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I have found this book to be invaluable in my search for a new agent, a publisher and how to query. Many writers make the mistake of launching out without knowledge of how to approach publishing houses or what they specialize in. This is a clear, consice book of how to presnt your manuscript to a market saturated with wonderful pennings of authors. If you are a serious Christian writer, then this book is a must get.

This book has shown me how to actually get published in magazines. It will not only give you the 'how to' but it will also encourage you to take the risk and put yourself out there.

If you are serious about making money writing this book is a must.

The authors of this book wrote a book that is very easy to read and provides alot of very helpful information for those trying to get published in magazines. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is laying the foundation of becoming freelance article writer.

If jokes and verbose trying-to-be-clever writing were advertising, this book would be Oprah Magazine. But more on that later--I just needed a lead as per chapter 19 "Hook 'Em Early, Hook 'Em Hard."

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles" is like an introduction 101 survey class to this topic. Among many other things, it covers the basics of the entire process from generating article ideas, to writing query letters to conducting interviews, writing basics, and even how freelance writers deal with taxes. Like a 101 class, this book provides breadth but not depth. Most beginning magazine writers will likely need more of the material on earlier parts of the process such as studying the market and writing query letters rather than dealing with taxes and contracts. However, as a survey course, they do have their place, with the exception of the chapter on writing books and book proposals. For an excellent, more in depth treatment of query letters, a topic a novice will definitely need, I recommend "How to Write Irresistible Query Letters" by Lisa Collier Cool.

Having published a handful of freelance pieces and knowing the basics of the process, I can tell you the information is provided is good, sound advice. My problem with the book is that you have to wade through so much verbose trying-to-be clever chatty writing to get to the basics you need as a freelance magazine writer. It's like the authors, unbridled from the tight word counts and no nonsense editing of magazines went nuts trying to be cute and clever. For one of many examples, there's a section called "Ratatatatat: Machine Gun Writing" which begins, "Do you feel like Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' right about now? What the heck do we mean when we say machine gun writing?" Then there's another paragraph before they get to the definition. I think this book could have been edited by about 1/3 with no loss of content.

None-the-less, I appreciated the content in between the jokes, even though some of it was not in depth enough to my liking, such as the brief section on how to get clips. I especially liked the interviews with magazine editors discussing what writers need to do to break into writing for their publications. If you need an intro 101 survey of the career of freelance writing and don't mind wading through all the chatty wisecracking writing, this is the book for you.

I had so many questions and this book has answered them all! I have had it wire bound because I am refering to it so much.Just can't recommend it highly enough!

Whilst From Mars and Venus certainly isn't Barry's best work it is not at the bottom of the list either. Published in 1997 it is rather dated in parts but a lot of the topics are still extremely relevant today. Barry has included photographs as well in this book which he doesn't always do, which are quite funny. In From Mars and Venus Barry covers topics such as synchronised swimming, laser tag, gravity, fashion tips for men, snowmobiles, snowboarding, dog sledding, Wheel of Fortune, Harley Davidson jerks, Classical Music, playing the part of a corpse in an Opera, Hilary Clinton asking him to lunch then declining because he wouldn't do it off the record, going on Oprah, annoying commercials and Florida drivers to name just a few. Definitely check out other non fiction collections such as Boogers are My Beat as well as his sensational fiction novels especially Tricky Business.

This book is one of Dave Barry's best books ever. It has a multitude of really good columns in it, and my favorites are as follows:

"Warp Speed"--wherein Dave Barry discusses flying (and puking) in a fighter jet.
"The Avenging Death Killer of Doom"--wherein Dave Barry discusses playing laser tag.
"Saving Face"--wherein Dave Barry discusses laser tag again; this time regarding getting hit in the face with a laser gun.
"Brain Sludge"--wherein Dave Barry discusses how no one can remember the names of all the Supreme Court justices, but they can remember all the words to the "Robin Hood" TV show theme song from the 1950's.
"The Cigar Avenger"--wherein Dave Barry discusses getting the World's Best Water Gun and using it in a superherolike fashion.
and
"One Potato, Two Potato..."--wherein Dave Barry discusses firing a potato cannon.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dave Barry's work, this book is hilarious and you desperately need to get it out of the library, at the very least.
And as for those of you familiar with Dave Barry's work, if you've read his previous works and liked them, then you also really need to read this one.

i am an avid dave barry fan and this is one of the best book i have read. with the new topics of dave barry, you will laugh till you side hurts. some of the newer topics are "lobster related to insects?" and "insect intelligence" this book is great. also recommened is "dave barry in cyberspace" and "dave barry is not taking this sitting down" and one of the best is "dave barry talks back"

This book gave me the most laugh-out-loud moments I can remember from a Barry book.

Some of my favorite columns in this one include "Speed Trap," regarding the abolishment of the national pretend speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Another is "Eureka!," regarding the invention of "buffalo-style" wings, which means (according to Barry) "to people who have been drinking beer." He theorizes that buffalo wings are the same bones over and over, run through the dishwasher before being re-served to customers.

This is a compilation of newspaper columns published by accomplished humorist Dave Barry. Barry's whose sarcastic and colorful brand of humor, coupled with a creative and liberal use of capital letters and punctuation and a tendency to flit from topic to topic, neatly anticipated the internet generation by several years.

Barry is funny, and I'm happy to say that his material ages very well. While he is often commenting on the story of the day, his emphasis is on the humor rather than the facts, and the humor still works (check in again in twenty years to see if that's still so).

I'm not sure whether I really recommend this, because it offers nothing (beyond an introduction) original. On the one hand, a fan of Barry could scour the internet and download all of his columns to save himself the purchase price. But on the other hand, Barry would probably prefer that you generate some extra royalties by buying the book.

OK so I know that my opinions tend to be backward in today's society, but I really didn't appreciate the fact that the author felt the need to put vulgarity in this book.
The story line was great, it made me think. It made me take consideration to how the educational system really runs. But I really don't want my children reading words that I don't want them saying. I know that there isn't much out there anymore that doesn't have foul language in it. But if more authors wouldn't spoil a great story with language there would be.

Absolutely,possitively the best book I have ever read in my entire life. Very descriptive and it has a good theme.My two favorite characters are probably Adam and Pheobe. I like them because-when put together in a paragraph-they are very funny.

Adam Canfield of the Slash, by Michael Winerip shows the true meaning of guts. In the story, Adam Canfield, the co-editor of the Slash, (the school's newspaper), has a hard time finding stories to issue in the newspaper but little does he know that there is a mammoth story waiting to be revealed right there at Harris Elementary Middle School. Mrs. Marris, the school principal, takes money that was supposed to be donated to the school, and uses it to purchase gold plumbing in her bunker lavatory. Adam jumps all over the story but takes an immense risk that his permanent record will be scared for ever if he publishes the story in the paper. Adam has a poised sidekick named Jennifer who is an amazing student, and also extraordinarily intelligent. They have to put up with third grade club reporter Phoebe who won't stay out of their faces. Even though very annoying, and hyper, Phoebe has a very intoxicating pen, and a very keen sense of sniffing out front page stories. After a sequence of events happen Adam, Jennifer, and Phoebe realize the theme of this book, which is that if you work hard, and put a bunch of meaning into something, than it will be all worth it in the long shot.

This realistic fiction story seems like a nerdy book about a school newspaper but it's not. The Slash is a very fascinating newspaper that all of you would love to read. One of the stories is about a wooden cow that was stolen, and then about a year later some teenagers returned it! The character Adam is a very creative kid who wants to do only good for the world, but there is one thing that just makes him go crazy. His huge schedule. Adam has to balance school, the Slash, and his extracurricular activities. Jennifer is an extremely smart student, and knows a lot about pleasing people. Phoebe is just an annoying third grader who is exceptionally good at being a newspaper journalist. This story is comical at the right times, and gripping at others. I think that this story keeps you on your toes and compels you to keep reading!

Adam Canfield of the Slash is the story of a very busy middle school student, Adam Canfield. Adam Canfield has a busy schedule every day of the week. One day he'll have baritone practice, swimming, and football. Another he'll have band, chorus, and soccer. Adam is always running around. To make things even worse he becomes the co-editor of the school newspaper, The Slash! Now, Adam is in charge of getting the newspaper ready for each month's issue. His brain is now full of things to do.

Adam lives in a small town. He is very busy going to practices before and after mandatory classes for state testing. Although he's a 4+ student he still has to study, which he hates doing. Adam tries to study in his spare time but he doesn't always have enough time. Adam's coeditor is a girl named Jennifer. She is the most organized person he has ever met. Jennifer is one of Adam's best friends.

Jennifer and Adam both find out lots of mysteries in collaboration. The first thing they do to change their little town is find out that all accessory structures (basketball hoops) are going to be torn down. When Adam finds this out he is outraged and puts an article in the newspaper about it. When all of the parents of the children read the story they are also outraged. People start petitions and protests about it. Eventually they decide to go to court. The court decision said that people could keep their hoops.

The next article was about an old lady who left money to the school and how the school was using it for "general improvements". Miss Minnie Bloch left thousands of dollars to the elementary/middle school. Miss Bloch only wanted a small plaque or scholarship in her name. For gratitude, Mrs. Harris, the school's principal, was thinking of other things. All she wanted to do was put an article in the paper about the gift. The rest of the money she would spend on a new bathroom with gold faucets and piping.

In the end, Jennifer and Adam are much closer. This is a great book for all ages. I loved it and think others will love it just as much. Try to read this book as soon as you can.

We had a long car trip planned so I picked up an audio tape of this book for the journey. Our 3 kids--13, 11, and 9--loved it. And my husband and I wouldn't let them listen unless we were there too. The kids laughed and got a sense of what it was to be a journalist. My husband and I (both involved in our local elementary/middle schools) loved the sub plot on testing in the modern era. Excellent for boys and girls and quite a range of ages.

A published freelancer for over a year now, I found Yudkin's book to be the best one that I have read on non-fiction freelance writing. I feel that her advice is timeless and very applicable to the markets out there for the freelance writer today.
The advice she gives is helpful for both the beginner and the more experienced writer, and it is presented in a very clear, specific manner.
If a person could only buy one book on freelancing--this should be it.

Marcia Yudkin has a great style and many useful hints, but much has changed in the few years since this book came out. I hope she will put out a new edition that takes into account the internet's effect on the way people do research.

This is one of the most helpful books I've seen on the subject of freelance writing. There's a lot packed into this well-written, easy-to-carry volume. The technique of magazine analysis which Ms Yudkin provides at the very beginning gives readers who follow through on it a real head-start on breaking into print. The author goes on to provide plenty of practical info on the how-to's of freelancing; there are chapters on writing queries, conducting interviews, constructing an article, and lots more, all explained step-by-step. I also liked the several chapters on taking care of the business aspects of writing.

In addition to using examples from her own successful career as a writer to illustrate her points -- she's published in a number of major magazines -- Ms Yudkin includes a section on establishing productive work habits. I can highly recommend this book.

This is a good effort. Unfortunately I find this book to be a bit outside the experience of most serious freelancers. Which is to say, the author is living a life to which many may aspire, but in which few find themselves. Also, that the author presents much of what she covers as easier to achieve than it really is.

This is not to say that the book is all bad. Ms. Yudkin is an accomplished writer, and she provides quite a bit of useful information. But she really ought to have provided more hands-on, or how-you-can-do-it info. Finally, she might have used a voice that would speak to a wider audience than people like herself.

Yudkin's book is not what I expected, but helpful all the same. I bought the book expecting to find a treasure of up-to-date gems of advice. Instead, it lends itself more to the craft and the pride in being a writer. I would not consider this a resource book, but rather a wonderful pool of writing inspiration and validation. Well worth a spot on any freelancer's bookshelf.

The book Girl Reporter is one of the few best books that I have read. The story is mainly about two girls named Casey Smith and Megan O'connor fighting for the job of newspaper editor, belive me it is one BIG catfight. Meanwhile toxic waste is flowing into the Sussex river,and it is all coming from the River Head Paper Mill. Casey thinks this story would be one of the best stories to go on the front page in the newspaper,so she digs down deep into the story mabey too deep.

The main charactor-a stubborn, smart-alecky reporter-Casey Brown is slightly biased, but insightful enough. The book is fast paced and all together excellent. I've read most of the series-let me tell you, the endings are usually a big twist! A real page-turner.

If only Linda's books were around when I was a kid. These are MUST reads for any kids who do not fit into the "jock/cheerleader" mold. Wait. Perhaps they need the books most of all. The Get Real series are filled with on topic social issues, issues children deal with daily as "outcasts" or "outsiders". Want someone you love to feel good who may be going through teenage anxiety angst? This is a must read for them.

It's so awesome! Buy it! But before you rush out to Barnes and Noble I better fill you in on the book. Casey Smith, girl reporter is on her way to greatness in the word of jornalisam. By the school newspaper! When Casey find out there is NO newspaper, cancelled in the 80's for lack of interest,she takes matters into her own hands. She decides to rebuild the newspaper! But Megan O'Connor, Princess of pink, beats her to the punch. Read on as Casey and Megan battle for the position of editor, and manage to put together a staff. In the meantime, Casey is working on her story for the newspaper, about how Riverhead Paper Mill is polluting the Sussex River. She goes through amazing adventures as she pulls together her story. When she finds out that the toxic in the river thats dumped from the paper mill is above legal limits, She busts Riverhead by means of front page story on Real News, the schools newspaper. That is IF she can manage to pull together her story, win the electoin for editor, AND someday win the Pulitzer, the highest honor in jornalisam. Sound like a lot of work for an eleven year old girl????? Get Real.

Casey Smith is an excellent journalist. Now that she's in 6th grade and at a new school she knows she will write for the school newspaper. Only problem? There isn't one. How could there not be a school newspaper? She finally decides to ask if she can start one, but somebody's beaten her. Megan O' Connor. The perky pink 6th grader who cares about clothes and dances, not things that affect the world. Casey has to try and get along with Megan while investigating a big story about a paper company polluting the Sussex River. She also has to try to get people to vote for her for Editor or she will be stuck being bossed around by Megan all year.

This is an excellent book, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys journalism.

Joshua's Song by Joan Hiatt Harlow was a wonderful book! Joshua's Song was about a boy named Joshua and he had to drop out of the Boston Boys' Choir to get a job to help his family. He found a job as a news paper boy. He was hiding the idea that he was a news paper boy from his mother cause he thought she would be ashamed. Joshua's Song is a historical fiction book for 5 graders and up! I would highly recommend this book!
=)

Joshua's Song is another touching classic book by John Haitt Harlow.
Josh is having a very tough time. He becomes a newspaper boy. He later becomes a hero. What did he do?
This book was very touching. Josh is a brave kid with a big heart. He realizes what really matters in life.
Josh, of course, is my very favorite character. He seems to be the most miture of all the other newspaper boys. He was only doing the job for money needed by his poor family. NOT for his own needs. He cared for everybody but himself. Thats how he became a hero.
My favorite passage form the book, odly enough, is the last page. "Then holding up a newspaper, Joshua inhaled deeply-and sang out the day's headlines." It is just such a strong sentence.
I would say that this book is very touching if someone asked me. Josh does the hard things that many of us don't have the courage to do. He's put in the hardest of situations.
I have one question though. Is that really possible?
My strongest recomendation for the book; it was sooooooo touching.

I just want to say this is the best book I have ever read.

Joshua's Song is a really good book to chek into. Josh is just a regular, rotten kid that tries to hep his family. Trying to find a job to keep his family alive, he runs into a few snobby kids. Now Josh is off around working for him. To find out more read Joshua's Song By:Joan Hiatt Harlow.

THIS BOOK WOULD BE GREAT FOR REVIEWS IN MAGAZINES OR ANY OTHER PLACE YOU CAN FIND A REVIEW. IF YOU LIKE ALOT OF DRAMA AND SOME ACTION, YOU WOULD LIKE THIS BOOK. jOSHUA AND HIS MOM ARE POOR AND HIS MOM TELLS HIM TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL. THIS IS WHAT EVERY BOY DID TO HELP THEIR FAMILYS, DROP OUT OF SCHOOL.HE MET THIS KID NAMED CHARLESTON CHARLIE WHO SOLD PAPERS ON THE STREETS. CHARLIE GAVE HIM A CHANCE AND HE SOLD HIS FIRST PAPER. JOSHUA KNOWS HIS MOM WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO SELL PAPERS, SO HE DOSENT TELL.AND FROM THEIR ON THEIRS HEARTPOUNDING ACTION AND A WHOLE LOT OF DRAMA. BY: ALEX SHERRILL

I enjoyed the Max Frankel story on many levels. The story of the family escape from Nazi Germany was riviting and worthing of an entire book. The balance of the book was not riviting, but was nevertheless interesting and entertaining. I might not have finised the book except that it is exceptionally well written (I guess that that should not be a surprise considering the source!). In many places in reads all most like poetry. Word choices were very excellent without getting cute.

This book begins in Germany, where the author was born in 1930. The account of how he and his parents got out of Hitler's grasp is vivid and breathtaking, and alone is worth the price of the book. Then his account of growing up in New York, his education in high school and college, and how he became connected with the New York Times is of sustaining interest, as is his account of his career there. I thought it equally as good as Katherine Graham's Pulitzer-prize-winning account of her career, and all it told of the Washington Post.

The essential story of Mr. Frankel's extraordinary memoir has been amply described in the reviews on this site, and requires no further repetition by me. I urge everyone to read them, and of course to read the book.

Hardly anyone can fail to be moved by the prelude to his story, his family's escape from the Nazis. Mr. Frankel's mother perhaps deserves at the least a book of her own story. A remarkable woman.

Mr Frankel's story might be of another brilliant journalist whose professional story alone is worth the telling, and it is. But for me, it is his almost brutal, scalpel-like self-dissecting to reveal to us his inner turmoil in meeting challenges of his life-style and career that riveted me to the book.

Early in life, he tells us, he learned to always prepare an escape route, another way out. Repeatedly, he recounts many brushes with conflict where he seemed to side-step adversity, to protect himself from pain, to indeed take another way out. Courageous and wise, or cowardly and untrustworthy as a human being? He so presents himself to us for our judgement. He accurately points out how news media (persons) suffer the worst of narcissist sensitity at criticism, yet he stands up bravely, I think, lead on by his personal and professional vision while living in a fish bowl.

How many of us as private people, or world renown persons could stand so tall? I thank Mr Frankel for forty years of helping to educate me, and the rest of us to boot.

Irwin Moss, LA mooseman01@aol.com PS. Candor requires me to reveal playing tennis once with Mr. Frankel at Cape Cod many years ago. One learns and reveals much in a tennis game.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As an avid reader of the New York Times, it provided a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at how some of the major events of the 20th Century were captured and recorded in the "Newspaper of record." Not only was it a fabulous account of NYT, Max Frankel's personal account of his life read like a novel--I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. If you appreciate current events, the media, and history--you'll love this book.

The first part of the book dealing with the author and his mother's travails in pre-WWII Germany in Weissenfels was absolutely the best part of the book. (And, this was unexpected as I bought the book to read about the editor of my favorite newspaper.) The author puts a human face to his German friends, neighbors, towns people, local officials, and even the Nazi that finally gave the exit visa to Frau Frankel and her son, Max. Even after the war and the Holocaust, Frankel admits he maintained some empathy with the ordinary German folk. I found this perspective to be refreshing and enlightening as it seemed more realistic of the German peoples and their behavior in pre-War Germany. (I do not wish to politicize my book review, please read the book to get your own opinion on this matter-- although one does have to remember Frankel's experiences were that of a young boy). In fact, most of the book was written in a honest, straight-forward manner. The authos's candor was a surprise on many topics including those of race. It is always refreshing to read an honest appraisal rather than the double talk you hear from politician-types.

The remainder of the book amazed me that Max Frankel lived through and was involved in many of the historic events that occurred during the Cold War. Although at times Frankel seemed to explain in hindsight his prescience at events about to occur on the world stage. (As aside, you wonder why you didn't have people like him working for the CIA).

An aspect of the book that I didn't enjoy was the author's apologetic tone in explaining his executive decisions while an editor at the NY Times. It seemed this portion of the autobiography was aimed at the co-workers and people at NY Times that Frankel had worked with.

Definately, the parts of the book talking about the author's personal experiences, whether in Germany, Washington Heights, or the tragic illness of his wife were captivating. The rest about his career seemed routine.

Written for short story writers, this literary book gave me a lot to think about. There are many good writing guides on description, character, dialogue, etc., but none had addressed my struggles with plot. Originally published in 1977.

Once read, twice read, an aspiring writer of short stories (or other) will not be needing another how-to book of its ilk.

Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular' is directed at writers rather than readers. Yet in the introduction, Hills says "Everyone seems to know that, even those thousands all across the country sitting in creative writing workshops right this minute, either being paid to do the impossible or paying to have it done to them." (P. Viii).

This sentence is typical of Rust's writing. It is riddled with long, meandering sentences, that often start with 'And' or 'But', have parenthesis in the middle, and are often incomplete. They choke the enthusiasm of the reader like indigestible food.

The book has nearly 60 paragraphs in its 200 pages. Short stucco and poorly linked, they irritate the readers eye like dust from a sand storm. The book's structure does not appear to reflect the structure or skills of writing. The content is often repetitious. If a 'How to.." book has value then it will become a reference for writers. For that it needs an index.

Everyone knows that if a writer has a good story to tell, then the reader will often forgive the writing to gain the story. Especially a reader seeking to learn. Hills does not have a story worth the effort. All that he has to say can be found in a number of excellent texts 'on writing' some like King's 'On writing' are also also entertaining. "Writing ....the Short Story in Particular' contains little that is of help for that particularly.

"Even then," writes Rust "it wouldn't be a short story. I don't know what it would be." (P.81). The disparaging sentiment of the introduction is a theme continued throughout the book. If the lesson of Rust's years of editing short stories is that creative writing cannot be taught, then what was the point in Rust putting pen to paper to writers?

just Jack

I think I've read all I need to know or want to know for now on writing the literary short story. I learnt a lot from this book and liked the way Hills talks straight about the high-flown stuff. I found that his commentary was based a little too much on Henry James--for, against, etc. And in one too many areas I was irritated by his saying one thing and saying that the contrary works, too.

The reading is sometimes arduous, but mostly it's worth reading this book and absorbing all the advice and good inputs that a writer may never receive otherwise.

Hey, if this guy can do it, you too can get published. That's about the only thing I learned from this book. This rambling, disjointed, poorly-organized guide on how to write is really no help at all.

Rick Bragg knows how to capture a readers attention by his style of get to the point writing. No boring, drawn out, unneccessary words or wording. Very refreshing read. A chance to learn things about ordinary people and events that you may have never heard about or known. Thought provoking. This should be the next read in Oprah's book club.

If you loved Ava's man, all over but the Shoutin, etc., as I did you might be disappointed. These are simply news stories from his paper days. Well written but just news.

This book is the newpaper stories by Rick Bragg.If you like his style of writting, this book is one of his best.Moving stories about ordinary individualsat the moments that are most revealing.Rick Bragg makes you feel like you are there with him in each story.

This was a fairly good book, and Mr. Bragg certainly has a way with the written word. The text had a tendency to drag on for what seemed like an eternity -- but I held on through the entire volume and was eventually glad I did. The ending is spell-binding and imaginative. I also liked Bragg's Jessica Lynch book.

One of the best books you could read. Rick Bragg is tops.

I used this book in my Internet Data Sources class at the University of San Francisco in the Spring of 2005. The course was taught by the author of the book, Michael B Lehmann. He is the greatest professor ever and this book helped through the whole course, which was the most useful I took in college.

Michael Lehmann proves that you don't have to get a college degree in Economics to be able to understand the American economic system. Using the multifold economic data regularly published by the Wall Street Journal as his his focus, Professor Lehmann goes about explaining the background and meaning of the data and how to interpret it for your own advantage. He covers subjects which would be includedin a variety of college courses and does so in a clear and understandable narative.

He provides a rich background and explanation on subjects such as the Business Cycle, Role of consumer demand, the role of the Federal Reserve System, Fiscal Policy, International Transactions, and the Leading Economic Indicators. He also provides information on how to keep up with the data using internet and computer access.

A must have for any person interested in understanding the American economy.

The book is a light introduction to economics. As such, it is interesting and it does lead you to some of the more obscure corners of the WSJ online (for which even print subscribers must pay a subscription fee, plus another for Barron's online).

A big problem, however, is that a majority of the interesting charts with historical data are drawn from sources other than the WSJ. In addition, these sources (such as the US Census Bureau) provide only the raw data, not the charts.

As someone who never set foot into an economics classroom, Michael Lehmann's book is a huge relief. His book clearly walks the reader through the process of how the economy actually works and demystifies economic indicators. This book gave me a seat at the table of my own financial management.

The problem with too many people who have some extra money to invest is that they listen too much to too many who know too little. Everyone is always looking for the fast money. Often the investment money goes down the tubes with the bad advice promising quick reward.

Michael Lehmann has written a book that takes any investor through a thoughtful, fact filled series of lessons on how to use data to make well informed decisions. Listening to Uncle Bob pontificate about his "Big dollar investment tip" for the day should go right out the window. Lehmann's "Using the Wall Street Journal" should become the primer for anyone who is serious about investing with knowledge. A little reading of the right material pays off. Michael Lehmann's book IS the right material and has paid off for me over and over again.