Q Books

I have both Ms. Porter's books, and I must say that each page is written so clear and concise. I feel that I am watching the characters as I read. Her work is wonderful.!

SkinDeep is the sequel to Colorstruck, another book written by Benita Porter which details the lives of fair-skinned Black twins as they grapple with issues of love and family, all while one of the two passes for white. As entertainers the twins are constantly crossing each others paths and the secret of the relationship is always on the brink of being discovered. With the entertainment industry -- film and jazz -- as the backdrop, SkinDeep is the perfect follow-up to an already monumental first novel. Take extreme caution when reading about the character Paris Casterlow. No Black male character has been more well-developed and multi-dimensional.

All managers can learn at least something of value from this book. It is well-written, carefully organized, and provides a wealth of useful information. The advice is sound, apparently based on extensive real-world experience. I think this is a book which will be most valuable to those who are about to begin or have only recently begun a business career. It covers all of the basics. It is not for "dummies" nor for "idiots" because, first, they won't understand it and, two, because they will be unable to make effective use of whatever they do understand. I strongly encourage supervisors to purchase copies of this book for all who report to them. Or at least for the fast-trackers. Gatto refers to his book as a "toolbox" and that is accurate. Less-experienced employees with ambitions to become managers should review the Contents and then focus on whichever subject is most immediately relevant. Then cherry-pick and implement those ideas, suggestions, strategies, and tactics which are most appropriate. To them I also suggest a periodic review of the Contents. This is a time when change is the only constant. People change. Their needs and interests change. Their circumstances change. This book's subtitle suggests that this is a "survival handbook for today's workplace." For soime, perhaps. For most, certainly, a practical briefing on management basics. Well-done, Mr. Gatto.

This is a handy reference for managers that offers quick ideas on topics that range from anger management and change to teams and time management. While this isn't a replacement for a thorough study on the topics, it provides enough information for understanding and implementation. You might want to keep a copy of this book on your desk, next to your dictionary.

Exploring the entire history of American art in one slender volume is no mean feat, but Wright succeeds in guiding the reader on a fascinating tour of this sprawling subject.

The layout of the book is based on a series from The Smithsonian in which subject areas are treated in a question and answer format. The format makes it really easy to digest the material in chunks to read at leisure or as a casual reference. But if you read it end-to-end (as I did), you'll find a grander, more formal survey structure underlies it all.

This book is a great jumping off point for more detailed exploration in areas of interest, but also provides an intelligent, concise history on its own. Recommended.

This art overview gives a great deal of information and annedotes for a small work. It is interesting to read, surprisingly up to date on current art and fills in material on older work. Highly recommended for a general information art book to students and professionals.

Hugh Shull has done a superb job in assembling vast information on Southern States currency. This high quality book has excellent descriptions and photos and is an essential reference book for all collectors of Southern States obsolete currency. Especially helpful are the rarity ratings and the estimated values.

For info for obsolete currency, this is your book to turn to! With great detailed pictures and descriptions, you can't go wrong with this as a reference guide to collecting. I find myself looking back to it often for reference, info and to look for my next purchase for my collection!

This is the perfect book for an armchair traveller to Tanzania. It does a wonderful job of showing what the country has to offer, from culture to wildlife to history. The photos are stunning, the writing well-crafted.

This is *not*, however, a book I would choose to take with me when visiting the country. While it does provide some information on transportation and accomodations (mostly high-end), it is not geared towards the traveller 'on the ground.' Do buy this book and read it before you visit Tanzania, but take the Lonely Planet or a Rough Guide along for the trip.

I found it most informative of all books on Tanzania.

My name is MJ Weiskopf

I've lived within 10 miles of the Susquehann River for the last 19 years. I have driven along(or near) the entire length from Baltimore to Williamsport and then all of the North Branch and most of the West Branch. Anyone traveling along US 15 has seen the features mentioned in the book.
The book does a wonderful job of conjuring images of the land and people(past and present) along the river. I am leaving the Susquehanna behind due to relocation and I am glad to have the book to bring me back whenever I need to "see" the "river of dreams".
A must read for a someone living in the watershed, or anyone interested in one of the truly most beautiful areas of North America. The Susquehanna River Watershed in its glory rivals other, more celebrated, rivers such as the Columbia, Mississippi, Ohio, Yukon, for beauty and soul.

I've spent the last 23 years enjoying the beauty of this river; not quite understanding how it has been tried and tortured over the last 400 years. Great writing, and a wonderful story to be told. For those in the Tri-State (PA,MD,NY) area, a must read.

WIthout this knowledge, you won't truly appreciate what Philadelphia, Columbia, Baltimore and other areas are today, or how they achieved their stature.

If you like mad libs, this is a great one.
Classic fun, but with an adult twist

MadLibs have always been a favorite of mine, from roadtrips to random entertainment, and "ready for landing" checks. I bought a bunch of these for a recent roadtrip and we laughed a lot at the different things we came up with. My suggestions i always to ahve one person come up with the random words, or just trading off throughout a carload or ...friendload... of people. Everyone with their own intentions tend to wildly adjust how the story plays out!

A classic, for ages to come, enjoy!

Super book... a collaborative undertaking by a brilliant panel... not to offer policy... but to assign a condition to America in different areas... and then compare these areas to the European nations and other democracies. Basically all domestic areas are covered, but not foreign affairs.
This is a refreshing look at our country. It will rekindle the hope we all share for this countries future. Hopefully it will also help reshape America's image in the world. There are only two countries where the image of America has increased: India and Russia.
The results of this huge study show that America is indeed quite unique amongst its democratic brethren. 75% of us have pride in our country, vs. 33% of the French, German, Italian or Japanese. 66% of us believe that success is of our own effort, vs. only 1/3 of Europeans. Over 50% of us believe that economic competition is good, vs. 1/3 of the French and Spaniards. 60% of us believe that children should be taught the value of hard work, while only 20% of Germans feel that way. There are many fascinating comparisons to ponder in this large book.
There are seven themes that are offered that show the areas where America is exceptional.
First is our culture of patriotism, religiosity, individualism and enterprise.
Second is our constitutionalism, with our emphasis on decentralization, individual rights over social rights, and suspicion of government.
Third is our economy which is very competitive, decentralized, and one that offers a higher standard of living.
Fourth is our diversity through immigration since our nation's inception. An interesting fact is that in New York City during 1790, there were more languages spoken than there are today. As far as immigration itself goes, Canada accepts more immigrants per capita than any other democracy.
Fifth is our civil society with its huge non-profit sector which provides a lot of our social policy. There is also philanthropy.
Sixth is our welfare state. We aren't as bad as 'they' say we are, but this still applies.
Finally there is our demography. U.S. rate of fertility is definitely unique amongst Western Democracies.
All of the panel that provided chapters for this book have their own unique ideas too, and no effort seems to have been made to homoginize their opinions or analysis.
Find out who America is - and how it compares - by reading this well-thought-out and enjoyable book.
Five Stars.

I recently finished reading "Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation" and I liked it immensely. Let me mention the few aspects of the book that I enjoyed:

1) It is very comprehensive covering a wide plethora of issues which any serious student of America would be interested in. In total there are 21 different chapters, with each of the first 20 chapters dealing with different facets of life such as immigration, demographics, religion, the economy, etc. For someone wanting to read a single book to get a better and deeper understanding of America as a country, this is it.

2) I am glad that Dr. Wilson and Dr. Wilson, the editors of the book, stayed away from the urge of trying to author such a work on their own. By not doing so and having eminent scholars contribute their perspectives, we, as readers, have been able to glean insights from the leading experts in their fields and get glimpses of research across a variety of academic disciplines which no individual person could have possibly reviewed on his/ her own.

3) In part because of this (though not exclusively), the essays are generally extremely balanced and present both sides of the same issue.

4) Last but not the least, I am glad to note that neither Dr. Wilson nor Dr. Schuck abdicated their editorial responsibilities. Reading through the book, I get the distinct feeling that someone had actually taken the pains of reading through the entire manuscript and ensuring that facts and stats repeated in different sections of the text were consistent with each other. For example, the stats on the American fertility rate which shows up in more than one chapter has been sourced from the same source and is hence consistent across chapters, even though they were written by different authors.

Some thoughts regarding the drawbacks, minor as they are:
1) While it was nice to have a chapter on How Europe sees America, it would have been also nice to see a chapter on how the rest of the world sees the United States. Several of America's newest immigrants (including myself) are coming not from Europe but from Asia and Latin America and it would have been nice to see some discussion on how these developing countries see the United States.

2) I would have also liked to see a separate chapter on Foreign Policy. As the authors allude to, America is the 800-pound gorilla in the room and not having any significant discussion on issues of foreign policy, national security, and, geopolitics is a minor drawback.

In spite of all of the suggestions above, I nevertheless think Understanding America has been an extremely insightful read and worth the two days of my time over this weekend.

I owe my success in the Japanese equity market to the author of this book. Thank you very much.

This is the best book ever written on the Japanese stock market. It explains everything that happened in the 1980s and why Japan fell to pieces. A must read.

This book really made me think. A new perspective on things. I cannot wait for the next book "Sex for the Soul".

The most insightful book I have ever read. I am getting this for everyone on my list for Christmas this year! The best thing you can do for your family and friends.