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Worst book I ever read
I have read many books, inlcuding several that portray stories from midevil times, this one was the worst. It was terrible. Words cannot describe how boring this book is. I mean really, really, really boring. I do not recommend it at all. | 0negative
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Beginer's Guide to Mad Science
This is the most interesting thing I've read all year! I'm glad I didn't find this in high school because I am positive that I would've gotten myself expelled. If you decide to make mead, buy some yeast that is designed to make alcoholic beverages. Bread yeast makes it taste like...you guessed it...uncooked bread dough. That dough had one hell of a kick, though! | 1positive
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My #1 Favorite Children's Book
What's so great about this book? The pictures and the message. Each page is soooooo detailed, as a kid, I could look at each page for hours and hours. The moral of the story is also amazing--change your surroundings, not yourself. My mother keeps a stack of this book in case she needs a children's gift. Good for both boys and girls! | 1positive
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English Patient
The English Patient is by far one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The words are so generous and descriptive, each page was an adventure into the lives of the characters, and every work delicious. I have not read any other books by Michael Ondaatje, but I will certainly be looking for others.I would recommend this book to anybody who can appreciate good literature, not to the lover of the Mills and Boon type book. | 1positive
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Borgel and Fafner
I discovered the works of Daniel Pinkwater through one of my nieces, who happened to name her two cats after two characters from "Borgel." Daniel Pinkwater possesses a sheer, mad comic genius. He spins tales that are wildly funny and entertaining, and yet manages to squeeze in a lesson. (Even if that lesson is that animals are stupid or to never listen to what a fish says.)"Borgel" tells the story of Melvin Spellbound and his uncle Borgel. Borgel is of no clear relation and shows up one day out of the blue. He stays in his room for weeks at a time and the family children may only enter through invitation, wearing a tie. One night Melvin is invited to Borgel's room and he believes that they are running away. They wind up on an adventure through space-time-and-the-other.Pinkwater peppers his story with hilarity mixed with reality. Borgel and Melvin's space travels are delightfully funny and deepen our appreciation of the wide cast of characters, including Fafner the dog and Freddie the Grivnizoid, as they search space and Hell for the Great Popsicle. Throughout all his whimsy and witty words, Pinkwater truly makes us care about the characters and wraps up a story that may seem to have wandered so far that there would be no coming back. Just like what would happen in space travel, if the Dorbzeldge was to drift past the road barriers. | 1positive
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keep looking
I am just completing this book and it was surprisingly filled with sweeping statements that do not ring true.There is very little insight about the killers to be found in this book.The interviews and letters are dull and lacking in information.The one interesting thing I learned from the book was that both Gacy and anotherserial killer had Klinefelters syndrome. So now I have saved you the trouble ofpurchasing and reading it. | 0negative
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Hypocrite
There is no doubt that Miss King is a literary genius, but her books contain untruths. I have written her one fan letter every ten years since I was 20. That is 3. She has ignored each one. She claims to respond to all friendly and well written letters. I am not the only Southern woman with a passable education, Miss King. My letters were grammatically correct, and I didn't use the dreadful middle initial when I addressed them.Then after ranting herself nearly into an asylum over the ebil ol tax system we have, she abruptly hangs up her pen as soon as she starts sucking from the gubment teats --- i.e. Social Security and Medicare health insurance. So with all due respect, which is none, I say, bah humbug to a fake and a pretentious woman who fancies herself to be an accurate commentator on..well......everything. Goodbye Ms. King, I shall not weep o'er thou retirement. You just stay there in that thar apartment hating everybody while I enjoy living in a house (she is against buying houses, among other very weird opinions) that is paid for. I don't need to worry about my SS check arriving in time to pay the rent. And your complete refusal to share pictures of the people you wrote about and made us fall in love with....You are not a nice person, and you aren't even a lady. A lady may not have to be as giving and sacrificing as Miss Melanie, but I fail to see why sharing pictures of your families' Most Unforgettable Characters is ladylike, kind, or anything except extremely rude and selfish. | 1positive
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No, no, no!
I have to disagree with you people that think that this book is soooo excelent. Ok, it is the begining of a new era that Zola creates but I mean, if almost 80 pages goes to just describe the same thing over and over again then...ZzZzZz. He is very skilled in his naturalistic way of describing it all but this novel would have been so much better if it would have been a short story. Unfortunately the short story does not get almost any attention in the litterary world so Zola did not have much of a choice. It is a novel that should not escape any readers attention because it is one of the novels that every man should know about. Pardon my spelling but that has never been my good side. | 0negative
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An Amazon Verified Purchase: Learning Why Catholics Do the Things We Do
Introduction to Order of Mass (Pastoral Liturgy)An Amazon Verfied PurchaseThis is a great book for "brand new" Catholics or one like myself (a convert), who desires a deeper knowledge of our Catholic faith and traditions. As the Mass and Eucharistic Celebration are central to our belief, this book will not only open the first of many doors but will also make you thirst to further expand your knowledge into our beliefs as Catholic Christians. | 1positive
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Disappointed
Jana Perskie's review was helpful but I found I could not get into this book at all, in fact I'm very disappointed with it. The story itself appears to be very compelling but I really got tired of trying to work out what the author was trying to put across, there were just so many names and words I was completely unfamiliar with. The work just doesn't come across as serious writing for what is a "serious" subject. | 0negative
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Memorable
This is a memorable rendering of the life of a great, and complicated actor. Read it along with a biography of Vivien Leigh, and you have a great story. | 1positive
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Think Harry Potter but without Voldemort
Okay, I admit this one isn't quite as good asDragonsong (Harper Hall Trilogy, Book 1), but then, what is? If I were to give Dragonsinger a grade, it'd be an A-. Not perfect, but close.Menolly's adventures continue, this time among people who appreciate her talents... only some folks resent her because of her talents and because she's a girl. It all takes place at what amounts to a prep school as she learns to develop and use her talents. Think Harry Potter going to Hogwarts, only without the overarching menance of Voldemort... and with music instead of magic... plus a bunch of mini-dragons and a few big ones. Menolly only has to worry about her classmates. And teachers. And her dorm mother. And her dorm mates. And... you get the idea.As with the previous book, it's a simple story beautifully executed. And it too kept me up until 2 am. | 1positive
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Room better left unvisited
Although this critique might be viewed by my professors as academic suicide, I shall plunge headfirst and hope that the branches of tolerance break my fall. I do not like A Room of Ones Own. I understand the concept of stylized writing, but the content of the book does nothing to draw in the reader. Certainly, Woolf's mastery in writing should be applauded on its merit; however, I am not progressed far enough in my education to fully appreciate Woolf's subtleties. There is nothing in A Room of One's Own that remains once the book is closed, although the pages are full of wonderful ideas. The presentation of these ideas; however, are uninteresting and handled in a very preachy manner. It is my opinion that such revolutionary ideas should have been shot forth from a canon rather than whispered in a library | 0negative
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written with gentle piety
There is a profundity to Mother Teresa's deceptively simple theology that surpasses the understanding. Rooted in her own experiences, it spreads cheer and peace in a way entirely unlike more "happy" or "optimistic" religious affirmations of faith. | 1positive
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I'd play sick the day your teacher assigns this.
This book doesn't deserve a review. With all due respect, Golding couldn't write a good book to save his life. His writing is reminiscent of Tolkien's; he comes up with a great story, and then ruins it with horrible writing. But I suppose I should stop ranting about the book and get on to a summary.A relatively large group of young boys are marooned on an island. One young boy, Ralph, decides he's the leader because has in his possession a conch shell, which most SpongeBob fans will recognize from one of the episodes. In his "Inner Circle," there are some other boys: Piggy, an unpleasantly fat asthmatic intellectual; Samaneric, two twins who individually are Sam and Eric, and the "littleuns," some of the youngest boys who can't get it through their thick skulls that they're lost on a deserted island. Ralph is encountering problems with Jack, the leader of the boy's choir, who has a rebellious soul. Without spoiling too much of the story, Jack gets mad, runs off with most of the boys, and several other events that fail to stimulate the brain. In the end, they are all rescued by the Royal Navy, (they're British,) and they all live happily ever after, minus a pudgy pain-in-the-rear. If you ask me, I would have been a bit more pleased if they all died.This summary may sound choppy and rushed, because the book is choppy and rushed. The author had several chances to redeem himself, but why only put the book's namesake in a one-and-a-half page segment of the book that has no symbolism, real or otherwise. When you look back at the story, you may think, "Wow, that sounds really cool!" And the story is, but it makes no sense, and the parts that do are just plain dull. In the hands of a good author, namely Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, and especially Orson Scott Card, this book may have been one of my all time favorites. Goodkind and Card would have turned the book into an action-packed book with beautiful internal conflicts, and Jordan would describe the island with such vivid detail I would feel like I wanted to get lost on an island myself. However, as it is, I'm now terminally afraid of anything surrounded by water on all sides.The point I'm trying to get around here is this: Great story, God-awful writing. I'd only give this book a one out of ten, the one only for story. In a videogame, even if the game isn't too pretty, if it has a great core, it's a wonderful experience. With books, however, that's just not true. | 0negative
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unclear return policy on item listing
I assumed I can return the item for full refund within 30 days like most other return policies on Amazon. The seller wanted restocking free and did not pay for the return shipping. If it is their policy, it should have been cleary stated as such. | 0negative
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A classic? Why?
I have no memory of Northern England late 1700's. I don't no if characters such as Heathcliff or the younger Linton actually could exist. But this whole story is so unbelievable that it goes way beyond fiction. Not only that but one of the basic requisites of any successful novel, or movie for that matter, is to have at least one character that the audience likes or will root for. There is not one character in this book that I pulled for. Not one that I wanted to see come out on top. I just finished this book so maybe my viewpoint will change with time (in five months will this novel have any impact on me) but for the time being this hardly rates as a "classic" | 0negative
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not the William Gibson i found in 1988
After the last fiasco (all tomorrows parties) i figured Gibson was due for a come back. didn't happen. at least he drops all pretense of sci-fi. none here. has a few high points but in the end never really gets worked out very well. you would think he would know about the dangers of trying to cross over like Phillip K. tried to do...some decent lines in the book and not terrible as a modern day tale, but not the Gibson of legend...try Bruce Sterlings "Holy Fire" if you need a fix. | 0negative
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Clever idea, poor execution
I started off reading this book with much enthusiasm and interest. The premise was captivating and Alice Sebold is a good writer. I could really sense the pain of the family and Sebold does a good job of providing hints of what it must feel like to be dead while watching the world go on below you. I even liked her basic concept of heaven (it jived with some basic concepts found in orthodox Christianity, meaning it had some elements of truth).However, the book soon descended into a typical, baby-boomer lamentation about the plight of repressed suburbanite women (and their justifiable adultery), the superiority of smart and artistic people, and the absolute normality and goodness of sexual encounters, no matter what age or what circumstance.Every author has an agenda, but not only did I disagree with Sebold's post-modern feminist outlook on life, I was annoyed by the ham-handed way in which she injected it into the narrative once she ran out of good story ideas.Great premise, poor execution. | 0negative
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Out of date
The information contained within this book was extremely out of date with a strong emphasis on steroids. It is a shame there are not more current and useful books for pet owner out there on this widespread problem. | 0negative
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Great Read
Well done book that all school kids can read. These are books that get them back into reading instead of watching TV. | 1positive
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Forced to read it
Many moons ago I was obliged to read Wuthering Heights as part of my A level syllabus. I dreaded the prospect of reading a Victorian romance. I think I may have even seen the Hollywood interpretation with Olivier. ( A poor pale and distant echo of the novel as it turns out). I read it because I was forced to. I was determined to dislike it. Even after starting the book I continued to criticize the foppish Lockwood wandering inanely about the moors in the classroom.There is no comparable book I have ever read. Its impact stays with you forever. Other reviewers are for more eloquent, but the vivid imagery and violent emotions of the protagonists is unparalleled. I have recommended this book to family and friends over the years, badgering them into reading it. The result is often the same. It was not what they were expecting and simply a great book. Perhaps they were being polite, who knows.If you have yet to read it, I envy you. That first reading is so memorable and surprising.You too will come to wonder "how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth." | 1positive
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I was so disappointed!...
Like everyone else, I loved The Secret History. I only recently read it for the first time and was so excited about The Little Friend. While I enjoyed the character of Harriett, I was VERY disappointed by the ending. I just couldn't believe all that build up for 500 pages and then we learn absolutely nothing at the end. I felt like I wasted two very valuable weeks reading a book with no conclusion. This is the first review I've ever written of a book but I just had to say how disappointing the books was - especially the ending. | 0negative
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There seem to be 350 unneeded pages (again)
Look, RJ must have been spending time reading Harry Potter, and at the same time trying to write the end to these useless WoT books. I can picture him reading Potter, and falling asleep with a WoT blank page in front of him; and picture him waking up the next day with 50 or so useless pages that were mysteriously written while he was asleep the night before. Dont waste your time. Semirhage kills people, Rand loses a hand (and isnt mentioned til like page 353 or something), Perrin "rescues" Faile, Mat and Tuon sort of get married, Elayne gets her required backers (and becomes Queen), Egwene gets spanked (unfortunately RJ didnt add pictures of this - that would have bumped my star rating up at least 2 stars), and Oh yeah - Moraine is still alive - Mat is supposed to "rescue" her. Dont bother, this is the worst WoT book yet. The next one could never be this bad, so we at least have something to look forward to. | 0negative
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I would give this less than one star if I could
This work is a waste of time and money. My wife and I listened to the audio cassette while commutting and laughed out loud at how pathetically trite the material was. Really, blow this one off - it's worthless. I would have returned it to the store if not for store policy on opened audio cassettes. I will probably recycle the cassette and record some music over it. Really. | 0negative
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The most amazing book in the world!!!
I would recommend this book to every citizen of this planet. I have read millions of books and this by far is my favorite!! The most amazing!!! | 1positive
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A Celebration of Friendship
This book, a celebration of male friendship, is an interesting mix of autobiography and history. Ambrose relates his warm relationship with his brothers and his father and continues in this context to relate the stories of many strong male relationsips through the years. Readers will find stories among others about the friendship of Dwight Eisenhower with his six brothers, of the comraderie among the soldiers of Easy Company during WWII, the interdependence between Souix Chief Crazy horse and his friend He Dog, and the bond between explorers Lewis and Clark. Some of the stories are emotional. All are interesting. This is an easily read well written book about some seldom mentioned slices of history told from a unique perspective. | 1positive
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A fine adventure
A little ho bit is drafted into the service of 13 reserves and a wizard. Some goblins, spiders, wargs, elves, men, and a very old dragon later, his adventure leads to the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well done, Mr. Baggins! Well done. | 1positive
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A good basic guide for kids
This is a fairly good survival book, good starting point for kids. The book is spiral bound, with a net and camouflage cover, and a functional compass attached to the cover. The book has an index and table of contents, artwork and color photos. It also lists a few useful addresses like the Red Cross, FEMA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and more. The style of the book is very busy, short and to the point on the issues, so it might be more likely to be read by some youths. Most of the advice in the book is very good up to date information, even in its abbreviated form.The book breaks down survival issues into 4 areas starting with "Animal Dangers", with advice about bears, snakebite, gators, cougars, ants, bees, and sharks. The information on animals is very good because it advises you how to avoid the problem in the first place, as well as good advice on what to do if an encounter happens. Next is "Natural Dangers" including quicksand, hurricane, earthquake, avalanche, lightening, tornado, blizzard, desert heat, sea, flood, forest fire, and frozen wilderness. This section is very good as well, useful advice. Third is "Human Hazards", including escape from a car in the water, avoid being crushed in a crowd, survive a plane crash, escape a burning building, escape a sinking ship, and creating a family fire safety plan. This chapter again has very solid advice. Last chapter is "Basic Survival Skills", including planning, navigation, pocketknife use, finding water, making fire, finding food, storing and cooking food, making shelter, animals in the wild, time, weather, getting rescued, getting out, first aid, and knots.I do have a few minor complaints with the last section, as some areas are way too brief, even for a book aimed at kids. After all, if a person is buying this book, the biggest reason they may need it is for emergency skills when camping. It seems that this chapter should have had more information, but is slim on some very important points. The first aid section covers blisters, burns, and how to sling a broken arm. That's it, nothing on choking, bleeding, or other hazards. Kids can learn this stuff, we teach 9 year old Cub Scouts. In the section on planning, there is no mention of the "buddy system", especially vital for kids. Another glitch, the book correctly tells you to purify all drinking water you find, yet on the same page has a picture of a hiker drinking water right out of a stream. This is a mixed message, as drinking directly from a stream is very dangerous.Another topic that needs some work is the one on getting lost. When we teach kids about getting lost we always tell them that as soon as you are lost, stay put or "hug a tree" as we call it. It is much easier and quicker to find a lost kid if they stay in one place. The more they panic and keep walking or running, the longer the rescue takes. This book says you have to decide whether to stay put or try to get out. There is no decision to make as a kid, statistically if you stay put you will get found, but maybe not at all if you keep moving.Overall a very interesting book, lots of good stuff. Make sure you cover the missing points or mistakes with your kids though. | 1positive
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Escape the Boring Novels and Buy This Masterpiece
Most historical true stories although containing interesting facts are usually quite boring for most of the book. Not so with this non fiction novel, which reads like a fiction thriller, educating you on historical events along the way. Inside you will find ten stories of how someone either escaped from captives themselves or helped someone else to. All of the prisoners in this book are innocent or extremely hard done by for petty crimes so you are not reading about the escapes of serial killers or violent criminals. Instead you are reading how people being held as slaves or in medieval castle dungeons, behind walls, as prisoners of war or from a crashing plane manage to beat the odds and obtain freedom. I expected an average book and only really read this because I couldn't find anything good in the fiction section but was pleasantly surprised to find a masterpiece. Great book, I'll definitely check out others by the author. | 1positive
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A hatchet job
It appears the author was one of those liberals in the 1960's and 1970's that Al Capp attacked and is seeking revenge.One of the best insights into Al Capp was a book called A Hard Hat's bedtime story where Al Capp stated he did not switch political beliefs, but switched to the group he felt down trodden which was the working stiffs who supported the spoiled brat hippies and others blaming the older generationWhen Al Capp was a liberal up until the 1960's, the conservative element who he attacked chose to ignore him, but when he started attacking liberals, they chose to censor him, harass him and other dirty politics. | 0negative
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Great book - three societies
Vinge has created a wonderful book, with descriptions of three different cultures (2 human, 1 alien) and a lengthy story of their interaction. I appreciate how all of the people portrayed make sense and how Vinge keeps logical consistency between their actions and their culture and technology. There is psychological conflict, actually out ranking the technical, and big emotional sweep. The ending is a bit out there, but he gets to make the players do what he wants.Perhaps most interesting was the use of very tiny sensors as a key technology, and as I was finishing the book I read an account of someone developing very tiny sensors in the real world - they have a ways to go before the real world catches Vinge, but it could happen!Highly recommend this book, good length, good action, good drama, lots of interesting character and character development. | 1positive
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Skip this Patterson book!
As I read this book, I kept wondering why Katie didn't just go to the end of Suzanne's Diary and find out JUST WHAT had happened to her?? I found the fact that she didn't very annoying. Here she is supposed to be a smart book editor, and and a carpenter-and she sits around reading this diary given to her by her lover-for days-PLEASE. No one has that much patience when her heart has just been broken by her lover, Matt. I won't give away the ending-Patterson does that early on. I bought and read the book because I understood it to be a true story, based on Patterson's own life. I can't wait for his next book, Violets are Blue. I did enjoy his Where the Wind Blows, and 1st to Die-but as for this one, too sweet and cutsey. Maybe he should kneel down and ask for forgiveness from everyone who did not like the book. | 0negative
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Heart Wrenching
An excellent drama that opens one's heart and fills it with compassion and hope. The reader is pulled into a world of lost dreams and despair as the characters struggle with facing a reality they are oblivious to. *Note: the symbolism is excellent. Take note in the fragility of the glass unicorn and when it loses its horn. (also, for those lacking vocabulary knowledge, a menagerie is a collecftion) | 1positive
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A Beautiful Promise Unfulfilled
I had great hopes for this novel, for Ms. Payne is capable of writing beautifully and creates characters that the reader comes to care about very deeply. However, this is a terribly flawed work. The author does not use quotation marks or "he said"s and "she said"s to indicate dialogue. The effect is sometimes confusing and made me stop my reading and go back to verify who was saying what. Also, both author and editor should know that the correct word used to describe a potential suitor is "prospective" and not "perspective." The plot begins to degenerate halfway through, with the author treating the characters and events like chess pieces which she awkwardly manipulates. However, the worst offense is the ill-conceived ending, as Nurdane's actions in no way reflect what has gone before. It seems like Ms. Payne takes a wonderful, flesh and blood cast of characters and turns them into cardboard cutouts. I felt immensely disappointed with The Virgin's Knot, as Ms. Payne obviously has an enormous amount of talent. Too bad she did not make consistent use of it. | 0negative
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A really classical story of magic and love
I got this book a few days ago and I simply couldn't put it down until I read it all the way to the end. I believe that this story has every attribute of real classics, like Tolkien, and Harry Potter books. It may not appeal to the lovers of violent epic sagas, but I cannot imagine anyone reading this book and not enjoying every bit of it. Its vividly described Arabian Nights' setting provides a beautiful frame for the genuine feelings of love, and duty, and frustration that gets resolved in the most magical way! I highly recommend it not only to the readers of fantasy, but to the readers of literature in other genres. | 1positive
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An excellent analysis of international trade in textiles.
This superbly written book is rich in theoretical as well as empirical models of quotas and licenses in international trade. It provides very useful and clear insights for policymakers in trade issues, and should be a MUST for international trade researchers in textiles and apparels. I highly recommend it! | 1positive
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Inadequate, messy, and hype
I have read many e-commerce books, this one is part of my school recommended text and that is why I need to read it from cover to cover, else I would have threw it out few chapters later.It's a badly organised book that throw a bunch of IT-driven business concepts that has been around for many years, slap an 'e-' in front of it, and call it a 'e-business' book. It tries to depict 'e-business' to be everything, and teach nothing, tells you what you should do, but doesn't tell you how you could possibly do it, it tells you whats wrong in many business process, but does not tell you what is the solution. Most of the time, the answer will lead back to vaguely say 'you need integrated enterprise application' or 'you need to change'.I would prefer more focus and realistic books that does not pretend to be everything like those by Patricia B. Seybold, etc.. | 0negative
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Flanagan is In desperate need for an editor.
This book is not about U2. It's about Bill Flanagan and how he fits into U2's world during Zoo TV/Outside Broadcast/Zooropa. Yawn....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. | 0negative
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Here We Go Again... :)
Well, once again we find ourselves in the happy little seaside village of Ardmore in County Waterford Ireland. The star-crossed lovers Prince Carrick and Gwen Fitzgerald need more help to break the spell that has kept them apart for 300 years and counting. The excellent depiction of Ireland's scenery, people, music, humor and folklore continues, to great page-turning effect.This time Carrick's target is the loveable dimwitted "bonehead" Shawn Gallagher, the middle child of the three. Some say he's weak and a wimp. Fine. That's their right. I say he's not. In fact I loved the way he was written. The romance here was just as steamy as Jewels Of The Sun but a bit more tender to me somehow. I really could relate to Sean as I love music and food but can't cook. :) And I don't write music. Anyway I could feel him in my mind easily. Who among men does not have dreams AND the fear of the fact that they just might not come true. Who would NOT resent being "pushed" into love just because it fits with someone else's plans? Who would NOT be content if they could lead a simple life in a place they adore with a job they love to do and if they were content with friends instead of running around chasing every girl in the village?I digress. What I really loved here was the way the romance worked. Shawn DID learn to go ahead with his dreams. With Carrick and Gwen's help, and quite a bit from Brenna too, Shawn does learn to see what's been right in front of his nose for years... that Brenna loves him and he loves her too, even though he wouldn't let himself admit it. (Hey, men can be real idiots about things, just ask us. So can women for that matter. It's called pride and ego folks. :)) Note: This is an observation, NOT a personal attack on men and women. But the character of Shawn embodies it perfectly, the burning desire for love and yet the deep urge to "be a man" and hide his feelings for fear that they make him look weak and stupid. Brenna has the same problem but learns to overcome it too (she first wants to leave Ardmore to hide her love for Shawn but finally gives in and accepts and embraces that love because she learns the truth that true love is worth FAR much more than pride and ego). The aforementioned fiesty Brenna O'Toole, an adorable tomboy of sorts, is efficient to a fault as well and appears to think acting "female" makes her look weak and idiotic. But she learns that the most efficient way of doing something isn't always the best way. She wants her first romp with Shawn to be "fast and furious and done" but she caves when she is shown that slow and tender can be just as nice and is often much BETTER than fast and furious. She also learns that it's okay to loosen up and be gentle and pretty. She can be herself and loosen up because Shawn will always love her no matter what. That's an important lesson. True love ALWAYS loves the one it seeks to embrace... forever. What man or woman would not wish to have a lover like this?What I said about Jewels Of The Sun, I will repeat about Tears Of The Moon. I loved the scenery, the writing style, the people, the humor and the warm family spirit. This drove home the lesson that it is important to chase your dreams and give love a chance to enter your life, as it will make your life all the better and richer if you just let it. Love is one of God's best gifts and should never be looked on as something of little value or only something that "real men" (or women) don't or couldn't care less about. True love I think ENABLES you to better be a real and fuller, more complete person if you are lucky and fortunate and blessed enough to find it. Hang on to it and treasure it. When you stand at the point of death it isn't what you've DONE that grieves you the most, they say. It's all the dreams you DIDN'T chase and all the things you DIDN'T do.To make a long story short, this is a worthy sequel to Jewels Of The Sun and every bit as good. If you like nice feel-good stories with a point and with a heart (and plenty of spice too) pick it up. Peace. | 1positive
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great book! Please read it.
People say this is a descriptive book. Thats right but they(the people) think that its bad to be descriptive. They got used to all those Harry Potter and stuff like that where dialogs are in each sentence. well, unfortunately, Harry potter isnt much better than Wild Fang. Believe ME!!!!!It describes a lot, thats what I like. First It was a teeny, teeny bit boring but then it got along with me.Its a great book!!!I hope this reveiw will be useful and READ IT!!! | 1positive
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Accurate?
This in no way, shape, or form represents what John Mayer is actually playing. Yes, if you play this, it may sound similar to the song, but nowhere near accurate. The Room For Squares (Guitar TAB) does indeed display an accurate representation of what John Mayer plays, and I would suggest that you wait until a similar product is published for Heavier Things. | 0negative
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This book rocks!
First of all, the previous comment is completely off base. The AI chapter has all kinds of cool stuff that I have been looking for 4ever. Things like path finding, fuzzy logic, script languages and more. And the physics moves all the way into full collision response which is hard enough since I'm not that good at math. Finally, the book is Volume I of a 2 volume set which Andre states in the book, and volume II is the 3D book. Nevertheless, there are two other full books on 3D and the general 3D book is far better then Abrashes black book (which I own), which is a regurgitation of articles from the 80's and a blow by blow of making quake -- but not technical enough to get anywhere. Anyway, the book kicks ass like all his others, buy it you won't be sorry. | 1positive
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Thumbs up
As someone who reads historical novels, I give this book an enthusiastic thumbs up. Whether in a vintage movie theater, a victorian home, or at the celebration in New York City's Times Square when WWII ended, it made 20th century America come alive. Also, for an older person like me, the book's large print was a big plus. | 1positive
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Disappointment
After reading all the wonderful reviews of this book, I couldn't wait to read it. However, I was bored the whole time. I'm happy to see other reviewers who were wondering what the big deal was with this book. This was almost as bad as a Danielle Steel book. Just plain, boring, mundane, but at least Kristin Hannah does not repeat herself over and over....I was looking forward to reading a new author, but this was my first, and probably last, Kristin Hannah book. | 0negative
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Belongs with "The Plot against America"...
in a bookshelf of two books that are mediocre representatives of their genre, getting incredible praise because they are written by people seen as having literary chops.Never goes anyhere, doesn't make sense, and the ending is an enormous cop out. | 0negative
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not real impressed
I do not recommend this book. Lots of repeated recipes, space that could have been used for a little more variety. The only reason I am giving it two stars instead of one is for it's information on freezing food. I wasted my money! | 0negative
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nonsense
Weymouth doesn't sound like he even read the book. If he had, he might wonder why the author theorizes that the local gravitational field acts as a medium for light, since we've known since the last century that light travels in a vacuum. It doesn't need a medium, so Beckmann's self-published argument falls apart.Even if it did, why should we assume that it doesn't rotate, except of course out of convenience for the sake of this bizarre theory? The earth's magnetic field rotates, so its gravitational field likely does too, and recent findings by astronomers have shown strong preliminary evidence to that effect (the Gravity Proble B experiment is designed to confirm this "frame-dragging effect" predicted by Einstein). | 0negative
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Review from David B. Burritt, Caterpillar Inc.
At Caterpillar, we require that Lean Manufacturing tools be embedded within our 6 Sigma methodology. 6 Sigma provides the overarching infrastructure,and we supplement its quality methods with the Lean tools to accelerate process velocity. We have worked with Mike George throughout our deployment and have read the drafts of this book while it was in preparation. With the help of Lean Manufacturing enrichment modules from George Group, we have been able to fully integrate Lean with 6 Sigma as our Unifying Framework. 6 Sigma and Lean are great complements for driving process excellence. Mike's book, Lean Six Sigma is a detailed and proven implementation approach. It's an outstanding book and a must read for anyone committing to improving corporate performance.Dave Burritt6 Sigma Corporate ChampionCaterpillar Inc. | 1positive
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Pride and Prejudice
If you love reading about ballroom dances, castles, romance, and classic British humor, than Pride and Prejudice is the book for you. This 19th century novel has everything you want. It is filled with romance, passion, and drama, with just the right amount of comedy sprinkled in. Elizabeth Bennet's fiery personality captures your attention and holds it. Also, the mystery of Mr. Darcy's' true intentions of romance is held up in the air as you whip through the pages of this captivating read. | 1positive
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Helped me see the future
This is a landmark book. Yes, it's easy to read and engaging (I expect that from any good book). But BJ Fogg's book goes farther than being just a "good book." This is an "important book" -- a work that will likely be read for years to come, something like Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions." What these books share is the ability to help you see what others don't. Once you read the book, random data points in our world of technology start making sense. I can see the picture of persuasive technology now. I must say that this book was a bit expensive for me, but getting a clear vision of persuasive technology was worth it. | 1positive
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An invaluable reference work --
Have you ever heard about The National Negro Opera Company? Founded by Mary Cardwell Dawson, the company made its debut in Pittsburgh in 1941. This is but one of the fascinating things you can discover in this marvelous book. If you have an interest in music of whatever variety, your library is incomplete without this book.This 3rd edition was done in 1997, thus it is quite up-to-date in its coverage of classical, jazz, rock, pop, gospel, swing, ragtime or blues. If it is music as practiced, performed or composed by people of color, this is where you'll find valuable information about it. Beginning with Africa and continuing to the present day, the four sections detail this rich history: Song in a Strange Land (1619-1775); Let My People Go (1776-1865); Blow Ye the Trumpet (1865-1919) and Lift Every Voice (1920-1996). The latter section is particularly informative reading with sections on Jazz, The Harlem Renaissance, and the Mid-Century Decades. It is these years in which artists of color finally took their well-deserved place on the musical stages of the world. Of course, they had been visible in their own world, and the popularity of such major composers as Scott Joplin and Duke Ellington allowed them to more or less effortlessly cross-over to the 'white' world. Lena Horne, the Mills Brothers, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway were--and still are--names to be reckoned with in any list of fabulous performers.And then there was Marion Anderson who finally made her way to the Metropolitan Opera at the very end of her career, making way for Robert McFerrin, Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Simon Estes and George Shirley, who were very much pioneers in their respective repertoire. Today, thankfully, artists of color are not at all rare on the concert and/or opera stages of the world. But lest we forget the individual trauma these artists suffered in order to be able to compete in this way, we need to remember the past while we are glorying in the present. This book will, if you let it, open your mind and your ears to wonderful, glorious sounds, without which our world would be a much quieter and poorer place.The author of this book is the renowned Eileen Southern (Professor Emerita of Music and Afro-American Studies at Harvard University) who is herself a musician as well as a writer, and is eminently qualified to illuminate The Music of Black Americans to the world in general.Pages 613 through 646 comprise a rich bibliography and discography; the index takes up 41 pages. NO music lover should be without this invaluable reference work. | 1positive
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Unsolicited acts of kindness
Dickens tells his story through the consequences of several secret, unsolicited acts of kindness. The consequences of these acts varies greatly. Dickens seems to be unconcerned with passing judgement on the acts themselves, instead he prefers to humor himself by exploring of their unpredictable outcomes. | 1positive
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Gates of Fire
I listed to the book or tape then bought the book for my son. I love history and historical novels. Even though I knew the outcome I cried when the main characters died. They seemed so real I felt I was on campaign with them. | 1positive
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Outstanding Beginning!
Beginning of one of the most clssic trilogy's ever written. Great story line. Have read this book 4 or 5 times now. Still as good as the first time. Everyone should read this. | 1positive
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What the Dickens is Dickens thinking?
This book has nothing to do with anyone expecting anything great, so I hate it! This book is perhaps one of the greatest books of all time, but I hate it, because the title is misleading. What the Dickens does the author think he's doing giving this book a title like that!? | 0negative
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Bland
Cullen James has a good life: wonderful husband, healthy baby, good friends. Then one day the Rondua dreams start. Bones of the Moon took a long time to get started, and even then didn't feel like it was moving. A few major characters seemed to serve no purpose, and though all of them were likable, liking them wasn't enough to justify the amount of time spent developing them. The characters that did matter were involved in a lackluster quest in a dreamworld devoid of interest. The writing was neither wonderful, nor horrid, but could have used more editing; it was not uncommon to read dialog several times over to verify who had said what. Unfortunately, Bones of the Moon was just boring. | 0negative
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This book is overall confusing for someone my age.
This book had its good points, but i really didnt like it | 0negative
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A roller coaster ride!
This was a fun one, a little lacking in story, but a real fun escapism comic book. The art is as stylish as your favorite Paul Pope book, yet holds it own as something completely new and refreshing. If you need a break from reading serious comics take a break and relax with this baby, you'll breeze through it but your mouth will be dropping to the floor when its over. | 1positive
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Anti-Catholic polemic dressed up as a classic
I have always loved Mark Twain since reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer as a kid. At one point I had even memorized "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" as a seventh-grader in Catholic school. Twain has always held a sentimental place close to my heart, so when our book club chose to read and discuss A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, I was all for it.I had heard vaguely of Twain's atheist mindset and his antagonism toward religion in general. But until I read Connecticut Yankee, I had no idea how much irrational and unfounded antipathy Twain had for the Catholic Church in particular. The pervasive theme in Connecticut Yankee is that our modern enlightened world is far superior to that which went before and that the "bad old days" of slavery and oppression were almost completely the fault of the Catholic Church. This anti-Catholic sentiment can hardly be denied as Twain himself urged reviewers not to mention it when the book first came out. "Please don't let on that there are any slurs at the Church," he told a sympathetic reviewer in the Boston Herald. "I want to catch the reader unawares, and modify his views if I can."So Twain engaged in what we know today as the "last acceptable prejudice." By way of a simple comparison, let us imagine that, instead of Catholics, Twain had chosen Jews, Mormons, or Evangelicals as the villains of Connecticut Yankee. Would it still occupy the exalted position it does as an American classic? Or would it be relegated to those dusty shelves where reside other scurrilous works or racist manifestos to be studied as a historical curiosity of a meaner age?For me, the most annoying aspect of Connecticut Yankee was Twain's almost total ignorance of history--or, perhaps more accurately, his decision to turn history on its head to better fit his polemical aims of blaming all the ills of society on the Catholic Church. This is a classic example of what happens, I suppose, when a journalist with a wide breadth of knowledge but no depth attempts to novelize about a historical subject. To address some of Twain's errors:1.) Slavery in antiquity was in no way the fault of the Church. That pernicious institution long predated Christianity and was endemic to classical pagan societies. Indeed, the Church has a long history of making the lot of slaves more tolerable and being among the premier abolitionist institutions in the world.2.) The idea that the Church suppresses intellectual freedom is a fable made up during the Protestant rebellion, though it is heartily embraced by Twain. Far more erudite scholars than I have examined this fallacy in detail, so rather than address this topic in detail here, I would point the reader to Tom Woods's excellent book,How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.3.) Twain writes naively of democracy, putting in Hank Morgan's mouth the notion that "Where every man in a state has a vote, brutal laws are impossible." One wonders what Twain would have made of our modern America, where not only every man, but every woman has a vote, and yet the ghastly practice of abortion is not only legal, but enshrined as a human right. Democracy of itself does not ensure enlightened government. Without the temper of religion, democracy is as likely to produce brutal and repulsive laws as the worst monarchy. De Tocqueville understood this. It's a wonder that Twain did not.There are many more, but this review is already more prolix that I had intended.As always, Twain's writing sparkles in Connecticut Yankee and his lampooning of the style of Mallory is very funny. His characters, however, viewed 120 years later, are crudely drawn. Hank Morgan is an Alger-esque self-made man whose compendious knowledge of all subjects is just a little too convenient. The legendary Arthurians are all soulless pawns that Twain moves around to further his polemic. No insight is offered into their characters at all. They are all cruel and completely self-serving--as they must be in Twain's mind because they belong to the aristocracy. The story ends on a bizarrely depressing note for a tale that was predominantly a humorous satire for the first seven-eighths of its length.In short, this is not a book I will be reading to my kids as a bedtime story. For me, it is to be considered a shameful period piece, written at a time when it was acceptable and even laudatory to be a Know-Nothing and make up slanders about the Catholic Church. That it is a cleverly-written slander is only another mark against it. Amusing slanders are pleasing to read but have the potential to do real harm both to the target and the reader. | 0negative
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This book is a scam!
The book is racist and ignorant at best. It is hypocritical at worst because it is itself a scam. It plays up the stereotypes that people have about traveling people and feeds on the fears about those who are mysterious and different. There are better sources of information about travelers. I suggest visiting The Patrin at http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/reading.htm for recommended books. Most are about the Romani but there are also a number of books on the Travelers in Great Britain and America. They may not be as titillating but they are certainly more informative and accurate, which makes them much more interesting in the long view. | 0negative
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Wait for the Cliff's Notes
Wall Street's version of CNN's "The Hollywood Minute" - Mind numbingly repetitive, rehashing the same five stories over and over and over for 300+ pages. This manuscript could and should have been published in brochure format and placed between People Magazine and Barron's on the newsstand. While the author certainly has a valid point in his "groundbreaking" exposure of the conflicts of interest plainly visible the street, it need not be rephrased and recounted again and again. I thought on several occasions that I had previously misplaced my bookmark twenty pages back ("Didn't I just read this?")Did I mention the book was repetitive?If you saw Kurtz on CSPAN's "Booknotes" discussing the book, you've been exposed the entirety of the content without the trip to the bookstore/library.Next time I'll take a Novocain injection in the skull instead.A disappointing effort. | 0negative
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No action - slow read.
One reviewer commented that you shouldn't start it unless you have all night to read it in one go - implying a roller coaster, non-stop page turner. Hah. Well, reviews like that suckered me in. I kept waiting for something to happen. Or at least to discover a character or situation that was interesting. This was the most boring, uninspired read that I have experienced in a long time. I had to give up on it. Give this one a miss. | 0negative
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The best book for Invertebrate Zoology
As a new teacher of Zoology, this book has become my most valuable resource for the invertebrates. The information is easy to understand and the labeled photos are wonderful. If I could chose a textbook for my students, this would definitely be it. My students have also found it to be a great resource for their studies. | 1positive
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Skip this one
If your looking for evil hackers mis-leading information and untrue stories. Then by all means read this book. But if your looking for a better account of Kevin Mitnick the most botched story in this book try The Fugitive Game by Littman it's much more acurate. | 0negative
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Best Jazz piano book
This is truly one of the best artistry edition from WB , if you like The Artistry of Bill Evans 1& 2, then this is absolutly better stuff. Tuff but for real this also related to one album of Shearing (Piano) from concord Jazz, so you can learn what it should hear,,,worth more I think than Oscar Peterson note for note,,,especially shearing song book. | 1positive
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Intelligent Design book in disguise of a scientific book.
The author of this book is an Assistant Professor of astrophysics at Iowa State University. He was denied tenure because his research was considered very lacking (little research & grants). Some have stated that another reason for denying him tenure was that he was a strong proponent of the religious field called 'Intelligent Design,' but I have not verified this.This book promotes a hypothesis centered around I.D. (Intelligent Design), but attempts to mask (hide) this fact by pretending that the book is scientific. The vast majority of scientists, especially those in biology related fields, do not believe that I.D. is a scientific hypothesis.This is because I.D., which is essentially just a renamed version of Creationism designed so that it could be snuck into public schools. The federal court decision in "Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District" ruled that I.D. was religious and just a poorly disguised form of Creationism. The Judge even stated that that the expert witnesses for the I.D. supporters perjured themselves repeatedly on the stand to get their religious view included in the school system.While this book has some science in it, it is really just an attempt to discretely support I.D. This is dishonest and unscientific. | 0negative
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Brooks' best
I read these books some years ago. This is the one of the Shannara books I keep coming back to.Characterisation is perhaps the biggest strength of the novel. Noble Will. The uncertainty yet integrity of Amberle, one of the most affecting characters I've ever read. The dignity and wisdom of Eventine. Eretria is somehow sexy and alluring, yet not at all crass. Allanon the druid is Brooks' masterpiece, brooding, powerful, monk like. The 'evil' characters, particularly the Dagda Mor, Changeling and the witch sisters are worthy opponents.The relationships between Will, Amberle and Eretria are extremely well written and portrayed. The storyline is keeps one's heart beating and may even elicit a tear! A great book. | 1positive
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I was disappointed with this book
You hear Stephen King is co-writing a book about his beloved Red Sox and you get excited. Unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations. It was a boring read because it basically spoke about what King and O'Nan where doing throughout the Red Sox historic season. Anyone could have wrote this type of book. | 0negative
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2.5 stars
To start, I want to vigorously applaud Abby Nye for the hard work and dedication a project such as writing "Fish out of Water" demanded. I am most impressed with her tenacity and with her passion regarding the subject at hand. If I did not respect the book, I would not bother to write an in-depth review. Very impressive!That being said, I must agree with a previous reviewer, who stated: "As a graduate of Butler University myself, I can't help but feel deeply unsettled by many of the claims made by Nye in regards to her education experiences. Perhaps she was well-intentioned, but many of the incidents she recounts strike me as misrepresentations at best, gross exaggerations at worst." I, too, am a Butler student (I, however, am a current student and not a graduate of Butler like the quoted reviewer) and though Nye and I never met, we shared two years on campus together.While reading, I often found myself wondering about Nye's claim that Butler is a secular campus. In a sense it is: there is no one "official" religion of the campus. Rather, what I question is her use of the term "secular." It seems that Nye's definition of the term would be more like "anti-Christian" than "lack of an official campus religion." Perhaps when Nye realized that Butler is not a solely Christian university, when she realized Butler _is_ accepting of many, many religions other than her own, she concluded it was a secular university. That doesn't quite add up logically, but I can see how one could draw such a faulty inference if they had been raised in a good Christian household by good Christian parents and educated by a good Christian school. In reality, Butler is home to many different religious factions - Christianity and atheism included.I guarantee many of the stories she recalls did not happen as she rather convincingly portrays. I am sure she thinks she accurately described the situations, but I cannot believe many of her claims. I find it much more likely that Nye, being a nave freshman like we all once were, perceived these events differently from how they really happened. To quote that previous reviewer again: "Perhaps Nye took Christ's Sermon on the Mount a little too much to heart, and in her desire to feel hers was the Kingdom of Heaven, needed first to believe herself persecuted for righteousness' sake." This sounds very accurate. Like so many other authors, Christian and non-theist alike, Nye has an unfortunate propensity to tell only her side of the story. This is probably not conscious, again due to her naiveté as a freshman. Furthermore, she wrote the book her junior year, two years after many of the horror stories she tells from her freshman year. I would not be surprised at all to find out that the two years gap served to exaggerate the injustices. Once again, I doubt this is conscious. Nye writes very passionately and I do not believe she could have consciously told her tale insincerely.I found myself having the same problems with "Fish out of Water" as I did with other supposed Christian classics: if the world really was the way Nye (or other Christian authors) perceived it, then they would have fantastic points and their books would be revolutionary. Unfortunately, the world is not as simple and straightforward as the authors make it out to be, and thus the holes in their arguments become quite apparent. Ironically, I have the same problem with many atheist authors: they set up a version of reality that isn't accurate and then conclude their views based on that false reality. It drives me nuts on both sides of the argument.Having gone through very similar experiences on the same campus, I can definitely understand where she is coming from, but I cannot agree with her conclusions at all. In fact, I think someone could write a very similar book based off of very similar experiences, keeping the same title, but changing the subtitle to "Surviving and thriving as a non-theist on a religious campus."My first and probably biggest problem with "Fish out of Water" came in the first chapter, where Nye discusses how Welcome Week should really be called Indoctrination Week. In her own words, this is how she perceived her first days on campus: "The message of Welcome Week was unmistakably simple and straightforward: You will be part of the group. You will think like the group, act like the group, approve of the group, and agree with the group. No discussion. No disagreement." Having endured Butler's Welcome Week festivities, I cannot fathom how she perceived such a meaning from the activities. Personally, I found them boring and a waste of my time, but I never felt insulted or threatened by any of it. Moreover, if such a message truly was "unmistakable," then how come not everybody perceived the activities in the same manner?Nye continues: "Under the mask of fun and games, it is really indoctrination to tolerance and diversity. The message to students is to appreciate all people, but it doesn't take long to see that there is an important clause attached to that phrase: appreciate all people as long as they agree with us. Dissenters will not be tolerated." Again, my personal experiences at the same campus and from the same activities have led me to the exact opposite conclusion. I have never experienced or witnessed any religious discrimination. I would not doubt that it's out there, but it certainly does not dominate the campus like Nye implies. Once again, I believe Nye genuinely _thinks_ she is right. Unfortunately for her, that's just simply not the case: Butler is not as anti-Christian and suppressive as she wants it to be.One thing I really did like about Nye's book was how she very maturely handled situations in which her beliefs were under attack, and further how she encouraged others who found themselves in similar situations to deal with the problems responsibly. If all religious debate followed her suggestions, there would be much less hostility on both sides. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with her religious sentiments, her concluding thoughts on each chapter frequently are very helpful and would only help if implemented in our own daily lives. | 0negative
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NO, IM NOT A MOVIE ADDICT
Excuse me, but I have read Melville and Dickens(I adore Dickens)and I would please like to ask one reviewer(and if they're reading this they know who they are) what is so intellectual about The Last of the Mohicans? Did you see the word classic on the cover and decide that this must be intellectual and thought provoking? Come on! Its your standard no brainer adventure story! Im sure that if it was a modern book you wouldn't be so enthusiastic! I've saw modern melodramatic crap like this on the best sellers rack at Krogers. Tell me you read it for the senseless violence, or for the one dimensional characters, but please dont say you read it for intellectual reasons. | 0negative
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"The Upstairs Room" is one of the best WWII novels I've read
...And trust me, I've read a lot of them... "The Upstairs Room" is one of my favorite books. Although I was only in fourth grade when I read it, and am now in seventh, I still remember most things very vividly, I could literally feel how Annie was feeling (I certainly remember the butterflies I got in my stomach when the soldiers were searching their house and the lump in my throat at the end!). I didn't put it down until I was done! This is a really great book. | 1positive
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An intriquing, but hollow social description
"Oliver Twist" is the first full lenght novel Charles Dickens wrote. It was first puplished in a magazine as a continuing serial novel, but soon found it's way to a publisher as a complete work in 1837. Dickens is one of those authors, who've lost their respect, the more time has passed. I can, in a way, understand why, as I've read this novel.It tells us a story about a ten year old orphan boy, who, after many coincidences, gets involved with the underworld of London.The story is almost nonexistant, as ridiculous coincidences carry Oliver through the uncomplicated plot, and totally useles and two-dimencional characters occupy as useles individual storylines that lead to nowhere, as the only truly interesting character ins Nancy, a prostitute trying to get away from the captivating claws of organized crime. A character recognicable from countless of works, but still fascinating.The novel works perhaps best if it's being thought of as a description of the early 19th century England, and especially the lower class, whose part in that era social structure is quite disturbing, especially as that same kind of social exploitation is still being commited around the world, and even all so-called siviliced countries don't have a decent social health-care system, paid maternity leave or affortable educational system etc."Oliver Twist" is a classical example of the romantic genre of literature, where all difficulties are conquered, as amazing coincidences unite people together."Oliver Twist" can't be judged by the criterias of today, as it is packed with storytelling underlines and events and coincidences beyond beliavability, backed with too many shallow characters. It's nearly two hundered years old, and should be respected as the classic it is, even if it's a painfully ridiculous read, that perhaps underestimates the readers of the 21st ceuntury. | 0negative
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Disappointing
Let me also say that I have read all of Sitchin's books and found most, the first 3 or 4 at least, to be fascinating. I anxiously awaited this "Enki" book, because it was billed as a narrative that would fill in a lot of the gaps and answer a lot of my questions. It failed. It is written in a poetic style that is tedious and irritating; the reverse sentence structure in particular (think Yoda).Rather than give any depth, insight, or fill in the gaps, it glosses over things as if they are a given. The ME for example. Mainly it just puts the story and information we already know from Sitchin's previous books in another format.Rather than rehash all of his existing theories and information, I would hope that Sitchin would move on to explore other areas or at least uncover new info on his existing subjects. He could look into the manifestations of God in the Koran or Christian sacred texts, for example.Something a lot of the reviewers/readers seem to be confused about: this is a hypothetical story; Sitchins idea of how it might have happened. Hello! The book makes that clear in the introduction. This is the Anunnaki story written AS IF it were translated from ancient Sumerian tablets, not translated from actual ancient Sumerian tablets.One thing that I have always wondered about and that I hoped this book would adequately address is how Nibiru survives a long eliptical orbit around the sun. This books seems to explain it away by saying that Nibiru has a dense atmosphere which protects it from the variations in solar intensity that such an orbit would cause. We know that even the change of of a fraction of a degree can have major effects on the earth's climate. It is hard to believe that life could survive on Nibiru as it is defined. There may be some good explanation for this, but I have yet to read one. | 0negative
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Get the Frommers guide
I didn't use a guide much while I was there but when I did, I found my Frommer's guide to be much more interesting, attractive and well structured.I never use a guide to find restaurants, hotels or any of the major tourist attractions, as I can do all of that on my own. But I count on my guides to lead me to interesting things that I would never see if I didn't have one - the out of the way spots. This book definitely didn't help me with that and most of the things that it includes I could have figured out for myself in about the first 20 minutes of arriving in my hotel.The Frommer's guide on the other hand inspired me to venture into the unknown and see some really wonderful things that I wouldn't have otherwise. But that's just me and other people obviously like this book, so it probably just boils down to personal preference, just like most things! | 0negative
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Do we really know our historical past?
This was the first published volume of Velikovsky's reconstruction of ancient Egyptian history, and it is thoroughly documented and footnoted, and beautifully written. In fact, considering that English was his fifth language, I believe, he is a beautiful and spell-binding writer. As a writer myself, I am amazed by him.This was a revolutionary book which launched the revisionist work of such men as Courville, Bimson, Rohl and James in rewriting ancient Egyptian history.Velikovsky's work was condemned for several reasons: 1) he was the first since Isaac Newton to do it (Really!); 2) he dared to use the Old Testament Scriptures as historical texts (If you can imagine!); 3) after publication of his catastrophist theory in Worlds in Collision, everyone "knew" he was a crank; and 4) he was obviously wrong.Well, as his appendix to Peoples of the Sea adequately demonstrates, the conventional dating scheme has no basis whatsoever; the Old Testament has been amazing verified and vindicated by archaeology back to the middle chapters of Genesis, and no archaeological discovery has ever proven a biblical passage wrong; in some ways he may have been a crank, but so was Newton (who believed in alchemy); and he has as much chance of being right as anybody else, and more than most.The only point I quibbled with was his identification of the Papyrus Ipuwer as an Egyptian version of the Exodus story written by Moses in the Book of Exodus. This was critical because it was the pivotal point of his entire reconstruction. In that, he was correct, but my analysis of the Papyrus Ipuwer (read it on my website at [...]) showed that it was not exactly an Egyptian version of Moses' story. Ipuwer wrote Act II of the drama about which Moses had written Act I and skipped town across the Red Sea.So Velikovsky's identification of the papyrus was wrong, but his use of it was correct. He makes an excellent case for the Hyksos being the biblical Amalekites, for Hatshepsut being the Queen of Sheba, and for Thutmose III being the pharaoh who sacked the Temple in Jerusalem after Solomon's death. Dr. V also did a fabulous analysis of the El Amarna letters and connected them to the Egypt of the Pharaoh Akhnaton.Highly compelling reading, as are all of his books. | 1positive
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Not the correct book
I ordered this book as a Mentor Book as stated in the description and the picture to replace a damaged book in the mentor line of a three part series. I was sent a completley different verstion of the book. Even the order slip said it was to be a mentor. This is the second time in a short period where i have not been delivered what was purchasesd. Obvious mistake on sender. | 0negative
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Overated!!!
It appears that the odds are against me since most people love this...I don't even know what to call it. And that is perfectly fine we are not all a like and have a right to our own views and opinions. Nevertheless, I must speak out and let my opinon be heard even though most of you who can't say enough about this book wouldn't want to hear.I am forced to read this book for my lit class and I find this book repulsive. I have never read such a novel that is completly incompetant, complete nonsence, the smallest talks of all the small talks in the world, it is about nothingness, and how several nothings trying and wanting to get married to other nothings for all the wrong reasons in the world. It is about people pretending to be inteligent and pretending to be civilized. It is a book where they compliment women as being handsome and men as being well...also handsome. It is quite contageous I might add because I find myself helplessly imatitating the language that it was written in. I am offended by every paragraph that I read. I have never felt such contemt for any work that I read. I pasionately despise this novel and I could write an entire paper on why. The 17th century English aristocracy and the way the people cary and behave themselves and think so highly of themselves and so low of anybody who is different, is offensive and without merit. You may think "that I simply don't understand this work" well I don't and I am not going pretend that I understand this "classic" Perhaps I am incapable of comprehending this novel. I do know however that there are a lot finer book writen in the 17th centuries and earlier and after, which are better, more meaningful then this book and are also classic but some of them are notoverated enough as much as this book is. | 0negative
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A Spellbinding Tale!!
This book gives insight into a woman's life in the Middle East. Ms. Khashoggi gives us a main character we can care about and weaves a tale that is never predictable, constantly throwing in curves and surprises. Hard to put down, this book moves quickly. I give this book five stars because I can't think of a single reason not to. I got through it in three days, which I haven't done in a while with a 400+ page novel. Ms. Khashoggi, if you haven't started writing another novel, then start. Now. Please. | 1positive
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The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien
Call me crazy, but I didn't think that this book was that great. I had to read this book over the summer for an English class, and I have to say, I had my doubts before I even bought it. I'm not too big into the fantasy genre--I still haven't read the Harry Potter books, and I stopped with Tolkien's works after I read The Hobbit. As I began to read the book, I felt myself drifting off and not thinking about the book. I just could not get into it. By the middle, I was forcing myself to pay attention, but still, I was unsuccessful. I finally managed to finish the book, and all I could think of, was that I was glad it was over with. I don't enjoy reading books that I have to force myself to finish, so if you are a not a fan of the fantasy books, do NOT waste your time with this book. | 0negative
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Picture of Dorian Gray
I have read the book and realy enjoyed it. I also have the DVD of it. You realy must get both. | 1positive
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In the Name of Love
The main story in this book by Ann Rule is about a successful entrepreneur who falls in love with an inexperienced younger woman whom he eventually marries. His wife is somewhat submissive in her marriage, allowing her husband to make the plans, decisions, etc. However, one business relationship becomes threatening to her husband and he suddenly disappears. The young wife becomes obessed with finding her husband and looks for every angle. She turns out to be a strong, assertive person in her own right. Ann Rule, as is her talent, traces their relationship through the years, and brings out the human element in this true crime story. There are several other fascinating short true crime stories in the book, all of which make it difficult to put the book down. | 1positive
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loved the book
Excellent product, excellent service, be more than happy to recommend this product to anyone who desired it or one like it. | 1positive
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One the few good reads on Solar Arc's I have found
If you are looking to learn Solar Arcs...this is the book. Christine did a wonderous job in the layout and writing of this masterpiece. With everything from progressions to transits and secondaries and so on and so forth. I can't praise this one enough.Now I would like to comment I don't like predictive astrology and I don't use the methods she teaches for that purpose. I say this because I think the title might scare some people off. | 1positive
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Quirky, funny and sad ~ I loved it
This was a terrific book from beginning to end and rates a very rare 10 from me. Equally funny and sad but never dreary despite the very serious overtones of the book. Marcus was a peculiar, wonderful boy with a huge burden on his shoulders and I really enjoyed watching him become a stronger, confident person. Will was also great ~ I loved the fact that he was a such a self-centered jerk and completely content to remain that way. No guilt, no remorse, no commitments. Until he meets Marcus, that is. Their relationship was laugh out loud funny and so very believable. I had a very difficult time putting this book down (to do things like go to work and care for the kids). | 1positive
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Wonderful
My mother gave this book to my toddler when he was an infant. He loves it so much that I am ordering my second copy since the first is so worn. It's one of Mommy and Daddy's favorite books too! This book's wonderfully simple, yet powerful, emotions are perfect for infants and toddlers alike. | 1positive
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Forget the hype...you can read this book
Despite what the reviewer from MA had to say about this novel, it is readable and it should be approached by anyone who is interested in it. It is not an easy read, but then again, really innovative and engaging works never are. Joyce does something in this novel that few authors have the courage to do--trust the reader's intelligence.Yes, this is a retelling of The Odyssey, but even without that framework, the novel stands by itself. The story picks up about a year after Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man leaves off with some of the same characters, notably Stephen Dedalus. But the protagonist of the work, Leopold Bloom, is the real stroke of genius. It might help to read Portrait before approaching Ulysses just to get an introduction to Stephen and his family. Anyone who really wants to get as many allusions as possible should probably use Gifford's annotations, which are available for both texts.As for our friend from MA...well, what can you say about someone who is reviewing the Cliff's Notes version of the text? Is that what Poly Sci majors read in order to try and feel intelligent as English majors?Do not be afraid; you can read this book. If you are afraid of starting a book that is so long by yourself then get some friends or family involved and read the book out loud to each other. It's marvelous. | 1positive
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Shout to the Lord
I was very disapointed in this songbook. The words are printed on a separate page from the music score. It is really for solo piano playing, and not to be used to play and sing the words with. | 0negative
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A wonderful sea story.
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? There's a reason why it's a classic and why Jules Verne is still relevant after over one hundred years, he wrote some darn good stories! Every school child should read this book. | 1positive
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Absolutely wonderful!
"Who will withstand the Final Storm?"Even from the back cover, you know the Final Storm is going to be exciting!As I read, I seemed to be there with Aidan, Antionette, and Robby.I was constantly on my seat and remained so until I finished the last page.After I finsihed it, my sister read it... twice! We also recommended it to a friend and he also loves it!I would highly recommend this book to any fantasy reader!(Lindsay W.) | 1positive
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Thank you! Dr Rosenthal!
I purchased this cd's to pass my comprehensive examn during grad school and used it for my NCE test, I passed and I can't thank enough to this cd's and Dr. Rosenthal!!! | 1positive
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One of the best Brin books I have read.
I loved the book. I think I have read it a total of eight times, and it is still interesting. It has a more realistic attitude to it than Startide Rising and the Uplift war, which were both great books, but neither captured my attention like the Postman. I would stayed up for hours just reading the book, and not get bored. A great book. -Ben Presley | 1positive
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$475 for a book?
As the man who wants to be the leader of the free world,I would think he would want the public to know his past.However, at this price, who can afford it?Unless your a billionaire.Then again, I guess this explains the high price...His wife must have bought all the copies up,so that the average American can't find out the truth. | 0negative
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Enables quick search of every occurrence of any Greek word
The First volume displays the text of the NT with a small number under every noun, verb, adjective, and adverb. That number, in six seconds takes you in the second volume to a list of all of the occurrences of the underlying Greek word in the Greek NT--but printed out in English! | 1positive
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So bad it's good
I am in need of a psychoanalyst. I continue to read these things hoping against hope that SOMETHING will change but no - we still have the same cardboard characters (Dirk & Dirk Jr are equally wooden - daughter is just for show), the action is over-the-top as usual and and the "plots" still take outlandish license with history as Cussler attempts to make sense of nonsense.Ready? It's a gawd-awful mixup of Greeks & Celts & England & Persia along with a modern-day cult based on Greek (or Celtic?) mysteries. Someone's trying to direct the ocean currents to Nicaragua to freeze the world and sell a special type of battery that...need I go on? You are probably asking what the freezing oceans have to do with Helen of Troy and of course, you are absolutely right - not a cotton-pickin' thing.This is SO much worse than Lincoln in the middle of the Sahara. (If you don't get it then you are lucky.) Or Atlantis or the claim of the US from Iceland or fill in any of the hysterical events. I am convinced he wrote these with Mystery Science Theater in mind. If not, they should be adapted for that particular medium. | 0negative
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Impressive, inspiring, and distressing
As a professional data modeller, I found this book impressive, inspiring, and distressing.It is impressive because the author has done a good job of encapsulating a broad set of what on the surface appear to be completely unrelated topics--metadata, business rules, data modeling, XML, etc. Except that I am interested in all of them, which should already have told me that they were related. He managed to balance the level of detail for each of the areas, not getting either intimidating with detail or too superficial to be useful.I found it inspiring because I really have been interested in this subject for many years and just didn't know it. In my data modeling practice I have always focused more on the meaning of concepts than on how they might be physically represented in databases. The author's admonition to companies to spend more time (and money) considering semantics could be in my marketing materials.My current problem is that data modeling has become passé and it is tricky to market my services. I like to distinguish myself from other data modelers in that I think I am better than most in understanding semantics, but I never described it that way. Semantics now gives me a way to rework my marketing message.I found this book distressing for the same reasons I found it inspiring. It points out that far from being a closed issue, this field is just beginning. The amount of stuff I still don't know is really troubling. The bibliography seriously scared me. Part of the problem is that my undergraduate degree was in philosophy, but in addition to the fact that I really have trouble after all these years remembering who said what, I now realize that my education in that subject was seriously superficial. Now I am going to have to take a refresher course!While I often see myself as an old curmudgeon who hates new ideas, I see this book as a challenge to me to get my intellectual act together. I welcome that and I am glad to see that there are still exciting things to be done. | 1positive
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Virtually useless, deceptive description.
The text is very poorly formatted and the links promised in the description do not exist. Save your money. | 0negative
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Great story, horrible publisher
NOTE: This review is for the Indo-European Publications edition of this book. I am reviewing this specific edition, which is horrible, not the story itself, which is great.DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!! It is full of misspellings and typos, all of which are distracting and make one wonder if there are other major errors and omissions that would go unnoticed by someone not familiar with the story. The novel deserves much better than this. Find a better publisher, and enjoy the book! | 0negative
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THE GREATEST SUMMARY OF WRITINGS FROM THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
Alain LeRoy Locke (1885-1954) was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. He is regarded as the "Father of the Harlem Renaissance."Locke wrote in the Foreword to this 1995 book, "This volume aims to document the New Negro culturally and socially---to register the transformations of the inner and outer life of the Negro in America that have so significantly taken place in the last few years. There is ample evidence of a New Negro in the latest phases of social change and progress, but still more in the internal world of the Negro mind and spirit."Here are some quotations from the book:(Alain Locke) "As with the Jew, persecution is making the Negro international." (Pg. 14)(Jessie Fauset) "For years the Caucasian in America has persisted in dragging to the limelight merely one aspect of Negro characteristics, by which the whole race has been glimpsed, through which it has been judged." (Pg. 161)(J.A. Rogers) "The Negroes who invented it called their songs the 'Blues,' and they weren't capable of satire of deception. Jazz was their explosive attempt to cast off the blues and be happy, carefree happy, even in the midst of sordidness and sorrow. And that is why it has been such a balm for modern ennui, and has become a safety valve for modern machine-ridden and convention-bound society. It is the revolt of the emotions against repression." (Pg. 217)(Charles S. Johnson) "A new type of Negro is evolving---a city Negro." (Pg. 285)(James Weldon Johnson) "To my mind, Harlem is more than a Negro community, it is a large scale laboratory experiment in the race problem." (Pg. 310)(Kelly Miller) "It was said that the Negro could not be educated. The missionaries refuted the charge by educating him... Nowhere in all history has education so fully vindicated its claim as the process of unlocking and releasing the higher powers and faculties of human nature." (Pg. 314)(Walter White) "The constant hammering of three hundred years of oppression has resulted in a race consciousness among the Negroes of the United States which is amazing to those who know how powerful it is." (Pg. 366) | 1positive
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Every Kid's Favorite
This book is one of my grandson's favorite books. It is especially fun for a boy who has an older sister, who is always RIGHT. | 1positive
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