Wisconsin Books

Personally, I don't know of any book that would be as effective as this one in outlining what the author is trying to get across. Starting as a student in Kindergarten all the way through a multi-year teaching career in the same school system...how do you get a better viewpoint than that?

It's a great read and I recommend it to anybody regardless of whether they're involved in education or not.

I found this book to be a compelling and engrossing non-fiction work. I loved how the author was able to bring me into his life and expose a system I never had any experience with. Even as the school system declines there is an overwhelming respect for the students and administration. Michael Wenzel's approach and detailed analysis is thorough without getting lost in the minutia. His career and community service is an inspiration for us all.

I just finished reading this book, there are many things that can be said. I am a current Milwaukee Public School teacher and this book reaches me on different levels. It is easy to get caught up in this mans life, the book is very hard to put down. There are many interesting stories, pictures that date back to the 1950's, and suggestions on how to improve the current state in inner city public schools. Anyone who is an educator would love to read this book. Anyone who likes to read a good story, or anyone who has children in school right now will be entertained and enlightened. Get this book today, you will not be sorry.

Natural Landscaping is an essential resource for anyone interested in landscaping with native plants. The importance of learning to use native plants is so important as we face continuing droughts in various parts of the country, including here in Williamsburg, VA. The book is so full of information that I find myself going back to it often. Many thanks to the authors for this fine volume.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Natural Landscaping: Designing With Native Plant Communities by licensed architect and landscaping authority John Diekelmann and natural plan restoration expert Robert Schuster is a fascinating, "user friendly" instructional guide on basic landscaping principles, as well as cogent, authoritative advice on how to restore wetlands and introduce native plant species for wetlands, grasslands, forests, and more. Black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates wonderfully illustrate this meticulous, fact-filled, professional quality, highly recommended "how-to" guide for anyone aspiring to enhance or restore native plant communities.

I have the 1982 edition of this book - I stumbled across it and have been amazed ever since that such a book was written in 1982 before this approach to gardening/landscaping was popular.
It is tailored to the midwest, but the technical solidity and sound design concepts should apply anywhere.

Betsy Andrews's book-length poem, "New Jersey," is extremely exciting and thought-provoking. Betsy's passion and use of the English language are truly awe-inspiring. She's one of the country's most brilliant young poets. "New Jersey" is not to be missed by lovers of poetry and the English language.

Winner of the 2007 Brittingham Prize in Poetry, New Jersey is a book-length, free-verse poem that weaves a diverse portrait of America, from its landfills and wetlands to its weapons labs, politics, and human consciousness. Heavily grounded in industrial metaphor, New Jersey is keenly whetted with savage honesty about the death of a thousand cuts inflicted by the demands of technology, war, industry, and pollution. "Turnpike immaculate, the salt marsh flanked in / masks, cupids, urns, plumage, syringes, food wrappers, cigarette butts, / the carved and gilded heraldry of a clean-up crew called Special Removal, / leasing themselves like automobiles registered to a series of dummy corporations / wraparound ballistics the belief in an extraordinary rendition of / the axiom 'let every soul be subject'".

This latest On the Road salvo is a quest to make sense of speed, short attention spans, and the pastiche of bad taste and sheer stupidity and terror that some mistakenly think is the soul of America. Much closer to that complex, diverse and elusive soul is the passion and insight that compels Andrews through her journey of self-discovery and naming. Traveling the same physical and psychic highways as Williams and Pound before her, this new poet makes a compelling and impressive Statement of Arrival in this debut. This is a poet to listen to, to watch.

--Robert McDowell, author of a book on poetry in spiritual practice, which is due out later this year.

Pat Getz-Gentle draws upon thirty-five years of meticulous scholarship and research in Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture, the latest contribution to the outstanding University of Wisconsin Press series, "Wisconsin Studies in Classics" Here presented is a 185-page definitive work on Cycladic sculpture provides a wealth of new material and fresh insights into a artistic tradition which is rooted in the Neolithic period spanning the third millennium B.C. The reader is treated to a an informative and challenging review of this tradition of artistic express as Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture gives special emphasis on the stages leading to the reclining figure with folded arms that is the unique and quintessential icon of the early Bronze age culture at the center of the Aegean. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture also focuses on the discernibly unique styles of fifteen specific carvers. By introducing little-known pieces attributable to these sculptors, Pat Getz-Gentle superbly illuminates various phases of their artistic development. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is enhanced with a special chapter by European art history and lecturer Jack de Vries, a profusion of photos and drawings illustrating 212 different works of Cycladic sculpture. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is an impressive, seminal, accessible, original body of work that will prove to be an invaluable addition to Art History Studies in general, and Hellenic Sculpture Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections in particular.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

Parenthood In America: Undervalued, Underpaid, Under Siege is a compilation of contributions by professionals engaging in research and discussions about "parenthood" as it is being experienced in the American culture today. After succinct and compelling analysis of the current stresses and problems involved with parenthood, a body of recommendations emerge in behalf of having family-friendly workplaces and decent child care options; family health care for all members; programs aiding the development of children in addition to their physical health; recognition by professionals of parental expertise regarding their own children; alternatives to vapid or violent games and television programming; prioritization of family meals, talks, chores, and activities within the parenting schedule; valuing caring relationships above the accumulation of wealth or the acquisition of possessions; an appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; and family support in community settings. Highly recommended for both child development professionals and interested non-specialist readers alike, Parenthood In America is a welcome and much needed addition to academic and community parenting studies reference collections.

I need a teachers edition

I'd like to know if this book is teacher's edition?

As an instructor at a college, I have used the last three editions of Mr Slater's book since 1999. This has to be one of the most understandable, helpful and explanatory textbooks ever produced.
The examples are clearly written, and the use of small,quick reference 'vignettes' make it so easy for the student to get answers to just about any question they want to pose.
I use many textbooks, as I teach various business and management subjects, and this one stands head and shoulders above any other textbook covering this particular discipline.
The BEST part of this book? It can be kept as a reference guide for just about any mathematical question that comes up in everyday life, such as credit card balances, mortgage amortizations etc.

I spent 10 years as a naturalist in the Madison area, and I wish this book had been available then. Theodore Cochrane's descriptions are precise and well-written, and his tight collaboration with Kandis Elliot and Claudia Lipke (the designers / photographers) ensures both the accuracy of the images and an economy of space that is often missing in field guides: virtually every page is packed to the gills with information. The only problem with the book is that the title suggests it is of limited use outside the UW-Madison Arboretum. This is not the case. In fact, the book would be useful to prairie enthusiasts throughout most of the upper Midwest.

Excellent book for those interested in Midwest prairie plants. Photos are very good quality and plant descriptions are thorough yet concise. Organized by plant family.

Written by Theodore S. Cochrane (Senior Academic Curator of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Herbarium), Kandis Elliot and Claudia S. Lipke (senior artists in the Department of Botany), Prairie Plants of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum is a beautiful guide featuring full color photography throughout. Each page of this lavish guide features a different plant, with descriptions of its leaves, flowers, fruits, range and habitats in Wisconsin, and other insights, not to mention multiple images of the species' leaves and flowers especially. A brief introductory section discussing prairies, a glossary, and an index round out this lavish reference, which is surely the next best thing to visiting the UW-Madison Arboretum in person.

Russian Symbolism seems to be a peculiar literary movement at first glance. But Russian Symbolists inherited very much from German romantics. I'm also a student of Russian Symbolism, especially of Ivanov's heritage, like the author. I was captivated by this book. This fascinating book has become for me a model of my research (especially the chapter 10 is splendid!): a "mirror" of what I think about Ivanov. An excellent book both for specialists and for simple literature lovers.

A trenchant investigation of an essential subject. Rarely have I encountered such a profound treatment of this highly intriguing subject. The book is a must for anyone interested in German-Russian literary relations.

Russian Symbolism seems to be a peculiar literary movement at first glance. But Russian Symbolists inherited very much from German romantics. I'm also a student of Russian Symbolism, especially of Ivanov's heritage, like the author. I was captivated by this book. This fascinating book has become for me a model of my research (especially the chapter 10 is splendid!): a "mirror" of what I think about Ivanov. An excellent book both for specialists and for simple literature lovers.

Come on people! I--devotee of Whitman, Stevens, Hart Crane, Kenneth Fearing--have looked high and low for great living American poets. Jim Daniels is definitely one. Daniels is remarkably hard hitting, funny, empathetic. He writes about work, race, religion and family. But it is his craft--music and imagery--that separate him from the pack. This book, unlike most contemporary poetry books, will stay with you after you close the covers. So buy it.

Come on people! I--devotee of Whitman, Stevens, Hart Crane, Kenneth Fearing--have looked high and low for great living American poets. Jim Daniels is definitely one. Daniels is remarkably hard hitting, funny, empathetic. He writes about work, race, religion and family. But it is his craft--music and imagery--that separate him from the pack. This book, unlike most contemporary poetry books, will stay with you after you close the covers. So buy it.

I often cuss the current crop of poets. Many of them seem to be self-infatuated blowhards who are writing in some kind of inbred code that will allow them to congradulate each other on how wise they are. Unless you have an alphabet soup of degrees behind your name, as most of us don't, you can't grasp a blessed word being said.

Daniels, who worked in a Detroit auto plant to pay his way through graduate school, doesn't seem that way at all. His work, though deep, is accessible,and his use of language is down-to-earth. This is something I really admire in a poet-when he writes not to be studied, but to be read.

His inspiration comes from a myriad of sources. His troubled religious faith, his family, his years in the factory followed by years in academia, even the music of the J. Geils Band all provide fodder for him. This book is a synopsis of Daniels' poetic career, allowing us to see him at all phases of his artistic development, and it's all a pleasure to be seen.

The poems even have different structures. Some rhyme, some don't. Some, like "Time, Temperature," are long and meaty, while others, like "The Fall," are quick and concise. None of them slack, no matter what their length, and all are pleasing for a broad cross-section of the reading public to consume.

Despite his luminous c.v., Daniels is a poet of the people, a creator of work that cries out to be read. If you love poetry, grab this book quickly. Even if you don't love poetry, this book will be a worthy investment. Read it often and enjoy!

This is a very enjoyable trip through a difficult time in our history...many memories and very good recipes. I have the other books in the series and refer to them a lot.

This book has older recipes that dont use a lot of artifical or convience foods. Also included are short 1-2 paragraph blurbs or stories of life in the depression years. I found it wonderful reading.

WOW ! Wish I had read this when my parents (born in the 1920s) were alive! What a great lesson in understanding our Senior Citizens. This book is an excellent combination of healthy and clearly written recipes from the 1930s PLUS a lesson in history of what the Great Depression was like and how it affected people during their entire lifetime. Many personal accounts of life from Depression era is in this book. It was easy to keep interested in a subject usually glossed over or boring in lack of personal details in our American history books. Cookbook collectors should have this one ! Anyone having parents who lived through the Depression and WWII should also read this book. The recipes are good ones that many of us will still recognize today as passed down through families in "Mom's best home cooking." Suddenly the light will dawn on understanding older loved ones. I plan on ordering more copies of this cookbook to give as gifts.

At one time an African nation composed of two large tribes has a slaughter, a genocide. The people in power, let's call them Tribe 1, decided to eliminate the Tribe 2. A few years later Tribe 2 has gained power so began the slaughter/genocide of Tribe 1.

In this book Tribe 1 is the Huto, Tribe 2 is the Tutsi. Unfortunately this is a story so often repeated that the names almost do not matter. This could have been any of a number of countries.

And the countries do not have to be in Africa. We had the Holocaust in Germany, Ethnic Clensing in what was left of Yugoslavia. We've had people seemingly going nuts as they did in China's Cultural Revolution. And then there are places like Israel, Northern Ireland and oh so many more.

The story though keeps coming back to Africa. Taking place in the mid 1990's, this is a story of Africa, its leadership, such as it is. And it's a story of Africa before AIDS.

The story in this book is a story of the survival of a Huto woman at the hands of the Tutsi. It's a story of struggle against terrible odds -- and she made it.

I love this book but I am sickened by its content. I'm willing to bet that few people reading "Surviving the Slaughter" have ever had a bad year that adds up to just one day of Marie Beatrice Umutesi's many bad days depicted in this memoir. This is the story of the incredible hardship and endless courage and stamina of a lone woman who, miraculously, lived to tell her tale.

Why didn't we in the USA know more about this genocide? In New York City I am surrounded by the "survivors" of the WTC attack on 9/11/01 and constantly assaulted by their self-serving weeping and wailing. If one half the population of New York City had died on 9/11/01 the numbers would begin to equal the slaughter of this one genocide in Rwanda. Reading this book definitely gives the reader a context within which to judge the relative impact and importance of current events.

Having read my share of translations I must tip my hat to Julia Emerson for bringing this memoir to the attention of the English speaking world by making such a clear, readable and intelligent translation.

This is the tragic and triumphant autobiography of a Rwandan Hutu woman who, after living for a couple of years as an internally displaced person in Rwanda and then surviving the horrific conditions in the camps that were - illegally - set up in by the UN in Zaire within shelling distance of the Rwandan border and further down the road in the death camp at Tingi Tingi, decided, along with tens of thousands of others to try to escape from the murderous attacks of Kagame's RPF, UN bounty hunters and Kabila's troops by taking to the roads in an effort to find a way out of the country. She took around ten children, none of them her own, with her and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to keep them alive during months of trekking through trackless tropical forests during the rainy season, walking barefoot on blistering roads, eating whatever they could scavenge in the deserted villages along the way.

We have heard a lot about the tragedy of the Tutsi genocide in 1994. What we haven't heard, partly because the press has been manipulated by the current Tutsi regime in Rwanda and partly because the U. S. continues to count on Kagame to keep our access open to the minerals in Congo - particularly coltan, which is used in cell phones and computers - is that as many Hutu as Tutsi have been killed both before and after 1994. Books like "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" by Philip Gourevitch were highly misleading and only served to reinforce the mistaken view that all Hutu were genocidal and all Tutsi innocent victims, and as a result the world has let at least 750,000 innocent Hutu be slaughtered while their killers enjoy impunity. And that is not even counting the 3,000,000 Congolese who have died.

The first chapters of the book give an overview of the history Rwanda and life in the camps, and the rest of it deals with Umutesi's trek across Zaire. It is even handed, understated, immensely powerful and very timely. It was published in French, Spanish, Catalan and Dutch before being translated into English.