People Books

Yes, this book is very witty and very easy to read. I am en route to France for a year next year as an American exchange student, and I found this book to be very helpful for every aspect of the process--except I wish she added more information like "Why did she switch host families?" and about school. She barely mentioned anything about homework, the lycée, or anything like that. But I loved everything else about the book. It was intriguing and exciting. And also, it's a very nice quick read. If you are, going to be, or was an exchange student, this book is a must-have. Anther book I recommend is The Exchange Student Survival Kit. Au revoir!

I am planning on studying abroad to France in 2003 and this book has helped me out in many ways. It told me exactly what I need to know before I go, how the French people are, the school system, and it gave me encouragement. Just reading about how she doesn't regret going makes me want to go even more. I just wished she would have added more about how to handle so much school! Anyway, this book is great to read, even if you aren't planning on going to France. It has a lot of interesting facts that I could never imagine possible. Great book.

The moment I saw this book in the bookstore, I knew I had to get it because Megan did what I have always wanted to do: be an exchange student in another country. This book is just so charming, delightful, and cute. I finally was able to be an exchange student this summer in a Spanish speaking country, and while I was not gone a whole academic year but only for a couple of weeks, I always had this book by my side because so many things were the same. So if you have ever been an exchange student before/hosted one in America, or are going too I recomend this book right away, and if you are just looking for a good book to read you'll have a ball.

On the cover of this book, the publisher exudes, "A delightfully irresistible, charming account of a young American girl's year abroad." For once, this kind of description is actually an understatement. Yes, the book is in fact "delightfully irresistible" and truly charming. But the writing is also exceptionally limpid and evocative and betrays an exceptional maturity and talent. Megan McNeill Libby gives us beautifully impressionistic portraits of France, the French, and her very personal struggles, disasters, and triumphs. Her depiction of the French is extraordinarily perceptive and from my own experience living in France totally accurate. At times, I laughed until I cried; more frequently, I caught myself involuntarily smiling and nodding in agreement. But the deeper reward of reading this book is simply seeing the way that Ms. Libby writes and thinks. She is one of those rare authors with whom one falls in love after (no, during) a single reading. I am normally sparing with my praise, but I readily admit to being a gourmand for this book. Merci bien, Megan, and please give us more!

The author of Postcards from France, Megan Libby, was just 16 when she went to France in 1994 as your typical AFS student. But she wasn't typical: she had her eyes wide open and was able to record, in a series of letters and postcards sent back home, what a humbling experience it is to be a newcomer in another culture. By turns comedic, touching, insightful, and revealing, Postcards from France is always refreshing - and it's highly likely this talented young author will go on to write more books that will be a pleasure to read.

A very helpful set of articles on the practices of faith from a variety of different authors. There is a wonderful discussion guide that is available with the book for discussion starters, It triggers the mind to consider other practices that persons do as a result of the faith they possess.

When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, his response was, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your soul...And love your neighbor as yourself."

This is a book for anyone who is seeking to live out his/her Christian life. This is a book for anyone who seeks to strengthen this vertical and horizontal relationship with God. Dorothy C. Bass and her colleagues have given the readers practical ways to practice their Christian faith. If you have ever wonder what can you do for others as a Christian, read thhis book. We all hear people said, you talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? This is the book that incorported basic things we can live out our Christian life.

Reading this book feels like a taking a series of deep breaths. It's something that is hard to articulate, but the spiritual practices presented help me to feel less lonely in my faith journey. I had many "Yes. Of course!" moments in the chapters on hospitality, household economics and dying well. The practices are attainable ways of integrating faith into every aspect of daily life.

Interesting sidenote for Indigo Girls fans: Emily Saliers dad (Don E. Saliers) writes the chapter on singing!

Any teenagers in your life? Way to Live is the youth edition of Practicing Our Faith. The best book for teenagers I have ever used!

Dorothy Bass has compiled a wonderful collection of writings to help the Believer filter and process various struggles and milestones in one's life. The book, edited by Bass, is written in a very easy-to-read, easy to understand way so as to be applicable to all age ranges, from the teenager to the older adult.

This book is wonderful to read through and can be used for both personal reading and for use with a small group or class. Whether taken in pieces or as the whole, the reading is a wonderful devotion that can be used over and again while still gaining new insights. The book was fantastic to read and absorb and discuss with friends who were facing similar challenges in life, including how to forgive and how to say yes and no.

This book was great for me, someone who works in a church and attends services weekly. However, it is a wonderful read for those who are at all stages of their faith and lives to help grow and understand what wonderful gifts God can give. It will sit on my shelf and be used again and again.

Three cheers for Dorothy C. Bass and her marvelous book, Practicing Our Faith. I selected this book as a reading assignment for a class at seminary because I was captured and intrigued by a question the author posed, "Instead of just being a Christian, how can one bring the meaningfulness of Christianity into one's life?" I'm pleased to say this book is like a personal owner's manual or guide for anyone longing to practice their faith in everyday life.

As the author states, this book is intended for "seekers on journeys of the spirit, committed Christians searching for ways to practice their faith more fully, people of every faith who are concerned about human flourishing and educators concerned about bridging the gap between theory and practice." In other words, it's an individual guide for living a life of integrity. Bass invites eleven theologians to share practices in their lives, families and institutions. The chapters and practices are rich and bold - focusing on many of the basic human activities and needs of our lives - hospitality, saying yes and no, forgiveness and dying well.

If you yearn to live your faith throughout your life and not just in church on Sundays, this book will be an inspiration and guide for doing just that. As the author states, this book will "encourage you to reflect on how you spent your weekends, how you pray, how you offer care to others, and much else." This book is like being held in the warm and loving embrace of a grandparent as they share their wisdom and knowledge. It's warm, encouraging, inspiring and touches the heart.

One of my favorite saying is that each of us are only one decision away from changing our lives. Make reading this book one of those decisions - change your life by practicing your faith each and every day.

What Northrup has to say is as interesting as the way he says it. I really loved his style of writing: chatty, wry, ironic, funny, serious--often at the same time.

I am so happy that he won the 1999 native american journalism award for his editorials, which appear in indian country today , news from inidan country and the circle. this book is wonderful and very funny! the poem he writes about John Wayne visitng Vietnam is a masterpiece and shows " the Duke" for what he really is a wimp and a wuz! get this book it's truly a gem!

This book is brutal without being harsh, funny without being lightweight. In a society where everyone (and I do mean everyone) is made to feel guilty for everone else's suffering, this is a breath of fresh air. The problems Northrup faces every day are aired alongside with the joys. For every pain, he offers a happiness.

And he never says you can't understand. He just offers another way to see his life.

Don't buy Ian Frazier's book if you want any kind of accurate picture of today's Indians. Buy this one instead - this is the book to get if you want to begin to understand the complexities of being an Indian. The author speaks to both the initiated and the ignorant. It's both a moving and a fun read.

I picked this book up at random while browsing the "Native American studies" shelf at my local book megastore, and I was quickly drawn in, reading it cover-to-cover in a day. Jim Northrop is an Anishinaabe who lives on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Northern Minnesota, and in this book he writes about reservation life, about Native American political issues, and about his own travels and experiences. One of the great strengths of this book is his honesty as a memoirist. While sticking largely to a humorous matter-of-fact tone, he does not shy away from his grief at his son's suicide attempt or his difficulties returning from war in Vietnam. Another strength is the conversational quality of the writing itself. At first it bugged me, short sentences put together into these meandering run-on paragraphs, but after some reading I began to think more of Italian vocal technique, where the tone continues, rising and falling, with words just dotted on the surface. Eventually it felt like I was just hanging out with the guy, listening to his interesting stories. There are times when the writing falls down, for example during an extended series of sports metaphors during a dicussion of racism, or in the rather forced series of kangaroo references when describing a tribal "kangaroo court". But despite these problems I found the writing compelling and accessible. I'm not qualified to analyze the political arguments he sometimes makes, but his perspective on treaty rights, sports mascots, and gambling will certainly stay with me, informing and broadening my thinking when I next encounter these issues in daily life.

Superb! As someone of Scottish ancestry who went to graduate school there back in the 1970s, I was naturally drawn to this book. Taken at face value, writing a book on three tiny, uninhabited islands is quite challenging, given the nearly four hundred pages this book encompasses. Mr. Nicolson writes stirring prose as he disects every aspect of the Shiants--history, geology, plant life, animal life, etc. From this, the reader can acquire knowledge on a wide variety of subjects that extend well-beyond these little isles--for example, I learned that the abundant defecation of geese is brought about their need to constantly reduce body weight or else lose the ability to fly, as these are indeed heavy birds.

As one interested in the history of the Western Isles, what these islands experienced has application for this entire area, in that many of the smaller isles have experienced the same trend towards depopulation that have beset the Shiants, with the last permanent residents leaving the Shiants in the early 1900s. The author contends that all of this a byproduct of modern, urbanized society which results in individuals in remote places feeling isolated, a psychology that didn't exist 500 years ago when what one could find on one island or the nearby mainland didn't differ substantially from the small islands you inhabited.

Humor abounds, especially funny to read about his father's experinces in the 1930s, the story of him walking around in the nude as he was the only one there, only to be surprised by unknown visitors having a pic nic. Also in the 1930s, his father invited two beautiful young ladies who were to serve as bridesmaids for the future Queen Elizabeth II for a visit. The author muses on why Dad ever invited them as the rat-infested house had no electricity and conditions were very primitive. The trip ends horribly for the young women, with a rat disrupting their sleep and their having to leave the isle the next day by wading out to the boat taking them back to the mainland. Conditions today are still just as primitive-no electricity, running water, etc.

Best part--the end--beautiful description of sitting on a high hill--with the Isle of Skye to the east, the Outer Hebrides to the west. What a place! What a book!

I bought this book to indulge my interest in Scotland's islands, and found that, and much more. Essentially, this is a memoor with history, geology, flora and fauna tucked into it. The three small Shiant islands in the Hebrides come alive in Nicolson's hands. He's an excellent writer, drawing the reader in without "effect". You can sense his total awe and regard for this legacy. And, except for the rats, you find yourself wanting to live there, for a few summertime weeks, simply exploring coves and beaches and the semi-desolate interiors of these islands. Along the way, you learn a lot, in pleasurable fashion. Nicolson truly touches on the islands' soul. Recommended!

A compelling book about the realities of life in the Scottish Islands. Adam has done an excellent job of blending historical details with his descriptions of this area. Well worth a read!

Not the other way around. This was the greatest theme I took away from Adam Nicolson's "Sea Room," the story of the three tiny, uninhabited Shiant (say "Shant") Islands in the Hebrides of Scotland, which Nicholson inherited from his father (the famed author Nigel Nicolson, the son of Vita Sackville-West).

Nicolson's approach to describing the islands for his readers resembles John McPhee's: it's an engaging blend of natural history (how were the islands formed?), human history (who lived here and why?), archaeology, and ecology (how do the animals and plants of the Shiants form a whole world?). The difference is that Nicolson's passion for place is quite specific: he loves the Shiants like one loves one's parents, infinitely and irreplaceably. You can't imagine him running off and writing a second book about another place.

Nicolson's prose is lyric and detailed at the same time; despite the length (350 pages and more), the story never flags. At the end of the book, Nicholson defends his continued private ownership of the islands (many feel they should be a public trust); I wasn't convinced, but I respected his strong urge to transmit his love of the place to his son and future generations of his family.

By the way, Nicholson publicly offers the keys to his cottage to anyone desiring to stay there (his e-mail address is in the book); but consider first that rats seem now to be part of the natural ecology of the place. But perhaps that won't phase you (it doesn't phase Nicholson a bit!).

Ah, what a fine book this is. Reading it is like spending time with a new friend. Nicholson has a sharp and curious mind and a generous spirit. You may not think you can be much interested in a group of three little islands in the Outer Hebrides - the Shiants - their climate, wildlife, prehistory, geology, archeology, socio-economics, agriculture, shepherding, folk literature, the sea currents around them, and the host of other topics covered in this book, but Nicholson draws you in. Soon you are immersed in whatever there is to be known about what amounts to less than a square mile of rock, cliffs, beach, and meadow.

The book is organized around the turn of the year, beginning with Nicholson's first journey to the islands in his own boat in the spring, and ending with the first gusty wet weather of autumn, as he sits at the window in a two-room cottage writing. Into this annual cycle he interweaves story upon story, often speculative, of how the islands came to be, how they came to be what they are, and the people over thousands of years who have lived here.

As the year passes, Nicholson sketches in the broad sweep of recorded history from St. Columba to the present, noting the several hands through which the islands have passed, including his father's and his own. A team of archeologists identifies the remains of Iron and Bronze Age settlements and spends a summer uncovering a long abandoned farmstead. The discovery of a buried cobblestone with an ancient inscription sends him on one of many attempts to unravel mysteries that he uncovers.

The book is based on considerable research, and Nicholson pieces together a previously unwritten history of the islands with references drawn from many old documents and interviews with historians and other experts. He helpfully illustrates his text with many photographs, drawings, and maps.

This book is for anyone who feels the magical pull of islands. You will not regard them quite the same way again.

This book is very touching. It's about a young girl who's just moved to America and isn't sure if she'll survive or make friends. And that's until she meets Priscilla, a girl who befriends her and they become stuck together like glue. Readers of all ages will enjoy this short, fast-paced book.

The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang is one book that you cannot put down. All though in the beginning, it is sort of boring, once you get through a few chapters, you will not stop reading it until you finish.

This book deserved 200 stars. I loved it the from the moment i started reading it. It is masterful and wonderful. It is appropriate for a large range of ages (i would say from 8 to 15). The suspense is wonderful, and the ending is MARVELOUS! At the beginning, it may seem a bit dull, but if you read on to the 3 or 4th chapter, you will fall in love and not be able to put this book dowm. The plot is remarkable, and it always seems to have you waiting to see how this wonderfully creative girl will solve new problems. Read this book, and see how GREAT it really is for yourself.

"The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang" is an important book for children and adults alike to read. In America, we have so many cultures living side by side, it's important for us to attempt to understand one another. Dori Jones Yang successfully creates a book that is enjoyable, educational, and inspiring. I feel many people will enjoy this book because they can relate to, in one way or another, the main character Jinna. After moving to Seattle from China, Jinna (Gina as she is dubbed in English), finds herself unable to communicate in school. Not only can she not understand and speak English, but she finds herself unable to speak AT ALL. Soon after, Gina is befriended by another class outcast, Priscilla, and both children are able to overcome their anxieties and issues with the help of each other's friendship. This is an excellent, inspiring book. I hope to read more books by Dori Jones Yang in the future.

Dori Yang's ten years in Asia provide her with a rich treasury of Chinese customs. She brings a Chinese family to America and spins exciting yarns. Ms. Yang weaves a colorful tapestry of fantasy, reality, suspense-even desperation. Ultimately, frightening faces become warm and friendly. The language is appropriate and readable for students who need to learn English very quickly. It is an engaging book and important to all students especially to those struggling with our language.

Excellent book. I work in the security space and ended up talking with folks in our Human Factors department about trying to do some work in this area. Other priorities prevented things from going forward. Now they have been re-organized to another department. Does anyone have any hints on how to "sell" this type of program to folks? This book spurred me to action.

Are you a security researcher or professional? If you are, then this book is for you! Editors Lorrie Faith Cranor and Simson Garfinkel, have done an outstanding job of writing a practical book that will help you realize the need for increased security usability in your systems.

Cranor and Garfinkel, begin by stating their premise: that security and usability can be synergistic. Then, the editors take an in-depth look at techniques for identifying and authenticating computer users to systems that are both local and remote. They continue by examining how system software can deliver or destroy a secure user experience. Then, the editors explain how this book is devoted to systems that allow people to control the release of their personal information, enabling them to use the Internet in relative anonymity if they so desire. Then, they look at specific experiences of security and software vendors in addressing the issue of usability. Finally, the editors discuss their collection of classic papers on security and usability that everybody should read.

This most excellent book discusses case studies of usable secure system design, along with the latest thinking about how to approach this problem. More importantly, the content of this book will give developers important insights that will lead to successful designs.

Lorraine Faith Cranor & Simson Garfinkel's SECURITY AND USABILITY: DESIGNING SECURE SYSTEMS THAT PEOPLE CAN USE examines the future of computer security with an eye to consider not only the factors which make a system secure, but how privacy design pitfalls, web bugs, and other issues can affect security choices and effectiveness. Most security titles advocate complex systems which are hard to use, but the authors maintain this belief to be wrong, and provide insights into the future of security which presents over thirty essays from leading security experts around the world.

This isn't a typical O'Reilly book, and it's definitely not an "animal" book. I think that's something that's thrown a lot of people for a loop the first time they see this book. That change is good, however, because what O'Reilly has delivered is a book whose contents will stand up much longer and be more useful than most of the books out there on any technical subject, from any publisher. By having various viewpoints in information rich, managable pieces so well organized, the book itself is usable both as a read through from cover to cover and as a reference.

Security and Usability (S&U) is targeted at two main camps. The usability camp who doesn't quite understand what a security system is. They think in terms of making the user's experience with the software better, and often that means making the design more accomodating. That's great, and very valuable, but sometimes that's been known to compromise the system's security.

The other camp this book targets is a security application or a security system designer. Often this camp doesn't have a great grasp on usability. We (I think I fall into this category) tend to be power users and build systems that work for power users. When regular users (read: "everyone else") encounter such a system they're usually stuck, and understandably so. S&U introduces many usability concepts and paradigms to the software or system designer and provide a springboard for better results.

Make no mistake, this book wont make you an expert in either field, but it will give you a deeper understanding and a strong foothold at improving both scenarios. If nothing else, it gives both camps the vocabulary to start talking and working together.

One of my favorite chapters in the book outlines how ZoneAlarm was designed and implemented, along with some of its issues along the way. This is a remarkably successful application that achieves both good security design and utility while being usable by a large portion of the population. Such a study - and the book has many similar studies to back up viewpoints - is an invaluable aid in getting the message across.

If you write security software, design security systems, or work with a team that does, by all means look at this book. It will improve your product.

I was really hesitant when I got this because I tend to hate collections of academic papers. They're often hard to read, heavily redundant, and jargon filled. This book isn't, and my copy is already dog-eared, and filled with turned-down pages. It is chock full of useful advice, interesting stories, great references, and useful lessons learned. If you build security software, or software with security implications, you should buy this book.

Once you've bought it, it may help to skim the first few chapters, which set the scene, and do contain a fair bit of redundancy, probably unavoidably. If you get bogged down, skip forward, there's lots of great stuff.

[Disclosure: I got a review copy from the authors, but have since bought a copy for someone else.]

A very informative book, however it is easy to see that it was written by professors. The book does make basic business subjects more complex than needed.

With its comprehensive content, the book gives a fantastic overview of the important issues in services marketing today. There are many interesting and practical examples demonstrating the learning points. Well-balanced perspective. Besides giving readers the foundations of concepts and tools to use as services marketing managers, it also gives readers interesting tips on how to get around or leverage on current services strategies used by companies as customers.

Its a very useful book covering all aspects of services marketing. Contents are well organised with real world examples, frameworks that you can apply to practical issues etc. I have read through all the chapters in the book and a few headings very interesting
1) Loyalty
2) Managing services people
3) Understanding service quality
4) Power of service guarantee
I strongly recommend anyone interested in services marketing to buy this book.

As Services industries continue to become a larger and larger share of our global economy, the importance of Services Marketing can only grow. Wirtz and Lovelock have written an excellent book for understanding Services Marketing and backing it up with numerous excellent real world case examples. I have been in the Services industry for 21 years, but still learned a tremendous amount from the book and cases. The book makes it easy to grasp the key concepts and has a logical, smooth flow. If after reading this book and exploring the accompanying cases, you still don't have a thorough knowledge of Services Marketing, it is YOUR fault! I highly recommend this book and think it should be part of every MBA program.

This is such a well-written and well-organized book that you can simply read from cover-to-cover or jump into your interested chapters right away.

Not only does the authors present you with their in-depth coverage of the various services related topics, supplementary materials (papers, cases) from other excellent sources/authors make this an absolute encyclopedia of services marketing and a coherent contemporary literature for both novices and seasoned practitioners.

This is THE book for this very under-written and immensely critical topic of services marketing and an essential reading for the 60-80% of the workforce who are involved in the ever growing services sector.

I Stumbled upon this book in a local library and decided to check it out.it is an excellent overview of Jim Jones and the People's Temple.am going to buy at Amazon.Based on my studies on The People's Temple it was an excellent humanitarian movement in theory, but in practice it failed due to Jim Jones Destructive Personalty,Paranoia and his use of Drugs.Highly recommended Reading!!

Jim Jones and Dan Mitrione....friends in murder, torture, and manipulation in their long CIA careers together...both of their lifestyles backfired on them. Too bad so many innocents went with them...add Jeannie and Alan Mills to that list...perhaps someday people will know the truth about the CIA's involvement in Jonestown and the murder of Congressman Leo Ryan. This book is recommended for the micro view of what life was like inside the People's Temple. To learn the bigger picture, try using FOIA and track down the exchange of documents between Congressman Ryan and the CIA, and then learn the history of Dan Mitrione and Jim Jones in Brazil.

This book is astounding. I have been doing research on People's Temple for awhile now, and pretty much thought I understood the inside workings of this cult. I was very wrong. Six Years With God gives the reader a serious look at Jim Jones and Peoples Temple. I could not put this book down. Jeannie Mills (May she rest in peace)brings us into Peoples Temple like no other. You join the cult with her and her husband. You attend services, you approve of Jim Jones like they did, you question Peoples Temple the same way they do, and most of all you decide to leave with Jeannie Mills, realizing that like them you joined a lie.

I was shocked to read about the abuse, manipulation, and the ability of Jim Jones to make everyone believe what he was doing was for the Cause and Human Rights. When he stomped on the very Cause he was working towards. I was sadden to read about the murders and disappearance of some members. I was frightened to read that as a member there was a point in time when you just couldn't leave. How you would be tormented by others through letters, stalkings, and robbery. I was disheartened to learn that many were lied to about giving up their homes, insurances, and other property to Peoples Temple.

This book answered every question I had and I no longer wondered why and how. I understood that the motivation behind Peoples Temple was not about helping but about power. I was concerned to find out that Jeannie Mills and her husband and daughter were murdered a years after this book was published. I think they knew they were going to die anyway and needed to spread the word and let the truth out. Even former members who are teary eye on television speaking about they were sad it didn't work out. Thank God it did not.

The book reads like a wonderful film. I recommend this book to everyone who wants a real picture of Jim Jones and Peoples Temple.

This book is an excellent book for the explanation and the indside happenings with the People's Temple/ Jim Jones movement. It's ironic that after the book was published, Jeannie, her husband and daughter were mysteriously murdered. By the Catholic Jesuits of course. Jim Jones was a jesuit set up to decieve and kill many. read this book and dont be as stoopid as this poor woman and many others who were so easily sucked into a cult. The only man in autority in the church is Christ. Not the pope, not Jim Jones, not David Koresh, NO MAN!!! Do not be decieved!

I liked this book very much. The way I choose to praise it is to write down the text on its front and back flaps. I think it will help the reader to know if this book is what he/she is looking for:

"To look at Jeannie Mills, you wouldn't think that for six incredible years her life went haywire. At 39, she's both smart and attractive, a good wife to a good man, mother to five terrific kids... the picture of everything that'se right - and possible - in America. But from 1970 to 1976, she and her entire family were bound to a cult that finally became the story of the decade - THE PEOPLES TEMPLE.
"In the autumm of 1976, Jeannie and Al Mills filed a statement with an attorney that was both a personal catharsis and a public plea. It said, in part, the following:

'Jones has a power that operates in fear, guilt and extreme fatigue. While we were in it we did many strange things. We signed over all our property. We wrote and signed false, self-incriminating statements. We had to admit that we were homosexuals and that we molested our children. We had to participate in painful punishments for such minor things as forgetting to call Jones 'Father', forgetting to pay a bill, or for giving a piece of candy to a child. Some of the punishments were beatings, humiliations and medications that made people appear to die (later to be ressurrected by Jones). We were so frightened of him and his power that we would have sworn to anything he asked. We believed that he would always take care of us and would never harm us, even though we witnessed daily atrocieties that should have convinced us otherwise. It is impossible to explain the effect of his brainwashing. We do know that it took months after we left to be able to think and act as normal, reasonable people.'

"While in the temple, Jeannie and All produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash revenues - seha as head of the Publications Office, he as official photographer. They belonged to the prestigious Planning Committee. In late 1975, they left the temple with many of its most important documents, and Jones began a siege of terror against them.
"Throughout 1976, 1977 and 1978, they crusaded to have Jones exposed. They pleaded with the press, with public officials, with the federal government. They worked unceasingly to warn a public that needed the deaths of 912 innocent persons before it would listen.
"This haunting document captures the sinister means by which Jones took advantage of intelligent, but vulnerable, people. In 32 pages of exclusive photographs and in tape-recorded conversations, the unbelievable is revealed. America has never seen anything like it. And - to use a quote that Jim Jones admired a lot - 'those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it'".

this story teaches kids that they have the power to create their own beauty and bring it to their lives. the girl in this book walk around her house and sees some not very nice things, including some not so nice graffiti on a door, and the reader gets a sense of her unease. then she goes to school and her teacher teaches the class the word beautiful, which is described as something, when you have it, that makes your heart happy. so she goes around the neighbourhood asking people what is beautiful to them, and various responses are given. finally the little girl goes back to the graffiti and erases it, making a bit of beauty come into her own world. after that it ends on a sweet note with her mother. i think this a good book to read to a child to teach them that they have the power to make a positive change in the world, and that for every cloudy day there is an optimistic sun hiding unseen that is capable of showing itself to those who look for it.

The story, Something Beautiful, is a wonderful springboard for discussion about how to make sense of a complex world. Big issues are tackled in this book. Gorgeous illustrations and engaging text frame examples of crime, poverty, homelessness, urban living, social structures within families and friendships, and clearly, recognizing the power in oneself to choose a positive perspective of one's life. The engaging illustrations focus on characters' expressions and different micro-settings within the larger picture of an urban neighborhood. All the characters share what they feel is beautiful in their lives to an inquisitive, little girl. My favorite part is when the little girl asks her mother about what is beautiful. Her mother responds, "You, of course!" The author follows the story with a personal experience with her own mother. This is a MUST read aloud for all children. The book will enable you to have a rich, memorable discussion about what is beautiful in a world filled with bad news. You will not be disappointed with this beautiful story!

I love the illustrations in Something Beautiful because it shows how the girl feels. My favorite part is when she goes looking for something beautiful. Then she finds out that she is beautiful. The illustrations are bright and colorful.

I think Something Beautiful was excellent because of Chris Soenpiet's illustrations. I think they were wonderful, marvelous, and interesting. My favorite part was when the little girl found out she was something beautiful. I give this book 5 stars because of the way Chris drew the pictures. I recommend this book to kids of all ages. He made me feel like I was right in the little girl's neighborhood.

Sharon Dennis Wyeth's 1998 book "Something Beautiful" was inspired by her own memories of growing up in a place which was, perhaps, not as beautiful as she would have liked. We follow an unnamed little girl through her neighborhood as she looks for something beautiful as a teacher has instructed her to do. What we see is litter, broken windows, scary graffiti, homeless people, and more. But the little girl manages to find out from everyone she asks what they find beautiful around them. She is variously given the examples of a fish sandwich, a jump rope, some apples at a fruit market, and even a smooth, heavy stone a neighbor carries for good luck. The best and most beautiful example, though, comes from the little girl's mother--and her reply ends the book on a lovely note.

Chris Soentpiet's watercolor illustrations are nothing short of remarkable. They are nearly photographic in their detail and lifelike aspect, and they give a visual rhythm to the text. He is to be commended for his ability to combine both an unflinching look at a downtrodden neighborhood and examples of how we all can find beauty everyday, if we look hard enough.

Sun Ra has remained one of the most misunderstood musicians of our time. And in the case of many music geniuses, Sun Ra would keep the critics and fans at arm's length, but welcome musicians into his world of philosophy and art.

Author John F. Szwed does an almost impossible task of peeling of the layers of myth and disinformation to present the real life, struggles and triumphs of Sun Ra. Szwed brilliantly weaves through the situations which shaped his life while growing up in Birmingham, Ala., the highs and exteme lows in the jazz world of Chicago and New York City & how persistence finally yielded an understanding - on various levels - from fans who also wanted to challenge the barriers erected in the music industry.

The philosophy of Sun Ra is explained and Szwed shows how it influenced every facet of his life on and off stage. I strongly believe Szwed ends any debate on how Sun Ra lived his life and what he demanded from those around him.

This must have been a very difficult undertaking for Szwed, but his outstanding research and balanced reporting yields a fantastic biography on a person we can continue to learn from.

Great book.
If you have an interest in who Sun Ra was you ought to read this. Not a lot of musical analysis, but an extrordinary explanation of the ideas and philosophies behind it. Good job on the life as well.
I wish the highly-praised Lewis Porter Coltrane biography was a quarter as good as this.

The book is well-written and does what it sets out to do - explain who Sun Ra was and what he was doing. This is no mean feat. Sun Ra was a man of many interests and beliefs, of whom many misconceptions exist. Even most of his fans (I've been listening to Ra's music for about 10 years now) will probably learn much and gain tremendous perspective on him from this book (I certainly did).

The book's story is one of a man with artistic genius within him, who probably could have been a millionaire and musical "star" - who chose to do other things instead. Here is the unusual story of what he did and why he did it.

There is room for another book in the world on Ra's discography, that traces the patterns, forms, and themes of his vast catalogue of recorded music. There is room in the world for a book that tells the stories of the members of Ra's Arkestra. But this is not those books, this is the first logical step in studies : an explanation of Sun Ra himself. It's a difficult job very well done.

Frankly, Sun Ra seemed to go out of his way to make a biography pretty much impossible. Professor Szwed is to be commended for his effort, though I think at times the professor takes Ra and himself too seriously. It is a hip jazz disease that Ra played off of brilliantly and would have been amused by.

What is of value is you get some idea of the depth of this fellow, the complexity, the seriousness and simultaneous playfull nature. In being too deep or altogether dismissive of him, we missed the amazing creations.

The book confirmed my evaluation of Ra's heart and motivation. A few years prior to reading this book, I went with my family to an assembly of jazz musicians who processed, played outrageous free jazz, and did this while listening to an old woman recite Sun Ra's poetry while "dancing" and "singing" in Wichita. My young daughter was squealing with delight and loving the wild affair. The adults were being so "into it", solemn, and so serious. This book confirmed to me she was likely the only one Sun Ra would have concluded got it. He probably would have commenced to direct the band to improvise off of her squeals.

He from above probably was smiling and particularly happy that a little white girl "understood the vibrations" and would have been encouraged for the future of the earth which he was convinced would take all the races working in harmony to rescue.

This is, simply put, the greatest jazz biography I have ever read. Sun Ra is a complex and fascinating character, and Szwed's narrative more than lives up to the challenge. The most impressive thing about this book is that Szwed places Ra's, shall we say, bizarre beliefs in a context that makes him seem brilliant, lonely, compassionate, and vulnerable--in a word, human. Interwoven with the facts of Ra's life, his childhood, his musical development, his status as 60s cult icon, Szwed goes into long, fascinating digressions on the roots of Ra's beliefs--from ancient Egyptian mythology to the Bible. After reading this book, it was as if a whole world had been opened to me, and I now enjoy and appreciate Ra's art so much more. I wish I could convey how much this book moved me...it is more than the best jazz biography I have ever read, it is one of the best biographies I have ever read, period. If you are at all interested in Sun Ra, experimental jazz, or modern mythmaking, then DO NOT hesitate to pick this book up.