Social Studies Books

This book should be read by every mother who has a daughter. Who knew we could have such an impact on our daughter's self image. What an awesome responsibility!

I have never rushed to my computer upon finishing a book to write a review, and I hardly think a book that's been profiled in PEOPLE magazine needs my help, but I feel compelled to RAVE about this inspiring and hugely helpful book. There are so many of us who understand that bulimia, anorexia and morbid obesity, while frightening problems, are but the tip of the iceberg of the eating disorder that seems to have ensnared all modern females. The notion that a life-long battle against the body is a given MUST be combatted, and authors Richardson and Rehr have pulled out some brilliant tools to help us win--or, rather, stop--this war. With language that reminds us of a smart friend at our kitchen table, they shine a flashlight in the corners, tackling issues that other books on this topic ignore. What to do with the heavy girl whose mother is thin? How does adoption affect body image? How can we emphasize to our daughters what's important, without denying the pull of pop culture? I came away from this book with not only incredible insight, but at least a dozen practical ideas I can use right now with my daughters ages 7 and 10, who are both already struggling with this issue. I thank my lucky stars that these two women met at their daughters' schools, and got around to talking about more than playdates and homework. Any mother with a daughter needs this book!

I read about this book in People magazine and thought it sounded good. Wow! I want to buy this book for everyone I know who has a daughter. Starting from babies and moving through each stage of a girl's life, this book gives sound, quick advice in a very easy to read format to help girls love their bodies. There is also a great section for Dads too. If you have a daugher. Get this book. It is a must read.

Few parents with teen-aged daughters escape the frustrations of dealing, at least on occasion, with a daughter who feels she should look like the image on a fashion magazine. At this trying point in a girl's life, a great many insecurities can arise ranging from peer pressure to lack of confidence and self-esteem about appearance. Through the media, i.e. television, movies and fashion magazines, teens are often programmed to think only thin is acceptable and unless we have a the face and body of a fashion model, we will never be accepted and never be noticed.

This book is an excellent source for working with your daughter to help her understand that true beauty lies within, not on the surface. Each of us has our own unique beauty and style and rather than try to cultivate what others have achieved, we should be individualistic and cultivate what we have been given. This is a book where Mom's and Dad's can both play an active role in dealing with the often frustrating day-to-day problems of a teen-aged daughter, and by doing so, helping her feel more confident, happy and healthy, both emotionally and physically.

This Author is Fantastic and an inspration to us all as mothers and as women!
Way to go Elaine you've hit it out of the park on this book! I recomend it to all mothers!

Your Friend Desiree A Make-A-Wish Volunteer whom you have inspired even more! ;-}

The Accountable Organization: Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust by John Marchica (CEO of FWI, a medical information services firm and one of America's fastest growing companies) offers insightful analysis and solid advice, enhanced with personal testimony and an informed expertise with respect to the vital connections between corporate integrity, accountability, and trust that is essential to success in today's post-Enron business culture. Offering readers a practical and actionable guidance on how to identify a company's values and purposes, then integrating those values and purposes into a strategic plan to serve as a focused "roadmap" for execution, The Accountable Organization should be considered rquired reading for all supervisory and management level employees of national and international corporations -- an on the mandatory reading list of every MBA candidate in the country!

The author shows how developing a corporate culture of trust and integrity will return profits by building raving fans - not only with his customers, but also with his employees. In this day and age where these factors are sometimes taken for granted, it is refreshing to have an example that we may follow.

This book gives practical examples in which we can model our own organizations. The positive ideas gained from this book are a must for all leaders and individuals in the workplace.

As a consultant, I have had the opportunity to work with John and his company FWI, and I can offer the perspective of someone who has seen him put into action the principles he writes about in this book.

Mr. Marchica lays out how it's important to conduct business with accountability, integrity and trust, but he's just as quick to point out that you still must take risks and be creative. The scandals and the slow economy are turning too many companies into wallflowers afraid to dance.

I'm using this book in my organization and I recommend it to anybody that wants to make a difference in theirs. You can easily apply these ideas to any level within a company. The positive results will spread the idea to all levels.

The Author offers a cerebral, but pragmatic approach to defining and applying concepts like "integrity" and "trust" (too often just rhetoric) in the modern business enterprise. His views on risk and trust completely changed my approach to marketing. Well thought out, insightful, academic, but with very practical applications. A must read not just for executives, but for everyone in your entire enterprise

The Accountable Organization is a timely book by John Marchica. It speaks to the heart of what has given corporate America a black eye. The value however is not just pointing out the problems that we are all seeing resulting from corporate leaders making self serving decisions. Rather, the book provides valuable insights into what any company of any size needs to do to be accountable to all its constituents, customers, shareholders, investors, employees and suppliers. Moreover, the result is not just being a good corporate citizen but the result is a very successful company. Success that works for all constituents. The Accountable Organization is a must read if you want to take your company to a higher level.

I've tried several courses: math, science, history and language. My kids especially love the Sign Language cards! I purchased all three card sets and the CD-software. The photographs are more realistic than drawings which you mostly find in ASL products. Great for younger kids too. My daughter's using them in her Brownie troupe and my three-year-old has picked up on some of the alphabet and numbers already. My older son has some mild learning disabilities and looking at a page in a book with so much information all together makes him nervous. I put one card at a time on a cleared table. It helps him focus and that gives him more confidence. People have been making or using flash cards forever, and I think they always will be no matter how fancy computers and software gets (but the Exambusters software is good too). I've recommended them to others.

When I was in school, flash cards were the best way to learn and I always made my own. The exambusters cards cover many of my daughter's courses and I bought her several. Sometimes we work together and she and her friends study in a group too--making a trivia game. Try the software. The screensaver function is great!! In our house, we love to learn new languages. The program flashes words or phrases and then translation every few seconds. The material goes into your brain by osmosis and the constantly changing cards on the screen keep pulling you back to read more. The software is much easier to figure out than some other brands we've purchased. It's intuitive; you don't need to read a lot of confusing instructions. All in all, good investment.

In junior high, my son got a head start on high school courses and that helped him get better grades. He used both cards and CD. My son liked the software, so he studied more than he would have from a book. Learning is hard work, but the exambusters made him feel like it's not quite so bad. The software is well-laid out, colorful, and user-friendly. The messages they give when they score the tests are amusing.

I bought several courses. The cards offer basic concepts in small bites. The information was relevant to what was presented by my teacher. The cards and CD's gave good review before exams and a head start at the start of the new school year. The cards had a lot of questions; you can carry them in your pocket and learn a few each day. The software was easy to use. It is like the cards but on the screen. You can take a test or just review. Front is question, click for answer on back of card. The software can also show the cards on the screen at random, first the question, then the answer. They change every few seconds. That keeps you reading and wondering what's coming up next. It's entertaining while you're studying.

Every year I recommend them to my students. The ones who buy them seem to do a little better than they might have. The cards are numbered, so it's easy to tell them which ones they need to know, and which they can set aside based on the curriculum. It's harder to accomplish that type of culling of information with a review book you'd buy at the superstore.

This is an amazing book which addresses issues you are either facing or may be facing in the future. The book offers insight from women who know from experience what to expect when you are faced with the unexpected- the loss of a husband through death or divorce. They bring honesty, humor and reality to a painful but very real life circumstance. I have given this book to family and friends with the assurance that I have done them a great kindness by sharing Barbara and Donnette's wisdom. I highly recommed this book to all women in all circumstances based on the knowledge that nothing in our lives stays the same.

It's comforting to know where to turn for answers to so many questions. I'm impressed with the authors' thoroughness and depth of research. Thank you, Barb and Donnette!

It is terrible to loose one you love. This book is full of good advice and better than any other I have seen on the subject. Thank you Barbara and Donnette Jan Huey

This is an amazing book which addresses issues you are either facing or may be facing in the future. The book offers insight from women who know from experience what to expect when you are faced with the unexpected- the loss of a husband through death or divorce. They bring honesty, humor and reality to a painful but very real life circumstance. I have given this book to family and friends with the assurance that I have done them a great kindness by sharing Barbara and Donnette's wisdom. I highly recommed this book to all women in all circumstances based on the knowledge that nothing in our lives stays the same.

I wish this book had been available when my husband died in 1982! It would have made things so much easier then, but the information is helpful to me as a widow even now. I bought two books ... one for me and one for my home town library. Alice Peterson, Keystone Heights, FL

I have read several books related to WWII nursing history. This was one of the most original stories I have come across. Well Written and very much worth the read. Not one of the Vets that I spoke with from this era had ever heard of this story. It was a great bit of little known history.

Albanian Escape was exciting, quick-paced, and inspiring. After crashing behind enemy lines, this narrative of a group of brave women, written from one surviovor's perspective, was everything an adventure story could be. An unexpected turn of events leads to a challenge, a journey behind enemy lines during World War II. Throughout, the physical strength, courage, disciple and patriotism of the servicewomen remain steady. I loved hearing about the descriptions of covert radio transmissions, the long walks in the dark and the unfamiliar food eaten gratefully by the characters. The story read like a story, yet one knew IT HAD REALLY HAPPENED, because of the threat of Hitler's armies and that there was much at stake if these people were captured. Another angle of the narrative which interested me was the fact that Albania, recently in the news because of the wars in the Balkans and Kosovo, was the poulation the nurses came in contact with. I learned a lot about the way political loyalties were very fragile and unreliable during a war. For example, In the book, there were three main groups of citizens in Albania: those loyal to the Germans, those who wanted political independence from the dictator of Albania at the time, and those who were loyal to the Allies. Therefore, the issue of who was friendly was a complicated one for the Americans. Reading about Ablania, I gained insight into current events in my own world. I recommend this book highly to readers of all ages, especially those who want to learn about what it was like during World War II.

Mrs. Mangerich, I was moved, ok, maybe I'm a bit partial, but I loved it... Mrs. Mangerich, my grandfather gave me this book, you know your cousin, I thought agh, another war-story. But I got into, drove my friends nuts talking about it, i loved every aspect of the story. The drama, and the way the story was written was beautiful. I was impressed, truly, especially considering I'm only a teen and you managed to captivate my impaitent mind... 5 stars all around, I hope to see you @ the family reunion!

This was very important for me as my father, who is now deceased, was one of the medics on board the aircraft. Information on him that was unknown to me was brought to light in the book. It is well written and i am thankful that this piece of history that involved my father was recorded for the future.

This book, Albanian Escape, The True Story of U.S. Army Nurses Behind Enemy Lines, by Agnes Jensen Mangerich as told to E.M. Monahan and R.L. Neidel is a great story, well written, and historically relevant today. It is relevant to today's debate on women in the military and their ability and stamina to deal with hardship and come out winners. And it certainly has relevance to today's problems in the Balkans. While the story is told from the perspective of one of the nurses, it does deal with the other 12 nurses involved, the medics and the plane crew; the Albanians willing to help them escape German-held Albania and the British SOE and American OSS officers detailed to help them escape. The authors were able to trace down actual reports from the Bari Air Base, Command Communique concerning the incident and reports from Lt. Duffy, SOE and Capt. Smith, OSS, intertwining these very well in the account. One mystery remains in this book--regarding why the pilots did not have the password for the day which prevented them from getting the information they sought from the Bari Air Field about the time they were due there and the copilots unwillingness to talk about it to Jensen when she mentioned to him that the radio operator had told her that the pilots had tried to radio Bari. I also understand that Monahan and Neidel were telling Jensen's story, but it would have been great if some of the others in the group could have been contacted to hear their perspective of this event. Unfortunately, we hear from the Veterans Admiinstration that we are losing 1000 WWII Veterans daily in the U.S. and it is not easy to find such people if they didn't keep in touch. But an awful lot of good stories are going untold. As a retired Army Nurse, Korea and Vietnam era, I had to smile alot at some of the dialogue, and think how typical it was of military nurses in every generation when the going got rough. I believe the writers did a great job of telling Agnes Jensen Mangerich's story and I would recommend it to all who have an interest in military history and particularly women in the military and military nurses. We're blest this year with both this book and Norman's We Band of Angels--Great Readings. Ira P. Gunn, MLN, CRNA, FAAN, LTC, US Army Retired

Alice Ramsey of Hackensack, New Jersey was twenty-two years old in June of Nineteen Nine, when she started out on her trip driving trip across America with her two sisters-in-law and her friend Hermine as passengers. Narrow roads, dirt roads and roads that were barely there at all challenged them, as did mud, rivers and mountains. And when the car broke Alice was the one who had to get it working again. One has to remember that though this trip was a bit less than a century ago, this was an amazing feet. Women didn't have the vote, were considered much to gentle for such a task and many didn't think Alice would come through, but come through she did, making the trip in fifty-nine days.

This is a super book with out of sight illustrations by Mr. Brown. My young son loves the pictures and when he's old enough to really understand the story, he's going to love Alice Ramsey as we read along about her grand adventure. Three thumbs up at my house. One from young Devon, One from Mommy Sara and one from me.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

A wonderful introduction to the conditions of the roads for the early travelers by car in America. Because of their determination, our roads were improved and the automobile industry flurished. A great way to make children and adults aware of the history of the early automobiles and how people like Alice Ramsey believed in them. The geography lessons lend themselves to great mapping activities.

Luminous watercolors and a straightforward writing style serve to enchant the reader without over-romanticizing a true story. I look forward to more by this author.

No doubt young readers will be struck by the idea that on June 9, 1909 a twenty-two-year-old woman named Alice Ramsey made a name for herself by becoming the first woman to drive across America in an automobile. After all, the thought that this achievement would be a big deal should strike this as being somewhat odd. But one of the things that "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" does is remind its readers what life was like at the turn of the last century, especially if you happened to be a woman (after all, women could not yet vote in the United States).

Told and illustrated with watercolor paintings by Don Brown, "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" makes it clear why this fifty-nine day trip, which began on June 9, 1909, was something akin to something done by pioneers the century before. After all, Alice did this trip traveling with her friend and her sisters-in-law, and the only one who knew anything about automobiles was Alice. The car was a Maxwell touring car, which had a top speed of 42 miles per hour and where you had to light the headlamps with a match. To make things even more interesting there were no road signs, many roads were for horses rather than automobiles, and the only guidebook that existed for motorists only covered the eastern part of the country.

What is fascinating here are the details, the problems both big and small, that Alice Ramsey faced while driving across the country in her Maxwell. After all, this trip took place less than a century ago, which makes "Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure" a great example of those tales about the Olden Days when you can really tell how different things were way back then. If young readers were to think about what they could do today that would be in the same spirit, if not the same scale, as what Alice Ramsey did, it would be interesting to see what they might come up with to rival this road trip.

"On June 9, 1909, Alice Ramsey drove out of New York City and into a grand adventure. Alice Ramsey wanted to be the first woman to drive across America. Alice's friend, Hermine, and her sisters-in-law, Nettie and Margaret, traveled with her..." So begins Don Brown's marvelous story of a little known young woman and her dream. Mr Brown's engaging and informative text, told in an easy to read conversational style, is filled with enlightening details about how the trip progressed over its 59 day period. Pigs clogged the road in Illinois, and railroad tracks slowed them down in Chicago and "...the car bounced over mile after mile of rail until the women were dizzy." Dirt roads became muddy and impassable when it rained, and as they traveled further west, there were no roads at all. "Alice followed telephone lines, hoping the wires would lead her to the next town. It wasn't always successful-sometimes it left them even more lost." And there were many mishaps and breakdowns along the way. But as she crested the Sierra Mountains, Alice knew she was now in California and close to her goal. "Alice guided the Maxwell onto a ferry that carried them to San Fransisco. When she rolled off the ferry behind the wheel of her Maxwell, Alice Ramsey became the first woman to have driven across America! It was August 7, 1909, Fifty-nine days had passed since Alice left New York City." Charming watercolor illustrations add just the right touch, and highlight the important events of the story. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure is an inspiring tale, told by a gifted storyteller, that is sure to whet the appetite of adventurous readers and send them out looking for more.

This book is a must have for caregivers or anyone who has a family member with Alzheimer's. You can read it through or just pick out chapters that will help you at the time, but the biggest help to me was Chapter 12 about Approaching Death. It gave me the comfort and help that I needed. I've read many books on the subject, but this has been the most helpful yet because it is based on love.

This is a tremendous resource for people who believe in the healing power of Love. Frena Gray Davidson has written a very spiritually centered book that will inevitably help any caregiver and their loved one.

She speaks about how we'll see the "divine child" untouched by darkness or sickness - our loved one - emerge in this process. And she states that we must listen to the feeling behind the words. That little statement has changed my life. When someone asks for their mother, who may have passed on decades earlier, they're really seeking comfort and security and reassurance. We need to hear their feelings that lie in back of their words.

She goes on to say that 30% of language is verbal, the rest is expressed in body language and behavior.

Further on she makes the observation that Alzheimer's patients are sensitive to the thoughts of those around them and to always give plenty of Love, both in word, action and thought.

She states that "unconditional Love is not a measure, it is a flow. You cannot give it or get it, you can only be part of it. When you love a person with Alzheimers, clarity and awareness come to that person." [p149]

The other wonderful point she makes is that so much of our disappointment in Alzheimers patients is tied to our notion of their "proper" mortal identity. Your mother doesn't know she's your mother anymore, but you can value and cherish who she is in the here and now. Don't live in the past but nurture the childlike qualities she is expressing in the present.

Tons of good advice. The other book I'd recommend for anyone dealing with Alzheimers is "Science and Health with key to the Scriptures" by M. B. Eddy. It is a terrific sourcebook on powerful prayers that heal and restore. It is the "how-to" book of prayer.

This is the book that changed everything for me. Its about approaching this disease with Love, Strength and Courage.
Frena shows you how to get thru a day at a time and most of all how to keep yourself intact. We get lost in this disease, it consumes whole families. She shows you how to listen, your loved one is still within this person afflicted by this disease,you just have to listen carefully and you will see the person you love is still inside and has alot to tell.She shows you how to cope. Frena is my strength, she gave me the tools from reading her book 3 years ago. This book is my foundation and Frena is an angel. No other book affected me as much as this one. If you want to truly understand this disease, this is it!

For anyone with a loved one suffering with Alzheimer's this is the book to get. It will help you understand the disease and how to cope. Written in everyday language it is packed with information on the stages these victims go through and how you can help them. One of the best I've read!

Frena Gray-Davidson is the ultimate "been there, done that" person in Alzheimer's care. Her book is a support group that can always be with you, ready to speak to the issues that concern you now and prepare you for what is likely to concern you in the future. All parts of this book will help you meet the challenges of dementia care, however several chapters are of special value. Chapter 2, Before Diagnosis and chapter 4, Family Crisis Alzheimer's Style guide families in the early stages of the disease. Chapter 11, Knowing When To Let Go, answers some of the tough questions about placement in a care facility. The final chapter, Moving On, gives guidance for that time when caregiving is no longer the top priority. In keeping with her theme not to lose the person in the process of coping with the disease, Ms. Gray-Davidson leads us away from using psychiatric terms to label behaviors and thought patterns which result from diminishing cognitive ability. She explains what may look like paranoia as "a reasonable fear response, given the limitations of the disease." She makes what is often labeled delusional thinking easier to understand as "memory which has drifted into some point in the past." She writes with compassion and humor, creating therapy for the caregiver and family members. The book is interesting to read and easy to understand. As a Geriatric Care Consultant, I have often loaned my copy of The Alzheimer's Sourcebook for Caregivers to my clients. Most of them return it with the comment that they have purchased copies for themselves and for family members. This started with the 1st edition and is continuing with the 3rd. I can make no higher recommendation.

All William K. Everson's books make fine reading, but "American Silent Film" I find especially valuable now that so many great silent classics are surfacing on DVD. Everson's research is thorough, his comments are usually most apt, and his enthusiasm unmistakable. It's great to see him drawing attention to brilliant film-makers like William K. Howard and Rex Ingram who are not usually highly regarded by the critical fraternity. All the same, Everson does have his idiosyncrasies. William S. Hart's superb achievement, "Tumbleweeds", rates but a single sentence, and the film's gifted co-director, King Baggot, is not mentioned at all, even though Baggot then went on to direct a marvelous film called "The Notorious Lady" with the star of Hart's western epic, Barbara Bedford. This film is available on DVD in a beautiful print as noted in my book, Silent Films & Early Talkies on DVD: A Classic Movie Fan's Guide. Everson's other most notable omissions include Edwin Carewe's "Evangeline", Ernst Lubitsch's "Lady Windermere's Fan", Robert G. Vignola's "When Knighthood Was in Flower" (in its day, the most expensive movie ever made), Charles Ray's "Sweet Adeline" and Henry King's "The White Sister". Of course, many movies that are now available on DVD, were not in circulation when Everson wrote this book. All the same, neither Carewe nor Vignola are listed at all, while some other extremely talented directors like Donald Crisp rate an unjust dismissal as "undistinguished". Everson is always at his best, however, when discussing the virtues and defects of mystery thrillers like "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Cat and the Canary".

If you are truly serious about the Silent Film Era,then this book is a must for your Library.

The author (who has since died) is very thorough in his research, from start to finish. The B&W photos are also fun to look at.

You might,though, find some of the chapters a bit "dry"...but then, most comprehensive history books (on any big topic, as this one) can seem as such.

Note that this film history book was written in the 1970's, so possibly a few more films may have been discovered or have been restored by now. Still, this 1970 film history book holds up very well , even in 2007.
The actual silent film "facts" presented by the author have not changed all that much since the 1970's, since the silent film experiences from the 1900's to the 1920's have basically remained the same. Infact, the author lists a thorough time-line in the appendix of this book, listing most American silent films that have been found and restored in the last century! Quite a feat in itself, and so interesting!

This book is a classic. If you own only two or three film books, this should be one of them. Everson was the man. He saw everything, and what's more, he understood what he saw. There is no better introduction to the world of silent film.

I am so glad that Da Capo put this old Oxford University Press book back in print. I had read it back when I was a teenager in Chandler, Arizona and found its descriptions of these elusive films fascinating. For instance, this book was the first place I had heard of FW Murnau's excellent Sunrise, which is now a favorite of mine. Get this book for your private Silent Film Genre Reference Library.

This book, written by the late film expert William K. Everson, is one of the best that you will read on silent film. Everson covers the entire silent film era from its beginnings to the coming of sound. This book focuses on the artistic successes more than the business end of the topic. While he completely covers D.W. Griffith's career, he also champions other early directors like John Collins. He covers interesting topics like art direction (or the lack of) in many early films. While the scope of the book is American films, he devotes time to the influence of European films and filmmakers on American films.

This books is an excellent introduction to silent film, yet a person familiar with the topic will not be able to put it down either.

This book is perfect for someone who knows nothing about signing. It is an easy, fast read. This is the only signing book I have read so far and probably will be my last. Most of the signs that are relevant to baby and day to day life are in this book. Reccomended to all moms!

After looking around at many books on baby signing, we eventually decided to purchase 'Baby Signing for Dummies'. We are so pleased that we did! This book is so well-written and easy to read, not like a textbook at all! You can tell that this book was written by a mother, it is practical, full of good advice, funny and most of all realistic! I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn about baby signing.

Great book, this has been very helpful communicating with our young grandchildren!!!

A must have for parents wanting to sign with their children. Easy to use. It is easy to jump right into the signing without reading the entire book, quick easy reference. This book has been very helpful in teaching my daughter to sign. Great starting point. Also true ASL signs.

This book is a great way to learn sign language and teach your babies/kids. My now 20 month old is able to tell me what she needs and there is much less frustration in the house than I had with my first child at this age. My 4 1/2 year old and my 20 month old can communicate with each other as well through signs. I love this book and it has started me on a path of learning/teaching more signs. You can't go wrong with it - even if you only use one sign from it (you don't have to remember them all to have your life easier by using signs).

This fun to read and well researched book explores the rise of Bachata from its obscure beginning as a musical style of the rural and urban poor in the Dominican Republic to its eventual international popularity. It is the only book of its kind in english and a must read for anyone interested in bachata's roots.

Hernandez delves particularly into social conditions and class issues which impacted bachata's formative years. The book traces back the Dominican Republic's musical and social climate beginning from the period of the repressive Trujillo Dictatorship (1930s-1961), and through bachata's humble beginnings in the 1960s to its attainment of international popularity by the early 1990s.

While the subject matter is complex, the book flows easily and is actually difficult to put down. Interviews with musicians, colorful anecdotes and plentiful song lyrics all help to bring to life the humor, candor, and also the pains, of the people who created bachata.

An excellent companion to this book is the classic bachata compilation CD Bachata Roja: Acoustic Bachata From the Cabaret Era - the accompanying booklet features an introduction by Hernandez along with many of the photos she took while researching.

I'm glad to have gotten this book, but the cover photo of Raulin Rodriguez is somewhat misleading. I'm a huge fan of Raulin and I was hoping to read more about his impact on the popularity of the Bachata in the DR. There is still a lot of stigma attached to the Bachata as music suited for bothels and shantytowns and the emergence of Raulin and Antony Santos has done much to make this form of music legit in the public view. The bachata of today is very different than the political songs described in the book. It also seems to me that most of the research took place in the Santo Domingo area rather than on the north coast where the Bachata is far more popular. Just as you wouldn't research country music in NYC, it seems odd to research the Bachata in the DR's largest city. A full follow-up book on the Bachata of today would be great that includes the Americanization of the form by such groups as Aventura and the current complexity of the music's guitar form.

Un curioso estudio, un libro de bachata. La primera vez que lo vi no me anime a leerlo. Pensé como todo mal dominicano con el complejo de gazcue que un libro sobre una música que no me gusta no merecía que le dedicara tiempo. Tuvo que pasar un año y un despertar de mi entendimiento para saber que no importa que la música no me guste o que sea de clase baja o que sea vulgar y yo solo escuche música clásica o rock; lo importante es que es nuestra música, nuestra identidad nos guste o no. El libro como una disección cuidadosamente hecha por una antropóloga trata el tema no con la frialdad de un descubrimiento arqueológico sino con la calidez de un tema humano, bueno con toda la calidez que puede hacerlo una norteamericana. Ella trata el tema de la bachata desde la historia de la etimología de la palabra. No sabia y ahora sé que la palabra bachata significa jolgorio, reunión en que las personas tocan música con guitarras. Las influencias de la bachata según la autora provienen de cuba.

El método de investigación de la autora consistió en residir en Republica Dominicana por un tiempo, mientras entrevistaba a los bachateros de radio guarachita, a artistas famosos, a historiadores y sociólogos. El libro escrito en ingles, también posee unas cuantas letras de bachatas famosas con su respectiva traducción, una galería de fotos de bachateros y merengueros y muestra el avance de la música y su aceptación final al llegar bachata rosa de Juan Luis Guerra al escenario y darle un impulso internacional a la bachata. La autora después de este acontecimiento tuvo que cambiar su foco narrativo, porque esta música lentamente se empieza a aceptar en la radio y ha dejado de ser marginada. Me agrada mucho ver que de todas estas cosas salen estudios, libros, análisis y que mi país esta bien representado. Ojala que autores dominicanos se enfrenten a la labor de exaltar lo nuestro y dejemos nuestro complejo gazcuense, nuestra exaltación de lo extranjero sobre lo nacional y nos pongamos a escribir sobre mas cosas de nuestro país.

Luis Méndez.

Deborah Pacini Hernandez offers an excellently researched, intelligently written, and amazingly detailed history of the Dominican Republic's Bachata music. Be forewarned ... this is not an easy book to read; this is not a glib magazine article with a superficial history of Bachata. On the contrary, Ms. Hernandez analyzes the growth of Bachata from a socio-economic / political and cultural point of view and her discussions and overall presentation often read like a doctoral dissertation.

Despite the book's academic tone, it is a wonderfully rich, engrossing study of Bachata and I highly recommend it. The book covers the birth of Bachata (circa the early 1960's) and traces its growth up until the early 1990's. I would like Ms. Hernandez to write another book that covers the explosive growth and popularity of Bachata from the mid 1990's up to the present. Ms. Hernandez is to be commended on her extraordinary research and intelligent presentation. I rate this book: A+.

This is a great book, one that challenges white male assumptions about class and its relation to music. A valuable book for anyone interested in combatting stereotypes, and patriarchal and racist interpretations of 'popular' music. I was reading a somewhat pompous academic's book about hiphop musical culture by someone named Russell Potter, and it almost made me swear off academic books about music. But Deborah Pacini Hernandez is unusual in that she understands, appreciates, and identifies with the best of Dominican popular music. What a great book!