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Category Archives: Non-Fiction
The Future by Gore
In the future, according to the former vice president, national governments will hold less sway than multinational corporations, there will be no privacy and all the world’s information will be freely available, we will struggle with basic strategic resources like topsoil and fresh water all the while we will try to change the genetic make-up of humanity (with possibly costly genetic failures) and continue to ruin our planet’s ecology and climate by the reckless use of greenhouse gasses. Yeah, the future looks a lot like Blade Runner.
guaranteed cash advance
The Future
By Al Gore
Random House
January 2013
The problem with Gore’s book? It’s right on. The changes that science fiction writers have seen and envisioned coming are coming and are even here. (Consider The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi for a recent, excellent novel with similar themes.)
Unlike Science Fiction, the Vice President breaks down the coming changes in deep, but easier to understand sections:
1) Earth, Inc. – the globalization of economic factors, the movement of labor from developed to developing countries and “robosourcing” (the movement of labor from humans to robots.
2) The Global Mind –the rise of the internet to connect all of mankind in network similar to the way a mind works with billions of bits of information travelling instantaneously around the globe and (frighteningly) the complete lack of privacy users can expect.
3) The change in power – from U.S. centric to global, from governments to corporations.
4) Strategic Resource Loss – the depletion of strategic resources like topsoil and fresh water due to the increase in the world’s population.
5) Future Science – the technology that is rapidly changing the way we practice medicine, how we have the power to manipulate DNA and the path of our genetic future along with new techs that will impact our world and lives.
6) Climate Change – (of course) the impact of manmade global warming and climate changes due to reckless use of greenhouse gases.
This book is so dense that the audio book is 18 hours long and filled with words that would make your average young adult reader grimace in lack of comprehension. There are some great call-outs, though, that everyone should be able to understand. (And some movies that warn of a similar issue, for those who do read at a young adult level 
“When I became Vice President in 1993, there were on average four different offices representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture located within every one of the 3000 counties in the United States yet the percentage of total jobs represented by farm jobs had declined to 2%. In other words, a determined and expensive national policy to promote agriculture for a century and a half did little or nothing to prevent the massive loss of employment opportunities on farms. Although these policies arguably contributed to the massive increase in agricultural productivity. But the larger point is that many systemic technology driven changes are simply too powerful for any set of policies to hold back.”
The Vice President rightly points out that the changes are coming and will be more and more difficult to stop or slow if action isn’t taken now. Unlike the above situation, which Republicans would likely love to read out of context, we are still early on in the genetic modification of humans and need to get ahead of the curve by making changes to our DNA illegal now, before they become commonplace. (Ala, the Island or Gattaca.)
A theme that comes up over and again is the Vice President’s call to change accounting practices to count the costs of natural resources utilization and ecological impact: “The emergence of rapid unsustainable growth in population, cities, resources consumption, depletion of top soil, fresh water supplies and living species, pollution flows, and economic output that is measured and guided by an absurd and guided by a distorted set of universally accepted methods that blind us to the destructive consequences of self deceiving choices we are routinely making.”
Some may jump at that “self deceiving choices” phrase and go for the cheap shot about the Vice President selling his cable TV channel to Al Jazeera, the fact is that the future envisioned in the book is coming and no amount of character assault should distract us from quick choices and changes. (Also seen in Mad Max and every other post-apocalyptic movie about the fall of society based on a scarcity of natural resources).
The scariest section in my opinion was the section on the Global Mind and the lack of privacy we should expect. I immediately drew a connection between this book’s concerns and Arther C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter’s prophetic novel, the Light of Other Days, where characters wore privacy suits to hide their gender and keep private their DNA.
This book reads like a cautionary tale of what our society is coming to and the massively important decisions we need to make. To make them, though, we need to get past the arguments over global warming and climate change and the partisan politics (Gore hasn’t been in any elected office for 13 years!) I can’t see any logical reason to oppose the conclusion that man has negatively impacted global climate change and we need to make adjustments. Even if you don’t believe in climate change can’t we at least agree that less smog is good for us?
I highly recommend this book. And if you enjoy audio books, I recommend the audio book version of this even more than the print version. The Vice President reads it himself, and while he can come across as the long winded professor who’s lecture we all doodled through in High School, when he get’s passionate about the subject you can hear it and frankly that helps with some who may doubt the veracity of Mr. Gore. This should build empathy; a great starting point for discussion and positive change.
A note to my Christian friends: why are you against climate change? Is it only because you are Republican and this is a Democrat issue? Have we looked at the research or just the Facebook timeline pictures with the snarky bumper sticker phrases? Taking care of the environment IS a Christian virtue and responsibility.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
What Your Husband Isn’t Telling You by Murrow
When my husband first saw me reading this book, he told me he thought it would be full of lies and only makes men look horrible. I told him that wasn’t the case and throughout the story, would read specific facts in there and he told me they were right. One thing I learned throughout this book, was that it is the truth.
What Your Husband Isn’t Telling You
By David Murrow
Bethany House
October 2012
David explains things in the book that most people know but haven’t thought about. He uses real life stories and history to explain why men are the way they are. I truly enjoyed this book and I now understand my husband better than ever. You can know every fact about your husband but you will never understand why he does the things he does, says the things he says or vice versa, unless you read this book. Things that used to bother me about my husband were explained and now those problems just seem to fade away, thanks to my new found knowledge. My husband has even noticed how some of the little things don’t bother me anymore.
I would definitely recommend this book to any female seeking to understand men better. I grabbed it just out of curiosity and am very glad I did. If there are things your husband does, that upsets you and you don’t know why, give this book a try.
Brittney Dodson is a stay at home mom who also works from home. She find reading free her from reality and the worries it brings.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Running For My Life by Lomong
He was six years old when his childhood ended. Though still alive, the only life he had ever known stood out in front of the Sudanese church with tears running down their faces as he was roughly thrown into the back of a truck and driven away with the other ‘lost’ boys by a corrupt militia.
Running For My Life
By Lopez Lomong
Thomas Nelson
July 2012
This was 1991, the year Lopez Lomong’s life became nothing more than sleeping, eating and going to the bathroom in the cramped quarters of one small tent. They all waited in fear of what was to come next. When the soldiers noticed boys dying, they decided it was time to begin the training. That’s when they began to drag the boys big enough to hold a rifle out into the unknown.
It was time for Lopez to make his break. A few boys from his village, whom he referred to as his ‘angels’, came to him with their escape plan one evening, and before he knew it, they were all running for their lives.
Running in the wrong direction, the landed their selves in a camp in Kenya. But this camp was different, and he began to dream. Having been invited to watch an old farmers t.v. (something he had never seen before) with some older boys, he had the opportunity to see the Olympics. He saw Michael Johnson run, and he knew he just had to find a way to America. If he could not see his parents again, he would keep running. But this time for Gold.
Run along side as Lopez unfurls an incredible story of hope! Get a glimpse of the redemption he experienced when he began to dream.
I enjoyed this book! Of course, it is not written in the style of a seasoned author. But what you get is a man who wants to tell his story. And what a great story. I think it is always a pleasure to peek into a life that is vastly different than your own, to help you appreciate and better understand those around you. I would highly recommend this!
Heather Ring says that books are her plane ticket into another world, “I’d feel lost with out them. Reading is a part of me. However I am also an avid lover of the outdoors and pouring into my creative outlets. But I think my biggest passion, is spending time with my family and friends.”
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
The Almond Tree Michelle by Corasanti
This is a tragically touching story about how a Palestinian family learns to cope with having to start over during the Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip and how two people learn to get along despite the history their people’s suffered at the hands of one another.
The Almond Tree
By Michelle Cohen Corasanti
Garnet Publishing
September 2012
One is a young Palestinian man and the other an older, wiser Israeli teacher. Each grew up hating each other for what had transpired between their countries. They reluctantly end up working together and do so for 40 years with amazing results.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this to others.
Shelley Walling is a 43 year male who is on disability retirement from complications from brain surgery. He was an Electrical Dispatcher for 11 years until the surgeries, he now enjoys spending time with his wife and two girls who are still at home along with four grown boys as well. He and his wife have an interest in sustainable and off-grid living and hope to live off-grid one day. He likes to read books about nutrition and medicine, Christian fiction and end times theology.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Unstoppable by Vujicic
This is an awesome book! Imagine a man with no arms and no legs has been told he is a security risk, once he is told this, he lets his friends know how to pray through and that God is in control and he will take care of everything. He talks about how when was younger, that things did get discouraging and how he attempted suicide once, because he could not see what God had in store for Him. He did reach out to others and they asked him questions and became his friends and he also realized God had a plan for him.
Unstoppable
The Incredible Power of Faith in Action
By Nick Vujicic
Waterbrook Press
October 2012
This book is filled with inspiring stories from people he has met in his many travels throughout the World. One I can identify with is how Pastor Leon Birdd began his ministry with a story that sounds like a parable told by Jesus. He was working as a carpenter and driving a truckload of furniture in a rural area outside Dallas in 1995 when he saw a middle-aged man walking on the road. At first glance he thought he might be drunk, but as he drove by the man, he felt the Holy Spirit speak to his heart. He found himself stopping to offer him a ride. When he pulled alongside the man, Leon noted that he seemed to have trouble walking. Leon asked him “Are you Okay? The man replies suspiciously “I’m not drunk if that is what you are thinking.” Leon tells the man, “You seem to be having a hard time. I’ll give you a ride.”
The man, Robert Shumake, was telling the truth. He had difficulty walking because he had undergone several brain surgeries which affected his mobility but not his determination in helping others in need. For years Robert had been taking coffee and doughnuts to feed the homeless in downtown Dallas every Saturday morning.
“How do you do that when you can hardly walk?” Leon asked.
“People help me, and now you’ll help me,” he said.
“I don’t think so. What time do you do this?” Leon asked.
“Five thirty in the morning.”
“I am not going to drive you, especially at that hour,” Leon said. “Even the Lord isn’t up at five thirty in the morning.”
The next Saturday, though, Leon awakened at five o’clock in the morning, worried that Robert might be waiting for him on a street corner. He feared for Robert’s safety since the location that he’d suggested for their meeting was a rough part of the city. Once again the Holy Spirit seemed to be working through him.
Before sunrise he found Robert standing on a street corner with a thermos filled with five gallons of hot coffee. Robert asked Leon to drive him to a doughnut shop, where they loaded up on pastries. They then proceeded to downtown Dallas. The streets were empty. “Just wait,” Robert told Leon. With the big thermos of hot coffee they waited.
As the sun rose, homeless people appeared one by one. Nearly fifty people assembled for Robert’s coffee and doughnuts. Leon could see from the smiles and joy exhibited on these people as they accepted the hot coffee and doughnuts that Robert was sowing seeds and that he clearly needed help so he began assisting him each Saturday morning after that. In the months that followed, Robert’s health declined.
“Robert, what happens when you can’t do this anymore?” Leon asked one day as they packed up.
“You’ll do it,” Robert said.
“No, you really need to get someone else,” Leon insisted.
“You will do it,” Robert said again.
Robert was right. Leon Birdd became Pastor Birdd, an ordained minister with an inner-city mission supported by nine local churches and other donors. Although Robert died in 2009, the seeds he planted have grown into full-blown open air services with music and celebrations of faith. Now every Sunday morning, more than fifty volunteers join Pastor Birdd in feeding the bodies and ministering to the souls of hundreds of homeless in downtown Dallas.
This story was so inspiring to me, because I also have had multiple brain surgeries and have been looked at funny by others as well, so I can relate to Robert’s life.
This book was well written and the whole book was a testament to what God can do. When you put “Go” in front of “disable”, you get “God is able.” Let Go and Let God.
Shelley Walling is a 43 year male who is on disability retirement from complications from brain surgery. He was an Electrical Dispatcher for 11 years until the surgeries, he now enjoys spending time with his wife and two girls who are still at home along with four grown boys as well. He and his wife have an interest in sustainable and off-grid living and hope to live off-grid one day. He likes to read books about nutrition and medicine, Christian fiction and end times theology.
Fresh off the Boat by Huang
Eddie Huang is best known as a rising chef, a blogger provocateur, and the founder of Boahaus in New York. Eddie Huang is an Asian-American who has defied every “model minority” stereotype. This book is an inspiring story about family, identify and finding a place to belong.
Fresh off the Boat
by Eddie Huang
Spiegel & Grau
January 2013
He was a kid who did not respect authority. got into trouble easily because of his attitude, and did not get along with his mad family. His father always seem to put him down and his mother yelled a lot. He was/is a bright person, but did not always use common sense. The book is a lot about food. Food seemed to be Eddie’s anchor – lifeline.
The book was interesting, but I didn’t like it. The language is very filthy – too much – did not need. This foul language seems to distract from the real story. Eddie appears to be a person with a large chip on his shoulder and a very filthy mouth. Let’s hope his blog is a lot cleaner than his book.
Not recommended.
Mary Asher, the Golden Reviewer, is an 80 year old avid reader reviews the newest in Christian fiction and non-fiction with a sprinkle of the secular on top..
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Sweet Hell on Fire by Lunsford
Let me begin by saying, Sara Lunsford’s Sweet Hell on Fire: A Memoir of the Prison I Worked In and the Prison I Lived In is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. In her writing debut Lunsford details a year long account of her role as female officer in the male prison system and her dangerous decline into alcoholism. A gritty depiction, Sweet Hell on Fire leaves little to the imagination chronicling how her violent exchanges with inmates seem to seep into her daily life and behavior.
Sweet Hell on Fire
A Memoir of the Prison I Worked In and the Prison I Lived In
By Sara Lunsford
Sourcebooks
November 2012
Sara Lunsford notes in the foreword that when she originally scripted her memoir it spoke only of her life on the job, leaving out personal details that would inevitably reveal any mistakes or shortcomings. As a reader I am so thankful that she decided to re-evaluate this decision. By disclosing her imperfections she was able to make it not only a collection of frightening battles of bravado between herself and the inmates, but instead a profound, hear wrenching account of her personal evolution. I do feel, however, that there are certainly times where Lunsford’s writing style should have been a bit more descriptive, focusing less on profanities and more on prose.
Overall, for a first time reviewer I am certainly satisfied with my decision to read such a compelling story written by such an honest author.
Lindsay Green is a Midwest gal spending her twenties in South. While she doesn’t read as often as she should thanks to Netflix, she mostly enjoys memoirs and all types of fiction. Most of her time is spent with friends playing board games or discussing the best, new television series.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Victory Lab by Issenberg
Can it really be that a simple mailer from a PAC to just a few thousand – or even hundred – citizens and they’ll vote? More than that: they’ll vote how you want them to? Apparently it is because it worked in the 2010 elections. How? That’s what this book is about. Kinda.
The Victory Lab
The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns
By Sasha Issenberg
Crown
September 2012
The author starts with the tantalizing stories of election campaign strategies then detours to a history of campaign psychology and the use of quantifiable data and statistics. Going back a hundred years he treats history buffs to a story that most of us have never heard of. While interesting, the reader who was hooked by the intriguing campaign letter at the start of the book (read: me) is soon bogging down in a landslide of facts and figures.
Later in the book, if you can get there, you’ll find how campaigns use social and analytical sciences to help drive voters – the right voters – to the polls for your candidate. The behind the scenes stuff that was hinted at in the opening pages and also the title (“secret science”) never really materializes.
Some have likened the techniques chronicled in this book with Moneyball. The problem with Moneyball is that it didn’t work. We have the impression it worked because of the movie with Brad Pitt and the success of one team over a single season. Stats and data point innovations like the ones used by the General Manager for the Atheletics don’t work long term. Where are the Atheletics now? The problem? As soon as a new technique is utilized to success everyone else uses it thereby nullifying the technique and advantage. So a lesson learned should be that we need constant innovation to find that next key data point/ idea that can give us the edge. And in today’s world is this really a secret?
Bottom line: this is a text book of the history of social sciences, analytical data / quantitative methods, and psychology as applied to campaigns. While this is fascinating stuff if you are interested in a history lesson, it really doesn’t fulfill the subtitle’s promise. This isn’t for the casual reader. It doesn’t have secrets or a ton of behind the scenes stories that we would have liked. Go into the book with this understanding and you’re good.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Date Your Wife by Buzzard
Another book on how men are constantly inept and can’t figure out how to meet the needs of women? Not interested? I don’t blame you. As a man, I’ve kinda had enough. Woman are hard enough to understand without a bunch of books blaming us. Fortunately, this is not that type of book.
Date Your Wife
by Justin Buzzard
Crossway
June 2012
It is also not a book with a bunch of ideas but no context. It isn’t about spending money to make her happy either. This is about how to view marriage through the same lense God views you in relationship: through grace. Since men are supposed to sacrifice for their wife like Jesus sacrificed for his Church this is exactly right.
The author takes us through our misconceptions about marriage and marriage roles and where we get it wrong but never plays the blame game. He then moves directly to how to get it right and gives positive insight into making changes and decisions to build a relationship based on grace and the Gospel instead of a works-righteousness type relationship so many other books focus on. (And that type we always fail.)
This is a great little book. (Little is the right term: it is smaller than paperback and only a little over a hundred pages, so this is almost gift book sized. Or pocket sized for us men who are reading it without wanting our spouses or others to know we are.) I recommend it to men who are interested in a good relationship, not a good brow beating.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Goose by Siragusa and Yeager
Tony Siragusa, “Goose,” is all over the place since retirement. He’s got Man Cave on TV, is on the sidelines for Fox for football games, and now he’s getting in to books. The question is whether we want this much of the guy. The answer is likely, “yes!”
Goose
The Outrageous Life & Times of a Football Guy
by Tony Siragusa and Don Yeager
Crown Archetype
September 2012
Goose goes through the obligatory upbringing stories and how he overcame challenges to get to the NFL from college. But what you and I want to know has everything to do with the behind the scenes stuff in the NFL. We want to know what really goes on. And frankly, we get it. To the point where I wondered if the author understood the bridges he was burning in sharing this info.
For fans who want the dirt, you’ll get info on how players would pass urine testing in the NFL with clean urine and a catheder, and you’ll get what really goes on under the pile fighting for a fumble. You’ll also get a ton of Siragusa’s wit, charm and (unfortunately) his pride and arrogance.
In fact, it is in these “I’m so awesome I can walk in to the workout room and pick up 400 lbs just to show I can” stories that the book really bogs down. This author is hilarious and doesn’t need to tell us how great he is, and when he spends time doing it I can’t help wonder if he is simply bragging because that’s the kind of person he is or if he is trying to “build his brand.” He also had a full chapter on cheating and seemed to relish in how he took advantage of the refs and other players by pushing the boundaries as much as possible to win. It seemed like the same rational was used by those who used steroids (which he never did): Everyone else is doing it so to compete I gotta do it. I’m not sure why he put so much into these parts of the book. Whatever the reason, I skipped over these after a while and got to the more funny parts.
Like what? I laughed out loud when he told the first story of when he lined up and messed with the offense by yelling out “Hut!” How he played pranks on people. Basically, the parts that showed that this man’s true brand is the funny, John Madden-light (if you can say that about him) guy on the sidelines. Not the cheating, self agrandizing guy he wrote about in the book.
With all the faults, I have to say that I was surpised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. I intended to pick it up for a few minutes and ended up reading it in one sitting. It was insightful, well written and very funny at times. NFL fans will want to grab this one.
Note: This book has a ton of cuss words in it ranging from basic all the way to F-bombs. It also has some derogatory terms that I won’t repeat. If this is something you are sensitive about you may want to avoid it.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he turns real life into stupid cartoons, writes on Christianity, Zombies, and whatever else he wants and posts Bible studies from his classes at church.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Named by God by Van Norman
Named by God truly is an inspiring story. Kasey Van Norman shares her personal experiences as she attempts to strengthen our faith. Many young women face the same issues she faced and therefore many readers can relate to this story.
Named by God
By Kasey Van Norman
Tyndale house
April 2012
Kasey experiences many tough situations in her teenage years. She went through eating disorders, addiction to sex, date rape and others. Then as an adult, suffered a painful miscarriage, was rejected by friends, her church and the community. She also was diagnosed with cancer and she took it hard when her mother past away from cancer.
Since Kasey has endured more than I did and she came out strong, I would consider her an idol. She trusted her faith in God took it step by step and always found her way back. It is tough to not worry about what people think of you and to accept yourself for who you are. Kasey tells how she took that step and shows it is possible. There are so many situations I could relate to, could go on forever.
I would give Named by God two thumbs up! This story is a must read for young women, especially those who are high school age. I definitely recommend it to all women. Sometimes situations aren’t as bad as they seem or the blessing are hidden in the grayness but see things from a new pair of eyes and things usually are better.
Thank you Kasey for having the courage to share your background. Your story has helped me!
Brittney Dodson is a stay at home mom who also works from home. She find reading free her from reality and the worries it brings.
This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.
Cleaning House by Wills Wyma
Remember back when we had to walk to school, uphill both ways, with no shoes, in the snow and everyone said “Ma’am” and “Sir”, and not a single instance of back talking ever? I do. It was in my grandparent’s dreams.
Cleaning House
A Mom’s Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement
By Kay Wills Wyma
WaterBrook Press
May 2012
All jokes aside, there is an issue with kids “these days” (Ugh! I’m not old enough to say that!) It’s called entitlement.
Maybe our parents, (I’m Gen X,) wanted to do for us better and more than their parents did for them and now we want to do more for our children than was done for us. It comes from love but even though our intentions are good and our efforts are made out of love we have somehow gotten off point. Our kids aren’t just more loved, but more sheltered; not just more cared for, but more spoiled.
Wyma’s moment of clarity came when her teen son wondered aloud whether or not he would have a Porsche or a BMW for his first car when he turned 16. Where would he get this car? From Mom and Dad of course. With no effort on his part, unless you count living 16 years. So Wyma decided to do something about this unrealistic sense of entitlement: she would put her children to work.
This isn’t a book about how we can utilize our children to get more chores done. This is a book about preparing her children for the real world, teaching them responsibility and self confidence based on reality: you are awesome because you do awesome things, not because “Mommy loves you!”
Wyma takes readers through 12 months of her life as she moved from basic skills like cleaning their room and picking up their clothes to ever more complicated tasks through getting a job. Her monthly goals were achievable, malleable enough to fit the age of each of her children (4-14) and just hard enough to inspire a true sense of accomplishment when the child completed the task.
The end result? Confidence based on real achievements, self respect and respect for others, creativity unleashed, and a family bonded tighter than ever. This book was so inspiring that I’ve chosen to adapt several of the steps to my own system of reward/punishment at my home (which was similar to some of the systems shown in the book, where there are stars given for completed tasks and stars removed for incomplete tasks, then a tally is done at the end of the month which determines cash payout.)
The only down side to listening to the book, available at ChristianAudio.com, is that I found that I really wanted to make notes and refer back to them. This is a book about planning and doing, which may not fit well with the audio book format. If you aren’t a big reader, or you listen to books in the car then this one is well read and a good choice. But all things even, the paperback is the way to go in my opinion.
A great idea book, written in an engaging way, this book is highly recommended.
Scott Asher is the Editor-in-Chief of BookGateway.com. His personal blog is AshertopiA – a land flowing with milk and honey… and a lot of sticky people where he cartoons and writes on Christianity, Zombies, and anything else he wants to.
This audio book was provided by the publisher, ChristianAudio.com, as a review copy.
