Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement Programs, Second Edition (Improving Human Performance) (Improving Human Performance)

Book Description

The second edition of this bestselling book, 'Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement Programs,' guides you through a proven, results-based approach to calculating the Return on Investment in training and performance improvement programs.

Jack Phillips has composed user-friendly ROI calculations, plus:
*ten post-program data collection methods
*ten strategies for determining the amount of improvement that is directly linked to training programs
*ten techniques for converting both hard and soft data to monetary values

'Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement Programs, Second Edition' continues as a primary reference for learning how to utilize ROI to show the contribution of training, education, learning systems, performance improvement, and change initiatives throughout organizations.

The book also details implementation issues, provides worksheets, and pinpoints non-monetary program benefits. A case study takes the reader through the ROI process step-by-step.

* Applies the well-known ROI method to training programs
* Provides you with the tools to identify the key indicators for measurement and how to measure them effectively
* Summarizes in simple language everything practitioners need to do to sell, defend, or expand training initiatives to senior management

Customer Reviews:

This book is a GREAT return on your investment.......2000-06-19

Dr. Phillips has simplified a very complex concept. His step-by-step recommendations to conducting ROI studies are clear and concise. However, caveat emptor! He simplifies ROI so well that it seems relatively easy; but beware: there are great hurdles to leap when conducting ROI studies. While Phillips does cover some of the most serious obstacles one may face, such as getting management buy-in, isolating training effects, and handling soft data, conducting a ROI study is by no means a cake walk. For instance, ROI is more than a fifth level of evaluation after Kirkpatrick's four. It should be conducted at all levels of evaluation, which Phillips does suggest. Furthermore, ROI, or any evaluation effort for that matter, should not be viewed as merely a summative attempt; it should be conducted in an ongoing formative manner. Every project should have an evaluation component that parallels each task through the lifecycle of the project.

Additionally, in my opinion, Dr. Phillips' conservative approach to ROI is the greatest selling point. He accounts for error in all his measurements. For instance, when collecting self-report data, he has the respondent allocate a confidence weighting to their estimates. This confidence value weights the response while taking into account error. Furthermore, when calculating values for hard data or converting soft data (i.e., work habits and attitudes) to monetary benefits, he offers formulas that result in a range and suggests that the lowest, most conservative value is reported. Converting soft data to monetary benefits can be painstaking, but Phillips very eloquently addresses the conversion. By obtaining estimates from stakeholders (with a confidence weighting, of course), soft data can contribute to the overall calculation of return on investment. Therefore, your final conservative monetary return is not only based on hard data, but it is based on the less tangible elements of your organization as well.

If Phillips' approach to calculating ROI is too quantitative or laborious for your organization, you should consider calculating the return on expectations. Return on expectations can be assessed via a concept mapping (a multidimensional scaling approach) technique derived by Dr. Bill Trochium at Cornell University. Visit www.conceptsystems.com to review his technique. With Dr. Trochium's visual approach, you have stakeholders (i.e., stockholders, executive management, clients, employees, etc.) set expectations for your organization and then assess the alignment between set expectations and the actual performance of end groups. The result is a graphic pattern match that is easily interpreted and empowers decision-makers at all levels. Concept mapping has some of the same problems inherent in ROI, such as obtaining management buy-in. However, it is much easier to conduct than an ROI study, is based on a sound measurement techniques, and produces graphical results that, when considered collectively, illustrate the expected bang for your organization's buck

A good RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT!.......2000-06-13

If Phillips' approach to calculating ROI is too quantitative or laborious for your organization, you should consider calculating the return on expectations. Return on expectations can be assessed via a concept mapping (a multidimensional scaling approach) technique derived by Dr. Bill Trochium at Cornell University. ... With Dr. Trochium's visual approach, you have stakeholders (i.e., stockholders, executive management, clients, employees, etc.) set expectations for your organization and then assess the alignment between set expectations and the actual performance of end groups. The result is a graphic pattern match that is easily interpreted and empowers decision-makers at all levels. Concept mapping has some of the same problems inherent in ROI, such as obtaining management buy-in. However, it is much easier to conduct than an ROI study, is based on a sound measurement techniques, and produces graphical results that, when considered collectively, illustrate the expected bang for your organization's buck

A very useful guide to first timers in the area of ROI.......1998-10-20

The formula Phillips uses is a good one and he illustrates his model with many practical examples. There is a particularly good chapter on isolating the effects of training and this answers many of the objections raised to this sort of model where dollar amounts are calculated. The problem with the model is that it is mainly retrospective which means that you are closing the stable door after the horse has bolted in some cases. Having said that, it does deal with topics such as the collection of post program data in a thorough and clear way. If you are interested in intangible benefits of training then there is a chapter which deals with this topic. I would recommend that you also read the ASTD publication which Jack Phillips edited called 'Measuring Return On Investment'. Here there are 17 case studies which demonstrate how you can do ROI studies in the real world. Both these books are vital for anybody interested in the whole area of ROI on investment.

Return On Investment in training and performance improvement programs (A step-by-step manual for calculating the financial return)

Average customer rating:

Return On Investment in training and performance improvement programs (A step-by-step manual for calculating the financial return)
Jack J. Phillips
Manufacturer: PROPress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VGTHFW

Book Description

Leading Coherently draws insight from 36 exemplary leaders to describe a natural and potent relationship between leadership formation, performance, and sustainability. Through sharing their leadership stories, leaders from across the globe reveal prominent themes about how leaders are formed to the role of influencing others toward the achievement of goals. Leaders also reveal how leaders perform such influence on others, and how leaders sustain themselves and their leadership influence over time and adversity.

Key Features:

References leadership wisdom born of rich experience from a very diverse group of credible and respected leaders
Describes elements of leadership formation, performance and sustainability that cut across gender, culture, and context
Observes a dynamic relationship between leadership values, character, behavior, and dispositions
Presents a model for assessing, and advancing coherent leadership
Presents practical examples of how real-world leaders advance the coherency of their leadership practice

This would be an ideal text for students in leadership programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. Aspiring and practicing leaders across all fields who are interested in understanding powerful influences within their formation, improving their performance, and sustaining themselves and their purpose will also find this book extremely helpful.

Book Description

This is the first book on Amazonian ecology and resource use and development from the perspective of researchers, scholars, and resource managers who have lived and worked in Brazil for a long time. It contains 13 chapters on the chief issues shaping the ecology and development of Amazonia: climate and hydrology, urbanization processes, biological and ecological diversity, forests and agroforestry, rehabilitation of degraded land and water areas, extractive reserves and extractivism, fisheries and aquaculture, mining, agriculture, resource management, and development planning.

Book Description

How do creative people think? Do great works of the imagination originate in words or in images? Is there a rational explanation for the sudden appearance of geniuses like Mozart or Einstein? Such questions have fascinated people for centuries; only in recent years, however, has cognitive psychology been able to provide some clues to the mysterious process of creativity. In this revised edition of Notebooks of the Mind, Vera John-Steiner combines imaginative insight with scientific precision to produce a startling account of the human mind working at its highest potential. To approach her subject John-Steiner goes directly to the source, assembling the thoughts of "experienced thinkers"--artists, philosophers, writers, and scientists able to reflect on their own imaginative patterns. More than fifty interviews (with figures ranging from Jessica Mitford to Aaron Copland), along with excerpts from the diaries, letters, and autobiographies of such gifted giants as Leo Tolstoy, Marie Curie, and Diego Rivera, among others, provide illuminating insights into creative activity. We read, for example, of Darwin's preoccupation with the image of nature as a branched tree while working on his concept of evolution. Mozart testifies to the vital influence on his mature art of the wondrous "bag of memories" he retained from childhood. Anais Nin describes her sense of words as oppressive, explaining how imagistic free association freed her as a writer. Adding these personal accounts to laboratory studies of thought process, John-Steiner takes a refreshingly holistic approach to the question of creativity. What emerges is an intriguing demonstration of how specific sociocultural circumstances interact with certain personality traits to encourage the creative mind. Among the topics examined here are the importance of childhood mentor figures; the lengthy apprenticeship of the talented person; and the development of self- expression through highly individualistic languages, whether in images, movement or inner speech. Now, with a new introduction, this award-winning book provides an uniquely broad-based study of the origins, development and fruits of human inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for people interested in creativity and thinking.......2000-05-31

"What is thinking?" That is the question with which author Vera John-Steiner opens this definitely thought-provoking book. It is a tall order to fill, but she does so both with insight and eloquence by studying experienced, productive thinkers. I have read this book twice because it is so full of gems I could not seem to collect them all in one visit. One of the biggest strengths of the book is that it provides the depth needed by academic researchers as well as the accessibility of language and explanation most non-academic readers prefer. She examines how thinking develops, the emotional and intellectual intensity of creative work, the tools creative thinkers use, and the similarities and differences among "languages of the mind" such as words, images, music and models. She bases her ideas on the reflective sources of thinkers themselves more than 100 interviews, plus letters, journals, works in progress, biographies and autobiographies sources which have been neglected by behavior scientists in the past but have proved invaluable for illuminating the succinct, telegrammatic thought processes or "inner shorthands into artistically and intellectually convincing achievements." By using in-depth analyses of these self-reports and "working papers" of great minds in the arts and sciences, John-Steiner shows that creativity (1) requires sustained effort (it is not an instantaneous "aha" as it is sometimes portrayed) and (2) is not a product of "lone genius" but of social scaffolding, interaction and apprenticeship. Creativity, like this book, is a journey of wonder, exploration, evaluation and novel ideas that is well worth taking.

NOTEBOOKS OF THE MIND:Explorations of Thinking

Average customer rating:

NOTEBOOKS OF THE MIND:Explorations of Thinking
Vera John-Steiner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKISIC

Average customer rating:

Notebooks of the Mind: Explorations of Thinking
Vera John-Steiner
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF508I

Average customer rating:

Notebooks of the Mind: Explorations of Thinking
Vera John-Steiner
Manufacturer: Oxford Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LNNATY

Book Description

Optical Microscopy: Emerging Methods and Applications covers recent technical advances and new approaches to monitoring and altering cell physiology, examining membrane cytoarchitecture, observing multiple cellular activities and intact organ physiology, plus confocal imaging of live cell function, lifetime imaging, and automated clinical imaging cytometry. The book provides the reader with a synopsis of the most recent technical developments in optical microscopy as applied to scientific research. Each chapter introduces new methods by describing how these overcome limitations inherent in previous techniques. Software, hardware, and other equipment concerns are covered. Additionally, the book reviews current applications in order to stimulate future developments in optical microscopy, encouraging novel uses and new technical advances

Key Features
Includes comprehensive descriptions of
* Caged compounds, fluorescence ratio imaging, and CCD video cameras
* Simultaneous multiple detection and real-time fluorescence microscopy
* Simultaneous DIC and quantitative LLF video imaging
* Total internal reflectance, time-resolved, and automated fluorescence microscopy
* Laser-scanning confocal microscopy
* Imaging for calcium measurements, membranes, glycoproteins, living cells, and cancer cells

Average customer rating:

Maybe the best handicapping book ever

Must have!!!!!!

Possibly the best book ever on the subject

how to pick the favorite

Increase your handicapping I.Q.:

The Handicapper's Condition Book, Revised: An Advanced Treatment of Thoroughbred Class
James Quinn
Manufacturer: DRF Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Track Betting | Gambling | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Racing | Horses | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Best of Thoroughbred Handicapping: Leading Ideas & Methods

Modern Pace Handicapping, Revised

Speed to Spare: Beyer Speed Figures Uncovered (Elements of Handicapping)

Betting Thoroughbreds: A Professional's Guide for the Horseplayer: Second Revised Edition

Handicapping 101: Finding the Right Horses and Making the Right Bets

ASIN: 0964849348

Book Description

This essential handicapping book shows readers how to deal effectively with the elusive class factor for all horses racing at every racetrack.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe the best handicapping book ever.......2007-05-07

I've read several books on handicapping and wagering on racing. Some have been very good and very helpful.
None were as helpful as this.
As a casual handicapper, you learn to look at speed figures and try to guess who's fastest. But the fastest horse doesn't always win. Class and form are sometimes overlooked.
This book taught me to look at who belongs and who doesn't. And who was meant to win this particular race.
After you read this book, you won't miss as much regarding class and form. This will likely lead you to more live horses at longer odds. Especially when so many others use speed as their primary criteria and create short prices for the horses with the highest Beyers.
And the appendicies are a tremendous tool for day-to-day handicapping. A must-read for any serious handicapper.

Must have!!!!!!.......2007-02-25

This book is awesome, and simply the best as it pertains to condition, class, and form. A must have, will simply improve your handicapping skills by leaps and bounds.

As you can see from the others reviews; all positve, all five stars plus!!!

Possibly the best book ever on the subject.......2006-03-06

Quinn takes class evaluation of thoroughbreds to a new level and backs it all up with statistical data to prove which horses are best suited for each race and it's conditions. Quinn explains in exceptional detail how to seperate contenders from pretenders. I don't think you want to throw a true beginner into this, but novices can substantially improve their understanding and win percentages by mining this volume for ideas of what to look for. The Appendix summarizing what kind of horse to look for in each type of race is worth it's weight in gold and is something almost anyone with even limited experience can apply to their handicapping. I can honestly say that I believe my handicapping is going to a new level as I read and re-read this book to absorb the material.

how to pick the favorite.......2005-05-31

pretty comprehensive
one of the classics and will teach you all the pertinet aspects of handicapping
i have referred to my copy again and again over the years and this book will never go out of date as it deals with the fundamentals of handicapping
breaks down the races into specific catagories and in each catagory specifies the attritbutes that the top contenders should have.
probably one of the most intelligent books i have read on handicapping horses and i have read plenty over the past 25 years

Increase your handicapping I.Q.: .......2005-05-15

james Quinn has written the Bible of race conditions. Quinn de-mystifies race conditions and melds conditions into class considerations. He has a separate section for each condtion: Maiden Special Weights, Maiden Claimers, Alw NW1X, NW2X, etc, claiming races -- Stakes etc. Quinn devotes an entire section on 3-year old races. After reading and absorbing this book, the handicapper is able to "throw out" non-contenders at nearly a glance -- leaving only the horses that can win today. Quinn has made me a knowledgable handicapper who knows exactly why the horse I am betting on today should win.
I refer to Quinn's Condition Book often -- I recommend it to all handicappers who want to improve their win percentage, make more money, and of course, have more fun 10 stars for this one.

Average customer rating:

The Handicapper's Condition Book -
James Quinn -
Manufacturer: BGC Press -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O0ADHQ

The Handicapper's Condition Book: An Advanced Tretment of Thoroughbred Class

Average customer rating:

good basic intro to handicapping

The Handicapper's Condition Book: An Advanced Tretment of Thoroughbred Class
James Quinn
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

good basic intro to handicapping.......2005-06-27

don't know why no one has not written on this book
a classic and one of the better books on handicapping
structure is to classify and then list positives and negatives for each class of race category
intelligent treatment of handicapping

Book Description

Contemporary Latin American Literature reflects the wealth of great writers of Latin America over the last hundred years, including Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Noble Prize winners Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Gabriel Garcia Márquez. The selections--almost 100 works in their original form--include English definitions for difficult Spanish words.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful anthology.......2007-07-12

Buy two copies, give one to your best Spanish-speaking friend, and keep the other to give to your grandchildren after you've worn it out.

Great Review for Proficient Non-Native Speakers.......2007-01-13

I've spoken Spanish since the age of 13 (I'm 60 now) and have been married to a native speaker of Spanish (Puerto Rico) for almost 30 years. Although I don't live in an Hispanic country, my exposure to Spanish is almost on a daily basis, mostly by virtue of household conversations and satellite television programs. What I've always found useful to keep my language active at a professionally competent level are well-chosen anthologies of literary excerpts by established authors in their original format. This anthology delivers exactly that. Ms. Varona-Lacey has done a fine job of selecting from across a wide spectrum of genres to not only introduce popular authors to an interested audience, but also to ensure that the level of difficulty is just right to provide that linguistic challenge to those who want to raise their non-native fluency in the language to higher levels of expertise. Technical and seldom-encountered words are glossed and explained below the page of text, as well as brief explanations of historical personages/events to facilitate comprehension. Her selection of authors is quite inclusive and I cannot think of anyone to add to her list of contributors, although no doubt other reviewers can probably come up with a name or two. I hold a PhD in Foreign Language Education and am a former university professor of both Arabic and Spanish. I would have loved to have used this selection in my third or fourth year Spanish classes had it been available when I was still teaching.

a great resource for advanced Spanish learners.......2005-03-08

This book contains short stories, poems, and excerpts from a variety of well-known latin american authors such as Octavio Paz, Isabel Allende, Carlos Fuentes, and Pablo Neruda. Each selection includes an introduction of the author, pre-reading notes, footnotes of difficult words with English translation, and post-reading questions.

Book Description

Picking up where the bestselling and controversial "The Christ Conspiracy" leaves off, "Suns of God" leads the reader through an electrifying exploration of the origin and meaning of the world's religions and popular gods. Over the past several centuries, the Big Three spiritual leaders have been the Lords Christ, Krishna and Buddha, whose stories and teachings are curiously and confoundingly similar to each other. The tale of a miraculously born redeemer who overcomes heroic challenges, teaches ethics and morality, performs marvels and wonders, acquires disciples and is famed far and wide, to be persecuted, killed and reborn, is not unique but a global phenomenon recurring in a wide variety of cultures long before the Christian era.

These numerous godmen were not similar "historical" personages who "walked the earth" but anthropomorphizations of the central focus of the famous "mysteries." A major element of the cryptic, international brotherhood, these mysteries extend back thousands of years and are found worldwide, reflecting an ancient tradition steeped in awe and intrigue. The reasons for this religious development, which has inspired the creation of entire cultures, are unveiled in this in-depth analysis containing fascinating and original research based on evidence both modern and ancient, captivating information kept secret and hidden for ages.

"Suns of God" is possibly the most complete review of the history of religion from its inception ever composed in a single volume.

Customer Reviews:

astounding scholorship.......2007-09-20

Not a book for the easily offended(christians,jews...etc). Very enlightening and VERY well documented view of the history of our "saviours". I recommend it highly to those few critical thinkers left out there.

A siminal and salient work in the study of religious mythology........2007-04-06

Acharya is simply outstanding. This should be required reading for all Christians provided they use their rational mind to objectively evaluate the evidence. Those with the blinders of faith firmly in place should buy and study this book. Since religion can be equated with mental delusion, a person owes themselves the dignity to question the embraced myth. This book will show you the questions to ask and point the way to find the answers. The many scholars of the past who proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the big three Sun Gods are mythological constructions are amply sampled. The quote heavy format and simplified bibliography make SoG a useful tool for those seeking to understand the development of religious legend. This book should be very helpful. Its a strong buy.

Disturbing until Deprogrammed -- Scholarship that Lifts the Veils.......2007-03-27

Acharya has researched a variety of sources to pull together truths that lift the comfortable veil shadowing most of humanity today. At first for people embedded in one of the main world religions, as it was for me, this can be a disturbing read. If one keeps an open mind and is willing to independently see truth, Acharya's books are important towards deprogramming people. The importance of deprogramming oneself is to develop critical thinking skills vital to independent individual thought instead of mass movement or mass thought which overwhelms and substitutes independent observation. Note that: 1984 is only possible when groups organize at the expense of the individual.

We see clearly all around us how the impetus for many wars and manipulations are abusing the good intentions of people who have believed en mass without question the "sacred" books. As one withdraws support from mass manipulations, it becomes clearer that mind control actually is used to tie humanity to needless suffering -- both self-imposed and externally inflicted.

I actually was afraid to write a review for a period since the mind control programming was so strong. People today are still entrained to shun those who are not of their particular belief systems.

If one is willing to leave the shores and explore, a wise life choice, Acharya's books are a good place to begin. It feels like a medicine that tastes bad almost bad enough to kill you, but it is effective. The scholarship is extensive and this book is a bargain. If read with an open mind, this book can be life changing, if you'll let it. If you do, you won't want to go back. You'll find you're beginning to buy your own freedom of choice and can choose life in ways perhaps previously unavailable to you.

At the very least, it's an interesting read. Also consider, the more something is opposed (the more energy that goes into putting something down like these books), the more important it is to understand what's behind the efforts to suppress the information.

Pulls no punches .......2007-02-16

As a former Christian minister, and perhaps more importantly as a former apologist for the faith I would like to comment on this latest book from Acharya S.

First, and what is often hardest for the faithful to accept, is that she is correct in nearly all of her statements concerning the history of organized religions, especially in the west.
Second, and perhaps equally difficult for those who prefer fantasy to reality, is that she is so direct about it. She makes no bones about her belief, or perhaps lack of belief, and although she and I do not agree on every detail- still, Acharya has pretty much outlined, at least for anyone seriously considering a leap off that fence between belief and disbelief, a required text- a primer of common sense if you wish. I have read the reviews and it would seem that you either loved the book- or hated it. There is no way anyone, regardless of how faithful to their religion they might be, can rate this book any less than 4 stars, if for nothing more than the viable research it involved. One major problem that many find with adherents to religion is their black and white- all or nothing approaches to pretty much everything. They are not open to new ideas or new beliefs- they have a vested interest in staying the course. Recently I was asked to be part of a panel formed to investigate the accuracy of some of the Gnostic texts that were voted out of the official Bible. For purposes of historical and social accuracy, many panel members were using the accepted Bible. This I felt was completely wrong headed- as anyone who sees the Bible as the final edict of historical fact is already refusing to accept or acknowledge any other authority, for example the writers Tacitus and Philo of Alexandria. This ties in to the very basis of Acharya's books- the search for and use of other source materials and mythologies that may perhaps better explain the history of western religions. If we remember that the first synod was in Laodicea a part of modern day Greece, where about 363 AD, a group of men came together to decided which books of the dozens of Gospel accounts were to be aloud to be read in churches. Since that time, there have been almost a dozen similar organizations, headed by Bishops, Popes, and Emperors, that have managed to rule out many of the stories about Jesus that conflicted with the idea that some, and certainly not most, of his original followers held of who he was. They have given us the Bible in it's current accepted edition. Had all the original manuscripts been kept, the Bible of today would be an even bigger jumble of contradiction, confusion, and myth. However, having read most of this material, I think it would certainly would have made for a better read.

Finally, as I explained to the committee- the Gospels are not history; they are religious stories and propaganda. They are contradictory, exaggerated, and in many aspects mythical. To many non-Christian historical researchers, those who deal with cold facts, there remains serious doubt that Jesus ever existed as a real person, although I believe he did. Still, it is impossible to prove anything about him apart from he may or may not have been an historical figure and it is more plausible, as Acharya points out in her first book, that Jesus was the result of myth making, a human process that is indeed historically documented.

Finally, let me say to the faithful, I would recommend avoiding this book- it may well become the fly in your ointment of a faith based life. To others, especially those indoctrinated into religion at an early age- perhaps it is time to seek a foundation for your beliefs in a book other than the Bible. Also I especially enjoyed the FOREWORD.

EVEN BETTER THAN HER FIRST BOOK!.......2006-12-12

Pay no attention to the flatliner-fundiots that diss this book without even having read it! These lying snakes-in-the-grass carry on their ideological warfare, "lying for the truth" all over Amazon. They're human dreck sucking filth at the teets of evil!

Now on to Acharya's delightful book! :-D

Starting where her controversial (and bestselling) book The Christ Conspiracy left off, Suns of God guides the reader in an illuminating journey all the way back to the origins of the three greatest World Religions and the Triumvirate of its three deities: Buddha, Krishna, and Christ. Acharya demonstrates that the life stories and teachings of these three Demigods are suspiciously similar. Take for instance the tale of the virgin-born divine Teacher/Savior who overcomes demonic temptations, instructs his followers in sublime morality and ethics, works wonders and miracles, forms a band of followers, and is hailed as a Godsend far and wide. Then this Godman is finally persecuted, put to death, and resurrected. This tale is not unique to Christianity, but occurs many times throughout history, and all over the world, predating by centuries and even millennia the story of Jesus Christ.

The many Demigods or "Godmen" throughout history are not historical figures that just "happen" by coincidence to share the same nature and life story! No, these "Godmen" are all one and the same Mythic being under many names, a Myth that has been central to the so-called "Mystery religions" throughout recorded human history. This dying-and-rising Godman Myth is the focal point of a worldwide fellowship whose Mysteries reach back for many millennia. That is why these Godmen Myths are unbiquitous, and carry such an air of occult mystery. In fact, it is this Godman Myth that is behind the generation of a number of entire cultures! Acharya S explores all this and more as she takes the reader on a fascinating journey to Understanding. She reveals to the reader exactly why this Divine Myth was created, by divulging the secrets of the worldwide effort to illumine humanity through this central Mythical motif that is found all over the world. She also exposes those who wish to derail the purpose of this Myth by changing it's focus to...well, you'll have to read the book to find out!

Suns of God is the best and most comprehensive treatment of the History of Religion that has ever been offered in a single, readable, enjoyable volume. Suns of God is not merely a sequel, but a solid piece of research that stands on its own. I give this book five stars and two thumbs way up!

An excellent five-star companion volume is JEHOVAH UNMASKED which has been endorsed by Acharya S herself! "Rev. Merritt illustrates a powerful personal journey that many people can relate to but may not yet have made themselves. Like our individualized personalities, our conclusions to cosmic conundrums may be different. Nevertheless, JEHOVAH UNMASKED represents another nail in the biblical coffin that contains a mummified and rotten god belonging to the violent barbarians and troglodytes of the Stone Age." -Acharya S.

JEHOVAH UNMASKED is a fascinating look at the real identity of the god Jehovah. Is Jehovah "Almighty God" or just a pretender? Is God a despotic murdering lunatic as the Old Testament depicts, or is that just a pretender god? Did the first Christians believe in God the Mother? What and where is the Kingdom of God? Who told the First Lie in the Garden of Eden, Jehovah or the Serpent? Are you SURE? Who or what was it that gave us the list of New Testament books as we have them now? The answers to these questions will shock, fascinate, inform, and entertain.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books