Derek Jackson

Quick read, and highly repetitive, but it was enough to satiate my curiousity about Swiss Army knives. The history and development of the knife over the past 100 years is interesting, and it finally settled that issue with Wenger and Victorinox that had bothered me. It also described the uses of the all-purpose hook, although I disagree that it has become one of the knives most popular features. ALL of the current knife 'blades' are pictured and described--yes, there are some knives that show more come with an orange peeler (apparently, that is also a common second use of the can opener). Somehow, though, the author forgot to describe the fact that the pliers, besides having wire cutting capabilities, also serve as 'crimpers'. The picture shows a snelled fishing line being made by using a metal sleeve to secure a look holding a hook--who knew? I replaced an electric fixture in our house that had crimped sleeves on the end of the bare wires, and this has inspired me to go buy some of these little metal sleeves so that I can use my CyberTool on the house wiring. The guide also shows that most of the screwdrivers lock into place at right angles, in addition to straight out, a feature that must have crept in during the last 20 years, because not all of my knives have it (it also points out that the Phillips screwdriver was introduced by Victorinox in 1952).

The most fun part of the book was a section on testimonials and stories of people who had significant experiences with Victorinox knives, including the story of a man who saved himself from a burning building. From a collector's point of view, sufficient information is provided to roughly date most knives, or at least through the 80s.

The book is basically a marketing piece from the Victorinox family, but if you have always had a Swiss Army knife or two (or more) with you, then you will probably enjoy reading about this remarkable knife and the firm that produces it. show less

Jackson, who self-published his first novel, Destiny's Cry, returns with the story of an inspirational speaker's mental anguish and its eventual alleviation through God and true love. Golden-voiced Jermaine Hill seems to have it all—fame, riches, beautiful women who can't wait to bed him, an "onyx-black" Escalade—but in fact he's so depressed he can't stop thinking about killing himself. He's still mourning the nine-year-old loss of his two best friends in a car crash, and he can't get show more over the irony that fame can bring isolation and emptiness. Light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of Candace Clark, the gorgeous freelance writer who's arrived in Hollywood to profile Jermaine for a small but promising African-American magazine. show less

A wonderful testimony about the power of Jesus and how God uses imperfect people to manifest his perfect will. The ending of the story was not what I expected. It ended with what was most important and truly inspiring.