Education Books


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Education Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Education
365 Prophetic Promises & Blessings for Your Children
Published in Paperback by Xulon Press (2005-04-22)
Author: Sebastian Seet
List price: $21.99
New price: $14.17
Used price: $14.17

Average review score:

promises & blessings for your children
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-21
this book comprised of blessing prayers that allow parents to bless their children in every aspect of their lives, to teach them to treasure God's promises, the blessings God has for them, and helping them to continue to live through their continuing faith in God.
Unlease your blessings.

An awesome book on the importance of God's promises & blessings
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-22
This is not the sort of book you read at one go and say, "THAT"S NICE". This is a book you do. The more you use this book daily, the more you'll benefit and get out of it. So, set aside the time to use this book and do this book to bless your children. Thank You Pastor Sebastian. May this book release more of God's promise and blessing to our children so that they can enjoy God to the fullest. God bless them plentifully.

365 Prophetic Promises & Blessings for Your Children
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-16
Do you want your children to receive the blessings of God? This is a book that all parents should take to heart if you what to bless your children. It is easy to read and use, the concept is simple just need 5 minutes or more depending on what you desire. You'll find out what a great difference your blessings really make in the lives of those you love most (your children). The bottom line is - you need to give time to expose spiritual matter in their lives instead of leaving God's promises and blessings out altogether.
I'm thrilled that here is a book to enrich my family's prayer life and God's promises to pass on.

365 Prophetic Promises & Blessings for Your Children
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-11
This is such a great way to pray for & with your child everyday!!! It is very simple & easy to fllow... I LOVE IT!! I am thankful i found it! A must for every parent!

Pronounce God's blessings into their lives
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-03
A must to have book for every mom and dad who wants to make a difference in the spiritual lives of their children. The book reminds us of the value of pronouncing blessings - how they can begin to experience God's promises in a different way and becoming aware of the blessings bestowed on them.

Add blessings and excitement of God's promises to their growth. They will benefit by how God's Word communicates to them. It's a tool that will literally prepare them to achieve what God had planned for them.

Education
The ABC's and All Their Tricks
Published in Hardcover by Mott Media (MI) (1986-12-01)
Author: M. Bishop
List price: $22.99
New price: $14.32
Used price: $4.94

Average review score:

Great resource (but not for everyone)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-01
For intermediate to advanced phonics, Bishop's text is a great resource, but it's not for every reading teacher. It should be particularly valuable for reading specialists, speech therapists, and anyone looking to develop curriculum material.

How have I used the text? It's helped me adapt and develop materials for a junior-high student who reads 3-4 grades below level because of dyslexia. He hates the skill-sheets that were so obviously developed for elementary students. Now I can adapt or create materials easily.

What does the text offer? It generally gives 20-40 examples for every spelling-sound pattern, and explains the situations that lead to the exceptions. Entries are cross-referenced to examples that follow similar patterns. Bishop points out differences you probably haven't thought of noticing before (for example, when the featured spelling-sound pattern is stressed or unstressed, voiced or not voiced. Each of these distinctions comes with a separate set of supporting examples.) Bishop offers clues that help readers know which pattern to follow when sounding out a word that "sounds" equally like two different spellings.

HIGHLY Recommmended for any family with children learning to SPELL!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-19
This book far exceeded my expectations!
It unravels the mystery of the so-called unexplainably strange ways of spelling so many of our English words. Clear & concise format.
EXCELLENT for young children learning to read & spell...it answers any questions you might have about the rules of the way letters are put together in words & pronounced.
A must have for any home library...

Fantastic spelling book--best proponent for phonetics
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-27
This book is fascinating and will it will be highly valuable in planning spelling lessons. It is the ultimate resource for the wisdom of teaching phonetics.

The ABC's and All Their Tricks
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-04
Seldom is it possible to find an extensive list of specific 'unusual' information about our language. The ABC's and All Their Tricks contains a list of the number of times phonograms appear in English words.
As an educator of children and adults, specializing in spelling and grammar, I needed this information at my fingertips. Using the book as a reference, I find it easy to explain the consistency of our language and dispel the myth that English is too irregular and difficult to learn. Amazon is the only place I could find this book, as it was not available in Australia.

Really interesting resource!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-25
I liked the information this book offered, particularly because I believe it would be helpful to anybody teaching children--educators, parents, tutors, etc. You don't have to have a certain curriculum package to make this work. I LOVE having resources around that you don't have to read cover to cover. This is one that you can look up what you have questions on. Sometimes, when a student doesn't "get" something, it is only because it isn't presented in a format they understand. Often, the educator just needs a different tactic than what appears "obvious" to them, but not to the child. A great reference.

Education
The Adventures of Sunny & The Chocolate Dog: Sunny & The Chocolate Dog Go to the Beach (Adventures of Sunny and the Chocolate Dog)
Published in Paperback by Sunny & the Chocolate Dog Llc (2003-02-15)
Author: Susie Neimark
List price: $9.95
New price: $9.95

Average review score:

Sunny & The Chocolate Dog Go to the Beach
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-17
Another enjoyable read for me. The author has done a very good job in communicating the subject to the readers. I would highly recommend this for the young reader as well as the parent who reads to their children.

Wonderfully Engaging
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-11
Everyone that's read this book has had very positive things to say about it. The story is in depth and helps teach some of life's valuable lessons in an engaging way.
Can't wait to read the third one. Great web site too.

Encouragement
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-30
What a precious, uplifting story full of encouragement and positive reinforcement. I enjoyed every minute of it and I know my grandchildren will too. The patience and understanding that Sunny showed Cloudy was so sweet. Very well done!

A childs retreat
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-27
I'm not sure which was best....Reading the book WITH my six year old niece, or merely watching her expressive face as she experienced Sunny and Cloudy come to life. The books engage and entice a young reader to laugh, learn, and live. Sunny and the Chocolate Dog series conveys values and virtues in an enjoyable manner. "What is a buddy system..." she asked.....I myself had forgotten all about the buddy system. "Was I scared of the water the first time I went to the beach....". A great team approach to reading. Initially she needed help with some of the larger words, she now prides herself in the ability to annunciate and read them with ease. She has replaced the books on her bed side table with the Sunny and the Chocolate Dog series.

Happy Happy Learning Time
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-22
My son and I find the beautiful artwork very pleasing to the visual senses. The dogs are a lot of fun and my son learns along the way. My son said this is a "happy" book.
We want more of these guys!

Education
The Amazing Action Alphabet
Published in Spiral-bound by Seeheardo Company (2007-03-10)
Author: Esther Kehl
List price: $14.95
New price: $10.36

Average review score:

This is a BETTER WAY!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-20
My daughter has dyslexia, and this system has done wonders for both her and my son. This really is a unique and ingenious approach to learning!

My kids have responded so well to the flipchart, actions and stories! The learning is almost instant and more importantly they are able to retain what they learn.

I am really surprised this system is not in use in our schools, or at least getting the attention it deserves. It has blessed our family in many ways. Thank you!

1st Grader now at grade 2.5 level!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-22
I started this program when my son was 3. He had concentration and attention issues. He is now reading at a 2.5 or second grade half-way through the year, level in 1st Grade! The key for him was the 'action' part. He would beg me to 'play' the game with him, not realizing he was being taught. Isn't that the point?

Amazing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20
I love this flip chart! When my son was about two and a half I got this book. He loves it still and he is five now. This method makes it so fun and easy to help your kids learn the alphabet and sounds and puts them on the fast track to reading on their own. And now I feel confident in my abilities to help my kids with their education. I love it!

The Amazing Action Alphabet
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20
I have a 3 year old son that has already learned many of the letter names and sounds in the alphabet because of this program. It's so fun and interactive that he learns it easily and actually enjoys it too! It uses all of the senses: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. It's also very reasonably priced too!

Amazing Action Alphabet
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-20
This program is the most effective tool I've found in teaching the alphabet and its sounds. I've taught special ed for 14 years and this is by far the best program there is out there! It worked in just 3 days to teach my own son the entire alphabet and sounds. He's in kindergarten and reading at the top of his class and this program gave him his jump start!

Education
Autism in the School-Aged Child
Published in Paperback by Autism Family Press (2004-08)
Authors: Beth Heybyrne and Carol Schmidt
List price: $25.00
New price: $25.00
Used price: $17.99

Average review score:

Autism in the school age child
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
Excellent Book for educating children on the spectrum. You will not find this information in other typical autism books.

Comprehensive Resource
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-21
As a special education teacher, I have found this book to be a very valuable and informative tool. The authors have obviously dedicated themselves to educating teachers, parents, and anyone else who is interested in learning more about autism, and the behavior modifications to use with a child with autism. This well-written book has been a great addition to my library of resources!

Autistic Child Resource
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-24
Thank you to Carol Schmidt and Beth Heybyrne for sharing their first-hand experience with a school aged autistic child. Their experience and knowledge is so valuable and I was impressed by how their writing gets straight to the point, very practical. What a great resource.

Teaching the Autistic Child
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-18
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone who works with autistic children. As an elementary teacher, it gave me helpful suggestions when teaching autistic children in my inclusion classes. Thank you to the author Beth Heybyrne and Carol Schmidt for providing such insightful and thoughtful resources to the classroom teacher.

Creative and Practical Ideas for Autism Interventions
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-13
This book is filled with practical approaches to designing and implementing effective interventions for school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders. The style is succint and emphasizes direct examples that can be immediately implemented into an individual child's intervention program. I found chapter 15, "Developing Useful Interests: Broadening general intersts, cultivating narrow interests," to be of particular merit. The book is divided into two main sections: School and Home. Both sections have invaluable advice to parent and teacher and are designed to allow for a smooth transition from school activities to home interventions. The chapter on sibling issues is also very enlightening and emphasizes the inherent socialization skills that "neurotypical" siblings can model for their autistic family member(s). Overall really outstanding. Emphasizes the practical over the academic; a quick, effective, and inspiring read. Hats of to the authors!!!

Education
Babymouse #1: Queen of the World! (Babymouse)
Published in Library Binding by Random House Books for Young Readers (2005-12-27)
Authors: Jennifer Holm and Matt Holm
List price: $12.99
New price: $4.95
Used price: $2.51

Average review score:

Babymouse Makes Reading Fun
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-28
I have an eight and a six year old. Both of my daughters loved this book, they laughed a lot, there is plenty of humor. Now they want me to get the rest of the collection. Great book.

Can't keep these on the shelves
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-09
I'm a brand new Media Specialist at an Elemenary School and Babymouse flies off the shelves as soon as I put the books back. I read this one (and Babymouse Rockstar) the other day and feel in love with the character and the artwork. I agree that this has a very nice crossover appeal and it seems that Babymouse is a very approchable character for this age group.

Highly recommended. I am rooting for Babymouse and look forward to more of her adventures.

Great graphic novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-20
My daughter loves graphic novels and Babymouse is her favorite. The reading material is challenging enough for her, but still interesting. Great for kids who love to read, but want to read something entertaining also.

My Third Grader Loved It!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-10
I wanted to look into this book because I hadn't really seen any of the graphic novels. My daughter is already an avid reader, so I didn't know if she "needed" a book like this. When I showed it to her, she thought it looked really funny. As anticipated, it didn't take her long to read it, but she said, "I want to read it again. I want to read it again right NOW!"

If your child is a reluctant reader, this comic book formatted novel might help her get inspired, and if she already reads everything in sight, like my daughter, she will probably love yet another way to process text on a page.

We love Babymouse!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-02
My eight-year-old daughter was a very reluctant reader who was having trouble with even the most basic words. We have a lot of books around the house and take several trips a week to the library. Babymouse was the first book to get her excited about reading. She read the first book to me, haltingly. She begged for the second. When we got it, I had to make dinner and she wanted to start right away, so she read it on her own, asking me loads of questions. She has now read all seven published Babymouse books and hardly needs any help anymore.

We love that Babymouse got her excited about reading. But we also love the books. Her 10-year-old sister and I wait hungrily to get our chances to read them. I love Babymouse's imagination and her love of books.

Education
Basketball: Multiple Offense and Defense, Revised Printing (Coaching Legends in Basketball)
Published in Paperback by Benjamin Cummings (1998-12-18)
Author: Dean Smith
List price: $26.00
New price: $15.78
Used price: $14.95

Average review score:

Great book for higher level coaches
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
I love this book and have bought it for several of my coaching friends. Full of great info from one of the best. Good diagrams and great instruction on how to implement multiple offenses and defenses. One of my favorite coaching books (and I have a ton). A great higher-level resource.

a great book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-27
I have read this book over and over again. It has been a useful tool is my basketball coaching.

Must have for coaches!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-08
This book is page after page of super basketball information. It goes into great detail offenses and defenses from simple to complex. But best of all, it is written with an emphasis on the fundamentals, which will make any team better. I really recommend this book for any coach, beginner to seasoned veteran, there is a wealth of valuable information from cover to cover.

Must read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-11
This is an awesome book. A lot of useful information for students, professionals and athletes.

The Holy Grail
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-08
I coached a camp this past summer in which a few coaches were discussing this book and referred to it as "The Holy Grail" of basketball books. To any coach looking for new perspectives and strategies, I would strongly recommend this book. You may not be able to use everything, and some of the information is a bit dated, but it prompted a million ideas of my own, and helped me plan out some fresh drills, plays, and defenses for my team.

Education
The Big Messy Art Book: But Easy to Clean Up
Published in Paperback by Gryphon House (2000-05-01)
Author: MaryAnn F. Kohl
List price: $14.95
New price: $8.93
Used price: $7.00

Average review score:

From MaryAnn Kohl, author
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-05
This book has been out in the hands of good teachers/parents/child care folks/kids for awhile now, but I've found that it is new to many kids who are just discovering it. One little guy I worked with recently as a visiting author to his school told me: "I didn't know a tennis ball could be so interesting, did you?" He was referring to painting with tennis balls. Our group tried several approches with painty tennis balls....rolling them around in a wading pool covered with paper, tossing them at a wall of paper outdoors, holding and pressing on paper, bouncing on paper on the floor, and a few other ideas that kids thought up that are NOT in the book, but should have been. Read on: The little guy who told me tennis balls are interesting had thought up a idea where he rolled the ball deliberately through paint and then along the border of large paper. Within the border, he made dot-prints with different colors of paint. When it was dry, he outlined each dot with a black marker. The result was a huge bubbly design painting. I was impressed with his process, and the resulting painting was delightful and all his own! I love when my books give kids a boost to be their own artists and live in their own creativity. What a great day spending time with kid-artists. Someday I'll collect all their unique ideas and write a new book called "Kids Are More Artistic Than I Am!" Keep having fun with kids, from your friend, MaryAnn Please visit my website for free art ideas: www.brightring.com.

OUTRAGEOUSLY FUN FOR KIDS
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-19
THIS BOOK IS A FOR-SURE WINNER. IT ENABLES THE KIDS TO HAVE FUN AND GET DIRTY AT THE SAME TIME. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID FOR MY CHILDREN TO GET DIRTY! IT'S CLEAN UP IS EASY TOO. IT'S AN ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR FUN.

More like Adventurous!
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2005-04-25
This book is my kids' favorite! Everything is either very LARGE and exciting, or SILLY and exciting, or ADVENTUROUS and exciting, or extremely INTERESTING and exciting. Don't buy this if you want your child to sit in a corner with crayons for the rest of her/his life and never look beyond the expected. This is for the kids that will challenge their imaginations and explore art from a new view, building who they will be as adults.

Some great new stuff to try!
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-16
I have been teaching preschool for many years and I love messy media... this book had some really neat ideas, things I had never tried before. When I got my copy, I couldn't wait to try out some of the ideas right away.

Messy Art is great.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-02
I am a special education teacher and I am always looking for new ideas to enhance my sensory awareness program. This book has some awesome ideas and I can't wait to start using them this year.

Education
The Bondage Breaker®: Overcoming *Negative Thoughts *Irrational Feelings *Habitual Sins
Published in Paperback by Harvest House Publishers (2006-12-15)
Author: Neil T. Anderson
List price: $14.99
New price: $9.00
Used price: $7.73

Average review score:

Bondage Breaker-- beatign your own worse enemy- yourself.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-26
This was an excellent book on breaking free from the things that hold us back. Beating the strongholds in life goes beyond the natural into the supernatural. This is a must read for beleivers who are struggling in life.

For people who want to be free.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-28
Very good book for people who want to be free from evil thoughts and know who to live with Jesus in a free and biblical way. Very usufel book as it lets you know who really you are in Jesus Christ and you are hollified and justified in Him, you just need to believe in this fact that whatever you are, you are a king and one of the knig's sons. It reveals facts which the enemy alaways to keep them away from our mind that Jesus Christ came for me and every one has a big folder in His mind. I recommend that book for everyone who wants to take very serious decisions in his life as that book taught me that first I should be purified by the Holy Spirit from my sins, then I will be able to take my decisions without any bondage.

I Give it My Highest Recommendation!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-28
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for spiritual freedom. Learn how to overcome negative thought patterns, irrational feelings, addictions and habitual sins. It's just packed with great information.

This is not a book you can skim through, but if you only have a limited time, or you need to break some major bondage fast, read chapter 13.

If you want to help others break free of the bondage of sin, I recommend putting together a small group and using the study guide that goes with this book.

The Bondage Breaker is a book I'll read many times and get something new out of it every time. I give it my highest recommendation.

The Bondage Breaker
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-14
This book is like going to a revival. I've been delivered from smoking

after 10 years of this horrible addition. It's just gone no desire. Oh, yes,

I've been tested, the desire to smoke is not apart of my life anymore.

This book helps you to understand clearly the steps you need to take to

restore your life-in Jesus Christ, not the way the world loves. In the

way the heavenly Father loves you, through His Son. The true deliverer

from demonic strongholds that no one else can help you with.

Incredible resource for healing
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-14
The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson is a tough book for Christians. Many don't want to acknowledge the active spirit world or Satan or demons as real forces within it, because it seems illogical. Christianity has enough of a fight in today's culture without adding possession and spirit caused illnesses. I've been lukewarm about the issue in the past, but when I got the book, I decided to give it a shot. Anderson's stories of people he's worked with whose lives have been changed by defeating demons are amazing. He lays Scriptural foundation as to why we can believe that spirits are active today and why it's dangerous to ignore them. The book is rock solid in its premise, and the anecdotes are powerful and moving. The last seventy pages or so of the book are steps to take on your own to banish the demons that may be affecting your health, physical and mental. I split the reading up over several nights, and what I saw and felt was unbelievable. After the first night's reading, my husband and I suddenly found ourselves arguing. After a week of feeling very blessed with my life in all circumstances, all I could see was the negative. It took a couple more days of reading before I made the connection: I was under spiritual attack. There are difficult steps to take: make a list of everyone you need to forgive and then forgive them one by one out loud for their crimes against you; listing every place where you have allowed Satan access to your life; asking forgiveness for a multitude of sins. It's a tough book to read, but when I finished, I felt fifty pounds lighter. No more sob sessions or inexplicable fights with my husband. When I start having thoughts attacking my peace of mind, I recognize them for what they are. This book is an invaluable tool for Christians.

Education
Boy Genius (Akashic Urban Surreal)
Published in Paperback by Akashic Books (2002-02-01)
Author: Yongsoo Park
List price: $14.95
New price: $1.61
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Boy Genius: An Epic of the Contemporary
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-16
Boy Genius is the book the world has been waiting for, but even as I have just heard of it and read it, is still draped out from the millions who are longing to read a piece as timeworthy and creative, informative and realistically imaginative and even controversial as Boy Genius. This book carries more themes and understandings of the real-world than reading the New York Times of the passed forty years. Some of the actions and interpretations are almost directly attached to our present wartime era and crime rate, so connected that the tale, like its characters is very psychic. The Revenge/Mystery storyline also delivers a suspenseful climb that keeps the reader addicted as well as its creative comic relief and a cartoon/comic realism that definitely adds a new dynamic edge.
Mr. Park, if you're reading this, I recommend that you get it into the theaters; each message or theme in the book is not only to stand out in the book but should stand out as a "matter-of-fact" to the population.

Adam M.
author of "Pulchritude for the Mind"
"Reflections of the Dream Panorama"
"Keeping Life Well-Rounded Vol.1"

'Boy Genius' the new 'Strangelove'
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-25
'Boy Genius' by Yongsoo Park is as invigorating as the original screenplay by Terry Southern for 'Dr. Strangelove'. (The movie was terrific, of course, but Southern's screenplay was even more so.) Park dissects, then Frankenstein's, then dissects again every conceivable myth about global capitalism with high hilarity and maximum inventiveness. The Boy Genius of the title grows up in the slums of Seoul, but soon his brilliance comes to the attention of the All-Supreme Dictator who quite surprisingly grants him enormous privilege, then in a fit of pique the A-S-D chews him up and spits him out. And then we see what BG is made of. He finds his way to present day America under the most appalling circumstances (the plight of a Filipino migrant farm worker in the 30's comes to mind), begins to rebuild his life and that of his family (also vilified by the A-S-D) and finally, yes finally, has his revenge. Characters as vivid as those played by Peter Sellers and George C. Scott in the Kubrick movie and every bit as outrageously funny and mordantly satiric. This is a rollercoaster with all the splendor of the one in 'The Third Man' and all the tension and excitement of that confrontation between Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. (Hey, am I saying this is a prime candidate for a terrific movie? You bet.) Can't wait for the next Park....

Two thumbs up
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-27
Although I probably read more than the average person, I've never written a review before and in fact I avoid reading them in general, particularly before picking up the book or seeing the movie upon which a review is based. I just finished 2 of this author's books, "Las Cucarachas" and "Boy Genius," and out of curiosity I decided to read what others had to say. Interestingly, many of the reviewers take time comparing this book to other books. I'm going to frankly describe what I myself thought rather than make these comparisons.

First of all, both of this author's books are worth reading, and they should be read as a pair. I would recommend reading "Las Cucarachas" and then "Boy Genius," in that order. I was born and raised in New York City, and I'm from approximately the same generation as the main character in "Las Cucarachas;" to me it's incredible how well the author brings to life what my own childhood was like, growing up and hanging out in the streets of New York- not desperately poor, but poor enough so that the kids from what was called the "middle class" seemed rich by comparison, and were luckier than any of them ever seemed able to see. It's as though the author lived this NYC childhood, with all its obstacles, frustrations and pains, freeze dried it, moved on in his own life, and then went back to it and set it down exactly, precisely, missing nothing, not a single thought, feeling, experience or idea. You read "Las Cucarachas" and you experience the raw, real life of a tough, smart street kid in a big city where money is everything- absolutely, totally everything- and where the kid knows that it's not that society wants him to fail; rather, society is so completely and profoundly indifferent that it can't even be bothered to have an interest in his success or failure either way. Nobody from any middle or upper class background can ever truly know the alienation this situation creates, but by reading "Las Cucarachas" they can sure get a good goddamn taste of it. "Las Cucarachas" is the story of a boy that's forced to gear everything around slickness and toughness, and who's trying to make something happen against impossible odds and what seems like an endless stream of jerks and idiots holding him back and getting in his way. When I finished reading "Las Cucarachas" I felt a strange urge to contact the author, congratulate him for making it through, and thank him for creating such an honest, vivid, and truly touching testimonial to youth.

"Boy Genius" should be read after "Las Cucarachas;" in fact it's remarkable to me that "Boy Genius" was actually written by the same author. "Boy Genius" is so completely different, and not just the subject matter, but the whole style of the book as well. "Las Cucarachas" is raw and gritty; "Boy Genius" begins right off the bat with fantastic events that continue unfolding throughout. The narrator in "Boy Genius" gets you to suspend your disbelief so completely that I myself often looked up from the book while reading and felt an embarrassed smile on my face, as though realizing once again that I was the victim of this author's ongoing, intelligent, playful mischief. Bringing this together- the surreal storyline, the narrator's ever present, eccentric, hilarious and intelligent take on things- and you've got a book, "Boy Genius," that once again is not only wonderful, honest and real, but that's also simply enjoyable to read... and that's something that's important to me for any book that I pick up! I'm still a New Yorker, and I know I've got a book I love when I can take that book onto a crowded train during rush hour on my way to work- and lose myself in it totally and completely, in spite of the fact that I'm being jostled and crushed by stressed and impatient New Yorkers who'd prefer I put the book away, hold onto the handrail and stare at the ceilings and walls like everyone else. Both of the books written by this author passed my test, and I enjoyed both of them enough to not only recommend them and pass them on (I've lent out both of my copies) but also, to look forward to reading the author's next book too.

A urban surreal classic
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-09
BOY GENIUS is a surreal dream of paranoia and vengeance played out on a global scale. It's Terry Giliam's BRAZIL played out in the wake of the Cold War. Naturally, the most surreal events in the book are too uncomfortably close to reality. It's a book that stars clever wild dogs who masquerade as children and a title character who's just too smart for his own good. Equal parts ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN and THE ODYSSEY, BOY GENIUS is for any reader who's ever felt an outsider. It was my first novel and took me three years to write. After numerous rejections from publishers, a 16-year-old summer intern at Akashic Books lobbied for the unsolicited manuscript to be published.

Needless to say, I put pretty much everything of myself into the book. Put simply, the book is what it feels like to be displaced and to always long for a place to call home. Thank you to Akashic Books and to all who have supported this book. And please check out LAS CUCARACHAS, my second novel, which is out in 2004.

---Yongsoo Park

A hilarious and perfectly paced Candide update
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-30
Part of Brooklyn based Akashic Books' Urban Surreal series, BOYGENIUS an example of a) the continued gutsiness and necessity of small presses and b) what really should be a cross-over hit.

In this hilarious and perfectly paced Candide update, Boy Genius tumbles the journey from KBS television-star-child-prodigy to east coast street urchin to west coast new economy suit to avenging ghost. Yet the story never succumbs to its (lesser) cartoon possibility, but functions, despite its fantastic plot, within the wound of reality. And it is a wound, a constantly renewed scarification that Boy Genius first discovers, then weeps for, and finally raises a finger to.

A fierce satire which maintains its humanity, Boy Genius is also a unique event in Korean-American fiction. It recasts the confessional prose of assimilation-conflict driven narratives -- via the imagination -- into a scathing accusation of geopolitical corruption as well as a description of the defiance immigrants currently wage in (as they always have) of bricholaging a consistent sense of self. A new landmark in the landscape of Korean-American literature.


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