Language Arts Books

I teach ESL at the middle school level. This book was so powerful and convincing that I immediately changed my lesson plans to include SSR on a daily basis.

My friend casually slipped this book to me over the lunch table. She said I may find it helpful in my struggles teaching middle school and high school English to second language learners. Little did she know how helpful this book would be. After reading the book, I immediately consulted with my colleagues and we began a program of free reading. It's working! I actully have students thanking me for letting them figure out for themselves that they really didn't mind reading! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a very readable compilation of the research that's been done and how to apply it! Worth every penny!

Stephen Krashen does a wonderful job of presenting an easy to read book on research concerning children and reading. The info provided can be extremely useful when ordering books and planning programming for children. Some parts of the book get dry and a little slow but overall the results are fascinating. The copyright date of 1993 makes the book slightly out of date and I would love to see a second edition of the book to see if anything has changed since then.

I am the Library/Media Specialist for a school district in Alaska on a grant to increase literacy through literature. I heard Stephen D. Krashen speak at a school librarian convention and was so impressed that I read this book. The district has Silent Sustained Reading as its number one directive to all the teachers, but the idea is difficult for some teacher's to accept. I am hoping that by lending this book to teachers we can get fuller compliance. Having taught children's literature class at the college level for six years, I have read a lot and firmly believe in the work done by Krashen as presented in this book.

throw away all your phonics rules and worksheets and Hooked on's.

If you wish to read, then read.

If you want to teach others to read, give them something they will read.

Lower your standards. Read the cereal box, the soup can, Calvin and Hobbes, Incredible Hulk, Barefoot Gen, Maus, whatever absolutely they want to read. Just read. Just do it.

The great Dr. Krashen here shows you how.

Here in this second edition, updated to the latest research of 2004 which serves to confirm his earlier conclusions, Dr. Krashen gives us and our students permission to read whatever interests us, so long as we will read.

By reading we learn to read.

No brainer.

Few people know that the great American comedian of film and stage WC Fields began his vaudeville career as a fantastic juggler, manipulating cigar boxes and pool cues and balls, etc. with great skill and alacrity. After years of this someone gave him a manual of How to Juggle, which had so many rules and advice, including regarding breathing and concentration, that in his next performance he failed while he tried to remember and observe the rules of good juggling. He could no longer concentrate as he focused on concentrating. He later recovered his incredible skills when he could finally again forget the rules and just juggle.

Same with reading. Throw away those high priced "how to read" and phonics books. Just read. The industry gives you nothing to really read, just exercises with no benefit and little interest. Just read what you want and you will read.

Only the great publication houses with phonics programs and worksheets to sell at a high price tell us (and the big government that now runs our schools) otherwise. There is too much profit to be lost, and too much lobbying going on in the halls of our state houses and Congress, and the w White house.

By the way, why does the current Secretary of Education have absolutely no experience in any kind of education? Kind of like that FEMA guy, or Gonzo, etc., etc. Still she forces us to buy worksheets instead of letting us READ freely in order to learn how to read. Library funds are decimated while the industry reaps great profit and the government its lobbying bribes.

It is in reading that we read. It is in reading that our reading skills grow, no matter what you read. As you read lower level materials, your mind will automatically seek more challenging materials and reach for more. After Marvel you will want Tolkein. After Harry Potter you will hunger for James Joyce, forever. And then Dante and the Bible remain.

I have been a bilingual teacher and practitioner for many decades, as my grandmother before me. I recall from my first hearing of words and of speech my bilingual Church (Latin with occassional English, briefly), etc. Dr. Krashen's method here serves all students, especially our bilingual students developing reading skills in their most comfortable language which are applicable later to the target language (here ENglish) without even their being aware of it. They will wonder when you taught them to read in English.

This book is based on solid research and bursts most of the popular and powerful misconceptions and myths regarding teaching methods and politicians with profitable interests who would stop those strategies which are most effective.

Please study this book carefully for the scientifically proven truth, based on reliable research methodology.

In order to learn how to read, read. Whatever you choose, whatever interests you, but easy reading, within your frustration level, within your enjoyment level.

There's plenty of good stuff to read right here on the amazon. Check out my reviews for a few!

And then read to your family, too, in joy and in peace, and relearn the love of reading together. Turn off that television and just read already!

Good Book, Got alot Out of it

This, Along with Los Angeles Spanish Classes,
Los Angeles Spanish Lessons,
Los Angeles Language Classes, Helped me alot

This is a perfect book for 2nd & 3rd graders. As a mother of ten, I have found it to be gentle and delightful in its content and format, but a challenge for my children. The expectations for amount of copywork and dictation, as well as memorization of poetry is quite high, but not inappropriate. My children find a great sense of accomplishment when finishing these lessons. I am pleased with the variable content which includes the aforementioned disciplines as well as picture and literary narration, grammar, beginning composition, and word usage. The choices for art and poetry are especially nostalgic and beautiful. It was a wonderful surprise to find so much inside one little book.

My ds (10 y.o.) started using this book in August of this year (2007). He's on lesson 45 now, and I am very pleased. His spelling, punctuation, caps and other basic knowledge of grammar have improved immensely! His writing has become more expressive and enjoyable to read. He is able to use this book for independent learning. The only times he needs me are to read aloud dictation lessons, to listen to his recitation of memorization lessons, and to mark mistakes on his finished paper so he can make corrections. He used to "hate" writing, but now it is his favorite subject...never thought I'd hear that from him! The lessons start out short in the beginning, but gradually get longer. If you have a reluctant writer and aren't sure how to teach grammar, give this book a try!

The book is hard bound, very sturdy...nicely made. I went for the "free shipping" option with Amazon, since I was getting the second book of this series also. I was a little nervous when I saw the projected shipping date, but Amazon actually shipped book 1 out the same day I ordered, so that I had it the next day! The other book followed a few days later. A great experience all around!

This is a great resource for homeschooling language. It contains many poems and written exercises as well as classic art pieces for the children to be exposed to. The lessons are short and easily done in 30 minutes or so. Great tool to supplement traditional language lessons.

This is a great book for second and third graders. It is very economical. It is nonconsummable to be reusued with other students later. I went through and made a schedule for myself and I did end up skipping a few lessons. Most of those lessons were observation or discussion lessons where questions were asked about certain flowers or birds that we were unfamiliar with. I would have had to have done some research first to complete these lessons. But don't let that deter you. The approach is wonderful and I am sure my son will learn a lot from this book. I have been the tradition text book mom before so I am excited to use this more gentle approach to grammar and language.

Perfect for high school or University debaters for quick arguments!

Possibly the best available guide when you start getting acquainted with debating societies.

Time is a precious commodity. Sadly, I wasted a lot of time getting together resources for my debate team. Our High School was not new to debate, but I was. Eventually, I stumbled across this work, and I must rank this as the number one resource any debate couch must have for the practice of debate.

This resource has allowed me to have many debate practices. The resource while not written for Canadians, is very, very easily adapted to our concerns.

The pre-research that has been done for typical debate topics saves any debate coach an incredible amount of time. It can make you the expert on a tremendous number of varied debate topics. It also has several extensions or ancillary debates too.

As well, using the information from this book, I have tried giving the information beforehand to my debaters on a particular debate topic, and with this common background information, have run practices which focus on the rhetoric alone. My students have experienced very good development in this way.

The book is fantastic, and after such a short period of time, well thumbed. I may need to search out a hardcover version.

During my years as a competitive debater, I found Pros and Cons to be a very useful resource. The book clearly and effectively lays out the main arguments for and against a variety of debate resolutions, making the task of building a solid case much easier. I would recommend it as a handy resource for any student who seeks to excel at debate.

-Alim Merali, author of Talk the Talk: Speech and Debate Made Easy

This book surely deserves 5 stars and it's just as wonderful as I heard. I read it on a daily basis to prepare for writing tests.

I received the book promptly and it is in wonderful condition. No complaints, would do business again.

I really enjoyed Anna Mindess's book Reading between the signs. I thought it was very informative and had read it once before when I first started taking ASL and didn't really understand it all that much but as of now I've been taking ASL for almost two years and have a better understanding and appreciatition for the Deaf and it's culture and the difference between the Deaf and the hearing world. What a great book for people who are just starting to take ASL and want to be come active in the Deaf community and one day maybe persue a career with it

This book entitled "Reading Between the Signs: Intercultural Communication for Sign Language Interpreters (2nd edition)" is the most indepth study of cultural mediation that I have ever seen. Anna Mindness does a wonderjul job of helping an interpreter to see where communication barriers exist, and then explain how to bridge those gaps. Why are cultures different? What is cultural mediation? How do you convey a message between conflicting cultures? What tools can effective interpreters use to empower the clients we serve toward better communication when obstacles exist? After reading this book, I found myself making adjustments in interpreting, and was able to see positive results in terms of faithfully communicating source language messages to the recipients. If one reads this book, and applies the principles learned toward their work, it will assist in making them a better interpreter, and ultimately a better communicator between cultures. I highly recommend this book to others and express my thanks to the author for putting the elements of intercultural communication together in one great volume.

i guess i expected this book to have pictures of signing for some reason...i don't know, but once i started to read it i saw how informative it is. i like the book a lot and i believe that Anna Mindess knows what she's writing about. if you want to understand the deaf culture more and are determined to become an interpreter, i think this book is essential.

In order to understand deaf culture, you need to understand what is standard American culture and then see how it contrasts with deaf culture. Anna Mindess does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting these cultures, with references to cultures from all over the world. She includes insights from respected Deaf members. This is an easy read, not a difficult textbook. I read this with many lightbulbs going "aha". She delves into values, presentation styles, and politeness in both worlds. She provides scenarios with cross cultural perspectives in the doctors' office and the job interview. I have a new understanding of myself as a hearing American and a new appreciation for the cross cultural obstacles that deaf people must face.

Millions of people want to get a book published. Yet they are unsure where to take their first steps and how to sort through the available possibilities. Do you take the traditional route or self-publish or use print-on-demand (POD)? Experienced author Helen Gallagher gives step-by-step advice and in the opening pages includes a large quote which says, "Attract a publisher if you can, but if not, don't wait your life away...Publish your book yourself."

Yet to many self-publishing is a scary proposition. How do you sell your book into the market and avoid a garage full of books (which don't help anyone--especially you the author)? Gallagher guides the reader to handle these questions with solid counsel. Then she covers the business of writing your book and marketing it to keep it alive and active in the marketplace.

Whether you have never been published or you are a seasoned author, you can learn some new tricks in Gallagher's book. I've read dozens of how-to-write books yet I often highlighted different pages in RELEASE YOUR WRITING. I plan to check out the websites and follow up on her suggestions. I recommend you do the same thing with the contents of this book. Don't just buy it and stick it on your shelf but study the pages.

A professional freelance writer and the author of "Computer Ease", Helen Gallagher draws upon her many years of experience and expertise in "Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way!" to provide an informative instruction manual that demystifies the publishing process, addresses the technological issues associated with publishing, and provides a profusion of effective, practical, immediately applicable marketing strategies to insure a book's commercial viability. Effectively organized into three major sections, 'Getting Published' covers contemporary changes in the publishing industry, the self-publishing option, Publish On Demand (POD) companies; and eBooks. 'You, The Word Processor' includes The Time to Write; The Writer's Toolbox; and 'Computer Power Tools'. The third section is devoted to the 'Business of Being a Writer' by focusing on book marketing and promotion, and keeping a book in print and available to the reading public. It should be noted that Helen Gallagher's writing style is conversational and engaging -- making it an ideal format for presenting her observations, ideas, and advice. Enhanced with an appendix listing writing resources, a glossary, and an index, "Release Your Writing" will prove invaluable and instructive reading for aspiring writers who have become published -- either on their own or through an independent publisher.

I admit it--although I have six books in print, I didn't know much about print on demand (POD) publishing, or what its benefits are. Gallagher's book includes everything you need to know to decide whether POD is right for you, and provides a wealth of information about how to choose the right POD publisher (love the side-by-side comparison chart of the top 10 POD firms) as well as tips on writing and marketing the book.

This book actually changed the way I think about POD--I now realize it's a great option not just for new authors, but for published authors who have out-of-print books they want to get back into the marketplace as well. Whether you're new to book publishing in general, or simply know little about POD, this is the book for you. It's a quick read, but I already have a number of pages dog-eared for future reference.

Kelly James-Enger, author, Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money (Random House, 2005)

If you're a writer who's looking for practical advice on how to write, publish, market, promote your book, and keep it alive once it's out there, Helen Gallagher's Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way! is the book for you. My yellow highlighter was flying off its 200 pages while I noted valuable tips on how to move forward with the publishing process. In fact, by the time I was finished reading this gem, nearly the entire book was highlighted. Furthermore, the book is written in such a down-to-earth tone that you'd better set an extra place because you'll feel as if Gallagher is sitting across from you at your kitchen table. So whether you're in the preliminary outline stage, in the midst of writing your manuscript, or giving it a final edit, read Gallagher's book before you launch yours. You'll be grateful you did.

Francine Pappadis Friedman
author of
MatchDotBomb: A Midlife Journey through Internet Dating

The information in this "action-packed" volume is tremendously helpful. My own book, Waltzing Australia, had been published before I found Helen's book, but I have still found it immensely valuable for the wealth of marketing ideas. I also appreciate the tips on using the computer more efficiently. This is a wonderful resource for any writer, traditionally published or self-published, because we can always use more tools -- and more market exposure.

This is an excellent book for those who want to write but just don't know what to write. For those with the desire, but lack the motivation. For those who think they can't, but can.

Goldberg has provided numerous excercises to get the creative juices flowing. Room to Write can be used with all ages to make writing an enjoyable experience. Goldberg describes the books potential, "Within these pages you can explore your creativity while cultivating it."

The excercises are fun, thought provoking, and challenging. Bonni Goldberg offers the writer motivation, a quotation, and an assignment. Start a writing group or use this book for yourself, you will not be disappointed!

Bonni Goldberg is an award-winning poet and writer, whose passion for the sound and sense of words has led her to commit herself to a life of writing and teaching writing.

In Room to Write, she shares that passion, showing us how daily writing practice can lead us into new worlds of the self. "Writing, like any spiritual undertaking," she observes, "has many paths, but only one direction--deeper." The book offers two hundred "studies," short writing practices that you can pick up and do whenever the spirit moves you. What I like about it is its versatility (you can dive into it at any point and come up wherever you like), its portability (it is a small-format book that will fit into your purse), and its easy-going, companionable style. Goldberg is a friend who speaks to us softly, encouragingly, urging us to listen and trust our passion and never fear it. She has offered us a valuable resource. Treasure it!

Susan Wittig Albert
for Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviews.org

I don't know about you... but I need a bit of inspiration to write.
I can't just start writing about nothing-

Or could I?

Bonnie Goldberg gives an interesting tool with "Room to Write"
Even writing about nothing can become something!

Four rules"
1. Show up on the page
2. Give up control
3. Make room for your writing
4. Remove the obstacle "FEAR and SELF-JUDGMENT" from your
vocabulary.

That's it! Now write.

Oh, do you need ideas? Bonni Goldberg gives us one for
everyday of the year.

What are your feelings on these subjects?

Snot, Eat it, Lies, Only in your dreams, O God!, Inside out, Mama Mia, What a Joke, Body talk, Breasts, Silence....

WOW! That is only skimming the top.

They get my creative juices flowing... And I had a great time writing about snot.

I remember Sylvia Plath had written about it in one of her
journals and It was beautiful.
Imagine.
A good, imaginative writer can make even snot sound intriguing!

So...every single day you have a new idea for writing...
for instance, on November 5, the assignment was-

"LIES" Today write about lies. Lies you have told and, in
retrospect, what motivated you to withhold the truth.

I've had this book in the car, at work, at the dentist office, on holiday, and in the bathtub! It is waterlogged, shaded in yellows and greens and vivid pinks. It is dated and hung together by paper clips. It has been used and used again. Does a writer ever really get enough writing done!? Even when I was done with the last exercise, I started all over again on page one,
"Diving In"

A different day brings new surprises and ideas. The writing is never the same...or at least, it shouldn't be.

Goldberg says..."Writing, like any spiritual undertaking, has many paths, but only one direction---Deeper."

How deep? As deep as you can go. Drown if you must!

So...
on with your writing assignments...which will build into essays, short stories, and maybe one day a great novel.

"Explore every room. Listen to yourself. Trust what you hear."
---GOLDBERG---

I used the exercises in this little book to freewrite. Once started, I just could not stop writing. Goldberg has given inspiration and freedom to write, to release stories in my head. I just love this book! I wish Goldberg can produce more of these exercises.

This like Anne Bernay's "What If?" and Linda Spence's "Legacy," just gets me writing and keeps me writing. I like the size of the book and the layout. Minor details, I know, but presentation really helps when it comes to pushing writers to write.

The exercises are great, thought provoking. The kind that prompt you to pry into your head and squeeze out every last drop. In most books the writing prompts are presented as flat suggestions:

Write about your favorite dinner.

Write about your first kiss

In this book, like Natilie Goldberg's "Writing Down The Bones," the author puts the questions into a context. I think it adds flavor to the question and sows a richer seed in the reader's creative garden.

I love this book, and it's a must if you are getting Wishes, Lies & Dreams. I wish that he had more poetry for younger children, with tips on how to help them understand it.

.
This is one of my favorite books:

"I like to write about poems. I like poems.
Some girls are like poems."
-Eric Filisbret, 3rd or 4th grade

"Dog where do you get that bark?
Dragon where do you get that flame?
Kitten where do you get that meow?
Rose where do you get that red?
Bird, where do you get those wings?"
-Desiree Lynn Collier, 3rd or 4th grade

"Come with me and I'll show you my heart. I
know where it is and I know all about it...
Come with me, I'll take you to a world, not
a world that you know. Not a world that
I know. But a world that nobody knows,
not you or me... "

It's ironic, the good kind, for me to learn
so much from a book about ok, teaching
children about poetry.

A follow-up to the author's equally wonderful "Wishes, Lies, and Dreams," this superb volume is one of the best sources for teaching poetry that I've ever read. How many of us found that school crushed any budding love of poetry we had, rather than nurturing it? Well, Kenneth Koch will bring that crushed bud back into full, glorious blossom! He has a rare gift -- he removes the barriers to poetry, the ones that say it's too deep, too different, too complex, for the likes of ordinary people; yet he never removes its mystery, its wonder, its beauty. If anything, he makes it available & familiar to all in a way that only enhances its rapturous qualities. He makes us realize that a poem is as obvious & rich, as subtle & tangible, as a flower. The poem is there for anyone, for everyone, to savor & enjoy.

Most highly recommended!

This excellent book seems to be a missing link in writing instruction. Other books provide somewhat mechanical methods for generating writing ideas, but Koch's book leads the reader into natural lines of thought which connect the reader with his or her experience of life, experience from which the writing must flow. I am pretty sure this would work for any kind of writing and is not limited to poetry. Don't be too proud to use this book on yourself!

Mr. Koch will not underestimate children. He will not talk down, dumb down, water down, because a passion for the subject matter animates this book as it must animate his instruction. He carefully documents and shares children's work as if it is as important as the poetry that inspired it.

Like anything truly sublime, the unspoken lesson enlivens this book . If you really share what you love with students, guide them instead of showing them, ask instead of telling, and treat their products with the respect you'd give a visiting artist, they will produce art as amazing as Mr. Koch's students did.

Forget teaching poetry to children- teach poetry instead. Take the concept and apply it to all creative acts. Teach art from great and challenging art. Teach music from powerful, sophisticated music. They can not only take it, they'll take it and keep it.

I was going to give this only three stars before it hit me why this book is so good. The reason for the three stars--it's obvious that this is the author's first book. It needs to be heavily edited, it starts out pretty slowly, and it's written more toward the level of high-level public speakers. It also tells you more of what not to do rather than what to do.

But, as I've been thinking about it for the last week since I finished the book, I've realized why this book is so good. This author has tons of unique concepts on speech. I've been thinking about this book ever since I finished it, and these really cool concepts that the author discusses keep coming back to me.

A few of them are:
-Making sure that all of your speech relates to the audience's "carrots"
-That confidence comes from three things: 1) knowing what to do, 2) learning to do it, and 3) doing it often enough so you can do it with confidence
-How public speaking is like dancing
-That PowerPoint is bad for almost all presentations

The book's last half is much, much stronger than the first half. This is pretty rare in a book.

Hopefully this author will write another book. She's got a lot to share, and I think that her next book will be a bestseller.

I used to shake- literally tremble -at thought of presenting. My heart would pound, my palms would sweat - I felt completely out of control. "Say it with Confidence" helped me take control, relax and conquer my anxieties. I now do public speaking on a regular basis and each time it gets easier. This book is entertaining and a fun read...but more importantly it is the antidote to presentation fears!

I used to shake- literally tremble -at thought of presenting. My heart would pound, my palms would sweat - I felt completely out of control. "Say it with Confidence" helped me take control, relax and conquer my anxieties. I now do public speaking on a regular basis and each time it gets easier. This book is entertaining and a fun read...but more importantly it is the antidote to presentation fears!

I read this book because I found, after many years out of the workforce, I was less confident in my ability to present to any size audience. It was hard to use my voice effectively and relax. "Say It With Confidence" showed me better than any other book that the internal process of finding a personal style, using what feels natural and feeling the success of doing all of that really well produces a solid level of self confidence that stays with you for a longer time than any program with the same list of steps to follow for everybody. The whole idea of approaching yourself, not with a formula, but with a real self analysis makes so much more sense.
Say It With Confidence uses personal experiences of the author to show you that she really knows how to help people overcome mental blocks because she personally overcame her own and understands what it takes. Her anecdotes tell the story of what works and what doesn't work more so than any lecture or 'how to' approach ever could. The author's experience helping people with this subject/skill with advice tailored to each unique person in their own unique set of circumstances shows great insight into the individual and that we all can't expect ourselves to turn ourselves into 'someone else' in order to succeed. I loved the book. I'd recommend it to anyone trying to overcome fear of presenting, to anyone interviewing for jobs, for anyone who wants to learn how to communicate to customers, management or even subordinates.

I have found this book extremely helpful in planning and giving presentations - much more than most of the other books out there on public speaking. I make a lot of speeches every year, and I often go back to the presentation analysis form the author suggests to make sure I'm going to connect with the audience.

The very best thing about this book is the underlying message in every chapter: it's not about you the speaker. It's about your relationship with the listeners. When you are thinking about them and helping them understand your ideas, you lose the self-consciousness about yourself.

This is a useful book for both experienced speakers (the exercises are terrific!) and people new to speaking who need a boost in confidence.

All information in this book is usefull, even if you aren't writing screenplays. There were a lot of interviews which were somewhat helpful but not what I personally was looking for. I was looking for more of how to format a screenplay and there was not a lot of this in the book. Also some of the websites in the book did not work (which Hamlett could not have had any control of). I was very dissapointed that the Film camp that has a few pages of the book dedicated to it's website hasn't been updated since 2003. There were a lot of good exercises and things to do. I reccomend this book to writers in general. If you are a screenwriter or just starting out I recommend that you buy this book along with "How to Write a Screenplay in 21 Days" together these two books are a great starting point.

With ageism sweeping Hollywood recently, and executives apparently desperately looking for the "next genius 18-year-old screenwriter," it was only a matter of time before someone wrote a screenwriting manual "just for kids."

Still, Christina Hamlett does not fall into the trap of dumbing down the material. Though aimed at high school students, she treats every aspect of the screenwriting process with the same sérieux one would use for a book aimed at the adult market. Indeed, it covers all the same topics (finding ideas, writing dialogue, structure, character, formatting etc.).

Differences are noticeable in the tone of the examples used, which are a bit more fanciful than usual, and in the exercises in each chapter, which are really designed for the classroom. As such, the book is probably even more valuable to teachers of a beginning screenwriting class for young adults than for the teen screenwriter himself.

The advice is good, with an interesting take on structure. There is a lot of information on getting an agent (perhaps a tad too optimistic here), as well as interviews with industry professionals to conclude each chapter (and the ageism issue gets referred to a lot, strangely enough). For those who remain cynical about the whole thing: the one 14-year-old writer interviewed here prefers Rashomon and Citizen Kane. So there may be hope yet.

This book fills an important niche for the ever increasing teen film market. It does so, however, with instructions and lessions that are valuable for all in the industry and for anyone who thinks an Academy Award winning screenplay is just a blank sheet of paper away. The author not only provides a very comprehensive guide to screenwriting, but also tests the motivation of the young writers and their fidelity to their craft.

This book is like the mentor every screenwriter longs to have, but rarely has the good luck to find. The idea of writing a screenplay is glamorous, yes, but none to easy to accomplish. I've been working as a screenwriter since my 20s, but I sure wish this book had been around when I first dreamed of writing movies. Christian Hamlett's book can tell you how to get started and how to successfully reach that longed-for goal, the final fade out. What a boon to young screenwriters just getting started! Christina Hamlett's book offers heaps of practical advice, and the interviews she includes provide the reader with additional voices of wisdom. I intend to recommend it to any teenager interested in creating a screenplay.

I fully endorse all the previous reviews of this book. ScreenteenWriters is excellently structured, full of everything a budding playwright would need to know (and not only a budding writer!) This book is extremely user friendly, and simple in its explanations of complex concepts. Definitely, A MUST BUY. Thank you, Christina Hamlett!

well, it does tells you how to write good history lol....but i have read better books than this, in the end if you are not an advance write great book to pick up

This book has a great outline, thought process and good examples on the process of writing history.

This is a great book and I was able to get even more out it since I am one of Dr. Page's students at East Tennessee State.

History prof recommended this for help in writing research papers in history department.

Compact and inspirational, the author makes his points by way of examples and citations from historians. Passionate about his subject area, he communicates this well and infuses it into his observations and recommendations for writing about historical topics.

While the jury is still out on my first paper to utilize this resource, I already know I am a better writer of history for having utilized this fine resource. Just the idea of grabbing your reader and making him want to read the rest was useful.

Marius has written an extremely readable and informative book on the writing of history. He proceeds from showing readers what questions to ask in doing historical research into types of historical writing can be done, from discriptive to argumentitive.
However, the most useful part of the book is the chapter on sources and writing. He skillfully shows readers how to choose a topic and narrow their focus into a managable paper. He also discusses the use of CD-Rom and Internet sources, a necessity for any good book on the writing of history in the early 21st century, particularly due to the increase in the reliance on Internet research by college undergraduates and HS students that are comfortable with this technology. The book also makes actually doing research seem like not such a daunting scary task, which at first thought it seems like for many undergraduates. The one problem with this section is that Marius advocates the use of paper notes. As has been seen with many professional academic historians lately, the use of paper notes can end up costing the writer dearly, particularly with the use of a large amount of sources. Marius should have included a section on how to use a data base or other computerized note taking system.
Marius also uses many examples to back up his points throughout the book, even publishing one complete paper and then commenting on its strengths and weaknesses in order to give the reader a better understanding. The remainder of the book is an extremely useful three chapters on writing mechanics as well as quoting and citing a variety of sources. I found the section on footnotes quite good and useful. This section will be especially useful for the undergraduate who arrives on campus without ever having to use footnotes while in high school.
Overall, this is an outstanding book. The only real drawback is that since its publication (3rd edition) the sections on the Internet are in many ways obsolete. But with the ever changing technology and things available on the Internet, both good and bad, no book can keep up.