Education Books

This book was hilarious from front to back! Most would consider this insightful, funny, and one could quickly forget that the author is speaking about a preppy cult! I can say that because I am southern belle, and people stereotype us southern's as well. I love the fact we all live in American and from East to West each culture is different! God Bless American.

I ran into this book in 1982, when I transferred from a small college to a major university-not because I wanted to be Preppy, but because how it had absolutely consumed the majority of the student body to BE as Prep as possible-and it couldn't be avoided, no matter how hard one tried to ignore it. While the book was meant to be somewhat satirical, the impact it had was huge at that time, increasing and encouraging an already present 'us VS them' mindset that I think persists to this day. It's a good book nonetheless, and I'm surprised that a updated/revised version hasn't come out by now. But I shudder at the possible impact that would have.

For those of us raised slightly below true "prep" status--good public schools, went to country club with friends (family too poor for own membership), prep clothes from consignment stores...this book helped us to fake it well. Everything in this book still holds...if one wants to fit into "good" society. Parts are good for a laugh, though, because in our thankfully diverse modern society, it seems antiquated to suggest that one needs to be either White, Anglo-Saxon, or Protestant (i.e., a WASP)to partake of the casually elegant prep lifestyle.

What an unexpected sum-up - I had a blast comparing all the parallels - its very true to preppy life - almost eerily so. from the moment I started this book I could not put it down - I ended up reading it in two sittings (it got late - 2am - and I had to get to sleep for squash).

This book is timeless. It was written before I was even born and much of it still holds true. Some of the references are dated, but most of the material is relevant and funny. It's a nice book to have out on your coffee table for guests to browse through for some light amusement.

I actually paid a little more for "nice" copy of the book. Perhaps it will be a collector's item someday. It is a perfect snapshot of the yuppie suburban family in the 1980's. Seeing as it was written in the EARLY 80's, the material was certainly ahead of its time. J.Crew is still selling madras today, and Lacoste polos are as ubiquitous as ever. The North Face has somewhat displaced LL Bean (mentioned a lot in the book as the "sporty" attire purchased for ski trips..etc). Also SUVs weren't yet on the scene when this book was published.

I would recommend this for anyone interested in wine from the novice to Robert Parker (I'm betting he has a copy). Four friends have purchased this book after looking at mine.

The Oxford Companion to Wine is a great encyclopedia for wine lovers. It covers a great breadth of topics, deeply enough to be informative, but in a short enough fashion to keep this under 1000 pages. Coverage includes wine growing regions, wines, vine varietals, wine making, barrel making, bacteria, and on and on.

One thing this is not - it's not a review/criticism of specific wines (which tend to become out of date too quickly to be useful in book form).

Highly recommended.

Along with most of the reviewers here, my wine-knowledgeable friends, to whom I gave this book as a wedding anniversary present, were extraordinarily pleased. They tell me that they learn something new from it every day, and that it has "everything about wine" within its covers.

I have been working in the wine industry for many years and I have never come across a more complete reference book. It is worth every cent.The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition

The Oxford Companion to Wine is one of the best books about wine that I have seen.

THE KEY TO ALL YOUR TROUBLES: How to Complain EFFECTIVELY
==========================================================

After reading the stories of many posters on this site, I can really feel the emotion and frustration and feeling of despair, like no one cares, coming through in your words. Many of you, I am sure, have asked yourself "Why won't the company help me? Aren't I the customer? Isn't the customer ALWAYS right? Isn't it against the company's best interest to deliver poor service to the consumer? Shouldn't these companies value their patrons, who make their continued existence possible?"

I bet many of you after asking those questions have been overcome by a resounding dead silience in which your mind seems to answer with a cold, heartless "NO". --No the company does not care about you, because they know, for the most part, that the small portion of people who actually do complain and try to contact the company, will eventually give up after running into un-navigable telephone menus, rude "service" and support people, and a barrage of deception and hostility that they know will take you more time to overcome,investigate, and pursue than the average busy person has available to them.

Has this happened to you more than once in your life? If so, you may be karmically reaping the fruit of your failure to address the matter the first time it happened, because you felt it was too HARD and TIME-CONSUMING. But, if you really think about it, aren't the things that take the most effort, usually the most satisfying when you finally triumph in the end? Would it be worth all the money, time, and potential for happiness you could lose in the future, to invest a little bit of time now to defend your right to be treated fairly as a consumer and an individual?

If you are already at the point where you are willing to invest a little time actively pursuing effective resolution, you may be asking yourself "But how?" Ahh, that is the rub, isn't it! Well, guess what: I think I may have the answer you are looking for. While doing an AMAZON search for books on complaint writing, I came across the title: "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed! How to Write Letters of Complaint That Get Results", by Ellen Phillips. I ordered this book from Barnes & Noble, along with others, and did my comparisons. Ms. Phillips' book won HANDS DOWN. I encourage you to do your own research, but if you feel you don't want to spend the time, I will give you a headstart. It is as if Ms. Phillips recognizes the labrynthian maze before us, and having travelled the maze before, she knows where the trapdoors are, how to avoid pitfalls, and she offers us the keys to the doors of opportunity and effective complaining.


Here are a few of the important keys Ms. Phillips provides:

===============

1) Try to talk to a representative on the phone. This is always the first step. If they agree to and follow-through on a solution you approve of, then you are good to go! You should even consider writing a commendation for them.
But, in case they are uncooperative, uncaring, ineffective
, and/or deceptive,

2) ALWAYS document EVERYTHING! This includes (for each person you speak with):

* Name of the person you talk to and their REPRESENTATIVE ID NUMBER
* Time you called
* Amount of time on hold
* What you called about
* The resolution you sought
* Level of cooperativeness of the representative
* Did the representative seem competent?
* What promises did they make? (dates, times, dollar amounts, when someone would call back, etc.)
* Did they refer you to someone else (a supervisor, or another department)?

3) The most effective route to satisfaction is ALMOST ALWAYS to write to the TOP person first. Don't bother with low-level, call-center representives, or counter clerks who likely have very little ability to take the action you would require (reimbursement, replacement, repair, apology, etc.). Instead, write to the CEO, President, Board Chair, etc., to ensure the best possibility of getting your concerns addressed in a timely and effecive manner.

4) Always send copies of your letters to regulatory agencies, and anyone else who is an interested party. In her book, Ms. Phillips lists the names of hundreds(?) of agencies for your convenience. In fact, the only real thing that is antiquated about this tome, are the SPECIFIC names for the officers of the listed organizations and regulatory bodies (eg: Attorney General - Janet Reno). It takes relatively little effort in this day and age to do a Google search for the current names.

5) Better Business Bureaus are useless. They have no real mandate or requirement to help you in your dispute with their member companies. From my own personal experience, I have known this to be disappointingly true. In my opinion, though you might find some informative articles and publications on their BBB sites, as a source of relief and satisfaction they really seem to miss the mark by a mile.

6) Ms. Philips concienciously makes us aware of special laws which apply in various scenarios, that the general public is mostly oblivious of.

These are only a few of the marvelous insights offered by "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed"!

===============


You may notice that the copyright on the book is 1998 (revised in 1999)--10 years ago (I am writing this 08/26/08). Never fear! This book is not antiquated in content. Ninety-Eight percent of the content in this book is still relevant today.

For those of you like me who prefer books that list various examples, scenarios, and case studies, this book does not disappoint! I highly recommend "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed" to anyone who wants to know how to complain effectively to resturants, airlines, hotels, car rental places, auto mechanics, dead-beat parents, etc. For a balanced view, there is even a small section, including multiple examples, on writing THANK YOU notes and letters.

It took me 3 hours to craft this recommendation. After the enormous satisfaction and cornucopia of information I received from Ms. Phillips' book, I would be karmically remiss were I not to write this recommendation. My goal is to help you help yourself by giving you a "map", if you will, to the small dirt path, that leads through a dense jungle, to a heavily guarded, forbidden city where you will FINALLY find all the answers you have been seeking. Again, don't take my word for it: do your own research and find out for yourself!

I hope you find this review helpful. Now, go out into the world and make it a better place by standing up for yourself and showing those who would hold you down that your are not going to take it ANYMORE!

Good Luck!

Peace and blessings,

Kristobal



**** [DISCLAIMER: This document is a collection of opions, not a statement of fact. Neither the author of this book (Ellen Phillips), nor the author of this review (Me) is responsible for actions you may or may not take based on your readings, understandings, and interpretations of this review.]

Clearly this book provides the basics on writing letters of complaint. Most of it is just common sense (not so common these days). If you treat business people the way you would want them to treat you, it usually works out in the end. I didn't find much new in it. The contact addresses are helpful, but then most of them can be found on the net.. and more current

Very insightful and useful. I have used some of her template letters for airline complaints. In the past, I used her writings for a labor complaint and got $18,000 from my former employer.

I wish this book was available in downloadable electronic form which will make it more useful in practice by cutting and pasting.

I have the book for several years and its contents have saved me time and money over and over again. It is rich in samples of real letters and complaints, with real cases.
I recommend to anyone that ever needs to write a complaint letter and/or need to reach government agencies.

I have suspected that my older sister (50's) has Aspergers for the past couple of years. After reading The Complete Guide to Aspergers I feel confirmed in that thought. Attwood outlines all the symptoms and I see my sister in so many of them. He explains everything from childhood to adulthood. I plan to send this book to my sister with a note and I just hope she reads it and can, for once, understand that there is a name to what she feels. It is a fantastic book.

When our 9-year-old son was referred to a specialist to assess for Asperger's Syndrome, I wanted to get my hands on as much information as possible! The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome is just that: complete! It has been an amazing resource to open our understanding of this neurological disorder. I went to our son's assessment feeling confident and able to communicate with the specialist. The book helped me understand my son in many areas that I had no idea would fall under Asperger's Syndrome. When the initial referral was made, I felt like my feet had been knocked out from under me. When the diagnosis was made, however, I felt much more sure footed because of the knowlege and tools I learned in Tony Attwood's book.

I read this book by pure chance (first I read Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism) because I know a child who has difficulties to learn at school. And I buy this book to have a good scientific reference on AS and high functioning autism. And I was satisfied beyond the limits but for someone else so much closer to me. Believe me this book will make you understand a lot of people around you. Even you are not in relation with autism, you will learn a lot. But if you are in touch with a person with the asperger syndrom, believe me too, you will learn more and, above all, feel better in your life. Unfortunately I am very close to an adult with high functioning autism (or AS). Sometime you could think this adult is a total idiot in social relationships. This book bring complete informations about the subject. And the life is much easier when you understand you are not a kind of social monster.

This is full of helpful information about AS, compassionate and wise interpretation of their a-typical-ness and good training ideas for their teachers and parents. Reading it will answer many questions for family members who may have long pondered why their loved one acts the way s/he does and bring new understanding, compassion -- and a large measure of relief due to mysteries solved.

Tony Atwood has again managed to provide us with keen insight as to the individuality of the individuals with AS. He has wonderful vignettes and on children and adults with AS as they struggle with language, emotions, social interactions, and day to day functioning. He has quotes from individuals with AS as they describe both adult issues and memories from their childhoods. This gives unique insights into why we see certain behaviors and what causes the need for the behaviors.

He doesn't stop there, however. He provides many good ideas for interventions and strategies to help children become more aware of and in control of their environment and their emotions. I particularly liked the scales of justice activity to help children learn the differences in levels of guilt or culpability in an adverse situation.

I feel that any professional who works with children and adults with AS should read this book and keep it available for referral whenever one of their students/patients/clients are struggling.

I just recently finished a college-level history class, so I was well brushed up on my US history. That's half of why this book is so hilarious - I know what really happened, and Dave Barry makes very funny spins on it. He has the capacity to make the bleakest parts of history look absolutely histerical and silly, and for that, I give it my highest recommendation.

According to Dave Barry, hundreds of thousands of years ago, America was very different. For one thing, there were no car commercials which had broadcast toward Earth from another planet far away. Twenty thousand years ago the Land Bridge was constructed and completed on October 8th. Centuries later Mayans down in Mexico constructed a calendar that it can still be used to tell the location of celestial
bodies... they're out in space.

In a takeoff of where George Washington slept, there were stories that arose. Likewise where Dave Barry slept, there were (different) stories that arose. Have a few laughs on U.S.

I've read all of Dave Barry's stuff, novels too, and this is, hands down the funniest thing you'll ever sink your eyeballs into. It stays on my bedside table where I can get a little twisted history fix now and then. Read it, re-read it and read it again.

I first read this book when I was 12. I next read it... probably when I was still 12. I'm not one to read and re-read books, but this one will always be an exception. If Jon Stewart's "America" uses humor to expose the dysfunctional state of our country in the 21st century, Barry uses laughter to show how we got to this pitiful point. Buy it and read, then re-read it every other year or so. It only takes a couple of hours, and it never gets old.

Dave Barry's "Dave Barry Slept Here" is a hilarious pseudo/satire-history of the United States. Anyone familiar with Dave Barry's wit from his columns will immediately recognize the same wit unleashed on so much of our history that we have heard, if not necessarily really learned, throughout our lives.

Dave Barry writes like a high-school student - intentionally, of course. He attributes great advances to "technology," isn't interested in the Smoot-Hawley Tariff so he skips it because it sounds boring, and decides that every important event in American history happened on October 8th so that he doesn't have to remember any more dates (even the Fourth of July happened on October 8th, 1776). And he ends every chapter with hilarious "discussion questions" that are just as funny as the text.

I've read and re-read this hilarious book, and it's great to just pick up and start reading in the middle whenever you need a good chuckle. Anyone who likes Dave Barry, enjoys American history, or is interested in what three-word sentence you can rearrange the letters in "Spiro Agnew" to spell (hint: the first word is "grow") should read this book and enjoy!

i read this book 24/7 because of love the make out seen and paul i think paul is a hottie but he a jerk somtimes but he ok i would love to be a mediator so i can kiss a ghost so it can help me out with my life it would be very awesome!!

I love the mediator books so much and I want them to go to book seven maybe even ten. I've gotten addicted to them and I don't want them to end at 6.

The story line continues and this book is just as exciting and exhiliarating as the rest in this series. I would highly recommend this book and the previous in this series. Excellent read!!!!

This series is a lot of fun to read, but I did feel that the ending was a little too perfect. Everything tied up in a perfect bow. Throughout the book, I felt that the story was lacking a good central plot to work around. From the beginning, we knew Paul was up to something, and shortly after, we knew what it was, but for some reason, Suze couldn't figure out the obvious. Suze was just confused and unsure and shallow most of this book which is very unlike her character. However, the ending was just what the reader would wnat and I am very glad I read the book. I liked the series so much I had to read all of it in one week. Read it, but it isn't the best in the series, but you'll be happy with the ending. I am left wanting to understand Paul better, but maybe that is for another series. :)

I thought the sixth and final book in the mediator books was an awesome book. It solved all the questions I had about what was going to happen in the end, and it answered them in a very unexpected and extremely pleasing way. I totally recommend this book, but I recommend reading the first five Mediator books before reading this one so you have a better idea of what is going on.

I purchased this book for my husband and he had written me several times quoting passages from it and told me he wished I had a copy so we could discuss it together. With that said, I purchased an additional copy and read it in one day. My son walked by and saw and me tearing up and asked what I was reading and I read him the except. We continued reading them together out loud. He too cried. It is an awesome and inspirational book that will make you laugh and cry. It created some bonding time with my son and opened up topics of conversation between my husband and me. Worth every penny and so much more!

I was searching to find a inspirational book for my dad whom recently was sent to prison. He said right away he loved the book and now it is being shared by all his friends in his unit. He cant get enough Chicken Soup books and wants more of them right away !!! 5 stars for sure

prisioners need to have something possitive to read. A bad attutude will carry to there life after they get out and on the other hand so will a possitive one. Smiles to all

Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul was suggested to me by a prisoner. Having worked in the California State Prison at San Quentin in the late 1960s and at other lockup facilities in California and Arizona, I am usually hesitant about inmate suggestions for my reading list. However, this book far exceeded my expectations. It is so powerful, I read only a few chapters at a time. The effect could be overwhelming. So turn off your speed-reading skills, resist any temptation to use this for bedtime reading and expect to get more than your money's worth

I brought this book for a good friend of mine who is currently in prison and he enjoyed reading the book and found it to be very encouraging.

This is the best book I have ever read. It is mainly about a half-naked boy who is a hero. The part I like the best is when the toilet and him fought. This is very cool book.

I love spending time with my grandson and this book is fun to read with him. I also love to hear my grandson laugh.He likes to read now and he takes the book to school for others to read.He likes all the Captain Underpants books.This is an excellent read...

Captain Underpants is a great epic novel series by Dav Pilkey.With his new book Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking toilets we discover his power against talking, eating, mad toilets. He uses cafeteria food and his underware.This book also has more flip-o-ramas than ever.The flip-o-ramas are filled with even more juicy underware fighting.Captain Underpants beats the talking toilets with underware and his extreme power.
George and Harold,the main characters,try to help Captain Underpants but just stir up more trouble.Captain Underpants not only has to worry about the evil talking toilets but also freeing George and Harold.Captain Underpants ended up winning the battle and freed George and Harold.Over all,Captain Underpants is an awesome fighter and awesome warrior.

My book review
What I'm writing for my book review is Captain Underpants. The reason why I'm writing Captain Underpants is because the book is funny and I want to share how the book was funny with the class.
In Dave Pikley's second adventurous book he talks about Captain Underpants and the attack of the talking toilets. Captain Underpants runs around in his underpants saving the world. I know, your wondering why he can't just do these things with his clothes on instead of doing it in his underpants. It was not his fault that he runs around like this.
The top-secret truth about captain underpants. There were two boys named Harold and George. In the book Harold and George are the narrators. Their principal (Mr. Krupp) was always mean to them. So Harold and George bought a hipno-ring that could hypnotize people. Here comes the funny part. Harold and George hypnotized Mr. Krupp! Then they turned him into Captain Underpants! Now whenever Captain Underpants hears a scream, he runs off and says "tralalaaaaaa!" Every time he does this Harold and George have to watch over him, then catch him.
The whole book is a comic book that Harold and George made to make fun of their principal. Harold and George are known around the whole school because of the pranks they pull. One time they put bubbles in the band instruments. Another time they glued everyone in the lower school to the auditorium seats, and another time they changed the words around on the school board to make it say come and see our hairy armpits.
Captain underpants is a funny book and I hope a lot of people read it.

By Jordan

My eight-year-old loves this book, and I think it's hilarious myself. If fighting vicious toilets using underwear and cafeteria food sounds funny to you, you'll love this book.

This book does teach a certain amount of contempt for adults and suspicion of cafeteria food to children. In that sense maybe it's emblematic of our society. I have found it necessary to sit down with my son and explain that all of this is FICTION, and has nothing to do with the real world. Did that have any effect? I don't know. I suppose it's worth it to have him reading.

The book is perfect for my 6 year old. She had to read it for school..and we truly enjoy the Frog and Toad books. The seller sent it in a timely fashion and it was in excellent condition :)

'Frog and Toad Are Friends' by Arnold Lobel is a story is most appropriate for children ages 4-8. This is a great story of friendship between Frog and Toad. Toad tells stories to Frog when Frog is sick, Frog helps search for Toad's lost button, and Frog writes a letter to Toad because he never receives any mail. This book is full of tales of friendship and adventure. Read this book to see all that Toad and Frog do on their adventures.

The Frog and Toad books have helped my 8 year old grandson learn to read--he has been having trouble and these books were so interesting and fun to him that he finally realized how reading could open up whole new worlds for him. He loves these books.

I've read this book over and over and over again to my kids... they're now adults, but they still remember Frog and Toad.

An absolute classic book of short stories - my favorite is the one where one of them is in bed all winter, and the other one is bored, so he tells the sleeping one to wake up because it's spring, even though it isn't quite spring yet... just too cute. They're friends, they love each other - what more could you want in a story that you'll read to a child? One of my family's favorite bedtime books. I look forward to reading this classic to my grandchildren.

And Remember: all Toads are Frogs, but not all Frogs are Toads.

The books were in excellent condition and arrived earlier than expected. I had checked all local used bookstores. They were not available because of the high demand in our district. Similar books were the same price as Amazon's including shipment. I will not be going to used bookstores again. Amazon saved me time, money & gas!

This book is freakin AWESOME. It answered ALL and then some of my queries. I didn't think graphology did all of this, but now I'm ALWAYS seeing it everywhere! As it says within the book, "You will never look at handwriting the same way again." It even inculdes a section on what drawings mean. FANTASTIC, UNBELIEVABLE come to mind. I believe it has a small section on PRINT, though I am unsure. I had this book, then lost it in a move....now I'm buying it back (and KEEPING it)! 2 thumbs, 9/10 (or 5/5) watev!

Clear, concise, interesting and very useful. I already have some knowledge of handwriting analysis and found it very easy to learn more.

...everything! "Handwriting Analysis: Putting it to work for you" is a well-organized guidebook into the fascinating world of graphology. As a practicing handwriting analyst, I have used this book as a reference many times - with particular attention to such detailed handwriting traits as a "felon's claw". Handwriting reveals many characteristics to the trained eye - this book will educate and amaze readers, especially when they put it into practice.

Carrying the knowledge that i got from this book is like carrying a swiss army knife with you everywhere you go. i looked back at cards and "good luck in college" signatures in my yearbook and found very interesting things, that i know are true since i knew the people. the handwritings really do match the personalities. i analyze every piece of handwriting i now see! my coworkers, ads on the train, my friends, doctors, etc. this book is my bible. it teaches you who is a liar, has weird sex prefence, whose psychotic, who is secretive, who's an extrovert, who's suicidal, who wants to be well known, who has poor self esteem, etc. !! GET THIS BOOK!!! includes tons of famous signature and writing samples inside

This book offers a quick look at how to analyze handwriting. The quizzes help to engage the reader in the analysis of the handwriting instead of using prose to simply explain the concepts. I found myself analyzing handwriting for fun within a few days.