Humanities Books

If you want to get a quick grasp of color photography - theory, technique, history etc... this is the right book for you. It is simple and straight forward. The format is a bit to text bookish but after all it is a text book.
I highly recommend this book.

This book is great for those just begining color photography or those who wish to improve thier techniques. It'll teach you everything you need to know, including using color as a fine art. I would definity recommend!

These books and tapes offer ideas for almost every pre-kindergarten experience. Rainy day? Kitson's got it covered. New food? She's got a rhyme. These fingerplays and rhymes are fun and educational.

I use many of the fingerplays in this book. One of my favorites is called Sometimes I get a boo boo. I work with two and three year olds and they loved this fingerplay. One of my two year olds went home and quoted this play after I had taught it to them. The next day his mother told me about it so I decided to make a copy of the fingerplay for each of my children. I wrote it down and placed a band aid with each play then I covered it with contac paper. They loved taking this home. Two more that I have taught are the following: A cook or a chef wears a tall white hat. I collected each of the hats mentioned in the fingerplay and showed them to them as I taught it. This helped them memorize the play. The other one is My mommy drives her car to work. I collected each of the vehicles mentioned in the play and showed them to the children as I taught it to them. One more play I enjoyed was Pickles, pickles in a jar. I took some pickles and taught the fingerplay before I let each child taste a pickle. Each of my children did like pickles and the fingerplay. I think Jane Kitson's plays are awesome! Thank you.

Outstanding to say the least, As an educator for more than 20 years including K-12 and post secondary education, this book is a must read for all students. Furthermore, it should be a part of every school districts curriculum.

Face to Face Against Prejudice is a must-read. It will open the eyes of the most closed-minded people and allow them to understand the many horrors of the multiple forms of prejudice. Not only is it ideal for adults, but children can benefit as well from its easy-to-understand writing, and compassionate true stories. I have read multiple books on the subjects of prejudice, stereotyping and the like, but never have I enjoyed and learned so much from any of them as I have from Mr. Garzone's candid masterpiece. The format of the two-hundred page soft-cover is also done exceptionally well--its generous blend of stories as well as numerous new ideas and helpful ways to fight prejudice of all kinds, exemplify the author's soulful passion to conquer this worldwide battle.

I've enjoyed Mr. Goodrich's earlier books (Anarchy and Elegance and Roadster), but Faith is a Verb really is more than enjoyable, it is inspiring. Mr. Goodrich manages both to give an objective history of Habitat for Humanity and make the reader want rise from his armchair, grab a hammer and nail gun, and do something for the community.

Goodrich alternates chapters describing Habitat's genesis (the religious and social missions that infused it then and now) and how he participates in a local chapter, building houses in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

First Goodrich describes the meeting of Clarence Jordan, a Southern minister, bible scholar and social activist, with a spiritually searching, burnt out businessman, Millard Fuller, in May 1968. In Louisville, Jordan, Fuller and handful of summer missionary students formed a "koinonia" or "fellowship". Goodrich reminds the reader how in the Bible, "The spirit of Jesus, through Peter, forms a koinonia in which he and his disciples `had all things in common: and sold their possession and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.'"

In what I understand is one of the only accounts of the two men's relationship, Goodrich describes their meeting in a church in Atlanta. Goodrich says,

"One word kept coming up: partnership. Koinonia Farm was founded on that ideal, of course, but this new project - however realized - would be fashioned after a different model, defined more broadly, because both men had seen previous partnerships - Fuller's marriage, Jordan's `demonstration plot' - damaged by overconfidence and impatience, narcissism and narrow-mindedness. ...Fuller... had learned the hard way that partnerships do not exist in name only; they must be worked at, cultivated, honored. As a lawyer, he knew the importance of gathering facts before passing judgment, and as a sales-savvy businessman, that customers respond better to carrots than sticks, to respect than condescension. Fuller believed he had The Answer to the world's problems - faith in God - but had learned that lasting commitment occurred mainly when people came upon answers in their own way, in their own time, with their own cultural inflections."

Originally, Habitat planned to push three programs: manufacture, farming and homebuilding. However, only the third took off:
"The work that captured many imaginations, to an extent no one had foreseen, was home building. Snapping lines, laying block, nailing shingles, hanging doors; there was something new every day, some novel obstacle to overcome, and you never knew, going in, whether you'd be teacher or student, expert or apprentice, brains or muscle. And the experience brought home more than the idea of building community; it embodied the thought, for both volunteer home builders and future homeowners. Everyone marveled at the like-mindedness of such different personalities and perspectives, and felt themselves part of Something Big... and soon to grow much bigger."


Sometimes Goodrich -- and the product that at root he is supporting, Habitat -- get a little preachy. For example in a chapter entitled "Amateur Hour", he writes:
"If every U.S. citizen worked hard on somebody else's truly significant problem, saw what progress could be made through a few hundred hours of collective sweat ... well, who knows what might happen."
However, this preachiness is excusable, when both the author and the organization prove so effective. (Habitat has built housing for over one million people.)

Goodrich also occasionally spouts a little social science babble: "A true partnership explores divergent views, finds common ground, constantly remakes itself; never forgets that a vision can be selfish as well as selfless and everything in between."

But, just when Faith falters, Goodrich pulls back. For example, after the above, he describes a Tropical Build he worked on in the Dominican Republic.. Here, mixing and pouring a concrete roof (with the help of no machinery except a wheelbarrow) in hurricane territory, he says, he and the other volunteers felt they were fulfilling "an honest-to-God need - an actual want, not some manufactured "want" invented on Madison Avenue, Wall Street, Silicon Valley."

It is this `want' - this genuine feeling, ultimately, with which the book leaves the reader. I strongly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Faith is a verb by Chris Goodrich. The book covers facts regarding the history of the organization Habitat for Humanity and the author's experiences volunteering. Goodrich writes about the places, the people, and the volunteers he has encountered during his five-year experience with Habitat for Humanity. The author speaks straight from the heart, some of which brought tears to my eyes, some of sadness, some of laughter. Even through all the heart-wrenching sights, Goodrich and his crew persevere, regardless of the obstacles they face. Goodrich's experiences include traveling around the world, from America to London from London to Paraguay even getting lost in the Sierra, Faith is a Verb, is a fantastic read. In addition, the book opens a person's eyes and heart to the devastation and suffering that many see everyday of their lives. The book puts into perspective just how lucky we are even though we may not think so; it made me not only look at my ethics and values but also encouraged me to pick up that hammer.

These books are wonderful for their total coverage of a case, from perpetration of the crime through appeals, with explanations. Our students use this series a lot. Very good black and white illustrations contained in the book, and I would recommend it to students, teachers, and parents.

awesom

A FAR CRY FROM FREEDOM: GRADUAL ABOLITION (1799-1827)
NEW YORK STATE'S CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
________________________________________
Review by Deborah Williams-Muhammad

Local Historian, World Scholar and Author, L. Lloyd Stewart's book, A Far Cry From Freedom: Gradual Abolition (1799-1827) New York State's Crime Against Humanity is a well researched, well written, compelling book for anyone who places a value on truth. Using his family's history as the catalyst for the research that would become this book, it is clear that Mr. Stewart saw his family's history as the story of thousands of people of African descent in New York State. I noted that this book was unique in its content and focus; but also, that as it clearly illustrates a story. Complete with rare documents, actual records, maps, illustrations and pictures, one is reminded that this is not merely a thorough presentation of facts, but indeed the stories of people-families. Families whose lives were impacted in ways that permeated generations of existence.

In A Far Cry From Freedom, Mr. Stewart dispels the myth of a more humane enslavement in New York State as he compares New York State and its various localities to the South-Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. Reading the book reminded me that I have often referred the New York State as "Up South". Just as Cheikh Anta Diop and J.A. Rogers insisted through their writings on an uncompromising honesty, L. Lloyd Stewart demands the same accurate and critical look at history. In a world where so many play fast and loose with the facts and present revisionist history as fact, it is imperative that we have such honest accounts of history to inform, and when possible, ignite action.

The Gradual Abolition Act of 1799 essentially established a pattern of codifying statutory servitude, complete with the potential criminalization for failure to comply. Mr. Stewart outlines the profound and insidious legal provisions that would serve as the foundation for today's juvenile justice and child welfare systems' "disproportionate minority contact". A Far Cry From Freedom illustrates the reality of conspired benefit between lawmakers, slaveholders (often one and the same), and government; with total disregard for those enslaved and their families. The atmosphere of devaluation of the lives of people of African descent in New York State legally, socially and intellectually was arguably fundamental in these laws. This devaluation has given birth to a continued marginalization that remains evident now in 2006. Excavating legal history is a slow process, frequently resisted by those who fear its impact. I would hope that as Mr. Stewart's work is read, examined, quoted and discussed, that people would be compelled to truly understand the impact of New York State's gradual abolition both in New York State and throughout the nation.
The author presents to readers a section on Albany County that uncovers what at the very least can be characterized as a blatant disregard for the negative impact of slavery. However, such disregard was met with the powerful "attitude and arrogance" of local aristocrats who vehemently fought for continued enslavement and held onto it through gradual abolition in order to reap the economic and social benefits.

The book chronicles the participation of such recognized families as the Ten Eycks, Schuylers, Vandehydens, Van Rensselaers, Lansings and Bleekers, without being overly didactic. Mr. Stewart has what I would consider a strong but generous voice; while he presents this viewpoint unapologetically, he is never preachy or angry. This point of view lends a fresh outlook on an issue that is often mentioned, but rarely thoroughly explored. He encourages the reader to examine abolition from the framework of a longitudinal observer. As a reader I was led logically down a path to analysis development and fueled by the documentation of gradual abolition's impact as in the following passage.

"Despite the level of skill African descendants possessed, they were increasingly relegated to the most menial jobs and persistently forced to the bottom rung on the economic and social ladder. White immigration to the state made matters worse, but economic downturns were another factor. President Thomas Jefferson's Embargo of 1804, the depression that followed the War of 1812, and the Panic of 1819 all hit the African descendant community the hardest, as white immigrants flooded into the domestic service industry in the 1810s days. According to Herman Bloch in "The Circle of Discrimination" the number of Irish filing for employment with the New York Society for the Encouragement of Faithful Domestics in the late 1820swas more than three times that of African descendents. Even the number of other "whites" filing for employment surpassed African descendents."

As a social scientist and organizer I was motivated to use the information in the book to inform social change efforts. The danger and challenges posed to freedom and democracy by nullifying this history and by unchecked assumptions about slavery and abolition are the two great themes running through the history of the New York State and the United States.
What will be the impact and what will be done with this information remains to be seen; but this timely book begs a more public dialog about such issues as reparations, systemic racism, Black leadership and representation. In this post-Katrina world, I am reminded that there remains a need for education, analysis and discourse. A Far Cry From Freedom can and should serve as a catalytic tool in this process. The author writes in the Introduction,

"...This work is not meant to be a conversation between historical scholars. Neither is the substance and content of this work meant to be presented as some type historical novel. On the contrary, this work should be accepted and read as a documented representation of historical fact-designed to provide people of African descent with an accurate depiction of the periods of Enslavement and Gradual Abolition in New York State and further, it is designed to allow African descendents to examine how the political, social and economic policies of these periods impacted the growth and survival of families of African descent during New York's first two centuries of existence."

A CRITICAL REIVEW OF
A FAR CRY FROM FREEDOM
By Lloyd Hogan


We think that history must be a precise description of a people's activities within the context of the political economy(economies) in which they subsisted and survived and maintained their defining characteristics as a distinctive population during a specified period of time in the past. The elements of such description cannot be randomly selected facts, nor results of a fishing expedition, nor deliberate choice of data to support a ruling class bias. The selection must be conditioned by a specific descriptive hypothesis which serves as a conceptual framework of the study and which therefore dictates the nature of the facts to be collected by the historian. It is to be emphasized, that the historian, in the spirit of the scientific method, must bend all his efforts towards uncovering critical data to disprove the conceptual hypothesis that frames his work.

Stewart "fesses" up to the challenge of the historian. He vows in his book to present a more accurate account of the facts that occurred to people of African American descent in New York State during the last two centuries. To accomplish his mission he postulates a two-pronged descriptive hypothesis to give conceptual framework and substance to his study as well as to dictate the facts that need to be uncovered:

The system of slavery as practiced in New York State
was more Humane than the system which prevailed in the
southern states of the United States.

New York State officially abolished its system of
slavery significantly earlier than its abolition in the
Southern United States.

The book is organized around three main topics. First it deals with the origin and promulgation of the enslavement of African Americans in New York State. He shows this to be a significant aspect of the same process of Western European slaving operations in Africa and the transport of the African captives across the Atlantic into slavery in the new world.

Second, he deals with the development of a system of slavery in New York under both the Dutch and the British colonial administrations. In both cases the system of slavery was imposed with all the canonical attributes of this sordid socio-economic mechanism.

Third, he deals with the process of abolition of slavery in New York. This topic takes up the greater part of the book. The upshot is that the process was not just gradual, but a rather prolonged agony for the black slave. Children were initially freed after 1799. However, the freedom was not to be experienced until the end of the greater part of their adult lives. And the resulting fate of the children was in jeopardy in perpetuity.
The book draws a number of implications of gradual emancipation. The fiscal impact on the State treasury was quite significant because of the compensation paid to slave owners for the loss of their private property in the manumission of the slaves. Moreover, "jim crow" status was imposed on the freed slaves. And, finally, the true state of affairs left the former slaves in practically the same condition as before freedom was enacted into law.

Stewart does an extremely scholarly job in documenting his case. He mines the archives for relevant documents to demonstrate with telling effect the disproof of his main hypothesis. Moreover, he does a very extraordinary thing. He puts human faces and in some cases he puts names on the faces of hundreds of blacks who bore the brunt of this vicious system of human degradation. The records, of individual slave owners, private associations, cities, villages, counties, state, and the nation, were all very well scrutinized. Great accolades must be accorded these efforts.

An important conclusion of the study is that the brutality of the system of slavery in New York had such a devastating effect on the black population that the consequences would have a significant impact on the future of that population. Of special concern is the effect on the children who technically remained enslaved throughout the entire period of Gradual Emancipation.

This conclusion is quite telling. The lowly status in which blacks now find themselves in the 21st century United States is a disgraceful commentary on the application of the Constitution. After all, this constitution was consistent with the system of slavery which prevailed in both the south as well as in New York and other northern territories and states. It acquiesced in enforcing the concept of private property rights in human beings so long as they were black Africans or of African descent; while at the same time it accepted the concept of private property in one's self (civil rights) so long as one is non-black African. It simultaneously codified the activities of reproducing two distinct populations-one black, the other non-black.

Stewart uses the conclusions of his study to call for a program of reparations to compensate for the deleterious effects of original slavery and Gradual Abolition that still plagues the black population of the United States.

In sum, Stewart is to be commended for producing a masterful work of history of black people in New York State. His methodology needs to be emulated by all historians who endeavor to write meaningful history of any people anywhere. Well done!


Edgewood, MD
February, 2006.

L.Lloyd Stewart, A Far Cry From Freedom: Gradual Abolition 1799-1827. New York State's Crime Against Humanity (Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005).

This is a very important book for teachers and parents. I was so happy to see the real learning needs of children so eloquently articulated. Rogers lucidly shows us how children learn through meaningful experience at both the unconscious and conscious levels. His perspective on the education of children is vital to our world now. I look forward to giving this book to my son's school.

This book is a breath of fresh air. At last here is an author that is talking about education in terms of the fullness of being human beings. Had we been educated with this sensibility, we would have a different world. It's never too late. I encourage educators, parents and anyone to read this!

This is an exceptional reader that is divided into short segments/articles. It is an excellent overview of the development of feminist thought and an essential learning tool for students involved in Women's Studies classes.

Essential reading for everyone and anyone intrested in the history of women's struggles throughout American History. A bit above others because it is not homogenized as white voices only, but actually includes voices of women of color.

Reviewed by Becca Lawler for Reader Views (8/06)

This was a really cool book. I liked the activities. The book was really simple to read and very informative - telling you exactly what you would need in order to complete all the crafts. I couldn't do some of the crafts because cooking was required. I can't do that yet.

I also really liked the painting crafts. Those were actually my favorites. I love to draw and paint. I hope I can take this to school and show my art teacher. Maybe we can do some of these in class. I hope so.

Just as the title suggests, it is full of art projects to "inspire creativity and imagination." My ten-year-old son, who loves to draw and create his own comics, giggled with joy as he scanned the colorful pages.
All teachers and educators alike should have a copy of this comprehensive resource book for grades K-6. With eighteen art projects that skillfully feature drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture techniques. Each task lists materials needed, teacher preparation, resources and directions, as well as vibrant photographs made by 5 to 10 year olds to inspire young artists as they work on their own project. Additional information includes age level, subject matter, purpose, and lesson length.
As anyone involved with children knows that children are full of creative talent and imagination that's just waiting to burst-FISHES, FLOWERS AND FANDANGLES is an excellent book for triggering those qualities in any child.
Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Jennifer LB Leese, ASTORYWEAVER'S Book Reviews

I'm a Sports Science major with a concentration in Physical Therapy and this book was used for a undergrad Lifetime physical fitness class. Man, a lot of books lack key information needed in this field but this book is right on. The chapters are well put together in a great order. No skipping around chapters. It's a great beginners good. two thumbs up!

This is a solid book for teaching you the basics of leading a healthy life. For people not well educated on basic wellness ideas, this can be a godsend: it will guide you through many topics that are considered common knowledge but, unfortunately, probably aren't as well-known and properly understood as they should be.

Topics covered here include:
- basic methods to studying and eliminating unhealthy habits
- stress sources and management
- strength exercises, including photos and descriptions of many common ones: good for an exercise novice who'd like to avoid the embarrassment of looking totally confused at the gym (though there's no substitute to a trainer who knows what he's doing)
- healthy eating habits, and detailed analysis of carbs, fats, and other things food is made up of
- coverage of diseases, including STDs and other chronic illnesses

This book is great for independent study, which was the method I used it. Augmenting it with help from a teacher could highlight other areas the book doesn't go quite as in-depth into; in my class's studies, many web sites had to be visited, which added some good knowledge outside the book's scope. Also, each chapter seems to be a little long; splitting some chapters up into shorter sections would have made me feel like I was moving through the book quicker.

However, this is a quality-written book from McGraw Hill. It could be good for anyone, young or old, who doesn't know much but wants to learn how to live a healthy life. If you're looking to get into shape for the summer, but have never paid attention to your health habits before, this book can actually be quite a good starting point: it can help point out how certain foods will affect your body, and give you a quick overview of many common, effective, good exercises. Very recommended for either class or independent study.