Humanities Books

Only Bible in the house my mother can now read. Including the "Large Print" ones. It is only the four gospel's so it would be great if the company came out with other books from the Bible in 24-point.

Many of the easy-to-organize projects in this book are centered around holidays or special events, such as Day of the Child/Day of the Book, Day of the Dead, Cinco de Mayo, and Hispanic Heritage Month, but many of the projects involve "everyday crafts." There are step-by-step instructions for making masks, corn husk dolls, beads, paper flowers, piñatas, etc., and recipes for such delectables as sweet tamales and gorditas. The activities do not require hard-to-find or expensive materials, and they are designed for all ages, from preschoolers, to after-schoolers (over six years old), and families. (summary by South Texas Library System)
This should increase the comfort level of librarians unfamiliar with this special audience. As communities across the country increase their Hispanic populations, the need to be welcoming to this diverse group puzzles some libraries.

If you are using the Experience Music textbook, these CDs are a wonderful supplement--illustrating concepts and styles beyond those on CDs 1 and 2. And the music is so good that I enjoy listening to the CDs for recreation or in the car.

Ainsworth's text is engaging, intelligent, and above all, unique among readers and rhetorics. Any English department worth even half its hubris would adopt this text as a blanket book. First rate.

This collections of essays pack loads of different styles and ideas. Diverse and rich, 75 Readings lets me find texts by following either a thematic or a structural path: The two tables of contents are a smart idea.

If you have ever wondered about the Mahayana Abhidharma, this book is for you. I mean, if everything is ultimately empty like Mahayana Madhyamaka teaches, or if everything is just thought like Mahayana Yogacara teaches, why bother with the detailed technicalities of the Abhidharma? Well, Asanga, founder of the Yogacara branch of Mahayana, must have thought there was good reason to do so, or he would never have bothered to write this book!

There is a story about Asanga and his younger brother Vasubandhu. Vasubandhu had written the Abhidharmakosa, which went on to become the classic of "Hinayana" Abhidharma. Later on, after talking with his older brother Asanga, Vasubandhu converted to Mahayana. He was so mortified at what he had earlier taught, with his great eloquence, that he decided to cut out his tongue. Asanga dissuaded him from doing so, telling him to use his eloquence to spread the Mahayana. So goes the story.

Asanga had by then apparently already written the Abhidharmasamuccaya. But despite the story, this book seems to have a lot in common with his brother's Abhidharmakosa. I guess that is because the Abhidharma, whether Hinayana or Mahayana, contains the basic teachings of the Buddha. I do get the sense that the Abhidharmakosa is a compendium of the basic Buddhist teachings that was skillfully put together, after these teachings were sorted out, by a brilliant thinker, Vasubandhu; while the Abhidharmasamuccaya is a compendium of the basic Buddhist teachings that was put together by a practiced meditator, Asanga. Both of these books are heavy going, but nonetheless fascinating to read and compare.

As any undergraduate student probably knows, most college courses require a textbook; many of which are so painfully long and monotonous that it's really hard to stay focused on the material being read. 'Abnormal Psychology,' on the other hand, was a pleasure to read. Halgin and Whitbourne have presented this subject in a style that's informative, yet clear and concise, and above all...interesting. Included are case studies that accompany each chapter, providing helpful examples of the psychological disorders being addressed (e.g., personality disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, etc.), along with video clips in the cd-rom. In addition, the writing style itself makes for a smooth read. This book is definitely recommended for understanding abnormal psychology (and if you're a student I'd suggest the workbook too).

This book is one of the texts used in the Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 4320) at East Tennessee State University. It is by far one of the best textbooks I have had. The layout is very easy to follow and all disorders are summed up in a box at the end of each chapter that list symptoms and diagnostic criteria. I took my study guide notes for all the tests straight from these boxes and passed the class with a 3.6 (on a 4.0 scale). Each chapter starts out with a story relevant to the disorders being discussed and at the end of the chapter you will find questions pertaining to the story designed to quiz you on what you have learned in the section.

The book kept my attention as I read each chapter and I was so impressed by it that I bought a copy of the book to keep as a personal reference after I finished the class.

Editors Huddle, Orth, and Shepherd put themselves on the line by writing revealing "critical responses" to each of the sixteen "professional" short stories in this anthology. To top this off, they conclude the volume with a student short story (critiqued by a fellow student), then offer one story apiece, with cross-commentary, from their perspective as writing teachers. Thus, twenty stories and twenty short commentaries comprise this useful anthology, representing writers as diverse as Kafka and Chekhov, Carver and Mishima, Reynolds Price and Barry Hannah.

At my organization we create original theater with kids, and when people ask me to recommend a book to help them do similar work, I tell them that this is the only one worth buying. I've been waiting for years for it to be published. It's simply the most honest, most specific, most practical, most inspiring, easiest to read... I especially recommend it for anyone working in a classroom setting (in or out of school). The book more or less takes you through how to get kids to create and perform a piece of theater that matters to them. It follows the process of a high school theater class creating a performance piece, and includes much text from the brilliant teacher, Jan Mandel, and from the students themselves. It begins with community building exercises and progresses through a number of well-conceived steps to the final performance, giving concrete outlines and suggestions on everything from warm-ups, to writing prompts, to the rehearsal process, to how to handle it when teens make fun of delicate subject matter. Buy it! Trust me. Buy it.