U Books

Well, I know my Presidents now, that's for sure! I had great fun learning them, too, sitting on the couch with my husband one afternoon. The two of us went through the book, working through it and giggling at the references all the while. It was a lot of fun and we learned every president during the read. I planned to buy it, learn them, and then relist the item. But, I decided to instead hold onto it for when my nieces come over. I am always hunting for new ways to entertain them and this will keep them busy for sure! :) Lots of fun for all ages.
I highly recommend that you buy it and have as much fun as we did, and learn a little something, too! 5 stars!

This book was ordered for my son, who is a teacher, for Christmas and it came in plenty of time. Thanks so much.

This book is the best and most fun ways to learn about the American Presidents that I have ever seen. For each president from Washington through Clinton, there is a brief caption regarding his life and accomplishments. There is also a drawing taken from a photo or portrait, a cartoon style drawing and associated play on words to aid in remembering the name and whom they succeeded. For example, the cartoon for Dwight Eisenhower shows the Eiffel Tower with eyes on it being held by a tree with eyes. The caption is "The tree-man is crawling up the side of a huge tower that has eyes on it. It must be the eyes-on-tower!" The cartoon for Harry Truman, who preceded Eisenhower, shows the tree-man.
One of the best books for learning history and social studies, I strongly recommend this book. If my children were of a suitable age, I would buy it for them.

After one night, I knew all 43 presidents of the United States in order without looking. This book is AWESOME!!! :D

I had to memorize the presidents in the fourth grade. I'm in college now and I can still remember everything from this book. Not only does it work, but it's fun to look at the pictures and learn the presidents. People of all ages can learn from this book.

This book, like Stephen Flynn's "Edge of Disaster" succinctly dissects the problems we face in warding off terrorism at home and exposes our vulnerabilities. They are large - ports, shipping, energy infrastructure, chemical plants, food processing facilities, for openers.
Flynn describes the problem only too well,

At the root of the problem is the Department of Homeland Security's secrecy, lack of internal coordination, turf battles, and incompatabile data base systems. Equally problematic is the complacency of the AMerican people, who are being shielded from the realities by a patronizing government.

Flynn ascribes the current situation to be comparable to the "phony war" between the time of the nazi attack in Poland in 1939, and the invasion and capitulation of France in the SPring of 1940 because of failure to consider, plan and consider new battlefield tactics. In short, the French (and also the British, were using WOrld War I tactics to fight new German panzer tactics. The parallels of today's attitudes and the last days of the Roman EMpire also are, indeed, chilling.

The government is not the only culprit that lulls our citizens into complacency. In my personal opinion, the news media does not help with its focus on the trivial, a hiding of coverage of the war on terror, and seldom reviewing the vulnerabilities Flynn covers so well and rallying our citizenry to the realities of what's at stake.

The solutions?: Active involvement of citizens; Active involvement of government with relevant private industry; open communicatioan with all relevant players in state and local government; making infrastructure sufficiently resilient that terrorists no longer find a potential target attractive.

WHat is needed, and implied, is a revival of an approach pioneered by NASA in the early 1960's when they had to establish operational paradigms and procedures for which there was no precedent. It's called 'conceptual blockbusting'. FLynn's book will help us get there, if everyone reads it.

Flynn quotes Abraham Lincoln concerning new paradigms:

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with uncertainty, and we must rise to the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."

It's as relevant now in the war on terro as it was in 1962.

BUY this book, and buy extra copies for your loved ones and closest friends.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the short comings of our Homeland Security Department. I initially bought the book after thumbing through it and finding a section on the lack of security with our cargo containers, a specific worry of mine.

This book not only breaks down where we are vulnerable, it explains why and offers workable solutions as to how to reduce this vulnerability. The book is a bit frightening in a way, when you read and realize how vulnerable we really are, even after 6 years of security measures. Why isn't more being done? What are the government officials covering up?

What makes this book hit like a sledgehammer is the credentials of the author. He was a Coast Guard Commander for 20 years, an expert in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been on Congressional Task forces studying the problems in homeland security as well as serving in the White House Military Office during President George H. Bush administration and director for Global Issues on the National Security Council during the Administration of President Bill Clinton. Stephen Flynn is obviously an expert on this issue and his words should be given their due weight.

Bottom line, insightful, a bit frightening, definitely a book to read if you like current events or really want to know how safe we actually are.

This book focuses practically entirely on the vulnerabilities of the American homeland, and offers some suggestions that could begin to lay the foundation for protecting those vulnerabilities. The book does not talk about the war on terror in the terms of the offensive operations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, intelligence matters, and targeted killings of Al-Qaeda at all.

The author's cogent argument rests on the concept of defense in depth. In addition to offensive operations to route out the terrorists, we also need to make our homeland less susceptible to successful attack and more resilient to the aftermath of the inevitable one that slips through the net.

The homeland is defined not just as American territory, but extends to include the global commercial, transportation, trading, and financial networks that are central to our way of life and our economy. This represents a rich field of targets for terrorists, with successful attacks being able to ripple through the networks and cause continuing and ongoing damage. Flynn opens his book with a scenario of an attack on shipping containers, and transportation links with radiological devices. The hypothetical comes off as very plausible and sobering.

The remainder of the book talks about what the major vulnerabilities of America are, such as chemical plants, food distribution, overextended medical systems via biological or chemical attacks, etc. He shows that we currently lack the capabilities, organizational structure, and practices to adequately secure these vulnerabilities.

He provides what are really "glimpses" of possible solutions to these problems, including RFID tracking of cargo containers and food shipments with embedded WMD sensors, government security standards for critical and hazardous infrastructure (nuke plants, water treatment facility chlorine gad tanks, etc.) continuing reorganization at the federal, state and local level to focus on security, insurance measures, and a particularly innovative concept to enlist private company participation patterned after the Federal Reserve system.

However at the length of this short and easily readable (if not pleasently readable) book Flynn cannot go into detail. The cost and time of implementing such systems are not gone into in a satisfactory manner, but that's not the point of the book.

The point of the book is that the government needs to do more to protect our homefront. Flynn convincingly makes his case, and provides reasonable guidelines about how to improve upon the situation.

A good read for American citizens who want to ensure that we are doing the best we can to protect our civilization.

That is how one of the chapters starts. It's a matter of when the next terrorist attack will happen, not if it will happen, according to the author, Stephen Flynn.

With absolute simplicity, common sense logic, and an irrefutable argument, he demonstrates how and why our government is failing to protect us from the terrorist threat. Industry and government are not willing to take the time and the money required to provide greater security for a war on terrorism that will never end.

Our water and food supplies, our chemical plants, and our ports are alrmingly unsecure from terrorist attack. Flynn creates a terrorist scenario demonstrating how the terrorist threat can become reality. He asserts our enemies are willing to spend the time to create the act of terror, while we are not willing to spend the time defending ourselves to foil it.

He blames industries which see no benefit in spending the money on security which will be passed on to their consumers, while non-security minded companies will maintain lower prices and take business away from the security-conscious ones.

This means that congress must act. It must set security standards that will be implemented across each industry thus spreading the cost to everyone. So far, congress, not wanting to offend their million dollar contributors have done nothing. Flynn also suggests that Americans must be willing to make the sacrifices necessary for this security.

We are operating on a World War II mentality i.e. the best defense is a good offense by taking the fight to their countries. That is not what Flynn recommends. Terrorists will always be able to get into this country. We must strengthen our security at home which will take years of dedicated preparation and action.

The author's book is a siren song. The beginning of his fourth chapter bears repeating as a end to this review. "When it comes to dealing with the new security agenda, Americans need to grow up....Terrorism is simply too cheap, too available, and too tempting ever to be totally eradicated. We must have the maturity both to live with the risk of future attacks and to invest in reasonable measures to rein in that risk."

For those who use the argument that we haven't been attacked since 9/11, remember, it took five years of planning. 9/11 is now more than five years ago. Truly, American apathy and complacency are the terrorists' greatest allies.

This is a clearly written, well reasoned book on how to provide real security for the U.S. homeland. To his credit, its author Stephan Flynn wastes no time either in partisan bashing of the current administration or in dissecting the many faults of the Department of Homeland Security. Rather he immediately shares his analysis of why domestic security in the U.S .is such an elusive goal. In the course of a number of chapters he builds a pretty strong case that in spite of all the talk, the U.S. is just as vulnerable to terrorist attacks as it was in 2000 before the 9/11 catastrophe. Flynn provides some specific examples what these vulnerabilities are and is especially effective in his analysis of shipping port vulnerabilities as a result of the exponential growth of containerized shipping. He also provides what appears to be a sensible and more importantly doable plan to actually reduce our vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks. He is an advocate of applying that long held business concept of `risk management' to the practice of homeland security. Like Richard Posner (Preventing Surprise Attacks - amazon.com) he points out the impossibility of making the U.S. completely immune to any terrorist threat and argues that it makes far better sense to rationally and logically identify which potential targets in the U.S. would cause the most loss of life and economic or social disruption if attacked and build a dynamic and multilayered defensive system to protect those targets.

Of course, Flynn is a former Coast Guard officer so his prescriptions for protecting America are practical not theoretical. Having spent twenty years protecting U.S. interests in our coastal waters, his thought on how to protect this country is based on a realistic understanding of the threats we face and a knowledge of what actually can be done to mitigate those threats. It is a shame that the Department of Homeland Security has not seen fit to follow his example.

Wayne Williams captures the beauty of the western United States in a way that inspires a respect for nature. Hopefully, everyone will have an opportunity to view this book and remember to treat our environment as the gift it truly is.

I have just spent an enchanted couple of hours visiting 'America's Vanishing Landscapes'. Wayne Williams has produced a visual feast and testament to the beauty of Nature. This book contains so many beautiful images, I felt compelled to write and reccomend it to you.
I am lucky enough to live by one of nature's rain forests in the West Indies. Everyday I am filled with awe and wonder by my surroundings. This book makes me feel the same way. What also impressed me too, was his mastery of the craft and it reminded me of Ansel Adams work. They have combined technological mastery of the photographic techniquies available to them; and have produced a vision that not only speaks to the senses, but also to the heart. This is a rare combination and achievement.

Breath-taking vistas!!! You want to run away and see America. I have never seen the jewels of our country captured with such feeling. This is THE book for every home that wants to "travel" the country. Gorgeous presentation, beautifully put together. Perfect gift item, but get one for yourself too. I can't wait for the other editions covering the rest of the country.

It's impossible to capture the grandeur and magnitude of beauty of nature in a photo but Williams comes as close as you can get in this amazing book. The greatest and worst terrorism is the terrorism against the environment. It dwarfs all the other forms. This book may give people the vision that is an antidote.

What would it feel like to be able to go back a couple of hundred years and experience in real life the magnificent vistas of the American west as they were then? Amazingly enough, this book of contemporary photography will magically let you feel that and then bowl you over with its message. It is simply the most moving collection of landscape images I have ever seen. The stunning beauty of these photographs of some of the American West's most spectacular vistas and the inspiration and purpose reflected in the artist's heartfelt interpretations of each image weave together a haunting sense of loss and, at the same time, a deep understanding of what we have done and must now do. It will be a long time before you make room on your coffee table for another book (probably about as long as it takes Mr. Williams to publish the next volume in the project). It will not take long, however, for you to make room in your life for its purpose. Thank you, Wayne Williams, for helping us see again with this important and beautiful work.

Mankind has insufficient understanding of what womankind has brought to the table.

Unfortunately, American culture has too often not given women the credit and reward they deserve. Monahan and Neidel-Greenlee have created an expansive chronicle of nurse (primarily women) contributions throughout the WW II fields of combat. While I do have some criticisms of the writing style and the authors' focus priorities and interpretations, my critiques are immaterial compared to the importance of more people understanding the outlines and frameworks of the massive, intelligent, and sacrificial efforts these women freely gave.

And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II Wow! This is, hands down, one of the best books I have read about World War II. Not only did it give the true story of the nurses on the front lines, but wove the chronology of the war, starting in North Africa, up to the end of the war. You don't have to be a nurse to be fascinated by this outstanding history of the the war.

"And If I Perish" is a wonderful book! I was enthralled by the courage of these unsung heroines and had to put the book down several times when my eyes misted over & my throat became choked up.

I was surprised to read that Army Nurses jumped in the water & went ashore alongside the troops during the North Africa landings. They were under fire & died at Anzio as the field hospital was within range of German guns. Clearly-marked hospital ships were bombed in the Mediterranean and nurses survived, not one, but two such sinkings. I was shocked that the story of these front-line nurses was suppressed for so long because the government feared a "backlash" from the public.

For too long the sacrifices of this generation of brave women have been unpublished. Of the dozens of books I have read on World War II, there has been hardly a mention of the role women played except on the home front.

This book should be placed in every school library -- not only to keep the memory of the actions of these Army Nurses alive, but to provide role models for the future.

Attention! women directors & producers: There needs to be a movie about these nurses.

My mother was a nurse in the 95th Evacuation Hospital, one of the units featured in this book. Though she was not interviewed, she's the nurse on the left in the photo of two nurses and a doctor in the OR. They're wearing scrubs and she's got a mask on, but it's her! I thought I knew all of her stories inside and out, but reading this book I realized how humble she was in the telling. When I read about the hospital ship being bombed and the constant shelling at Anzio, the fact that she survived amazed me. I cried when I read about the 95th's tour of duty at Dachau Concentration Camp because I couldn't -- and still can't imagine -- what it must have been like. In recent years, the focus on WWII nurses' experiences has sharpened. My mother has been interviewed for newspaper articles and the archives in D.C. I don't think women have been given nearly enough credit for service in our nations' wars, but it's about time. This book could have been called Band of Sisters. To this day, my mother is uncomfortable with the label "hero," but she's mine. To "Smitty," "VJ," "Slem," and "Wells," I salute you.

My Mom was in the Army Nurse Corps in the EAME Theatre and received 4 Bronze Service Stars and 5 O/S Service bars during her military service. I was always interested to know what experiences she had, however she was reluctant to speak of those memories. After reading this book, I can understand why. "And If I Perish" is a great read to help one understand the dedication of the women of World War II and what they had to endure.

While their cover of Only Sixteen was all over the radio, I wonder how many folks bought the LP after hearing that song, and discovered this stoner classic? This is music to listen to with a lot of friends, with plenty of various libations on hand. A true party album.

As usual, the album contains great Shel Silverstein penned classics. Shel was at the top his game, and Dr. Hook delivers the songs with skillful wit. Interestingly enough, Dr. Hook as a band was bankrupt, and this album very well could have been their last. The success of Only Sixteen saved them, but alas, instead of more songs like The Millionaire and I Got Stoned, they went.... DISCO!!!! Bankrupt turned out to be the last, great Dr. Hook album. And what a great one it is!

Good times and good music from a long time ago.
Light one up, kick back, and enjoy.

I love this album. I saw the 'Hook' in 1974 on The Old Grey Whistle Test doing it and was blown away - I went out and bought it the following day. The Millionairre is excellent, I got stoned...... just me at the time. I've just ordered on CD from this site - delivery in April - I can't wait. I've worn out 6 copies on 33 over the past 30 years. The only other album I've done that with is Neil Young Harvest

some very funny moments on this CD. i used to listen to the LP many years ago , wore it out completely. WUPS makes me smile everytime i hear it. this was the bands last chance to make it big. Only Sixteen was the hit that made them superstars. A very hard to find CD, get it while you still can.

This album holds so many memories of my teenage years as I used to listen to this when going to Speedway with my brother. I have been searching for this to add to my collection of CD's and this is the first place I have been able to find it. As for the songs there isn't a bad one amonst them "Levitate" truly does lift me high, "Only Sixteen" reminds me of when I was ONLY SIXTEEN and "Millionaire" well listening to it will make us all feel like MILLIONAIRE'S

As soon as I finished Forests of Silence I plunged into Lake of Tears. This book kept me going with the series until the next one.

The Shadow Lord has taken over the land of Deltora and it is up to Lief, a young boy, Barda, an ex-palace guard and Jasmine, a wild girl who they met in the Forests of Silence to find all the jewels to the magic belt of Deltora to overthrow the Shadow. They already have the topaz but now they must find the next jewel in the deadly Lake of Tears.

Filled with new friends like Manus, and absolutely teeming with villains like Thaegan the witch and two of her children whom I will not name, Grey Guards, the Shadow Lord's evil servents and the treacherous Soldeen, I will treasure this book forever.

Lief and his friends have to find seven gems to put in a belt called the belt of Deltora. This belt has special powers that is the only thing that can stop the Shadow Lord from his evil rule. I loved how Lief would stick with his friends even in the most perilest positions. I think it's great that they could do anything if they put there minds to it.

Deltora Dead or Alive?


In the fantasy novel The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda , Lief, the son of the King, Barda, a place guard, and Jasmine, a gypsy of the Forest of Silence, are the only ones that stand in the way of Thaegon, a sorceress of the Ruby territory, and the Shadow Lord's evil rule over Deltora. Deltora is a magical land.
Over 14 years ago Lief's father, mother, and his fathers friend met and decided that if the Belt of Deltora, a mystic belt made by the first king of Deltora to protect its people, was to be kept safe it should be worn at all times by the current King. But the Shadow Lord was quick, he sent big black birds called Ak-baba to steal the seven gems of the belt and hide them all over Deltora. The kids now quest to find all 7 gems; Topaz, Ruby, Opal, Emerald, Diamond, Amethyst, and Lapis lazuli of Deltora, the kids have made it through The Forests of Silence, defeated the guardian of the Topaz gem and placed the Topaz on the belt of Deltora. There is one down and six to go. They now must quest to find the mysterious Lake of Tears. The gossip about this place races around like wild fire. Most have never returned from this journey into the lake to retrieve the next stone of the belt. Lief hopes that he and his friends will return from this trip to the lake as it had worked out at in The Forests of Silence, a previous book.
This book has a lot of interesting riddles and messages. Emily Rodda scans pictures and diagrams into the book that makes all the mystery and riddles even crazier to decode. Emily also has written many other series like Dragons of Deltora. The stories of Deltora Quest, Deltora Dragons, and Deltora Shadowlands are interrelated as past and future. I would recommend this book to readers 9 years and up and all who have a strong stomach

This was a very good book, I like everything (the characters, story, magic...) but the bad dude.

The Lake of Tears is the second to the Deltora Quest series. In this book the trio of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine are off to the Lake of Tears to get the second gem to the Belt of Deltora. The gem was the Ruby, which they had to defeat the evil Thaegan to get. In the first book of the series, Lief found out from his father, Jarred, that he was the one who was meant to save Deltora by finding the Seven Gems of the Belt of Deltora. By defeating Thaegan they shall have two of the gems and be on there way to saving their home from the evil Shadowlord.
Emily Rodda used tons of details in this new addition to her fantasy series filled with mischief and mysteries. This book was probably the best fantasy book I have ever read and I recommend it to any fantasy, dragon, and magic lovers. I recommend this book to both boys and girl who are okay with some frightening events occurring throughout the book.

Thomas Paine is the Main Man who started the two Revolutionary Wars, first America which took 7 years then afterwards France starts her own Revolution with Thomas Paine's help but hers is won almost overnight. Thomas Paine not only started these Revolutions but he participated in both. This book is a real page turner that you won't be able to put down!

With all of the current claims by people of what the Founding Fathers intended for our country I decided to begin reading them for myself to achieve a personal perspective on what the Founders intended. This book and the writings contained are an excellent source of information and insight as to what Thomas Paine's intentions were.

Thomas Paine is an important figure in the founding of the United States. Although he was later ignored by the United States (when he was a prisoner in France...).

The book is a good compilation of the works of Thomas Paine. Paine was a smart man and his writings were influential in the American Revolution (Common Sense) and the French Revolution (Rights of Man). This book combines the writings into one book.

Common Sense is a short phamplet that greatly influenced the United States foundation. The sensical arguments seem obvious to readers in the 21st Century but in the late 18th century they were ideas that people needed to hear, and was a kickoff to the drive for independence. Common sense was read by a lot of Americans at the time and would do students of American History well to get the feelings of the Revolutionary period.

In today's politically heated atmosphere, people seem to have forgotten what this great nation was founded on. Reading this book is enlightening, awakening, and reminds us of what it took to make America. Sadly, it's also a pretty sharp reminder of how more and more of our rights are being stripped away from us. I think this book should be required reading in school, and certainly before any political discussion. I recommend this book to ANYONE of ANY AGE. Absolutely amazing.

every american should have a copy to see how the american goverment has taken away every liberty that was so hard to get!

Great! Book was received in perfect condition and in a timely manner. Thanks you!

Harrowing, at times bleak, but a superbly written memoir of a very special lady and the historical times she helped create.

Aside from being a celebration of the human spirit, Ms. Holland's Memoir offers a fresh, interesting, and unique glimpse into the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. This focus alone, I believe, renders the book meritorious.

Ms. Holland tells the civil rights story from the perspective of individuals born and raised in the muck and mire of Mississippi's lethal brand of white supremacy and racial hatred. Through her eyes, we get a close-up view of what had to be overcome; and, what was required of ordinary folk brave enough to get involved in a situation that could and DID, literally, cost them their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

These unsung heroes deserve national attention and recognition if the story of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America is to be told in its entirety. But, if this isn't reason enough to add Ms. Holland's book to your 'must read' list, I believe the author's superior craftsmanship will certainly convince you her work is worthy of the acclaim she is sure to receive once her book gains a wider readership. And, above all, the Memoir is a magnificent read!

Usually, I find it awkward and sometimes unnerving to read books written in a black, southern, vernacular. However, as in the case of Zora Neale Hurston, Endesha Ida Mae Holland writes with such a pure and authentic voice, I found myself falling effortlessly into her rhythm.

I'm a voracious reader and the authors I most enjoy are great storytellers. My current favorite is Barbara Kingsolver, and my all time favorite is Zora Neale Hurston. Endesha Ida Mae Holland 'puts me in the mind of' both these writers.

She also reminds me of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes & 'Tis). Like McCourt, Ms. Holland transports you back to her childhood and growing up years with such seamless ease, you find yourself sharing her heartbeat through every single experience she lives to tell about. Almost immediately, I found myself caring deeply about her; I grew to love her mother, her child, her neighbors, her friends; and, I found no strangers among those who populate her world.

What an exquisite gift of storytelling she has! I certainly hope she plans to write more 'from the Mississippi Delta,' because her talent is as rich and fertile as her source.

Obviously, I've become a devoted fan of Ms. Holland and her work ~ a designation I'm hoping you and I will soon share. Who knows, your reading experience with Ms. Holland may inspire you to join me in asking Oprah Winfrey to feature the author and her book on the Oprah Show, as well as making 'From The Mississippi Delta,' an Oprah Book Club selection.

I was moved to make this appeal to Ms. Winfrey because I believe we all benefit from an increased national and international exposure to brave and talented women like Ms.Holland. These women are profoundly inspirational and deserving of our applause and recognition.

Endesha's story, rich in its southern dialect is a remarkable story of triumph, and a testimony that affirms regardless of our past, our pain, our short-comings that within each of us is a tiny seed waiting to blossom. Her ability to surmount the many obstacles growing up in the Mississippi Delta (a black girl) in the 60's serves as a beacon of light for African Americans who are today experiencing the pitfalls of poverty and injustice. Endesha has shown us how a committed spirit can burst forward to claim all that the Almighty has in store for us. Dr. Lady, thank you for pioneering the way. Keep writing!

'Inspirational' has become one of those watered-down adjectives like 'brilliant'. Though we know certain words might signal something monumental, perhaps our frequent usage of them has lost some of the grandeur in their meaning. We no longer arch our backs or allow a goose bump to rise. Behold, along comes a work like From the Mississippi Delta: A Memoir. Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland turns the term, 'inspirational' on its ear. What is most remarkable about 'Delta'? Is it the phenomenal story itself or is it Holland's gift for unrelenting and witty story-telling? Holland never abandons humor even at the crux of tragedy. Her pen is as brazen as it is impeccably descriptive. She writes with an immediacy to jar the reader's sense of time so that we relive her most defining moments with bated breath. From Emmett Till's death to Dr. Martin Luther King's visit, Holland's simplest daily encounters mark turning points in American history.

Notably, 'Delta' celebrates the tenacious spirit of a true woman-child. Holland narrates from a clever perspective that never quite chooses between the wise narrator looking back and the rambunctious girl reaching forward. This devise is poignant. Arguably, young girls (in particular, young, black girls) are some of society's most disenfranchised members. When Holland employs that voice, the reader is humbled. One is reminded of Anne Frank's influence. When the worst aspects of humanity are articulated through the voice of a little girl, we see ourselves so clearly--vulnerable, restless, but especially hopeful. Thank you, Doc. Your struggle is instructional. Your literary prowess is an inspiration.

There is no one better at spoofing the foolishness of how business is done than Scott Adams in his Dilbert strip. All quality spoofs are based on fundamental truths and Dilbert is no exception. That is of course why the Dilbert web site is one of the sites most frequently blocked by business managers.
While the truth often hurts, in the right hands it can be hilarious and Adams' hands are the right ones when it comes to business. Reading this book may not make your job better, but it certainly will make it more tolerable.

For some reason, I didn't find this book quite as funny as some of Adams' later stuff, but it still gave me some good laughs!

The funniest humor always has a root in reality. . . that's why Dilbert is so hilarious! Though sometimes outlandish, I can sometimes see similarities between the Dilbert characters and people I work with!

Scott Adams has talent. That is a fact. His comics, Dilbert, are basically about this engineer who works in a cubicle and has no social life. They're so funny, and have such original characters. Bob the Dinosaur, who basically goes around giving wedgies to people, is probably one of my favourites. I find it very amusing how a lot of characters are animals, like Dogbert, Catbert, Ratbert, etc. It seems so funny, somehow, to incorporate animals into work at an office building.
So, overall, any Dilbert books are incredibly hilarious. Go buy one.

Fugitive From The Cubicle Police is a 224-page collection of Scott Adams' hilarious Dilbert cartoons. Dated from 1993 and 1994, these cartoons are from quite early in the Dilbert story. Most of the normal crew is here: Dilbert, Alice (her hair isn't pyramid-shaped yet), Wally, Dogbert, and so forth, but no Catbert. The cartoons themselves appear as they did in your favorite newspaper, with the big Sunday ones printed in bright color!

This book is great, a must-have addition to the library of any Scott Adams fan. And, the finger-puppets make it that much better. This is perhaps the best Dilbert book of them all - buy it!

Monkey: Evolution favors monkeys. Eventually humans will be kept in cages as pets...
Dilbert: Impossible! We humans will never allow ourselves to be treated like that! Now, get out of my cubicle!

Dilbert, the mainstay of office-life critical witticisms, is the concept of Scott Adams, who quit his job to write the column, using it primarily to exorcise the demons that haunted him (and, indeed, seem to haunt all in small-to-large corporate America) during his tenure as a mid-level office worker.

In his introduction, he says: 'I was doing some thinking today. But I didn't enjoy it very much, so I decided to write this introduction instead....'

Who can argue with this? This, perhaps in a brief statement, summarises much of the underlying philosophy of the corporate culture Adams presents in his Dilbert column. It certainly epitomises the prevailing attitude of the boss and management structure. And of course, being in charge of his own column, Adams has graduated (or, perhaps sunk) to the level of management.

This book consists of a generous sampling of Sunday columns (complete with colour -- OOOH! AAAH!) -- colour of course being a Dilbert-ian device to disguise the lack of information. Yet, the information here is timely and timeless (insofar as anything about corporate culture can be timeless).

Dogbert's entry into and rising through the hierarchy is a good case in point, where LOUD equals results. After securing a corner office with a window by being LOUD, a task force ripe for empire-building within the company, the budgetary control of his boss, he is invited, at the end of his first week on the job, to meet with the president of the company.

President: You've made quite a name for yourself in the week you've worked here.
Dogbert: It was easy to grab power, once I realised that other executives were just imbeciles with good hair.
President: I hope you don't think that of me.
Dogbert: No, that looks like a toupee from here...

Onward and upward...

Finally Dogbert becomes president, exercises stock options after a disastrous but stock-market-friendly series of initiative plans (of course, they only have to be plans for the stock market to react), and retires to devote himself to philanthropy, which is 'mostly about watching people beg, and having buildings named after me.'

We are introduced to Dilbert's co-workers, who are variously competent and stuck in their jobs, rejoicing the occasional tiny victories, or, more frequently, plotting grand schemes to gain the minor advantage (a few more inches of cubicle space, for instance). We are introduced to incompetent co-workers who get promotions and jobs in other firms with real offices and perks. We discover what kinds of women will date (and dump) Dilbert. Of course, that might have become a bit of a different problem had Dilbert's boss not been corrected in time...

Boss: My boss says we need some eunuchs programmers.
Dilbert: I think he means Unix, not eunuchs. And I already know Unix.
Boss: If the company nurse drops by, tell her I said "Never mind."

Dilbert does sometimes win after all.

Back with yet another collection, Notaro proves that she still has the skills to get herself into hilarious situations she can later write about. Though not the funniest of all her books, a must read for true Notaro fans. If anything, this book is worth it for the last story, and the picture at the end!

Notaro has done it again. With this, her seventh book, a collection of essays or short stories about her life. Women (and men for that matter) can relate to her writing about getting older and the "charms" that entails for women, such as various forms of hair removal and self-maintenence that is required. Her wit and unabashed honesty make this book a very entertaining and quick read.

I have read all of Laurie Notaro's books and this is by far the funniest. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud, but this book had me in tears. i couldn't wait for my friends to read it so we could laugh together. As an over 50 female, the chin hair story was hilarious. It is going to be hard to outdo this book!

I was very anxiously wating for this book to come out. On the day it did finally come out, I ran to every possible store so I could read it right away because I was having knee surgery in 3 days. Needless to say, I could find it nowhere so my husband ordered it for me on Amazon. We paid for the next day shipping and I pretty much sat on the porch wating for the UPS man. As soon as he got here, I sat down on the couch and started reading. Most of it was cute, but not funny. I only laughed out loud a couple of times and as anyone who reads her books knows, you are usually crying and calling your friends to read them the funny parts. Not once did I have the desire to do this. I will, of course,buy her next book when it comes out but for this one, the anticipation left me wanting after I finally got it.

Notaro is one of the only authors who makes me laugh out loud. Her stories are hilarious, and sometimes I think she has been following me around for notes! She is not afraid to let readers see her in a not-so-flattering light, and makes no apologies for her behavior.