Educators Books

The forward by Stiglitz is not very astounding. It doesn't help us to recognize Samuelson as a person beyond what we know him through his numerous contributions. I have started reading the subsequent chapters and hope to have a better idea of the man..particulalry his thought process - conception, clarity of thinking though a problem and taking it to a solution...

Paul Samuelson has personified mainstream economics and is undeniably a great economist. In the book Paul A. Samuelson: On Being an Economist, I find very relevant parallels between his theories in microeconomics and the financial industry today. For someone like me who holds an advanced degree in Economics and then having branched out to a MBA in Finance and now working in the hedge fund industry, Samuelson's works have been a constant factor all through my educational and professional life. This book is a magnificent tribute to his contribution in the field. To have a book dedicated to the guru of Economics and authored by Joseph Stiglitz another leading authority in Economics, is a very rare and dynamic combination. I would recommend this book to all professionals in Wall Street today who deal with finance & economics as well as to individuals who have an interest in the field to expand their horizons. Once again... A MUST READ!

Paul A. Samuelson: "On Being an Economist" offers the ability for a reader to embark on the life chronicles of PAS with bifocals; a broad view is offered of the influences contributing to Samuelson's master of prose, wit and thrilling ability to connect with an audience while powerfully maintaining focus on the extraordinaire responsible for the revitalization of economics as a discipline. The work projects a well supported analytical approach to the achievements of PAS while successfully encrypted with celebratory views of a legendary career. Furthermore, the narrative's current personifies a conversation with a broad audience of sophisticated, yet non-economist spectators fruitfully ignited by the importance of economic deliberation throughout the 20th Century. Without doubt, this work is a tribute to Samuelson; Praise is offered through an anthological retelling of education, achievement and tribulations ultimately filtering through to the doctrinaire contributing immensely to the study of economics. However, without avail, the style holds constant the ability to flicker economic theory and undoubted utile function in a comprehensible fashion avoiding the typical stray to technical and mathematical models for evidentiary purposes. The meat of the storyline is functionally outlined through Chapters 2 through 4 carrying the reader from Samuelson's philosophy, extrapolating the "mathematical language" of his methodology, and through to the kaleidoscope of Samuelson's celebrity (presenting both praise and criticism). A well captured account of the history behind the history made by Paul A. Samuelson.

I recommend that this book be purchased.It gives an above average to very good overview of the life and times of Paul Samuelson,starting from his days as an undergraduate majoring in economics at the University of Chicago.It does an admirable job in covering the importance of Samuelson's unmatched textbook,Economics,as well as the surrounding historical and political conditions and controversies that occurred during the writing of the book.However,Samuelson's consistent core position concerning the interface between macroeconomics,microeconomics and the economics of Keynes, as expressed by Keynes in the General Theory(1936),in general and,specifically, in section III of chapter 24,is not covered at all.The reader,who finishs this book,will come away without grasping exactly what it was that Samuelson took away from his reading of the GT.It certainly was not Keynes's mathematical model of chapters 19,20, and 21.Samuelson had been convinced by the misleading claims of Richard Kahn,Joan Robinson and Austin Robinson that,while Keynes's new ideas and approach were fundamentally correct,he had made a technical mess of the formal,mathematical expression and exposition of his theory.Nevertheless,Samuelson did have a very deep understanding and appreciation for Keynes's approach,if not his technique. Samuelson viewed the study of economics and macroeconomics as the study of an economy as a whole.An economy is made up of a private sector and a public sector.There are micro-theoretical underpinnings to the decision making calculus in both sectors.Both sectors are vital to realizing the goal of economic growth and prosperity at full employment,non inflationary levels of gross domestic product.Both public goods and private goods are absolutely necessary.The concept of a completely private economy,operating under conditions of laissez faire,is a myth that was completely rejected by the founding fathers of the United States of America in 1787.The standard reference is The Federalist Papers ,written by Hamilton,Madison,and Jay.The economic system,AS A WHOLE,can be made to function as if it were an ergodic system IF,AND ONLY IF, the following policies are followed.These policies will create a stable,full employment level of output.First,an activist and interventionist monetary and fiscal policy is implemented.Second,a progressive taxation system is implemented.Third, continuous government spending on investment on infrastructure projects,public goods,and public works is implemented.These three policies will counterbalance and negate the highly variable,unstable,volatile,insufficient,unpredictable private sector spending on investment in fixed ,durable capital goods(plants,factories,machinery,computer hardware and software,etc.)that occurs due to the uncertainty(D. Ellsberg's ambiguity)of the future in all capitalist economies.Fourth,money wages and prices are sticky.Sticky does not mean rigid or inflexible.Fifth,introduction of more interest,wage,and price flexibility,combined with policies 1,2 and 3,will result in attaining the goal of full employment.The expansion of government to include activist,interventionist monetary and fiscal policy,and increased public sector spending on public goods and infrastructure,necessary to counter the shortfalls in required private sector spending on investment ,will mean that"...if our central controls succeed in establishing an aggregate volume of output corresponding to full employment as nearly as is practicable,the classical theory comes into its own again from this point onwards."(Keynes,1936,p.378).Samuelson has digested this point.His detractors have not.The authors of this book only discuss the strange and incomprehensible objections made by the authors of a two volume book called the Anti-Samuelson(1977)and libertarian anarchists believers in Laissez Faire,like Murray Rothbard and Mark Skousen ,who assume that there is no difference between consumption goods and investment goods or between fixed capital and circulating capital(inventories).Supposedly,investment is a completely stable,predictable function of the long run real rate of interest only.All of the empirical evidence shows that long run investment is not a stable,predictable or nonvolatile function of the real rate of interest.Another strange critic of Samuelson,not mentioned in this book, is Paul Davidson,one of the founders of the Post Keynesian School of economics.Davidson makes the unsupportable charge that Samuelson is not a Keynesian of any type.The reader of this review will discover that Davidson never cites or mentions Keynes's analysis in section III of chapter 24 of the GT whenever he criticizes Samuelson for not being a "true" Keynesian.In fact ,nowhere in the corpus of Davidson's published work ,going back to 1960 ,has Davidson ever dealt with this section of the GT except in dismissive one liners.Finally,none of the other schools of economic thought,such as rational expectations,monetarist,austrian,supply side,or real business cycles,have a clue to the fundamental problem of capitalism.Samuelson,following Keynes,realized that it is the shortfall in investment spending that is the crucial problem in introducing involuntary unemployment into a capitalist economy.Samuelson said it best:"When it comes to investment,the laissez faire system has no good thermostat".No good thermostat means that such an economic system is not self regulating or correcting.The Laissez Faire approach does not lead to full employment unless "we're lucky" .No economist has ever demonstrated theoretically or empirically that the laissez faire system has a good thermostat.

This is an engaging and readable encomium to Samuelson, a selective history of economic theory and an introduction to economics. Quite an accomplishment in 160 pages!
I particularly enjoyed its informal conversational style and use of personal anecdotes. These really brought the reader to feel privy to important people and events. The text also successfully conveyed the Stiglitz' love of Samuelson - his excellence as a human being, over and above his accomplishments as a theoretician.
Chapters 2 and 3 were quite informative to me, successful introductions to key aspects of the science of economics. In just a couple of pages Stiglitz succeeds in conveying the changes from feudalism to mercantilism to free market in a way which showed why a new understanding of economics was needed. He then goes on to show shortcomings in classical theory which called for Samuelson's contributions. The author's presentation of Samuelson's incorporation of mathematical modeling in economics and the revolution that brought was also clear and interesting.
The sections at the end of each chapter "Additional Notes and Sources" are
very helpful to this reader who is not a professional in economics.

A very interesting pocket book. A great perspective of the times. For a history buff, a good eye witness biographical account. However, considering the near epic situation of those times and places, the book seems sparse. A noticeable ommission are (the other?) Gibbes' photographs not published in this book. I've seen photographs published elsewhere that were attributed to be taking by Gibbs. A proper mix of these photos and the book would have added much. But still, this book is very much worth reading. For you history buffs, and a complementary account, check out Gilliard's writtings.

I enjoyed this book tremendously! It is a real page turner! It follows the incredible life and circumstances of M r. Gibbes, tutor to the last Russian imperial family until his death. Very precise,well researched,with many new facts and information. It is also beautifully written. Will please all the devotees of the Romanov family,as well as all those who enjoy a great story!

Sydney Gibbes would have been unknown to all except his own family had he not taken the momentous step of going to Russia in the early 1900s. There he sought out work as tutor to the children of various noble families, with indifferent results and gaining a reputation for behavior, which while not all that unusual for the times, definitely raised a few eyebrows (especially his insistence on whipping his students). He strode into history in 1908 when Empress Alexandra Fedorovna needed a tutor to correct her daughters' accents and hired him sight unseen. Gibbes remained with the family for the next ten years through war and revolution, teaching the four Grand Duchesses and then the hemophiliac Tsarevich.

Gibbes doesn't strike the reader as particularly admirable at first. He was definitely a social-climber and not particularly talented as a teacher. His private life was mysterious, involving some mild flirtations with an Englishwoman and some dreams (carefully recorded for posterity by Gibbes himself) which seem classically Freudian.

Gibbes came into his own, and we find reason to respect and like him, with the Russian Revolution of March 1917. As an Englishman he could have easily left Russia and gone home to safety. Instead he chose to remain with the Imperial Family, sharing their captivity in their palace outside Petrograd and then in Tobolsk. He underwent considerable hardship and personal danger, but he was selflessly devoted to the family. Even after he was told to leave by the Bolsheviks who were holding the family in their final prison in Ekaterinburg he remained in the city, walking past the House of Special Purpose and trying to get in for visits. After the family's murder, he assisted the investigators trying to determine what had happened.

After leaving Russia Gibbes lived in China before returning to England. He became an Orthodox priest, adopted a Russian orphan boy, and spent most of the rest of his life in Oxford, maintaining a museum of keepsakes of the family he had served for so long. He was not particularly effective as a priest, but he was sadly missed and fondly remembered after his death, which is a pretty good epitaph for anyone.

This biography makes use primarily of Gibbes'own notes and diary, so that the reader must look elsewhere for historical insight into his life, but nevertheless it does a nice job telling the story of a quiet, somewhat limited man who was a good servant and friend.

This book doesn't shed any new light on the Romanovs, but it does give new insight into a man who knew them very well. It is a short book, but very informative.

Was greatly anticipating this read...here it is, an up-close look at someone who spent significant time with the Imperial Family. Finally, an opportunity to get a real glimpse of Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia...who else could provide such personal commentary but the one person who spent years tutoring the family?? The promise was there (at least in the title), but the pages never delivered. VERY little at all was mentioned about the daughters, and what little anecdotes offered dealt primarily with Alexei. The most interesting part of the book was his brief description of his confrontation of Anna Anderson, the Anastasia imposter. If you're looking for a biography of the man who tutored the Romanov children...by all means buy this book. If you're looking for personal insight into the Imperial family, don't bother.

I bought this book after a teacher at a conference shared how the Fish philosophy improved her work climate. I expected the book to be more like typical teaching books with concrete examples of how to implement strategies in the classroom. Instead it is more of a collection of inspirational stories from teachers who have followed the philosophy.
I then went to the website listed in the book for curriculum ideas, only to find that I have to pay for them.
Overall, it was an interesting and rejuvenating read, except for the constant plugs for their video, which of course can be bought separately on their website.

I happened across this book completely by chance in a bookstore. I was looking for new ideas for my elementary classroom. I remember thinking that the title seemed funny. Once I picked it up though, I was literally hooked (pardon the pun)! I couldn't put it down, and it has inspired a great many new ideas for me to use in the classroom. The advice and examples are so practical and inspiratioal. As a philosophy, it is a perfect fit for the classroom setting. It intends to make school what it should be... a place we all enjoy going and spending time.

This book is concise and well organized. It is inspirational no matter what the age of your students.

Heather Hanson, D.D.S.
Dental Practice Management Consultant
Former Junior School Teacher

I bought this book as my daughter has just started teaching and I love the philosophy in it. We have been using it in our school in Australia and it guides the way we teach and communicate.

FISH! A REMARKABLE WAY TO BOOST MORALE AND IMPROVE
RESULTS by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen
has become one of my favorite business books . . . so when I saw
that the principles have been applied to education in a book, SCHOOLS OF
FISH! by Philip Strand, Christensen
and Andy Halper, I knew that it was something that I had to read.

And am I ever glad that I did, in that it inspired me with its ideas and
techniques for better classroom management . . . though all the
many examples were from grades K-12 situations, I do believe that
they could be related to any level of education--up through and
including graduate school.

One quote from the book says it all: "We're very serious about
learning; play is just how we feel while we're doing it."

It got me thinking about the fact that education should be more
fun . . . for the teacher, as well as the student . . . you don't
have to be a rocket scientist to make this happen . . . just utilize
some of the methods that have worked for others, apply them to
your situation, and you'll be all set.

There were several memorable passages; among the ones that
I especially liked were these:

* That duality also transfers to adult relationships. As daily pressures
compete for our attention, it's amazing how people can seem rude
or, equally, how simple gestures stand out. For example, a certain
principal never answers his phone when talking with a visitor. "It
will ring and the other person will say, "It's OK if you get that," he
explains. "I tell them, `No, you're more important to me right now.'
They're always surprised," Why? Possibly because it's such a
powerful statement of respect and commitment.

* When it came to dealing with parents, Puntenney wanted to make sure
she not only called home to discuss problems, but also to congratulate
students. She sent good-news postcards home, and sometimes she
just called parents to tell them about their child's success.

"Some parents were in disbelief when I called," she says. "They
said things like, `Are you sure you have the right student?' One
said, `Nobody from school has ever called with good news before!
Thank you."

* At Avon Intermediate School, there's room at the table for everybody.

"Recently I bought furniture for the staff dining room--four tables with
four chairs for each table," says principal Scott Raftery. "The next day,
when I came in the dining room, the teachers had pushed all the tables
together to create one huge table so they could eat like a big family."

The above is just basic stuff, but it works . . . if you're looking for the ideal
gift for any teacher (past, present or future), then you won't go wrong
buying SCHOOLS OF FISH!

From his efforts to improve public education and race relations in North Carolina to his success in transforming Duke into one of the top universities in the country, Terry Sanford left an indelible impact upon both the North Carolina and the nation. In this book, Howard Covington and Marion Ellis provide a sympathetic account of Sanford's life. Using an impressive array of sources, including Sanford's papers and interviews with Sanford and dozens of other figures, the authors chronicle his life and times, from his childhood in Laurinburg to his years as governor, university president, and United States senator.

Yet this is more than just a biography of a great public servant. In seeking to explain Sanford's achievement, Covington and Ellis provide the context of his life and career. Their subject occasionally recedes into the background as they navigate state politics or describe the issues Sanford faced as president of Duke University, but it helps the reader better understand the challenges he faced and the full measure of his achievements. This perspective that they provide makes the book a valuable resource not just for understanding Sanford but the many areas of American life that he effected in his lifetime.

Former North Carolina Governor and United States Senator Terry Sanford is one of this century's outstanding political leaders. While serving as Governor in the early sixties, Sanford became known nationwide for his commitment to improving education in North Carolina.

Covington and Ellis' biography of Sanford offers a great deal of insight into Sanford's formative years and his political career. The authors researched their subject thoroughly, and the reader gains a great deal of insight into North Carolina politics and into the historical forces shaping the country.

Many of Sanford's colleagues, family, and friends were interviewed for this book, and their stories and perspectives add depth to this book. Many of the characters in the book are still active in North Carolina politics, including "Jimmy Hunt" (as he is referred to in the book) who now serves as Governor of North Carolina.

People who still believe that our government can be a force for good, and that a political life can be synonomous with a life of public service, will be inspired by this book and by the life of this outstanding public servant.

Outrageous Ambition" by Howard E. Covington, Jr., and Marion A. Ellis is the biography of Terry Sanford. Sanford was a North Carolina politician, child of the depression, President of Duke University, Governor, Senator and failed Presidential Candidate. The book chronicles his life and times. It assesses the impact he had on the state and visa versa.

This book is excellent.

The writers have a readable and exciting style of prose. The narrative moves along well.

The book is not simply a story about Sanford's life, though that is covered in good order. It is a history of the politics of North Carolina from the 1930's to the early 1990's. It would be of benefit to students and teachers, and any reader who wanted to more about this era in state politics. The account of desegregation is especially well written.

As for the biographical nature of the book, it is clear that the authors liked their subject, and made no attempt to hide that fact. This is a clearly stated account of Sanford's life from two admirers. Though the book is not free of some criticisms, the writers measure Sanford's life and find the good outweighed the bad. Their case is strong.

Every Tarheel, or any non-Tarheel who has an interest in one of the most important political figures in the South, Terry Sanford, should read this book. Senator in the NC General Assembly, Governor, President of Duke University, and US Senator, this book covers it all. It provides an interesting look at Southern politics, and how our past still effects us to this day. There should be a "Six Degrees of Terry Sanford" game, as he can be linked to practically anybody in the field of NC or National politics. Kerr Scott, Lauch Faircloth, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, The George Bushes, Al Gore, Jesse Helms, Jesse Jackson, Richard Nixon, Elizabeth Dole & Erskine Bowles (both front runners from their respective parties in the 2002 Senate race) and the list goes on. Terry Sanford witnessed great movements in history. The race issue in the South, a political atmospheric change, the wheeling and dealing of politicians. Throughout he kept his values and goals, which helped him become a symbol of Progressive policies, and helped place Duke University into national prominence. This should be required reading!

Anyone who lives in North Carolina will learn much about the state's recent political history in this book. And anyone who is interested in progressive politics should read it too. Terry Sanford's forward-thinking approach to government is an inspiration, particularly in the areas of race and education.

Abbie and Ed Morgan were adventurous and brave when they traveled to a remote Eskimo village to live among the people and serve them for two years. The actual photographs and details of their adventures are so interesting and transport the reader back to a time very different from today.
You might also enjoy a new release, another book of courage and survival that takes place in early Alaska.
When the Water Runs: Growing Up with Alaska

A particularly moving story. This book takes place about the same time as "Tisha" but in the famed Bristol Bay Region in a village called Kulukak. It was published in 1992 and available in paperback, this book should be easy to locate.

I came across Arctic Schoolteacher by accident. I had taken my kids to a summer program at a county library. While we waited for the show to begin, I browsed the shelves and came across this book. I have probably read 20-30 books this year, and Arctic Schoolteacher makes the top of my list. In it, the author tells the story of how she and her husband travelled to a remote Alaskan village in the 1930s as government employees. Abbie taught school, and Ed, her husband, oversaw the reindeer herd. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the book is filled with the numerous joys and sorrows that Abbie experienced in her two year stay in the Last Frontier. I only wish that Abbie had mentioned more about her life before Alaska, and about how she and Ed met. I am glad that the book included an epilogue by Abbie's daughter that mentions what happened in Abbie's life after Alaska.

I ordered this book because I like reading books about teachers in various parts of the world. This book was not about teaching,but about her life in Kulukak. That part was well written, but depressing. I guess it is what life was like there. Abbie Morgan handled the depressing landscape with humor and love. I was disappointed because it was not what I was looking for, but it does not mean that it is not a good book. If you are looking for a description of 1930 Alaska, then this is your book. Morgan describes life in this town with clarity and handles lifes disappointments with grace. She was an amazing woman to have worked there.

I needed to learn quark to get a job at this huge graphics company and it taught me everything i needed to know. it really helps and i think its great. read it. its worth it!

I haven't yet used this while experimenting on Quark XPress, but I am familiar with other desktop publishing programs, and I have to say this provides good, detailed, step by step instructions, with helpful pictures. The only thing that bothers me, and maybe because I'm an editor by profession, is the typos that seem to crop up every other page. Who edited this thing?

I needed to learn quark to get a job at this huge graphics company and it taught me everything i needed to know. it really helps and i think its great. read it. its worth it!

As a pagemaker user, this book got me up to speed in the page layout industry by easily converting me to QUARK! I recommend this book greatly.

This book is an easy to use resource when you are dealing with issues that are new to you as a nurse. The nurses I supervise swear by it as a study aid for School Nurse Certification Review!

Dear Publisher,
I am writing in support of the book "Manuel of School Health by Keeta Lewis and Bonnie Bear. I am a School Nurse in Washington Unified School and I use the book frequently in my practice of School Nursing. I cover 4 schools including 3 elementaries and a middle school where I have approximately 2300 students. I often look up medical information in this book as well as make copies of the different pages for pages for parents and guardians. It is really the only book I have ever found that specifically covers our field of practice and the kind of illnesses we deal with on a daily basis. When I can copy a page and go over it with a family member, it very concisely outlines the treatment and care of the condition. Also, I especially appreciate the exclusion information the book details so that I know best practice guidelines and when to allow the student to return to achool. When it is in a book, in writing, it has validity and credibility and stips any arguement or debate about the guidelines. This book also helps me with information for teachers. They often ask me medical questions and I pull out my handy School Nurse manuel and can give them the answers they want in timely manner.
Thank-you fo publishing this very handy guide that I can use on a daily basis as a School Nurse in Northern California. Lanette Reeves, R.N.

This book is an excellent reference book for school nurses. It is user friendly and has basic information for nurses working in schools. The only comment is that was last revised in 1986. The information presented is basic information which one needs to know if working in schools. I do feel it is time for an update to include current topics that we see in schools--increased use of medications for behavior modification, eating disorder issues, etc. I am purchasing this book for my office.

The Manual of School Health, by Keeta DeStefano Lewis and Bonnie J. Bear, contains a wealth of vital information organized in a way that makes it easily accessible. As a reference book, the Manual reflects the rich background of the authors as both scholars and practitioners.

The topics/chapters, both comprehensive and wide-ranging, include

* Growth and Development characteristics
* Vision and Hearing
* Acute Conditions
* Chronic Conditions
* Affective and Behavioral Disorders
* Substance Abuse
* Violence
* Adolescent and Gender-Specific Issues
* Special Education
* Twenty-First Century Health Challenges
* Emergency Disaster Preparedness and First Aid

Each childhood condition and disorder is consistently and clearly listed with a definition, its etiology, characteristics, effects on individuals, health concerns/emergencies associated, management/treatment, additional information, and websites where one can acquire additional information. The authors have included information that the reader would have difficulty finding anywhere else.

The appendices are rich with information: charts, tables, and graphs that one can access with ease. The illustrations are clear and useful.

The authors have gone to great lengths to have the book reviewed by scholars, practitioners, and specialists in medicine and education to ensure that the information is accurate, current, and thoroughly practical.

The Manual of School Health should be an essential and indispensable part of every school health office. As a former school principal and current educational consultant and trainer, I highly recommend this book. As a husband and father of three children, I keep one in my home.

David Ghoogasian
Educational Consultant/Trainer
School Improvement Facilitator

Author Doris Marshall-Slack grew up in rural Tennessee and with Perseverance Lane: A Teacher's Story, she deftly provides the reader with a superbly crafted historical autobiography of her personal experiences growing up during the Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras. Doris Marshall-Slack became a teacher against all odds: her first-person story is revealing, engaging, and a very highly recommended memoir, especially for students of Black Studies and Women's Studies.

In her book PERSEVERANCE LANE, author Doris L. Marshall-Slack tells the story of her life and all of the obstacles she overcame to become a successful educator. Born in a rural poverty-stricken area of Tennessee, the author shares both her experiences growing up in the Jim Crow era, and the experiences that she endured growing up in a broken home.

She later tells of the difficulties she had to conquer being involved in an abusive marriage and raising six children while first earning her high school diploma, later going to college, and eventually earning her Master's degree. The book is also a tribute to her mother, sisters, and other family members who helped her achieve success.

PERSEVERANCE LANE shows one woman's strength to go against the odds and become successful. Though her life was filled with pain, sorrow, and struggles, the author still held on to her faith in God, and was able to persevere. PERSEVERANCE LANE is a true testimony to what one can accomplish through faith and hard work.

Living in the rural South presented many physical and emotional conflicts for the author. However, Marshal-Slack tells the story in such a way that readers feel as if they're in the next room,watching the story unfold. If readers cannot relate to the physical problems that African Americans experienced in the rural South, they certainly can relate to the emotional abuse the author suffered.
I recommend this book for people of all races and nationalities, for how many women of all races and nationalities have experienced verbal/physical at the hands of fathers and husbands? Until this nightmare is eliminated from society, freedom has completely escaped us.
I commend Marshall-Slack who so eloquently sent the message that through faith in God and determination, nothing is impossible.

The main problem I had with this book was that the author does not make it clear what her purpose was in writing the book. Was it intended to be an autobiographical account of her life? Was it intended to be a motivational piece for young people? Was it intended to be a historical account of social change? Black youth might find it motivational while most white youth would have a hard time relating to it. There are many other motivational and autobiographical books better suited for encouragement.

On the other hand this would be an excellent book for studying social change and the social environment over the past several decades in the black community. Author Doris Marshall-Slack provides all the required details to get a complete depiction of growing up in the rural United States as a black person. It follows the true story of the author as she rises from poverty in the days before the Civil Rights Movement, through a broken home and dysfunctional marriage and eventually to a master's degree. This was all done while still trying to be a wife and mother.

This well-written and articulate book provides an even-handed and personal look into the life of the author. It is an excellent study of the social-economic period and the struggles of black females over the past several decades. A moving story, "Perseverance Lane" is recommended for general reading and anyone studying this period for social sciences, history, or black history.

Written with wit and wisdom, Roy Fraser recounts the journey of a young man's coming of age that paralels the growth of a nation. We travel through the awkwardness of a youth through to the maturing of a man; experiencing the laughter and joy that this often strange road, with its twists and turns, takes us down.
The quasi idealic sixties, and the turbulent seventies provide the back drop for the adventure that is the young man's life.
Pack up this book in your beach bag and settle on the dock for a great escape.

Pilgrim Soul is a moving account of a man's life, told through a chronological series of remembered stories, and periodically correlated to various movies. Roy Fraser freely gives his most inner thoughts for us to share. I was deeply touched by the honesty of the book.

The journey starts at age two, in 1951, with his earliest remembrances. Then proceeds to around 1997. I was in awe at the candor of the story. His silver sun, childhood sweetheart, Sydney Ellen, is a predominating thread throughout. It is a touching account about life and proof positive that no man is an island. I highly recommend this book. Thank you for sharing your life with us Mr. Fraser.

From the prologue, Mr. Fraser's book pulls the reader into his life. While presented in chronological order resembling a journal, the true thread that ties the stories together is the power of first love: Mr. Fraser's Pilgrim Soul, SydneyEllen. For the nostalgiac reader who remembers that first love, this book will spark their own trip down memory lane, as if they are reading old love letters hidden away in the attic to pull out for a sigh and a smile. The intimate and entertaining accounts of his journey through life and love will appeal to all who read this book, and many of the stories will leave the reader wondering "what ever happened to...." I highly recommend this book, and look forward to seeing more work from Mr. Fraser in the future.

I couldn't keep myself from continuing on. Everything stopped for two days as my spirit and soul flew free through memories of years past, loves that have come and gone, good times and bad. This book's journal like reading makes a grand statement. Mr Fraser lets you in on every aspect of his life, sharing himself completely and without hestitation. His feelings, thoughts, and heart felt emoiton shine through so brightly. I loved the comparisons between his characters and some movie characters, it offers a visual and gives you a more intimate feeling, a true connection. When i reached the last page I found myself sad that the journey was over, BUT I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Fraser very soon!!!!!

Forrest McDonald's most recent book, "Recovering the Past: A Historian's Memoir," is an important work for aficionados of history. Often personally revealing, "Recovering the Past" details the major movements of professional historians through the last century and argues for the supremacy of objective, scientific, research-based history. In the first chapters the reader learns of the influence of "New History" on the course of politics and education of the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century. While providing an overview of his beginnings within the profession, Professor McDonald continues with a firsthand account of the resurrection of objective, research-oriented historians and how his own work helped reshape the then-prevalent thoughts on the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. The last portion of McDonald's memoirs follows the upward course of his career and looks at the latter decades of the history profession, noting the trend toward creation of history or history for the sake of agenda and the stalwart handfuls of historians who continue to strive for excellence. Finally, Professor McDonald concludes with an explanation of his personal philosophy of life in general-"I am a miracle, and so, dear reader, are you." ["Memoir", 166] For those who desire an insightful account of the world of historical research and writing, "Recovering the Past" is a must read.

Recovering the Past, a historian's memoir
Forrest McDonald


Recovering the Past, a historian's memoir is written for "that elusive critter called the general reader, or, more precisely, for the vast number of people who genuinely love history for its own sake--which, as will become evident, I regard as eliminating a sizable majority of professional historians."
At the outset of the book it becomes clear that McDonald, who has lived and breathed the study of history for half a century, does not march in lock-step with most of his brethren in academia, an often mirthless, self-righteous breed with axes to grind. With a gift for coupling scholarship and insight with intelligent (and frequently irreverent) humor, McDonald deftly unravels tales of history gone awry, mishandled history, and misguided historians.
The book opens with a history of the writing of history. The nearly exponential increase of research materials available to historians during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries led to a simultaneous explosion of theories regarding both the craft and the responsibility of the historian. This is a clear and fascinating introduction to the story that follows.
Chapter two is a whirlwind history of America and the presidency. Some presidents are dispatched with a sentence, for example: "Fortunately for President Warren G. Harding, he died." "Taft was enormously fat and had the personality of a dead halibut." We get the backdrop against which American historiographers of the twentieth century will be set, and tune into the style and rhythm of trenchant wit that punctuates the book throughout.
Into this narrative enters young Forrest McDonald, a kid from east Texas growing up during the depression. He entered the University of Texas in the late 1940s. It was there that he realized that history was not a series of irrefutable, chronological "facts." Through back to back history courses he encountered renditions of the same events that were completely at odds with each other and professors who were openly hostile towards one another and the differing interpretations each favored.
McDonald introduces us to a world of history and historians that is such a battle ground that one wonders at the success of efforts to transform history into the stultifying, eyeball-glazing assemblage of dehumanized non-stories that fill our history textbooks.
The memoir of his life unfolds concurrently with the story of the revisionism that has dominated history in the latter half of the twentieth century. It is a story you will understand fully by the end of the book. As an indictment of revisionist history, McDonald makes his case.
McDonald's personal story is peopled with villainous swine, arrogant "new historians," a mentor who goes off the deep end, pompous, cowardly academicians, and numerous diligent historians with whom he has shared ideas and collaborated. Clearly, the most important person in his life is his wife, Ellen, of whom he says, "There may be no such thing as an indispensable man, but there is an indispensable woman."
The appendix alone is worth the price of the book. It is a reprint from Requiem, Variations on Eighteenth Century Themes, co-authored with his wife. The title, The Intellectual World of the Founding Fathers, speaks for itself. One cannot help but draw a parallel between McDonald and the founders whom he has spent so much of his life studying.
McDonald wades into controversy confidently and armed to the teeth. It is evident that the high ethical standards by which he gauges members of his profession are applied rigorously to his own work. It is exceptional to find work so painstaking scholarly (neither specifics nor generalizations are allowed to float around unsubstantiated) that is also delightful, sometimes gripping, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny reading.

Kathy Austell
November, 2004

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the young Forrest McDonald for demolishing the once popular, but basically unresearched, notions of Charles Beard in McDonald's We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution (1958). (In Recovering the Past, we learn that McDonald's monumental research for that book was, in part, made possible by his capacity for living simply and sleeping hardly at all.)

Although McDonald has written a number of important books since the 1950s, the most important contribution of this brief and fast-paced memoir is the author's summary of twentieth-century American historiography from a conservative point of view. McDonald spends one of his seven chapters describing the "New History"-"The World as I Entered It"-and then harrumphs his way through the remainder of the century, concluding with some well-deserved tongue clucking at the malfeasance of Michael Bellesiles.

Unlike most memoirs, McDonald passes quickly over his earliest years, either because he's not the introspective sort or so that he can spend more time glorying in his early academic successes. His self-praise (though often deserved) will probably strike many readers as amusing. Many historians have probably thought, but few have written, "I did a smashing job; the book reads like a novel." (94)

Nevertheless, this is a fine memoir, easy to read and digest. You don't even have to like McDonald or his professional score-settling to admire his literary craftsmanship.

Recovering the Past. It's a great title, isn't it? And who better to speak about such than an accomplished historian. ..."[W]hen we think historically," Forrest MacDonald writes, "we try to understand past events and circumstances as the participants did." Unfortunately, all others in his field are not similarly inclined. The problem lies with subjectivism-relativism-presentism; the idea that some within each generation simply have (to paraphase the author) the right to perceive the past in accordance with the changing preoccupations of changing times. We see this now in the news all the time. As elites become more secular, for instance, the past is increasingly re-interpreted within a framework that is hostile to religious beliefs. But what of the facts? What of the spiritual groundings of America's Founding Fathers? What of the fact that America was populated by those seeking religious freedom? Such "details" don't concern New Left "historians." Such are not historians at all, actually; but agenda promoters who seek to "arrange the facts of history as to influence the present or future in the direction that [they] consider socially desirable." Hence we have historians (the likes of Mr. MacDonald, David McCullough, Richard Pipes---who also has a memoir out, incidentally) and we have anti-capitalist substantiators (think Eric Hobsbawn, Charles Beard, Howard Zinn, et al.). Some of these, of course, are less anti-capitalist than just economically illiterate; seeing in their "utterly unsophisticated conception of economic activity...the exploitation by the wealthy of the poor, laborers, farmers, and small businesmen"; rather than "entrepreneurship, ingenuity, luck and hard work" as the creators of wealth. It's ironic, isn't it, that so many of such folks who see exploitation as the driving force of economics are usually those most removed from the business world and/or have the least entrepreneural instincts themselves. (Successful European-born business folks such as George Soros et al. are in another category all together.) McDonald quotes Thomas Jefferson: "Those who labor in the earth are God's chosen people." The only inconsistancy is that Jefferson never worked land himself. How McDonald got the commission to write Jefferson's story in The University of Kansas' Presidential Histories series is instructive herein: He got it because all university Jefferson scholars, being Jeffersonians, "did not wish to touch the presidency because Jefferson was by no means a Jeffersonian president." So much for intellectual honesty. Such experiences of Professor McDonald make up much of the second half of this memoir; the first half being devoted to how he came to realize the above points---that all historians are not equel to the title. It's a short read (166 main pages), particularly the latter half. My only complaint is that I wish he would have carried forth his far more densely argued first half of this memoir to a greater level, as opposed to getting rather chatty later on. Hence my rating as indicated above. (P.S. Forrest McDonald appeared on C-SPAN's "In depth" show; a 3 hour give-and-take discussion on his career/scholarship in 2004. It's available (& free) for watching on your computer, I believe. Explore BOOKTV.ORG for it.) (05Mar) Cheers!