Associations Books

Shirley's a colleague and friend (disclaimer), but her new work via ALA is a much-needed cut-to-the-answers handbook for busy researchers, librarians, and information professionals. Kudos for the spirit of humor and yep-been-there tales that lace the solid tips and site information with her personal style and elan. I'll keep my copy right beside my autographed copy of Reva Basch's "Secrets of the Super Net Searchers." For serious Internet searching today, this is the guidebook to cyberspace.

As reference librarian at the North Dade branch of the Miami-Dade system, I have found this superior and more up to date than the mass produced guides found everywhere these days including the supermarket. Our two week old copy is already thumbworn as we keep it by our copies of the terminals for patron reference. I think we may order another one and hide for staff use only! Good job Ms. Kennedy...just keep updating the book!

As an instructor of Internet research to audiences at all levels, I appreciate the direct, no-nonsense, and humorous approach Kennedy takes. The author manages to demystify a subject that intimidates many, even some librarians, who would benefit from reading this book themselves before they check it out to their patrons.

Oh wow! The Lord works in mysterious ways all exemplified in the testimony of this faitfull woman. This was a fantastic book filled with many delimas that were all transpired by the religious boundaries set in the middle east. But Esmie made it totally evident that a person in God is has no boundaries in their faith. AMEN

As I read this book I was surprised at how one person could go through so much hurt and pain and still keep trusting in God. I know Esmie personally and you wonder "How did she do it". She is such a loving and forgiving person. No matter what she went through she never gave up her belief in God. She trusted God for absolutly everything in her life.

I could hardly set the book down once I started reading it. A real tear jerker.

May God richly bless Esmie and Pastor Branner.

Branner's "Beyond the Veil of Darkness" is a moving account of one woman's amazing journey. Turning her back against all the values that she had being taught in her childhood, the author decides to marry someone whose faith is in total opposition to her own. Her choice brings about terrible consequences.
Her husband takes her away to his country -Saudi Arabia- where she is literally ostracized. Once there, she must wear an "abaya"-traditional black outfit and veil-, does not speak the language, has no other link to the world except for him, is prohibited from communicating with her family, cannot practice her faith, and worst of all her boys are practically kidnapped by their father and sent away to India to be indoctrinated in their father's religion.
Esmie's tribulations are heightened because she does not know about the whereabouts of her children or husband for months. She has been practically abandoned with two little girls in an apartment without food, money, or any type of emotional support.

How she was able to survive, leave Saudi Arabia, take all her children with her, maintain her mental sanity and above all continue to manifest such unwavering faith in God, are just a few of the poignant situations narrated in this story.

A must read for women who are thinking about entering or are already in relationships with men of a different faith.

Often in business, we spend so much time and effort on making our business bigger, adding new products, and focusing on stock market prices that we forget to ask ourselves if this growth is actually helping our business or if it is slowly draining our resources until we are no longer productive.

Bigger Isn't Always Better examines this issue and suggests that growth is not necessarily about getting bigger. Bigness is not sustainable. Instead, the author suggests that business look at growth as moving forward and continuously progressing. This kind of growth is purposeful, thoughtfully planned with the intention of bettering the business' products and customer services.

There are quite a few gems in this book. I found the descriptions of the 21 mind bugs particularly useful. Mind bugs are common ways that we think and things that we tell ourselves that distort reality and act as hurdles to healthy growth. I also thought that the section "Are You a Fixer or a Grower?" was quite enlightening. This section analyses what drives each of these personality types and how they correspond with very different business strategies.

Robert M. Tomasko's BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER: THE NEW MINDSET FOR BUSINESS GROWTH draws some important distinctions between growth and expansion. While increased size is desirable, too often companies grow too quickly and many may ultimately see their demise in their very growth-oriented goals. Real growth lines in progress and knowing how to link success to strategic plans and logical organizational changes - the types of changes BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER covers in chapters which probe growth cycles, judgement calls, and knowing how to access opportunity for its real-world applications.

What we have in this volume is a brilliant explanation of what "real business growth" is, and, how to achieve and then sustain it. Tomasko suggests seven characteristics which "growers" share. They are guided and informed by a mindset which recognizes that real growth "is about reaching full potential, not maximum size. It means progress, not excess; it is fueled by imagination, not expansion." He devotes a separate chapter to each of the seven common characteristics. In Part 1, he describes what growth is and isn't, then in Part 2, he explains what growers do. They know what they need to know and where to locate it. They know what they want to achieve and tell the truth when pursuing it. They initiate creative attention to generate and sustain forward movement, meanwhile winning hearts and minds of others involved. They master what Tomasko characterizes as "momentum with bounce." They know when to let go, agreeing with Jason Jennings that "if it's DOA, bury it." And they "share the wealth" when collaborative effort achieves the given objectives.

The more "growers" there are within a given enterprise, the more likely that it will achieve "real business growth." Hence the importance of recognizing and supporting them, of course, but also doing so with regard to prospective "growers" as well. Every effort should be made to accelerate their development. When paraphrasing one of the exemplary growers, psychologist Martin Seligman, Tomasko observes that "business is not just about fixing what is broken. It is about taking what is best in an enterprise and nurturing its further development. Leading this kind of growth requires a very different mentality from that needed to manage ongoing activities. The best growth champions are not the people who are in charge of today's successful organizations. What makes best sense for sustaining the status quo is often irrelevant or counterproductive for surpassing it." When Reginald Jones selected his successor as GE's next CEO, he urged Jack Welch to "Blow it up!"

While re-reading this book, as is my custom, I highlighted key passages. In this instance more than 100 which caught my eye. Here are two representative excerpts.

When knowing where to look for growth opportunities: "Blinders from existing business models or getting caught up in the hot concept (convergence, deregulation, Internet-means-that-everything-is-different, and so on) will also limit our ability to see the market clearly. When we see something new, we seldom stop to appreciate it for what it is. Instead, evolution seems to have trained us -- hard-wired our brains -- to slot things into categories or explanations that are derived from our past experiences. In pigeonholing things this way, wee run the risk of filtering out what it is that makes the novel news." (page 119)

However, "As Picasso once noted: `Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.' The trick is to plan the movement from old to new in a way that does not lead to mindless destruction and chaos. This means starting out with the grower's clear idea of somewhere better to end up, and knowing what is wanted with as much clarity as what is not wanted. That's how real growth happens. This kind of growth, of course, has little to do with getting better or prevailing over others." (page 238)

In this book, Tomasko shares brilliant insights in combination with practical recommendations which can help his reader to develop and then sustain a new mindset, "an internal logic system, the model that you carry around in your head." With meticulous care, Tomasko explains how and why a mindset gives birth to our beliefs and assumptions, how it determines what facts we notice and what we make of them. "And even more important, it determines what [we] do as a result." I continue to be amazed by those decision-makers whose mindset causes them to follow the same course of action which had repeatedly failed before... and then expect different results. That doesn't make any sense, does it?

I bought this book years ago in my salad days, and it has proven to be correct on virtually point it makes. It is especially helpful for those just starting out in the business world or for any career in which you are involved or competing with other people.

#8 of the 32 rules is my very favorite: "Search for the seeds of victory in every disaster -- and the seeds of disaster in every victory." Disaster can create positive change; conversely, you are at your most susceptible to defeat right after a major victory, because that's when you can get careless.

Read this book, memorize it, and take it to heart.

Every morning before I go to work I read one of the 32 Ground Rules in the book. They are so short that it only take a couple of minutes to go through it. But there are so much of worth considering so you are strengthen for hole day long.

'Bravely, Bravely in Business,' while published in 1972, still seems to hold good advice for today's business environment. This is an excellent book, especially for engineering types trying to make it in the business world -- there are 32 chapters, each of about four pages, with words to the wize, a cartoon page, and a few pages of explanation. Easily understood, short paragraphs, good logic.

A couple of examples of words to the wise: #2 Never assume that the way things are today is the way they will be tomorrow -- or even after lunch [advice on change]. #12 Unsolvable problems don't disrupt the routine; they are the routine.

This is not 'how to succeed in business without trying.' This little book gives thought to some tough issues: # 23 Keep every promise you have made -- or that others think you have made.

But, Bravely, Bravely keeps things in perspective: #25 Play the business game for all you are worth -- but not as if your life depended on it.

The author points out some very important aspects of learning through the
prism of background knowledge. There is a general correlation between
academic background knowledge and generalized academic performance.
In addition, the book covers the transitory steps aimed at harnessing
working memory into permanent memory. There is a section which shows how
surface knowledge enhances background knowledge. Text density is another
indicator of learning. Texts which contain many new words not widely
interspersed will have the lowest new vocabulary retention. As newer words
are more widely dispersed, readers have up to a 30% retention from a
mere retention in single digits. Poverty is another correlator to overall
academic performance according to the author. The book presents a very
valuable common Greek/Latin root derivative section. For instance,
Greek words enter into the English language , thusly.
- ast or star means astronomy
- cycle or circle means cycle
- gram finds usage in the word telegraph or autograph
- meter is utilized in thermometer or centimeter
- photo finds usage in photograph
- scop or to see is utilized in the word microscope
- therm or heat is utilized in thermometer

The Latin root "act" is utilized in react or transact. The Latin root
"ang" means to bend as in angle or angular. The Latin root "aud" for
hear is seen in the word audible. The Latin root "credit" is seen in
incredible etc.

The book is a worthy acquisition for the student, linguist, writer or
academic person in your household. It is a good value for the price charged.

As a dual-language elementary teacher it is important that I teach my students the meaning of specific words in the subjects they have to learn in order to get the meaning. This book allows me to concentrate on the meaning, context and usage of words in the different subjects I teach rather than having to look for the words and then do what I described. It has also helped me build a stronger vocabulary and made me a better teacher for my students.

Building Background Knowledge For Academic Achievement: Research On What Works In Schools by Robert J. Marzano (Senior Scholar, Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, Aurora, Colorado and Associate Professor, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) discusses how two combined approaches - sustained silent reading and careful study of subject-specific vocabulary terms - can help young adults overcome weaknesses in background knowledge that would otherwise undermine their educational pursuits, from elementary to high school. In addition to the outlined principles for a sustained silent reading program, and effective vocabulary instruction, over 7,923 actual vocabulary terms have been culled for presentation from national standards documents and other publications, organized into 11 subject areas and 4 grade-level categories. A superb home schooling, self-study, or curriculum supplementary guide, highly recommended for parents, educators, tutors, and studious individuals seeking to hone the tools that maximize their comprehension skills.

When you drive up the "left coast" in California, whether it be along Interstate 5 in the San Diego area, old U. S. Highway 101 or California State Highway 1, you see the familiar mission bells. This book tells the story behind those bells and one of America's great pathways. This road was originally blazed to connect California's mission system, and is a good reference point for a visit to any or all of the missions.

I've always loved el camino since I was a kid so I wasn't sure I had anything to learn about it--boy was I wrong! There is such a wealth of history that I knew nothing about, and this book has it all! Now I can appreciate the road's famous marker bells so much more, knowing how much hard work went into them. I bet a lot of hard work went into this book too, and I am grateful to Mr Kurillo and Ms Tuttle.

California's El Camino Real is the first book to document the growth of El Camino Real and the bells which have marked it for almost a century. Collections strong in California history won't want to miss this coverage: it includes numerous vintage black and white photos, maps, and a smooth coverage of the bells and the El Camino's changing history.

This is a intricately researched and excellently illustrated book on a subject where good informative material is hard if not impossible to find. The author obviosly knows his subject and weaves the history of the region together with a thorough examination of Caucasian Prayer rugs to create a book for both the novice and the serious collector alike. Use it for your own research or put it on your coffee table.

"Prayer Rugs" by Ralph Kaffel was a pleasant surprise. Instead of just another pseudo-scientific rehash of someone else's field work Kaffel has presented us with a lesson in connoisseurship. All too often someone will read all the literature and present their distillation as fact. In "Prayer Rugs" Kaffel show us his sources and when there is disagreement he shows us the differences in opinion. In the discussion of Daghestan Prayer rugs he even gives us the opinions of auction house specialists such as Mary Jo Otsi and Jo Kris. This book is not ethnology or anthropology it is about collecting Caucasian Prayer rugs and in the light it gets a solid 5 stars.

This is a really informative book on Caucasian Prayer Rugs. Comprehensive data on this subject is not readily available in other rug books. Text includes a brief history of trade and rug weaving in the Caucasus in the 19th century, but my favorite feature of the book is the quality and selection of the color plates of the various types of prayer rugs discussed in the book. I learned alot from it.

I bought this little book years ago from an used book store; it was worn and falling apart. I read it so many times, I added to it's ultimate demise. The binding finally fell apart and the pages were falling out...so it's time to get another copy, (hopefully one that's more intact). Great book!

This book has been a great help to me in getting more out of the parables of Jesus. The chapter on the parable of the Talents is worth far more than the price of the book.

One of Ellen White's great small books, she begins by establishing the reason for Jesus' use of parables and relates that back to our time. The author then proceeds to examine many ofthe famous parables in the gospels. The approach focuses on expanding and explaining the story itself and then proceeds to explain the spiritual significance. the language is simple and the writing flows easily. Clearly the work of an insipred person.

As the head teacher of a school for ADD/ADHD boys this book has served as the most valuable tool that I currently use. Many of our boys have been labeled ADD but in reality have never been made to persevere through challenges, or have never been made to complete a task with diligence. This book not only discusses practical ways to help all students of education, but it discusses the guiding principles behind all true education. America will never find the solution to its problems with education as long as its view of education is limited only to an intellectual study of science, math, verbal skills, and reasoning skills. As quoted in EDUACTION pg. 13, "Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range...It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. IT is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers."

The book Education broadened my vision of what true education is really about.

This book has been in my library for years - from when I was a student in high school. Later when I had children, it became yet more important to me in developing guiding principles for their educational process.

I have found that I use Education as the standard to keep from wandering off track with trendy theories, or to lose sight of what true education is meant to be.

For parents, for expecting parents, for teachers and educators, for home schoolers - don't miss reading this book!

This is the book to read if you want a broad, Bible-based view of education. For example, the first paragraph reads:

"Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come. "

There is much in this book for everyone who would like to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The historical information, both narrative and pictorial was eye opening for someone that was born and raised in the area. The stories of a port Bagdad all of a sudden became real. The accounts of the rise and fall of goverments in both sides of the border provide an exciting window to the past, a treasure of local history, a tale of two sister cities, which has not been dutifully explored by the locals. The accounts of steamboats on the Rio Grande and the impact they had on the economy of the area at first appeared surreal, yet the oportune historical photography of the 1860's and Thompson's accurate narratives transport the reader into the era.

Civil War And Revolution On The Rio Grande Frontier: A Narrative And Photographic History is the story of the bloody fighting that erupted in Zapata Country only days after the shots fired at Fort Sumter initiated the American Civil War. Featuring more than 125 vintage images taken by a skilled Prussian photographer Louis de Planque and his followers, Civil War And Revolution On The Rio Grande Frontier is a captivating illustrated history that relates the deadly toll of war. It covers not only the Civil War itself, but the guerilla fighting that continued long after the official end of the war, and the murderous raids and mercenary armies that pillaged both sides of the border, as well as the "justice" that would sometimes amount to indiscriminate hanging. A highly recommended contribution to American history and reference shelves.

Just when one feels he has read the best history of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, here comes another. Names, People, Places and now Photographs, This book is like the candles on a birthday cake, with out it, the full picture is not complete. James A. McAllen