Companies Books

This is an awesome book in terms of relating a scientific quest with ever tantalizing stories.

You can tell if it is a good book by reading it. To see is to beleive.

Smart investigation on the basic rules of vision. great book. smooth reading and really intresting.

A discussion of the "grammar" of vision - the mind's eye, imagination and "making sense." A must read for poets interested in the relationship between image and meaning.

A brillant book. It delivers not only the phenomenon, as many books about this subject do, but relevant and useful explanations why these phenomenons occur. Especially the insights about grouping and visual splitting in parts at concave cusps were most enlightening to me.

I got turned onto this book in graduate school, but never got around to reading it until now. But having read it, I'd have to say it's a fascinating book about vision and the cognitive functions of the brain that help people construct what they see. The author also briefly discusses the sense of touch and how it constructs reality, but the main focus is on vision.

What I really liked was the explanation behind optical illusions. I didn't agree with everything the author wrote, because I found with some of the exercises that my experiences differed from his. Yet what this book does show is that what we see isn't always he objective reality we'd like it to be...in fact rarely, at least through our senses, is reality objective.

If there's one complaint I had, it was that he purposely chose to leave out the citations. Granted he drew on a lot of work, but it'd be nice to trace his sources and the context of those sources. That said I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how our senses help us construct reality.

How could Amazon.com post such a scornful, personal review of a literary work? I live in the neighborhood where Willie Perdomo was raised and he is definitely not a disgrace to his people and his neighborhood. If I had a nickel for every time I heard a young and old Puerto Rican or African-American man or woman say they read his book and were affected, I would be rich. And now he is making contributions to children's literature with a new picture book called VISITING LANGSTON. People from all communities respect Willie and what he stands for. I buy this book regularly for people who live in our inner cities and need a witness. Please, the next time someone tries to post any kind of vicious attack on an author and his work, please refer to them to a therapist. Next thing you know he'll have a rabbit boiling in his kitchen. TCB

I have to agree with some of the others. Willie Perdomo is a gifted and talented voice. I recommend that people who buy this go ahead and buy Smoking Lovely. The combination of the two is very powerful

A couple of years back, a friend of mine gave me a grocery bag full of books. I found an exquisite piece of work beneath the pile - Where a Nickel Costs a Dime. I live down south - way south and life here can be homogenous. With this book, I saw el barrio without leaving mine. I walked up 125th street without moving my feet. I cried, lived and died in Harlem. The collection of images is sharp. I won't compare Willie Perdomo to anyone else. No se puede. (He can't be.)

Where a Nickel Costs a Dime - a must.

I wrote an earlier note on this under a different account but just wanted to add to that under this new account. I first came across Willie and his work live at SOB's back in 1996, right before this book was published. I'd been to a couple of poetry slams at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and enjoyed them but hearing Willie was the first time poetry ever really connected for me. I FELT what Willie was saying - related to it like he was one of my boys - but at the same time realized that THIS WAS POETRY! It was a revelation for me as a fledgling writer looking for my own voice and, as a more established writer these days, I can honestly say that that is the most you can hope for from your writing - to touch someone deeply. Buy this book now!

I love the poems in this book, particularly one called "Postcards of El Barrio".

Favorite line : the violent revolutions of red and white police sirens upset the sky blue peace of neon crucifixions

These poems have a rhythm and a style than can only come from years of being exposed to life in the mean streets of El Barrio. So be aware, you'll need an inner city bent to fully appreciate the language in this book. But, there is no denying the lyricism in its pages.

As for the performance CD included, it's not bad, but it feels like Perdomo is reading it at a break-neck pace. It makes it tough to sit back and appreciate his words.

All in all, this is a great book. Worth the money.

Like features on a face or shadows on the moon, what we remember most is the unusual, the unsmooth, the wart or the wrinkle. Thus, for most of us, our picture of Henry David Thoreau consists of parts of two years spent in a hut on Walden Pond, interrupted by a one night stay in jail. If a quote comes to mind it is likely to be the aphorism about those who march to the beat of a different drummer. A two year camp-out is not a life, emblematic or no, and though Thoreau's life was short (snuffed by tuberculosis at 44), there was a great deal more to his career than the shack on Walden pond. He supported himself as a surveyor, teacher and lecturer, and his naturalist writings were widely published throughout his life. He was a knowledgeable taxonomist and was conversant with naturalistic texts in Greek and Latin, as well as with his contemporary, Charles Darwin. WILD FRUITS was his last manuscript, still in the works at the time of his death, together with a sketchier companion volume on the Dispersion of Seeds. Painstakingly transcribed from the author's scribbled notes by Thoreau scholar Bradley Dean, this book is a walk through the fruiting season. We meet each fruit as it ripens, from the elm seed and dandelion fluff forward to the succulent berries of summer and on to the wizened fruits of winter, still clinging to branches long after their season has passed. Thoreau was an acute observer. His careful identification and description of each plant could not be improved upon today, and being closer to the European invasion, he had the benefit of Indian wisdom concerning the habit and uses of native plants. Most surprising to this reader, after many seasons spent hiking and canoeing in Thoreau's stompin' grounds, is the diversity of edible berries I have overlooked. I consider myself a "grazer," inclined to sample berries, fruits, nuts and mushrooms* in my travels, but I see that I have much to learn (and nibble). All of the author's observations are interwoven with commentary on the habits of humans and animals, most particularly the damage being done to the natural world by thoughtless developers and badly conceived laws. Once again Thoreau proves deserving of his reputation as the progenitor of modern environmentalism. His voice rings true and clear across the 20th Century.

This may sound silly, but I was surprised to find out that this book is actually about WILD FRUITS. I mean everything you ever wanted to know about every kind of fruit the New England landscape has to offer: when it blooms, where it can be found, texture, color, everything. If you're looking for another Walden or a deeper understanding of the Transcendentalist movement, start elsewhere and come back to this one. As always with Thoreau this book is marvellously written, and the philosophy is there. It's just scattered and half-hidden throughout the landscape like wild strawberries (and just as delicious). It's a great read, just be warned: it's first and foremost about fruit!

This book is a collection of notes concerning the timing of various fruits that grow in and around Concord, Massachusetts. The word "fruit" is used very generally, and not all the "fruits" in the book are wild, since Thoreau includes comments about corn, potatoes, and other crops in the book, as well as about weeds and trees that produce seeds, such as maples. The book is comprised of articles that run from 1 or 2 sentences to 20 pages, depending on how much Thoreau has to say about the topic. The articles are arranged chronologically, according to when the "fruit" first ripens, beginning with elm seeds in May and ending with juniper berries in March. While some of the articles are accompanied by black-and-white sketches, they do not generally have enough information for readers to use the book as a guide for identifying plants. Rather, the book provides notes about the growth habits and ecology of plants. In addition to Thoreau's Wild Fruit material, there is also an introduction by the editor, Bradley Dean, and end material, including a selection of related passages (alternate beginning to Wild Fruits, the history of the apple tree, notes on the dispersion of seeds), a Thoreau chronology, a short glossary of botanical terms, a few black and white plates of Thoreau's manuscripts, editor's notes on the manuscript, a list of works cited, and an index.

This work represents the most detailed and systematic collection of Thoreau's naturalist observations. Even though the work is primarily about fruits, Thoreau still manages to slip a little philosophy in here and there. In his own introduction, he writes "The value of any experience is measured, of course, not by the amount of money, but the amount of development we get out of it." In his essay "Wild Apples," he writes "There is thus about all natural products a certain volatile and ethereal quality which represents their highest value, and which cannot be vulgarized, or bought and sold." Later, in an essay concerning cranberries, he notes "Both a conscious and an unconscious life are good; neither is good exclusively, for both have the same source. The wisely conscious life springs out of an unconscious suggestion....Indeed, it is by obeying the suggestions of a higher light within you that you escape from yourself and, in the transit, as it were see with the unworn sides of your eye, travel totally new paths." It's a fascinating book for readers of Thoreau, and would make a great reference for those interested in learning more details about the ecology of wild New England plants than can be found in common field guides.

What could be more pedestrian than the fruits (talking broadly) of plants - such fruits that include grains of wheat, hips of wild roses, apples, blueberries, etc. We may enjoy some of them as taste treats, but most of us ignore the everyday development of fruit from flower. The flowers are more noticed, except for some ornamental types like hollies. Yet the fruit and/or seeds of plants are amazing structures, many evolved to be carried by the wind, floated on water, eaten by animals or inadvertently carried by same through the devices of spines or hooks. In addition the seeds, surrounded by fleshy fruits or not, are little wonders- holding within them the promise of new growth. It always amazes me a little when I plant a seed and in a few weeks or months I have in its place a tall corn plant or tomato! Oaks are in acorns and tall pines in the seeds shed from their cones.

The long lost manuscript of Henry David Thoreau has now been published as "Wild Fruits", edited by Bradley P. Dean and elegantly illustrated by Abigail Rorer. It is a gem! Thoreau recorded his observations and thoughts about every sort of fruit and seed he encountered in New England, including the domesticated or semi-domesticated types. Occasionally he goes on about some favored fruit, such as the apple, explaining some of the folklore and history. In essence, especially in this troubled world, it is a great pleasure to read about these amazing, but everyday, objects of nature.

A good book to read and savor, I recommend it as an antidote to the hurried and harried lives we often live.

Do we have a preference for our Thoreau? ABSOLUTELY! But even the adulterated varietal will do in a pinch. The long lost diary of HD's romps in the woods serve well to remind us why some fruits are forbidden. Thoreau's posthumously edited musings over cattails, gladiolas, and other seductive succulents put the reader in the mood, apparently, for wanton strolls in a wooded glen savoring everything from unbridalled grapes (of wrath?) to the odd jack-in-the-pulpit. 'Tis better to give than to receive and this new work by an old friend makes a great gift when you want it known that you are in the mood for fruit more private than Publix.

I have received The Wilderness War by Allan W. Eckert in good condition. While I have not had time to read it yet, I know that I shall enjoy it as much as the other books I have read by this author. He is careful and thorough in his research for each of his books, and his writing style is such that you hate to put the book down until it is finished. If you enjoy true history of the settlement of the great lakes region, Mohawk River region, and the Ohio River valley; of the struggles between the white men and native Indians for control of these lands, you will enjoy the series of books penned by Mr. Eckert.

For over 200 years the Iroquois were a force to be reckoned with. They constituted one leg of a three legged stool which balanced French and English interests on the North American Continent. This was a most profitable position for the Iroquois and they knew it: In this position they were the gate keepers between the English and French trading establishments and all other non Iroquois, native North Americans. With a home in upstate New York they waged war and demanded tribute as far North as Hudson's Bay, as far South as Georgia and the Carolinas and as far West as the Western Great Lakes and Minnesota. Because of this dominance in the economic and political interests in the eastern half of the US and Canada they provided a buffer zone between Indian and White, between French and English interests. Simply stated, they had to be dealt with.

Wilderness Empire is the story of the Iroquois during the apex of their influence and power, the French and Indian War. Struggling to maintain the status quo and their preeminent position, this Confederation of six tribes fails in its attempt to balance its competing interests, splitting along French and English lines of allegiance. Resulting in an Iroquois Civil War, the Confederation is ultimately destroyed.

This is a quite detailed, yet smooth flowing, description of the destruction of the Iroquois Confederation during the French and Indian War and it comes complete with an all star cast of characters: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, King George, Montcalm, William Johnson, Pontiac, George Crogan, George Clinton, Wolfe, Charles Langlade and Bougainville, just to name a few. Fought all across the East Central US and Canada, this war stretch from Detroit and the Michigan Peninsula to Albany, Niagara, the Mohawk Valley, New York, Montreal and Lake Champlain, the sweep of the story line, the savagery of the battles, the intrigue and betrayals will leave you stunned.

Second in his Winning of America Series, this page turner may be Eckert's best.

This is one of the weaker books in Eckert's series, but it was still a good read. I'd recommend it for any Eckert fan, or any other American-History fan. You should definately read the other books in the series!!!

The best book I have ever read on the French and Indian War. It is utterly amazing how Eckert makes characters from the past come so alive. You really get the feeling that you not only learned about events that happened in the past, but that you get to know the people who experienced them.

Wow! What a book! For anyone interested in studying the French and Indian War period, this is a must read. Although it's not a "textbook" account it's still a lot of fun. I would read this book alongside Francis Parkman's "Montcalm and Wolfe" and Anderson's "Crucible of War". Probably Mr. Eckert's best work. It's really great for younger children or anyone who has forgotten about good old-fashioned American folklore. Fantastic!

A great book with much of interest to anyone interested in outdoor skills and woodsman ship in an age that has mostly vanished. The illustrations are great and some are humorous as well.

All outdoorsmen should own a copy of this book. Highly entertaining and a wealth of knowledge.

THE BEST OUTDOOR/SURVIVAL BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. LOADED WITH INFORMATION, AND AT A GIVE AWAY PRICE OF ABOUT 10 BUCKS. ITS A NO BRAINER, BUY THIS BOOK.

I first read this book in my High School Library in 1955.
The best outdoor survival book ever.
Buy it at least a month before you go camping.
Must read for campers.

This book was my introduction to outdoor skills. I thought I'd order myself a copy after all these years for sentimental reasons, for some reason I remembered it being kinda hokey.

Well I got it and it isn't hokey at all. I love this book. Taught me many things back when, taught me more things just now.

This book gives moms-to-be the facts without being overwhelming or having a judgmental tone. I have found it to be easy to understand, and the section on newborn care contains helpful information that is missing from many pregnancy books. After all, the experience doesn't end when the baby is born- it's only the beginning! My husband appreciated the detailed illustrations showing how to hold the baby, swaddle the baby, etc.

The book is written in an easy to understand, personable style. It is as if "Nurse Colonero" is sitting in the room with you. In many contemporary medical environments, the emphasis is on expeditious teaching interactions. The immediate post-partum period is often a time of emotional and physical exhaustion, and so a family's ability to learn new information may be limited. This book will not only give you a comprehensive outline of important concepts, it should also provide the patient and family with a fundamental framework of knowledge which will empower you to be a more savvy "medical consumer." You can think about issues and concerns and present them to your health care providers for discussion. Jerri Colonero's book should be a template for patient education and empowerment. Managed care is here to stay, and the more educated families are about their health care needs and their access to potential information and services, the better the outcomes will be for everyone: patients, families, providers, and payors.

I, too, was very fortunate in having Jerri as my nurse when I had my son 11 years ago. She was the reason I didn't give up on nursing my son. I told her this when I saw her in a restaurant one day--remember Jerri! I'm so glad you got to write your book. You did a fantastic job. This woman knows her stuff!

I purchased this book because it has so much information about Pregnancy, Birth, and beyond. It encompasses the entire process of becoming a new parent which I am most concerned about. It is a terrific medical reference guide written in a friendly, easy to understand format with descriptive diagrams. The chapters and index make for quick and easy subject locating. I know I will refer to it again and again once the baby arrives. Thank you to Jerri Colonero for writting this complete guide which every expectant mother (and father) should have.

This is the best resource on pregnancy and post-partum that I have found. Completely accessible, easy to read, well organized, thorough and detailed... I can't give it enough praise. I was especially impressed (and thankful) for the detailed childbirth section, which provided a wealth of information that most books only touch on. This is my first baby, and I feel so much more prepared and in control (despite the all-day nausea!). Where other books prescribe unrealistic diets and regimented rules, Jerri Colonero presents sensible guidelines and helpful suggestions in a warm way: no scare tactics here! Further, the section on bringing baby home covers all sorts of material, from breastfeeding basics to bathing. This is just the resource I was looking for and I've already consulted in again and again. I plan to spread the word about this wonderful book.

I happen to know that Terry Tillman was there before the Wall fell down and was a contributor to the peace process that undermined it and all the other "walls" that divide humanity.

This book is both a record of suffering and joy and a metaphor to inspire all of us in de-walling!

I kept this book in my living room for the last 3 years. This book is one of the things that connects me to the power of humanity, the natural order of the Universe and freedom.

This is my favorite Cold War book--Simple, powerful, great photos surrounded by great quotes from great people and the personal observations of a guy who was clearly moved by seeing the Wall come down.

The book The Writings on the Wall" by Terry Tillman was purchased in multiple quantity, and given to co-workers and friends. All enjoyed the "story" being told, AND shared by the writer. I highly recommend it.

I found this to be an absolutely beautiful book. The photographs are amazing and truley moving.

I found this to be a very interesting book. I did not think all the conclusions he arrived at where justified by the data provided, there was a touch of making mountains out of mole hills (IMHO). However, most of the discussion was well thought out, well presented, and very thought provoking. It was also well written. I would recommend this one for anyone interested in the period.

Andrew Bridgeford's "1066, the Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry," brings a fresh interpretation to an amazing, mysterious piece of cloth. This strip of linen seventy meters (230 feet) long presents an account of events leading up to William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England. The traditional interpretation is that the Tapestry was a costly trophy commissioned by a Norman baron or bishop celebrating the Norman victory. Bridgeford disputes that view. He finds conflicting messages stitched onto the fabric, messages that tend to support the French, rather than the Norman, point of view. He even finds support for the English, and perhaps a challenge to Duke William's right to the English throne. Such messages would have been punished by death, and whoever commissioned and stitched the Tapestry would have taken great risks. Nevertheless, the ambiguous message was embroidered less than a decade after William's invasion.

What were the real intentions of the sponsor who dictated the images and message stitched into the Bayeux Tapestry? The whole tale is here: ambiguous negotiations, fatal misunderstandings, Duke William's landing, the battle of Hastings, the death of King Harold in battle and the aftermath of war in a ravaged land. The Tapestry (an embroidery, really) was originally longer, but the final scenes are missing. Did fire, damp or rats carry the ending away? Or did fear suborn courage, causing an unknown hand to cut off a dangerous truth in a deadly world? That is one of a thousand mysteries inhering to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Nor is that all. The Tapestry brings us a dwarf who may have been a founding father of French literature; and reminds its contemporary viewers of an unlovely tale, of two queen-mothers thrusting their several sons forward, sometimes fatally, in their own lust for royal power. Why? How do these apparent sub-plots relate? It has been an abiding mystery, one for which Andrew Bridgeford may have supplied - if not the missing end of the cloth - then at least several answers.

By Robert Fripp, author,
Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine

Excellent transaction. Very informative book and exactly what I was looking for.

A true delight in print, Andrew Bridgeford's "1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry" reads more like a well-written mystery book than a history text. Many a past author has tried to make history "interesting" with unusual and sometimes ludicrous literary devices, but this book doesn't stoop to such silliness. Instead, the history we read here is indeed real history, but woven with a most intriguing claim, turning the book into a page-turner of scholarship from start to finish.

The main contention of the work, which I will present here without spoiling the details and supporting evidence for the reader, is that the common view that the Tapestry is a work of Norman propaganda to support William the Conqueror's claim to the English throne is incorrect. Rather, Bridgeford argues, the Tapestry is instead a truly English work which gives more credit to a Frenchman (not a Norman) for the 1066 battle victory, and was meant to serve as continual reminder that William's taking of the English throne, though successful, was not morally just. In this sense, the work can be somewhat considered "subversive," because its message of the invalidity of William's ascent was played out in full view under the noses of all the Norman entourage, and indeed, full public scrutiny. The makers of the Tapestry could only do this by creating a work that passes the "scratch and sniff" test for supporting the Norman cause, but only for those wishing to read that preconceived notion into what they see, and for creating a work that, on its superficial elements, appears to do just that. But woven into the threads of this work is a contrary view that becomes apparent if one rejects the temptation to skim over and "read into" each of the Tapestry's scenes, and it is a message quite different that it might at first appear to be.

Bridgeford's prose is consistently up to this challenging task. Each page of the text further illuminates our understanding, not only of what we already know about 1066, but of those things we "know" that really do not "fit," if we took the time to further reflect on it. After carefully considering each of the pieces of evidence presented, we come to feel there is good reason to support the author's claims. In fact, the book at times lays out its evidence and persuasion much like a lawyer might do in court, and if we find ourselves on this jury of opinion, we tend to find ourselves convinced. And although the reader here might think the author will have to resort to fantastic claims and that we'll have to check credulity at the front cover, we quickly find we can rest easy. The author's case is logical, cogent, and reasonable; the work never veers outside of accepted scholarship for evidence, and rejects many surrounding claims even if some of those might further buttress the argument. This is a solid book that is a fascinating addition to the library of works surrounding the Tapestry.

Bridgeford's text begins by laying out what must be considered an epic drama of the history of the Tapestry itself, a history which begins in the 11th century but, much like an Indiana Jones movie, finds itself the target of Nazi's, governments, and various nefarious forces throughout the centuries. Once we have followed the Tapestry's journey throughout the years, we settle into an examination of the tapestry itself, a scene by scene look at each element with the work. Thankfully, the entire Tapestry is photographically reproduced in full color with additional scene numbers and annotated text to translate the Latin so that we can refer to the Tapestry itself while the author makes his points and explanations. Historical background is provided within the narrative whenever necessary, helping us understand the possible motivations for the prime characters and serving as a historical backdrop to the story. Bridgeford makes his case scene by scene, and is not unconvincing. It is a true adventure to pry open the explanations of each of the scenes, and regardless of how convinced the reader may be of the ultimate assertions of the book, the result is likely to be a newfound interest in the Tapestry itself, and perhaps even a desire to make a trip to see the Tapestry in person.

But much of the charm of this book remains in the prose which relates Harold's and William's story, with characters whose motives and intentions come alive, settings that jump out of the past, and the ebb and flow of history once again surging past us when we thought it was already finished. And that is indeed, according to the author, the whole purpose of those enigmatic creators of the Bayeux Tapestry: to serve as a constant witness of historical fact that would hopefully guide those of future generations who were willing to listen to its message. They may well have succeeded. It's now approaching 1,000 years since the Tapestry was woven, and we are still here examining, debating, and enjoying it.

Many years ago I saw the Bayeux Tapestry while on holidays in Europe. My lasting impression of the work is the sheer size of it. It was much larger than I would have believed based on the odd picture seen in a book I'd come across before leaving home. I now wish I'd been able to read a book like this one before I'd viewed the Tapestry (or embroidery actually).

This book takes you scene by scene through this massive work of art - and a different picture slowly emerges than the one you might have read about in other books on the subject. This embroidery is the work of a conquered people - and to please their new masters it superficially shows their success in the conquest. However, the events, and how the artist chooses to highlight them brings out another story, and its not the same one that the Normans told of their "right" to conquer England. The Tapestry also brings into focus formerly obscure people that never feature in any other period work on the conquest - and the author of this book has done some research into these named individuals and dug up some very interesting information indeed.

If you have any interest in the Bayeux Tapestry or the Norman conquest of England in 1066 this is a book you should read. The author is a Lawyer by trade and not a historian but he has done dome very impressive and detailed research with this book. I didn't know much about either the Tapestry or the Norman conquest before reading this book, so even if you don't know much about this period this is still a good read as the author tracks down the mysteries in the Tapestry that many other writers gloss over.

we bought this and 2 other related books to help my wife with her employee performance reviews. before i use to just help her out but since her team grew and our schedules were just to hectic, i didn't have time to help her out. so this and the two other related books helped a lot.

Nothing is more vital to the success of an organization than the contribution of each of its employees, but managers are usually experts in fields other than human resources. "199 Pre-Written Employee Performance Appraisals" takes the pain out of the performance appraisal process. Stephanie Lyster and Anne Arthur have written a well-organized, easy to read book that will enable managers to provide performance appraisals that keep employees motivated and striving for defined goals and objectives that benefit both themselves and the organization. No longer do you have to worry about what you can or should say and how to say it. This book addresses every situation from problem employees to executive appraisals, telecommuting and seasonal employees. It even shows managers how to easily design new performance appraisal systems. Get this book and get back to business with improved morale, drive, productivity and communication. Don't make it a goal, make it a reality!

Lyster and Arther outline the entire process of how to start, use, and maintain a performance appraisal system for your employees. The book has specific, concrete examples of what to do, as well as what not to do. I found the section about potential errors that managers can make was especially useful, since I have made some of those errors in the past without realizing it. The book also comes with a CD that contains useful forms and checklists for the entire process. This CD alone is worth the price of the book.

If you are working for a company with an already established performance review system, this book will help you figure out how to deal within the system, make improvements to the system as needed, and ensure your employees are provided with quality reviews. It was also helpful for figuring out how to talk to under-performing employees.

This book is probably most useful to new companies or companies who don't already have an established system in place, since this will give you step-by-step instructions on what you need to do (including checklists and examples).

I recommend this book to anyone who is a manager (new or experienced), anyone in HR, or anyone starting their own performance appraisal system within their company.

Plenty of books include mention or discussion of the performance appraisal in surveys of managerial success; but how many offer examples of successful written performance appraisals - much less nearly two hundred examples? These pre-written employee appraisals provides reviews of all issues, from performance evaluation structures and legal ramifications to handling problem employees. Chapters survey all angles and provide managers with plenty of concrete references for building concrete performance appraisals. Both business reference libraries and company managers will want this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This easy-to-use book is a good resource for any manager who needs to write or conduct employee performance appraisals. From defining the employee performance appraisal to detailing pros and cons, this book covers it all in clear, concise, easy-to-understand language. I especially liked the chapter on Special Circumstances Employee Performance Appraisals, which covers telecommuting employees, an ever-increasing portion of the workforce. The companion CD provides excellent templates that managers can adapt to fit their needs.

I read this great book last summer during my third visit to Africa. As the orphan coordinator of a sponsorship program for four secondary schools in southwest Uganda, I have first hand experience with the results of the AIDS epidemic. I found the stories to be not all death and dying as you might expect, but interesting and inspiring. The author is right on target in describing the current situation in Africa, from the descriptions of governments, religions, health care, and also the roadblocks to progress that long-held attitudes and lifestyles present. I gave this book to five family members at Christmas!

It sounds weird to say it, but I couldn't put this book down. All the stories are so compelling and so well-written. Nolen doesn't tell one story over and over, but tells many stories using very diverse people. Her courage is obvious: she hung out with a long-haul trucker, a sex worker, and people with AIDS who had only days left to live. I was especially intrigued by the stories of the infected ones who became powerful advocates. What this book left me with wasn't the sense that "these people are pathetic victims we richer folk need to help," but that these are resilient, strong, interesting human beings suffering a horrid situation with little or no resources, and we should help them help themselves. As a journalist, I'm in awe of Stephanie Nolen in every respect. As a reader, I'm compelled to respond. I highly recommend the related website, [...], where you can read about each of the 28 briefly, and see a video interview of several. The website and book both give many ideas for how you can help. Start by reading a book that could change your life.

Stephen Lewis, the former UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, called Stephanie Nole's 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa, "the best book ever written about AIDS". I must admit that I was skeptical- how could a relatively short book of stories encapsulate this massive epidemic? By the time I'd finished the third of 28 stories, I'd changed my mind.

Nolen successfully uses 28 human experiences of HIV/AIDS, gathered over years of reporting on the issue, to tackle each aspect of the pandemic: orphans, access to treatment, medical research, AIDS in conflict zones and within the military, at-risk groups such as truck drivers and sex workers, African political and international humanitarian approaches to HIV, experiences of children, women, elites, couples, families, activists, and the poorest of the poor. Her approach left me more knowledgable, and intermittently heartbroken and ready for action. The book critically examines the role of each actor in the pandemic, from international to local in the present and since the first recorded infection. It emphasizes the complexity of the crisis, most importantly its intrinsic links to poverty, as well as including a vital section on how you can help.

Effectively, Nolen has written a book that provides an overview of the political, historical, cultural, and economic realities of HIV/AIDS in Africa while constantly drawing the reader back to one fundemental point: HIV/AIDS is first and foremost a human issue. She quotes Nelson Mandela (he is the main character in the 27th story), "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice" (353).

As someone recently embedded in the fight against HIV/AIDS (I am currently writing my undergraduate thesis on prevention programs, and have just returned from 10 months working with two grassroots HIV/AIDS organizations in Ethiopia), I would recommend this to laypeople and experts alike!

The introductory maps seize your attention. "Adult prevalence of HIV /AIDS" on one page and the people represented in the "stories" on the opposite. There's a swath of dark shading across southwest Africa - that's "Over 20%". To the east, the shade is lighter - "15 - 20%", with two darker smudges labelled "Swaziland" and "Lesotho" - islands of tragedy. At the top, "5 - 15%" predominates, lower numbers hiding the intensity of conditions. Stephanie Nolen's subjects' names run across the other map - the individuals whose stories are related here.

The numbers often lead to "AIDS fatigue" - too many big numbers; surpassing our ability to grasp them. The millions of people infected with HIV/AIDS seem beyond comprehension. After consulting the various estimates, Nolen surmises about 28 million for Africa, approaching the entire population of Canada. Each day, something like 5500 will die of the effects of the infection - two-thirds the population of my community. Every day. All year long. The adage runs: "One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic." Yet, that "million" represents that many "ones", and each one has a story. Nolen gives us those stories, making one person represent a million others. It's a formidable burden for the afflicted and the writer alike, but Nolen's skill effectively allows the reader to take it all in measured doses.

The opening story is, appropriately, a woman. In Swaziland, women don't turn to activism. They were traditionally forbidden to wear pants until 2003 and the right to own property was only granted in 2006. The little nation has the last monarch in Africa - who has thirteen wives and a fleet of autos. Siphiwe Hlophe had borne children with a man who delayed marriage for years. The discovery that she carried the virus was devastating - it suggested she was immoral, when it was her husband who had been philandering. That situation is one of the AIDS' story social disasters. The infection carries the stigma of immorality, a view widespread throughout Africa - and the West. Traditional leaders, missionaries and even family members vilified the victims as "immoral". It was also deemed an affliction of the poor, a mistake leading to many stressful family situations. Siphiwe, transcended many of these issues by announcing her infection and launching an AIDS awareness programme. Nolen gives accounts of other activitists, including a "Miss HIV Stigma-Free".

The other group most affected by the virus is children - either by being orphaned or by infection at birth. Among the former is 14-year-old Tigist Haile Michael of Addis Ababa who is the sole support for a younger brother half her age. Regine Mamba isn't an orphan. At her age, the term is meaningless. But Regine knows about orphans. When Nolen first interviewed her, Regine had 13 of them - all their parents were AIDS victims - by the book's Epilogue, the number had risen to 18. These parentless children lack education, opportunity and exist on a bare subsistence level lacking any skills to provide for themselves or siblings. Across Africa the number of such children is estimated to have reached 14 million today. What is their future? One path, of course, is always open - at least to the girls.

Is it entirely disaster and is amelioration impossible? There are signs of hope for researchers, but one of those will likely raise a few eyebrows. Agnes Munyiva has three children who live across town from where she works. Seeing up to a dozen clients per day, her job makes her a high risk for HIV infection, but that's not the part she keeps from her children. She's a sex worker in a Nairobi suburb, and she's very special. Agnes is HIV immune, a physiological trait that has many, especially AIDS researchers, scratching their heads, but see her condition as a means leading to prevention. The number of immune sex workers is small, and conditions providing immunity vary. Can enough be studied carefully to derive some answers? Does Alice truly fit the "one in a million" status? In what may seem a departure from the theme, Nolen relates the sad story of Western pharmaceutical firms keeping the price of Anti-Retroviral Drugs [ARVs] out of reach of those needing them. Compounding this tragedy of corporate greed is the role of Western financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to cripple the social services. Through Strategic Adjustment Plans [SAPs - one of the few truly indicative acronyms], Western investors demanded "downsizing" of government employees - read "teachers" and "nurses" - to pay off international debts, thousands were deprived of jobs. Lacking land and the skills to work it, those unemployed quickly became destitute. Add those to the young orphan girls and Alice readily becomes "one in a million". One of those will assuredly displace her from her hard mattress and mud-walled hut.

If the foundation of Alice's immunity, shared with a small number of Africa's prostitutes, can be unravelled, the chance of a vaccine increases. That's the quest of Uganda's Pontiano Kaleebu, who's been seeking that preventive step for years. Nolen's chapter on Pontiano is one of the most compelling of the collection. In it, Nolen explains how HIV/AIDS operates in the body, and why both prevention and cure are so difficult to achieve. While the vaccine remains elusive, the "cure" has made hesitant progress. But the drugs work only for a time, then a new form and schedule is required. That means testing, analysis, prescription, scheduling and instruction by health-care workers - many of whom were laid off. The drugs have to be available where and when needed at a price that people can afford. Not easily achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Canadian in Africa, reporter for the Toronto Globe & Mail, Nolen is aware of how that nation prides itself on helping those in need. Accordingly, she offers a list of organizations providing that support for the suffering. Those 28 million are still living - minus today's 5500 - and their lives can be extended by ARV compounds. Nolen explains how you can help and what your help can achieve. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada

Graça Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela and, with him, long time activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS, said: "... we can't fill all the spaces that are left." Five and a half thousand people die in Africa every day of AIDS and related diseases, with an estimated 28 million people infected by the HIV virus. These figures are too overwhelming to comprehend and Stephanie Nolen's book opens an evocative window for us into the struggle, the suffering and the hope of ordinary Africans through 28 portraits. From her diverse and multi-year experience and research into the pandemic in a number of sub-Saharan Africa countries, she focuses on the individuals, their families and their circumstances, resulting in an intimate, sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes uplifting, yet always deeply moving and inspiring account of what HIV/AIDS has done and continues to do to Africans: to individuals, relations, communities and countries.

Each chapter starts with a photograph of the primary individual as she or he reveals the tragedy of their lives. Some of them Nolen met only a couple of times, others have become close friends. Her ability to convey their stories vividly and with great empathy brings us as reader not only close to the unique aspects of each "case", but assists our better appreciation of cultural and political traditions and realities in African societies. The critical components of the HIV/AIDS crisis unique to African countries are addressed within the narrative without losing the personal and emotional primacy of the subject matter.

For close to ten years, Nolen, a Canadian journalist for the Globe & Mail, based in South Africa, has been following the HIV/AIDS crisis all over the continent. She has visited families, health clinics, scientists, care centres for AIDS orphans, and activists' organizations. She has walked with health care providers among remote rural communities lacking any medicines, yet trying their best to comfort and help the sick. Stigmas still attached to the infection have meant that misconceptions flourish: those identified with it have been shunned, thrown out of their family's house and left to die. For a long time, testing positive for the virus was perceived by people as an automatic death sentence, resulting too often in changing behaviour patterns. Without any concrete knowledge of this "disease of many names" it robbed families of one young woman or man after another and villages in despair with the ever increasing number of orphans left behind.

Contrary to the long-held prevalent view in Africa as elsewhere - that HIV/AIDS is a disease of minorities and of the poor - Nolen demonstrates the fallacy of this perception that has cost many their lives needlessly. Poverty remains an important factor where nutrition is inadequate, education non-existent, and money for treatment and care is not available. Nolen discusses how traditional societal norms of behaviour still contribute to the persistence of high infection rates, in particular among women. Abstinence, promoted by international, in particular US, aid agencies as a primary method to reduce infections, is only rarely an acceptable option, Nolen contends. Anita in Mozambique stands for many: "None of it" she said, "was up to me". On the other side, there are young professionals, like Lydia in Uganda or Ibrahim in Nigeria, fully aware of their condition, that are still caring for others, lobbying and fighting for access to life prolonging ARVs (antiretroviral medication). What shines through all the stories, is determination and hope despite the odds, the courage, resolve and perseverance that the individuals show in the face of unimaginable obstacles.

A substantial number of books are available on HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on African societies and demonstrating the need for cheap medicines and vaccines. The human costs in countries where the HIV infection rate may be as high as 30 or more percent is unimaginable in its devastation for generations to come. As Machel put it: "I don't think I comprehend the dimensions of the havoc, disruption, discontinuity". Nolen's book stands out for her insightful descriptions of the human costs as well as the its fluid integration into the stories of aspects of socio-economic conditions and up-to-date science research surrounding the pandemic. Yet, she never loses the focus on the human beings who she got to know and who candidly shared with her their life's story. If you think you can only cope with one book on this subject, read this one. [Friederike Knabe]