News and Media Books

I thought that this book is a must-have for any Party of Five fan. It tells the true problems that the Salingers go throgh. One thing that I did not enjoy about this book, was that, they say the word 'cool' way too much! I know that is not that big of a deal, but it really started getting on my nerves by the 2nd chapter. I read this book during the summer well Po5 is not on. I am very glad that I read this book. I recommend it if you like the word 'cool'! ~thanks~

I think that this book was great! I read it over the summer so I didn't put it down much. When I put it down it was a "Waht will happen next?" question. I read it again and again and loved it! It's a really good book to me.

I thought it was okay. It was Claudia's point-of-view. Which I think is good, because it shows what problems and messes other teenagers get into. Maybe if an adult read this they would understand us. It flows with the story, and it's not hard to read. It defines all characters nicely.

I bought this book today, and finished it today. I could not put it down. It's a Terrific book! If you love Party of five, I highly recommend this book. It is told from Caludia's point of veiw which is awesome. I love this book! I'm going to read it again tonight. Hey maybe I'll finish it tonight. I very highly recommend this book. If you get it, you won't regret it!

This was an brilliant book!
It is full of action and adventure and I loved reading it.
This book is for all Bionicle fans.It has all the toa metru in it.There is a plant called a Morbuzack who is trying to take over Metru-nui.The only way to stop it is to find 6 great disks.Will the toa find the the disks,will they defeat the Morbuzack?To find out read this great book.I'd like to thank Greg Farshtey for writing this amazing book.I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
Max

Hi.(...)This is a very good book, and it follows DC Bionicle comics #17 and #18 very well, but also have the missing adventures of finding the other Great Disks. I rate it 4 stars because, well, it is very good and a nice, long read. Great job, Greg Farshtey (writer)!

From a true Bionicle fan.

I enjoyed "Mystery of Metru Nui," but this was a better book. Lots of action, some really creepy stuff (loved the Morbuzakh seeds scene!), and a plot that moves really fast. I would definitely recommend it!

The 136-page book is well-written as all Greg's books, and is age-appropriate for the audience. It moves the story along well without getting bogged down, or trying to address too many side issues.

The action follows a trio of foursomes as they search out the hidden Great Kanoka disks in Metru Nui. Two Toa, two Matoran journey throughout each section of the giant city, avoiding the Vahki and learning to work with their new powers - and each other. All the while, watching to make sure the Matoran don't slip away unnoticed.

The book provides more detailed descriptions of Metru Nui, enough to really get the feeling of how different this environment is from the island of Mata Nui. The archives of Onu-Metru are a particularly intriguing place, where just about anything can happen... the place is a treasure trove of possibilities. The furnaces of Ta-Metru likewise had a good description, although most of the rest of Metru Nui's suburbs could've used some more description to bring them more to life.

As each pair of Toa follow their (sometimes unwilling) Matoran guides in search of Great Kanoka, it becomes increasingly apparent how different the entire culture of Metru Nui is from Mata Nui. Instead of taking the easy route of recreating Mata Nui in an urban setting, the Bionicle team has really created a totally different feeling for Metru Nui. The characters retain some familiarity, but they are essentially new characters. Whenua, Nokama, Onewa, and Matau as Turaga never seemed to have as much personality as they do as Toa Metru. Vakama and Nuju were more fleshed-out as Turaga, but even their personalities are quite different from what seasoned Bionicle fans know of them in later (storyline-wise) incarnations.

It's impossible not to compare these six characters to Tahu, Kopaka, Gali, and the others. The Toa Metru generally seem more timid in assuming a leadership role, less confident in their abilities to access and control their powers. Probably the largest difference is the fact that Toa Metru were "promoted" from Matoran to Toa, so they have existing relationships with the Matoran the Mata Nui Toa didn't initially have. This may be the reason there's more petty bickering between this bunch - not that Tahu never argued with Kopaka, for example, but there's definitely a difference.

The Matoran are also different in a way. More world-wise, for one, more confident of their place. At the same time, they show a greater range of "human" foibles than their later jungle incarnations. Each of the six Matoran guiding the Toa toward the Kanoka display signs of self-interest overcoming the good of society, which never really happened on Mata Nui.

And the last thing very obviously different: the mysterious ruler of the city, Turaga Dume and his Vahki enforcement squads. The Toa Metru, far from being revered guardians, are forced to sneak and avoid the Vahki squads. The suspense and mystery of Dume leads to the third book of the series, The Darkness Below, which itself presumably leads into the storyline for the upcoming second Bionicle movie.

The latter part of the book is a confrontation with the Morbuzakh, which seemed to have been given short shrift... the climax of the book seemed a tad rushed, especially after most of the book having been given over to the search for the disks. However, most readers should like the confrontation itself and its aftermath.

In all, this is a worthy addition to the Bionicle line of books, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series, which will be available in June.

While the stories in this book may appear wordy or (dare I say it) even dreadful at first, as you read them more and more (and I garuntee you will) they will grow on you as they did on me and my toddler!

This collection of stories has a central group of characters, which even the youngest of children can seem to become invovled with. The stories include plot lines that invovle lessons like teamwork, commradery, honesty, modesty and being humble. The stories are fun and have action (which is more then I can say for some of the Thomas books).
It's really wonderful to see my two year old acting out "Thomas Goes Fishing" with his toy trains or the day I realized he had "Terence the Tractor" memorized. This book has really reached my child!

Okay, Ringo Starr is not the best narrator, and the pictures are a bit fuzzy and not all that great having been taken from the TV series video tape and enlarged past what their quality would support; and Thomas (on the cover) does look like his going to `hurl', but little people just don't seem to care and so we give this book and cassette, Four Stars.

There are 4 stories in this collection:

Trouble for Thomas
Thomas Saves the Day
Thomas Goes Fishing
Terence the Tractor

For those of you who can't remember the plot lines I have summarized them below.

In `Trouble for Thomas', kind Edward trades jobs with Thomas so that our favorite Steamie is off to end his boredom by pushing freight cars instead of coaches. The cars get the better of him though because he hasn't listened to Edwards advice. (A frequent Thomas problem.)

In `Thomas Saves the Day' it is poor James' turn to get into trouble with those troublesome trucks. They force him to go off the line. (Wooden brakes, you know). Thomas saves the day by quickly getting the break-down train to the scene, where fortunately James is embarrassed, but unhurt. At the end of this story, James gets new brakes, and Thomas gets his own branch line and Annie and Clarabel.

In `Thomas Goes Fishing', we find out that Thomas loves to stop and watch the river, unfortunately fate and his driver seldom allow him to do so. When he meets the other engines he repeats his dissatisfaction and says, "I want to fish." But they would all say the same thing in reply: "Engines don't go fishing."

Trouble comes when Thomas stops at the river station for water and the pump is out of order. His driver and fireman use a bucket to top him off, but unbeknownst to them, they have put fish in Thomas' boiler. Steamie chaos (and a bit of a stink) ensues.

In `Terence the Tractor', Thomas gets himself into trouble when he bangs up his much hated snowplow so that he actually can't wear it. And when a heavy snow falls, he gets stuck. Terence comes to the rescue and Thomas finds out that `caterpillar treads' are good things indeed.

Four Stars. My son plays this tape over and over and over, all of its faults forgiven.

My 3-year-old son listened to this cassette repeatedly with a walkman when we took a 4 hour flight. A stress-free flight courtesy of Thomas.

My son loves Thomas the Tank Engine and this book, with the cassette, helps him with his pronunciation of the words that he is having trouble saying. I wish that there were more then 4 books on tape with Thomas.

I loved this book! It was great! It was very adventurous! 5 stars!

I started reading Michelle and Stephanie since I was 7 years old. And now I was reading Full House Sisters. It was so great. This time, the two sisters did not obey what their father had said. Their father had said not to let tham split up. But as day passes, They end up at different places. But it just figured out fine. I love it.

I just read "Two on the Town" and it was great!!! I think the new "Full House Sisters" series is going to be really cool! I defnitely recommend you read this book, especially if you love "Full House." It had the fun and excitment of both sisters put together. I loved it!

In this book, Michelle and Stephanie go to New York with their dad cause they improved their math grade. While he's at work, he tells the girls to stay in the hotel. Michelle goes to the chocolate shop downstairs and meets a friend named Kayle Bloom. She askes Stephanie if she can go with Kayle to a toy store, but Stephanie hears that Michelle wants to go to the game room. If you want to find out how this book ends, READ THIS BOOK

This is easliy one of the best books I have ever read. It is full to the brim with heart-stopping action. As you read this book, you will feel like you are on K2, watching it all happen. Scenes of death, the fight for survival, and even a few funny, will play through your head. I suggest this book to people ages 11+. I think this book is too in depth for anyone younger. Overall, this is an awesome book, and you should definitely read it.

This story is about a family that likes to climb moutains. The main charecters are Annie and Peter Garret and their father. They are out climing in Utah in the moutains. There are two amatures that are falling down the moutain and crached on the ground laying there motionless. This made the Garret family move quickly and slipe to the side of the moutain. The rope could not hold that much weight so the father made his son, Peter, cut the rope to save him and his sister's life. His sister blamed him for the death of their father's death. This was the best action book that I have ever read. If you like action books this is a book for you to read.

Peter and Annie Garret are climbing a mountain in Utah with their father. Suddenly, two amateurs come falling onto them, and sent them dangling in midair, hanging by a few cams. The two amateurs eventually falling onto the desert ground hundreds of feet below, laying motionless. Then, the father asked Peter to cut the end of the rope, from which he was holding being held. Peter eventually did, to save his sister and himself. This opening is only the beginning of this exciting and suspenseful story. People who like action will definitely enjoy this story which also teaches the reader some aspects about mountain climbing.

Three years later, Annie is climbing K2 of the Himalayas in Pakistan. She is caught in a storm with her boyfriend who turns out to be evil and selfish. Peter, who hasn't climbed since the Utah incident, sets out to save his sister.

The Garrett family climbs mountains chosen by the patriarch Royce who treats his two adult children (Annie and Peter) as if they are still teens. However, In Monument Valley, Utah, two amateurs drop into a freefall with their pack knocking Royce and Peter off the side of the mountain. Only the Garrett?s last belay with Annie still clinging to the side keeps all four men alive. However, the weight of gravity takes it toll and the two amateurs crash to earth. Royce makes Peter cut the rope, which leads to the former dying, but saves the lives of his two children.

Three years later, Peter and Annie remain haunted by the tragedy. Peter, already an accomplished photographer when the accident occurred, turns completely to nature shots to hide from his pain. Annie blames Peter for their father?s death and continues Royce?s dream of climbing the world?s toughest peaks in search of solace. However, this time on K2 something goes wrong and Annie faces certain death if Peter, who has not touched a mountain since Utah, fails to rescue her.

VERTICAL LIMIT is an adaptation of the movie. As with the picture, the story line is incredibly exciting and filled with nonstop action. Readers will feel the pain suffered by the siblings, who never found closure with the death of their beloved father. Mel Odom does a great job of bringing a powerfully scenic movie onto the printed page so that those readers who enjoy a heart-pumping thriller will climb K2 along side the lead cast.

Harriet Klausner

Once again, McLuhan and Fiore team up to provide us with an excellent summation of all of the drastic effects of the transition to electric circutry as the prime form of media. I recommend reading The Medium is the Massage first.

If McLuhan hadn't been dead for almost twenty years, he could have written this book yesterday. He speaks to this moment in time. "We are all robots when uncritically involved with our technologies." He makes the point that we have met the enemy and they is us. He asserts that man has evolved beyond Darwin's limited concept of biological evolution, and we have evolved ourselves with our technology. The computer being an extension of our nervous system, which now senses the whole world. The pain of modern existence is to be found in the strain of this evolution, and therefor, to be for-warned is to be for-armed. "Unlike the animals, man has no nature but his own history. Electronically, this total history is now potentially present in a kind of simultaneous transparency that carries us into a world of what Joyce calls 'heliotropic noughttime.' We have been rapt in 'the artifice of eternity' by placing our nervous system around the entire globe." Tired of wondering why you think life sucks? There is some healing balm hear to be found.

This classic, WAR & PEACE, attempts to awaken the reader to the realities of media that lie hidden in his own mind. These realities are composed of the everything in the current "electric world," of signs, of real words and nonsense sounds, of pictures, of stuff, of technologies, of clothes, of weapons, of food, and of chemicals, all of which McLuhan calls media and the extensions of man. Can the reader who knows nothing of the pre-electric world be awakened to perceive it? A difficult question since there are all kinds of readers from the primitive to the scientist to the computer programmer.

Indeed, McLuhan and Fiore take the reader on a impossible journey into the guts and gear works of the human brain. Did the Authors bridge any gaps or just create new, unknown ones? Everything about this book is difficult. This includes the often obscure passages on every other page from Joyce's FINNEGANS WAKE.

The Authors advance the notion that all behavior, war and violence, stems from man's search for his identity. "So that today war, as it were, has become the little Red Schoolhouse of the global village."(P. 125) War has become the educator and education becomes war. "No one has studied what degree of innovation is required to shatter the self image of a man or a society." And how can man understand himself when he is always engaged in "rearview mirrorism?" Man looks backward because he can't see forward.

In addition, all the media surrounding man is merely raw material for man's info processor, his brain. Thus man is hooked on his current media like a drug addict is hooked on that which alters his sensual input. Man, himself, is but a collection of information. Immersed in this sea of info, like a fish in water, how can man sort out those bits that beg for priority? By understanding the info that composes himself, can man escape his own senses, those that compose and shape his every move? One doubts it!

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan does a double take on the Massage by doubling his informative view of the media world splicing effect after effect after effect. Beginning locally in the village of small tribal cultures of oratory dominance demonstrating the break of the sensorium which created a tactile society. Moving through history as if fragmented in its own way recapitulating the effects of media which broke up the senses and amputated the limbs of our physical and psychical systems. Although written in 1968, McLuhan moves right into the present times understanding first, electricity as extension of the nervous system and lucidly stating that LSD, the psychedelics of the past are equal in effects to the modern day computer as a recomposure of our being. From our computer realities, one can easily define theirs as an integrated inter-net, linking one another through digital media that is light speed. McLuhan understood the implications of Einsteinian-ENIAC models of the world and distupted the passive television view with this commercial interuption to wake up the senses. Reccomended for McLuhan lovers and those who are still watching TV on a regular basis.

Not a 'treatise', but a true invocation clearly destined to awaken the minds of all souls fortunate enough to encounter it. Told with true compassion and honesty so as to benefit ALL men, regardless of their beliefs or religion. A gifted author.

This incredibly powerful book is the 21st century equivalent of Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet." It bears a message of kindness, decency and dignity for our own sake, as well as for the very survival of our species. The author's message speaks to the heart of true Spirituality. I have read and re-read "Warpaint of the Gods" so many times that I almost know it by heart. To me, its timeless message replaces all the old destructive religious nonsense that I held in my mind with a fresh new approach to understanding God, and our place in the Universe.

- Astrid Ware, PhD. Author

Required reading for anyone who would agree with the following statement," Good people will always do good things. Evil people will always do evil thing. For good people to do evil things however requires religion." The answer is spirituality not religion.

It's hard to find a person willing to take the time to expose a logical version of the truth without that illustration being passed through the filters of dogma, superstition and make believe. The bane of human society was and is the invention of organized religion. This book creates a foundation for thought beyond blind obedience to superstitions passed on from one generation to the next going back over ten thousand years with not one shred of evidence to support a single story from the hundreds of brands on the planet.

This excellent work also touches on the elements of modern scientific advances in cosmology and astro physics that shed light on the inevitability of other intelligent societies that share our vast and expanding universe. This glimpse into modern reality offers new vision for those who think we humans are the only reason for the existence of the universe in the first place and thus the only authority needed to launch endless wars and bloodshed. This work is not the imagination of a single man; instead, a huge collection of quotes from respected thinkers worldwide support the suggested conclusions left to the reader. Are we a human race so vane as to teach one generation after the next for thousands of years that man was made in the image of god itself? This arrogance is smartly resized with the contents of Mr. Sagadevan's work suggesting that perhaps god is not a noun after all, but an adjective.

This book is must reading for anyone with a sense of place in the dimensions of both time and reality vs. myth and unfounded anger over those "infidels" who don't believe what someone else believes. Indeed, if there are gods they would be wearing warpaint to evict the dogma of a civilization in the act of self-destruction for no valid reason whatever.

Buy this book. Read this book.

This is a fascinating book! It tells at least three stories simultaneously: the birth pangs of television; American cultural and political history in the 1950s; and the relationship between Jack Gould and both his employers and his media. There's an excellent introduction which introduces Jack Gould, and his biography by itself is interesting. Most absorbing for me, however, was reading Gould's take on the nascent medium of television: was it better for news or art? was it the same as theatre? did it have a duty to the American public to cover certain events? what were its educational limits? Some of his criticisms of tv are astonishingly contemporary. Others are clearly of a different era. The book is spiced with personalities that many of us know--Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Howdy Doody, David Brinkley--and Gould's take on them is fun to read.

Also illuminating are Gould's views of historical events: the quiz show scandals, the blacklist of the Red Scare, the "rise and fall of Edward R. Murrow." Gould championed actress Jean Muir, who was dealt an unfair hand in the 1950s, and his columns help explain how the blacklist worked from the inside. I particularly liked questions Gould asked about children's television programming and the responsibilities of the news shows.

Mostly, though, this book is marvelous to read because Gould was such a lively writer. His columns are full of real zingers that run side by side with his ruminations on American society, culture, politics, and values in the Cold War era. Despite the age of the columns reprinted here, the book provides much to ponder today, which is why I'm buying this for many people on my holiday list. People who lived through the 1950s will be just as interested as folks in their 20s and 30s. I highly recommend this book; even if you've never considered reading about television or cultural critics before you will get so much out if it. It will make you think about what's on your set today, and it's just _so_ wonderfully written!

Since I was born well after Jack Gould's retirement..it was exciting to feel the development and growing pains of the medium..through the columns Gould published. Lewis Gould's profile of the man and his life added to the sense of connection I felt to him..

You feel television's evolution...as if you were there.

Jennifer Salem
Antioch California

Born well after Jack Gould's retirement..it is exciting to feel the development and growing pains of the medium..through the columns Gould published. Lewis Gould's profile of the man and his life added to the sense of connection I felt to him..

You feel television's evolution...as if you were there.

Jennifer Salem
Antioch California

I have spent a delightful day reading this book, which brings together more than seventy columns written by the late Jack Gould, television critic for the New York Times from 1947 until his retirement in 1972. Not being from New York or a regular reader of the Times until after Gould retired, I must confess that I had never previously read any of his media criticism. This book has been a most welcome surprise.

The critic's son, Lewis Gould, a distinguished scholar in American history, selected the reviews that appear in this volume and also provided a remarkably candid and objective assessment of both his father and his influence. Insights about television, political figures--American culture in general--can be found throughout. Among the topics that Jack Gould considered were Edward R. Murrow, the quiz show scandals of the fifties, blacklisting, and live drama. As a baby boomer, I particularly enjoyed reading about two of the most memorable television performers of my childhood, "Miss Frances" of "Ding Ding School" and the inimitable Pinky Lee. Perceptive, too, is his assessment of the phenomenon that was--and is--Lucille Ball.

Some months ago the TODAY show celebrated, with much fanfare, its fiftieth anniversary on the air. But what was the show like in its earliest days? Gould tells us, in a no-holes-barred critique that NBC executives later admitted spurred changes in the program's format and presentation. Readers will find here in its entirety the review that Gould wrote in January 1952 in which he bluntly said that TODAY "needs a lot of work." "Thus far," he concluded, "TODAY has been excessively pretentious and ostentatious and unreasonably confusing and complex." Gould did not throw softballs!

In September 1952 Gould recognized that Nixon's so-called Checkers Speech, while "effective," might herald a turning point in the nature of political campaigning. Gould praised the embattled Nixon (who was on the ropes because of allegations that he benefited from an illegal "slush fund") for his "earnest" and "persuasive" presentation of his side of the story. Unfortunately, "the second half of the program saw Senator Nixon succumb to theatrics," as he attempted to grab the audience's heart with his tale of the cocker spaniel that had been given to his two young daughters. In Gould's judgment "there is a very real danger in superimposing the methods of show business in politics." He cautioned that the American public should "hold the line against television turning politics into a coast-to-coast vaudeville show or a daytime serial."

Any reader interested in television, media studies, or America at mid-century would find much of value in this collection.

You've seen the show, now you can read the books. It's always a new story in this crazy family and you never know what will happen. If you like the show, you will love these books.

You've seen the show, now you can read the books. It's always a new story in this crazy family and you never know what will happen. If you like the show, you will love these booka

This is a great book and Lucy has to face a lot of dicisions about doing something illegal but will she do it? read to find out. This book is great for unger readers because it has a great
moral.

I got my daughter this book for Christmas and she had finished reading it by 8 that night. This book is great for younger kids because it tells about how Lucy must make the decision on whether to go with the crowd or stand up for her beliefs on a decison that could be life threatning and illegal.
If your kids like the show I would really suggest the book.

Insightful and well written. I really enjoyed sharing the life of this remarkable woman.

Ms. Greenwald's insightful biography of the fascinating woman who was both a shaper and observer of the women's movement is fascinating reading. Highly informative and entertaining this book is a real page turner.

The authors writing style is captivating and I look forward to her next endeavor.

As a former Times writer I was impressed with Ms. Greenwald's thorough investigation and her ability to capture Charlotte's persona.

After seeing a re-broadcast of Marilyn Greenwald on CNN and having just read yet another review (NY Times and Dallas paper), there is no brouhaha over this one --this is a fine work.