Q Books

just read lee smolin's book.

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next (Paperback)

over 30 years,the gang of stringers have been trying to find any evidence even at atomic level for their theory , but they failed.

better to read science fiction novels..

Fun stuff and all, especially for the first half when he shows an amazing ability to explain complicated concepts in a way that you can understand. Holy crap, I finally get what Einstein was banging on about with all those Special Theories!

But after a while it gets into the kind of territory where he's gotta say "And then there are ten dimensions and the reason why is a whole bunch of math that you won't understand, so take my word for it." It's not his fault; at a certain point, there's just no way to describe things without insanely complex math. I do take his word for it - that's no problem - but still, that doesn't exactly help me understand it intuitively.

But anyway, I guess there are all these dimensions and stuff. So that's...pretty cool.

It is interesting to consider that the subject matter for this book essentially concerns only the last one hundred years or so of human history, ever since the time of Einstein's work, and that by way of comparison it only goes back to the time of Isaac Newton. Prior to Newton's day, the physical laws of the universe were understood almost exclusively in terms of the religious and allegorical. Only very recently in human history has there occurred this intense kind of scientific study, which the author describes here. Of course, the actual work involves a mathematics that is quite complicated, but the author has done a good job in telling the story in layman's terms. A few of the analogies are probably not the best in the world, but I found the book to be excellent reading, especially about how string theory developed, and only really stumbled in chapter 10, the one on quantum geometry.

While relativity and quantum mechanics are notable for being counterintuitive, string theory is especially interesting in that it fills in the gaps (it accounts for gravity in the way the other theories do not), and provides a more intuitive basis. It makes sense to think of the most basic element of the universe as a vibrating string, certainly much more so than as a point particle. I think of a vibrating string as being a nexus between energy and the most fundamental kind of matter. It makes more sense to think that energy comes before matter rather than matter before energy.

Although the author does not directly deal with the question, it seems that he posits that string theory is an explanation of a self-contained universe. In the instances in which the fabric of space is torn, he explains that string theory provides a way for space to be mended. If the universe contracts back to the time of the big bang, it will not go back to nothing but rather to a "big crunch". Even the multiple dimensions of the theory, which lead one to think of another universe, have the sense of being on this side of the known universe. The biggest question that I could see concerns how string theory explains black holes. Is information lost in a black hole? The author seems to be on the side of those who don't think so, but concedes that there is no way to know at this point.

I am an engineer by education and experience. Like many engineers I am fascinated with the subject of quantum mechanics, superstrings, hidden dimensions, the quest for the theory of everything, parallel universes and more. Much of it isn't easy to understand, but it sure is fun!

For years I had been hearing about superstrings. I have read In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Schrödinger's Kittens, books on Einstein's theories, and more. I have also read articles on these subjects, watched several amazing TV shows and movies. Some teased the idea of superstrings, but I never came away with a feeling that the concept had been explained properly.

Brian Green's book the Elegant Universe, and the subsequent PBS show does just that! It gives the best explanation of superstrings I have read (and seen) to date. Green also does a great job explaining parallel universes, hidden dimensions, quest for the ultimate theory and more.

The subject matter in the Elegant Universe is tricky to explain. Green has to do a balancing act to present the concepts in a way that are easy enough for the educated layman to understand, but complex enough to preserve their richness.

Fortunately, Green does an exceptional job at presenting the material. And, he does it with great insight, passion and humor!

My head hurt when he talked about some of the concepts such as 12 dimensions instead of the 4 we know about...but it was a good hurt. Overall a fantastic book and PBS show!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Brian Greene provides an excellent introduction to the topic of superstring theory, its history and evolution; its current status, achievements and obstacles; and its areas of focus for future study. The book is written for the layman, in a style that is honest, clear and concise, using numerous real-world examples to explain the basic theories, and excludes mathematical explanations as much as is possible. The early chapters on special relativity, general relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum electrodynamics are brief and superficial and serve more as historical backgound to the main focus of the book which is superstring theory. Consequently, the book is somewhat biased in that it does not look at alternative views of the nature of the universe, on the assumption that superstring theory may eventually prove to be the theory of everything. This is because the primary goal of superstring theory is to combine general relativity (theory of the very large) and quantum mechanics (theory of the very small) and provide a unified theory of the four fundamental forces of nature - the weak, strong, electromagnetic, and gravitational forces.

The main chapters on superstring theory and M-Theory can be difficult to understand, even to accept as valid, for the layman, but keep in mind that string theory is extremely complex, not fully developed, virtually impossible to test, and consequently, not fully understood at present. The core of superstring theory is that all matter in the universe is made up of one(2,3,etc)-dimensional vibrating strings and hidden dimensions which currently cannot be observed or measured, and may never be. Consequently, matter is not infinitely small but has a very small finite size. Nor is matter and energy limited to the 3-dimensional world we live in, but can occupy up to 6 or 7 higher dimensions that are hidden from our everyday experience.

This book is well worth reading, but whether the layman walks away with a better understanding of the universe after this introduction to superstring theory is debatable. What the layman may walk away with after reading this book is a myriad of questions regarding the very assumptions upon which superstring theory is based. That superstring theory is elegant, and its complex mathematics are elegant, there is no doubt, but whether the universe is also elegant will depend on the validity of superstring theory as a true description of our universe.

Here are some questions from a layman reader:
1. If we know that observing a small particle changes its position and velocity, and we know how it changes, then we should still be able to observe it.
2. Where do vibrating strings get there energy from?
3. The hidden curled-up dimensions seem to exist at the micro level. Why do they not exist as extensions of our four spacetime dimensions, in a way that encapsulates them, at a macro level?
4. The theory is now up to 11 spacetime dimensions. Is it due mathematical convenience or limitation? Does it really matter if there are 11, 11 million, or an infinite number of spacetime dimensions?
5. Using duality symmetries, why not assume that gravity is simply a phase transition of the other 3 forces (weak, strong, electromagnetic)?
6. Does a large mass spinning body create friction, and/or a charge, with its surrounding space that would help to explain gravity as more than the mere warping of space?
7. If there is a large black hole at the center of our galaxy, should not our galaxy be shrinking, and cant this be measured?
8. We seem to understand how black holes are created, but not how they die. Why not assume that black holes simply reverse themselves after taking in a suffient amount of matter and energy, and releasing it in the form of a mini-big bang?
9. Why assume that the universe was created in a big bang. Aspects of superstring theory seem to suggest that the universe may be a perpetual, self-sustaining entity. While everything within the universe can change, including the universe expanding and contracting, the universe itself is a constant.
10. Are particle accelerators dangerous? Clearly in an attempt to experimentally verify superstring theory, physicists are going to smash particles not just to create new particles predicted by theory, but to try and tear the fabric of space, or to open a portal to a higher dimension, or even to try and create a mini black hole. Of course this does not seem to be a problem for superstring theory which suggests that most disturbances in the universe eventually get averaged out, zeroed out, smoothed out, smeared out, annihilated out, or simply self-repair themselves.

Book arrived in good condition and in a timely manner. Excellent rating for seller. Would purchase from seller in future.

No matter what age you are or what genre of book you usually read, this is a terrific work of art. Everyone should take a rainy afternoon off to sit back, relax and read one of the greatest novels ever published. (And all other novels in the Anne of Green Gables series is just as exceptional!)

My niece loves this book. She was gifted them for past christmas. She says she has read it several times now. Great story for the almost teen.

Anne of Green Gables is about an orphan who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. It takes Anne awhile to adjust to life in the elegant Green Gables, and gets into some pretty funny mishaps, like accidently giving her friend Diana too much raspberry cordial, for example, but in the end finds her way. Anee's point fo view is hilarious and very entertaining. This is a wonderful read for girls everywhere and is a classic that is not to be missed.

but my whole family loves this book along with the whole series. L.M. Montgomery's style of writing brings you right in with Anne. She makes the reader feel like a kindred spirit.

A girl who is accidentally chosen to be adopted winds up being the best thing that ever happened to Green Gables. Lots of fun and excitement is the only thing that can describe the life of Anne.

This book; moving, inspiring, touching, humbling, pathetic. What Stalin did to his fellow countrymen has surely cast him into the lower pits of hell. This book illuminates only a single day of the hell on earth he put his comrades through. The characters strive to make it through the day without dying. They strive to live through the monotony of the toneless days. The horrific lives these people endured is nothing short of a miracle. The pages of this book shall stay with you long after you place it on your shelf.

I find it interesting to sometimes ponder, just how extreme can humanity go? What conditions can we put ourselves in and through and still come out on the other side? Solzhenitsyn takes this question and puts it into literary form, if only for the period of one day. Thankfully, unlike the author, many of us will never have to endure something brutal as the Siberian gulag.
The book follows the psychological perspective of Ivan Denisovich, who is a "zek"(prisoner) who has been condemned to a 10 year stretch for merely having the misfortune of becoming a POW. You get to imagine the siberian cold(they are allowed to not work if it hits -40, which even when it does they just lie and force them to work anyway). You see the internal politics which are part of the means of survival, and just what a piece of hard bread and a bowl of cold, wet oats can mean to a man that is already in hell. It's also fascinating to see how he can still has pride and dignity in his work while trying to make sure each brick is set properly while under the intensity of forced labor. Make no mistake about it, this is a book with strong masculine tones, that i'm suprised doesn't enjoy more popularity under such a banner. The book itself is only around 130 pages or so, and can be read quickly by the determined reader, who would be cheating themselves not to read it.

If you have never read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, then perhaps you should. It is not a thriller. It will not keep you on the edge of your seat.

It will hold you captive however when you realize that for those caught in the Gulag system, every day, moment or second was one lived on the edge, and fraught with danger. The myriad of little details could only come from one who had lived under this system.

You can feel the hunger and desperation in the book, when one man goes missing at the work-site, his fellow prisoners wondering how it will all shake out, and will they all be punished.

The Captain's story is especially poignant. Once a man of power and prestige, now a Zek like the rest. When he is taken to the cells at the stories end, we like the Zeks do not know why or for what infraction. Although likeable he will soon be forgotten as the focus is on getting through the next day.

The book is mild, as it only shows one day, and is not even horrific. Rather it is tense and terse.

Cheers.

This novel by Solzhenitsyn is a classic to me. There are over 100 reviews here and its easy to see why the clear majority give it 4 or 5 stars. If I recall correctly, this is the book that launched his literary fame...
I won't discuss the plot since its been heavily reviewed. But I'd like to share my thoughts on why this book is important:

The Gulag was poorly known outside of the USSR until "One Day" was published. The book is sort of autobiographical; Alexandr used his own Gulag experiences to form the plot. Its not a book with a deliberate "hopelessness" theme, but it does revolve around the fatalistic, dealing-with-reality attitude of one Zek's (prisoner) life in the vast labor camps, and how he can only survive by giving up the future and living day to day. That's the major theme...(by the way, a similar theme is found in the book "All's Quiet on the Western Front" but with some differences and in a much different setting of course...)
Protagonist Ivan Denisovich never "gives up" on life - rather he resigns himself to his 10-yr sentence of labor and loss of identity as, presumably, millions of other peasants were forced to do. The ingratitude and indifference of the State to his past service and patriotism is as cold as the weather he describes...

Its a significant book in that it brings the lives of these mistreated and largely innocent masses down to a personal level. This is important for younger readers today who have no sense of what communism turned into (the Russia version, which was corrupted early on from the "workers paradise" utopia that the original communist/socialist philosophers were seeking). I recall visiting Germany in the early 1980s and seeing security guards at the airport - always in pairs, and always with automatic weapons; an image that disappeared with the breakup of the USSR (or at least, disappeared until 9/11 terrorism; I don't know if that level of security is back now)... My point is, we've forgotten some of the impact the Cold War had on both sides back then, an impact the younger generations can't identify with. "One Day in the Life of ID" helps to re-understand at least part of those days, especially from the side of the "enemy".

This book touches on everything from modern state slavery, human rights, impersonal politics, personal survival, the role of "Big Brother" and gov't in our lives - all through the eyes of one simple guy in a vast, "collective", crude, bureacratic "people's" system.

Its an easy read, great for non-academic people who don't have the time to read his other more involved books, and I think it ought to be required reading at some level in our secondary schools. Unfortunately, I suspect instead it may eventually slip into obscurity, which will be a loss.

Solzhenitsyn can be self-righteous (and tends to exagerate, IMO) in some of his later works - but this first one resonates. I highly recommend it, esp for someone with limited time to read political stuff from that era.

(ps - the Signet paperback copy I have has a nice artwork cover, a watercolor of an indistinct man standing behind barbed wire, but you can see his eyes and face).

For anyone who has not yet read anything by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, this particular book is a very good first choice. It's both shorter and less complicated than other of his great works such as THE CANCER WARD and THE FIRST CIRCLE. I read this book in one day sometime during the spring of 1976 and I have never forgotten it. Having read it, I felt shamed for ever having thought myself in any way deprived.

For those who have read this book and who appreciate its testimony to our common human capacity for spiritual triumph in the face of almost unimaginable physical and psychological distress, I'd also highly recommend ALEXANDER DOLGUN'S STORY. Dolgun was a young American living in Stalin's U.S.S.R. who in 1948 was picked up by the MGB, the secret police, and carted off first to prison and then prison camp. He spent eight years as a prisoner and was, according to Solzhenitsyn, the only person the great author ever knew to have survived detension in the infamous Sukhanovka.

This book was fast paced and hot. There were a lot of twists, but it got lost at times and there was no good anticipation build up. I pretty much had a sense of what was going to happen next. overall it was a very good read.

This book was good. All I want to know is with all the creeping that James and Jaz were doing they hardly spent time with their kids. The book was good but if I were Jaz I would have been wondering how did James come to know Monica well enough to ask for a threesome.

I had never had the experience of reading an Anna J book and I am so glad I got the chance when I did. It not only gives you ideas to try with your mate but also gives you a chance to take your mind to another level and explore different things in life. Pick this up as fast as you can then jump on the conclusion to this...The Aftermath

Hay everyone listen to this. I have an 18 year old daughter who doesn't like to read a 4 page letter let-a-lone a book, but one day I saw her reading one of her sisters books. She was so into it she didn't she me looking at her. When I found out what book it was I went on Amazon.com found it and bought it for her. She read the hole book twice, befor asking me to buy her another, i've bought her 6 more books since then. And when I asked her how she liked it, she gave it two thumbs up, so i'd recamind this book to all readers across the globe. Hope you'll injoy it like she did.

Yours Truly,
S.Vann

This book was so awesome that I went to the bookstore the same night to buy one more copy and two copies of the sequel. I read both books in one day. I was hooked. Monica uses her body as a fatal weapon to bring both sexes to their knees, and whatever she wants, she will do anything and anyone to get it. While the sex was unbelievable, you really feel Jasmine's inner turmoil and loss of self-control. This book is one of the best books I have read period. I look forward to more work from Anna J.

This book helped fuel a serious revival of interest in the music of the Doors and the late Jim Morrison, the band's lead singer. One of the coauthors, the late Danny Sugerman, was a long time employee of the band.

Almost simultaneous with the release of this biography in paperback, director Francis Ford Coppola made extensive use of the Doors' song "The End" for the soundtrack of the Viet Nam war film "Apocalypse Now." Rolling Stone magazine took notice of the trend and putting Morrison on the cover of an issue with a reminder to its readers that he was dead. In a few years time, director Oliver Stone adapted the same story for his feature film "The Doors." It should be noted that Stone's screenplay credited drummer John Densmore's book, "Riders on the Storm," as his source material rather than this title.

Morrison and his band mates, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore, made some interesting music that combined lyrics adapted from the poetry of William Blake, the classic Greek tragedy of Oedipus Rex and, seemingly, from the labels of countless empty bottles of whisky.

For myself, it was a heady time, playing Doors records on a college radio station, watching "Apocalypse Now" in its original theatrical release, and hearing Manzarek's keyboard synthezier and Krieger's guitar in the dormitories. The title of the book is, of course, taken from the song "Five to One." This is an extraordinary account of a significant band and the decline and fall of their lead singer.

If you like the doors, if you are interested in Jim Morrison , this is the definitive biography. Heavily researched, readable, a little sick, its a rock and roll reading classic. Get it.

Rock biographies can be wonderful things - Guralnick's two volume life of the king Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley; the Gillmans' Alias David Bowie; and anything by Lester Bangs rank amongst the best biographies written about anyone - but despite having an undoubtedly fascinating subject in Jim Morrison and good pedigree in the Rolling Stone credentials of its authors, No One Gets Out Of Here Alive fails to impress on any level.

For me a decent biography has to have a thesis: A (perhaps controversial) view of its subject that the authors, having immersed themselves in research, can present, backed by evidence, to put a new perspective or shed some new light on a familiar subject: to tell a new story for a casual reader. Hopkins and Sugarman make no such effort: Morrison is portrayed as a clever, well-read alcoholic with an authority problem and a pretty apparent (but entirely unexplored) general social unease. The events of his life are thus trotted out is a somewhat patchy fashion, without the attempt to stitch together some overlying narrative or explanation where it feels one is called for: after all this phenomenon still occupies some (diminishing) part of the collective consciousness nearly forty years later. Yet James Morrison comes across as no more worthwhile or interesting a figure than Robbie Williams or Amy Winehouse, and while that may be true, I doubt it, and it doesn't explain the eerie and evocative content of nearly all the Doors' records. I can't imagine a Robbie Williams over the opening credits of Apocalypse Now, nor coming up with an album closer like Maggie McGill or Riders on the Storm.

This book doesn't even pretend to be a story about the rest of the band, and therefore leaves this fascinating artifact we still know as The Doors pretty much uninvestigated, let alone unexplained. Ray Manzarek is, at least, a peripheral figure: poor Robby Krieger and particularly John Densmore are barely mentioned, and the relationships, dynamics and creative processes of the band - which led to some undeniably memorable and haunting music, after all - are wholly unexplored. In any case Jim Morrison, even in his own right, can't be understood properly except through that prism, so this feels to me to be a dramatic failing.

Lastly, Hopkins and Sugarman indulge in absurd speculation about Morrison's demise - or more accurately the lack of evidence for it. Yet all of Morrison's behaviour before his, er "disappearance" - as patiently documented in this volume - points to exactly the sort of early death he apparently suffered, and the idea that such a publicity seeking (and utterly recognisable) drunkard could suddenly, miraculously, vanish without trace from the entire planet's conscience simply beggars belief.

There must be more rewarding accounts of The Doors than this.

Olly Buxton

I coulnd't stop reading this book once I started, I was truly spellbound by the book. If you love the Doors and Jim Morrison, you will have a blast reading this book. It is pure entertainment for true Doors fans.

I just finished this book and loved every page. "No one here gets out alive" really puts the reader into Jim Morrison's and the 60's life. After reading this i am given a much deeper understanding of Jim as a musician, poet, artist and brilliant man. A truly revolutionary and visionary soul, this book does Jim great justice.

At first I resisted this book because it seemed to be written by an adult looking over his childhood from a very mature place. However, late in the book it is a revelatory experience to find that this is exactly what happened when an unfair accusation concerning Antwone at age 25 during his Navy experience 'caused' him to buy a dictionary, a thesorus and learn writing almost from scratch at this age. He soon found that he couldn't stop. Later he wrote this book that has become a best seller very deservedly. It is full of remarkable coincidences that could not be other than genuine because of hundreds of tiny clews that all add up to this person having been there. This is a profound work concerning human holistic Intelligence that Confirms Joseph Pierce's 'Magical Child Matures."

Wow..if you thought the movie was thought provoking..
the book is beyond that!
This book covers Antwone's childhood, where in the movie,
we only saw a taste of it.
This book tells the story of a little boy who beat the odds,
and used his innate ability to survive, extreme verbal, emotional
sexual and physical abuse.

Finding Fish, by Antwone Fisher, is a passionate and heart wrenching look into the life of the author as a ward of the state. Thankfully, he escapes the terrors of his childhood and eventually finds success. Fisher writes with a distinctive voice. He is able to convey the emotions of the young boy he portrays in the memoir, rather than telling the story through the voice of an adult. The memoir is an honest, and shocking, look into the world of an orphan without anyone to protect him. His father had been shot two months before his birth and his mom is in prison. Throughout his life with the Picketts,his foster parents, Antwone is forced through horrific events that are painful to read about. He is molested at a young age by a babysitter, beaten, mentally abused, and treated like a ghost. He becomes reserved and shy, lacking love and the comfort of a family. Even worse, his social workers are sadly oblivious to the abuse because the Picketts are able to transform into respectable and polite adults when in public. Remarkably, Antwone braves through his torturous childhood, as well as homelessness for a short time, and finds himself in the Navy. This becomes his miracle, and inspires him to do more with his life. He finds himself traveling around the world, educating himself about different cultures as well as teaching himself English with the help of a thesaurus. In comparison to his childhood, Antwone is in paradise. This transition from a hopeless child with no allies in the world to a strong, successful Navy officer illustrates a major theme in the memoir. No matter how horrible somebody's life is, with perseverance and hope it is possible to achieve anything. Although Antwone is thrown into a terrible life, he finds his own success and thankfully escapes his past and finds happiness. This book is an emotional rollercoaster and any reader will become attached to Antwone, rooting for him against the negativity in his life.

Finding Fish was a good book. I first learned of Antowne Fisher a few years ago when he appeared on the Montell Williams show. After hearing his story on the show I immediately wanted to go out and buy his book to find out more about this wonderful young man but could never find the book. A few years went by and then a movie of his life was made. After seeing the movie, which I thought was very good, I decided that the movie did a good job of telling his story and that I no longer wanted to purchase the book. Some years later I was in a book store looking for some books to purchase and came across Finding Fish on the book shelf. Since I was in a thrift book store I said what the heck and purchased this book along with some others. Well needless to say it was meant for me to read this book. The movie just touched on a small portion of his life and did nothing to give us a better understanding of Antwone's full story. The book went into more detail and was just phenomenal. I have such respect and admiration for Mr. Fisher and all that he endured. The saying is true: "All things happen for a reason" were it not for his horrific
childhood I don't think Antwone would be the man he is today. Kudows for Mr. Fisher!! If you have not read this book I recommend you do.

and taught me something. It taught me how much we all share--the need to belong, for family, to search, to question. This book is unexpected tender and this boy's journey impacted my own journey, my own questions of family, of accceptance.
~Carol D. O'Dell
Author, MOTHERING MOTHER
Kunati Publishing, April 2007

I have been reading Star Trek books since I was probably 10 years old. 15 years later, and a heck of a lot of novels later, "Q-Squared" remains my favorite.

It is not only full of suspense, but uses Star Trek history in a completely believable fashion and to tell a great story. Peter David also does a good job at creating charcters and plotlines that both boggle the mind and entertain. It's not a quick read at all, it is a very deep one.

He creates characters such as Jack Crusher that people familiar with the show have heard of, but makes them come alive as if you had seen them on the actual show. David also is masterful at using the existing characters exactly as they would behave, and blows your mind with dialogue and narration. His use of serious drama and humor all intertwined is remarkable.

I have read this book about 3-4 times, and this is coming from someone who almost never re-reads a book. Get your hands on a copy!

Greetings and felectations! It's wonderful to see Trelane back again. The paralles between the Q and Trelane are uncanny. David has done a wonedrful job of bringing together two Trek generations.

But you knew that already, right? It follows three different alternative timelines. One is the "normal" one, one is an alternative where Jack Crusher is alive, and Picard is his first officer on the Enterprise, and one is the alternate from "Yesterday's Enterprise," in a losing war with the Klingon Empire. Along comes Trelane, of an original-series episode, to mess things up. Turns out that Trelane is a young Q, and Q himself is his guardian, trying (with very limited success) to guide Trelane to adult Q-hood. Trelane becomes petulant (as he was with Kirk), and all hell breaks loose as he crashes the timelines together and sends Q into near-oblivion. Sorting it all out is a fun ride, but this is definitely a book I feel no need to keep after reading it.

General Trelane (retired) returns in this book. The former Squire of Gothos is a Q, as it turns out. And Guess who is Trelane's mentor? That's right, that lovable imp known as Q. This is a blending of The Orginal Series and of The Next Generation, as it has James Kirk in it, albeit briefly.
A must for any Star Trek fan.

As I am writing this there has been 87 reviews and a remarkable 68 of those reviews are 5 stars. Now it is officially 69 5 stars reviews!!!

This book was excellent. Peter David knows the Star Trek universe better than any other writer of Star Trek. He has 3 different story lines going at once. However he keeps them all seperate, as long as you pay attention you will have no problem keeping them all straight. Universe "B" is the universe that we all know. I would say somewhere right before the conclusion to TNG TV series. Universe "A" seems to be about the same time frame but is very very different. No reason to go over all the differences. If you've read it and just want to see what other people think then you know the differences. If you haven't read the book the fun in reading it is to find out about this universe and seeing the differences. I will tell you that Jack Crusher is Captain of the Enterprise with Jean Luc Picard being his #1. Plus Picard and Beverly, not to mention Riker and Troi's relationships are very different. The 3rd universe is set from the episode of "Yesterdays Enterprise" were the Federation is at war with the klingons.

There is an old enemy that is back. Peter David writes in Trelene from the TOS "Squire of Gothos" as a member of the Q, and it is Q's job to be his guardian. Of course that doesn't go according to plan. Trelene wants to combine all 3 universes and after he gets the upper hand on Q and sends him away it is up to Captain Picard and the rest of the crew or crews of the Enterprises to stop him.

This is easily the best Star Trek book that I have read. A must for any Next Generation fan.

Next for me I am staying with the whole idea of an alternate universe. I am going back to the "Shatnerverse". Avenger is next for me.

Chris Zajac really angered me. If her methods weren't working, why didn't she try new ones? I don't find her very intelligent. Why did she wait so long to talk to Robert's mother or file a report about his pysically abusing himself? She wasn't angered enough or frustrated enough to do so since a look subdued him and because he wasn't hurting anybody else, only himself.

She'd rather keep Clarence from getting the appropriate help for him in order to make herself feel like she's helping him. She gets off on helping. The quiet kids who don't demand her attention in a negative way are neglected. Thanks to Al, the principal, not her, Clarence got the help he needed. Al was the one who called for the evalulation of Clarence, although not with the intention to help Clarence, but to protect the school if the kid were to commit a crime with the consequence of the authorities coming to ask for records.

Surprisingly she saw that the Science Fair is unfair. Why doesn't she consider helping the kids during school? They seem to like working on projects and even doing the research. Also surprising is that she hasn't figured out that the homework battle she will never win. If the parents aren't going to help with science fair they are not going to help with homework. I never did homework until 7th grade. I got C's and D's. My mother meant well by believing that school was school and home was home. (Now I have a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquistion and Teaching. I teach 5th grade.)

Chris Zajac defines an dversarial relationship with her students. As I read over and over again how she put her face so close o the kids' who weren't doing their work or who were misbehaving, I expected a kid to spit at her or bite her. That's what she made me feel like doing.

Good teachers dont have to be work- and worry-a-holics who bring their work and troubles home. They need to be creative enough to solve the children's problems.

To defend the saintly Chris a little, she should have more support from the administration. There need to be proceedures for the problems in her class. Collegues need to observe each other's classes. The administration has to provide the teachers the methods and resources to be more creative problem solvers in the classroom.

I am using this book with my community college students who plan to be teachers. I have taught in public schools at the elementary, middle, and college level and I wish someone had suggested that I read this book long ago. Tracy Kidder really gets inside Mrs. Zajac's thoughts and feelings about the challenges elementary school teachers face every day in their classrooms. This gives a very realistic view of the profession for people who plan to become teachers!

This book has been an incredible relief for me to read. In the midst of my master's training in education (for a career change), I have been bogged down in the textbook version of a classroom--which is hard to translate into a real classroom. This book made me more aware--and consequently, less scared--of the plight of the teacher. Kidder puts you right into the life of Chris Zajac, and allows you to see how a "good" teacher deals with the realities of teaching.

With so much focus on "improving" education through standardized testing, it is enlightening to observe the inner workings of a teacher working in the real world, confronting the real issues of humanity that are uniquely bequested to teachers.

A great book that gives you real respect for the profession.

Although most people have attended school for years or still do so now, not very many people understand what it is like to be a teacher. Among Schoolchildren is the story of a teacher, Mrs. Christine Zajac, and her fifth grade class. It clearly and accurately displays what the school year is like for a teacher. It tells us of Mrs. Zajac's thoughts and the joys and challenges that she encounters while teaching. The amount of effort she puts into teaching is amazing. Even when she is not at school she is thinking about "her children." One example of her dedication is when Mrs. Zajac is grading social studies tests late into the night. She evaluates each child after grading his or her test and plans what she needs to do next. She loves all of the children despite their faults. Mrs. Zajac picks out the good in each student. She even sees the soft side of a troublemaker, Clarence, when she reads the admirable writing he does in class.
Although Among Schoolchildren is nonfiction, much of the book, especially the parts that take place in the classroom, reads more like a novel. This book follows Mrs. Zajac and her class for a year, and also includes background information that makes the book more interesting and understandable. In between the sections about teaching, there are descriptions of what the community is like and stories about Mrs. Zajac's childhood and life outside of school. The author, Tracy Kidder (House, The Soul of a New Machine), has once again written an outstanding book. Among Schoolchildren won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award in 1989. The award, according to the Robert F. Kennedy memorial website, "celebrates the book which most faithfully and forcefully reflects Robert Kennedy's purposes, his concern for the poor and the powerless...[and] his conviction that a decent society must assure all young people a fair chance."
Among Schoolchildren includes some similar themes and values as To Kill a Mockingbird. Characters in both books demonstrate courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a lawyer, Atticus Finch, defines courage as "when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." Atticus demonstrates courage when he takes on the case where a black man is accused of raping a white woman and will be tried before a white jury in the 1930s. Atticus knows he has almost no chance of getting the black man acquitted, but he chooses to defend the man anyway. In Among Schoolchildren, Mrs. Zajac also demonstrates courage. She teaches in a poor school district where many of the children live in rough conditions. She knows that many of them will not take advantage of the education she is trying to give them and that there is not a lot of parental support for the children. Many of them probably will not be successful later in life, but even knowing this, she educates the children to the best of her ability, hoping that some of them will retain the values and basic knowledge she has taught them.
This book is a great read for anyone in high school and older, especially someone who is thinking about becoming a teacher. Among Schoolchildren shows the importance of education and how difficult it is to teach some kids. This book also reveals how hard life is for some children and how little support they have from home. Most of these poor children don't show a lot of interest in school or don't want to work hard, but Mrs. Zajac does her best to instill curiosity in them and make learning fun.

Tracy Kidder captures the angst and the anger of the classroom in his book, "Among Schoolchildren," about the teaching-life of Mrs. Chris Zajac. Certainly those who criticize the public schools must read this book before they give up on schools and opt for vouchers for all.

Mrs. Zajac has all the necessary qualities of a good teacher:
1. She's empathetic, almost to a fault. I know she gives too many second chances to kids who try to disrupt her class, but she also got through to them all, even the ones who had to be removed.
2. She's hard-working. She always brings home both the paper grading and the worry. It's hard to leave teacher feelings at the school door. Most teachers take them home as does Mrs. Zajac. Many of her great ideas develop while she broods at home over some kid's plight.
3. She has a big heart, enough to mourn for kids who have their own hardships at home, enough to get angry at these same kids when they need it.

Tracy Kidder's book captures all of it. Highly recommended to college education majors and to veteran teachers who need a jump start to recall why they got into teaching in the first place.

We're building a start-up library for a new employee and this is the first book I'll order. The book was purchased for everyone in our group some time ago as a SQL primer. It is well written, logically ordered, and a comprehensive introduction to SQL. It is truly a pleasure to read.

Outstanding book for beginner looking to learn SQL from scratch. Thrown into an SQL job with no experience whatsoever, this book helped me become functional in a very short period of time. Provides sound fundamental concepts which will help lead to more efficient procedures, scripts, web-design, etc.

I learned SQL using this book and referred to it often when I was starting out. Lots of clear examples. Highly recommended for those who have to learn SQL.

I have been programming for over 15 years, and I have never had the need to venture into the world of SQL, until early 2001. At that time I started looking for a basic book to help me understand the SQL syntax. I finally purchased this book in Jan 2002; by this time I had a rough understanding of SQL, but would have been hard pressed to write any useful statements. I typically used Access to create the statement and then copied it into my code.

After reading this book I feel able to write most any SQL statement, and to be able to understand the current ones in the code. I also found the answer to several syntax problems that I had: why I would get an error with an SQL statement the had a aggregate function and I was trying to select a column value as well. I would recommend this book to any beginner who needs to have a better understanding of SQL.

The only draw back, for me, was that the book concentrates on the SyBase version of SQL; however, there is a chart in the back of the book that list syntax for four different version of SQL: SyBase, Microsoft, Informix, and Oracle.

I consider this the best book around for introducing yourself to SQL. It is easy to read, written in plain English and explains jargon and terminology unique to SQL. Although SQL does have a background in logic and mathematics, most practitioners work more by intuition and experience than set theory. The authors give clear practical advice and detailed explanations of all aspects of the SQL language and how they are used. They explain the theory behind relational databases plainly and to a detail necessary to understand what you are doing. Common mistakes and answers to questions gleaned from the net round out the book. The is the best SQL book by far, well written and edited, with sensitive typesetting and pleasing cover art. The only thing it lacks is a web based approach to database querying. Although it supplies an excellent example by taking your through the building of a book store database (!) the examples are more generic with an older enterprise orientation. For the specifics of building database driven web sites lookup one of the good books on PHP or ASP programming.

Writing a humorous book is hard enough, but then make it a humorous Trek book? Good luck - but that's exactly what David accomplished in this rich, smart, TOO-QUICK jaunt of the ultimate battle of the sexes - Q vs. Lwaxana. The back-story is slight but you won't might mind in the slightest as David has a true gift for characterization, with nobody getting Worf in particular better. Plus, as a bonus of sorts, this is somewhat indirect sequel to Imzadi with many continuing threads hinted at/glaring for anyone reader of the previous books (though as usual David writes so well that non-readers of Imzadi won't be left out in any way). I can't say enough positive things about this charming little work of fantastic fiction which would have been a truly remarkable episode if ever filmed.

If you are a STNG fan, get this book. Read this book. You will enjoy it - Q guarantees it!

Q meets Lwaxana Troi... Why wasn't this an episode in the series? Peter David who is slowly becoming my favorite Star Trek writer does it again with this incredible entertaining novel.

A wedding among two of the most important families in the Federation is about to happen. And all our favorites make roll call. Including the wonderful and very complex Lwaxana Troi and everyones favorite entity Q. Q returns to the Enterprise because he wants to know about this whole human idea of love. Since there is a wedding not to mention the love sick Lwaxana there it seems like the perfect classroom for him to experiment. In this experiment besides trying to sabotage the wedding he also becomes involved with Lwaxana which is worth the price of the book when she finds out that it is an "experiment". All hell breaks loose and Q I am sure is reminded of an old earth saying "Hell have no fury like a woman's scorn".

There is also a side story involving Wesley Crusher and his gift from the bride. A gift that shows up naked in his quarters. Ol' Wes is not one of my favorite characters but Peter David makes him tolerable without changing who he is which is a small miracle.

As always Peter David knows his Star Trek characters. That along with a wondefully fast paced story it is an impossible book to put down. One of my favorite things about any episode or book that Q is in is the chemistry he has with Captain Jean Luc Picard. This relationship is captured masterfully in this book. Lwaxana Troi is also written extremely well as she is (as usual) on the hunt for a man. This is not one of those save the universe type of stories. Not even the Enterprise can or has to save the universe every day. Still very light and funny but still one of the best Star Trek novels I have read.

A delightful story for Star Trek: TNG fans. The main characters are Deanna Troi's imperious mother Lwaxanna, and the god-like entity "Q." The two huge egos clash at a wedding that Picard is reluctantly hosting on the Enterprise. The bride and groom come from a Romeo and Juliet-like background, as two feuding races come together only for the young couple. But Q has an agenda of his own, simultaneously romancing Lwaxanna - to her daughter Deanna's absolute horror - and stirring up doubts and fears between the bride and the groom. How can Picard take control of what is threatening to become complete chaos on his ship?

Really a fun read. The author has great understanding of the crew of the Enterprise's characters. Q-In-Law has many laugh-out-loud parts.

I have never laughed so hard while reading a Star Trek book in my entire life. Luxiana, please excuse my spelling, Troi who'se Betazed frankness and lack of restraint is evenly matched with the manifestation of Q as we know them.

Within brief moments, we can see why Q are somewhat afraid of Terrans. One day, Q will have to put up with an advanced version of Luxiana! Forget about a civil war in the Continuum, all hell will break loose! As advanced as Q are, they are wise enough to know there's someone always wiser than they are, or will turn out to be.

As Michael Strazinky did with Babylon 5, it would be interesting to see "humanity" one million years from now. What will humanity have evolved into? Just a brief taste of our potential would keep my appetite for Star Trek going for a lifetime.

Peter David demonstrates that not all "Trekkies" and / or "Trekkers" have no sense of humor. In fact, they can be somewhat diabolical.

This book has a very deserved reputation for being one of the funniest pieces of Star Trek fiction ever written. Viewers and readers all know what Lwanana Troi is like, and they all know what Q is like, so just imagine the consequences if the two should meet. Star Trek writers have to be very careful when using Q, and Peter David is a master of it. I actually laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and the ending gives a whole new meaning to the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Highly recommended.