Educators Books

I bought this book for a 6th grader, not knowing much about it. We were pleasantly surprised by the reader-friendly writing style -- So unlike many other "required reading" non-fiction books. It is lively and interesting to read, and offers facinating detail about a little-known piece of New England history.

"The Forbidden Schoolhouse" by Suzanne Jurmain is an amazing book! I learned a lot as I read it! I even read it all in one sitting! The book was very informative and interesting. Throughout the book are pictures of the main characters that are real and can be found in museums today. Also, there are pictures of the schoolhouse and other landmarks found in the book. "The Forbidden Schoolhouse" provides for many opportunities for extended activities. Many historical figures are mentioned in the book such as, Booker T. Washington, William Lloyd Garrison, and Ben Franklin. Students could then do further research on these important historical figures if they would like to learn more about them. The story allows the reader to experience many different emotions arranging from frustration to joy. I believe that students who read this book would gain a greater appreciation for education due to reading about the difficulties that Black people and women faced many years ago.

This is a book I will use for a beginning writing class at the university level. It's a quick read for that purpose and relates a piece of black and white history previously unknown. Because of the size and large print, it has the feel of a children's book, but it reads like adult nonfiction.

This book is about a woman named Prudence Crandal who risked her life to teach african american students. This book is filled with pictures that make the book more fun to read. I definitally reccomed this book!

This story is about a white woman who taught African American girls. They were tormented, the house was set on fire. Pictures are artifacts.

Culiano taught religious studies at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago--the hand-picked successor to the great Mircea Eliade. Culiano specialized in magic, dualistic heresies and mystical experiences. He practiced what he studied as well, entertaining students and aggravating colleagues. But he also wrote political articles and fiction for a Romanian journal. These got him in trouble with the Romanian secret police; his murder has never been solved.

Blending religious studies, occult phenomena, political analysis, and true crime journalism, this book is also an entertaining and intriguing look at Culiano, academics in America, Romanian intellectual traditions. I hope many people read and enjoy it.

If you enjoyed Umberto Eco's _Foucault's Pendulum_, you will undoubtedly enjoy this true life tale of magic, European politics, and murder. The book gives an accounting of the life of Ioan Culianu, a professor of comparative religion at the University of Chicago, from his birth in Romania to his untimely murder. Professor Culianu provided astounding insights into the world of magic and attempted to explain its occurrences through complexity. He published many books on magic, comparative religion, shamanism, and gnosticism. Like Mircea Eliade, a fellow Romanian and his mentor before him, Culianu contributed a great deal to our understanding of religion and magic. He also wrote several novels along with his fiancee Hillary Wiesner. This book provides a look into not only the worlds of Eliade and Culianu, but also a disturbing examination of far-right politics in Romania. Culianu's murder remains unsolved despite its obvious link to his outspoken views on the Romanian revolution which occurred just prior to his murder. However, many disturbing coincidences abound regarding this event.

The shot that killed professor Ioan Culianu while he was sitting in a stall in the men's room came from a small Beretta: a .25 caliber gun, fired at leat 18 inches away from his head, for there were no gunpowder traces around the entry wound. It was the work of an expert, a person who stood on the toilet seat of the adjoining stall, and fired downward and into the back of his head; probably the shot of a left hander. Why only one shot? Why such a small caliber gun? Professionals are more heavy handed, more redundant, more brutal. This was exquisitely done, with minimal fuss and no traceable clues.

It was May, 1991, a little after one in the afternoon, at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Prof Culianu, a handsome man in his 40's had three books in press, was about to get married, was loved and respected by students and faculty, and was at the peak of his profession as a historian of religion. His work was recognized internationally, and he could look forward to the honors and comforts of a successful academic career.

Ted Anton presents the true tale of Prof. Culianu with deftness and care. It is a story that to this day continues to reverberate in academia and law enforcement because it has never been solved. Far more exciting than fiction, the story of this professor takes turns and dips that keep the reader on edge and breathless.Culianu was an expert not only on the traditional aspects of religions, but had an interest in the occult arts that formed part of the ancient rituals and practices. He was an expert in divination through geomancy, and was about to teach a course in this practice. He gravitated towards the occult. He knew about near death experiences and about the transmigration of souls; and at the same time he maintained his status as a legitimate scholar and teacher in one of America's prestigious universities.

Fictional stories about crimes and police work are very enjoyable, but reading a book like this renders the others insignificant by comparison. Of course truth is stranger than fiction, but it is also more exciting, more interesting, and finally...more scary.

I first heard of the murder of Professor Culianu when I was an undergrad at the University of Chicago. I was immediately drawn to find more about the man who allegedly believed in the magic he studied. After reading "Eros and Magic" and "Out of this World", I thought that this biography might shed some additional light on the man, his scholarship, and his occult dabblings.

I must admit I was somewhat disappointed. The book is very dry and factually oriented. The facts themselves appear to be well-researched, but are simply presented without much else. Mr. Anton tells us where Prof. Culianu was born, where he studied, what books he wrote, but seldom goes deeper than that.
Ironically, given the themes in Culianu's work and life, Mr. Anton fails to realize the importance of evoking the imagination in telling the story, to bring the facts to life in a meaningful, interesting way.

There are only the slightest hints of the exciting ideas that motivated Prof. Culianu's scholarship and personal life.
It is said that Prof. Culianu took a personal interest interest in the ideas he was studying, actually practicing divination and teaching a course on it. But rather than exploring in any depth either Prof. Culianu's professional ideas or personal interests, these facts are simply used as "hooks" to carry the reader along.

If you are interested in the ideas of Prof. Culianu and/or his interest in occult scholarship, this book will probably disappoint you. If you are looking for a lot of biographical facts about Prof. Culianu, then this book may be for you.

This is an insightful look at the life and work of a brilliant Romanian scholar and exile, and at the frightening overseas activities of the Romanian secret police in the post-communist years. Written in a clear, elegant style, with plenty of references to Culianu's writings and glimpses at his complicated personal interactions, this book is a great read. As the author concludes, Culianu "left a legacy of the dangers of a life of the mind." Without this biography, his undeserved fate may well be forgotten.

Douglas Botting's new biography of Gerald Durrell, a charming man whose unique Zoo, Wild Life Preservation Trust and deeply touching , hilarious stories have saved many an animal from extinction and moved people around the world to join the conservation effort, is an "xtrordenry" tale of one man's dream come true. Botting's obvious fascination with Durrell's personality and mission, good grasp of the world of nature and travel, as well as his humorous streak, are an ideal mix of credentials for someone attempting to recount a story of this supreme "raconteur."

After a vivid depiction of Durrell's colorful early childhood in colonial India, Botting perceptively discerns and fits together all the pieces of Gerald's adolescent years that made him into a shy but passionate and original man with a unique vision. It was in the enchanted atmosphere of pre-war Corfu, with its unspoilt fauna and picturesque dwellers, that Durrell's free spirit and sense of wonder first blossomed, enhanced by the lack of stiflingly uniform influence of formal schooling. His widowed mother's warm devotion and faith in Gerald's endeavors, creative encouragement from his older brother and budding writer Lawrence, coupled with his tutors' idiosyncratic influences and the island's offer of the freedom to explore the natural world, all combined to account for the very unconventionality of Durrell's upbringing and personality that would later make people yield to his charisma and daring.

Botting manages to stay true to the spirit of Gerald Durrell, as if the magic firefly of the epilogue lights up his way throughout the book. I also liked Botting's impartiality in dealing with such complicated emotional roller-coasters as Gerald's relationship with his first wife Jacquie and his alcohol problem, which he never downplays, at the same time managing to convey Durrell's intrinsic honesty and charm. The only regret that will forever haunt this biography is that Durrell unfortunately didn't have time to pen it himself.

A mammoth book for an equally large individual, in bulk and spirit. Having read Durrell's first books, was equally curious about the author and was not disappointed..looked forward to each page, particularly his expeditions if not his highly personal life with his two wives. His alcohol consumption was simply sad, and even though the author states it may not have affected his work, I wonder what he would have achieved if he had not been looking forward to each drink, beginning in the morning. But he is a hero to me, and has opened up the wonders of Madagascar, and hopefully to the continuing need to perserve its fauna and flora.

Douglas Botting makes a fairly good job of Durrell's biography. Lavishly illustrated with rare photographs, with numerous quotations from Durrell's personal notebooks thrown in for good measure,this book sheds a new light on the life of one of the most amazing men of the 20th century. However, this book is recommended for Durrell fans, and not for the plain inquisitive who want to bone up on the life and times of Gerald Durrell.They would do better to stick to the Gerald Durrell accounts .The author has a tendency of repeating parts of the Durrell accounts in his own words,and relying too much on the Durrell works as his guide( but then again it is difficult to pick up the thread of people and events as many as 50 years later, with a world war inbetween ). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable 600-pager that Durrell fans will devour in no time at all. Judging by this one,the Gavin Maxwell biography should be well worth reading ..

This must be one of the best biographies I have read about anyone. Douglas Botting is to be congratulated on his meticulous research and unbiased approach. He gives us a wonderful insight into this complex man's extraordinary life. All 607 pages are highly readable and I found it hard to put the book down. I particularly enjoyed the account of Durrell's happy go lucky, unconventional childhood in Greece surrounded by his mad mad family. As Gerald Durrell would have wanted, there is a lively quality about the telling of his story. There were so many facets to this man's character and Botting has been at pains to dig deep to bring these to the fore. Having read Durrell's books many years ago I found myself enjoying the adventures of his life all over again, but in a different way, now that I understand more about the man and his background. I feel this is a 'must' read for anyone who has enjoyed Gerald Durrell's books

I always thought of Gerry Durrell as my own secret discovery, and gave copies of his books to all my friends. Also visited the Jersey Trust twice....well worth it. This book reads like the diary of an old and dear friend, sharing much and explaining a lot. He was ahead of us all in his love for the endangered earth and its living creatures.

In this brief volume, classicist Mary Lefkowitz tells the story of how she "got in a lot of trouble" for exposing the vicious irrationality of Afrocentricism in general and that of her Wellesley colleague Tony Martin in specific. She also correctly indicts a lazy postmodernism for the continued academic indifference to professors who indoctrinate their students with socially satisfying myths.

Lefkowitz has been justly praised for her defense of historical truth, and she continues to believe that her personal struggle enabled her to "convince quite a few people that myth shouldn't be taught as history." (149) Nevertheless, she takes as much refuge as possible from the protective coloration of the academy, firmly supporting tenure even for professors who turn history into fiction or into hate.

Lefkowitz has been through the wringer on this issue, but it might have been a lot worse. In defending herself from anti-Semitic Afrocentrists, Lefkowitz retained the politically correct high ground, and she also received significant financial and legal backing from Jewish advocacy groups. What if the Afrocentrists had defamed a different minority, such as fundamentalist Christians?

This absorbing, short book is the tale of a very brave woman. All those who care for the survival of humane values owe her a tremendous debt, for writing the book, and for having fought the difficult, courageous fight that it recounts.

The author is a distinguished scholar of ancient Greece, and a professor emerita at Wellesley College. As part of her responsibilities at this elite institution, she was required, as were all faculty members, to scrutinize and to vote on the course descriptions of all the College's offerings. When she found that one of these courses taught racist myth as true history, she objected while many of her colleagues pretended not to notice. For her troubles she was vilified and denounced in the hate literature, one of her offenses being, according to those attacking her, that, basically, she was a Jew, one of those with hooked noses, part of an alleged "Jewish Onslaught."

She was also sued for her temerity to speak out. This litigation was ultimately found by the courts to have no merit, but not without five years of legal harassment by her tormentors.

Those pursuing the attack against her did so in the guise of alleged African-American, Afrocentric concerns. One of the heartening aspects of her story is that several of her African-American colleagues stood by her throughout her ordeal. It is also comforting to read that a number of well-established groups and institutions managed the courage to support her against an all too prevalent political correctness.

The simplistic, mythic, hateful "Afrocentric" doctrine that Lefkowitz had to confront in Massachusetts is also the inspiring ideology of Trinity United Church of Chicago, where Senator Obama worshipped for twenty years. Others left this church when the doctrine became established there, but not Obama. Unlike Lefkowitz at Wellesley, Obama in Chicago avoided his eyes.

This is a very interesting book on how ideology can pervert the goals of a college education. My daughter was a student at Wellesley College during some of the time covered by the book, so I have independent verification of a number of the points covered. It is a cautionary tale that should be ever on the minds of college administrators and the general public.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R19HJT0DG54NOF This was a decent book that I recommend, but I did have a few reservations in terms of perspective.

I have read many books similar to Mary Lefokowitz's "History Lesson". It's a genre of its own: "books about the perils of postmodernism". The classic of the field is Paul Gross and Norman Levitt's Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science. You can read about the pernicious effects of Post Modernism on science studies in Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont's Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science, on history in In Defense of History and in The Killing of History: How Literary Critics and Social Theorists are Murdering Our Past, on Women's Studies in Professing Feminism: Education and Indoctrination in Women's Studies, on Middle East studies in Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America (Policy Papers (Washington Institute for Near East Policy), No. 58.) (Policy Papers ... Institute for Near East Policy), No. 58.), etc.

What it all amounts to is something like this: one effect of the 1960s was the spread of French Theory (works by the like of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and Jacques Lacan) to America. The French theorists and their American disciples (henceforth "the Postmodernists") abandoned traditional beliefs in truth and objectivity, and substituted them with a variety of theories, in which claims for truth are labeled "meta-narratives" and are received skeptically, as representing the point of view of the (dead, white, European) elite. The postmodernists promote instead the narrative of "the other": women, minorities, the insane, etc - and privilege those instead of the mainstream narratives.

"History Lesson" is very much inline with that of these other books. But it is no dissection of Postmodernist influence in Lefkowitz's chosen field - ancient history. Lefkowitz has already published such a book (Not Out Of Africa: How "Afrocentrism" Became An Excuse To Teach Myth As History (A New Republic Book) which I haven't read). In that book Lefkowitz has challenged the claims of a Postmodernist sub-specie which goes under the name "Afrocentrism". Afrocentrists believe that Africa deserves credit for much of the West's achievements in science andd philosophy. Specifically, Afro centrists frequently claim that historical Greek figures such as Cleopatra and Sophocles were black; That Greek philosophy has Egyptian origins, and that Aristotle read his philosophy in the Library of Alexandria (which was actually constructed after he had died p. 28).

"History Lesson" is the story of Lefkowitz's confrontation with Afrocentrism, and a reflection on the meaning of the phenomena.

The villain of "History Lesson" is one Anthony "Tony" Martin, Professor of Africana Studies in Wellesley College (where Lefkowitz also teaches), an unpleasant man, a bully, and an African American prone to constantly playing the race card (I wish to stress that this is the man as depicted in "History Lesson". Until I read the book I have never heard of Dr. Martin). Dr. Martin has been teaching an Afro-centric course for quite some time when Dr. Lefkowitz, as part of a crusade against Afrocentrism, started to publicly criticize it.

Some of Lefkowitz criticism was less than politic. She has pushed to change the name of Martin's course from "Africans in Greece and Rome" to "Africans in the Greco-Roman World". An empty gesture, as the content of the course was to remain the same, but one can understand Martin's irritation at the change, which he pressured the dean into reversing (pp. 47-48).

At the time, Lefkowitz felt quite alone in her campaign against the Afrocentric claims. Martin and some colleagues and students criticized Lefkowitz, and the college administration did not feel like taking the sides of the Grecians; Historical truth was not worth fighting for.

Things changed when it came to be known that Martin's teachings included not only slander against Grecians, but also against Jews. Unlike the Grecians, attacking the Jews was not OK. The administration and fellow professors criticized Martin. Some of the criticism was heavy handed. Four Jewish groups "called upon the Trustees and administration of Wellesley to review the behavior and status of Martin" (p. 80).

Things have gotten out of hand. Martin went on to self publish a genuine anti-Semitic tract, The Jewish Onslaught: Dispatches from the Wellesley Battlefront; He also sued Lefkowitz (among others) for libel.

The trial could have been the dramatic event of the book, but it is passed over quite quickly and with little fanfare. It took five years, but Lefkowitz had support from her insurance company and from various Jewish organizations. She won.

The book continues to its anti Climatic conclusion. No great evil befell Dr. Lefkowitz. One of the Amazon reviewers calls her "very brave"; this is silly. Lefkowitz's critique did cost her some strong and unfair criticism, but there's no indication that her livelihood or her career were at any great risk. Her confrontation with Afrocentrism got her into some hot water, but it also gave her a great deal of publicity, and maybe money; Her anti-Afrocentrism book "Not Out of Africa" has at the time of this writing 154 Amazon reviews; Her Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation has three. Lefkowitz was clearly on the side of the angels - but there were many more angels than adversaries in this fight.

The bigger question is what if anything should be done about Postmodernist muddleheaded-ness in the academy. Lefkowitz calls for more civil discussion with more focus on facts, which is a noble call likely to go unheeded, and for genteel tinkering with the tenure system.

Two obvious types of reform may be attempted for improving academic standards. One is weakening Tenure. There is an inevitable trade off between independence and accountability. Under the current system, tenured professors are independent. This relieves them from outside pressures, both proper and improper. That at least some would abuse these pressures is inevitable. Weakening tenure would make Professors more accountable, and therefore probably better; but it would weaken their independence, and would make them more thralls of the zeitgeist, and potentially slaves to nefarious interests.

More promising is a reform of the various ethnic, gender, and region studies units of various institutes of higher education. I do not know what goes on in the average women's studies center or Jewish studies department, etc, but it seems that the worst abuses come from those units. This is probably inevitable - the gathering of like minded people of similar backgrounds is likely to promote group solidarity and groupthink. Making sure that these centers are well integrated to the mainstream of the university life would not only reduce the occasions (which may be rare already) of absurdist anti Intellectual Fads - it would also allow the majority of students and faculty to benefit from more perspectives. (See the discussion of the attempt to partially reintegrate Cornell University in Richard Thompson Ford's masterly The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse).

Or perhaps we should do nothing; There is already a strong backlash against Post Modernism. Much of it is not measured and targeted but constitutes right wing paranoia as substitute for left wing inanity. Perhaps we should leave the various combatants to fight it out in the marketplace of ideas.

As other reviews have said, I too was a soon-to-be teacher sending out my resume's and going out on interviews. To be fully prepared, I decided to purchase this book just before my first major round of interviews. It was not only VERY helpful and informative, but the methods and recommendations within it gave me a HUGE heads up in the interview room. I ended up landing a job within 24 hours of an interview. Thank you to these authors. A VERY useful book with extra website information to refer to both before and after you get a job.

Unbelievably useful advice and a true stress relieving guide to getting the job you want!

I have gone on a few interviews and wasn't being offered any positions, which had been quite frustrating. I thought I have to be missing something and going into the interview not fully knowing what to expect. I decided to go see what would be available to help me secure a teaching job. This book has it ALL. It is an easy read with explanations and presentations of numerous topics in everyday language. This book helps you discover your strengths and weaknesses, presents cover letter and resume tips with examples, suggests role-playing an interview, recommends becoming familiar with the school district through their website prior to the interview, offers the top 21 questions most schools will ask with tips of what they are really asking and tips for answering plus 70 other frequently asked questions, conduct during the interview (dress/body language) including questions to avoid, questions to ask the principal or superintendent at the end of your interview, and your follow-up thank you letter. In addition, the appendix provides 20 pages of educational resources. This book gives you everything you need to get yourself ready for those all important interviews. After you read this book, you will feel confident, calm and best of all, well prepared. The perfect book for anyone who is becoming a new teacher, returning to teaching or pursuing the teacher profession through a nontraditional path. Good Luck!!

I am returning to the profession after an absence. My letters are outdated as are my work samples. I never created a portfolio (that's a new thing) so I don't have one. There are gaps in my resume. This book didn't get me any advice about how to deal with these problems because it's totally geared to the new teacher. I was pretty disappointed with this book.

Like some other reviewers, I am currently looking for a teaching position. I ordered this book and found it had very good information on where to find jobs, how to write a resume, and how to answer possible interview questions. I would say the resume part was the most useful so far, as few resume books have examples of teacher resumes. From the examples provided I was able to construct a more condensed resume from the three-page one I previously had.

However, the jury is out in so far as whether I will be able to obtain employment in the field even with this advice. The reason I did not give this book five stars is that there was not a whole lot of information for those people who are changing careers in mid-life. Most of the emphasis seemed directed at those traditional college age graduates with little or no employment experience.

Disclaimer: I have been a librarian for 35 years, and a motorcycle rider for 46 years, so I can hardly claim to be a typical or neutral reviewer of this book. If Amazon permitted 6 stars, I would award them. It is a rare event indeed to find a work that so lovingly deals with both motorcycle riding and books.

Ted Bishop captures vividly the essence of long distance motorcycle riding, including writing in one's head while riding, and the distraction to a writer to riding in one's head while attempting to write (a considerably less dangerous activity). His words took me back to an 11,000-mile ride that I made two years ago, along many of the same roads.

Equally vivid are his characterizations of librarians and archivists who work in special collections, and of the process by which a scholar mines the books and papers in such collections for insights and publications.

Bishop has a keen eye for irony, and I found myself laughing so hard while reading Riding with Rilke on a plane flight that I fear I was creating a disturbance for my fellow passengers.

Riders who aren't especially interested in books may find too little motorcycle content in this book. Scholars and librarians with little interest in motorcycles may find too little about books and literature (and very little, indeed, about Rilke). For those few who are passionate about both motorcycles and books, Riding with Rilke is a rare treat.

When reading RIDING WITH RILKE it is easy to see that Ted Bishop, a good writer, loves books and Ducati motorcycles but for me this book felt a little flat. There are too many pages about minor characters and minor events that add nothing to the story. The book would be helped if the 261 pages were cut back by a quarter. I too love books and ride a motorcycle, a Harley Road Glide, so it gives me no joy not to rave about the book but still, I would recommend it even if you feel like skipping a few pages.

Not a mere travelogue or another bike adventure...Bishop escorts the reader through the very essense of riding in the most spiritual, thoughtful and surprisingly, visceral treat of a book...yes, this little book travels well: I took a ride to New Mexico and there it sat patiently on my nightstands in all the different hotels, motels and inns along the way...then, upon opening the book's pages, it (the book) merrily displayed its well-crafted prose to bring together this joy of riding a motorcycle and the sheer bliss at reading the power and majesty of word after word, woven together into images and concepts of both of these Life-sustaining activities...OK, so it is not for everyone, it is for me and that's what we're talking about here...if you Love either, read it, if you Love both, devour it...if you Love neither, God help you, 'cause you are missing out on Life at its finest and the "Now," the moments...love of riding, love of words, love of Life...another tapestry to bring form and content to our Loves...live on that edge and slip back to write about it...darn, I'm going for a ride now: "four wheel move the body, two wheels move the soul" and I feel the call of the wind...

As a reader and rider, I enjoyed this book as a motorcycle travelogue with all its arcane bits of literary data strewn throughout.
If I have a small complaint it is that Bishop spends too much time in Austin and not exploring more of the places he is terrific at writing about. When we were traveling with him, he made some of those stops come alive and gave the book some fun and substance. When he halted (as he had to in order to do the archive research), so did the cycle action.
However, with that being said, some of the book's best and most poignant passages are his ruminations on reading and riding - his description on p. 112 about the "readiness of books" has been accurate in my reading life. And the couple of pages (p. 124-6) about silence and listening were memorable.
So is the line: "I wrote on the bike and I rode in the reading room. I'm sure it's the same in offices everywhere." He's right, of course, as I work while I ride and ride while I work in the form of a quick daydream. Nice to know others have the same feelings.

Although there were portions of this book that were good, many of them seemed uninteresting to me. I had hoped it would be a story that provided interesting details of both a bike journey and book collecting. In the end I feel like a got less than I hoped for either. He seems to gloss over many of his actual riding journey but spends a lot of time on details that added nothing to the story for me. Perhaps I am spoiled by Peter Egan.

I saw this workshop and bought the book to see if there were more useful items within it because the author's presentation was not something I was inspired by. I would recommend reading Andrew Weil, not Cohen's book.

This book is impressive in the tools it gives you for achieving real relaxation. It is well written and very useful.

Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "Stress Management for Over-Achievers" docwifford@msn.com

This is a wonderful program. Mr. Cohen has created a program that is experiential, easy to use, practical, enjoyable and very effective. If you're feeling stressed, this program will definitely help you to relax! The accompanying spiral bound book also provides alot of valuable information for further study. A definite winner!

Truly amazing, Journey To Tranquility presents the most effective, time-efficient, practical and sensible methods to relax, relieve stress, and generate more energy. For the stressed-out, worriers, and nocturnals, this product might be the best answer yet to improving quality of life. Simple instructions, no complicated steps, free from any scientific mumbo-jumbo, Mr Cohen presents his methods in its basic, purest form which any individual can comprehend and exercise.

Journey to Tranquility has taught me how to relax first thing in the morning, in the middle of a stressful day at work, or before trying to fall asleep at night. Mike's voice is so very soothing to the listener. He gives subtle suggestions that teach the listener to relax both mind and body. In comparison to other relazation techniques, Journey to Tranquility teaches the listener in a very small amount of time. It is amazing how we can all learn to decrease stress and be more productive in our lives.

A Very compelling read, pulls the reader along. A wonderful spirit. A deeply felt and lived life. Inspiring and intriguing. Flows very well, emotionally connecting and involving the reader, pulling along. With emotional integrity, spirit, dedication, honesty, sharing, avoids the usual problem of memoirs: that of being too self-laudatory or defensive, and/or cutting out the 'less comfortable' parts. Here there's a well roundedness, an all-around emotional and telling honesty; helps greatly in connecting and sharing. From Vincent's experiences in Jamaica, such as a poignant scene being shipped out from home on a troop ship to England in WWII... To the joys and difficulties of exploring- creating a musical career in England and America as a Jamaican in the 1950's.. To trying to raise a family and have a marriage in the so-often moving (several ways)life of an Air Force bandsman. Including the loss of two sons to Lupus. To deeply lived experiences working and living on the Navajo Reservation in the later 1970's and 1980's... To beautifully lived and loved experiences from the 1980's on with Anni... To living and adjusting to...many things and opportunities created... to stuff...like recent Parkinson's... As my mom noted, who has had a chance to start reading the book and very much looks forward to reading more, how "Different Vincent's experiences are or some can be, yet very intriguing... I'm involved.. from the beginning on."
I have known Vincent and Anni since 1984, when we worked together on the Navajo Reservation for a school called Kinlichee, 1984-1986; myself through 1987. A very special time, place, spirit. Shared very well in the book. And we've been friends communicating since, including some visiting 1989, 1999. Vincent and Anni's spirit then and now carries well. Get to better know a new or old friend. I am so glad Vincent, with Anni, has been able to write this wonderful book, to share.

Vincent Beach is an ordinary man who has led an extraordinary life. It is the story of one man's dream and how he achieved it. The story of a poor boy from Jamaica who loved music, worked hard and found a way to fulfill his dream. It is a story of perserverance, loss, acceptance and love. A great read.

I just read the last of this book this morning and my heart has been full, thinking of Vincent Beach and his wife, Anni, all day. It is truly a heart-warming, thought-provoking, human tale, and I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to read it. It was precious to me to get this in-depth look at the details of an extraordinary, not an ordinary, life. It is an absorbing tale, and difficult to put down. We very seldom get to read a personal story of a life that's spanned 80+ years; that in itself makes this book special. I truly admire this couple for seeing this project to it's conclusion--readers will learn of some of the difficulties that were encountered in finishing the book. (I ordered 4 copies of this book, so that I could share it with family and friends!)

I began this book yesterday morning and finished it before sunset yesterday evening. Mr.Beach tells his story with unflinching honesty and refreshing clarity. For a man who left his home with a little more than a sixth-grade education and a desire to follow his passion...music, his journey has been anything but ordinary. Bearing his pain and disappointments with courage, Vincent's life serves as a lesson in perseverance, humility, acceptance and love without ever descending into preachiness or self-pity.

I've purchased several copies of this book for our Library, and highly recommend it to reading groups.

Anita Noad
Palm Coast, FL

Vincent Beach's life has been anything but ordinary. I loved reading this story which is full of interesting turns. It immediately grasps the reader, bringing much light to the subjects of racism, the daily struggles of those who emigrate to the US, and what it's like to lose not one but two children. The author relates very well to the reader, telling his story in a way that makes you laugh in connection with the story, at other times drawing tears of empathy. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who can relate to the trials and tribulations of life.

As a child of the Vietnam era, I've long been curious to find out what became of the people that populated the Time magazine of my youth. Shillue brings up to date with a personal look at the lives and times of the Vietnamese. It is reassuring to hear about the resiliency of the Cambodian people and I was glad to see that Shillue's first-hand accounts bring us right into the lives of those we left behind. I particularly liked when she compared contemporary Americans to their counterparts in Asia.

This book was alright, a good description of Vietnam for those that have never been and want to know what is about over there. I studied in Hanoi for four months during college and it was a real trip back for me while reading this, especially when the author speaks of her visit to Hanoi. I stayed in Bach Khoa while I was there and lived in that very neighborhood for four months and it made me very nostaligic. However, the author tended to irritate me at times with what I saw as an attitude towards the culture and traditionalism of the northern region. Frankly, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would...but then again I'm very biased when it comes to Vietnam since the country means a lot to me...

Excellent Read! In the early 1990s I was an American businessman living in Vietnam and this well written book takes me back to the country and a time which I still miss every day.

It reminds Americans that Vietnam is a place and not a war.

If anyone wishes to see and feel Vietnam and Cambodia as they are today this is THE book to read. I look forward to Ms Shillue's next book.

I am enjoying this book, but the numerous grammatical errors (ex.: the use of "it's" to indicate the possessive, as opposed to "its") are beginning to prove distracting. In this day and age, there is no excuse for such inattention to detail on the part of the publisher.

This book is unusual, for it offers readers a sense of the sights, feelings and sounds of Vietnam in the late 1990s. Shillue is an honest reporter, who travels to Vietnam without war baggage. She writes like a dream and the only criticism I have of the book is that I wanted more. Read it.

This is a fascinating account of growing up as an Irish American in the mid 20th century told with dark Irish humor but always with love. It is one of the best accounts of the true impact of depression on the family as well as the individual. One of the best books I have read in the past year.

I LOVED this book. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.

I grew up in the same Boston suburb as the author, in a family spiraling in similar downward economic mobility, and I'm about the same age as the author, so many of her experiences mirrored my own. Her mirror brought me surprising clarity and compassion with regard to my parents' struggles and the impact their struggles had on my own growing up.

I'm a psychologist now. When I look at this book from my professional viewpoint, as someone who treats and writes about depression, I also feel that it's a terrific resource. I will be recommending it to adults I treat for recurrent depressive episodes.

The author's depressions started when she was an adolescent, and continued intermittently through much of her adult life. Watching her gain understanding and mastery over this depressive tendency gave me a deeper understanding of how I can help the depressed individuals with whom I work.

BRAVO to the author, and thanks!

I just couldn't put this book down. This helped me understand so much about myself and my family...and how we've all been shaped by the past. O'brien's humor and warmth stay with you long after you've read the book. A must read for anyone who comes from a family.

I read this book for the reasons I think most people would read a book with this subtitle - to see if I could identify with the author and perhaps gain some new insight from her experience. As I progressed through it, I was amazed by the congruence of our experiences, but felt a rising call to let the author know her conclusions left me wondering how she could have missed the bigger picture, the common denominations that make it possible for her to connect with people who do not have her specific family history. Ms. O'Brien traces her depression to Irish history, specifically to simply being Irish and a descendant of the town the famine hit hardest. But my own family history has not a drop of Irish in it and I turned down page after page of parallels in her experience and mine. I wanted to tell her, "forget the Irish, already, and focus on the feelings, the reactions to loss and shame that make us all human." Another thread in her story is her almost worshipful attachment to her father. My relationship to my own was similar and I also never married. Yet, when a therapist gives her some insight into how it has affected her, she rejects completely the opportunity to learn something from it and trashes the therapist. So... I am glad I read her book, to find there are others who have lived a life very much in many ways like my own, but I don't feel I was hearing wisdom from the writer and that disappointed me.

O'Brien has written a "Memoir of Depression and Inheritance" and she succeeds brilliantly in all of these intentions. This book works beautifully as a memoir, evoking in three dimensions, in colour and almost with smells and sounds, the world of upper-middle class expectations and genteel failure and the anxieties of her parents, and the alternative world of Elmira, which to me has the ring of a magic land. The people - mother, father, siblings, aunts - are whole and understandable and believable and sympathetic. The whole world within which the author strives to grow up is real and immediate on the page.

More than a memoir, O'Brien has the ambition of understanding inheritance. Her book links behaviour and consequence and puts forward explanations and theories of action and traces the interconnecting threads that link relative with relative and past with outcome. This does not obtrude in the narrative: her skill in writing presents these insights as natural extensionds to the momentum of the absorbing story.

The inheritance that is at the centre of O'Brien's understanding is the inheritance of depression. She addresses this with subtlety - she understands, and manages to present the complexity of inheritance and upbringing, accident and fate, biochemistry and environment, individual and social history. She is also alert to the accidents of everyday life that contribute to, and often trigger depression. I love her " `occasions of depression' which the vulnerable among us need to avoid or manage carefully." (p. 159) on the analogy of the "occasions of sin" that beset the unwary Roman Catholic.

The framework for a real humane psychology should be biography, and the complex threads through which a biography is realized. O'Brien's beautiful book is a contribution to this true science of psychology. The fact that it is contained in this insightful memoir and is presented in superb language probably means that it will never feature in psychology reading lists, but it should (though the first reviewer here gives us hope!).