Armstrong Books

Lonely Planet is generally a great source for guidebooks, but I'm not convinced the authors returned to Bolivia to do research for this updated edition. It seems as if they just slapped on a new cover and republished the previous edition.

The restaurant recommendations (if the restaurant recommended is even still open for business, that is) lean heavily on pizza and pasta places that cater to travelers, which is fine if you have traveled all the way to Bolivia to eat pizza with a bunch of German tourists in zip-off hiking pants, but not useful at all if you want an authentic experience.

I also had a Rough Guide to Bolivia during my 5-week trip around Bolivia and found that book to be a far superior resource to LP Bolivia. The Rough Guide never disappointed in terms of hotel, restaurant, and sight seeing recommendations.

Very satisfied with my purchase. Exactly as expected and came in a very timely manner.

I come to Bolivia twice a year and over the past three years I have reviewed more than a dozen guides on Bolivia and this is the best guide available.

Lonely Planet guides are known for their no-nonsense, off-the-beaten-path advise. The descriptions of the towns and cities are top rate. Each area has its history and climate explained. This is one of the few guides that will give you the population and altitude of major cities and towns. Kudos!

The "must see" places are listed and explained. Trekking routes are explained and mapped! There are excellent descriptions of the seven geographical areas of Bolivia (Southern Altiplano, Central Highlands, Eastern Lowlands, Amazon Basin, etc.). The section on health is "top drawer" and needs to be read before traveling here. Sidebars, or text boxes, are found throughout the book and provide you with wonderful sources of miscellaneous information, i.e., "Bolivar - El Liberatador," "Traditional Andean Musical Instruments," etc., .

There are two other books that can enhance your time in Bolivia. The first is, William Powers' excellent and powerful account of living in Bolivia, "Whispering in the Giant's Ear" and Herbert Klien's, "A Concise Short History of Bolivia". In short, this is the most current(as of Sept. 2007) and best guide out. Strongly Recommended.

I have used a ton of different guidebooks in my travels, but I always come back to Lonely Planet. That is the one I always have packed with me when I go.

This is the essential guidebook for all who are travelling to Bolivia. I used the Lonely Planet Guidebook for Bolivia when I went a few years ago and I just bought this one since I am planning a trip to Bolivia next summer. Lonely Planet has never let me down.

A great overview of the country and certainly an essential companion to any trip to this underrated country. Food and festival entries are particularly good and help in any trip planning. Always impressed with the quality of LP publications and the recommendations were good.

I think it is a classcial book for company human resource management.When your people grow,your company will grow.So from this book,You can learn how to build your human resource system and how to help your employees to develop their potence for your company.
If you want to learn more about human resource management practice,I believe it is good for you.

The Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice by Michael Armstrong is a comprehensive book on the art and practice of human resource management. The book is well structured and provides a step-by-step guide to the essential principles. I found the book easy to use, to be clear and reflected the current practice to the subject. The book explains management and employee perspective and their interaction in the work place. It also provides a substantial treatment of human resource management practice.

What I appreciated about this book is that it provides practical advice that I can use in my organisation to improve its effectiveness. I also used it as a reference book in my Doctor of Business Administration course I am currently pursuing. Being based in an African country, what it teaches is very relevant and useful in African organisations.

The book is divided into eleven parts that cover the whole range of human resource management topics namely:

* Human resource management
* Human resource management process
* Organisational behaviour
* Work and employment
* Organisation, jobs and roles
* Employee resourcing
* Performance management
* Human resource development
* Rewarding people
* Employee relations
* Health, safety and welfare
* Employment and human resource management services.

I would not recommend the book to those who are looking for basic knowledge about human resource management as the book covers in detail the major issues pertaining the human resource management. However, for those students who are familiar with the subject or have done an undergraduate course on the subject and wish to pursue the subject at postgraduate level, this is the right book for you. You will benefit from the in-depth treatment of the theory and best practices in the area. I enjoyed the fact that the author also covers e-learning, talent management and change management, which are subjects of particular interest to me.

This book is a bunch of separate pieces about HRM. It's not a complete nor recent manual. It's obvious it has been augmented as years have passed by, but not reviewed to form a real manual up-to-date with the state of the art. Specially, chapter 21 about organizational culture is absolutely obsolete.
It's not worth the price.

I'd rate this book a must have for anyone who is remotely involved in HRM. Line managers and supervisors will be well advised to keep the book handy. It is a handbook you can dip into and get a quick introduction to any subject related to Human Resources Management. It may not cover some topics in depth as one would like but it captures the essence and key ideas about the topics. It is indeed a classic. For those who may be looking for something hands-on, you wish to look at Mr Armstrong's other book, "How to be an Even Better Manager", which is a complete A-Z of proven and essential skills. With the two books, you should have a fairly good grasp of HRM matters.

Human resources professionals will find Michael Armstrong's book practical, helpful and relevant. It discusses all facets of current practice, including such relatively new developments as e-learning and recruiting, and it discusses how you can help your organization implement change. The book would make an excellent college text, since it covers HRM's evolution, principles, theories, practice, research, job descriptions and more. The author seems to have two goals: to provide comprehensive information about human resource management and to persuade upper level managers to integrate HRM into strategic planning. This would empower HR departments to generate broader organizational results. To get the most from this manual, given its textbook style, practitioners may wish to study it chapter by chapter. Since organizational philosophies, functions and practices differ, it even lends itself to further discussion when HRM professionals gather to share ideas and swap proven practices. We think those in the field will derive a great deal of value from this book.

This book is very informative and looks at women's health from a female point of view. Situations common to women's lives are taken into account and their impact on women's health is examined. Very interesting, you'll find things you have not considered before.

Good approach to the all-encompassing mind, body and and spirit of women, but needs to go further to be a prope textbook. Consider Gangi's view of holistic health and incorporate it with this one.

This book really opens up one's self-awareness. It is a way of life to be taught and learned. I swear and live by this book when it comes to my health and wellness. Highly recommended for any motovated woman.

I have arthirtis of the spine (ankylosing sponditis) and been told by doctors that there is no cure just PT. Dr Murray gives you an explanation of what went wrong, (while my disease is genetic why doesn't everyone with the gene get it?), nutritional vitamins and finally a diet to help and somewhat reverse the tide. Has it helped? In the two weeks I bought this book it has; my pain is less, much less, and while I am not totally faithful I am beginning to become a devout convert. If you have arthrits, ulcerative colitis (ra and uc are genetically related) or uncontrolled allergies, this man knows how to handle them. I've searched everywhere and he has the answer. Get this and the Balch Natural Remedies book and mate, you'll be right :-)

I am 40 and suffer from ankylosing sponditis (a form of rheumatoid arthritis) and before I found Dr Murray my back pain was intolerable to the degree I seriously wondered if I would ever have a pain free life again. Dark thoughts entered my head and I grew despondent. Then I found this book in a local bookstore and said, Why not, what do I have to lose? Well pain was the biggest thing :-). I read the book and have in the past 3 months followed somewhat faithfully. It is high on vitamins/minerals and that's where the cost comes in BUT when you figure what pain killers promise and what they deliver it's worth it. I am virtually pain free 75% of the time, sure I have relapses but I have hope and I believe I will be happy and painfree again much less deformed. I love this man and I love this book; what he has done for me goes beyond words. He is answer to a prayer and I thank him for that. He covers all types of arthritis from osteo to ra to as. He has alot of practical suggestions and most importantly it works.

Lances fried gets in recke and dise. In this book Lace gets very sick.

Just read this book to a 3 1/2 year old boy that I babysit. He loved it and was so interested in the story the entire time. I also enjoyed reading about Lance's life and felt I learned a bit about his struggles. The child I read it too loved the pictures and asked many questions about racing. He was very interested in the motorcylces, Fabio's death, cycling in the rain and Luke at the end. Kristen thank you for writing about your family's life. Hope you write more children's books.

I bought this book for my 8 yr old. He really liked it. In fact, he used it for a book report. It is well written. It tells Lance's story at a level appropriate for children. Buy it.

The book by Kristin Armstrong is geared for elementary school aged children. It speaks in clear and simple language about the onset of a serious disease to an athlete of great renown. Her lessons of dealing with adversity and overcoming it and then doing something positive to help others are important for young children and open the door for open, positive discussions with the child.

Having read "It's Not About The Bike" while I was having chemo this summer, I was interested to see what this telling would be like. It's a great story, very well told. Some great photos and illustrations. The final photo is a real cracker - it just radiates LIFE! How come when I was a kid there weren't any books like this to make learing to read a real pleasure. Thanks, Lance for the example and the inspiration; and thanks Kristin for a beautifully written book.

As the late Irish writer, scholar and philosopher, Iris Murdoch, observed, early Greek history `is a game with very few pieces, where the skill of the player lies in complicating the rules'. It is the nature of this `game' which underlies William Armstrong Percy's detailed examination of the origin and spread of pederasty in ancient Greece. Sparse and fragmentary evidence together with the consequent difficulties of interpretation pose particular problems for the objective historian: speculative play is inevitable, and to some extent, the juggling of sources as a means of furthering the author's historical predilections.

It is nonetheless an impressive study in which the technicalities do not obscure - for the less informed reader - the enjoyment of a closely argued and richly diversified discussion. Percy's espousal of the theory of a seventh century Cretan origin of institutionalized pederasty subsequently spread by the Spartans to Greece, is persuasive rather than compelling. As is clearly acknowledged in the Introduction, the Archaic period provides virtually no evidence: reliance is placed on later writers such as Plutarch, Lucian and Athenaeus. Historical texts survive in many versions about which scholars disagree more often than not: `almost every detail of early Greek history, especially of Greek sexuality is open to doubt and indeed is hotly debated'. Repeated references to Aristotle's observation about the curbing of overpopulation by encouraging male sexual relations does little to advance the argument.

Percy is an enthusiast for his subject, though in no sense an apologist. The book is outstanding by virtue - as the author points out - of the paucity of works which treat fairly and without distaste of the topic of Greek pederasty, a term which he defines unequivocally from the outset as a love-bond (whether spiritual or sexual) between men and adolescent boys. The Greeks, it seems, showed little sexual interest in adult males, and indeed `would be quick to condemn our prevalent androphilia as extremely distasteful and even reprehensible in that it serves no pedagogical purpose'.

This then is the crucial element in Percy's thesis: the link between pederastic custom and the rise of Hellas and the `Greek Miracle', in spite of the acknowledged absence of surviving documents giving more precise testimony to that link. At the outset, he stresses that `the Greeks we most admire almost always practised pederasty, at least before marriage.' The list is impressive, embracing poets, statesmen and philosophers. The Epilogue which looks forward to the `Golden Age of Greek love' seeks to underline the argument that the intimate bonding of youths and older males transcended mere eroticism, quoting the Platonic dialogues, Aristotle and others who debated the spiritual versus the physical aspects of the `erastes' and `eromenos' relationship. In the wide, though detailed overview offered by this book, the argument is palpable.

The place of women in Greek society is perhaps understandably neglected in this study, except to argue a causal link between `seclusion of women' and the proliferation of male love. The description of Spartan marriage customs and the attempt by Sparta `to correlate marriage patterns and birthrates with population pressures' introduces a wider perspective, as does the reference to the `love poetry' of Alcman and his `sensual glorification of beautiful Spartan girls'. To the Greek mind, pederastic desire and heterosexual love were clearly not incompatible, on which point the author chooses to reserve comment. A brief reference to Sappho's poetry as `a clear parallel in the world of females to cardinal features of Greek pederastic practice' has the odour of a starkly irrelevant concession to contemporary sexual politics. Similarly, the chapter entitled `Situational Homosexuality and Demography' in its descriptions of `womenless colonists', comradeship on voyages, and the `parastates' (battle companion) smacks of modern sexology in its attempt to establish `elements in the background to institutionalized pederasty'. Nevertheless, the case for the `uniqueness' of Greek pederasty is well made.

The author intends the book for a wide audience and not just specialists or homosexual sympathizers in the hope `that a true understanding of Greek institutionalized pederasty will at long last permit the educated world to confront the accomplishments of that practice honestly, without embarrassment or outrage'.

In the course of a few centuries the foundations of Western civilization were laid in Ancient Greece. Philosophy, democracy, architecture, sculpture, science, literature. Male love was very much a part of Greek culture -- and William Percy boldly argues that pedagogical eros, the relationship between adolescent youths and their older mentors, helped to create and sustain the "Greek miracle". This is a very thorough and scholarly book. It fully belongs in the company of the other great works on the topic: John Addington Symonds, A Problem in Greek Ethics (1883); Hans Licht (pseud. of Paul Brandt), Sexual Life in Ancient Greece (English edition 1932); and K. J. Dover, Greek Homosexuality (1978).

I am by no means a Greek historian or scholar, but I find thisbook to be exceptionally well documented, and even in those areaswhere the author admits the hard evidence is scant, he carefully lays out his hypothesis to support his conclusions. The book provides a fascinating insight into how previous historians downplayed or ignored the evidence of wide-spread pederasty and male-male relations during the Archaic period, particularly when references to the phenomenon were quite clear in Aristotle's and Socrates' works. The author also clearly differentiates "pederasty" (sex between postpubescent youth and adult males) from "pedophilia" (sex between prepubescent boys and adult males), noting the evidence showing that pedophilia was not a condoned behavior in Archaic Greece. This work is an excellent place to begin for anyone who wishes to trace how previous civilizations not only tolerated, but in some instances even encouraged, male-male relationships until the purveyors of the Judeo-Christian model vigorously proselytized their beliefs and shunned the behavior out of the mainstream. Whether a reader believes homosexuality is a moral aberration is irrelevant. If the reader can cast aside his or her preconceptions, this becomes a truly fascinating work.

I'm both surprised at and in admiration of just how much Percy's study relies on ancient texts, and considering the trickiness of doing just that, he's pulled off a wonderful work. The arguments for a Cretan institutionalization of pederasty/pedagogy are compelling, but equally of interest are the associated discussions of different cities, regions, and customs throughout archaic and classical Greece.

if this book is anywhere near true, men have been missing out on a lot of action for almost two thousand years

mind boggling if true

jimmy

First off, much of 'Secret San Francisco' is heavy on the San Francisco, but light on the the 'Secret.' This is really a compilation of top 10, or top 5 or 6 or whatever, lists for San Francisco. The 'Secret' part is just a marketing hook. Most of the people, places, and things mentioned would show up in any San Francisco tour guide or would rank very high in a Google or yelp search on the topic. The book is also marked by occasional major omissions. To give two examples: there are sections on tea and on Japan but no mention of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and there is a section on Jazz that omits the Fillmore St Jazz Festival, one of the better street fairs in the city. Having said all this, the lists range from OK to excellent, though, as another reviewer pointed out, they are getting a bit dated as the city changes. I think how much you like this book will depend on how you use it. Because it is a collection of lists, few of them specific to an area, it is not useful for tourists or people looking to explore a particular area of the city. If, on the other hand, you are a San Francisco trivia buff or trying to assemble some very off beat day trips around the city you cold have some fun with it.

This book surpassed my expectations. I love San Francisco, and one of my favorite things to do there is to walk around the city and enjoy all its quirky wonders. This book is a delightful guide to such places. It covers many old favorites, but it really does have a lot of secrets, too--places I had never heard of and am eager to check out. And not only does it contain great information, it's also very nicely written. The author clearly loves the City, and his voice throughout the book is authentic and enthusiastic, just as if a treasured friend were guiding one through this magical town. Lovely book.

Awesome! The secrets are totally what makes the book so delightful to read and also we plan on using it when we get to San Francisco. Unique and quite helpful sums it up totally. Thanks to the author's research in so many things. It is high on my all-time favorite travel books.

Romance yourself in San Francisco by taking a walk in a tale of two cities Bay Area style.

Lots of cool tips and suggestions that one wouldn't normally know about.

Unfortunately, its a bit dated it spots. For example a gallery I wanted to visit was closed now. The BART station at San Francisco Airport is now completed.

Overall a great book and a fun read too. I would recommend this if you dont want to just see all the tourist attractions.

This book is a very good introduction to the main evangelical views on baptism. The book contains four views: 1) the traditional Baptist view (Nettles); 2) the traditional Reformed view (Pratt); 3) the traditional Lutheran view (Kolb); and 4) the "Christian" Church view (Castelein). The essays by Nettles and Pratt are the best ones. Both make a good case for their respective traditions (though, of course, I agree with Nettles more since I'm a Baptist too). Though Pratt and Kolb do a valiant job in defending their view that infant baptism is Scriptural, I don't believe history and exegesis supports the concept of infant baptism. The nature of redemptive history and exegesis of particular texts demands that only believers should be baptized.

The major concern I have with this book is that one of the contributors (Castelein) unashamedly denies the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone. On page 132, he writes: "Working with James's definition of faith, in contrast to Paul's definition, salvation by 'faith only' is simply impossible." However, Paul also states that those who reject the true gospel (like Castelein) will also find that salvation is impossible (Gal 1:8-9). Dr. Castelein and all those CoC members who explicitly deny justification by faith alone are heretics and will not find salvation unless they repent of their grievous error. Adding one's own works to the finished work of Christ on the cross is an insult to God.

This is a great addition to the Counterpoints series. The format of previous volumes is retained. Each theologian has an essay about his view of baptism, and the others give brief replies.

The first one up at the plate is Thomas Nettles, who represents the Baptist view. He points out that the pattern for baptism is that it is something which follows belief. Therefore, Nettles would not baptize an infant. Nettles struggles somewhat as he tries to explain how difficult texts such as 1 Peter 3:21 and Acts 22:16 fit into his system.

The Reformed view is presented by Richard Pratt, Jr. He contends that infant baptism has a similar function to circumcision in the Old Testament in that it incorporates the child into the visible community (even though it does not confer saving grace on the child).

Nettles and Castelein countered Pratt by noting that Pratt placed an equal amount of emphasis on the Westminster Confession as he did the Bible, and that non_Reformed Christians would object to this. They note that our doctrine should come straight from Scripture.

Robert Kolb presents the Lutheran view, and it is very similar to the Reformed perspective. The main difference is that Lutherans believe that babies ARE born again when they are baptized. Nettles counters this by noting that that there are no known instances of salvation in the New Testament apart from hearing and responding to the gospel, an argument which struck me as quite cogent.

John Castelein presents the Church of Christ view. His presentation is very similar to the Baptist view. The one difference is that Castelein contends that baptism is the occasion for justification, a teaching that Pratt and Nettles effectively challenge.

Armstrong has a short essay encouraging continued dialogue, then there are appendixes which list all the scriptures about baptism and some of the confessional statements issued by the Church in the past.

I don't think that any one of the writers delievered a knockout punch, but my own understanding of Scripture fits best with the view of Thomas Nettles. I am surprised that non one discussed Acts 2:41, which says that "all who accepted the message were baptized." I wonder how infant baptizers would respond to this.

But I thought the essays were crisp and clear, and I like how each one ended with practical questions that people might ask, along with some good answers. Buy this book if you are sifting through your understanding of baptism.

This is a fantastic summary of four Protestant understandings of baptism: from the Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, and Church of Christ perspectives. Each of the authors does a marvelous job of stating his case briefly and succinctly (all chapters are under 20 pages) and yet thoroughly -- I felt as though I grasped the core teachings of each perspective after I finished. The editor (John Armstrong) also offers a helpful introduction and conclusion, which point out some of the universally-held points of agreement among all the contributors, as well as the key issues on which they differ.

I fall within the Reformed perspective, and I was impressed by how the Reformed writer not only included several classic terms from Reformed theology (e.g., "covenant", "sign and seal", "means of grace") but also defined these terms and showed how they emerge from the Bible and not just from the Reformed Confessions. Other reviewers will have to assess whether they think the other 3 perspectives were as well-represented, but I thought all the chapters were very well-written. (Perhaps a few additional comments could have helped in a few areas. For example, neither of the two proponents of Infant Baptism addressed very strongly how the biblical data is somewhat inconclusive: just as there is no explicit command to baptize infants, neither is there an explicit command forbidding it; and just as there is no clear-cut example of an infant being baptized in Scripture, neither is there any example of an infant being presented for baptism by his or her parents, and being denied. But this is a small point.)

The respect that each of the authors has for each other is also evident: Several times they list points of agreement with the other positions which sound like they spring from genuine appreciation, and not from a patronizing attempt to avoid sounding too critical. Also, the editor readily admits in the opening introduction that there is no single position on baptism which is the definitive "Christian" or "biblical" view.

Other than the brevity of the chapters and the possibility of a few additional comments that would have solidified the authors' positions, the only other thing (that I can think of) that would have strenghtened this book would have been to include a Roman Catholic viewpoint: I'd be especially interested to hear how a Roman Catholic might respond to and critique the four views that are contained.

But this is a minor quibble. Overall, this book gives a wonderful presentation of four major views on baptism. The reader will come away with a well-balanced understanding of the main strengths and weaknesses of each position. And as an added bonus, the back of the book contains a series of appendices which include a concordance of all the occurences of the word "baptize" (and its derivatives) in the Bible, and a series of quotations from creeds, catechisms, and well-respected theologians that offer additional examples of the differing views on baptism. This book will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone wanting a broader understanding of baptism, as it is viewed by differing Christian traditions.

This book is helpful and accomplishes it's task of presenting 4 views on Baptism and in essence salvation. I am taken back at Richard Pratt stating on page 115 that the Lutheran view, which holds to Baptismal regeneration, is closer to the Reformed view than the Reformed Baptist Tom Nettles presentation. Pratt must deem ecclesiological ritual more important than soteriology.

This book is a balanced, accessible and well organized summary of four major views on baptism. I had some questions about my church's stance on baptism in relation to other Protestant traditions, but found that most of the material out there is either heavily biased or overly academic and lengthy. This material is set up in a point/counter-point formula with each of the four authors succinctly articulating their view on baptism followed by a response from the other three authors. The views represented are: Reformed, Baptist, Lutheran, and the Church of Christ. Although it is clear that each of the authors is firmly committed to their view, they disagree respectfully with each other and are even able to find some common ground. This allows the reader to quickly and easily understand the arguments for all four positions. If you've got some questions about baptism, this book is a great place to start.

As a parent always searching for the best ways to challenge my daughter and her friends, I have been pleased with the entire "What Would You Do..." series. It's not what I would characterize as a book your child would sit and read cover to cover. Instead, it's one that invites conversation by presenting it as a question at a time -- over dinner, in the car, or whenever you want to provoke thought and conversation. While not every question may appeal to your child, you may select from the many questions posed to have delightful, and sometimes meaningful, conversations about the zany and often difficult choices we make in life.

This book is part of our school's family peace backpack along with a video, popcorn, and info on how to get along. There is an error on page 116 of the 1990 version. It mentions that you should put petroleum jelly on ticks to make them get off you. It does not work, the tick has plenty of oxygen, it will not suffocate. It may delay a person using tweezers to get the tick off and the person could get a disease from the tick. I have not seen the 1991 version to see if this has been corrected. Thank you

This book gives clear, concise descriptions of how a child or young adolescent might handle the unexpected--embarassing, frightening or even life threatening situations.

Each situation is briefly stated on a single page in large type. The next page gives clear instructions on how to get the situation under control and when to call for help. Some of the situations include: dealing with an electrical blackout, being followed by a stranger, finding an injured animal, and what to do when a friend appears to have sustained a head injury.

I showed this book to children of varying ages. It elicited interest from children as young as six and as old as high school. One bright six-year-old buried himself in the book, sounding out the hard words because the information made him feel empowered. Older children picked and chose which situations they read but liked the straightforward approach.

This book would be good for a general population of children and young adolescents. However, it would be especially helpful to children who have social skills deficits.

This is a good tool for a special education teacher or Speech language pathologists' bag of tricks. It works great with small groups of students and can be adapted for classroom discussions. It is especially useful when working with children who have pragmatic difficulties.

I thought it was good book, giving guidence to kids in some common and not so common situations. However, I believe some parts are more appropriate for older kids.

Great insight on places,I had considered for retirement.
Many places I had not thought of, seem appealing.

Easy read with a lot of good information about various retirement areas. The best information has to do with taxes and health care. I do question why some of the people who already live in one of the 100 best places to retire are highlighted as moving to another one of the best 100 places to retire. It does make one think.

Gave me some good ideas about attractive places to live as well as those that are affordable.

This is a good book giving lots of information. The stats I liked and are very useful. The narrative could have been better in that the interviews with the people for the most part seem to be with people who have lots of available cash. Not exactly your average retiree. I know this from those who were interviewed in this book who retired to my area (Arizona). Only the upper crust can afford to live and do what these people who were interviewed could do. Take the interviews with a grain of salt. I live here and I can't afford to retire here.

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.

Sony Armstrong is greedy, dishonest, a philanderer, a social climber, and a generally unpleasant person. His wife Gladys, who is better born, is dim, and more than a little superstitous. Their son Rohan the subject of the second part of the trilogy is self indulgent, and pays for it. The daughter Genetha the subject of the third part of the trilogy takes after her mother, but with everything amplified. All together you would avoid these people if you ever met them. Having said that, the novel does present a picture of British Guiana in the 1920's-1940's with all it's colonial and class related problems, which I found of great interest, and which I believe to be accurate. Having grown up in BG during that period, I was more than a little curious to read how someone else saw life there. I was not disappointed. Roy Heath did a fine job, I'm just sorry he didn't include a character that you could maybe like.

In brief, I picked up the first of these books about ten years ago after reading a review in the Christian Science Monitor. It literally changed my life. Heath's descriptions of life in Guyana delivered to my imagination the details of my Mother's childhood. These three books inspired me to travel to and eventually live in Guyana where I met the love of my life, my wife. During my travels, I was just as knowledgeable and often times more informed about the sociocultural history of this beautiful country and it wonderful people. Recommended for all of all ages.