English Books

I have most of the reference books for both OT & NT research, but was missing Strongs. To find it with such an expansive Vines Dictionary was a real surprise - and a real treat.

I've never looked at a Strong's before and was slightly intimidated by the amount of information I would be getting. After a few minutes of getting the feel for it I'd already learned quite a bit and confirmed some things that I was really interested in.

As I study the Bible I sometimes find myself grabbing the Strong's and going more in depth into God's Word. It's very easy to follow and understand and I highly recommend this to anyone from complete newbie (like me) to a John MacArthur level bible scholar.

If you are going to study the Bible, this concordance is a must.

This is a must have for every layperson, bible student, and pastor. The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance is equipped with everything needed to achieve a successful study of the scriptures. I truly love the topical index to the bible, it gives you total history of any subject matter or person in the bible linking Old Testament to New Testament. Every word that is in the bible is in the concordance allowing you a sure way to find the scripture you are looking for. I can't go on without mentioning the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries that allows you to receive the correct meaning to certain words in scripture so you can rightly divide the Word of Truth. There is so much that I can say about this book, if you don't have one you need to purchase one now, you will be pleased.

If you are in need of a concordance the Strong's is by far the best and this one is improved, the words of Christ is in red and it is easy to follow, the reference number is located to the right of the word you are researching and the Hebrew is in normal type while the Greek is in italic type print and this makes it easy to reference, also appearing within the enhanced definition are cross-references to to other leading word dictionaries. This gives a better understanding of words in the King James Version that may have left you in question before, it is much better to be able to see the word meaning from the original transcripts. It also has a complete topical index, includes the Harmony of the Gospels, the parables of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus and much more.

Very happy with this seller and their products!
Books travelled across the world and arrived not only in record time but also well packed and in excellent condition!
I hope to buy from you again. Keep up the good work, thanks!

for those who enjoy relaxing
and escaping into a world with
interesting characters of a unique culture.

After reading the first book, I wanted to fly to Africa and have a cup of tea with Precious. Her name fits her perfectly. All of the books took me away from the troubled news of the day to a place I truly wanted to be.

Very enjoyable books to read. You become immersed in the African settings. The characters are human and very memorable. The writing style is short, sweet and to the point which fits these books very good. You will think about Africa and its people in a personable way after reading these.

Book 1 started slow for me. I'm use to books taking place in the US so some of the words were hard to say but by the time I was through the 2nd chapter I was hooked. I read book 2 and that was great and am looking forward to starting on book 3.

This is a fantastic book that provides practical ideas to implement in any Writing classroom. The author refers often to an elementary classroom but I have been able to use many of the ideas with my 8th graders. If you are just starting writing workshop and need a reliable source for organization this is a great resource!

Oh man! This book is wonderful and is an execellent tool for getting at-risk students into writing. I love that this book has many examples to explain the written text so that one can understand what she is actually talking about. Lucy Calkins, watch out!

I am torn by this book- the first half was full of ideas and lessons that I felt would help me improve writing instruction. The second half was not, at least for me. The writing is brillant and down-to-earth. Buckner has good ideas and great real world lessons.

The downside for me was the amount of time it would take for me to do everything- the ideas work best for self-contained teachers.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely.

This is not one of those books that will collect dust on a shelf. It will be read and reread many times! It is a great resource for any teacher of writing! Thank you Aimee Buckler! This book contains a wealth of organized and practical strategies that will add to any writing program. Buckler gives teachers easy to model tools to pass on to their students. She gives many examples from literature that can be used as springboards for specific areas. I will never look at notebooks the same! What an inspirational addition to my teaching library!

I heard about this book in a workshop, and decided to check it out for myself. Basically, I did find some good ideas on how to shake up my student's writing folder experience. However, most of the book was something I already knew and did.

I'd suggest this book for new ELA teachers, or ones who are rusty. However, it is always a good idea to keep looking for new ideas no matter how "old and dusty" a teacher you are.

As a graduate student in Psychology I get to read and correct mountains of papers from intro-level classes. Now that I am about to get my degree and start teaching those classes, I realize that students need a book that shows them how to write a sentence. This is the book I have chosen for my Principles of Psychology classes. Harvey's concise style and recognition of the pompous style most young college students choose to write in is enlightening and entertaining. The small book is filled with great examples of what not to do alongside examples of how to fix the problem(s). Even though I have literally decades of technical and academic writing experience, the book has helped me to be more concise and to link my thoughts together in a more readable and efficient way. I highly recommend this book for students and especially for teachers. So what if you are not teaching English - if you require students to write, your students will produce better papers (that you have to read!) after using this book. It's required for my psych class!

This is a helpful book, but lacks some key aspects needed in college level English classes. Example: paraphrasing is not covered. Quotes are covered extensively though. Good for the price, handy, light to carry, but could use additions.

I'm a fan of The Elements of Style. I still have the students in my freshman composition class read it each year for its clear, concise guidelines to writing with style.

There are two striking flaws to that book though. First, the writing guidelines appear, too often, to my students as being arbitrary. In The Elements of Style, the logic behind good grammar rules is occasionally neglected in order to keep things brief. Each rule is just the truth because the book says so. Second, style is clearly a product of culture, and a result, the version of style Strunk and White offers fails to be as appropriate today as it once was.

The Nuts and Bolts of College writing amends these two errors. Almost everything in The Elements of Style is present here, too, but Harvey has provided a context sufficient for developing an understanding of these stylistic principles. He organizes the book according to values clearly desirable in writing: clarity, flow, gracefulness, etc. By discussing a principle such "using the active voice" within the context of clarity, Harvey effectively communicates why such an approach produces better writing. It's not just another rule to follow anymore. Additionally, Harvey's examples and his updates to stylistic norms make the book very timely.

In all, it's very handy tool in a writing classroom. I think it's the best of its kind currently available.

Anyone who wants a no nonsense approach for how to write (in general), needs this book. It teaches you how to write clearly and concisely and cuts through all the garbage. The author provides clears examples for what not to do and makes comparisons between good and bad writing. I highly recommend this book.

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing goes over the fundamentals of good essay writing such as concision, clarity, flow, punctuation, and topic sentence for a paragraph and so on. It is an excellent reference book for college students and writers in general. The book however does not go into term or research paper writing.

Ralph Ellison is still alive. This novel is a typical continuation of his themes. One black man entirely locked up Underneath or Below, in the Subway maze of corridors, tracks and blind rooms is the storyteller. He is also locked up in his lost memory that he is going to recapture little by little. And what will come out of it ? A brilliant black woman, Agatha will reveal her mystery. She is the granddaughter of a black minister in North Carolina, but she is the daughter of a white man and her mother was beaten to death by the grandfather of this white man. She will deliver her child in the hands of the brother of this white man. The minister will get a tooth for a tooth, a child for a child, and the brother of the white man, Agatha's uncle, will look after her and then what was to happen will happen, even if it is a blind alley and a dead end. The white man, Agatha's father, will go away and have another child from another woman, this time white. She will die and then the father will die and the child will be entrusted to his grandmother who will come back to the father's town to find his relatives, but she ignores his real name. Fate will bring the white boy and Agatha, brother and sister, together, and the other boy, the black boy Agatha is taking care of and who is our storyteller, will become the friend of the white boy. White and black are so entangled together that they cannot be separated. The whole story takes place in the Civil Rights Movements era and the Ku Klux Klan is all-powerful in this small town of Edene, the badly-named Edene. This will dictate the events and Agatha, her white brother and her black child will get swallowed up in the hatred that goes along with KKK and the emerging Civil Rights Movement. The end will be tragic. Both boys will manage to go to New York and get lost in the Big Apple, the white one successful and the black one rejected or rather dropping out. They will also manage to reestablish a connection, communication and memory, coming back to the black boy, who is now over forty, a door will reopen of a new relation between the two boys, Mikey and Tony. The stuff is heavy, pungent and strong. The novel is interesting and quite easy to read and follow. It shows how guilt, desire and hatred are all twisted out of shape and embedded in all loving postures. Yet something sounds and feels awkward if not out of pace. It is bleak enough to be true, and yet the divided personalities, loyalties and lives are rather well shown on the black side but remain kind of schematic on the white side. The wall standing between the two communities is well rooted in white fear and hatred, but it is insufficiently rooted in the same feelings on the black side. The author seems to be overprudent to describe the hatred, not the fear, the Blacks feel in front of white injustice or rather social and historical injustice. Relations with people from the other side was just as much rejected on the white side as on the black side. This latter rejection is not entirely felt and depicted : it is too much seen as a response to the stimulus of white hatred. It is not only that : the concept of difference, uncrossable difference existed and still exists on both sides, blocking the possibility for America to see that all it represents and it has invented is the result of a constant give-and-take process between the two communities, the result of a cooperation that nearly no one has the courage to show and assume, except maybe Ralph Ellison in the most recent half century. We do not reach the concept of democratic diversity that is emerging at that very period of time (1960s and 1970s) in Ralph Ellisons's writings and thinking. A great book that deals with memory that blocks history in its loss and that unblocks life in its recovery.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

I could not put this book down: it is stunning -
beautiful, disturbing, frightening: brilliant and should have won prizes. The language is rich and urgent, the characters and settings compelling, the messages about good and evil and humanity are ones that we all should heed. Read it.

Orange laughter will stay with you long after you've read the last page. Ms. Ross's journey into the main character's deranged mind is riveting. The journey down the tragic road of the segregated south turns out to be a surprising love story that I simply could not get out of my head for days...

This is a wonderful and moving book. I read an extract from it once, and made a point of getting it...and I'm glad I did! The characters are all so unique and intruiging and the writer brings you right into their world. My favourite character would probably be Mikey, the young, overweight friend to the main character Tony, due minly to his innocence and kindly ways.The story takes you round many different corners and back again without leaving anyone behind. And as with many great books, the secrets unravelled throughout will no doubt bring a smile to your face or tears to your eyes.
Thank you Leone Ross for this chapter in my life of books...

I just finished Orange Laughter. I can't explain why, but something abut the book edified my soul, haunted me, made me want to write, made what I know seem real ... If that makes sense...

The _Oxford American Dictionary_ , edited by Dr. Eugene Ehrlich, et al., is the best paperback American English dictionary. Even though the reissue edition of this dictionary is almost twenty years old, I consider it to be the best because it has excellent usage notes sprinkled among the usual definitions of words. Here is an entry with a note on usage: "hope*ful*ly (hohp'-ful-lee) 'adv.' 1. in a hopeful way. 2. it is to be hoped, 'hopefully, we shall be there by one o'clock.' > Many people regard the second use as unacceptable."

According to the editors, this dictionary "contains words and phrases likely to be met in reading and everyday life, including a number of slang, informal, and technical words and phrases." Many proper nouns, common foreign words, and abbreviations are defined, too. I suggest its purchase to university students for classroom use because this dictionary is small enough to be carried in a backpack. Students of English as a foreign language find its pronunciation guides easy to use. Others find it quite handy to keep nearby, in offices and homes, as a quick reference when writing or reading.

Highly recommended!

One of my favorite lexicons is Oxford Ameican Dictionary by Ehlich, Flexner, Carruth and Hawkins. As a matter of fact, I have been browsing for its publisher Avon Publishers of Bard, a division of Hearst Corporation of NY but could not locate it anywhere. I am so pleased with the entire format of the work that I am now looking for a replacement copy, a hardcover, if it is at all available. If only someone out there could advise where it might be found in and around Toronto, Ontario.

I am not a native speaker of North American English, and as such have relied extensively on OAD for all the help I can get -- particularly in the area of pronunciation. The system is uniquely logical, makes a lot of sense and is easy to master. I've recommended it to so many who are in my position. I would be thoroughly disappointed if I learned that the publication had been discontinued.

I like this dictionary, and use it often, but I have one complaint worth raising: THE PRINTING. Some of the pages seem to have been printed with too much ink, so "o" and "e" both look like solid black circles, and bolded "i" looks like bolded "l". Not a helpful trait in a dictionary!

Granted, I purchased this book because of its carriability, it is not the worst dictionary in the world. It contains a hefty amount of words compared to other compact dictionaries. But, what I traded for succinct entries is what I like about dictionaries: learning the unique history and etymology of a word. Otherwise, this dictionary got me through college.

Need a small, lucid dictionary for looking up words and checking pronunciations? The Oxford American Dictionary (OAD) may be precisely what you need. Then again, it may not; it depends on what you value in a dictionary.

It is important, first, to note that there are essentially two types of dictionaries. Hardcover dictionaries are often large, cumbersome, and not at all portable. Their seemingly excessive size is spent on comprehensive definitions and large numbers of listed words. Paperback dictionaries tend to be much smaller, and are also called 'pocket' dictionaries because they, unlike hardcover dictionaries, can go wherever you go. Because of their smallness, paperback dictionaries contain fewer definitions than hardcovers, and are often forced to go without etymologies, or word histories.

The OAD is a pocket-sized, paperback dictionary. As such, it has certain limitations as well as strengths. Below I provide what are, in my opinion, the positive and negative aspects of this dictionary, followed by some additional commentary.

Pros:
-Highly portable
Although you would need cavernous pockets indeed for the OAD to be a true 'pocket' dictionary, it is compact enough to carry in a suitcase or book bag. The OAD is printed, too, on paper difficult to rip but also lightweight.

-Succinct definitions
One advantage of diminutive dictionaries is that in order to help reduce their size, editors reduce the length of their definitions. Brief, pithy definitions of words are easier and quicker to read than the longer definitions found in larger dictionaries.

-Useful usage advice
Although a dictionary is no substitute for such guides as Strunk and White's _The Elements of Style_ and Bernstein's _The Careful Writer_, the OAD is not afraid to let its prescriptive voice be heard. For example, after defining the word 'inflammable' (meaning 'able to be set on fire'), it is stated that the word 'means the same as ''flammable''; its opposite is ''noninflammable''. Careful writers prefer ''inflammable''.'

-Simplified pronunciation scheme
Most dictionaries, in showing how a word is pronounced, use symbols called 'diacritical marks'. Understanding them requires a special chart, which, though included in the dictionary, is itself confusing enough for many users to skip reading pronunciations altogether. Although this lax act saves people from temporary mental strain, they're punished in the long run by, for example, being caught pronouncing the word 'nuclear' as if it were spelled 'nucular'.

But I digress. The OAD does not use diacritical marks, and instead employs a simplified scheme that is easier to use without an explanatory chart, though one is still provided.

-Eugene Ehrlich is awesome
I didn't say this review was unbiased! One of the OAD's editors, Eugene Ehrlich, is the distinguished author of several excellent nonfiction books, including _Amo, Amas, Amat, and More_ (a Latin phrasebook) and _The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate_ (a delightful sort of dignified rant about dictionary editors who perpetuate what Ehrlich deems poor usage, and much more).

Cons:
-Somewhat outdated
The OAD was published in 1980, and to some degree, it shows. Recently coined words, such as 'newbie', 'microsleep', and 'web' in the sense of the World Wide Web, are not present.

Don't be misled, however, into thinking that a dictionary absolutely must be up-to-date. If that were true, dictionary-makers would sell fewer dictionaries and software-makers, such as Microsoft, would be far less successful.

-Small, ergo not very comprehensive
This is to be expected in a pocket-sized dictionary. If you're going to own a small dictionary, own a large one, too. If possible, go to a real-life, physical bookstore and compare the hardcover dictionaries there. Consider factors such as print size (you'll want the text to be readable without a monocle), page size (you'll want large, but also thick, pages), definitions (do they make sense? are they detailed enough?), and illustrations (do you want quality? quantity? color?).

-Fairly flimsy cover
Books are unlike leather in that they don't improve with wear. Paperback books are not also called 'softcovers' for nothing, and the OAD is no exception. After just a year of regular use, my own copy's cover is bent, torn, and scuffed at every edge. The pages, too, are beginning to warp at one corner in the manner of ancient floorboards.

Not all paperback books have such ephemeral covers. My 'softcover' edition of Seamus Heaney's 'Beowulf' translation is thick, semirigid, and is not going to tear in half any time soon. If only the OAD were printed similarly!

-Paucity of etymologies
Large, hardcover dictionaries invariably feature a plenitude of etymologies, or word histories. They're informative, entertaining, and important if you want to better understand a word--and the English language in general.

Besides reducing the length of definitions and reducing the number of definitions themselves, editors must pluck out countless etymologies in order to make a compact dictionary. The OAD has undergone this treatment, but fortunately, the few word histories it contains are fascinating ones.

-No illustrations
Some dictionaries are ostentatious, overflowing with rich color illustrations; some are utilitarian, with monochrome drawings throughout; and some are irksome, with nothing but words.

Commentary:
Again, I recommend that you never use a paperback dictionary (such as the OAD) without a hardcover one in your possession as well. Hardcover dictionaries are satisfyingly comprehensive, but also unwieldy and expensive. That is probably why paperback dictionaries came into being.

As you can see from the five stars, I unabashedly recommend that you purchase the Oxford American Dictionary. But one last caveat: avoid the 'reprint', the 'mass market paperback'--the one with a red cover. Buy the one with a yellow cover, which is a bit more expensive, but also larger and printed on higher-quality paper, making it much easier to read. If you're considering buying this dictionary and using it with any frequency, you will not regret it.

My wife is a text book writer and has found this gift text to be quite valuable. Recommended

Those are the bitter pills of civilization. Like other bitter pills, they have great healing power. As a matter of fact, if the World took more notice of those pearls of wisdom, produced by outstanding minds, from Heraclitus to the Huxleys, policies might be less absurd and mass actions less disastrous than they actually are.

The book is dark verging on sardonic, reflecting the dark, sardonic nature of the best epigrams of our age. I was inspired to respond in the margins to a number of them, and I can't think of a better response to epigrams in general, than for them to get under your prickly skin to the extent that you might write your own ironic counterstatements. Bloodshed begets bloodshed, and so we might say (ironically) that this sort of bitterness begets bitterness. But it may very well be the most brilliant bitterness you've known.

Some of my favorite quotes with my responses--representative in the extreme:

"Where they burn books they will also in the end burn human bodies"--Heine, <>, 1823

"Where they burn human beings, they will also, in the end, burn the wrong book"--Eucaleh Terrapin

"A secret may sometimes be best kept by keeping the secret of its being a secret"--Sir Henry Taylor, <>, 1823

"Thus the wisest proverb is common sense"--Eucaleh Terrapin

"Freedom produces jokes, and jokes produce freedom"--Jean Paul Richter, Introduction to Aesthetics, 1823

"But to be witty is to be serious about other comedians"--Eucaleh Terrapin

John Gross has compliled an excellent collection of the best aphorisms into a nicely accessible framework. The book is arranged by chapters reflecting everything from "Nature" to "The Afterlife." This arrangement works well as a path to pursue the great thoughts that philosophers, psychologists, and aphorists have written about the areas that most commonly provoke interest. The book has an outstanding index and an insightful introduction from Gross in which he expresses his regret about not having beem able to obtain permission to include the observations of Wittgenstein. As Vauvenargues wrote in 1746, "Men's maxims reveal their characters," and one of the great values in this collection is that it juxtaposes what others have said by subject area, juxtaposing what the famous thinkers here included remarked on the same subjects. The cover of this volume displays an explosive rocket, appropriately enough. The anti-religious elements are especially entertaining, as it is always fun to see the response to the groveling aspects of Christian orthodoxy. Highly recommended.

Like most collections of aphorisms this one is rich in helpful thoughts. These thoughts inspire and give birth to new thoughts. 1) Aphorisms of others ideally inspire aphorisms of our own.
2) Aphorisms help make our minds more interesting.
3) It is senseless to read too many aphorisms at once
4) A little here a little there, aphoristic pleasure everywhere.
5) A good aphorism is one you want to tell someone else.

This flowing book of poetry is so enjoyable that you might want to read it in one sitting. The beginning has the beautiful language of pomegrantes, figs, and nature. At "Bach's Concerto No. 1 in C Minor" (210) the true feeling that this is great poetry dawned on me. And the poetic craft became better, too, through "The Bees" (217), "Straw-Blond" (243), and "Things I Didn't Know I Loved" (261). These poems progress through decades of his life and reach their peak in his maturity.

I was introduced to Hikmet through his poem, "Things I didn't know I loved". On the strength of this poem, I picked up this collection. I was tremendously suprised to find that there are many, many more poems that beautifully and powerfully express Hikmet's relishment of life, of love and the constant frustration he experienced as an exile.

His politics are a constant thread throughout many of his poems, as is his optimism in the future - in spite of being imprisioned and separated from his wife, his son and eventually his country. It is his passion for living, however, that struck me most powerfully. "Because of You", "On the Matter of Romeo and Juliet" and "This Journey" are among my favorites (and are among my favorites of ANY poet.)

If you own only two books of poetry, this should be one of them. (The other, in my opinion, should be anything by Rilke, but that is my taste.) Hikmet's words are exquisite and sublime. Highly recommended.

It's hard to express in words just how wonderful and beautiful Hikmet's poetry is - intimate, honest, uncompromising, gently humorous, filled with longing and hope and refusing to let despair triumph in spite of outward circumstances. In other words, profoundly human.

I don't think he'd mind if I quoted his poem "Hello":

HELLO

Nazim, what happiness
that, open and confident, you can say "Hello"
from the bottom of your heart!

The year is 1940.
The month, July.
The day is the first Thursday of the month.
The hour: 9.

Date your letters in detail this way.
We live in such a world
that the month, day, and hour
speak volumes.

Hello, everybody.

To say a big
fat "Hello"
and then, without finishing my sentence,
to look at you with a smile
- sly and gleeful -
and wink. . .

We're such perfect friends
that we understand each other
without words or writing. . .

Hello, everybody,
hello to all of you. . .


(translated from the Turkish by Randy Blasing & Mutlu Konuk; published by Persea books)

Thank you, translators, for bringing this wonderful poet to English readers. From the bottom of my heart - thank you and hello!

A poet of great humanity, great compasion, a believer in the human race in spite of having been in jail from many years, as well as been exiled by the Turkish leaders. refreshing and immediate, poetry for everyone, simple and strong.

Does not matter how good the translation is, it is not comparable to the original work. Nazim Hikmet is world's one of the great poets, but what makes him special really is the way he uses Turkish.

I liked the quotes, but wished there were more. Someone out there, please put together a large book of quotes.

This is a great book if you are writing history papers. The quotes are the best ever. Many of the quotes are thought provoking. I found this book and another book of quotes to be the best.

The best nuggets of wisdom are short and have an obvious point. Some add in the additional quality of being humorous and others historical relevance. All forms of such wisdom are regularly found in the "Quotable Quotes" feature of Reader's Digest. This book is a collection of those quotes organized according to topic. Some of the topics are:

*) If you can't make a mistake . . .
*) He who hesitates . . .
*) Be bold in what you stand for ...
*) Manners are the happy way . . .
*) The difference between a hero and a coward ...

And they are all leaders into significant messages. There are few books where random reading is always enjoyable, this is one of them.

This book is everything I hoped it would be... The service was fast and the item arrived in great condition. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

This modest-sized book contains thousands of quotes. It is well indexed. The quotes vary from subjects as diverse as cats, religion, self-esteem, marriage, happiness, children, humor, the American Dream, finance, injustice, personal problems, politics, expert opinions, the natural world, and much more.

Three of my favorite quotes are: "Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors" (p. 166); "Freedom is the oxygen of the soul" (p. 189); and "No one ever paid the price of a book--only the price of printing it." (p. 138). The latter quote is a good one to apply to this book of quotes!

America. A legend. A dream. A brand like no other. Dick Martin, author of Rebuilding Brand America: What We Must Do to Restore Our Reputation and Safeguard the Future of American Business Abroad, considers America all that and more. In reaction to the unprecendented level of anti-Americanism sweeping the globe, Mr. Martin calls for a drastic overhaul of the way American companies conduct business. Whether domestic or international, the impact of American commerce is felt worldwide. Mr. Martin treats "the sad condition of America's reputation on the world stage" with a thoroughness any political scientist would applaud.

While the author plainly states he is not an economist or political insider, his background as the former Vice President of Public Relations at A&T shines through every word. Clearly he was privy to major players, including politicians, who attempted to build a shining star called America that people around the world would adore. Citing opinion pollsters such as Zogby International, Mr. Martin underscores the unfortunate timing of several endeavors, such as Charlotte Beers who was named by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to head up a global PR campaign to improve international opinion about `hard-hearted' America. Unfortunately, just as her tenure was getting underway in 2001, the terrorist attacks on the world Trade Center and the Pentagon sealed her early demise. Mr. Martin describes in great detail about her brave attempt to rebuild America's brand as the right PR gal at the wrong time.

Halfway through the book, we learn that anti-Americanism is not unique to the 21st Century. In fact, citing de Tocqueville and others, Mr. Martin makes the case that negative public opinion about America's choices has long been woven into the fabric of its existence. Globalization and the McDonaldization of virtually every country on the planet have led to contemporary feelings of ambivalence at best and hatred at the very worst. Interestingly, Mr. Martin points out how the French may despise Americans, yet they won't boycott burgers and fries. He investigates the psychology behind this distinction. McDonalds, for instance, has `glocalized' their franchise to include local tastes on the menu. Instead of beef burgers in India, they serve alternative meats. Nonetheless, the kitchen layout and work processes remain the same worldwide. According to Mr. Martin, such consistent messaging is an enormous achievement from which the purveyors of Brand America can learn.

The most compelling part of his book is his treatment of storytelling. A great part of public relations work centers around grand storytelling to evoke emotions and unforgettable associations with the brand you're trying to promote. King Arthur and the Round table, which undoubtedly pervades British mythology, stand for chivalry and honor. Levi's became an emblem of untenable freedom in Eastern Europe up until the early 90's It symbolized the Gold Rush, attaining wealth through sweat equity. We all know the Nike swoosh conveys the go-for-it athleticism that makes even seventy-year-olds Olympic champions. Why? It's all in the branding.

Brands make us a part of something larger than ourselves. It guarantees us an experience of unity, a connection with the Divine Spirit of the Good Life. It casts light into the shadows, grants hope to the hopeless, and builds a framework around which we create meaning in our lives. Dick Martin's book, Rebuilding Brand America, is an excellent treatise on what is good about America, on what we can do to improve our actions, and how to dismantle the one-way mirror so we can finally peer beyond the looking glass to see ourselves as others see us, too.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Sahm I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, is an American expat writer and PR consultant living near Munich, Germany with her husband and two children.

Dick Martin's book is a very interesting, almost "prismatic" overview of the multiple issues driving anti-american sentiment in the world today. When first confronted with this type of challenge, American Business either searches for "scapegoats" or attempts to derive comfort from it's growing overseas profits, not seeing the warning signs of what's to come.

I've just seen that Dick Martin will be running a webcast on this topic with the American Management Association on June 20th. Check out their website for more information.

Several books have failed to see, or make, the points that Dick Martin develops in his clear, logical and hopeful book about the future of U.S. diplomacy and the role of American business. Martin draws from long and useful experience at AT&T for insights that make this especially valuable to people in business and business communications.

Can there be a more daunting challenge than restoring positive perceptions of the United States abroad? With 23 decades behind it, America in the 21st century faces a new and different landscape with a mix of confidence and uncertainty not unlike that of any young adult. Yet the gulfs among America and other nations seem to grow larger, while the confidence borne of common values appears to be evaporating in an increasingly fragmented world. Even among the English-speaking peoples, today's USA frequently stands alone.

Brilliantly researched, gracefully written and compellingly argued, Dick Martin's latest book taps a lifetime of experience in communications and attitudes to present a crisp summary of what went wrong, what's under way, and what might yet work. Throughout it all, Martin underscores the central point that this is more than an issue for pollsters and pundits. American business bears a significant responsibility for today's condition and faces a largely untapped opportunity for positive action.

Dick Martin's book clearly drives home to the reader the problems that the US faces due to the widespread anti-Americanism sentiment that currently prevails throughout the world. The book is well-balanced, thoroughly researched and timely. He offers a plan to prod government and business to begin the long, difficult process to reverse the loss of prestige and influence that haunts the US today.
This important book should be read and taken seriously by people throughout government and business. I highly recommend it as a must read.