She has taken conventional wisdom about marriage, gender differences, and biblical teaching about a generous Creator and woven it together with her trademark 10-10-80 approach to managing money (give 10%, save 10%, spend 80%). Revell has helped out by packaging a supremely attractive book (the colors, the spacing, the flawless editing ...) at a decent price.

A major first section sports the title 'Get Your Relationship Ready for Financial Harmony'. Hunt's own story reveals that she knows how taxing financial stress and indebtedness often are on a marriage, so she's chosen to invest significant pages reminding her readers of some basic gender patterns and communication skills. You'll get a little bit of 'Men are from Mars, Women from Venus ...' language in this section, but always winsomely packaged and with an awareness of how individuals vary.

Then it's on to 'How to Debt-Proof Your Marriage', ten short chapters that present material Hunt has developed and presented elsewhere since the 1992 launch of her 'Cheapskate' business.

A third section ('Unique Solutions for Common Dilemmas') is almost an extended set of appendices, each valuable for reference or inspiration.

As a reader of a fair amount of material on debt and its effects on individuals and families, I have gravitated to Mary Hunt's work as the steady best. Debt-Proof Your Marriage is her high watermark thus far.

5 out of 5 stars save your money and your marriage.......2005-09-11

When it comes to financial matters, do you find that you and your spouse speak a different language? Is one of you a spender, the other a saver? Would your marriage be stronger if you could somehow work as a team to manage your finances and get out of debt?

Notice that I didn't ask if your marriage would be stronger if you had more money. Mary Hunt aptly notes that money problems are about more than a lack of money. Money problems are the result of conflicting attitudes and habits, and indicate just how well you and your spouse communicate and combine the two.

Debt-Proof Your Marriage is written in three parts. Part 1 explains the relationship side of the equation, enabling you to prepare the groundwork for financial harmony. Part 2 gets into the numbers, starting off with six debt-proof principles that are powerful and easy to understand. Part 3 provides resources to help you apply parts 1 and 2.

All of this is written from a Biblical perspective, from someone who has walked the walk. Both frank and friendly, this is a sound message that will improve both your pocketbook and your marriage.

Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory
Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Learn how to manage money, not just save
  • This book is one of the best I've ever read!
  • great book
  • Personal Finance Strategies for Marriage
  • Good book if you live in the 1950's
Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
Mary Hunt
Manufacturer: Revell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Budgeting & Money ManagementBudgeting & Money Management | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Money & ValuesMoney & Values | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
MarriageMarriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
MarriageMarriage | Relationships | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
BusinessBusiness | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
  2. Taming the Money Monster Taming the Money Monster
  3. The Financially Confident Woman The Financially Confident Woman
  4. Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living) Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living)
  5. Tiptionary Tiptionary

ASIN: 080071847X

Book Description

Financial DISHARMONY can blow a marriage apart. But financial HARMONY can bind it together.

No matter what your financial situation looks like right now, you and your spouse can take steps toward being debt-free - and strengthen your marriage in the process. In this highly practical book, Mary Hunt helps you bring the principles of intimacy, the foundation for harmony and debt-free living, into money management. These principles include acceptance, freedom, safety, and honesty, creating an atmosphere that unifies two lives into one.

'Debt-Proof Your Marriage' is packed with real-life advice, sprinkled with humor, that will renew your hope and determination. It covers everything you need for managing your money in harmony, including the "80 percent solution," forty places to find money (that you didn't know you had), how to reconcile different money behaviors and beliefs, and much more.

Reading this book will empower you to take care of the present, clean up the past, and prepare for a successful, debt-free future.

Most importantly, it will empower you to live debt-free - protecting your marriage, your money, and your peace of mind!

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Learn how to manage money, not just save.......2007-08-19

I have read many financial books. They seem to focus on investing money or just tell you to stop spending and save. This was the first book that gave me a specific plan on how to manage my money. When I read this book in April of 2006, my husband and I had nearly $9,000 in credit card debt. With Mary's steps to money management, we were able to pay off all our credit card debt and buy a house in just over a year. If you need specific strategies to save and manage your money to get and stay out of debt, this is the perfect book.

5 out of 5 stars This book is one of the best I've ever read!.......2006-11-13

This book has completely changed the way I think about money and my marriage! Most of the difficulties my husband and I have had through our seven years has definately centered around money. I sure wish I had gotten this book before we were married and started to acquire all our debt. I think her 10-10-80 principle, give away 10%, save 10% and live on the remaining 80% was the most meaningful to me. Simple and yet so profound.

Since reading this book, I've begun to read all the Mary Hunt I can get my hands on including her subscription based publication, "Debt Proof Living," which is by far the best financial newsletter in print. The thing I enjoyed the most was hearing Mary's story and about her (100,000 dollars worth) unsecured debt that she paid off. No bankruptcy, just real hard work and sacrifice. It has greatly encouraged me that if Mary and her husband could do it, our family can too. Would highly recomend to anyone, especially those engaged to be married, or newly married couples.

5 out of 5 stars great book.......2006-10-27

once again, mary hunt has written a wonderful book about how to improve your finances. but this book has more than just money tips. it's also a book about how to make your marriage relationship better and happier.

this book is appropriate for any married couple who wants to do better financially, no matter how long they've been married. i think it would be especially great for newlyweds.

5 out of 5 stars Personal Finance Strategies for Marriage.......2006-01-27

"If you have money issues in your marriage...I am going to help you bring harmony to that most challenging part of our marriage." ~ Mary Hunt

If your husband or wife has started to collect credit cards the way people collect baseball cards, then this book shows you how to take back control of your financial life. The author was originally more than $100,000 in debt and found a way back to financial security though a new level of respect.

Mary Hunt discusses issues like the area of divorce and how it can increase financial problems. At least by reading the statistics, you can make a better decision about your life. If getting your finances under control will save your marriage, then this book will be worth the initial cost.

I love this section of the book:

"In one study, 86 percent of unhappily married people who stuck it out found that five years later their marriages were happier...surprisingly the very worst marriages showed the most dramatic turnarounds."

This is the type of information that gives people hope. Mary Hunt also discusses the reality of marriage, the needs of men and women and explains the various stages of married life. She has a very straightforward writing style but also tosses in some wry wit and humorous observations. She covers all the bases and gives you good reasons to stay in your marriage and develop your character and financial portfolio.

Eventually you get to the place in your marriage that you realize that even if you moved on to another life, you'd be taking yourself with you. This of course is one of those painful things that may just happen to occur right before your life seems to improve. If you do develop a budget and try to stick to it, the rewards will be more peace and harmony in your marriage. I've been trying to stick to a budget for years and I find that each time I read a book on finances it helps to motivate me in a good direction. I have found that automatically paying off credit cards is truly the answer and you don't have to worry about the monthly payments if you put it into your budget. I found that paying off a smaller amount weekly was the key! It hurt less and each month you can see the total decreasing, which is rather satisfying and gives you a sense of "I'm finally in control."

I loved the "Finding Money You Didn't Know You Had" chapter where you can find advice on everything from shopping with cash to positive self-talk, although I think I'll stick with my favorite shampoos. I did learn to cut my own hair and now seem to only get my hair cut a few times a year. It was a bit iffy at the start, but that proves, you can learn to do just about anything to save money so you can buy more books and gourmet foods! There is probably a very good reason no one has written a book called: The Bibliomaniac's Budget.

Debt-Proof Your Marriage is definitely the best book I've ever read on getting out of debt and saving your marriage. If you are looking for timeless wisdom and are ready for a reality check that will lead to greater happiness in your life, this is the book!

~The Rebecca Review

P.S. You may also enjoy reading "Imperfect Harmony."

2 out of 5 stars Good book if you live in the 1950's.......2005-05-21

This book is clearly written from her own experience and not the experience of the modern world. The first part of this book is so out of date with modern times that my husband and I laughed through it. For example (from pg 77) "You leave all theories of equality (whatever that is) at the workplace, opting to assume the feminine role in your marriage." "You accept his choices even if you don't agree with him." She comes from a wife who stayed home and raised children and addresses her audience as if that is everyone's situation. She has no suggestions on financial issues that concern 'today's' couples, like both partners working, the issues of 1st marriage children expenses and income. (of course she only wants to view the world as first marriages). She claims that #1 on women's needs from her husband is to feel protected. I've been married for 33 years and protection has never crossed my mind, much less made the priority list. What are we damsels in distress. For men it is to feel respected (gee Mary, women want this too) and to be left alone. She claims everyone should stick out their marriage unless there is violence. My second marriage is wonderful. I am so grateful that I didn't spend the rest of my life with a man that I wasn't compatible with because of a decision I made at 19 years old. Her philosophy seems to be based on religious beliefs rather than common sense. There are good suggestions in the second half of the book. You can get most of them from 'Debt Proof Living.' That one I'd highly recommend.
Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Purchasing This Book Would Be a Very Wise Investment
Debt-Proof Your Marriage Workbook: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
Mary Hunt
Manufacturer: Revell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Budgeting & Money ManagementBudgeting & Money Management | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Money & ValuesMoney & Values | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Financial Planning WorkbooksFinancial Planning Workbooks | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
MarriageMarriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
MarriageMarriage | Relationships | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
BusinessBusiness | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living) Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony (Debt-Proof Living)
  2. Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
  3. Debt-Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free Debt-Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free
  4. The Financially Confident Woman The Financially Confident Woman
  5. Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life You Love (Debt-Proof Living) Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life You Love (Debt-Proof Living)

ASIN: 0800758498

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Purchasing This Book Would Be a Very Wise Investment.......2004-01-25

The great thing about reading a Mary Hunt book on finances is knowing that she writes from experience and not just from abstract theory. This woman had run up something like $100,000 in unsecured debt (credit cards and such) and worked her way out of that crushing load of debt, without a high-paying job or an inheritance or a windfall of any kind. She simply persevered.

Of course, that's only half of the story. The other half involves her husband who, of all things, was a banker during some of the time she was amassing a heavy debt load. Like many spouses, she kept thinking she could handle it --- she would figure something out, or some magic reversal would wipe out their debt. Really, it's a wonder they didn't duke it out once she decided to come clean with him.

The plan Hunt outlines in DEBT-PROOF YOUR MARRIAGE is legitimately workable, for all you skeptics who think hers is just another budgeting plan that will never work for you. She doesn't propose living in a tent and boiling roots to make tea, though she probably wouldn't try to stop you. While she gives lots of very specific, very detailed information on how to eliminate credit card debt quickly, how to pay off your mortgage early and how to create a spending plan that is based on freedom rather than restriction, she is careful to emphasize that couples must customize their financial plan to fit their lifestyle and temperaments.

Hunt writes in a friendly, nonjudgmental style. I doubt anyone could come away from this book feeling worse than they did when they started reading. Hunt is a master at encouraging people to do what they can do, a little at a time, rather than feeling they have to grovel over their shameful financial mismanagement. She uses humor, anecdotes and illustrations to underscore the serious point she's making: that financial disharmony can destroy a marriage, while financial harmony --- no matter what it takes to achieve it --- can strengthen and save a marriage.

Before she gets into practical matters, Hunt establishes a foundation for understanding the factors that result in money-related problems in a marriage by discussing emotional differences, myths about money, and marital problems that are exacerbated by financial conflict. She pretty much follows a conservative Christian blueprint for marriage, conflict resolution and the like.

About the only thing that leaves me cold are the sections on making deposits in a "Love Bank" --- the idea being that every little thing you do to show your love and respect for your spouse is deposited into an account that incrementally adds up to a significant balance. I don't know. Maybe some couples like to talk and think like that. I've just never met one, or one that openly discusses it. Anyway, this idea isn't original with Hunt; she attributes it to Willard Harley, so her only responsibility for it is in repeating it. Oh, and then there is the implied suggestion that engaged couples exchange credit reports. I'm not sure why I find that so, well, weird. It's not like I think it's too personal; maybe I just can't see a couple actually doing that.

You probably won't agree with all of Hunt's suggestions, and you probably won't get around to following all of her advice even if you want to. But there's enough here to make the book a wise investment. And if you'd like to contribute to the lofty goal of reducing the divorce rate, you might want to consider giving a copy to every engaged couple you know.
Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Debt-Proof Your Marriage: How to Achieve Financial Harmony
    Mary Hunt
    Manufacturer: Revell
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
    ASIN: B000VYQ2SE

    Training & Retraining: A Handbook for Business, Industry, Government, and the Military (MacMillan Research on Education Handbooks)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Training & Retraining: A Handbook for Business, Industry, Government, and the Military (MacMillan Research on Education Handbooks)

      Manufacturer: MacMillan Reference Books
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

      GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      Human Resources & Personnel ManagementHuman Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
      ASIN: 0028974158
      Training & Retraining: A Handbook for Business, Industry, Government, and the Military; A Project of Division 15; The Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Training & Retraining: A Handbook for Business, Industry, Government, and the Military; A Project of Division 15; The Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association

        Manufacturer: An Imprint Of The Gale Group
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000FPM10W

        Product Description

        "This is a book about research on training. By "training" we mean instruction that prepares people to perform specific tasks and jobs. It is a means to an end, standing in contrast to education, which we view as an end in its own right. Training helps people achieve relatively short-term goals, rather than prepare for indefinite futures. However, both training and education are found on the same dimension, which for convenience we have called instruction. In this sense, both training and education are forms of instruction distinguished from each other more by purpose than by process. Distictions between training and education are discussed in more detail in the introductory chapter and elsewhere in this book. In training programs, there is an emphasis on efficiency---in achieving levels of knowledge and skill as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The principles underlying the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of training programs reflect this emphasis. These principles have arisen from research on several fronts, including human learning, cognition, and instruction; validation and abstraction of ad hoc training practices, costs and effectiveness assessments of different training approaches; technologies relevant to instruction such as telecommunications, computer applications, modeling, simulation, and networked simulation; human factors and ergonomics; andeducation itself. Findings stemming from this research have led to a rapidly growing body of knowledge and skills on the part of training professionals. This book represents an attempt to capture what we are learning. Much in the book was written by people who are concerned with research in cognition, learning, and instructional tactics and strategies. Our intent has been to synthesize the interdisciplinary knowledge base on which the principles and practices of training rely. Our audience includes trainers, developers of instructional....." (from preface by Sigmund Tobias and J. D. Fletcher)

        A Nazi Interior: Quisling's Hidden Philosophy
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          A Nazi Interior: Quisling's Hidden Philosophy
          Else Margarete Barth , and E. M. Barth
          Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          Military & SpiesMilitary & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Military | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0820464317

          The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells : A Celebration of Unusual Lives
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • thought-provoking and entertaining
          • Indeed, the Last Word on Obituary Writing
          • A helluva book
          • A must for any commode (that's a compliment)
          • A delightful and witty collection.
          The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells : A Celebration of Unusual Lives

          Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
          Curiosities & WondersCuriosities & Wonders | Fun Facts | Reference | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
          Look Inside Reference BooksLook Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
          Similar Items:
          1. 52 McGs.: The Best Obituaries from Legendary New York Times Reporter Robert McG. Thomas 52 McGs.: The Best Obituaries from Legendary New York Times Reporter Robert McG. Thomas
          2. The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.) The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.)
          3. Obituaries in American Culture Obituaries in American Culture
          4. Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers
          5. OBIT. Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People who Led Extraordinary Lives OBIT. Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People who Led Extraordinary Lives

          ASIN: 0688150152

          Book Description

          With a Foreword by Russell Baker

          Anecdotal, inspiring, frequently amusing, and elegantly concise, the obituary page of The New York Times has earned a huge following. The Last Word is a fascinating compilation of 100 of the most colorful, entertaining, and touching obits that have appeared in the last few years.

          The collection deliberately omits celebrities to concentrate on an eclectic mix of lesser-known men and women whose compelling lives have often changed the world they lived in. You may not have heard of Julian Hill, but he changed your life as the inventor of nylon. You'll meet others like him: a quiet man who braved the hostility of racists to integrate the University of Georgia; a woman who turned chopped liver into a million-dollar business; the man who gave the Beat Generation its very name; and a reclusive woman who turned a $5,000 nest egg into a $22 million fortune that she left to a school she never attended.

          The collection also includes commentary by some of the Times's finest writers and contributors such as Jules Feiffer, William E. Geist, James Gleick, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Anna Quindlen, William Styron, and Wendy Wasserstein.

          Customer Reviews:

          4 out of 5 stars thought-provoking and entertaining.......2002-11-06

          You wouldn't think a book of obituaries would be entertaining, but it is when the obits are well-written and celebrate the lives and characters of the 100+ people found in this collection. The subjects are most often unknown to the majority of us, but the various authors (including well-known NYT obituary author Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.) humanize each subject and inspire you to contemplate your own life. Most essays are a couple of pages long, and there is an introduction by Russell Baker.

          5 out of 5 stars Indeed, the Last Word on Obituary Writing.......2001-08-27

          Rather than an ode to death, this book cherishes lives onced lived by all kinds of people. Whether brilliant or simple, rich or poor, actions great or discreet, each of the people written about contributed to society in a meaningful (and often surprising) way. Equally outstanding are the authors of these obituaries, whose writing talents manage to entertain, educate and move the reader deeply without being maudlin. Even more importantly, this book forces us to examine our own lives: what will people say about us when we've faced our Maker? For those of us who come up pitifully short, this book inspires even the common man to contribute to society, and strive for -- and hopefully, attain -- spiritual immortality.

          5 out of 5 stars A helluva book.......2000-03-23

          I teach Memoir Writing to local seniors and I routinely use this book as an example of outstanding biography. It's one thing to write a 250 word bio but quite another, and much more demanding, to pen a few-hundred-word last goodbye to someone and do it with panache. The NY Times has three books of obituaries, this is the most recent. The quality of the writing is, in many cases, superior to anything in the rest of the newspaper(all the obits here were published in the Times). I especially like the reviews of Robert McG Thomas, who died within the past year at age 60. His obituaries deserved a Pulitzer. His obits are worth the price of the book. Everybody deserves a last word. These obits are not just about famous people but about average joes and janes who have been extraordinary human beings. I'd even recommend this book for spiritual reading because the lives here are inspirational. I teach writing and am always on the lookout for examples of prose that will knock my socks off. This is one helluva book.

          5 out of 5 stars A must for any commode (that's a compliment).......1999-07-01

          In our celebrity-obsessed culture, in which bland, no-talent know-nothing windbags like "Dharma and Greg's" Jenna Elfman are considered national treasures and given lengthy pseudo-important profiles in glossy magazines, it is refreshing to read about lives that actually have meaning; about people who commit their lives to doing interesting things for others and for themselves; people whose lives take amazing twists of fate, people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and react in ways that no one could predict. The genius of this book is that it covers not the obvious obits of international icons like, say, John Lennon or Richard Nixon, but people whom you may have never heard of, such as the inventor of kiddy litter or the great bluesman Willie Dixon. And they are written not as morbid reflections on death, but as the book's subtitle says "celebrations of life." The Last Word also holds the important distinction of being the greatest bathroom book I have ever read. Why not put it in your own john?

          5 out of 5 stars A delightful and witty collection........1998-08-25

          A delightful collection of lives which I read cover to cover in one sitting. Offers a fascinating glimpse of la comedie humaine--often witty, sometimes sad, always remarkable.

          I was turned onto this book when it was selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club--I cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in the lives of others. A great gift.

          Funding Local Governance: Small Grants for Democracy and Development (Urban Management Series)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Funding Local Governance: Small Grants for Democracy and Development (Urban Management Series)
            Jo Beall , and Nicholas Hall
            Manufacturer: Practical Action
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            Economic Policy & DevelopmentEconomic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            Nonprofit Organizations & CharitiesNonprofit Organizations & Charities | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
            DemocracyDemocracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            UrbanUrban | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            Local GovernmentLocal Government | Levels of Government | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: 1853395978

            Book Description

            International development is replete with examples of failure. This has led to notes of cynicism being struck in commentaries on development, whether in relation to failed states, donor ineptitude or the unaccountability of NGOs. Precisely because the grand visions have not been realized and macro-level policies have been so controversial, attention turned to initiatives at the local level. However, too many expectations were placed on interventions at the local level and it did not take long before they became formalized, institutionalized and bureaucratized, losing their capacity for rapid response and flexibility.
            This book is about an alternative approach. Starting from a critical engagement with theories of decentralization and a review of social funds, it explores the value of funding local initiatives that are designed not only to support development activities but also to promote local democracy. Reviewing experiences from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, the book demonstrates how, at their most innovative, local funds can deliver development within the context of a rights-based approach and as a critical component of democratic decentralization.
            Funding Local Governance will appeal to academic, professional and practitioner audiences. It will be of considerable value to people working in international development agencies, NGOs and in local government. It will be of interest to researchers, teachers and students of development, urban studies, local government and politics, geography and urban planning as well as area studies specialists.

            Landlords' and Tenants' Guide (Special Report (Texas a & M University. Real Estate Center), 866.)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Landlords' and Tenants' Guide (Special Report (Texas a & M University. Real Estate Center), 866.)
              Judon Fambrough
              Manufacturer: Real Estate Center
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
              Civil ProcedureCivil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Law | Subjects | Books
              Real EstateReal Estate | Practical Guides | Law | Subjects | Books
              Private LawPrivate Law | Law | Subjects | Books
              Civil ProcedureCivil Procedure | Procedures & Litigation | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
              ASIN: 1562480022
              Landlords' and Tenants' Guide: Special Report 866
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Landlords' and Tenants' Guide: Special Report 866
                Judon Fambrough
                Manufacturer: Real Estate Center
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                EconomicsEconomics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books | Agricultural | Commercial Policy | Comparative | Consolidation & Merger | Cooperatives | Debt & Deficits | Development & Growth | Econometrics | Economic Conditions | Economic History | Economic Policy & Development | Exports & Imports | Free Enterprise | Inflation | International | Labor & Industrial Relations | Macroeconomics | Microeconomics | Money & Monetary Policy | Natural Resources | Privatization | Public Finance | Statistics | Sustainable Development | Theory | Unemployment | Urban & Regional
                GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
                Real EstateReal Estate | Practical Guides | Law | Subjects | Books
                GeneralGeneral | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
                ASIN: 9990157499

                Armies Encamped in the Fields Beyond the Unfinished Avenues, the
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  Armies Encamped in the Fields Beyond the Unfinished Avenues, the
                  Morton Marcus
                  Manufacturer: Brown Bear Reprints
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback
                  ASIN: B000KG84IE
                  The Duke of Chemical Birds
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    The Duke of Chemical Birds
                    Howard McCord
                    Manufacturer: Pavement Saw Press
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Paperback

                    PoetryPoetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | African | Ancient, Classical & Medieval | Anthologies | Asian | Australia & Oceania | British | Canadian | Carribean & Latin American | Chinese | Criticism | Epic | French | General | German | Inspirational & Religious | Irish | Japanese & Haiku | Limericks & Humorous Verse | Love Poems | Middle Eastern | Norse & Icelandic Sagas | Poets, A-Z | Russian | Single Authors | Spanish | United States | Writing
                    ASIN: 1886350361
                    The Duke of Chemical Birds and Other Risables
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      The Duke of Chemical Birds and Other Risables
                      Howard McCord
                      Manufacturer: Bloody Twin Press
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      GeneralGeneral | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                      ASIN: B000RS14KA
                      Futzie Nutzle's Modern loafer
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        Futzie Nutzle's Modern loafer
                        Futzie Nutzle
                        Manufacturer: Thames and Hudson
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Unknown Binding

                        GeneralGeneral | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
                        GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: B0006E4X58
                        Run the World 50¢
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Run the World 50¢
                          Futzie Nutzle
                          Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Paperback

                          GeneralGeneral | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
                          GeneralGeneral | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
                          ASIN: 0877018421
                          Futzie Nutzle
                          Average customer rating: Not rated
                            Futzie Nutzle
                            Futzie Nutzle
                            Manufacturer: Jazz Pr
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Paperback

                            GeneralGeneral | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                            GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                            ASIN: 0937310204

                            The Diary of Eva Heyman: Child of the Holocaust
                            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                            • The Anne Frank Of Hungary
                            The Diary of Eva Heyman: Child of the Holocaust
                            Eva Heyman
                            Manufacturer: Sure Sellers Inc
                            ProductGroup: Book
                            Binding: Paperback

                            GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                            JewishJewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                            HolocaustHolocaust | Jewish | World | History | Subjects | Books
                            ASIN: 093350389X

                            Customer Reviews:

                            5 out of 5 stars The Anne Frank Of Hungary.......2002-11-17

                            Eva Heyman was like Anne in many ways: A budding teenager, spirited and observant of the world around her. Anne and Eva both began diaries when they were thirteen. Tragically, both did not survive the war. Like Anne, only one of Eva's parents survived the Holocaust, her mother Agnes, but out of guilt for not attempting to save her daughter's life she committed suicide in 1949. Read this book.

                            Books:

                            1. Directory of Chinese Government and Organizations(Year 2000 Edition)
                            2. Ernst & Young's Prosper: Your Total Financial Planning Kit/Boxed Book and Software
                            3. Estate Planning and Administration: How to Maximize Assets, Minimize Taxes, and Protect Loved Ones (Estate Planning & Administration: How to Maximine Assets, Minimize Taxes & Protect Loved)
                            4. European Marketing Forecasts 1999
                            5. Everyman's(and Woman's) Florida Estate Plan
                            6. Facing Financial Dysfunction: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money!
                            7. Focus on Personal Finance: An Active Approach to Help You Develop Successful Financial Skills
                            8. From Selling to Serving: The Essence of Client Creation
                            9. How Social Security Picks Your Pocket: A Story of Waste, Fraud, and Inequities
                            10. How to Build a Fortune With an Ira

                            Books Index

                            Books Home

                            Recommended Books

                            1. Beginnings & Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education
                            2. Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children and Parents
                            3. The Monogram Checklist: The Films of Monogram Pictures Corporation, 1931-1952
                            4. The Mouse in Biomedical Research, Volume 1-4, Second Edition
                            5. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
                            6. Total Chaos
                            7. The Rough Guide to Barcelona Map
                            8. Global Financial Stability Report April 2006: Market Development And Issues
                            9. The New Pioneers: The Men and Women Who Are Transforming the Workplace and Marketplace
                            10. The Austrian Theory of Value and Capital: Studies in the Life and Work of Eugen Von Bohm-Bawerk