Educators Books

This is an older book but still lively for modern readers. Great book on a great teacher.

I really did want to like this book more than I did. I'd actually give it 2 1/2 stars if that was allowed. There were some great stories about Stuart's teaching career, but I couldn't help thinking that in the hands of a more gifted writer this book would have been fantastic. I also thought that some of the conflicts that Mr Stuart describes here were a little too easily, and conveniently solved - to his own advantage, and that left me to wonder if things really happened that way, or if his memory sanitized his own image somewhat. He's not always the hero of his own stories, but he frequently was. He also lost my interest a few times when he went into more detail than was necessary about the running of the school system. I'd definitely recommend it to all those people who have a continued nostalgia for the good old days. In Mr Stuart's world violence seems to be tolerated a lot more than it is today, and sometimes even initiated by adults - the very people in charge of the system. I'm glad I read it, and I would recommend it to others but I would also have to qualify my recommendation.

When I was in Junior High I found Jesse Stuart's book "Hie to the Hunters" in the school library. It remains one of the best books I have ever read. Stuart was at the same time a tough man's man and a sensitive poet. His love of the natural beauty of Kentucky and his people shines through in all his writing, as does his toughness, hard work and perseverance. He was born in the hill country of Kentucky to a father who was not literate and a mother who had only completed a few years of grade school, yet he and his brothers and sisters learned the value of education and became school teachers. "The Thread That Runs So True" is the story of his career in education, beginning when he was a 17-year-old teaching a rural one-room school in the 1920s, through stints as a principal and superintendent of schools, and finally as a farmer, author, and lecturer. "The Thread That Runs So True", written in 1949, remains probably his best-known book, but parts of it are almost too painful to read. Stuart's first year of teaching was at a country school where his older sister had been badly beaten up and driven from the school by a tough male student. Stuart wrote poignantly of the beautiful and the ugly in this book, and it is very worthwhile reading.

This book and story takes the reader into the world of education at the grass roots rural level. From the one room school house with 20 year old students still mired in the first grade to brilliant students from impoverished backgrounds. A terrific review and account of cultural conditions in the 1930's, from the depression to WWII. A must read for educators/teachers. Many of the methods and means used by the author will shock and surprise today's readers, but this is Kentucky in the 1930's. Imagery depicted is fantastic.

Twenty-two years ago (in 1986) I was a freshman in high school. My English teacher assigned The Thread That Runs So True as part of our summer reading. I am now a college professor & I thought that it would be fun to reread the book now that I have classes to teach.

Stuart's book is powerful. He explains the limited circumstances of his Kentucky pupils in a way that makes you think about the lack of opportunities many Americans face. Stuart will also force you to take off your rose-colored glasses about how wonderful things used to be. He recounts stories of students beating up teachers, indifferent administrators, and students literally walking barefoot in the snow to get to school. The good-old days weren't so great.

One of the best aspects of the Thread That Runs So True is that Stuart has tremendous faith in humanity - and in education's ability to improve each of us and our society. He recounts many instances in which students from the most-impoverished families dramatically improved their lives by going to school. Even a cynic will find it difficult not to feel a little inspired by reading this book.

In my opinion, the book is not perfect. Stuart's argument that education funding is the panacea to cure society's ills is dated; we now know that money for education is very important, but that money alone does not always promote student achievement. Also, I don't want to give anything away, but I thought that the ending of the book was very unsatisfying.

While The Thread That Runs So True has a few drawbacks, it is an inspiring story that will teach you a lot about education early in the 20th Century U.S.

Being a fan of adventure fiction, I could not ignore this truly vintage tale. This is the story of many of the adventures of Robin Hood and his merry men. I must say, as usual, the movies can't hold a candle to the book. Hollywood has also chosen to ignore Robin Hood's attitude toward the church and clergy, which were important issues in his day. Written in the 18th century, it takes a little getting used to the language, but it quickly becomes part of the ambience as Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, and the scores of merry men began to charm me.

Like all good storytellers, Pyle pulls us in with glamour first, making us fall for Robin Hood and his good, stout yeomen for their light spirits and good deeds, before showing us their darker side, taking us along while they rob the rich, after first seducing us with the laughter and free-flowing ale after the fact. The story reads like a fairy tale, with Robin Hood and the merry men doing a lot of lying around in the grass waxing merry when they aren't feasting and sucking down mass quantities of ale and good, stout March beer. Of course, given the times, everyone drank beer, ale, or wine nearly all the time. Why not? They walked everywhere.

Naturally, Hollywood has also played up the romance angle between Robin Hood and Maid Marian, but in this book, Robin's lady love gets barely a mention. Females aren't totally left out, Queen Eleanor being an especially engaging character, but mostly these are stories of battles and games of skill played out by men, done with good humor that even had me laughing out loud.

This book has stood the test of time and deserves respect for that, but it is also engaging even today. It was easy to transport myself to the English woods of the thirteenth century when life was simple and one could avoid the law simply by changing his clothes and adopting an alias. With some enigmatic actors and a script that stayed true to the book, this would make a wonderful movie to outshine all those other namby-pamby Robin Hoods. It would be fun to see these stories on the big screen with some quality talent. I guess, though, I will have to be content, as others have for centuries, with my imagination to see the vivid characters in this wonderful book in action.

Howard Pyle has put together a bunch of Robin Hood tales, legends and songs, and turned it into a book that is basically aimed at young readers. It is certainly enjoyable, and plenty of people should enjoy Robin Hood and his Merry Men running around in the forest causing trouble for those Sheriff types and others. Definitely fun.

This is a fine retelling of the Robin Hood story, with all the familar characters (Robin, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet and the rest, minus Maid Marion). Pyle has done a great job of bringing together the many legends and writing a coherent tale with language that speaks to the old period, but is easily understandable by modern readers. Kids, and adults letting themselves be kids for a while, will enjoy Robin's bold adventures and narrow escapes, the triumph of good over evil (most of the time), and the happy flouting of authority. Adults may want to read these stories with younger kids, explaining what conditions were in those days. Without this, young readers may be puzzled why Robin was constantly stealing from, and harassing, the priests and authorities of the day. Discussion will prevent young readers from taking away the wrong message. Pyle gives some discussion, but perhaps not enough, to justify Robin's behavior.

Robin Hood is an adventurous, quick-acting book which changes emotions really quickly. Robin Hood is an archer who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The Sheriff of Nottingham, along with Prince John, is plotting to take Robin Hood to jail and steal all of his money. Then there's Robin Hood's girlfriend, Maid Maiden, who loves Robin Hood and wants to marry him.
I think it was a great book. The moral it shows you is never brag about yourself - there may be someone better than you. I recommend this book for the Knights of the Round Table and everybody who wants a quick-witted adventure.
By Connor

Pyle's Robin Hood is a lovable soul, with a child's simplicity and a man's heart. The scenes are vivid, the characters lively, and the tales timeless. It's not Crime and Punishment, but it was never meant to be. Read Pyle's introductory warning, and decide for yourself if you will join him in his wandering through Sherwood Forest.

This is an excellent biography if you want a good amount of information about Annie Sullivan but not too much. It isn't a simple one page or two page list of facts but it won't go over ever-single detail in Annie Sullivan's life. After all, it's only 153 pages, hardly a novel. It's well written but not a difficult read. It really tells about Annie Sullivan's life, not just the time she spent with Helen Keller. For example, it talks a lot about her childhood and the time she spent in the Perkins Institution. In fact only half of the book is spent talking about her time with Helen. The first half is spent telling about Annie's struggles with her disabilities. I recommend this if you are looking for a quick, yet engaging read about Annie Sullivan.

Hellen Kellers Teacher was a great book. I liked it because it had a lot of dialouge and lots of interesting facts I had never known That were about Annie her teacher. Annie was blind when she was little so she knew what Helen felt like. Most people concentrate on Helen but this is all about her teacher. I would recomend this to any 3rd 4th or 5th grader.

This is a very good book. I read it for a project i was doing on social studies about one of my hero's. I was doing extra credit and did two heros, Helen Keller and Anne Sulivan. This book helped me imensly. I would recomend it for anyone who is doing a project on either Helen Keller or Anne Sullivan.

Helen Keller's teacher was a very interesing book. The book is about Annie Sullivan ( Helen Keller's teacher) as a young girl. This biography discusses and observes how Annie from ayoung age goes blind from a disease she contracted when she rubbed her eyes and scrathed her cornias. She goes on to school and learns to read braille because she couldn't see. She has a very tough and hard life. She had surgery on her eyes and it was successful. She could see. She then, finished school and went to teach Helen. She could deal with the same tantrums Helen displayed because she herself acted that way out of frustration. This book taught me that it is a lot of hard work to teach a kid. You have to have a lot of patience. I recommend this book because it explains how people have to work for their accomplishments. This book had a lot of information on Annie Sullivan. This book was sad because Annie Sullivan didn't have a good childhood. There was lots of disappointments and sadness in her life. She overcame so many obstacles and ended up being an inspirational leader for Helen. I hope you will read this book and learn about Annie's childhood.

FINALLY!!!! A book on one of society's greatest hereos, Anne Sullivan! Oh, boy, was her childhood a NIGHTMARE!!!! Oh, she was so strong to endure so much; she endured more pain in twelve years than most human beings endure in her lifetime. Poor Anne! It's her dignity & courage that keeps her going throughout poverty, her dad's alcoholism & abuse, her mom's tragic death, her own lifelong battle with trachoma & being blind, her brother's horrible death in the poorhouse, the terrible conditions in the poorhouse...wow, and to think she survived that all & grew up to reach out to Helen Keller & other handicapped people! Wow, were her cousins, John & Statia so stupid to dump her & Jimmie in the poorhouse; I wish I could just blast those two idiots for not understanding that they needed love & support, not to criticize Anne & put her down. Well, it was their loss since Anne battle her problems & grew up to be a loving, wonderful person to be proud of. The books goes through her arrival at Perkins, her difficulty dealing with her wounded feelings when other students make fun of her & when a teacher humiliates her, then her working hard & graduating valedictorian of her class. The part with Helen also changed her life & I'm glad they found each other since their relationship blossomed into a beautiful lifelong friendship. The part after the Breakfast Table Battle where Anne struggles & wins at getting Helen to eat with a fork is touching as it describes how Anne went up to her room afterward & cried. Poor Anne didn't realize how out of control Helen was! I found Arthur, James, & Kate a little shallow & short-sighted; after Anne opens the world of language for Helen, at first they fell all over her with praise since she'd "tamed" Helen so she'd be easier to handle, but I get the feeling that they, esp. Mr. Keller felt threatened by Anne & the fact that Helen had a closer bond with her than with them. I like how it went into how their relationship deepened over the years & became almost like a mother-daughter bond. Anne had her heart broken so many times throughout her life, yet I think Helen was one consistant light in her life. One thing the book left out was Anne's disastrous short marriage to John Macy (who, from what I've read in other books, was a real jerk who broke her heart, cheated on her & was jealous of her & I think even hit her). I would have liked to have read that there, but I guess since this was more of a teen-or-kid book, they didn't want to get into the sordid details of that. Anne stayed true to herself to the end & encouraged Helen to do so too, much to the chagrin of the rest of the Kellers. The best gift she gave Helen was her freedom & independence. I thought it was really wonderful that Anne wanted Helen to be even independent of her, since once Anne got old & became permanently blind, she wanted Helen to continue her happy, productive, independent life long after she was gone. It is such a good lesson of pushing yourself to be free, since once Anne died, Helen did just that...lived a free, independent life even without Anne & continued working on behalf of handicapped people everywhere. As the last sentence in the book says, "Annie hadn't failed." She sure didn't'; she really was a success story. WAY TO GO, ANNE SULLIVAN! CONGRATULATIONS, ANNE!

In the very first sentence of text, Jenkins well describes the situation: "Catholics and Catholicism are at the receiving end of a great deal of startling vituperation in contemporary America, although generally those responsible never think of themselves as bigots" (p.1).

While this is not a great book, it is peppered with some insightful gems: "Through the centuries, defectors from particular religions have distinguished themselves by their fanatical zeal against their former friends and colleagues....[In the 1970s,] many arguments that would have once seemed nakedly anti-Catholic now gained an audience among Catholics themselves....Catholic divisions contributed to opening the Church to attacks by the mass media that would have hitherto been unthinkable....[1968's] Humanae Vitae spawned intense public criticism of the Catholic hierarchy, especially - and this was a vital development - from Catholics themselves" (pp. 12, 48, 49). While Jenkins does not thoroughly connect the dots, widespread rejection of Pope Paul VI's prophetic Humanae Vitae did indeed spawn incredible difficulties in the past four decades (A more detailed history of what happenned may be found in "Catholics And Contraception: An American History."). As evidenced by "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body," Pope John Paul II dedicated enormous energy to correcting basic errors.

I recommend this book to those who are open to the possibility of anti-Catholic prejudice. Those who might be characterised as anti-Catholic themselves might dislike its contents. However even the latter group may enjoy reading it to afford the opportunity to rationalise their position much as an intellectual who harboured strong negativity toward another race would never accept the possibility that their society was racist but would enjoy the challenge of rationalising away clear evidence.

That said this is certainly a scholarly review with a wealth of examples both recent and historical that show clear anti-Catholicism and its continuity from past to present. Bigotry is plainly distinguished from fair criticism. Where necessary he expands on historical incidents that are a forgotten part of our past subject to soundbyte rumours. The author is not Catholic and not anti-Catholic and writes accordingly.

As a Catholic I appreciated his objectivity but struggled with the 'warts and all' approach of a non-Catholic putting the issue under the microscope and not missing the opportunity to cite examples where he considered Catholics contributed to the prejudice. I would probably feel more comfortable reading a similar book from a Catholic author who accepts Catholic beliefs. However, as difficult as it might be in places, I do not shrink from recommending it to Catholics as it is useful to see the issue viewed from a different perspective not coloured by prejudice but not viewed through rose coloured glasses either.

It is clear that Mr Jenkins considers our religion to be overly extreme in respect of contraception and a tad sexist. Not that he joins the bigots even when discussing those issues. Indeed he even condemns anti-Catholicism demonstrated by improper actions based on views which he apparently shares and seeks to tone down misrepresentations relating to such issues. Such objectivity even in the face of his own biases is valuable in this type of discussion and should widen its appeal.

He takes pains to carefully document the internal issues within the Church and its implications. This is a wise approach as it confronts the Church with the fact that Catholics themselves exacerbate the problem and make it easier for bigots to make excuses. At the same time it sends a clear message that simply because some Catholics abandon large parts of the religion citing that is an excuse not a reason to be prejudiced against Catholicism.

I would have been fascinated to read a comparison of how Protestants are treated in, say, Italy, Spain, Portugal or France. What's that you say? There Are no Protestants in those countries!? They were tortured, murdered, driven out of their homelands or forced to convert to Catholicism many centuries ago!? Wow. I guess in comparison, American Catholics should consider themselves extremely lucky to be allowed to immigrate to a land founded by Protestants, to practice their faith, to get rich if they work hard, and to share every freedom that people of other denominations enjoy. And, being so grateful for this freedom, I have no doubt that they all work hard to ensure that Protestants in Catholic countries have the same rights and privileges, right? uh... Right?

This is not a book that you will speed through. It is an honest, well-written book about the prejudice against Catholics that seems to be everywhere these days.

This book should be mandatory reading for all the politicians, activists, reporters and countless others that criticize the Catholic Church. The Church is certainly not above criticism, but the critics should at least make an attempt to get their facts straight. This book will help them do so, and puts many of the alleged offenses of the Catholic Church in a proper historical perspective, uses research and empirical evidence to debunk many of the alleged failings of the Catholic Church that are accepted as fact in our culture, and clearly explains the difference between legitimate criticism and illegitimate prejudice with respect to the Catholic Church. The author demonstrates (supported with research, unlike many of the critics of the Church) that many political organizations, members of the media and others, usually careful not to offend anybody because of race, religion or gender, seem to ignore these courtesies when it comes to Catholics.

The author gives numerous examples of the attacks on the Catholic Church by gay activists and writers, including vandalizing Churches, shutting down masses and the desecration of the communion wafer, and rightfully calls these acts bigoted. The book certainly make you wonder what would happen if these activists and writers attacked Muslims or some other religion in the same vicious and consistent manner? Given the Muslim view of homosexuality, one would think that the same gay activists and writers that savage the Catholic Church would do at least the same to Islam. All major Islamic sects disapprove of homosexuality and it is considered punishable by execution in six Muslim nations (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen) and with prison, fines, or corporal punishment in other Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria, Pakistan the Maldives, and Malaysia. The Catholic Church does not approve of acting on homosexual desires, but the Roman Catholic Catechism specifically states that homosexuals "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition".

The book is at its best in debunking the many alleged evils of the Catholic Church that are simply accepted as true by many uninformed Americans, such as the conduct of Pope Pius XII during WWII (an excellent discussion of what actually happened), the Crusades (given that Christian Syria and Palestine were seized by the Muslim sword in the seventh century and that is viewed as acceptable, the author points out that it cannot be argued that it was wrong for Christians to reclaim those lands in the crusades, and he points out that ignoring such historical perspective would be like saying D-Day was an Anglo-American aggression against a peaceful continent) and the Inquisitions (clearly wrong, but claims of hundred of thousands of deaths are ludicrous - the best estimates for the Spanish Inquisition range between 3,000 to 5,000 deaths over a period of three hundred years).

This books may soften even the most diehard Catholic bigot. If after reading this book, you still think think that there is no such thing as a bias against Catholicism and this book is off base, I would point to a recent incident - the New York Times refused to publish the Danish Muslim cartoons, saying that such refusal "seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols." The NYT is certainly entitled to take this position, but then why did they publish an image of a work of "art" portraying the Virgin Mary adorned with elephant dung and cutouts from pornographic magazines, and why had they earlier published an image of "Piss Christ," a photograph by artist Andres Serrano showing Christ on a crucifix submerged in a vat of urine, both of which they knew were extremely offensive to Catholics. Apparently, for the New York Times, respect for religion and religious symbols does not extend to Catholics.

I loved the first four fifths of this book, but wasn't crazy about the last one. Somewhere in the last fifty pages the narrative made a sharp u-turn and I found myself reading a different kind of novel entirely. Both stories would have been fine individually, but should have been contained in their own books.

For the majority of the story, we are reading about Rue as she runs a private school and all of the various people and problems that entails. The book is well written in a way that I imagine is difficult to pull off...we are introduced to a multitude of characters and yet we really 'know' them all, the storyline shifts frequently and yet stays interesting and easy to follow, and all of the various situations grab your attention and leave you flipping pages to find out what happens with so-and-so. It's almost like sitting down to a lunch full of great gossip.

Then, thankfully near the end of the book, everything turns around and you are reading a book about someone's life coming apart. This may be realistic, it certainly happens in real life. It just feels jarring here, as if you're reading two different books squashed together and neither one finished. Many threads from early on in the book disappear, and your gossipy lunch date ends without you finding out what happens at the end of those juicy stories. The new storyline is also rather unresolved...where Rue goes from there or if she is able to finally really cope with her loss is unclear. I still recommend this book, the ending certainly wasn't bad, but I thought it could have been better.

I think (totally conjecture here) that perhaps this book was written as sort of a metaphor for our society and the traits that may be our undoing. The last part of the book, then, shows a sort of downfall. If this is the case it's an interesting idea, but I still would rather have started and finished the same book.

As riveting as a thriller, this is the rare novel, literary, character-driven, yet with intricately plotted twists and turns. A masterfully told unfolding of the worlds around its main character (a private school heradmistress, who is a mother and happily married), Beth Gutcheon pulls off taking you inside almost everything important about being human --- yet on the smallest of scales. A breathtaking grasp of how relationships, including small-scale politrics and power dynamics (at the school), marriage, and the risks of loving work. I have given this book to countless friends: I just could not put it down.

This book was the first I have read of Beth Gutcheon and I thoroughly enjoyed the story!

Rue Shaw, the main character of the story was a wife, mother of a grown daughter, and above all, director of a private school. The school, known as Country School,had its own sets of many problems, and Rue is constantly battling with the head board member, Chandler, about the various politics of running the place. In the school there is a child she suspects of being abused, a troublesome teacher that Rue needs to fire, but is reluctant to, and problem parents always giving her a hard time over everything. There is one boy stirring up lots of trouble, and Rue is at her wits end with that child among everything else.

On the homefront, Georgia, her grown daughter is at the Julliard School of music, taking up vocal study. Right in the middle of the year, she hooks up with a boyfriend Jonah, who wants to go on with his own band recording. Jonah is nothing but trouble, and of course,not only can her parents not convince her he his, but they are having marital problems because of it.

Rue's husband Henry is having his own set of problems as well. He is a burned out physician who wants to move and change, and yet Rue doesn't want to. The two get into a lot of hard times in between them between that issue, and the issue of Georgia. Not to mention, Rue's mom has had a stroke as well, so she is worried about her aging parents.

A great book, and I almost read it straight through. Hard to put it down!

As one of the cover blurbs said so well, it was hard to know how to read this book: quickly so as to find out what happens, or slowly to savor the writing. I didn't think I could love a book as much as I loved DOMESTIC PLEASURES, but SAYING GRACE was equally mesmerizing. The background of a private school with all its politics and conflicts made for fascinating reading. How Gutcheon juggled so many story lines without creating a confusing mess, I have no idea. At first, I wasn't sure I'd ever keep all the characters straight, but before long I was pulled into each story and had no problem at all. In fact, I felt as if I were there at The Country School right along with Rue and Emily and Mike and Chandler and Henry and all the others who peopled this story. The book was by turns hilarious, sad, illuminating, joyous, frustrating, and heartbreaking. It was never boring. Once again, Ms. Gutcheon has awed me with her talent. I only wish she would write faster.

I thought that, "Saying Grace" was an excellent novel and I became so involved in the lives of very well-developed chanracters, I felt like I knew each one of them personally. I also became entangled in the very well-depicted issues within the school and I felt as if I was also involved in the many stories and trials. However, I finished the book feeling distressed and emotionally drained because of the sad, shocking events towards the end. I was so entrapped in the characters lives, that I felt like I knew them personally and as if I could also feel the pain they felt. What a wonderful novel.

This is a wonderful read - I've read it several times. The descriptions of Siam (Thailand) are very vivid and the characters are well drawn.

One word of warning - this isn't really a biography. The author said something like, it was 75% fact and 25% fiction based on fact. Abbot Low Moffat, in his biography Mongkut the King of Siam (which I also heartily recommend), thought that Ms. Landon was a bit generous of her assessment of the veracity. Moffat claims that Anna Leonowens own books, written to support her family, are exaggerated and include falsehoods.

I don't think that I would have liked this as well if I had known what I know now. Still, a classic novel, and one well worth reading with that caveat. Since Siam is now Thailand, it is easier to imagine this as being wholly imaginative and not describing a real place.

"Anna and the King of Siam" is really a great book. Even though a lot of this story is fictional and based on some facts, its still fascinating. The book is very in depth, with a lot of detail. The story does become dull at times, particulary after Tuptim's death, but the book still picks up again. It was interesting to see how many more characters there are, their weren't used in all the movies of this story.

This book is definetly a great book for anyone interested in finding out more of the story of Anna and the King.

I really liked this book because it was really exciting. I also liked how it taught you about different traditions and religious beliefs. I have never read another book that took place in Siam, so that was really interesting. I liked how when after someone said something in the language that people in Siam speak, they would also print in English what they were saying. Anna the main character's, bravery and courage was great. I admire how she could stand up to a king without being scared.

The story is about a widowed school teacher from England who travels to Siam to teach the king's son and Prince Chuklalonkorn along with his many brothers and sisters. The king's many children are eager to start their lessons, as is Anna, but little did they know that they would become more like friends than like a school teacher and her young pupils. In the beginning Anna and the king are always bickering and disagreeing with each other, but they too, soon become friends.

I think that anyone who is interested in adventure should read this book. This book is for someone who loves to learn new things such as languages, religions and or monks because one of the Ladies in the palace is in love with a monk named Balat. The king also travels to different places for business and sometimes has dinner parties that involve people from different places. If I could be in Anna's place that would be great.
I think that is a great adventure!

"How old shall you be?"
"I am 150 years old, your Majesty."
"In what year shall you be borned?"
"Seventeen hundred and twelve, your Majesty."
"How many years should you be married?"
"Several, your Majesty."
Pause.
"How many grandchildren shall you have by now? How many? How many? How many? Ha! You do not answer that so quick. I make better questions than you answers, hmm?" (pages 58-59)

This is Mrs. Anna Leonowens (an English governess's) first introduction to the eccentric 59-year-old King of Siam, King Mongkut, in the 1860s. Margaret Landon's `Anna and the King of Siam' is an intriguing, historical tale based on ancient, Siamese records and the secret diaries, letters, and conversations of Anna in Bangkok that reads like fiction but is amazingly genuine [some parts]. Anna, along with her six-year-old-son Louis, embark on an erratic odyssey through a foreign land of a cryptic culture that will, in a few months, become traditional to them. Yet there are some seemingly barbaric issues to be cleared up. Among them are slavery, the King's concubines in the harem, and the unjust treatment of several subjects. While Anna may have altercations with the King, she comes to revere his intellectual methods of attempting to create Siam a scientific nation in modern times but expresses severe criticism on needless occasions. As a governess, her duties are to instruct the royal children (of which there are more than 67; however, only the eldest participate) and aid the King in composing extraordinary letters to renowned world leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria. Prince Chulalongkorn, Anna's most prominent and smartest pupil, is heir to the throne on account of being the eldest; she attempts to steer him onto the positive path of ruling the country justly. Also bestowing color to Anna's experiences, including misadventures, other than irrelevant talks with the King on that of Moses and ethics is a cast of supporting characters: Tuptim (the slave), Lady Thiang (the King's head wife), Lady Son Klin, and countless others. Across Anna's remembrances, a message is conveyed: despite one's differences they must master the skill of understanding the outsiders and point them to salvation, excluding falsehood by supplanting it with truthfulness. 'Anna and the King of Siam' is a fascinating web of Siam's (now Thailand's) superb past filled with rich descriptions for a journey neither the reader or Anna will let sink into oblivion even until the breaking end. --P.J. Persad

I can only adequately describe this book as dull and downright boring. Historically it needs to be taken with a grain of salt, although I accept that some of it is pertinent. As Jodie Foster's character in the recent remake of this saga posits, "England's ways are the ways of the world." Landon, with fervent missionary bent in hand, shouldn't have stayed in Thailand for so long given her contempt for their way of life.

Ultimately the books so called historical authenticity is the very thing you question. The idea of underground torture chambers or cellars, granted that Bangkok is at best marshy swamp and 6m above sea level, is ludicrous. And we are talking about the area of ratanakosin, one of Bangkok's lowest points vis-a-via the water. Also, did Landon not bother to look at Siamese history prior to her arrival and reposit the politics of the harem against contemporary Siamese history? Was she so blind to the success of Mongkut, and certainly Chulalongkorn, not to question the integrity of what Leonowens (a reinvented woman, if ever there was one) was writing?

The book just drags on about the role of women (a worthy issue nontheless) and the perfidous Siamese. It doesn't offer any insights into why the Siamese are this way, supposedly, and it smacks of neurotic Christo-centric 19th century morality, which bugs the hell out of most people. I can only reiterate that its ugly moralism and at times, often poor narrative, kill what could have otherwise been an interesting read.

Save your money and don't get the latest cinematic representation regardless of how well dressed up it might seem.

Not being interested in Christian missionary work in China, I had resisted reading this book for years. That was a terrible mistake and another example of how you can't judge a book by its cover or title. The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci is not so much a book about Matteo Ricci or missionaries as it is a look at the two continents of Europe and Asia in the late 1500's to 1610 (when Matteo Ricci died). It covers subjects such as crusades, plagues, theology, the arts, travel, China leading up to the fall of the Ming (1644), corruption, punishments, dress, the role of Buddhism in Chinese society, slavery, sodomy, food and so much more.

Yes, it is a book for historians or those interested in historical times, especially the Inquisition and Christianity's outreach to foreign shores, but its breadth of topics is so unusual, and its treatment of these subjects through the eyes of one man who left his native Italy to travel to Rome, Portugal, Goa, and eventually China so detailed, that the rewards of reading this book were wholly unexpected and thus a wonderful surprise--like opening a tin to discover a jewel box.

Having been hipped to the existence of the phenomenon of memory palaces by the books of Thomas Harris, (I'd forgotten all about them after reading one of Tom Wujec's earlier books) I was looking forward to finding a how-to book on the subject. The Memory Palaces Of Matteo Ricci, however, is, again not it. I already felt burned by Francis Yates' "Art Of Memory", which is more about Hermeticism than the purported subject.

Interesting though it may be, the book is mainly about Ricci's life and times as a Jesuit missionary in China, something I would have gotten from any biography about the man, which in fact this is. There is some cursory mention made of the principles of using loci for the purpose of memory, but that's it. Not even Ricci's own method is analyzed or discussed in great detail.

This book had some wonderful nuggets about Ricci and China, but there were so many tangents and mind-numbing details that it was challenging to read. The main issue is that the book is thematic in nature rather than chronological. On one page Spence is talking in detail about China in 1582 and the next he's talking in detail about Portugal in 1567. He flips back and forth across the decades and the continents enough that it's very difficult to get a picture of Ricci's life. A lot of Spence's content seems pulled from history books on Europe, having little or nothing to do with either Ricci or China. If you want a random, panoramic view of life in the late 1500's this book is for you. If you're looking for a comprehensive, orderly look at Ricci or China or his memory system you may be disappointed. It's worth the read, but with appropriate expectations.

You can find a summary below with floors for chapters, http://olivierinshanghai.free.fr/npds/chinois/ricci.pdf

I wrote my BA of Humanities thesis on Matteo Ricci and found Spence's book valuable for its information but mildly frustrating. "Memory Palace" is an excellence source for facts about Ricci's life for those who are not fluent in multiple languages or do not have access to the research material that Spence does. I turned to Spence for his commentary on Ricci's various writings that I did not have access to and for various tidbits of facts. Furthermore, Spence does a good job of illustrating the world that Ricci lived and worked in. For example, I was enlightened on the relationship of the Jesuits to the Portuguese King and how the Portuguese port of Macao in China operated. It was good background information to supplement the primary text I was using.

However, the frustrating part of this book is its organization. While it's an interesting idea to organize it according to the first four Chinese characters in his mnemonic system (or "memory palace"), it makes for a near meaningless train of thought; I ended up skimming the lengthy chapter on "water." I'm still disappointed by the end because Spence offers no real conclusion or summary, just an enigmatic statement. I had previously read Spence's "Death of Woman Wang" and I realize that it is Spence's style to amass historical information with unorthodox organization (I think it's his selling point). It's creative, but not very useful. Fortunately, the book has an excellent index, so it's fairly easy to re-find significant passages.

For those that want to read an actual narrative of Ricci's mission, I highly recommend the English translation of Trigault's transcription of Ricci's mission journals; this was the primary text for my paper. I found it very interesting and suprisingly high in entertainment value, considering its origin.

Trigault, Nicolas S. J. "China in the Sixteenth Century:
The Journals of Mathew Ricci: 1583-1610."
trans. Lous J. Gallagher, S.J. (New York: Random House, Inc. 1953).

Also recommended for his examination of the religious issues involved with Ricci and the other Jesuits preaching Christianity in China is Jaques Gernet's "China and the Christian Impact." To sum up, it answers this question and more, "What happens when you try to insert the Christian God into the ancient writings of a sophisticated society?"

Gernet, Jaques, "China and the Christian Impact." (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).

Teaching Genius is is an amazing opportunity for musicians, teachers and parents of aspiring musicians to get a glimpse of the world of developing a serious violinist. Dorothy Delay played some part in the development of most well known violin soloists living today. She had to have something amazing and the author of this biography does an amazing job of bringing you into Ms. Delay's world. I know that my teaching style was profoundly affected just by reading this book. I feel that Dorothy Delay's ability to motivate and inspire her students still continues through the hands of a new generation of teachers who have been able to get to know her.

This is, I think, the rare book about psychology of teaching violin. A teacher like Mrs. Dorothy De Lay is one among the millions. We could saw it from the former students of her whom accomplished the most prestigius positions in classical music. How I wished there is teacher like her here in Indonesia. How I wished that a lot ! Violin teachers should buy this book.. very insightful.

It's very interesing to know the inner workings of Juliard and business part of the classical world. It is sad but true that after so much hard work, the student may end up with no job (if you have no clout/connections)!
But have to agree that the book has a "fawning" tone abt it. Also, the almost "out of this world" (lack of a better word) praises it heaps on some of Delay's star students makes parts of it difficult to read.
But taking apart all these, it is still a pretty good read.

Some have criticized this book for giving an overly-fawning portrayal of Dorothy DeLay. However, this book contains an excellent chapter devoted solely to DeLay's critics, and it doesn't shoot the critics down; it discusses the criticisms in a fair way.

Dorothy DeLay died in 2002 but her legacy lives on. This is the woman responsible for teaching Perlman, Sarah Chang, Midori, Salerno-Sonnenberg, Nigel Kennedy, Cho-Liang Lin, Mark Kaplan, Shlomo Mintz, Gil Shaham, Simon Fischer, and too many more to mention.

I never played for her, but did watch a lesson she taught once. Admittedly, it was rife with many of the things of which her critics complain: She arrived about three hours late (Getting "DeLayed"), and once the lesson began she was constantly answering the knock at the studio door, the phone ringing, etc.

However, knowing that many people sought to play for her at least once, so they could then put her name on their resume, she didn't always take these occasions seriously, especially given the hundreds and hundreds of violinists she heard in her life.

Those special musical geniuses that DeLay *did* take a special interest in, though, she took a long way. While some violin teachers like to focus only on developing technique through scales and exercises, DeLay never failed to emphasize the musical, expressive, artistic side of the violinist's development. Whereas her contemporary Ivan Galamian would say "I don't teach music," meaning he only taught technique, musical interpretation notwithstanding, Dorothy DeLay would constantly ask her students things like "Where do you think this phrase is going?" and "What do you think is the most important note in this phrase?" and "What do you think Beethoven might have been thinking when he composed this passage?" So many music teachers today, of all instruments, neglect this area of development as they view performance as an olympic sport of technique. Yes, the profession is extremely competitive, but in such competition, when there are 1000 violinists that can hit the notes, the ones that stand out are the ones with a superior *artistic* finish.

This book is an excellent survey of the inner world of Dorothy DeLay's studio; her philosophy, her former students, and much more. She was the single most influential violin teacher of the 20th century.

Being a violinist, I found it utterly foolish to not read a book about one of the best teachers of the instrument in the 20th Century. The first day I purchased it I read almost 200 pages, literally unable to put it down.
The relationships Ms. Delay had with her students were not only educational ones, but personal friendships. How unreal that despite the graduation of many students, they still went back to her for lessons after landing their professional solo careers! Many times a violinist is too hard-headed and full of himself to get advice from another person, but such is not the case with the students of Ms. Delay.
I felt, as I read the book, that I could not only relate to some of the technical issues the students had, but that I was actually receiving a private lesson from Delay without ever touching my violin.
I definitely intend on reading this book again, and again, and again, with highlighter in hand. I have a completely different outlook on how I not only listen to the phrasing of music but in creating my own phrasing as well.
The world has lost a teacher, but more importantly a wonderful woman, which many could call a friend and mother-figure.
This was a fabulous book and I recommend it to every musician, no matter what instrument you play.

This book gave me hope for those mired in the public school system. It brought to mind another teacher book with heart, The Tales of the Dolly Llama, by Guy Kuttner. These books are inspirational and provide the appropriate tonic for those tired out by the system.

I was very pleased with my book. It was in the exact shape as the site described it and it arrived right on time! Thanks Amazon

I thought this book was good. It gave me some good ideas to use in the classroom. I think teachers should always be looking for new ways to teach.

Ayers approach to teaching is holistic and densely worded. He is a true veteran of the academic trenches having taught for almost 40 years at every level from K to college. He shows the utmost respect and concern for his students. Inextricable from his profession and unshakable in his conviction about what is greatness in teaching.

I really appreciated this book. Ayers is very passionate about a teacher's responsibility to help their students become complete human beings. Reading this book, and Grant Wiggins Understanding by Design, in a graduate class renewed my passion for teaching, which is really a passion for learning. Education should be about the big questions of life, not just the details and basic skills that are tested and required by the state and federal government.

Ayers is committed to developing whole and complete human beings, not automatons.

My only issue is with his emphasis on social justice as the focus of education. While I agree that a concern for social justice will emerge in people who think for themselves, it seems as if his recommendations force this concern on kids a little too heavyhandedly. If we are to be independent, complete people, then naturally what concerns us will not always be the same. Nevertheless, his emphasis is better than many who want us to just teach kids to read words and add and subtract, but don't really care if they can think for themselves.

On a side note, while I am disgusted by Mr. Ayers' past and his continued lack of repentence, I don't believe that it invalidates his philosophy of education.

This is the best way to prepare for the MTEL test. This book contains 3 practice tests. I took one each week prior to taking the MTEL test in September 2008. The tests in the book were harder than the actual test, and I felt that I couldn't have prepared better. The book gives you thorough preparation in grammar, with lots of detailed explanations. The vocabulary drills are excellent. There is also a wonderful 10 page section on frequently misspelled words that will help you recognize words you need to brush up on. The writing and reading subtests are invaluable. Practice with them, and you'll be comfortable with the test format, and will be much more relaxed on the test day. Whether you are a recent graduate or someone like me who graduated from college over 20 years ago, this book is the best investment you can make to do your best on the day of the test.

This title creates needless confusion for any MTEL candidate. It seems to this poor soul who made the mistake of purchasing this book, that the publisher has issued a generic literacy skills test book - a volume of little value in the MTEL test. Example: MTEL readings are not the writings, as shown in the book, of Thomas Hardy or Sigmund Freud (excuse me, Freud in translation?). MTEL includes writings of modern authors and from current textbooks. Please do not in any circumstances buy this title. If you happen to purchase this, you will undoubtedly want to return it to the publisher with a letter of indignation. Included in the letter the reader will probably have an enclosure of the one star you had to give this book in order to review it.

I highly recommend this book. I've been out of school for 20 years and this went over everything you should know. I passed on my first attempt. Be sure to take the time to study and you will do great. Buy it.

Excellent. It made the test so EASY to pass. I used them for the Math prep and was not as happy. But they were excellent for Comm and Lit.

I bought this to study for my MTELs and the promise of the latest, most up to date help sounded great. After taking (and passing) my tests I realized that not only was much of what the book said was going to be on the test was not, but the style of questions in the book were not consistent with the actual test as well. The MA Dept of Ed website has a FREE sample test and a description of what the day is like along with study info that was extremely helpful and accurate (and did I say FREE). The test questions offered in the book were often ambiguous and in a few instances wrong. Poor proofing - letter choice (A,B,C,D) on multiple choice questions wrong in the answer section, but the explanation revealed choice was correct - Question then remains - Was I get right the ones I marked right? Not very comforting. Overall I did get a decent quick grammar review, but the confidence I was hoping for was dashed with poorly written questions and proofing. They still say you need to bring photocopies of your IDs which have not been required for some time, just adding another wasted 50¢ to cost of this book.