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A very clear and practical view of the Balanced Scorecard tool. The text has the right amount of theoretical background and gives very enlightening exemples and advice to those interested in this field. However most of the exemples comes from private sector and non-profit organizations. Little from government and armed-forces.
But in general terms this is an excelent book. I recommend it.

This book is informative and keeps your interest. Lots of case studies and examples. The author keeps the focus on why scorecards should be used and places emphasis on how to keep them useful.

Balanced Scorecards make lots of sense for the For-Profit world for which they were originally developed. What makes this book so good is that they have concentrated on what makes Non-Profits different and how to conceptualize how the BC works in that arena. The book is well written and easy to understand. It is a must for all non-profit execs.

Very helpful approach in developing a measuring tool for monitoring ministry growth and tracking to Vision.

Managers face competing interests in running a company. Their compensation programs are set to try and focus their performance, but if it is only set on revenue the company might end up losing money while paying the top executives big performance bonuses. If it is on net income, they can manipulate the accounting by cutting the heart out of future business, again, damaging the company while getting a big paycheck. If you put them on straight salary, you won't be able to hire most of the best talent. So, what do you do?

The Balanced Scorecard was originally created in the private sector to create management goals that, yes, balance a variety of factors. You use historical and industry data as well as current performance metrics. The interests of shareholders and stakeholders are also balanced in some way, as are any other combination of factors that can help managers get a better picture of what matters to the success of the company and the benefit of its owners, its employees, and its stakeholders.

This book takes this tool and shows you how to adapt it to public sector entities and nonprofit agencies. Paul Niven draws on his years of experience and shows you how to tweak the model and use it to increase your organization's effectiveness. He also takes us through the success story of Charlotte, North Carolina.

If you are interested in this model and are a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization, this is a fine resource.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

My son likes the book. It was on a list on a dentists web site to help him cope with his first dentist visit.
I recommend this book.
Mike Carrillo

This book helped me get through life and showed me the true path to spiritual enlightenment.

The world lost a real gem of a writer when Stan Berenstain passed on November 29. Together, Berenstain and his wife, Jan, and eventually their two sons, created books featuring lovable but flawed characters who tackle just about every real issue that faces families.

Going to the dentist is something that most kids (and adults!) fear. And why not? It's invasive, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful to have someone poking around in your mouth with metal objects. However, it's necessary, and having a healthy attitude about it will promote lifelong oral health. This book is a great place to start if you're looking to help alleviate your child's fear about going to the dentist. It'll help open up a dialogue about your kid's fears and help you to explain why the dentist is so important. Wonderful!

Grab this book - this one should be in every library! It's a great hit at our house because in places, it's quite funny! Sister wakes up one morning with a loose tooth and thus, talks funny! The words are spelled as such so my little one gets quite the chuckle out of how sister says certain "s" words! Anyway, sister spends the entire day wiggling her loose tooth until it's time to take brother to the dentist for his checkup. The dentist finds that brother has a cavity and lets sister stand over the chair and watch while he fills brother's tooth. Brother does try to torment sister quite a bit about how the dentist is going to "yank our her loose tooth," so she is somewhat timid to get into the chair. However, she does and while she is busy asking questions and looking at the dentist's "yanker," the dentist feels her tooth in a cloth, wiggles it around and out it comes! Sister had no idea it even happened! She's pretty excited and thrilled about all of it and was very glad that brother was wrong about the yanker! She gets a dime from the tooth fairy and was very excited!

This book does an excellent job in describing what happens when you go to the dentist. It's great for getting rid of those little jitters and it really is accurate. Great job and I highly recommend it!

i love it,so does my son! he will be making his first trip to the dentist soon-ad at 29m old we need all the help we can get!

the only part that is questionable is how Sister gets her loose tooth pulled.It even gave me the willies!

This is the best book on Wooden I have read.

I have always respected the tremendous success of John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success. The UCLA basketball coach who won 10 NCAA Championships in twelve years demonstrated his successful system not by winning basketball games, but by inspiring and directing his players to perform at their highest level and achieve greatness by doing their best.

Brian Biro's book is based on Wooden's Pyramid of Success. In his book, Biro effectively describes and identifies each building block, starting with the key foundations of industriousness and enthusiasm. Biro then illustrates these qualities with entertaining anecdotes of his work as a swimming coach, businessperson, and "life coach."

While Biro's name does not have the prestige of Wooden, he is able to write an entertaining and informative description of Wooden's principles. Moreover, Biro provides the reader with a few useful tips and exercises to help us realize our potential.
In addition to quoting from Wooden, Biro also seems to rely on the work of Tony Robbins as well.

Most readers will appreciate this book. While nothing in here is groundbreaking or revolutionary, it encapsulates the keys to success in any endeavor. You will enjoy it.

What a great book! Brian has PASSION for helping and motivating people to success. His style is both warm and uplifting. I love the stories in this book. Brian teaches you how to find meaningful motivation. A must read!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

I've always admired John Wooden's work as a leader of men. I have his Pyramid of Success on my office wall. Mr. Biro's work has brought the building bricks of the pyramid into focus for me. This a well written work that reaches far beyond the "self help" genre. It was very well organized, inspirational and motivating.

I have always been a sceptic of the books located in the "self help" section of bookstores. But a friend bought me Brian Biro's book Beyond Success for my birthday and told me i HAD to read it. I didn't plan on it but one day i was lying in bed, and i looked over on my nightstand, and i saw the book there. I decided to give it a try. By the first chapter of this amazing book, i was hooked. Brian Biro is one of the most talented and inspirational author out there today. I HIGHLY recommend this book all people. Parents should read it to their children, teenagers should read it, everone should!!This author if not yet, will definetly become a bestselling author in the near future.

What an amazingly well written book! I have never read a more true account of what it means to be the parent of a child with special needs. The Kehl family has been marked for generations by muscular dystrophy. Anyone who wants to understand how it really feels to deal with such a legacy should read this. The power of denial was so powerfully shown by how long the author was able to keep up the idea that her son was "just having trouble with the bus stairs", and when she finally did get a diagnosis, I found it the most amazing analogy to say that being able to handle a child with special needs is like deciding you are going camping, knowing nothing about it and having none of the equipment, and then finding your closet is filled with a tent, campfire dishes, flashlights, etc---you already have what you need to handle it, and you never knew. The effects of a child's sickness on a strong marriage are also so truthfully shown here---how you can blame and yell and say horrible things and still love each other and the child so much. It is hard to believe this author has not written many best selling books already, as this book is just astonishing. It came to me at a time when I really needed it, when I am dealing with the possibility of a serious diagnosis for my child, and I am so thankful it did.

This book is not your ordinary story, it is the blood, sweat and tears of a brave family suffering from generation to generation with Muscular Dystrophy. Christine O'Hagan should be proud of how elloquently she is able to share her losses from her brother Richie to the ultimate loss of her own precious son Jamie.
She shares so much in this book, you can't help but wonder how she was able to sit all those long hours and re-live so much sorrow. But don't be fooled. Christine knows just how to tell her story with her very fine sense of humor which has always been
her strong tool through her struggles.A book to read not only for the journey of her life, but also for what it gives the reader.... The true meaning of what live is about. God Bless you Chrissie.

Christine Kehl O'Hagan, born in Queens in 1950 carried a tragic secret. Duchenne's Muscular Dystophy (DMD), which is an X-linked trait runs rampant throughout her family. DMD claimed several male relatives throughout the generations in her family. Females are born carriers of this tragic condition and every male born in a family where this trait is present is at risk for developing it at some point in life.

As much as I enjoyed this book, there were two things that irked me: the constant references to sneakers and being Irish. Even the tablecloth was made of Irish lace! The O'Hagans' beagle was named Finney! Sharing the traditions of Irish heritage was all well and good, but the constant references to being Irish did seem a bit excessive at points. As for the sneakers, the symbol of mobility and childhood play and sports, the message could not have been made more plain.

Christine's younger brother Richie Jr., born in 1957 showed signs of MDM early. Poor coordination and balance and difficulty managing stairs were the tip-offs to his having MDM. By 1966 Richie was no longer able to walk and remained confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He died in July of 1979 at the age of 22.

Some very touching anecdotes are shared; in 1961, Christine, then 11 would take her 4-year-old brother to the neighborhood church and pray for him. That was really heartwarming. I also liked it when the neighborhood boys took Richie under their wing and would hang off the back of his wheelchair, including him in their games. I loved it when Richie would sing the Beatles' songs from 1967's "Sgt. Pepper" in 1967-68. The Kehl children's Aunt Nelly's bizarrely quaint expressions involving hygiene and bathroom usage are sure to bring a smile; the unfamiliar term "kitty murphies" was made quite clear in the context and feline reference.

Christine and younger sister Pam (born 1953) both had sons with DMD. Christine's younger son, Jamie was diagnosed at age 7 on October 16, 1980. He was tested in the hospital for DMD in December of 1980. Her older son, born in August of 1971 did not inherit the condition. Sadly, Jamie died on May 20, 1998 at the age of 24, one year after his maternal grandmother died.

Pam's two sons, born in 1976 and 1977 also had DMD which ultimately confined them to wheelchairs as well. I especially liked the descriptions of Queens in the 1950s and 1960s and the parts about family interaction and the way Jamie's brother went to bat for him and that they owned a beagle, although I disagree with the author's finding that the hound was homely. Beagles are beautiful little hounds. Luckily, during the roughest points and bleakest moments the family stayed together. Christine's friends, Ruth and Tony sounded like genuine angels.

The book ends on an upbeat note with the 1999 birth of Christine's granddaughter, Alanna Nicole.

A book you can't put down - that's the way I would describe Mrs. O'Hagan's The Book of Kehls. You get the feeling that you grew up with her in the way she draws the reader into the most intimate part of her life in dealing with her parents, her siblings and her disabled son, Jamie. This book is about an Irish family and how they deal with a disease that affected everyone in their family. It is about a mother who is above all human, unashamedly sharing her emotions that run the gamut from being frustrated to being hilarious. Above all, this book shows Mrs. O'Hagan's strength and unending love in letting her son know that it is okay to stop fighting and to find peace. A must read.

The Book Of Kehls is a memoir that is honestly and bravely written. The author probes her deepest feelings about coming from a family smitten with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and shares her candid insights with depth as well as with humor.

The book also provides education about the disease to those that are unfamiliar with the ravaging toll it takes on its victims and their families. It helps the reader to understand the horror that living with this disease can bring, and provides insight into how families cope both effectively and ineffectively with chronic illness.

Ms. O'Hagan also gives us a glimpse of the past as she shares her childhood growing up in the 50's and 60's and in many instances with great nostalgia. This was quite enjoyable to read.

The layout of the book is very well created and the themes excellently threaded throughout. The beginning is extremely powerful as is the ending, leaving the reader to ponder life, its personal meaning and the necessity of gratitude for what many of us take for granted.

For me, the book was a quick read because it was so interesting that I couldn't stop......The cover was a beautiful, the title wonderful and the picture of the children so poignantly presented. I highly recommend The Book of Kehls for its message of love and spirit.

Underneath the southern hospitality is a man who understands the importance of taking risks and managing those risks. I think what makes Bowden unique is his ability to keep his ego in check with a sense of humility and gratitude that's rare in leadership today. I always got the feeling that he's grateful for being in the position where he is today, be it family or his coaching career.

I have read Maxwell and a host of other leadership books, but there is a world of difference between a consultant or a middle-manager telling you about leadership...and the winningest coach in college football telling you about leadership!

The thing I liked the most is that rather than vague affirmations or ambiguous principles, Bowden gives us SPECIFIC, hard-won advice regarding handling staff, planning for success, etc.

The fact that he has done so remarkably well--with his job "on the line" based on each season's performance, not to mention every time he plays a strong rival--Bowden gives us a CEO/Chairman of the Board-level view of how to handle matters.

I bought it because I am an FSU fan. I kept it because it was the best book on leadership I had ever read.

On the football field Bobby Bowden is king! He is also a very inspirational and motivated person. This book is amazing, in ALL aspects. You don't have to be a Florida State or even a football fan, this book goes so far beyond any sport. This book basically tells you how too live a better life, and Bobby Bowden obviously has a awesome one.

I'm a Penn State grad and fan, but I enjoyed Bobby Bowden's leadership book. It's very easy to read and has lots of good advice. Also, I respect his religious beliefs and that he openly shares them throughout the book. This is a good leadership book!

i would recommend this book to anyone who has to manage people in any capacity...from managing your children to managing your employees...Coach Bowden has proven himself to be a true leader both on and off the football field.

In volume five of Proust's massive and perspicacious `a la recherché,' we find the narrator Marcel, slowly, yet surely, falling out of love with Albertine. Proust is extraordinarily masterful at evoking the painful (and yet very real) feeling of gradual disaffection, which all lovers must inevitably face with each other. Marcel pontificates endlessly and relentlessly on Albertine. He loves, her (or maybe we should say him), he doesn't love her, he loves her, he doesn't love her, etc. etc. Until, finally, the moment of decision, he tells her that he does not love her and wishes her to leave, insisting that she will be happier without him. Of course, the moment Albertine departs, Marcel is in despair, he has lost has love, and Albertine is reduced to the status of the `fugitive.' This volume is one of the most beauteous and thoughtful unfolding of the loss of love, and the painful convalescence that transpires in the subsequent period. Marcel goes to Venice, and explores that wondrous and ancient European city, and he sends help to find Albertine, only to discover that she has died in a horseback accident. In addition to the tragic loss of Albertine, Marcel grows continually disenchanted with the aristocratic world to which he belongs. Proust is brilliant in his ability to sustain this massive web of characters, as he reintroduces figures from the early stages of the search, such as Gilberte (Marcel's first love), and Mme Verdurin. This book evokes the meaning of life as it unfolds temporally, and the meaning of relationships throughout the course of a lifetime, and how they change and drift in and out of focus at different stages. It is one of the great works of Western literature.

The 7th of March I found this book, ISBN:0713996048. Now it's the 12th and I've returned to buy the book,except I can't locate it on the site! What is going on? Where's the first volume in the set? I'm so frustrated by this. I waited for years for the new translation to be completed.Help me!

This is volume five of the superlative new translation of "In Search of Lost Time," containing the two books of the Albertine cycle, which are now titled "The Prisoner" (translated by Carol Clark) and "The Fugitive" (tr. Peter Collier). Though I haven't yet read their translations, I have found the new editions to be a wonderful improvement over those done in the 1920s by Charles Scott Moncrieff. So I have no hesitation in giving them five stars.

Unhappily for American readers, current U.S. copyright law prevents Viking/Penguin from publishing the last two volumes of "Lost Time" in this country until 95 years after Proust's death, or 2018. The first four volumes have been published here in handsome hardcovers (more handsome than the British edition), but the only way to obtain this and the final volume ("Finding Time Again") is to find an imported British hardcover or paperback. -- Dan Ford

Modern Library's Volume V deals with the relationship between Marcel and Albertine. It is a complex, psychological relationship to say the least. In the Captive, Albertine lives with Marcel in his apartment in Paris and in The Fugitive one wonders who is, in fact, more captive -- Albertine or Marcel. It would seem to be Albertine for whom Marcel possesses an obsessive love and concurrent fear of her sapphic penchant. But it is also Marcel who will sacrifice experience if he makes a commitment to her. Who is more free, the captive or the fugitive? Proust raises questions about how to serve best the artist's quest for beauty. In fact, how does one really ever "capture" the beauty of life in art or music or literature? Even in a masterpiece, is it not beauty the fugitive that usually dwells just beyond one's capture? Or like Vinteuil's septet or the music of Wagner or the painting of Rembrandt, is the best for which one can hope of fugitive beauty only a brief fleeting experience? Are the vast tracts of time spent to understand the beauty and meaning of life worth it? As a writer does he not habitually surrender life in order to capture it? Or is the pursuit of the capture of the beauty of life in fact where one realizes its most sublime value? One sees in Proust toward the end of The Fugitive a member of society who respects it but chooses by reasons of health not to position himself so visibly within it. Despite his family name and vast but dwindling fortune inherited from his beloved grandmother, he seems to become somewhat ultimately disenchanted with the intricacies of Faubourg-St. Germain society to which he devotes so much of his writing. He recognises society's shallow obsession with materialism and rampant snobbery but his own place in society is captured by its complex history and tacit rules and Marcel is inescapably a captive of his own culture. When Albertine is lost to him toward the end of the volume, as in the prior volumes, the story line's serial intrigue advances most. Characters from prior volumes reappear, reminiscent of Balzac, whom Proust adored, but like him they change,too, and usually for the worse over time. The great tapestry of the characters of Proust -- Albertine, Gilberte, Swann, Brichot, Bloch, Charlus, Morel, Saint-Loup -- ultimately surprise and usually disappoint him. As to nagging questions about Proust's own orientation, "Personally I found it absolutely immaterial from a moral standpoint whether one took one's pleasure with a man or a woman, and only too natural and human that one should take it where one could find it." I found myself wishing that Proust had written more about Bloch and Saint-Loup and Gilberte, and less about Albertine. But she was, like his work, the one obsession, the endeavor of which understanding he could never escape and never quite marry -- she was his beauty and his art. She was the breath of life itself from his pen and from his experience of life as seen through the eyes of a true genius.

The Albertine episodes make more sense if we assume this is a homosexual ralationship. Albertine's independence, and her being allowed to live in a young man's apartment, and other aspects of her social life do not seem likely for a young woman in the nineteen hundreds. Marcel's (and incidentally this is the only volume where he refers to himself as Marcel) suspicions then become the gay lover's fears that his lover prefers heterosexuality. Albertine is the only female in the Recherche who never gets married.
Apart from these external clues there is quality about the the affection Marcel feels that suggests a gay rather than a straight relationship.
This volume marks a turning point in the narrator's fascination with the aristocracy. From here on disenchantment sets in, and the references to homosexuality become almost homophobic.

For people unfamiliar with the myth of the middle-class being able to manage a one house, 2 car, 2.5 kid, 2 income life, this 2004 book is a great choice. However, this is old news. Written by a sociologist and a phycologist, this reads like a great 30 page research paper that has been stretched into a 200 page book (and 100 pages of footnotes and index). The writers give a great overview, but focus almost entirely on the middle-class problems and the rude awakening that many are having since the middle-class women of the 1950s have begun entering the work force. Slim discussion on single parent households and even slimmer discussion on low-income families (especially women), who have been facing a crisis for at least 100 years longer.

(Spoiler) The idea is basically that middle-class women of the 1950s provided a vital support for their bread winner husbands and nurtured the children (discussion about single women is lacking). With the 1970s allowing women to enter the workforce, the cracks have been appearing due to the stresses on family/work life with many middle-class women now being forced to do 2 jobs without adequte pay for either and with men not barring their fair share. Combine it less assurance of life-time employment, benefits, and pensions, and you get the cracks in the American Dream. Well, that's just great. Any original solutions? What about low-income women who have been out in the workforce for much longer? What about single women? The authors muse on how great universal flex time, paid maternity leaves without risk of layoffs or geopardizing promotions, and government support would be. However, they don't really come up with any original or unique solutions to the problem. They just say that something has got to change or we'll be in trouble. They label many corporate initiatives such as low cost day care as being really pro-work (since parents are able to stay at work longer) but don't provide any better solutions. Leaving it up to others. An economic perspective would have helped. Overall, a good summary, but severely lacking.

Researchers, students, and "just plain folk" alike have much to gain from this exploration of a topic that has relevance to virtually everyone. This approchable yet thorough discussion will help crystallize the impediments to leading a balanced life, and also point the way to possible solutions. Buy this book!

As a college student, I was writing a paper for Social Psych on gender roles and how their impact upon society. While researching, I stumbled upon this book, which proved to be both the most valuable statistically and an actually interesting read. Roehling and Moen well document not just gender role differences, but also the myth that hard work, long hours, and continuous employment pay off in the 21st century. The Career Mystique has made me realize that traditional beliefs are standing in the way of creating a new, alternative workplace and career flexibilities.

A marvelous job by Roehling and Moen, and I bestow my highest regards upon them for tackling such a complex, yet pertinent societal issue.

This book well documents the realities of an out-of-date, false myth about working hard and achieving the american dream. Moen and Roehling provide detailed accounts of men and women struggling to stay afloat in their jobs, in their relationships, and in their daily lives. This book provides great insight into the mismatch between what we all believe we can achieve and the lockstep life course that we complacently follow.

I'm a sociology undergrad and was asked to read this book. While many sociology books that I've read are dry and difficult to get through, The Career Mystique is straightforward, with clear and easy-to-understand examples. More than that, this book forced me to look beyond the relative ease of the predicted, calculated, college life to what lerks beyond, namly trying to balance a career and a family. I think The Career Mystique clearly explains a problem that has been lurking within American society for the past few decades but until now remained unnamed. This is a must-read for anyone who will try to balance family life and a dual-earner relationship.

I had to buy this book for a general education requirement this year. However, the class turned out to be my favorite (the teacher certainly helped) and I'm keeping the book after the semester is over. Reason and Responsibility contains essays from the greatest philosophers (and some not so great) in order to give the beginner a comprehensive overview of philosophy.

At times, the essays were edited so that parts of the original selection were omitted. I had difficulty writing papers which criticized certain arguments become some claims can only be made from the entire text. However, if you are just reading this for fun as an introduction to philosophy, I highly recommend it.

this is an old edition. but practically there is no difference.
i saved a lot on this item. shipping is fast too

I have never taken a course in philosophy. But, I think this is not just a text book for Philosophy 101. It is a great collection of essays, on a variety of topics, written by some of the greatet thinkers the world has produced. The editorial introduction for each topic beautifully lays down the ground work. This is followed by writings from eminent scholars representing various positions that have been taken on the issue. It is hard to find so much material in one volume. A must-have book for anyone with even a precursory interest in some of the most fundamental questions posed by life.

I highly recommend Feinberg's 'Reason and Responsibility' to beginning philosophers. Feinberg presents various philosophical topics in an organized manner and selects text that is easy to understand for readers new to philosophy. Readers are weaned into the language of philosophy by first being presented with the jargon in the beginning of each section. It's a great book that covers a variety of topics, from arguments about God's existence to ethics to abortion.

A straight anthology without sufficient background material to help students make sense of the essays. I would not advise it for an Introduction to Philosophy course. Essays in the books focus on issues of reason, the limits of knowledge, and ethics based upon human reason. The selection of essays show a bias toward American positivism and contrary philosophical views (of which there are many) are not represented. The amount of philosophy this book ignores on the book's chosen topics is enormous. This is also a reason not to use this text for an Introductory class. If this was the only text used in an introductory course, students would come away with a very stilted and erroneous view of philosophy. It would be good for an upper division course focused on American positivism where students already have sufficient background in philosophy to understand these specialized essays and understand the selective nature of the text's selections.

After reading some glowing published reviews of this book, I got the idea that the story focuses on participants in the HUAC hearings of the 1950s. The first third or so of the book does just that, exploring how the heroine, Dinah, is affected by a lie. However, the plot doesn't end there--Frank is so skilled at creating believable, complex characters that she seemed unable to stop them from continuing to tell their stories even after her points about HUAC were made. By the time I got to the end, I was wondering what exactly was the main purpose of the book. The author apparently could have followed the characters until each of their deaths, and the novel ends up as a sprawling portrait of a disturbed family, rather than the meditation on integrity and political ideas that it starts out to be.

The characters are generally well-rounded and believable, and Frank includes memorable personal details in even the minor figures. Characters who might have come across as merely villainous are more thoughtfully explored here. For example, Jake Lasker, a Hollywood writer and grossly philandering husband, might have been portrayed as the standard piggish cheater. But Frank makes him by turns horrible and sympathetic: brutal to his son, yet endearing in his aspiration to write Clifford-Odets-style plays that glorify his working-class roots.

A weaker character, in my opinion, is Veevie, the heroine's sister. Because Veevie is incredibly beautiful, she is loved by all who meet her, leaving her sister feeling in the shadows. But Veevie is never in the least likable to the reader, who cannot see her; she is pathologically self-involved. It seemed implausible to me that other characters in the story wouldn't eventually realize this, as well. Yet much of the book is concerned with the relative status of the two women, with Veevie usually coming out on top in the eyes of the other characters, but never in the eyes of the reader. Frank seems overly concerned that the reader too might disloyally prefer the better-looking woman, so she rarely lets Veevie appear sympathetic. And the meditation on beauty and status feels undeveloped--the reader just has to sit by in frustration as Dinah is treated unfairly by most people around her, and rarely fights back.

Despite all these issues, I am in awe of Frank's writing talent. I just hope her next book has a tighter focus.

This is possibly the best book I've read in many years. It carried me into the lives of Dinah and Jake to the point that I felt like I was living with them and feeling their laughter and pain. Elizabeth Frank may well be one of the best writers of our time. Although it took place in the 50' it is truly a timeless work of art. Bravo and Encore!!!

Elizabeth Frank is a superb writer. Yes, the plot lines are a little soap opera like, as other reviewers mentioned, but that only highlights Frank's ability to turn predictable events into fascinating commentary on adult life. Her insights are fresh and her details delicious. I was so sad to see this novel end. It took twenty five years to write - I'll be too old to read her next novel! I'm tired of Hollywood stories and yet I found Cheat and Charmer to be a true star.

I bought this book because the cover looked intriguing -- very F. Scott Fitzgerald. As with The Great Gatsby, I was not disappointed, though for very different reasons. I immediately was drawn into this world of secret Communist gatherings and flashy Hollywood soirees. The characters were definitely memorable, though not always likable. In fact, I found myself wanting to learn more about them, even those I believed them to be morally repugnant. Elizabeth Frank is a wonderful storyteller. I'd read anything else she'd write! I highly recommend this book!

with deeply nuanced characters who are not espcially likeable. The thing I loved about this book is that there are no easy answers. All of these characters make choices that have long reaching results. If you believe that ethics are situational; that choices are neither morally good or bad (in and of themselves), this book will make you pause. The author does an outstanding job of showing the emotional consequences of seemingly simple choices. The history of LA in the 50s (I lived it), the blacklist and the movie business all ring true. This is one of the best books I have read this year. I literally read it in a 24 hour period and was sad to see it end.

I was very saddened to know that life of this young child can be considered to be normal...until the child grows up. I felt in every line drawn an emotion was spilling off of the page...the words were so carefully chosen...the detail in each frame is fascinating. This author is more than a comic she is a master of the arts.

I can't say enough about this author/artist. I've just finished reading the book and am almost speechless. For anyone out there still dealing with demons of their own less than perfect childhoods, this book takes on the feel of a close friend in the same situation. The author, in a semi-autobiographical fashion, recounts a childhood of sexual abuse, drug abuse, and general coming-of-age well before it ever should. Full of amazing illustrations (Gloeckner is a lauded medical illustrator as well as excellent cartoonist), this book is sure to please anyone looking for something different, and in my case, cathartic. I don't think I could begin to recommend this book highly enough. I'm just glad that I live in a day and age where this book is not only allowed to be published, but can earn accolades as well (the least of which is from me). Thank you, Phoebe!

This collection of Phoebe Gloeckner's comics is definitely not for the faint of heart, but it's worth a reading. If you haven't read her novel, Diary of a Teenage Girl, I think you will find this book a better introduction to her work. The themes are much the same and the comic art is very well done.
The subject matter is pretty bleak.

A Child's Life is hard to read but even harder to turn your eyes away from. Her child-like drawings combined with adult events and content perfectly express the difficult adolescent limbo between girl and woman.

"A Child's Life" by Phoebe Gloeckner is like witnessing a car wreck or a street fight: you are horrified and appalled, but you can't stop looking. This beautifully drawn book gives graphic insight to the devastating impact of psychological and sexual abuse on children and teens, but also portrays the importance of facing and overcoming bad early life experiences in order to have a productive adult life. In my lifetime, I have known too many people in their 30's, 40's and even 50's who suffered childhood/adolescent problems that seem minor compared to what "Minnie" endured, and who continue to use their past problems as an excuse for continuously messing up their lives throughout adulthood; "A Child's Life" should be mandatory reading for these folks. Without doubt, a childhood of abuse and neglect is horrible, but we do ourselves and our society a disservice when we rely on it to excuse our own bad behaviour and avoid growing up and moving on with our lives. Phoebe Gloeckner is a new kind of hero who survived a hell on earth and bravely lived to tell the tale in an intelligent and scorching manner. (N.B. This book should not be given to children or young teens; it would frighten them. Older teens, depending on their maturity level, would find this book compelling and cautionary.)