New Books

This book is awesome! I had breast cancer over 3 years ago. Several friends tried unsuccessfully to find "good reads" to help me along my road. I found this book recently and loved it! It is an actual experience with truth, humor, and insight. I have gone to Amazon to find as many copies as I can. I want to be ready to hand someone a copy if the need arises. Be prepared to shake your head in agreement, laugh outloud, heavy sigh, and cry.

This is an incredible book. Laura Jensen Walker has beautifully and sometimes humorously, written about her breast cancer journey. I read this book in the hospital following my breast cancer surgery (3/01) and have been very inspired by Laura's writing. This is the first book I loan out to others when they are first diagnosed. I highly recommend "Thanks For The Mammogram" !!
Karen Lange, Asst. Mgr., FriendsInTouch.net (an online breast cancer support site)

"Almost everyone - whether it's your friend, neighbor, coworker, wife, mother, or sister has been touched by breast cancer. The cancer survivors I've talked to over the years say that what helped them through their ordeal was faith and often humor." ~Laura Jensen Walker

What is more healing than laughter when you are faced with a situation you can't control? Even science has shown the healing power of laughter. Cancer isn't funny, but somehow the author finds a way to heal through her own vibrant wit. Many of the chapters are rather serious until the end when she gives the punch line.

This is a book about courage, hope and humor. Laura Jensen Walker demonstrates her ability to face the challenge of cancer and fight it with faith, hope and "mild/laid back" humor.

I learned a lot about reconstruction, chemo and was amazed at how Laura's husband stood by her through the entire process.

"How to Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days: The Chemo Diet Way. The original Slim-Fast liquid diet. (But not one I'd recommend.)" was an interesting chapter to be sure. This spells it all out, tells you what chemo is all about and it isn't fun especially if your nurse forgets to give you "zofran." Yes somehow Laura finds a way to appreciate the effects of rapid weight loss even when it is the result of chemo.

If you want to understand what a cancer survivor goes through, this is the book. I recently read "Knowing Stephanie" which I can also recommend for the detailed information and pictures.

The last chapter on what really matters was also quite inspirational.

You may also enjoy:

Mental-pause
Through the Rocky Road and into the Rainbow Sherbet: Hope & Laughter for Life's Hard Licks

~The Rebecca Review

I have never been diagnosed with breast cancer, but I am certain anyone facing this disease would want a copy of Laura Walker's "Thanks for the Mammogram." Mrs. Walker remarks that this book was the hardest thing she ever had to write. Like any good memoir, it takes in the uncomfortable, even embarrassing moments as well as the lighter and uplifting ones.

Walker includes a lot of detail, from procedures like reconstruction, chemotherapy right down to the day-to-day patient care and how she felt emotionally. But this is not a gruesome story--instead it is intended to help anyone else along the road to recovery. The best chapter "Where do I go from here" gives eight important points (such as taking charge of your treatment, talking to your family, dropping the Wonder Woman cape for women who do it all) and also useful addresses and a list of books.

This book is interesting reading for any woman, but if you have a loved one facing this challenge or if you are a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you should get this book. Nothing I have read comes close to this book for frankness and assistance.

Breast cancer is a big deal. Serious stuff. Many women die from it. Other women endure masectomies. Why make light of such a heavy topic? Simple: humor is healing.

Laura Jensen Walker has something to say about breast cancer. She's a survivor. She has faced this beast, and now is able to articulately help readers smile in the midst of a tough time.

In "Thanks for the Mammogram!" Jensen tells her story. Most of the book details a narrative of her diagnosis, treatment and how she survived. However, in reflecting through the most difficult of moments, she draws us in ala Erma Bombeck into candid silliness. It is as practical as it is funny.

Boldly bringing humor into a discussion of cancer marks this book as a standout among its peers. Having lost my mother to lung cancer and flipping through too many solemn tomes of pop-psychology, I read through Jensen's book refreshed. I wished my mom could've read this book. At a certain point, cancer is cancer, and anyone with any cancer would enjoy "Thanks for the Mammogram!"

Each page is a different view of her situation. For example, she spends a delightful chapter on the end of her chemo, and how she and her husband (a 'Disnoid') celebrated this landmark at Disneyland. We read of her struggle to find a decent book to read (unless Mickey Mouse's various adventures appealed to an adult woman, that is).

The chapters are in very chewable chunks--none too long.

With chapters like, "To Baldly Go Where I've Never Gone Before" (a consideration of Capt. Jean Paul-Luc Picard, Michael Jordan and other sexy baldies, she looks for the upside of a hairless head), you, like me, might find a new way of seeing what so many people go through.

She admits her fears, but pushes also the benefits of having a realistic, yet positive view of dealing with breast cancer. Jensen explains her husband's point of view in the whole matter (even letting him write a chapter, "Her Body, His Pain"). She walks the reader through the process, citing how she related to people who had or didn't have cancer.

I fully recommend "Thanks for the Mammogram!" by Laura Jensen Walker. It is a very worthy gift for those whom you love who have cancer, or know someone who does.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Wonderfully written. The characters are very well drawn out, especially Graceanne and her mother. The story is told from Graceanne's brother's perspective. Although many people in her life see Graceanne as being a misbehaving "problem" child, it is clear from the way she treats her siblings and friends that Graceanne is one of the most loving characters I have ever met. I was sorry that the book ended. I want to know more about what happens in their lives. I highly recommend this book.

Very true to life story of a fractured family. You will have a hard time putting it down.

Once I began reading this book, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was anxious to get back to the story to find out what happened to these children, always hoping that some drastic event would change their lives for the better. The writing is so vivid that you can easily picture the settings and feel their pain. The ending leaves you haunted and wishing to go back and make it right for them. I highly recommend this book as one of the best that I have read.

The minute I finished this book I wanted to talk about it with someone. I wanted to explore the rich Missouri setting, the strong characters that are authentic and interesting, and the issues of racisim and child abuse that rage through this novel like the river that floods Graceanne's home town.

In a nutshell, Graceanne is a spirited highly intelligent child who is the sole recipient of her mother's violent abuse. She remains strong, witty and true to herself throughout the entire novel. I strongly disagree with a fellow reviewer who believes that Graceanne "got what she deserved" because she was such a willful and devilish child. I believe her antics, such as hiding out in the school's flooded basement for two days so that she could be "Champion for Eternity" in a game of hide-and-seek, was her way of not letting the abuse do her in. It was her way of preserving her soul.

At first I was really worried that the child-abuse scenes would be too vivid. I worried that they would be the central imagery of the story. They aren't. Whitney uses them just enough, and is detailed just enough, so that you know how sick the mother really is. The author often makes you laugh and smile at a small town childhood, and small town kids getting into small town mischief.

This is really a story of kids overcoming the hands that life has delt them. Charlie overcoming his club foot, Graceanne her abuse and Wanda the racism that plagued that era of American history. These kids perservere with such charm and such thoughtfulness. In the end you are cheering for them, and praying that happiness will follow them beyond the wire hanger beatings of their childhood.

This is a book that sticks with you. Read it.

What an amazing book! The soul-touching story, combined with some of the most incredibly natural, infectious humor since Mark Twain, makes this one of the most uplifting books I've read in recent years.

The main characters -- 9 year-old Charlie, the narrator, and 12 year-old Graceanne, his sister -- are immensely endearing and admirable. They are growing up -- along with their older sister, 16 year-old Kentucky -- living with their recently-divorced mother on the 'wrong side of the tracks' in a small town in northern Missouri in the early 1960s. Their dad isn't in the picture much -- an alcoholic soldier who beats their mother, he's sent packing early on in the story, and makes himself scarce after his exit.

The mother, Edie, would probably be diagnosed today as being neurotic or psychotic. In her never-ending struggle to 'keep up appearances', she constantly nags her kids about their manners, the company they keep, &c. On several occasions, she asks out loud 'What have I ever done to deserve such demon children?' She takes most of her frustrations with her life, along with her complete misunderstanding of her children, on the intelligent, precocious Graceanne. On several occasions, she beats her until she's bloody. It's easy to understand how the kids would come to see themselves as a burden to her -- if it weren't for their seemingly indestructable spirits.

Graceanne is a tough child with a reputation to match. Near the beginning of the book, Charlie (actually short for Charlemange, which should tell you MORE about their mother), who has a correctable club foot, is musing about being bullied by the other children in town. He dismisses worrying about the other kids with these thoughts about his sisters (from p.9): 'The two worst bullies in Cranepool's Landing were ALREADY exercising their license as family members to beat me silly -- "whale on you, young man" -- on a regular basis, leaving all other potential assailants the status of respectful, but backward, admirers of my sisters' originality and prowess.'

Graceanne has an IQ of 165 -- and Charlie's is a very respectable 139. The author gives these children -- especially Graceanne, acquired by Charlie possibly simply by being in her presence -- incredible voices. Graceanne's use of newly-absorbed vocabulary words doesn't come across as much as an attempt to show off as it does as a means of asserting her inteligence and individuality in an atmosphere that tends to crush it.

She is also a universally feared and respected softball player. Some of the parents of the other kids even suspect that she's a boy. From p.248: 'She could hit anything that came at her, and she'd slice the ball belt-high through the infield, so close to the player she was aiming at that most players couldn't possibly catch it. A couple of parents complained that Graceanne was trying to peel the skin off their kids; the ball would come so fast and so hard and so tight that the only sensible thing to do was to hit the dirt when they saw it coming...'

There are several notable events in the book -- which takes place over the course of a little over a single year, from April 1960 to July 1961. It is the time of the Kennedys and Camelot, of the boiling pot of race relations in American coming to a head, before Vietnam -- a time of innocence and discovery, tailor-made for an imagination and spirit like that possessed by this young heroine. After her parents' divorce, her mother is forced by economics to move her family to a 'bad' part of town. Graceanne becomes fast friends with Wanda, the young black girl who lives next door -- which brings out some revealing comments and feelings from her mother, showing her to be anything BUT the color-blind person she has professed to be.

There are some tender, poignant moments in the novel as well -- both between Graceanne and her friend Wanda and between the siblings. Little brothers at this age historically do not endear themselves to their sisters, or vice versa. Through the course of the book, Charlie wrestles with what he eventually recognizes as growing feelings of love for his sister. From p.275, he wonders about his feelings that are awakened by hearing Elvis' 'Love me tender': 'I wondered if I loved anyone tenderly. I knew I loved Mike the dog, who you couldn't sing an Elvis song to because he was an animal. And I looked around and saw Graceanne with her doll hair and her glasses and her soft skin and I thought maybe I loved her, who would laugh at me if I sang Elvis to her. It came as a big surprise to me that I loved my sister.'

The novel is filled with moments like these -- but the action sequences never become over-the-top or unbelievable, and the touching moments never become maudlin. The author transposes her vision of this story onto the page with an easy grace and eloquence, touched with humor and sympathy for these wonderful characters. This is a story that can be enjoyed by adult readers -- and indeed, I came away with the impression that it was written for them -- and intelligent young people as well. It's quite an achievement.

I read this book to my children (7 and 5) just before our vacation to Newfoundland. It was a great way to learn a bit of historical NL culture and prepare for a wonderful vacation. They loved Thunder and Tom, and could not wait for me to finish reading this book to them. Thunder, a smart and perceptive dog, helps Tom and his adoptive family survive many potential tragedies.

THUNDER OF THE SEA IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!!!!!It's about a boy who's never had a home, finally he goes home with strangers and hopes to find a home. then when he's starting to question whether he's going to be just the worker boy or part of the family he finds a miricle dog in the middle a of storm. then everything changes he starts trouble between familys he goes through a constant struggle to belong. thunders love is strong enough to keep them together but is it strong enough to keep the family together as they face nature's fury and other opsticles.

Thunder From the Sea
How would you like to be an orphan who moved into a new family with new people? Well Tom, the main character in this book did and he always wanted a dog. Finally he got one while he was sailing with Enoch and their neighbors the Bosworth's. They saw a black thing in the water when a thunder storm was on the way . They rescued what was a dog and named him Thunder. " Thunder From the Sea" was written by Joan Hiatt Harlow.. If you like realistic fiction you should pick up this book in your library. My favorite part is when Fiona and Tom are trapped in a blizzard on a sheet of ice right before Fiona has her baby . The feeling that I have about this book is that it is a wonderful extravagant book especially if you like dogs. This book takes place on Back "O" the moon island. The most important problem is if Tom can keep Thunder. After all the dog is not really his. He tries to solve the problem by showing how much he loves Thunder. But will it work? Can Tom keep Thunder?

By Emily

The book Thunder from the Sea, by Joan Hiatt Harlow, takes place in 1929 on the island of Back O' the Moon, which is part of Newfoundland. It is a realistic fiction book, and the chapters are a little on the short side (around 5-12 pages long).

The main characters in the book were Tom Campbell, who is an orphan that is going to live with a fisherman and his wife; the fisherman Enoch, who is a kind man that has a nice house on top of a hill, and his wife, Fiona, who is also kind and very friendly. There are other families on the island, like the Bosworths.

In the book, Tom is just starting to live with the Murrays (Enoch & Fiona). He is treated as part of the family and helps Enoch with repairing fishing supplies, and he even goes out fishing with Enoch and his friends. One day, while they are out fishing, a storm appears and Tom rescues a dog struggling to stay alive. Tom names him Thunder, and soon the dog proves his loyalty many times by rescuing various people from disasters. Then Fiona gets pregnant and Enoch is out on a fishing trip. Margaret tells Tom to get Fiona to the doctor, all the way across the frozen harbor, because there isn't much Margaret can do to help under the circumstances. Thunder has to bring Fiona over the harbor with Tom's help very quickly. But then, Tom looses his compass and a blizzard strikes. Will Thunder be able to save Fiona and her new baby?

My favorite part of Thunder from the Sea is when the mummers come to the Murray's house. It is very mysterious, and some parts about that are confusing, but it's interesting to learn about some of the Newfoundland customs. And, later in the book, it's interesting to find out who they were in the first place.

I think that Thunder from the Sea is a very good book with a lot of action. This is a good book about a boy and the loyalty he has for his dog. I would recommend it to people who like dogs and who like suspenseful books. I would give Thunder from the Sea 4 stars. * * * *

I got this book from the book fair at my school.It is a very beloved story.It is about a boy name Tom who gets sent to live with a fisherman and his wife, and he finds a dog of his dreams by the sea in the middle of a storm,but now the fishermans wife is pregnant and the dogs owner may be found.Just read it and find out more.DO NOT listen to any bad reveiws of this book,just trust me read it is VERY VERY good.

i am finding this book to be full of useful, thoughtful and helful advice. i enjoy dr. jenn's voice and perspective. i am a new parent i am enjoying reading about how to foster trust and openness in my relationship w/my children, and how to encourage their creativity, honesty and conifdence. i am also a seasonsed teacher and found the information and suggestions on sports, diet, and other issues that relate to girls to be especially insightful. i am almost finished reading the book and i look forward to using it as a resource for years to come.

i highly recommend 'raising happy, confident kids!'

As a psychotherapist, I read many books and often make recommendations to clients. This book is at the top of my list. Dr. Berman has done a wonderful job summarizing some of the most important things parents need to know so as to raise happy, healthy, confident kids. I enthusiastically recommend this magnificent, practical, fun, interesting, and easy-to-read book to any parent. It really is a must read!

This book is so useful, even for Grandmas like me. There is always more to learn about raising a child and these times are so much more complex than the 70s when I did my Mommying. Dr. Jenn makes everything clear and even adds a touch of humor. The separate chapters make it possible to address just one question or you can read it through. I'd recommend this book to everyone who has a child or grandchild in their life or one on the way.

Dr. Jenn's "A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids" is a must read for parents and of course soon to be parents! I have given this book to four new moms, and they all have loved it, and have felt their anxiety about becoming a parent has lessoned after reading Dr. Jenn's insightful, encouraging and practical words. I also highly recommend this book to anyone who works with children and families! I look forward to reading more by Dr. Jenn!

I have a ten month old daughter. I want nothing more for this beautiful little girl, than to be happy and confident. Kids are cruel, school can be brutal, and I'm hoping to get her off on the right foot with some self esteem. This book didn't really provide great advice on how to help her achieve that.

This book is more of a comprehensive guide to parenting. Much of the content is things I would have done anyway, sort of common sense parenting to those of us who care enough to read a parenting book. Many of the topics, while relavent to parenting, fail to relate back to the confidence issue I was looking for.

Having said that, there are a few good nuggets. My opinion is that this is a book that would best be checked out from a library, and not necessarily purchased for ones frequent reference.

I began guided meditation and hypnotherapy (with a therapist) after many years of counseling. I had read that new research is finding that in many cases, traditional talk therapy is ineffective for working through and healing PTSD and related disorders. For me, guided mediation and/or hypnotherapy proved to be quicker, more effective and less re-traumatizing for dealing with the symptoms of PTSD, than going back over the traumatic event/childhood etc. repeatedly. Also very effective for changing behavior/thinking patterns by creating new neuropathways in the brain.
I found that I often craved the pick me up I would get after a session with my therapist- however, cost and time being a factor, it occured to me I could get good results with Hypnosis CD's.

After much research I found Glenn Harrold. I used this CD about 4x a week for two weeks, and I have to say that it's a great surrogate session. I also got the "energy and motivation" one, and like that one as well, although for some reason this one seems to inspire me more. The effects that I immediately notice are:
1. I seem to be less reactive to mundane stressful situations like rude people, cars, etc.
2. A feeling of being able to manage conflict and navigate my life more fluidly, ease-fully and with greater trust and confidence in myself and my abilities.

When I didn't have time to listen I could tell the difference-- it was easier to go back to old way of operating/thinking. My only complaint is that there are only two recording sessions, so it can get a little boring if you don't have others to rotate with. Also, his deep voice and British accent is a little intense, but once I got used to it I could relax.

Overall really great, high quality CD. For first timers, I also recommend the "health journeys" guided imagery meditation cd's, especially the PTSD one.

Glenn Harold's voice is hypnotic and relaxing to listen to.

The echoes, music and other special effects used in this cd really helps, by the next day I catch myself restating the affirmations in my mind.

(I'll be purchasing more of Glenn Ford's hypnosis!)

These CD's are an easy listen filled with wonderfully phrased, motivational words. Glenn's Australian accent is a pleasure to listen to. Places on the CD have music as well that accompanies the voice. I LOVE these CD's and own most of them. If you live in the states you may hear an occassional terminology that is not common in the U.S. (Example, in the weight series he uses a weight measurement of a 'stone' which is a British term that represents 14 pounds). This happen rarely and certainly does not detract from the message presented in any of Glenn's CD's. You can't really listen to these in the car as they are a little hypnotic so be sure you are in a stress free mind set and location when you listen to any of therse CD's. I felt they were worth every penny.

His voice an proper grammar have taken a while for me to get used to without smiling. By the second track I am often out. Whether my life is changing I will have to keep you all posted.
;-)

Potential. What a beautiful word. Say it slowly...let it rise up from your heart and say it slowly outloud...feel the meaning behind the word itself...p-o-t-e-n-t-i-a-l....ahhhh...very nice.

You are looking at this product because maybe there is a feeling within you that maybe you're not where you should be. My friend, you are EXACTLY where you should be if you weren't, you'd be somewhere else. But I can totally and completely relate to your feelings. We all have those kind of feelings and do you know why?

I believe it's because deep down inside...past all our fears, doubts, and uncertainties...past all the shallow and superficial "humaness"...there is a memory tucked deep within our mind that knows that not only do we have potential, WE ARE POTENTIAL.

Of course we weren't trained to think this way, were we? That would make us arrogant to even entertain such notions. Arrogance is exclusive...wisdom is inclusive and when you and I truly feel as though we are the potential of Life, we will want others to remember it for themselves, as well.

Is that a smile I see forming on your face?

This is an absolutely incredible CD...all of Glenn Harrold's CDs are, but this one is one I really, really love. Maybe I love it so much because it really touches a part of me that always knew it could be more than what others thought but yet didn't know quite how to make that leap. I was the kid that was always chosen last for team sports. I was the kid who walked the hallways practically invisible. I grew up feeling inadequate and insufficient and felt as though I was depriving some poor soul of oxygen.

I tell you "my" story because it is "our" story. Part of being human is feeling different and strange and inferior. The real reason why most of us feel like we don't belong here is because the world is really not our home. We come from Potential Itself and Potential creates only out of Itself. But Potential does something really clever. It conceals Itself in a body that looks frail and weak and It hides Itself until the owner of the body has a realization that maybe they are more than the labels and the definitions they have adopted or accepted. Maybe they...or more appropriately, we, can become who we ALREADY ARE.

I can break open an acorn and I will never find an oak tree. I can pull apart a caterpillar and never locate the butterfly. You will never find this thing called potential "in" the body, because the POTENTIAL that is within you NOW is an invisible force, a presence, a power and it arises out of you now like from the ocean arises wave after wave. You are a wave of Potential now and forever.

Listen to this CD in the morning when you first wake up and while you're still in that hazy state just let yourself remember what Glenn Harrold is saying is absolutely true. Don't force yourself to believe his suggestions, just accept them, embrace them, embody them and one day when you're not expecting it, you'll look at your life and gasp. You'll be amazed at how beautiful it is and you'll be thankful that every seemingly painful moment brought you right to where you happen to be only for you to create even more joy, more bliss, more good. Potential has no ceiling and either do you!

It's a wonderful world because you are in it with me NOW.

Peace & Blessings,
john, 'the Light Coach'

Please say this review is helpful to you. They told me that if I post another unhelpful review they're going to kill my ferret.

It was obvious to anyone who has known Peyser that something like this was bound to happen. I refer, of course, to Peyser's bout of aphasia during his freshman year at the College. Clearly this mysterious illness has returned in book-length, perhaps even a global, form. We may never really know what Peyser is up to in this book. Oh, for some Young and Champollion to decode this, the Rosetta Stone of post-modernism!

I don't usually tolerate so-called theory, but this was fun!

Don't let the title fool you--this is a down-to-earth, engaging work that deserves to be read by a much larger audience than the academic field it's probably relegated to.

This is a powerful, bleak book. None of the writers Peyser deals with is particularly optimistic. The possible exception is Howells but there is a dark undertow even to his work which Peyser makes sure we see. So a book about utopia is also a strangely, depressing read. 40 years or so after Brooke Farm, who would have thought things would have gotten so sad? Of course it was the turn the century and the best of the Western thinkers were thinking sad and pessimistic thoughts. And now here we are at the turn of another century and we have this powerful, bleak book. Have we come all that far after this century of bloodthirsty carnage? Is Utopia even further away than it was 100 years ago? Read Peyser's powerful, bleak book and see if you can answer some of these sad questions yourself. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You know, this is not the sort of book I would normally read. But there it was, suddenly, on the coffee table one night. How it got there I have no idea. Just curious, I began to leaf through the pages, and the words began to resonate with me. Unable to sleep, I read it through in one sitting by candlelight. The next morning, I began to look at things around me differently. First, I removed several unessential appliances from the house in an effort to simplify my existence. Then it became time to de-clutter and I threw out several items I realized I had no more use for. Then, and this all seemed so logical in light of the things I'd read, I divorced the wife and sent her on her why. Sure, she cried a bit, but I knew I was doing the right thing. And I've never regretted it. This is, indeed, one of the best books I've read all year.

This book was amazing, I can usually only read books once or twice but i have read this book 5 times. This book has inspired me to become a voluteer at my neighbourhood hospital. This book reminds me of my life. a new virus that no one has heard of struck my city (Toronto) and everyone is panicking, and also the volunteers remind me of me and my friends who volunteer at our hospital too. Sunnybrook (my local hospital) sounds a lot like Med Centre. I LOVED THIS BOOK AND I GUARANTEE YOU WILL TOO!!!

This is an exciting book that gives you mystory love suspence all in one. Find out if the 7 or more people who have fallen ill get out of this disease alive. See if Will and Susannah do get to gether in these ruff times. So read the book and find out you wont be disapointed.

When an unknown virus lands many people of Grant, Mass. into intensive care at the local hospital, the medical staff know they are up against something deadly. And deadly is what characterizes Diane Hoh's plots perfectly! if you are a fan of young adult novels and enjoy suspence and "cliff hangers" at the end of every chapter, this is the book for you. The main characters are lively and believable, without being too stereotipical. Diane Hoh is definetely a master at her craft!

This was the first book that i have read by Diane Hoh and I have been reading her ever since. I thought this was a really good book and i am looking for more med center books right now.

Virus is a good book, but sometimes hard to follow. I enjoyed the story, but couldn't figure out some of the conflicts. Some of the things about Will and Susannah made me slightly confused and had to look through the book to understand. Overall, it was a good book

I am a teacher and I use this book to teach point of view, voice, and character studies, as well as visual clues and class bias. It can be enjoyed as a visually stimulating illustrated book for younger children and as a enjoyable and interesting learning exercise for older children. I enjoy and value this book!

As many teachers and parents have outlined in their reviews of Voices in the Park, Anthony Brown has handed us a remarkable gift. A colleague and I found a single copy of Voices in the Park at a local bookstore where we literally good-naturedly bickered over who would get to buy the book and use it first in her classroom (I won!). I can think of no better book to begin to introduce the concept of voice/point of view to students. I used this book as I began a unit on point of view with my students in Reader's Workshop (3rd grade) and was amazed at the symbolism and subtle nuances they discovered as they explored Voices in the Park for weeks. Even a few weeks into our exploration, my students were still shouting with joy every time they noticed how the illustrations accompanied a shift in mood within the text. Voices in the Park deserves far more stars than are available to give it here. It is a treasured part of my classroom collection. I highly recommend it.

Anthony Browne is the author and illustrator of more than 20 children's books such as Gorilla, Willy's Pictures, Into the Forest and Silly Billy. He has won numerous awards for his work including, the highest international honor for illustration the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Kurt Maschler Award three times. Browne has once again gone above and behind with his beautiful illustration that tell a story all on their own in Voices in the Park.
Browne has written and illustrated another fabulous book involving monkeys. This intriguing story is told from the perspective of four monkey characters: a bossy woman, a sad man, a lonely boy, and a young girl. All the characters visit the same park and describe their visits completely different. Browne uses different styles of text to represent each character in the story. He also uses different color hues to help express the characters outlook on life. The illustrations have very intricate details, every time it is read a viewer notices something in the pictures that they didn't notice before.
I highly recommend this book for all parents and teachers. Every time I read this book, teachers and children alike fall in love with the very detailed illustrations and interesting story line. The children all respond by pointing out the new images they see in each picture. It is a book that never gets old and gets the children thinking about how everyone can see the same things in a different light.

This is a great book, with very clever pictures throughout. It left my 3rd grade class with much to discuss. They asked to borrow this book for quite some time. I think the only way to improve this book would have been to make the characters human instead of animals.

I found this book when I was getting my teaching certification, and wanted to teach a 4th grade class on "Voice" or point of view. It was the basis for a great lesson! I think this could be appropriate for students in 3rd grade up to a basic high school English class. The same event (a trip to the park) is told by 4 distinctly different characters who all encounter each other in the park. So the story is told 4 times, once by each character. Everything from the word choice, font style, and beautiful illustrations relates the "voice" or point of view of each person. It is not only highly instructuve, it is a visual treat and intriguing. I have read the story many times, and each time the students see something that I missed. I love this book and share it with all my teacher friends and librarians.

Get rich schemes are out of control today. Beyond the schemes, many people seem to use the lottery their own personal retirement plan.

This is not a get rich quick book, but a common sense guide to becoming wealthy over time. Told though thoughts of a "wealthy barber," this book goes back to basics to teach wise saving and investing techniques. It also reinforces ideas that many have learned over time.

There are several powerful concepts to investing in the book. One of the most important concepts is: Pay yourself first. Although simple, it has profound implications on becoming financially secure.

Another powerful concept is how to invest wisely. The Wealthy Barber talks about the good and bad sides of stock market investing, real estate investing and more. The book also exposes some of the wasteful ways of spending money such as buying cash value life insurance as opposed buying term insurance and investing the difference.

I found the book refreshing and insightful. Great for the beginner as well as advanced investor, these ideas should never go out of fashion. I try to apply many of these principles in my own life and encourage others interested in doing the same.

Overall, this is an excellent book to re-discover common sense and learn the basics of saving, investing, patience, and the magic of time to become wealthy. Highly recommended!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

I really liked this book. I read it as part of a workshop for school. The author made the subject matter easy to understand for everyone, and in a format that was fairly enjoyable. It made me see the importance of good planning.

Pros:
-covers a broad range of topics
-gives great financial tips
-reads like a novel
-concise and quick to read
-is easy to understand
-inspires you to start your planning right away

Con:
-could have written a little more about a couple of the topics

The bad news first: The author had a great idea of putting sound financial advice in a novel format. The characters are boring and one dimensional save for the fact that they are sports fans. The dialogue is forced and fast, but for the purpose of getting to the lessons where the dialogue is disruptive at times.

The good news: If you can forge through the pages of banter and witticisms you will find some things that you'll be glad you found such as a proxy [check it out] and some things about investing and insurance.

The outcome: This story takes place in Michigan, which is also the state who's company's representatives (AmWay, now Quixtar, Inc.) launched a major dealing in the distribution of this book. It appealed to their wide client/distributor base and sent its sales into the stratosphere.

My son picked this book up many years ago. Both he & I read it. It made an imprint on my life, as well as his. I am financially independent & semi retired at age 57.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't know anything about money. It is really easy to understand and doesn't skip over the basics. If you know the basics you may not find it an interesting read.

Katherine Martin has compiled a detailed collection of feminine courage and real-life stories of going beyond one's comfort zone.

An inspirational feminist guide for young girls and women. Wonderful resources to finding a personal or impersonal mentor.

Katherine Martin's collection of stories reminds me that every woman, young and old, has natural talents and abilities to bring about supernatural results. A wonderful book that is sure to inspire readers to help make the world a better place.

There is a heartfelt need among women and girls to celebrate women's history. In her outstanding work, Katherine Martin has put before us a diverse group of role models from which every woman can learn and be proud.

41 women are featured in this thought-provoking book: some have names we recognize immediately from politics, medicine, spirituality & literature. Some for their derring-do & some for their expressions of inspiration. Some have made no headlines as they work with our homeless citizens or live with HIV, poverty or teach welfare mothers. One filmed documentaries in dangerous poltiical places. Another survived imprisonment at the hands of rebel bandits in a little known nation only to go to work, upon release, with refugees in ethnic-cleansing zones. Another stepped out of the shadow of a best-selling husband & learnt to speak her own piece while another is a pilgrim upon her walk toward spiritual knowledge.

Listening to their words, remarking upon Katherine Martin's commentary, I have found myself in good company & would willingly offer any one of these brave women my seat by the fire & a cup of hot tea! A wonderful read & a keeper! Do check out my full review!

In "Women of Courage", Katherine Martin has done a superb job of depicting forty courageous women who have followed their dreams, lived their commitments and made a difference in the world. These women are of all ages and are drawn from all professions: from art to politics; from explorers to activists. Some are famous and high-profile; some are relatively unknown. Each of these women has evinced a remarkable courage, openness and determination not to give up her dream - whether writing about the feminine identity of God, crossing the South Pole, or adopting a baby girl from China.

Too often, as Mary Pipher (the author of "Reviving Ophelia," and one of the women profiled is this book) says, courage has been defined as courage in the face of physical danger, the courage of a superhero or of Rambo. With this book, Ms. Martins suggests that courage comes in many aspects, all of which are important and valuable. I would especially recommend this book as a gift to young women, although both genders and all ages should find it enjoyable.