I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away Review

Bill Bryson's I'M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF is a collection of newspaper articles he wrote between 1996 and 1998 for a London newspaper. As the subtitle, Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away, indicates, the pieces mostly concern Bryson's readjustments to being in the States after living abroad, in the U.K., for so long. Upon returning to the United States, Bryson, an American, sought with his English wife a "nice place" in which to live. They settled on and in quaint Hanover, NH, home of prestigious Dartmouth College.

The articles, which were published weekly and by and large unfold with a certain sequential coherence, work best when they are focused on Bryson's observations of America as a returnee: everything's familiar, or becomes so again, tinged with the distinct alienation that comes from living abroad: he sees things as if new again. Written for a British readership, the columns appeal to a certain British sense of humor--occasionally you feel as if you're eavesdropping on a joke, but still you laugh. Bryson's trenchant criticism of American follies of government and society almost invariably hit the mark as well. His parodies of the IRS tax form and the computer set-up guide are less successful, perhaps because the models on which they're based are already ridiculous and, more to the point, tedious.

In fact, the more Bryson strays into invention, the less compelling his prose. Far more enjoyable are his seemingly effortless observations, including such slight things as the sound of a porch screen door banging shut in summer. What's more, his commentary on ordinary daily life as well as on the greater American political and social scene is laugh-out-loud hilarious and dead on. This is a quick read and highly enjoyable.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away Feature

• ISBN13: 9780767903820
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away Overview

After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly 3 million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens--as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, twenty-four-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item.

Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended if at times bemused love letter to the homeland he has returned to after twenty years away.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away Specifications

In the world of contemporary travel writing, Bill Bryson, the bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods, often emerges as a major contender for King of Crankiness. Granted, he complains well and humorously, but between every line of his travel books you can almost hear the tinny echo: "I wanna go home, I miss my wife."

Happily, I'm a Stranger Here Myself unleashes a new Bryson, more contemplative and less likely to toss daggers. After two decades in England, he's relocated to Hanover, New Hampshire. In this collection (drawn from dispatches for London's Night & Day magazine), he's writing from home, in close proximity to wife and family. We find a happy marriage between humor and reflection as he assesses life both in New England and in the contemporary United States. With the telescopic perspective of one who's stepped out of the American mainstream and come back after 20 years, Bryson aptly holds the mirror up to U.S. culture, capturing its absurdities--such as hotlines for dental floss, the cult of the lawsuit, and strange American injuries such as those sustained from pillows and beds. "In the time it takes you to read this," he writes, "four of my fellow citizens will somehow manage to be wounded by their bedding."

The book also reflects the sweet side of small-town USA, with columns about post-office parties, dining at diners, and Thanksgiving--when the only goal is to "get your stomach into the approximate shape of a beach ball" and be grateful. And grateful we are that the previously peripatetic Bryson has returned to the U.S., turning his eye to this land--while living at home and near his wife. Under her benevolent influence, he entertains through thoughtful insights, not sarcastic stabs. --Melissa Rossi

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 01, 2010 01:39:06

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time Review

This book is about the American Greg Mortenson,(SPOILER ALERT!) who grew up with is dad on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (1958 to 1973).His father made the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center a teaching hospital. In July 1992, Greg Mortenson's sister Christa, died from a massive seizure with epilepsy on the night to a baseball movie, Field of Dreams in Dysersville, Iowa. To honor his sister in 1993, Mortenson climbed K2, the world's second highest mountain in the Karakoram area. Lost mortenson found himself in a village called Korphe he saw the kids writing outside in the cold with dirt and sticks and promised the chief Haji Ali he would build a school for him.

I liked the book because of how one man can change the world with no money and only his two hands. also because in Pakistan the first cup of tea you are a stranger the second a friend and the third you are family and I know Greg Mortenson is Definitely more than family. a few months ago I had the chance to meet Mr.Mortenson and he has such a bright spirit and he is so down to earth and truly is amazing. I think the message that this book is trying to get out is even though you are only one person you can change the world. Please go get this book and see how you can make this world a better and more educated place.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time Feature

• ISBN13: 9780143038252
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time Overview

The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard

Anyone who despairs of the individual’s power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth. As it chronicles Mortenson’s quest, which has brought him into conflict with both enraged Islamists and uncomprehending Americans, Three Cups of Tea combines adventure with a celebration of the humanitarian spirit.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 31, 2010 16:23:04

Loss and Gain: The Story of a Convert (Dodo Press)

Loss and Gain: The Story of a Convert (Dodo Press) Review

The quaintly punctuated title of Cardinal Newman's first novel, LOSS AND GAIN; OR, THE STORY OF A CONVERT says much. Nineteenth Century England abounded in conversion novels and Newman's stands head and shoulders above all the rest. That, at least, was the opinion of Harvard history professor Robert Lee Wolff in his monumental 1977 GAINS AND LOSSES: NOVELS OF FAITH AND DOUBT IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND.
...
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) deserves a far wider non-specialist readership than he now enjoys. Once England hung on his every word: whether sermon, philosophy, church history, poetry, apologetics, satire or controversy. He does not lack for professional readers who take up formidable masterpieces such as APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA, THE IDEA OF A UNIVERSITY, ARIANS OF THE FOURTH CENTURY or A GRAMMAR OF ASSENT.
...
LOSS AND GAIN may well be the easiest and best place for non-specialists to begin with myriad-minded John Henry Newman. It is a novel about Oxford and fleshes out Newman's belief that students form their deepest convictions from their discussions with one another and not from teachers. It is also a novel very much like a Platonic dialog that presents and wrestles with various theories of why intelligent young men are either content to stay with their inherited personal faith or are moved to seek another.
...
LOSS AND GAIN covers six years in the life of Charles Reding (pronounced READing) and his interactions with family, teachers, tutors and fellow students of various Oxford University colleges about which of the Christian denominations and trends in England of the 1840s had greatest claim to be taken seriously and to teach the truth. Problems debated are perennial since the Reformation: is there a visible church? Does it have authority to teach definitively? What is faith? What is reason's role in reaching faith? Who needs a Pope?
...
A tutor's systematic lectures on the 39 Articles of the established Church of England, interpreted by the hero as mere 16th Century "articles of peace," a doctrinal hodgepodge of Roman Catholicism, Zwingli, Luther and Calvin, leaves an increasingly troubled Reding shaken in his inherited trust in his clergyman father's simple faith in the Church of England. Some of his Anglo-Catholic friends play at re-establishing Catholic practices without the Roman Catholic beliefs behind them. Others move towards rationalism and Unitarianism. Others yet are caught up in the emotional but action-oriented and society-transforming Evangelicalism of the age.
...
In the end Charles (like Newman after a 12 year struggle) opted to become Roman Catholic, thereby losing his right to take an Oxford degree, and alienating friends and family alike. He gained, he judged, truth and peace.
...
The debates of Oxford in the 1840s go on today in America and elsewhere. Recently converted himself to the Church of Rome, Newman pokes fun at the frequent shallowness and selfish career seeking that an Establishment of (the wrong) religion inevitably promotes. He also lovingly enlivens a bygone time at Oxford University where until very recently he had himself been the foremost leader of the Oxford Movement to reform the Church of England in a Catholic but non-Papal direction. Had he persuaded in TRACTS FOR THE TIMES # 90 even one Anglican bishop of the correctness of his Catholic interpretation of the 39 Articles, very likely neither Newman nor hundreds of others would have so suddenly gone over to Rome.
...
The book has color, humor, religious insight and respect for individual consciences. Charles Reding exemplifies Newman's belief that God leads each person of good will at an individual, unforced, respectful pace from his or her inherited religion toward ever closer union with Himself. He who first tastes Newman through reading LOSS AND GAIN will not be disappointed and will reach out for more and more of his works, both verse and prose.

Loss and Gain: The Story of a Convert (Dodo Press) Overview

The Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) was a Roman Catholic priest and Cardinal who converted to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism in 1845. In early life he was a major figure in the Oxford Movement to bring the Church of England back to its Catholic roots. Eventually his studies in history persuaded him to become a Roman Catholic. Both before and after his conversion he wrote a number of influential books, including Via Media, Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Apologia Pro Vita Sua and The Grammar of Assent. Apologia Pro Vita Sua is the classic defence of the religious opinions of John Henry Newman, published in 1864 in response to what he saw as an unwarranted attack on Roman Catholic doctrine by Charles Kingsley. A revised version, with many passages rewritten and some parts omitted was published in 1865.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 31, 2010 12:05:05

The Millionaire Next Door

The Millionaire Next Door Review

An outstanding piece of research well presented and easily digestible. A must read for anyone who is serious about wealth generation.

I concur that there is probably an inverse law that states the more likely an UAW individual is to see themselves in the numerous negative case-studies, that the less likely they are to grasp the books central thesis and thus the less likely to either really benefit from the suggestions and ultimately, the less likely they are to enjoy the text and rate it favourably. Conversely, the more likely a PAW or an AAW aspiring to be a PAW is able to internalize the message the research is trying to convey, to see themselves or their aspirations in the case-studies and thus, the more likely they are to enjoy the book and rate it favourably. I maintain that how an individual digests, process the contents and subsequently rates this book speaks volumes about their consumer and investments habits.

However, having stated the above and genuinely agreed with and enjoyed the thrust of what Doctors Stanley and Danko had to say, I did find myself from time-to-time (especially in the early parts of the book) correcting the biased (and quite unscholarly) presentation of their statistics; examples: p.16., p161., and asking questions which they weren't asking in a desire to prove their central thesis. For example the correlation between the price one pays for one's suits and one's occupation and how that profession in turn has certain inescapable knock-on effects. That is to say some professions 'require' their participants to spend a disproportionate percentage of their incomes not on wasteful consumer items, but on staples that oil the wheel of their industry, e.g. suits, watches and other clothing and accessories. I suggest therefore, that the book devote a separate chapter to correlate this and offer advice as to which professions require a lesser expenditure simply to maintain a credible position and a proportionate level of income. A good number of the respondees appeared to be business owners in quite manual/blue-collar occupations, henceforth asking them how much they paid for a suit is a mute point and totally unworthy of mention. Likewise the story of the unwanted Rolls Royce is another perfect example of how such a gift is totally inappropriate for the realm in which that recipient dwells. Therefore trying to compare, contrast or correlate such expenditure across VERY different professions and very different social stratos is an utterly fruitless pursuit. Whilst the basic premiss might be to show that the UAW spend more on such items, those UAWs were paid professionals and not business owners and both respondents were working within different sectors therefore nullifying any such cross-reference. That I found annoying.

All-in-all however, an excellent book packed with lots of information and lots of chances to evaluate one's own wealth and expenditure. Agree with the contents or not? It doesn't really matter, the ideas proffered are sound and valuable and should be heeded by all.

The Millionaire Next Door Feature

• ISBN13: 9780671015206
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Millionaire Next Door Overview

The incredible national bestseller that is changing people's lives -- and increasing their net worth!

CAN YOU SPOT THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR?

Who are the rich in this country?
What do they do?
Where do they shop?
What do they drive?
How do they invest?
Where did their ancestors come from?
How did they get rich?
Can I ever become one of them?

Get the answers in The Millionaire Next Door, the never-before-told story about wealth in America. You'll be surprised at what you find out....

The Millionaire Next Door Specifications

How can you join the ranks of America's wealthy (defined as people whose net worth is over one million dollars)? It's easy, say doctors Stanley and Danko, who have spent the last 20 years interviewing members of this elite club: you just have to follow seven simple rules. The first rule is, always live well below your means. The last rule is, choose your occupation wisely. You'll have to buy the book to find out the other five. It's only fair. The authors' conclusions are commonsensical. But, as they point out, their prescription often flies in the face of what we think wealthy people should do. There are no pop stars or athletes in this book, but plenty of wall-board manufacturers--particularly ones who take cheap, infrequent vacations! Stanley and Danko mercilessly show how wealth takes sacrifice, discipline, and hard work, qualities that are positively discouraged by our high-consumption society. "You aren't what you drive," admonish the authors. Somewhere, Benjamin Franklin is smiling.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 31, 2010 07:53:07

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up Review

I was in a sorority at USC in the mid 80s and KNEW Heather...and just saw her and Chelsea in their show this summer.
I never knew she was so darn funny ..who knew that this Gamma Phi with So LA CA hair and makeup was hysterical.

Lets just say that Heather is WAY funnier in person and on stage..and Chelsea had to rant and ramble (vodka anyone??) to get some laughs.She even had to comment on my spouse's package while he was standing at the exit waiting for me in the loo. We left early and stood outside as Chelsea really had nothing funny to say. She is MUCH funnier one on one and when she has her cohorts.

Her show suits her better and well let us all recall how AWFUL the MTV music awards were...the critics had a field day. SO WHAT have you had published lately? AND lets see..I could barely get through Chelseas latest boo..snore. So lets give a first time author who is a RIOT and NOT A DRUNK a break...

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up Feature

• ISBN13: 9781439176283
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again: One Woman's Painfully Funny Quest to Give It Up Overview

"Can’t a girl dress like a hooker, dance like a stripper, and kiss like a porn star and still be a nineteen-year-old virgin?"

You’ll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again is the laugh-out-loud story of an attractive Los Angeles woman who found herself in the predicament of being an unwilling virgin. As an actress, writer, and stand-up comedienne, Heather McDonald passed up ample opportunities to have her V-card revoked by handsome, rich, and sometimes even fabulously famous men, but she could not bring herself to do "it" until well after her friends had been deflowered.

As Chelsea Handler so lovingly puts it, "Thank God Heather waited twenty-seven years to lose her virginity or she wouldn't have any material for this book." Whether in a backseat, a community pool, or a sports stadium, with a frat boy, a doctor, or an A-list celebrity, Heather McDonald knew how to turn those boys blue. Unlike "putting out," blue balling might not have paid her rent or landed her free trips to Hawaii, but it did provide her with hilarious stories and adventures in her search for true love—and, ultimately, her very own happy ending. Now, Heather McDonald will never blue ball in this town again.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 30, 2010 22:48:04

The Book of the Dead: Lives of the Justly Famous and the Undeservedly Obscure

The Book of the Dead: Lives of the Justly Famous and the Undeservedly Obscure Review

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson profile over five dozen incredibly diverse historical characters in THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, ranging from Ben Franklin and Genghis Khan to Pieter Stuyvesant and Tallulah Bankhead.

The mini-biographies, which run anywhere from about three to eight pages, are arranged in chapters that tie together a handful of people based upon some commonly-shared aspect of their lives. For example, everyone in Chapter 7, "The Monkey-Keepers" (including Rembrandt, Frida Kahlo, and Madame Mao), had a simian companion at some point in their lives. In Chapter 9, "Once You're Dead, You're Made for Life" we learn about five people (including Karl Marx and Nikola Tesla) whose most significant contributions weren't fully recognized or realized until after their deaths.

As short as they are, none of the biographies could be considered "complete." But they certainly give enough information to give the reader an incentive to seek "further reading," and in fact, the authors have helpfully provided at the end of the book, several pages of references for those who want to dig a little deeper.

When reading a book that I intend to review for Amazon's Vine program, I usually stick little scraps of paper in those pages that contain some tidbit that I don't want to neglect to mention. The only issue with this book is that by the time I was finished reading, I had filled it with a small bag of confetti... there were far more interesting highlights than I could ever write about in a single review.

One of the more startling bookmarks was placed in Alfred Kinsey's bio. We all know that he was a pioneering sex researcher, publishing two incredibly frank books (SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE HUMAN MALE, and SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN THE HUMAN FEMALE) in 1948 and 1953. How Kinsey managed to get so many people --in the 1940s and 50s no less-- to give graphic details about their sexual habits is noteworthy. More stunning still was the revelation about Kinsey's own sexual practices. So as to avoid stepping over the bounds of decency, I'm not going to reveal the details in this review, but suffice it to say, he was doing things with a toothbrush that did not involve the prevention of cavities.

At the other end of the sexually-adventurous spectrum was John Harvey Kellogg, who despite fostering over forty children with his wife (and adopting seven of them), believed that one of the keys to healthy living was to suppress ones sexual urges. According to the book, he "was still a virgin when he died aged almost ninety-two."

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was just six years old when she contracted polio. She lived in pain from this point on in her life. It got worse --twelve years later she was a passenger on a bus that was broadsided by a train. She spent a year in bed recovering from the horrific injuries suffered in the crash --and it was during this time that she became an artist-- her father had rigged an apparatus with a mirror enabling her to see and draw objects in her room while confined to bed, flat on her back.

There are over sixty other equally-intriguing stories told here, many about people that were (at least somewhat) familiar to me, others I had never heard of, but virtually all of them were fascinating.

-Jonathan Sabin

The Book of the Dead: Lives of the Justly Famous and the Undeservedly Obscure Feature

• ISBN13: 9780307716408
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Book of the Dead: Lives of the Justly Famous and the Undeservedly Obscure Overview

The team behind the New York Times bestseller The Book of General Ignorance turns conventional biography on its head—and shakes out the good stuff.
 
Following their Herculean—or is it Sisyphean?—efforts to save the living from ignorance, the two wittiest Johns in the English language turn their attention to the dead.
 
As the authors themselves say, “The first thing that strikes you about the Dead is just how many of them there are.” Helpfully, Lloyd and Mitchinson have employed a simple—but ruthless—criterion for inclusion: the dead person has to be interesting.
 
Here, then, is a dictionary of the dead, an encyclopedia of the embalmed. Ludicrous in scope, whimsical in its arrangement, this wildly entertaining tome presents pithy and provocative biographies of the no-longer-living from the famous to the undeservedly and—until now—permanently obscure. Spades in hand, Lloyd and Mitchinson have dug up everything embarrassing, fascinating, and downright weird about their subjects’ lives and added their own uniquely irreverent observations.
 
Organized by capricious categories—such as dead people who died virgins, who kept pet monkeys, who lost limbs, whose corpses refused to stay put—the dearly departed, from the inventor of the stove to a cross-dressing, bear-baiting female gangster finally receive the epitaphs they truly deserve.
 
Discover:

* Why Freud had a lifelong fear of trains
* The one thing that really made Isaac Newton laugh
* How Catherine the Great really died (no horse was involved)
 
Much like the country doctor who cured smallpox (he’s in here), Lloyd and Mitchinson have the perfect antidote for anyone out there dying of boredom. The Book of the Dead—like life itself—is hilarious, tragic, bizarre, and amazing. You may never pass a graveyard again without chuckling.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 30, 2010 12:46:06

Born to Run

Born to Run Review

In the seedy lobby of an old hotel in the Sierra Madre, an American journalist finds the legendary Caballo Blanco, and it will change his life forever.

No, this isn't a tale of the old west, a spy thriller, or an advertisement for Mexican distilled spirits. It's not fiction, genre or otherwise, though many of the characters are larger-than-life and their exploits are, by any measure, superhuman.

Born to Run is a story about running. Surprise.

Christopher McDougall is a former Associated Press reporter, sometime freelance writer, and past-his-prime athlete who is launched on a remarkable odyssey by a rather mundane problem. He's out of shape and trying to get himself back into condition, but he invariably injures himself just as he's beginning to make progress. After a few less-than-helpful trips to the doctor, he begins to wonder how anybody can run without hurting themselves, and why anybody would want to run if it's the fast track to crippling injury.

These questions lead him into the world of extreme long-distance running, where races of 50 to 100 miles or more across torturous terrain are the norm. He encounters some incredible athletes and unique personalities, discovers a few odd things about human performance in situations where endurance trumps speed, and begins to hear whispers of a tribe of extraordinary running savants in the mountains of Mexico-the Tarahumara, the "Running People." They eat 100-mile runs for breakfast, continue running well into their geriatric years, and are almost supernaturally immune to both injury and illness. Some say they hunt deer by running them to death.

Before long, McDougall is trekking through the Copper Canyons, pondering his motives and chances of survival in a desert maze of sheer, rocky precipices-the lair of historical outlaws Geronimo and Pancho Villa, and the home turf of modern drug runners. In his search for the Tarahumara, he hears rumors of the ghostly Caballo Blanco, the White Horse, a crazy gringo with a connection to the reclusive Running People. It turns out Caballo Blanco is much more than a campfire story, and he becomes the link between the Tarahumara and an assortment of American ultradistance runners who long to know their secrets and test their skills against the legendary tribe.

Along the way from the U.S. to Mexico and from the Rocky Mountains to Death Valley, McDougall learns a lot about the physiology of running, why humans are better adapted for long distance running than any other creature on Earth, what the Tarahumara do right that we do wrong, and the compelling stories of a host of people who run ridiculously long distances under ridiculous conditions for the sheer joy of it. He also discovers a connection between running and community, and why, for the long-distance runner, compassion might be just as important as conditioning.

The story wraps up with a dream-team throwdown race through the Copper Canyons between the Tarahumara and the Americans, and a bittersweet ending that acknowledges the twilight of a culture slowly eroding beneath the advance of civilization and the encroachment of Mexican drug gangs-a world in which the Tarahumara may no longer be fast enough to outrun their enemies.

This was a good read. A colleague tossed this in front of me during a work trip in the middle of the night shift, and I chewed through it in about three hours of nonstop racing, er, reading. It kept me awake and alert at 3 am, and that's no small achievement.

McDougall tells an engaging story with plenty of humor and heart, leavened with enough science and investigative journalism to make this much more than a love letter to mountain trails and the people who run them. If you've got a runner or any other flavor of athlete on your Christmas list, get them a copy of this book. You won't be sorry.

There are a few bits of coarse language sprinkled through the narrative, and these extreme athletes also enjoy extreme partying, giving some passages a sort of college frat vibe. So, I don't recommend this book for kids. They're not the target audience anyhow. Mid 20's and up will probably like it just fine.

There's some advocacy of minimalist running footwear and a variety of vegan-ish performance diet recommendations that are controversial at least and faddish at worst. The scientific court is out on a lot of this stuff, so though a lot of the incidental advice in Born to Run makes sense, I wouldn't use it as a model for any sudden adjustments to your workout patterns, running stride, or daily menu without professional advice. Just sayin'.

Born to Run Overview

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.


From the Hardcover edition.

Born to Run Specifications

Book Description
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Christopher McDougall

Question:Born to Run explores the life and running habits of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, arguably the greatest distance runners in the world. What are some of the secrets you learned from them?

Christopher McDougall: The key secret hit me like a thunderbolt. It was so simple, yet such a jolt. It was this: everything I’d been taught about running was wrong. We treat running in the modern world the same way we treat childbirth—it’s going to hurt, and requires special exercises and equipment, and the best you can hope for is to get it over with quickly with minimal damage.

Then I meet the Tarahumara, and they’re having a blast. They remember what it’s like to love running, and it lets them blaze through the canyons like dolphins rocketing through waves. For them, running isn’t work. It isn’t a punishment for eating. It’s fine art, like it was for our ancestors. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. And when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightning bolts through the bottom and middle—behold, the Running Man.

The Tarahumara have a saying: “Children run before they can walk.” Watch any four-year-old—they do everything at full speed, and it’s all about fun. That’s the most important thing I picked up from my time in the Copper Canyons, the understanding that running can be fast and fun and spontaneous, and when it is, you feel like you can go forever. But all of that begins with your feet. Strange as it sounds, the Tarahumara taught me to change my relationship with the ground. Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I’d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet. The day I mastered it was the last day I was ever injured.

Q: You trained for your first ultramarathon—a race organized by the mysterious gringo expat Caballo Blanco between the Tarahumara and some of America’s top ultrarunners—while researching and writing this book. What was your training like?

CM: It really started as kind of a dare. Just by chance, I’d met an adventure-sports coach from Jackson Hole, Wyoming named Eric Orton. Eric’s specialty is tearing endurance sports down to their basic components and looking for transferable skills. He studies rock climbing to find shoulder techniques for kayakers, and applies Nordic skiing’s smooth propulsion to mountain biking. What he’s looking for are basic engineering principles, because he’s convinced that the next big leap forward in fitness won’t come from strength or technology, but plain, simple durability. With some 70% of all runners getting hurt every year, the athlete who can stay healthy and avoid injury will leave the competition behind.

So naturally, Eric idolized the Tarahumara. Any tribe that has 90-year-old men running across mountaintops obviously has a few training tips up its sleeve. But since Eric had never actually met the Tarahumara, he had to deduce their methods by pure reasoning. His starting point was uncertainty; he assumed that the Tarahumara step into the unknown every time they leave their caves, because they never know how fast they’ll have to sprint after a rabbit or how tricky the climbing will be if they’re caught in a storm. They never even know how long a race will be until they step up to the starting line—the distance is only determined in a last-minute bout of negotiating and could stretch anywhere from 50 miles to 200-plus.

Eric figured shock and awe was the best way for me to build durability and mimic Tarahumara-style running. He’d throw something new at me every day—hopping drills, lunges, mile intervals—and lots and lots of hills. There was no such thing, really, as long, slow distance—he’d have me mix lots of hill repeats and short bursts of speed into every mega-long run.

I didn’t think I could do it without breaking down, and I told Eric that from the start. I basically defied him to turn me into a runner. And by the end of nine months, I was cranking out four hour runs without a problem.

Q: You’re a six-foot four-inches tall, 200-plus pound guy—not anyone’s typical vision of a distance runner, yet you’ve completed ultra marathons and are training for more. Is there a body type for running, as many of us assume, or are all humans built to run?

CM: Yeah, I’m a big’un. But isn’t it sad that’s even a reasonable question? I bought into that bull for a loooong time. Why wouldn’t I? I was constantly being told by people who should know better that “some bodies aren’t designed for running.” One of the best sports medicine physicians in the country told me exactly that—that the reason I was constantly getting hurt is because I was too big to handle the impact shock from my feet hitting the ground. Just recently, I interviewed a nationally-known sports podiatrist who said, “You know, we didn’t ALL evolve to run away from saber-toothed tigers.” Meaning, what? That anyone who isn’t sleek as a Kenyan marathoner should be extinct? It’s such illogical blather—all kinds of body types exist today, so obviously they DID evolve to move quickly on their feet. It’s really awful that so many doctors are reinforcing this learned helplessness, this idea that you have to be some kind of elite being to handle such a basic, universal movement.

Q: If humans are born to run, as you argue, what’s your advice for a runner who is looking to make the leap from shorter road races to marathons, or marathons to ultramarathons? Is running really for everyone?

CM: I think ultrarunning is America’s hope for the future. Honestly. The ultrarunners have got a hold of some powerful wisdom. You can see it at the starting line of any ultra race. I showed up at the Leadville Trail 100 expecting to see a bunch of hollow-eyed Skeletors, and instead it was, “Whoah! Get a load of the hotties!” Ultra runners tend to be amazingly healthy, youthful and—believe it or not—good looking. I couldn’t figure out why, until one runner explained that throughout history, the four basic ingredients for optimal health have been clean air, good food, fresh water and low stress. And that, to a T, describes the daily life of an ultrarunner. They’re out in the woods for hours at a time, breathing pine-scented breezes, eating small bursts of digestible food, downing water by the gallons, and feeling their stress melt away with the miles. But here’s the real key to that kingdom: you have to relax and enjoy the run. No one cares how fast you run 50 miles, so ultrarunners don’t really stress about times. They’re out to enjoy the run and finish strong, not shave a few inconsequential seconds off a personal best. And that’s the best way to transition up to big mileage races: as coach Eric told me, “If it feels like work, you’re working too hard.”

Q: You write that distance running is the great equalizer of age and gender. Can you explain?

CM: Okay, I’ll answer that question with a question: Starting at age nineteen, runners get faster every year until they hit their peak at twenty-seven. After twenty-seven, they start to decline. So if it takes you eight years to reach your peak, how many years does it take for you to regress back to the same speed you were running at nineteen?

Go ahead, guess all you want. No one I’ve asked has ever come close. It’s in the book, so I won’t give it away, but I guarantee when you hear the answer, you’ll say, “No way. THAT old?” Now, factor in this: ultra races are the only sport in the world in which women can go toe-to-toe with men and hand them their heads. Ann Trason and Krissy Moehl often beat every man in the field in some ultraraces, while Emily Baer recently finished in the Top 10 at the Hardrock 100 while stopping to breastfeed her baby at the water stations.

So how’s that possible? According to a new body of research, it’s because humans are the greatest distance runners on earth. We may not be fast, but we’re born with such remarkable natural endurance that humans are fully capable of outrunning horses, cheetahs and antelopes. That’s because we once hunted in packs and on foot; all of us, men and women alike, young and old together.

Q: One of the fascinating parts of Born to Run is your report on how the ultrarunners eat—salad for breakfast, wraps with hummus mid-run, or pizza and beer the night before a run. As a runner with a lot of miles behind him, what are your thoughts on nutrition for running?

CM: Live every day like you’re on the lam. If you’ve got to be ready to pick up and haul butt at a moment’s notice, you’re not going to be loading up on gut-busting meals. I thought I’d have to go on some kind of prison-camp diet to get ready for an ultra, but the best advice I got came from coach Eric, who told me to just worry about the running and the eating would take care of itself. And he was right, sort of. I instinctively began eating smaller, more digestible meals as my miles increased, but then I went behind his back and consulted with the great Dr. Ruth Heidrich, an Ironman triathlete who lives on a vegan diet. She’s the one who gave me the idea of having salad for breakfast, and it’s a fantastic tip. The truth is, many of the greatest endurance athletes of all time lived on fruits and vegetables. You can get away with garbage for a while, but you pay for it in the long haul. In the book, I describe how Jenn Shelton and Billy “Bonehead” Barnett like to chow pizza and Mountain Dew in the middle of 100-mile races, but Jenn is also a vegetarian who most days lives on veggie burgers and grapes.

Q: In this difficult financial time, we’re experiencing yet another surge in the popularity of running. Can you explain this?

CM: When things look worst, we run the most. Three times, America has seen distance-running skyrocket and it’s always in the midst of a national crisis. The first boom came during the Great Depression; the next was in the ‘70s, when we were struggling to recover from a recession, race riots, assassinations, a criminal President and an awful war. And the third boom? One year after the Sept. 11 attacks, trailrunning suddenly became the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country. I think there’s a trigger in the human psyche that activates our first and greatest survival skill whenever we see the shadow of approaching raptors.

(Photo © James Rexroad)

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 30, 2010 08:45:06

Enrique's Journey

Enrique's Journey Review

If you are not sure why theres such a big debate over immigration reform, this book will give you a glimpse at why a family may choose to migrate to the U.S. This book was an easy read, I couldn't put it down. The journey some immigrants take is dangerous, even deadly and yet some people live in such poor conditions, that they risk their own lives in search of jobs in the U.S. I highly recommend this book.

Enrique's Journey Feature

• ISBN13: 9780812971781
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Enrique's Journey Overview

In this astonishing true story, award-winning journalist Sonia Nazario recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States.
When Enrique is five years old, his mother, Lourdes, too poor to feed her children, leaves Honduras to work in the United States. The move allows her to send money back home to Enrique so he can eat better and go to school past the third grade.
Lourdes promises Enrique she will return quickly. But she struggles in America. Years pass. He begs for his mother to come back. Without her, he becomes lonely and troubled. When she calls, Lourdes tells him to be patient. Enrique despairs of ever seeing her again. After eleven years apart, he decides he will go find her.
Enrique sets off alone from Tegucigalpa, with little more than a slip of paper bearing his mother’s North Carolina telephone number. Without money, he will make the dangerous and illegal trek up the length of Mexico the only way he can–clinging to the sides and tops of freight trains.
With gritty determination and a deep longing to be by his mother’s side, Enrique travels through hostile, unknown worlds. Each step of the way through Mexico, he and other migrants, many of them children, are hunted like animals. Gangsters control the tops of the trains. Bandits rob and kill migrants up and down the tracks. Corrupt cops all along the route are out to fleece and deport them. To evade Mexican police and immigration authorities, they must jump onto and off the moving boxcars they call El Tren de la Muerte–The Train of Death. Enrique pushes forward using his wit, courage, and hope–and the kindness of strangers. It is an epic journey, one thousands of immigrant children make each year to find their mothers in the United States.
Based on the Los Angeles Times newspaper series that won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for feature writing and another for feature photography, Enrique’s Journey is the timeless story of families torn apart, the yearning to be together again, and a boy who will risk his life to find the mother he loves.



From the Hardcover edition.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 30, 2010 04:08:05

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol Review

This is a review of the September 2010 paperback edition from ACTA Publications with an introduction by John Shea.
Though few have read the book, most people are familiar with A Christmas Carol, the Charles Dickens classic about Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. Author and Publisher Gregory Augustine Pierce numbers it among his favorites. Thus, when he was visiting a bed and breakfast, he was delighted to find a beautifully rendered edition that was in the public domain. That meant he didn't need permission to reproduce the version he had discovered. He called on friends and favorite artists to work on the book design, illustrations, and cover. Theologian John Shea agreed to write the introduction. The final touch was applied by the publisher's office manager who, Pierce says, "found a red ribbon, put it on A Christmas Carol, and it was complete," a beautiful Christmas gift.

Shea suggests that those approaching the book as a "must-read yawn," will be surprised at the connections to be drawn between Scrooge and ourselves, and the pull to consider our own past, present, and future. He characterizes the unconverted Scrooge as smoldering with anger, rationalizing against helping the needy, and choosing isolation over communion. Scrooge's conversion, Shea explains, is a result of "the unyielding work of grace, the theological atmosphere that envelopes the Christmas season."

The ghosts show Scrooge the opportunities he has missed, the isolation of his current life, and the promise of an un-mourned death. But conversion is still possible for Scrooge and for us, Shea writes, citing the end of A Christmas Carol. In the final paragraph, Dickens reveals that Scrooge had learned how to keep Christmas well and expresses the following hope: "May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!"

A Christmas Carol Overview

"The combined qualities of the realist and the idealist which Dickens possessed to a remarkable degree, together with his naturally jovial attitude toward life in general, seem to have given him a remarkably happy feeling toward Christmas, though the privations and hardships of his boyhood could have allowed him but little real experience with this day of days. "

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 29, 2010 14:00:07

Autobiography of a Yogi (Reprint of Original 1946 Edition)

Autobiography of a Yogi (Reprint of Original 1946 Edition) Review

I read this book last summer, but a more recent edition. This copy is the original 1946 version. At my first read, I didn't realize that this was the case or that there might be a difference in the versions. I am enjoying my second read, especially keeping in mind that this is the original version. It is said to be a classic in religious literature. Throughout my first read I could not suspend my disbelief at some of the stories Yoganada related. This read, I took the advice of a friend and am reading the book as if it were an adventure novel. I am trying to let my rational, scientific self just enjoy Yogananda's story telling, humor and insight.

Autobiography of a Yogi (Reprint of Original 1946 Edition) Overview

Designated One of the 100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th century, here is a verbatim reprinting of the 1946 first edition, with all its inherent power intact.Read about real-life saints and masters, how yogis perform miracles, the science of kriya yoga, and much more.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 29, 2010 06:22:05

Waking Up Blind - Lawsuits Over Eye Surgery

Waking Up Blind - Lawsuits Over Eye Surgery Review

Like several of the reviewers I was unable to put this excellent expose book down. I was forwarned by another ophthalmologist that he turned the pages so fast they almost burst into flames. I read the book in one sitting finishing at 3:00 AM. Reading this is an absolute must for any ophthalmologist, most physicians and any reader that likes the medical genre.

I am a board certified ophthalmologist that trained at Emory's Ophthalmology Department. I left Emory the year before Dwight Cavanaugh (who does not deserve to be called "Doctor") arrived. I applaud the courage and integrity of Dr. Tom Harbin whom I know by reputation as a physician's physician.

This book made me so ashamed of Emory, ashamed of many of the staff physicians that trained me, ashamed of the way that physicians and putative leaders of the field of ophthalmology and Emory University betrayed the trust of their patients and the general public.

I believe it is a travesty of the highest order that Dwight Cavanaugh still has a license to practice medicine, still holds a very high appointment at a medical school department of ophthalmology, and exposed to medical students and residents. In my opinion he should not only have his license taken away from him but he should be in jail for felony "battery" on his unsuspecting and trusting victims.

I am buying 6 of these books and sending them to ophthalmology friends of mine with the admonition to send it to other ophthalmologists after they have read it.

As a further disgusting footnote during this entire mess that Cavanaugh created I was repeatedly ask to donate funds to Emory's Ophthalmology Department to finance all the "wonderful things" that Cavanaugh was doing. This at a time that the development department was fully aware of the many lawsuits and unecessary surgery that Cavanaugh was doing.

For an Emory trained Ophthalmologist this is pure schadenfreude.

Waking Up Blind - Lawsuits Over Eye Surgery Feature

• ISBN13: 9781934938874
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Waking Up Blind - Lawsuits Over Eye Surgery Overview

Imagine trusting a doctor--with the best reputation in the state--to do surgery on your eyes. Now imagine the worst of outcomes. Blindness in an eye that you learn, in fact, never needed surgery. And the medical center where you were treated is ignoring the problem.

Waking Up Blind is the story of how an eye surgeon became the cause of an array of medical problems for his patients. It is also the story of how one of the nation's premier medical centers tried to conceal the growing scandal. The faculty who exposed the problems were punished. Official committees and the university leaders minimized the misconduct. Slowly, lawsuits and publicity brought some to light in bits and pieces.

With the use of court documents, transcripts of tape-recorded conversations, interviews, and personal observation, Dr. Tom Harbin presents this case from the very beginning, uncovering all levels of wrongdoing and secrecy. Waking Up Blind will shock the reader with its candid exploration of the dark side of medicine.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 28, 2010 20:39:04

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc Review

Joan of Arc Overview

Illustrated. Formatted for the Kindle. Linked Contents and Index.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
THE CALL
CHAPTER II.
THE DELIVERY OF ORLEANS
CHAPTER III.
THE CORONATION AT RHEIMS
CHAPTER IV.
THE CAPTURE
CHAPTER V.
IMPRISONMENT AND TRIAL
CHAPTER VI.
MARTYRDOM
CHAPTER VII.
THE REHABILITATION
APPENDIX.
I. JOAN OF ARC IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH HISTORY ARC IN POETRY
FRENCH BIBLIOGRAPHY
ENGLISH BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 28, 2010 14:41:05

Prairie Tale: A Memoir

Prairie Tale: A Memoir Review

As a life-long fan of "Little House on the Prairie", I bought all three biographies as soon as they were published. Melissa Gilbert's was my favorite and answered so many questions I had about the series - and her. I highly recommend it.

Prairie Tale: A Memoir Feature

• ISBN13: 9781416599173
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Prairie Tale: A Memoir Overview

A FASCINATING, HEARTBREAKING, AND ULTIMATELY UPLIFTING TALE OF SELF-DISCOVERY FROM THE BELOVED ACTRESS WHO EARNED A PERMANENT PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF MILLIONS WHEN SHE WAS JUST A CHILD

To fans of the hugely successful television series Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert grew up in a fantasy world with a larger-than-life father, friends and family she could count on, and plenty of animals to play with. Children across the country dreamed of the Ingalls’ idyllic life—and so did Melissa.

With candor and humor, the cherished actress traces her complicated journey from buck-toothed Laura "Halfpint" Ingalls to Hollywood starlet, wife, and mother. She partied with the Brat Pack, dated heartthrobs like Rob Lowe and bad boys like Billy Idol, and began a self-destructive pattern of addiction and codependence. She eventually realized that her career on television had earned her popularity, admiration, and love from everyone but herself.

Through hard work, tenacity, sobriety, and the blessings of a solid marriage, Melissa has accepted her many different identities and learned to laugh, cry, and forgive in new ways. Women everywhere may have idolized her charming life on Little House on the Prairie, but Melissa’s own unexpectedly honest, imperfect, and down-to-earth story is an inspiration.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 28, 2010 06:39:04

Lord of the World

Lord of the World Review

Robert Hugh Benson grew up at the end of the nineteenth century, when it looked like Socialism would sweep over the world and make religious worship outmoded. His father was Archbishop of Canterbury; and he joined the Church of England but later converted to Catholicism. In his introduction to this book he wrote that he took the idea of Man (not the Son of Man) becoming the ideal and 'took it where it would go'.

Knowing that this book was written in 1904, before the Great War and the dissolution of the European Empires, and the nascent beginning of flight, it is interesting to read his views of what the world would look like in 100 years (or about now). He saw the end of poverty and hunger, and the raising of HUMANITY to the paramount position. His views on woman are arcane, as one of his characters dismissed his wife as 'just a woman', and that they make no strides of independence. He talks about inter-city flight at the amazing speed of 150mph, one year after Kitty Hawk.

The stories bottom line is that once Man begins to worship himself (in the guise of Julian Felsenburg), he not only has no need for idealized religion, but that the persecution of anyone who disagrees will become an act of Sedition and punishable by death. Religion is represented in this story by Roman Catholicism (all others having given in and disbanded, except for a few 'elderly jews wandering in Palestine) which fights a peaceable rear guard action against the forces of HUMANITY.

The language is a little difficult and flowery, while the ideas are interesting but sometimes the catholicism is hard to comprehend, but all in all it's worth reading.

Lord of the World Overview

R H Benson was a protestant priest who converted to Catholicism. His novels are often about religion. This classed as an 'Apocalyptic' novel

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 28, 2010 01:55:07

The Soloist

The Soloist Review

This is an unusual sort of biography. Actually, it is more memoir than biography, but there is a definite element of biography here, also, so I don't disagree with the tag.

The Soloist is about Lopez's experiences in befriending a mentally ill homeless man whom he had noticed to be a startlingly gifted musician. As it turned out, the man, Nathaniel Ayers, had been trained in classical music at Juilliard. As an indication of Ayers' talent, note that he attended Juilliard on a full scholarship from 1970 - 1972, when black students were extremely rare - almost nonexistent - especially ones from lower-middle-class, single-parent families. He did extremely well in that ultra-competitive and stressful environment (straight A's in music performance classes; and also in other classes until his schizophrenia kicked in and his grades began to fall) until the illness finally forced him out. Ayers had been living on the streets for 33 years and was in his mid-50's when Lopez met him.

The book is as much about Lopez's efforts to help Ayers as it is about Ayers himself, which is why I'd consider it primarily a memoir. Finding financial help was the easy part. Lopez's popular columns in the largest newspaper of Los Angeles inspired a barrage of donations and offers of help.

The problem was, Ayers didn't want help. He was content with his life as it was. But Lopez was frantic with worry about Ayers' safety on the worst Skid Row in America, where violent (and commonly random) beatings, stabbings, and deaths were a daily occurrence.

Lopez does a great job describing his agony and frustration with Ayers' refusal to accept the donated free apartment and free treatment; while at the same time recognizing Ayers' dignity and his right as an adult to make his own decisions. They are feelings I know well. I experienced the same thing once in taking care of an old friend who had become mentally unstable, homeless, and also terminally ill due to alcoholism. It was an awful time in my life, and Lopez's vivid account brought it all back to me.

Nathaniel Ayers, however, did not smoke, drink alcohol, or do drugs. In fact, he had a violent disgust towards anyone who did. It makes his situation all the more tragic - there is no way the reader can brush him off with the excuse, "He brought it on himself."

One quote from the book really brought it home to me. We now know that most - and probably all - mental illness is caused by physiological dysfunctions that cannot be controlled by willpower or self-discipline. As Stella March, an activist who has a son with schizophrenia, said, "[Why is] it socially acceptable for them to sleep on filthy and dangerous streets? Would anyone tolerate an outdoor dumping ground for victims of cancer, ALS, and Parkinson's?"

The Soloist is a moving, interesting, and very informative book which has accomplished a great deal in bringing these issues to the attention of the public as well as community leaders. But our economy has worsened considerable in the two years since its publication. I am afraid that the momentum it generated has been lost, and that budget cuts have made services for the homeless and mentally ill even scarcer. All the more reason why we should read this book now.

The writing, although competent, isn't perfect. It is a little boring in places when it goes into politics. And Lopez's hopes and fears combined with Ayers' lapses become sadly repetitive after a while (although that is an artifact of the situation rather than the writing, it does influence the reader's experience of the book.) Also, I was surprised by the author's occasional mistakes in language and grammar. Admittedly, they are infrequent and subtle, such as using a word that was okay but not quite right, when a better option was available. Such things surprised me in view of Lopez's more than three decades as a professional journalist for highly respected newspapers and magazines.

And it would have been nice if some photos had been included. You can see some online - including videos - if you google "Nathaniel Ayers," although it is difficult to differentiate the ones of the real Ayers from the movie stills and promotional photos. Check out this video from CBS's "60 Minutes": [..]

I'd especially liked to have seen photos of Ayers' reunion with Yo-Yo Ma, who was a classmate at Juilliard - this was one of my favorite parts of the book.

But these are small quibbles compared to the honesty of the writing, the highly interesting person that is Nathaniel Ayers, and the importance of the subject.

I'm wondering what has become of Ayers since the book was published in 2008. The reader really comes to care about him. I hope that he is safe and well, that the two men's friendship has continued, and that Lopez will write a sequel.

(273 pages)


Quote from The Soloist:

"The pendulum has swung too far to the side of leaving people like Nathaniel to fend for themselves."

The Soloist Feature

• ISBN13: 9780425238363
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Soloist Overview

The New York Times bestselling, "unforgettable tale of hope, heart and humanity" (People)

The true story of journalist Steve Lopez's discovery of Nathanial Ayers, a former classical bass student at Julliard, playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles' Skid Row. Deeply affected by the beauty of Ayers music, Lopez took it upon himself to change the prodigy's life-only to find that their relationship would have a profound change on his own life.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2010 20:19:05

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Review

In this NY Times #1 Best Seller, Tony Dungy presents principles, practices and priorities of a winning life following Christ. Tony tells about overcoming racial discrimination and his life long challenge to put Christ first on his way to coaching the NFL Super Bowl Champion Colts. This is a great book with insights into dealing with major life challenges including focusing on God's purpose in your life, faith in God's will for his occupation, "sticking to his principles" (no smoking, drinking, or performance enhancing drugs), finding a Godly wife, overcoming bitterness from his firing as head coach, accepting the genetic defect of his 1st (of 3) adopted children, and the crushing suicide of his 19 year old (natural) son the year before his Super Bowl XLI Victory.
Tony came from a solid Christian, African-American family in Michigan. His dad was a Tuskegee ([...]) Army Air Corps officer flying in World War II, later earning a PhD to become a physiology professor at Jackson Community College ([...]). His dad taught him that you can't always control circumstances. However you can always control your attitude. Tony speaks very highly of his Mom a high school speech & Sunday School teacher who taught him many Bible stories before he could read and he came to know Christ as a young child. His siblings are all professionals with successful careers - Lauren as a physician, Linden a dentist, and Sherrilyn as a nurse.
Tony's problem with his temper is disclosed when he quit his high school football team, protesting that only he was selected captain over looking his black team mate who was elected co-captain. Tony gained insights into how the issue was resolved as he and the African-American team mates eventually rejoined the team and almost won the Michigan State High School Championship.
He was a star quarterback for U. of Minnesota with impressive Big-10 credentials but (probably in part to lack of any current NFL black quarterbacks) was undrafted in 1976. Eventually, as a defensive back, he led the '79 Super Bowl Steelers team in interceptions, and even saw some playing time as quarterback. Dungy points out he was the last person in the NFL to both intercept and throw an interception in the same game. In `81, Dungy was traded to "the worst NFL team (SF 49ers)." After his 3-year playing career ended, he soon became a coach for the Steelers. Tracing his coaching career with the Chiefs, Viking and Bucs, he shares fascinating insights into the demanding schedule for coaching, especially in the NFL, and wrestling with putting Christ first. Table 1 summarizes a typical NFL coach's work week.
Table 1
Dungy's Typical NFL Work Week

Mon 8 am - 10 pm Film Reviews: "our" last week films & next weeks opponents films
Tue 8 am - 10 pm Game Plan Day-
Wed 8 am - 9 pm 1st Practice Day - also review tapes of practice
Thurs 8 am - 8 pm Practice & Refine Game Plan
Fri 8 am - 1 pm Short "dress Rehearsal"
Sat ? "Walk Through" - Slow motion w/out pads; Home game go home relax before check into team hotel; or travel
Sun Game Day Long pregame meetings; meals; game, return travel if away game

It is helpful to note that the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators are similar to "vice-presidents" in the coaching hierarchy and higher in the pecking order than "position" (e.g. defensive backs) coaches as you review his football career in Table 2.

Table 2
Brief Summary of Dungy's Football Career
Year Team Comments
76 U of Minn Qbk; Big 10 4th Total Yds; Most TD passes
76-77 Steelers Undrafted - but made team as a safety
78-79 Steelers Super Bowl Champions; Team intercept Ldr; 10th in NFL
79-80 49ers "Traded from best to worst NFL Team"
80 NY Giants Traded by 49ers but Cut from Giants
80 U of Minn Volunteer Defensive Back Coach
81 Steelers Effectively Assistant to Head Coach Chuck Noll; went on to coach defense (age 25)
84 Steelers Promoted to Steelers' Defensive Coordinator (age 28)
89 K-City Chiefs After 5-11 Steelers Season, asked to step down as Def Coordinators; join Marty Shottenheimer as Def Backs Coach
92 Minn Vikings Defensive Coordinator (under Denny Green)
96 Tamp Bay-Bucs Head Coach-takes over a losing team (had 13 consecutive losing seasons!) on the verge of bankruptcy; '96 record 6-10; '97 lost NFC Playoff to G Bay (NFC Champs); 98 8-8; 99 lost NFC Championship; 00 Lost 1st playoff game
01-09 Indian.-Colts Fired by Bucs, became Head Coach; won Super Bowl after 2008-2009 season retired from coaching

You'll like Tony's humble, sometimes self-demeaning descriptions, insights and resolve. One example is his meeting his future wife, Lauren. After being the last-minute substitute Steeler speaker at St Stephen's Episcopal's (Pittsburgh) Father-Son breakfast, the Pastor insisted he meet a young lady in the church. His first "date" was breakfast & church and he relates, "I dropped her back at her house, and ... here's where Laruen's story diverges from mine. Since I'm the one telling the story, you'll hear my version first, and to be fair, I'll also give you her version - the wrong version. As I dropped her off, I said, "I'm headed back to training camp, and I'll be gone for the week, but if you wouldn't mind giving me your number, I'll call you, and maybe we can play tennis sometime." She heard - and swears to this day that I said "...give me your number, and maybe I'll call you, and we can play tennis sometime." I can only assume she was too nervous to have heard me correctly. Or maybe--and I'm sure this is not the case--I was too nervous to have articulated my request correctly."
Tony stresses the importance of sticking by your principles and therefore was disappointed himself when he accepted Mike Shula's resignation as offensive coordinator and saw this as undermining the team. Tony was under pressure from the team owner for losing a play off game, having a stout defense but weak offense. Tony felt Shula had done his job well, but circumstances (injuries, status of building the team through the draft, etc.) had hampered Shula Whereas Shula stepped up to maintain harmony, Tony later felt his accepting the resignation undermined much of the progress his coaching team had made with the Buccaneers.
Tony has something good to say about every major person he describes but also points out differences they have had. He points out his mistakes and stands he took (such as his unconditional support of his place kicker who had missed several key attempts, but whose mother was dying from cancer), even when consequences could have severely limited his career.
Extremely stressful times give an insight into a person's character. Some of these times Tony described include his being fired after the Bucs lost the first of the playoff games (although he'd been told he didn't have to win the Super Bowl to keep his job), the Bucs going on to win the super bowl the year after he was fired, deaths of his mother and father during the season, and his 19 year old (natural) son committing suicide just before Christmas with the Colts heading towards the playoffs. Dungy comes across as a flawed, but forgiven Christian committed to "walk the walk" to match his talk.
Dungy writes "I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I've had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life. My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don't let the pursuit of our life's goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose."

My husband is using this book and the accompanying Bible Study Book Quiet Strength: Mens Bible Study for his Men's Bible Study dealing with issues which include: Prejudice; Aligning My Goals to God's Goals; Finding a Godly Mate; Dealing with Unfair Dismissal; Not Letting Success Blind Me to God's Direction; Teen Suicide; Friendship is More Valuable than a Super Bowl Ring

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Feature

• ISBN13: 9781414318028
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life Overview

2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner!
Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach—especially a football coach—to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, and the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family? In this inspiring and reflective memoir, now updated with a new chapter, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family—and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed.

The softcover edition of this #1 New York Times best-seller includes a new chapter! In it, Coach reflects on the 2007 football season and last year's successful hardcover release of Quiet Strength. Also features a foreword by Denzel Washington and a 16-page color-photo insert. Over 1 million in print!

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2010 16:00:05

The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir

The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir Review

The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir Feature

• ISBN13: 9780670022113
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir Overview

A highly original and poetic self-portrait from one of America's most acclaimed writers.

Leslie Marmon Silko's new book, her first in ten years, combines memoir with family history and reflections on the creatures and beings that command her attention and inform her vision of the world, taking readers along on her daily walks through the arroyos and ledges of the Sonoran desert in Arizona. Silko weaves tales from her family's past into her observations, using the turquoise stones she finds on the walks to unite the strands of her stories, while the beauty and symbolism of the landscape around her, and of the snakes, birds, dogs, and other animals that share her life and form part of her family, figure prominently in her memories. Strongly influenced by Native American storytelling traditions, The Turquoise Ledge becomes a moving and deeply personal contemplation of the enormous spiritual power of the natural world-of what these creatures and landscapes can communicate to us, and how they are all linked.

The book is Silko's first extended work of nonfiction, and its ambitious scope, clear prose, and inventive structure are captivating. The Turquoise Ledge will delight loyal fans and new readers alike, and it marks the return of the unique voice and vision of a gifted storyteller.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2010 11:30:12

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller Review

Prior to reading this book I had never read any of James Patterson's books. I found it fast-paced and delightful to read. As a history teacher I could appreciate the possibility of events enclosed in the the ending. There were actually three different stories going on at the same time, but all were related which made it even more enjoyable. I am glad I tried the book out and am looking forward to reading more of his books.

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller Feature

• ISBN13: 9780316034043
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller Overview

A secret buried for centuries

Thrust onto Egypt's most powerful throne at the age of nine, King Tut's reign was fiercely debated from the outset. Behind the palace's veil of prosperity, bitter rivalries and jealousy flourished among the Boy King's most trusted advisors, and after only nine years, King Tut suddenly perished, his name purged from Egyptian history. To this day, his death remains shrouded in controversy.

The keys to an unsolved mystery

Enchanted by the ruler's tragic story and hoping to unlock the answers to the 3,000 year-old mystery, Howard Carter made it his life's mission to uncover the pharaoh's hidden tomb. He began his search in 1907, but encountered countless setbacks and dead-ends before he finally, uncovered the long-lost crypt.

The clues point to murder

Now, in The Murder of King Tut, James Patterson and Martin Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages--to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 27, 2010 05:16:06

Sports Illustrated The Hockey Book

Sports Illustrated The Hockey Book Review

Sports Illustrated has put together the definitive book about the sport of ice hockey, drawing on its article archives and its photo library. This is a marvelous book, with huge, gorgeous color photographs. If you are a hockey fan, this tome is a valuable edition to your library. It also makes a great gift.

The book is best when it draws on its vintage files of the hockey greats. The best of the book, in this fan's opinion, are the stories and photos that covered the golden age of the NHL, immediately after World War II, when the NHL consisted of only six teams.

The minuscule number of teams (Montreal Canadians, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks and the New York Rangers) meant that only the cream of the crop in hockey made the big leagues. All the big boys are here: Maurice (the Rocket) Richard, Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and the Esposito brothers; also the acrobatic goalies of that era, including Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk and Glen Hall.

Those were the days when the goalies didn't wear facemasks. The book includes a spectacular photo of Jacques Plant that appeared on the SI cover of Feb. 17, 1958 (unlike the cover photo in the magazine, the photo in the book is uncropped). The photo shows Plante peering out of his goal with his chin almost on the ice as he prepares for an assault by the New York Rangers. The tense-ness of the moment not only shows on Plante's face, but also on the faces of the fans in the stands behind the Montreal goal.

The book also includes the hilarious story written by George Plimpton when he played 15 minutes of an exhibition game in the Boston Bruins goal. Plimpton later published a book on that experience, but the original magazine article reprinted here will leave anyone squirming with laughter as the Big Bad Bruins set up the hapless writer - who played in the goal by while skating on his ankles.

One of the highlights is the famous photograph of Bobby Orr, stretched out horizontally three feet off the ice after scoring the wining goal in the 1970 championship game that gave the Bruins their first NHL Stanley Cup in 29 years (disclosure: the writer covered that game for UPI and interviewed Orr in the locker room after the game. Earlier this year, I ran into Orr and he signed a copy of the photo with the inscription, "Thanks for covering this game"). The account of how the photographer shot that amazing photo is also included.

Of course, the story of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal won by the Americans is here, but for once the SI editors missed a chance to tell the complete story of American Olympic hockey: in the 50's, 60's 70's and 80's Olympic hockey was played by amateurs, no pros, and it was hockey at his finest. Dave Christian was on the 1980 team - and he was the son of Billy Christian and the nephew of Roger Christian who were two of the stars of the 1960 team that also won the gold medal in a fairy tale manner. And, of course, Herb Brooks the coach of the 1980 team was the last player cut from the 1960 team (further disclosure: the writer played on the 1965 U.S. National Team that included both Billy and Roger Christian, as well as Brooks).

There is also the touching story of Travis Roy, the young hockey star from Maine, who was permanently paralyzed in the opening seconds of his first game for Boston University in 1995.

If there is a weakness to the book it is the lack of documentation on the earliest days of hockey in Canada. Howie Morenz and the great goaltender Georges Vezina are mentioned, of course, but the focus of the SI book is on modern day hockey. This hockey fan wished there were more of those grainy photographs of the earliest players wearing their skimpy uniforms. There is too much lore from that era that is missing in this otherwise excellent book.

The book also seems a bit disjointed. When we do get photos from the earliest days, they are interspersed with photos of modern-day hockey. It can be confusing.

But overall, this is a fabulous book that documents the wonderful sport of ice hockey - the national sport of Canada, and a sport that has spread throughout the United States and Europe and more recently in Asia. If you love hockey, you're going to love this book.

Sports Illustrated The Hockey Book Feature

• ISBN13: 9781603201513
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Sports Illustrated The Hockey Book Overview

From its earliest days on frozen ponds, hockey has been a sport of speed and elegance, but also one demanding courage and physical will. The Hockey Book goes deep into the heart of the game, celebrating with astounding photographs and insightful words the great players and the inspiring teams, as well as an ethos-robust and selfless-that defines the sport as much in its dynamic present as it did in hockey's hardscrabble (and helmetless) past.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 26, 2010 23:57:05

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and The Experiment That Transformed Their Lives

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and The Experiment That Transformed Their Lives Review

THE NECKLACE tells the truly unique story of one woman, Jonell McLain, and thirteen of her friends. After closing a major real estate deal, Jonell was in the mood to treat herself. At the local mall in Ventura, Jonell's eye fell upon a gorgeous, 15.24 carat diamond necklace. Although Jonell tried the necklace on, there was no way that she could afford the ,000 price tag. However, when she returned to the store three weeks later to show the necklace to her mother, the price had dropped to ,000, and there was an sale coming up allowing customer bids. Jonell knew that even on auction, she couldn't afford the necklace on her own, yet she realized that if she could get together eleven of her friends, they could each afford to put in 00 and purchase the necklace together. And that's just what happened, except that the number of women in the group increased to thirteen when store owner Tom Van Gundy made Jonell a deal: he would give the women the necklace at the bargain price of ,000 IF they would allow his wife (whom he hadn't informed of his decision) to join their group.

In writing the story of this unique group of women and the necklace which brings them all together, author Cheryl Jarvis chose to focus each chapter of the book on a different group member, starting of course with Jonell and the group's genesis. I thought that this basic setup made sense, but I didn't think that Jarvis managed it very well. First, the demarcations between each woman's story are not particularly distinct. For example, even though Jonell is featured in the very first chapter, she dominates many of the other chapters as well, giving the book a very uneven feeling. Similarly, Jarvis gave readers more history and background information on some of the women than on others; again, this caused the book to feel unbalanced overall. Another thing I did not like had more to do with Jarvis's writing style. She includes very long sections of of direct quotes from the women, which I am guessing were taken from her interviews with each of them. Unfortunately, this makes the book feel more like an in-depth newspaper or magazine article. The women's stories would have worked so much better if they had been written in a more richly detailed, narrative format.

Overall, this book offers a great true story (I especially liked reading about Priscilla Van Gundy, the jeweler's wife), and for that it deserves five stars. However, the wonderful story also deserved better writing than it received from author Cheryl Jarvis, whose performance barely rates three stars.

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and The Experiment That Transformed Their Lives Feature

• ISBN13: 9780345500724
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and The Experiment That Transformed Their Lives Overview

One dayin Ventura, California, Jonell McLain saw a beautiful diamond necklace in a jewelry store window and wondered: Why are personal luxuries so plentiful yet accessible to so few? What if we shared what we desired? Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and one great leap of faith later, Jonell and twelve other women bought the necklace together–to be passed along among them all.

The dazzling treasure weaves in and out of each woman’s life, reflecting her past, defining her present, making promises for her future. Lending sparkle in surprising and unexpected ways, the necklace comes to mean something dramatically different to each of the thirteen women. With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, they transcend their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey–and what started as a quirky social experiment becomes something far richer and deeper.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 26, 2010 13:53:05

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America Review

I am a public school teacher who frequently gets frustrated at the bureaucracy of public education. It is a very long process to get rid of bad teachers and to get approval to do anything innovative. I had heard about KIPP in the news and was interested to learn more about it so picked this book up. I was surprised in how hard it was to put it down as I was glued to the back-story that Jay Mathews painted so clearly.

It is a shame so many people, unions, administrators and bureaucrats (most of which tend to be center-left in thinking) are so against charter schools. Yes, as with anything, there are good and bad charter schools but I would have to guess there are a whole lot less bad charter schools than there are regular, bad district-based schools.

Even if you are not a fan of the charter movement, I would highly recommend this book. Sometimes when your only goal is what is best to educate students, the answers have to be found outside of the system. I am not saying what they have done is perfect and I found some areas that I really did not agree with but the results are pretty impressive!

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America Feature

• ISBN13: 9781565125162
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America Overview

When Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin signed up for Teach for America right after college and found themselves utter failures in the classroom, they vowed to remake themselves into superior educators. They did that—and more. In their early twenties, by sheer force of talent and determination never to take no for an answer, they created a wildly successful fifth-grade experience that would grow into the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), which today includes sixty-six schools in nineteen states and the District of Columbia.

KIPP schools incorporate what Feinberg and Levin learned from America's best, most charismatic teachers: lessons need to be lively; school days need to be longer (the KIPP day is nine and a half hours); the completion of homework has to be sacrosanct (KIPP teachers are available by telephone day and night). Chants, songs, and slogans such as "Work hard, be nice" energize the program. Illuminating the ups and downs of the KIPP founders and their students, Mathews gives us something quite rare: a hopeful book about education.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 26, 2010 09:33:04