Perspective Books

Commodore John Rodgers: Paragon Of The Early American Navy is a solid, interpretive biography that observes Rodgers' role in history during America's Age of Sail in the early 1800s. Based upon extensive manuscript sources, particularly the copious Rodgers family papers, and numerous articles, essays, and monographs on American naval history, Commodore John Rodgers paints a vivid picture of the man who served with great distinction in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary War, and the War of 1812; dedicated himself to building a strong navy of the absolute highest professional standards; and put his beliefs to the test. Enthusiastically recommended reading, especially for naval history buffs.

This book was needed for a class about to launch off. I received it in a quick manner, it was in great condition, and I am soon to purchase another book. I couldn't have passed my class without this book and I was excited about getting it on time. Thanks.

This comprehensive and detailed book with multiple expert contributions is an invaluable asset in undertaking one of the most difficult areas of health practice, communication risk to members of the public.

Although it is a bit pricey (almost $1.00/page) Ms. Czech shows herself to be very knowledgeable and gives the reader valuable insight based upon her vast experience with the subject matter. She manages to not only make a dry subject interesting, but extends current research in directions that will keep you on your toes.

This is an excellent book, with a really clear argument and analysis. If you are interested in rural politics, comparative political science, or social movements and rebellions, it is worth checking out.

For those of you interested in new approaches to difficult issues of schooling, education, and the community, I highly recommend this book.

In the era of Attac and kriticism against international trade, this is a valuable resource for understanding what has been thought earlier within the diciplin of economics.

In this collection of the best writing on teaching and teachers from the HARVARD EDUCATIONAL REVIEW, authors discuss the multiple demands, distractions, desires, and dilemmas that teachers face in their daily work. The Complex World of Teaching refuses to reduce teaching to a set of recipes, or to talk about teaching abstracted from practice. Provocative articles by leading scholars complement reflective, personal essays by teachers to illustrate the intricate webs of relationships and responsibilities that teachers manage constantly as they teach. Sections provide both theoretical and practical insights into the inner worlds of teachers and students and show how skillful teachers manage to create effective learning environments at the intersections of these worlds. The combination of theoretical articles and personal essays by practitioners make this book a perfect choice for teacher education courses.

"A valuable-and surprisingly vivid-portrayal of the experience of teachers and students, both in the classroom and beyond it. Teachers everywhere will be grateful." -Jonathan Kozol, Author of Amazing Grace

"A remarkable mixture of theory and practice....This work is vital for teachers exploring themes from everyday life and connections between the inside and outside worlds of teaching and learning. It also reflects the tensions between these two worlds, and how schools provide the place where these tensions play out." -Betty Rosa, Superintendent, New York City Community School District 8

Complexity and Analysis Outstanding, with clarity and appropriate emphases. Any systems-oriented scholar, researcher, or layman would be wise to enjoy and to study Professor Umphrey's excellent work.

"A Comprehensive Guide to Child Custody Evaluations" is outstanding! It does it all. This is the book for you if you are: 1. just getting involved with child custody cases or have dealt with these cases for years, 2. appointed by courts to do a custody evaluations, 3. an attorney involved in divorce cases where child custody is involved, 4. a judge dealing with these cases, 5. a litigant, or 6. in any school situation that deals with students and their parents in conflicts over the custody of their children. Dr. Joanna Rohrbaugh clearly sets out the roles each participant plays--judge, attorney, parent, evaluator-- in these disputes and makes clear each participant's obligations both legally and ethically. The language Dr. Rohrbaugh uses is clear as a bell and avoids legalese. If you click on the "Search inside this Book" to the left top of the listing page, you can download the first chapter and see how readable the text is. I found the book to be user friendly, and it comes with a CD with all sorts of useful down-loadable forms.

"A Comprehensive Guide" is just that, comprehensive. Every subject you can imagine is here. The book is well documented using the latest statistics as well as a vast reading list for anyone needing more information on any particular subject. Again, click on "Search inside this Book" and you will see the extensive Table of Contents and the index. All through the book, Rohrbaugh uses "boxes" with bullet points to make information immediately understandable (you can see one on page 23 of the Introduction).

The text helps you every step of the way. For instance, one difficult part of these cases is knowing where to begin. Chapter 12, "Conducting and Reviewing Evaluations," for example, starts with an explanation as to how to screen referrals from the first phone call an evaluator receives from the court. All the information then is summarized in Box 42 by bullets such as this partial example:

*Conflict of interest?
*Attorneys--character, competence, professional style
*Private case--ability to pay? Need for adjusted rates?
*State-pay case--sufficient hours pre-approved?

The steps Dr. Rohrbaugh takes you through and the types of issues you need to consider, are so detailed that a review like this can hardly scratch the surface. What you will find, as you study the book, is that she touches on nearly everything you need to consider in evaluating a child's home situation and makes clear how to write the evaulation, how to communicate with other professionals involved with the case, how to deal with diversity in family structures, how to deal with mental illness in parents, etc. I might mention, too, that Dr. Rohrbaugh lists the various types of payment an evaluator receives...she is very explicit which is a great help!

In many ways, the best part about this book is the clarity Dr. Rohrbaugh brings to the highly complex world of custody battles. She explains the "how to," but her narrative also explains the "why" and untangles for us how the courts and custody battles got to where they are. Dr. Rohrbaugh's common sense approach along with her deep expertise in the field, makes this book a necessity to anyone involved in court ordered child custody cases.