Barton Books

I had a great experience purchasing, and receiving this book , I would recommend it to anyone who is skeptical about buying books over the internet.

Book came on time and in the quality I was expecting. Thanks will purchae from here again. Thanx

The book was very useful to my needs. With that, it was in good condition & it arrived right on time!

This book is outstanding in its usefulness for becoming familiar with recent American literature.

Its appropriate selection of authors and works--along with its biographies, preliminary studies and clarifying notes--make this book a "must" for specialists, for scholars of contemporary literature, for students and for universities.

The present volume (the fifth in the collection) undoubtedly has the same advantages and characteristics of the previous volumes.

I have no hesitation in strongly recommending this anthology.

Carlos Francisco MONGE
Professor of Literature

This second volume of American Literature is quite excellent in it's editing and information. The writers read like a who's who of American fiction of over the last couple of centuries. The various writers, poets, authors, and others who have contributed whether it be a poem, a short story, or an essay is enormous. I had this book for American Literature II class in college. The writing in this book reflects America's taste for the various cultures, races, ethnicities, sexual preferences, backgrounds, histories, and tales of everything from identity to immigration to slavery, etc. The stories and poems in this anthology can only help us better understand America. I would give this a 5 but I think it should be a hardcover rather softcover because I got an overly used copy which fell apart in time but I would recommend this book for any high school language arts teacher and as a great library reference book.

This book was used in our pediatric ER for years before we got a computer discharge program. It gives good information to families going home with sick children.

This is an invaluable resource for giving parents information and advice on various childhood medical questions. I highly recommend it!

I bought it as an intern to help with my verbal instructions to parent's. Great for "mommy call" or phone call advice too.

Excellent book, used by many professionals. Anxiously awaiting an update. I am not an RN calling the book "Good overall" but giving it one star. Give me a break.

Good overall content but not up to date. Does not pick up subtle conditions. Somewhat cumbersome to use.

WM Johnson, RN, MSN

This Bible has many good features in it. I needed it for a class in school and it worked just fine.

This is a great version of the Bible and it is very compact and easy-to-read. I took a copy of this Bible on a recent trip and found that it was the perfect size for traveling. Smaller versions would tend to be much more difficult to read.

I truly enjoy and appreciate this particular translation of the Bible. However, I would hope that anyone seriously considering which Bible they should choose would speak with a trusted and knowledgeable friend or clergy member, rather than depending on Amazon.com reviews. If that is not possible, I strongly recommend this version or the New Living Translation. Both are very readable and diligently translated.

The size of this particular publication is perfect. I like smaller Bibles because they fit well in my purse so that I can take them anywhere. This one fits the bill well. The paper quality is higher than most "compact editions" I've come across lately, as well.

Just a quick fyi - this version is an Anglicized translation of the NRSV - that is, British English. This might annoy some people.

Though it's not stated on the cover of this Bible, it is the Anglicized Edition. I don't mind, but I didn't realize it until my order was delivered and I had actually opened to the title page. (This refers to the paperback edition.)

This book provide good information and advices. All of them pragamatic. But don't stop there. The harder is to come. To think and write. It's hard yes. But not harder. Howard and Barton helps you to make a good start. And follow you from start to finish.
A very useful read.

So you've opened a new file and are staring at a blank screen. Now what?

Howard and Barton, two Harvard researchers in education, argue in Ch. 1, "Writing Is Thinking," that writing is about generating ideas, not just communicating them, and that writer's block comes from preoccupation with the "performance" aspect of writing (and also from the myth that you need to wait for flashes of insight from a fickle "muse").

Ch. 2, "From First to Last Draft," explains a process that puts concerns about performance at the very end, where they belong: (1) Record every thought you have on your topic--half-formed thoughts, confused thoughts, silly thoughts, sentences, phrases, lists, feelings, questions--quickly, with no concern about clear formulation, aiming for quantity, not quality. (2) Go over these notes and give topical labels to large and small chunks of text. (3) Retype your notes (don't cut 'n' paste), grouping sections by topic. While this step is fairly simple and mechanical, you'll inevitably do a bit of rethinking, ammending, and revising along the way, but without stirring up performance anxiety. (4) Rearrange the topics into a sensible sequence. (5) NOW work on performance issues.

The remaining chapters are about organizing ideas into an essay format, making an argument, and grammar and punctuation. These chapters may be helpful too, but I think the real gift of this book is not so much that it helps you write well but that it helps you write instead of not writing.

The process works. I can vouch for it. I'm hyper-perfectionistic, but with the help of this book and Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird," I wrote a book without ever getting paralyzed in front of a blank screen.

This a book that really epitomizes clear writing is a function of clear thinking. The first part of the book deals with the process of writing a first draft. I really liked how it laid out the stages and what was the objectives of each stage with being a cookbook. The last parts deal with reasoning for discovery and then presentation. Can be a quick read, but if you take your time and asborb the steps and the thinking behind, you will be a much better writer.

This book will help any high school or college student write classic 3+2 essays as well as help anyone write well-reasoned essays for publication.

Here's some of the things that I particularly liked:

"Three propositions" for written communications: "1) Writing is a symbolic activity of meaning-making; 2) Writing for others is a staged performance; and 3) Writing is a tool of understandning as well as of communciation." The authors demonstrate how the writer must first discover what he wants to say ("meaning-making"). Then, the writer must fashion that into something understandable to the reader ("staged performance").

They offer questions the writer needs to ask during the writing process, such as: "What do I want my readers to know?, What do I want my readers to feel? What do I want my readers to do?" The authors also explain why the questions "What?, Why?, Why Not?" are so important to inventive problem-solving.

This book details how an essay should be developed mechanically. Their coverage of developing a Thesis Sentence was most helpful for me.

Here's their definition of a Thesis Sentence: a rational defense and development of an opinion as precisely worded as possible, or, raising a precise question about something controversial and trying to answer it. The authors spend a good deal of time discussing the development of a Thesis Sentence and then how to develop the ideas that support it.

I also found their discussion of Introductions very helpful, particularly that we should not be "Barging into the Topic" nor "Bungling into the Topic" -- both sections in the book describing common errors in Introductions.

The authors discuss reasoning and do a great job showing the benefits and pitfalls in Inductive vs Deductive reasoning. After reading the book you'll be most knowledgeable about the differences and the details of how to develop arguments.

The authors devote a large proportion of their book to the presentation of your argument to your reader, as opposed to the initial development of your argument.

The final section on Grammar was not needed considering the large selection of books on this subject. But the extra Appendix on Inductive and Deductive logic was truly great.

Think of this book as a combination of: how to write in general, how to write a reasoned essay, how to think, how to marshal your arguments in the most convincing way for the reader, how to search for truth.

It's not a large book as it was written very concisely. I highly recommend this book.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

The title, positive reviews, and Harvard affiliation of the authors was enough to make this book sound intriguing.
I must say that that I was astonished by the slenderness of the content. In this 150 page volume, the last third is dedicated to an overview of grammar and punctuation, covering basics which almost anyone expecting to be an author probably learned in middle school - or would have in any of several basic writing manuals.
Within the remaining 100 pages the authors do present an interesting breakdown of the writing process into three phases (of Generating and Recording Ideas; Composing Ideas; Expressing Ideas) in Chapters 1 and 2 (20 pages). The authors do explain the psychological importance of keeping these processes separated and helpfully suggest a strategy of portioning your writing time (esp. against a deadline) into roughly equal thirds for these three processes. These suggestions, however, can be adequately presented in a couple hundred words, e.g., as done in reviews, below.
Chapter 3 offers 20 pages on "The Essay" (e.g., It is composed of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion). The authors tell of the importance of developing a thesis and of making connections between points between evidence presented in the body. Indeed!
By the time I had read Chapter 3 it was becoming clear that some of the subtitle's intriguing promises (to aid the reader better to REFINE, EXPRESS, and GENERATE IDEAS) were going to be fulfilled at very rudimentary levels: perhaps as preparation for taking one's very FIRST course in composition.
As for the remainder of the subtitle ("Understanding the Processes of the Mind"), the authors may be forgiven if a mere two (trim) chapters dedicated to that ambitious undertaking (totaling 20 pages) offer very basic insights:
Chapter 4: "Making Sense: Reasoning for Discovery" - basic description of inductive and deductive reasoning; the need for probing one's analysis; considering the plausibility of evidence and assumptions.
Chapter 5: "Writing Sense: Reasoning for Presentation" - covers univeral approaches to arguments (thesis vs. antithesis, etc.) and types of questions (factual, interpretive, evaluative).
Then we round out the volume with:
Chapter 6: "Grammar" (40 pages).
If I were rating this volume as a primer on writing for high school students, I might give it 4 stars, as it IS written clearly (although certainly not grippingly) and covers some basics nicely.
Billed as its title bills it ("Thinking on Paper: Refine, Express, and Actually Generate Ideas by Understanding the Processes of the Mind"), I can give it only 2 stars (the second being for clever marketing by the publisher).
If you have had a composition course or own a basic book on composition, you can learn what this book has to add by scanning the reviews here.

William Barton, with The Transmigration of Souls, has created something rarely seen in the SciFi genre; a story that resonates within people who feel the existential pain of life deep in their gut and who long for worlds without number, far from the mundane existence and quiet desperation that haunts those whose souls and dreams are too big to be contained within our tepid Western society.

It may take a few readings spread over a couple of years, but for those who glimpse a Universe so much greater than we know, and who yearn for adventure out among the worlds of infinite possibility, this story will become one that is never forgotten, and will always remain close at hand for those desperate times when hope begins to slip away and daydreams from better times fade into memory. In those hours, when you revisit this story and the light of wonder again brightens, you will begin to understand.

- Peter, Tokyo, Japan, 2008

Saturday, February 25, 2006
"The Transmigration of Souls" by William Barton, ©1996
This is one story that goes all over the place! It begins with an Earth that is developed into something we really do not foresee: United Arab Republic with free Jewish people still living, China that rules over Asia, Sub-Saharian Africa is still in the doldrums and the United States has effectively withdrawn from the life of the world. The story develops into an adventure through many worlds by the transmission of the people by 'stargates'. The necessary technology is God given. The dangers are also God given: the infinite choices we make cause infinite universes to be created, causing the administrators to send in the Juggernaut to stop the chaos from enveloping the universe.
This reminds me of another story that deals with the same delimna. It takes off from the old H. G. Wells story, "The Time Machine". The problem of multiple universes is beyond our comprehension, but gives some fodder to story writers.
Another notion that was touched on within the story was whether or not Christians would opt for immotality or would wait for the second coming or Christ. How firm is your belief in the second coming? Sure it is a flight of fancy, but it brings up a question that most people would never think of or would consider, and it truly only applies to the actually religious folks.

Based on reviews and word of mouth, I had high hopes for this book. But I found the narrative difficult to follow: half the time I didn't know what was going on or who was who. The only thing that kept me going was the interesting story line. But I found that even when the story's characters were being stabbed, hacked, killed, etc., I had no sympathy or empathy with them. I just didn't care! One of the most tedious books I have ever read, well, I still haven't finished it, and don't really care if I ever do. ~MB

Several years from now, a joint US and Russian team discover something on the moon, something that leads to greater advances in technology than anything ever before. However, shortly after the discovery, both groups pull out, hiding themselves in their respective countries, without a word of explanation. Decades later, other governments, seek to discover the secrets that could frighten the two greatest powers on the world. The Americans send a force to prevent this, and the two groups unfortunately find out that somethings are better left undisturbed. What follows is a Panuniversal traveling adventure, as they discover more about their universe than they, or anyone else, ever hoped to know. And gain a glimpse of What may be God, or the Devil. If you like Barton's stuff, I sincerly suggest you take a look at the works of Robert A Heinlein. He works with similar ideas, but does them in a lighter approach which should appeal to most people.

This was the first book by Barton I ever read. Albeit some of the ideas (stargates etc...) are quite worn out by now, they are intricately rendered. Interesting depiction of a background US isolated from the rest of the decaying world, employing alien technology to create a nation of immortal but infantile shapechangers. Also interesting theme of the Universe as something of a software toolkit. I found the start and middle of this "stargate"-like story actually very good, but found the end a huge letdown. It then starts to borrow to much there from Heinlein and other "classicals" to remain original, and gets entangled to much into absurd many-world quantum theoretical stuff (which the author seems to like - a little to much, for my taste). At least the "SF author becomes god" part is somewhat funny... Overall, this story is very very similar in theme, structure, setup, ideas and execution to "White Light" from the same author, albeit not so extremely entangled in sex as that story. I'd judge "Transmigration" the better story, overall, with more "involvement" in the story than e.g "Alpha Centauri". Albeit its not as good as "Acts of Conscience" or the excellent "When We Were Real" by far, I'd still judge it as recommended.

THis book shows how the true creativity (the one for everyday work) arises and how managers should do in their corps to leverage this invaluable asset.

There are many books now available on the general subject of "creativity" but relatively few on the subject of "group creativity." Leonard and Swap have selected an appropriate title for theirs. As they explain, if you create the appropriate physical and psychological environments for a group, creative "sparks" can "fly"...perhaps igniting a department, a division or even an entire organization. For whatever reasons, others do not share my high regard for this book. So be it. What I expected -- and what it delivers -- is a solid conceptual framework within which to generate and then sustain collegial creativity. If you've read Robert Fritz's The Path of Least Resistance for Managers, you are already aware of his assertion that an organizational structure can be designed for success. Leonard and Swap agree with Fritz, not only that such a design is possible but also that it is imperative. Their book consists of six chapters:

What Is Group Creativity?

Creative Abrasion

Generating Creative Options

Converging on the Best Options

Designing the Physical Environment

Designing the Psychological Environment

These chapters are followed by several pages of Notes and a superb Bibliography. Their concluding thoughts reiterate that "creativity is a process -- and can be encouraged and influenced....Thinking of creativity as a process removes, we hope, some of the mystery -- and the temptation to step back from the challenge....Creativity, like learning, is not only a process but an attitude. An attitude that promotes creativity is a kind of alertness to innovation opportunities -- a constant mental challenge to routine and openness to change.... Some individuals thrive on the challenge of constant change and improvement; others recoil from the implicit chaos....But it takes only a small spark to ignite a large fire. Let the sparks!"

I provide this brief excerpt for two reasons. First, it gives you at least some idea of how the authors think. Also and more importantly, their remarks imply some of the barriers to "group creativity" which must be overcome, if not eliminated: fears of being "wrong", of embarrassment, of rejection, of seeming "dumb", etc. As Leonard and Swap correctly suggest, it is as important to be alert to human sensitivities and vulnerabilities it is to "innovation opportunities." Without mutual respect, there can be no mutual trust. Without mutual trust, there can be no creative collaboration.

If you share my high regard for this book, you may wish to check out the works of other authors such as Guy Claxton, Edward de Bono, Doug Hall, Michael Michalko, Joey Reiman, and Roger von Oech.

In Leonard and Swap's book, "When Sparks Fly: Igniting creativity in groups," the authors acknowledge that with the right physical and psychological group environment, creativity can easily emerge from all members of a group. This creativity can be brought forth in groups ranging from five to five-thousand. The authors present their views and information in a congenial way, which gives the book a lighter sense. Their overall intention was not to create a guide which would be viewed as mentally cumbersome to absorb, but rather to write a book which bestows fresh ideas upon the reader in a non-technical way.
The book begins by challenging the typical myths associated with creativity, and subsequently proving them to be incorrect. The authors assert that by using certain motivational and managerial techniques, greater overall creativity can be achieved, even by those who would not typically be referred to as the "creative" type.
The chapters cover all of the basics of group formation and management, beginning with basic creative group problems, addressing techniques with which to harness creativity and keep it focused in the right direction, and leaving the reader with the knowledge and motivation to foster the proper environment for the foundation and formation of a creative group. This is achieved through a five-step process defined by the authors as: 1) preparation, 2) innovation opportunity, 3) generation of options, 4) incubation, 5) the convergence on one option. These steps are intuitively arranged and thoroughly explained throughout the course of the book.
Overall, this book seeks to leave you with the idea that creativity, while an inherit ability to some, can also be thought of as a process. Once creativity is learned to be viewed as a process, many new avenues with which to inspire creativity can be realized and achieved through careful manipulation of the work environment. These authors truly provide a great prospective on a somewhat perplexing topic to most managers.

This is a successor to Dorothy Leonard(-Barton)'s excellent Wellsprings of Knowledge, and expands the treatment of knowledge generation or creativity that forms one of the important chapters of that book.

The central message is that group creativity is a social process and that the process needs a sympathetic climate in terms of norms, beliefs, attitudes and physical environment and needs to be managed through a series of stages. Neglect of any stage seriously inhibits the process. The authors do not deny individual creativity but insist that all of us can contribute to group creativity if the conditions are right - and that individual creativity can be destroyed or at least suppressed if the conditions are wrong.

These are very similar to the conditions required for organisational learning (see Nancy Dixon: The Organizational Learning Cycle), which is not surprising as knowledge generation and learning are different perspectives on essentially the same phenomenon. The two books in fact make good companions to each other.

Chapter 1 draws out some principles, defines creativity and innovation for the purpose of the book and outlines the creative process.

While saying that creativity is resistant to linear progress, the authors identify five steps as capturing the essential features of the creative process. They are: preparation, innovation opportunity, divergence (generating options), incubation, convergence (selecting options).

The steps of divergence, incubation and convergence are the central (usually iterative) engine of creativity. Effective management of these steps is vital, and it is the balance or rhythm of the steps that has to be got right.

The rest of the book is basically about the conditions necessary to ensure that each of these steps and their combination are fully productive. How should the group be structured? What norms, beliefs and behaviours are necessary for them to interact creatively? What leadership behaviours are needed? How should the process be managed and when, if at all, should there be external facilitation? What psychological and physical conditions are conducive to creative success?

The authors conclude: "Creativity, like learning, is not only a process but also an attitude. Managing creativity is all about the values we enact."

Innovation in the workplace is difficult to achieve for all organizations. Most businesses do not have a resident genius, but rely on the creativity of many people over multiple disciplines. Managing these different perspectives and expectations can be a nightmare. Risks of alienation, creating winners and losers and outright failure inhibit even the most self-assured manager. Within the first 15 pages of the book the authors, Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap, introduce Ken Iverson, the chairman of Nucor Steel who reported that, "when his company took on a new, extremely high-risk creative project, he slept like a baby -- he woke up every two hours crying!"

According to the authors, group creativity requires thoughtful preparation, cultivation of different options, time to reflect and careful culling of the "right" ideas. Each step in the process will either energize the team to work harder or become part of a demoralizing and fractious process. As Leonard and Swap write, "Two (or more) heads are better than one, however, only if (1) there is useful knowledge inside the heads; (2) all that useful knowledge can be accessed; and (3) all that accesssed, useful knowledge can be shared, processed, and synthesized by the group."

While reading the first section, I "borrowed" a legal pad from my spouse to pilfer the numerous creative ideas suggested. By the time I was done, I had filled the entire pad and was writing on the cardboard back, with designs for programs to reward creativity and groundrules for initiating appropriate creative sessions. Just about everything is covered -- from why preppy Tommy Hilfiger can design for urban youth to how Weyerhaeuser created new, cost effective particleboard. While the reader may not want to use every single idea, there are many new ideas to choose from, representing the best-of-breed these authors have found from around the world's corporations in their considerable body of research.

When Sparks Fly: Igniting Creativity in Groups marks the publishing debut for a team of seasoned professors: Dorothy Leonard, of Harvard Business School, and Walter Swap, dean of the colleges at Tufts University. It is a rare business book: accessible, fresh and realistic. Perhaps it is no accident that the book was written shortly after the marriage of these two well-respected academics. Sparks do fly.

This book shows basically all of Sid Fleischman's career life. This is from when he was a boy to now. In his first career he wanted to be a magician, and that's what this book is mainly about.

I picked up THE ABRACADABRA KID: A WRITER'S LIFE based on the reviews I read here. It was well-worth the few dollars I spent for the hardbound edition.

The life of Sid Fleischman is told in an unpretentious and humorous style, I imagine just like his novels for kids, which, I have to shamefully admit, I've never read. He tells us about his growing up poor in Brooklyn and San Diego during the Great Depression, his love of magic, his service in the U. S. Navy during WWII, becoming a cub-journalist for a local newspaper after the war, writing screenplays, and trying to be an honest-to-goodness author of children's books. There are also many photos of his parents and two sisters, himself, his own family, as well as handbills he printed in High School Printing Shop class announcing the "See'n is Believ'n" magic shows he and a friend, Bud Ryan, performed for the public (in an effort to make some money during the lean years). They called themselves "The Ryan Brothers".

Sid divides his book into 43 short chapters beginning each with a humorous excerpt from one of the many letters he has received from fans...all of them from kids. For example: "Please don't come back to my school. I hate to write letters." (p.45); "When did you start writing? When are you going to stop?" (p.98); "I'd like to be a writer, but my hand gets tired. Can you give me some advice?" (p.174). Fortunately, Sid does end his book with practical advice to anyone, child or adult, who wants to write.

While the book is a stroll down memory lane, it is a trip only those who lived through the Depression and Second World War will remember taking. If you happen to be, like me, a "Baby Boomer" and nostalgic about growing up in the 50s and 60s, I recommend THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID by Bill Bryson and KNOTS IN MY YO-YO STRING by Jerry Spinelli. If you want to learn the craft of writing, read THE ABRACADABRA KID.

Do you want to become a writer? Here's how. First become a magician, then travel the high seas, drop into a reporter's job and start having a family. Once done write a few screen plays and use your kids to critique your work. Does the above sound unbelievable? Yes indeed, except that it is true. Sid Fleischman did live such a life and now is sharing it with his fans.

You will enjoy this entertaining autobiography of one of america's famous children's authors. Sid's life is a fantasy of adventure and excitement as you see how he becomes an author. It was not intentional and took a long time but it was worth it in the end.

Enjoy his life story filled with unexpected escapades and happenings over his illustrious career. He share with us his family and their crazyness and keeps us entertained. You will enjoy his life and his telling of how his characters were born.

CHARMING, WITTY, and MAGICAL... THE ABRACADABRA KID, A WRITERS LIFE

Newbery award winner, Sid Fleischman is surprised that he grew up to be a writer. " I had a childhood much like everyone else's," he writes. " What went wrong?" Sid Fleischman had a childhood that was not so typical after all. He grew up during the Great Depression with his best friend, named Buddy. Born to Russian immigrant parents, Sid enjoyed life with his three siblings. In fifth grade Sid decided to become a magician much to his fathers dislike. He taught himself magic tricks from library books and became known in his hometown of San Diego, as the Abracadabra Kid. Read and feel Sid's sadness as he tells you about the horrors of battle during World War II. Serving his country in the U.S. Navy, he finds good in everything. Sid loved to fish and spend time with his Spanish girlfriend any time he could, while off duty in the Navy. Sid Fleischman's writing career began after the war with an unsuccessful 250-page mystery. Working hard to correct and rewrite his mystery paid off with a winner. And thus began his writing career. Travel with Sid as he retells his charming life's story, in the Abracadabra Kid. Enjoy his wit and ups and downs of his successful life.

I was surprised to see that a reviewer called this a book that could teach kids how to write. Of course it can, but it can teach *anyone* of any age how to be a better writer. Sid Fleischman's sweet, gentle humor shines through on every page. His advice to aspiring magicians, authors, parents, human beings in general is so sound and so commonsensical that at first it seems simplistic. It isn't. Nothing he advises is obvious; it's just that he expresses it so well and it makes so much sense that his words slip into your work and make it, and you, better.

I was in a Production of Henry V and this book was a godsend. My friend Jesse let me borrow it and when I got to the last chapter I bought my own copy. It has been a tremendous help to read what so many of my favorite actors had to say about Shakespeare ( Well they were all in the RSC at that time). If you don't like Shakespeare, 'GASP', the analysis presented can be effective for most other acting. Plus it has McKellen, Dench, Stewart, Kingsley, and Suchet all giving their experiance. A MUST BUY!!!

As an actor who has just started work on Shakespeare plays, I am hungry for information about how to approach the acting work. I have heard for years from actor friends of various "rules" for playing the text, rules which they learned in university acting programs. I have always wanted to know more about these specifics. An experienced fellow actor highly recommended Barton's book.

Let me explain first what I was seeking. If you as an actor are not looking for this, you may think this book far more interesting than I did. In the first few Shakespeare plays I have done (plays where the directors were very hands-off), I have approached the text as a modern text, using a more-or-less American acting style. I knew that there was more in there. I knew that the meter mattered, I know that there was some mysterious thing called "scansion", etc. I wanted a crash course that would give me help on beginning an approach.

Unfortunately, I found the book lacking in this regard. The format is--as the author acknowledges--problematic: this is the text version of a series of television programs that aired on BBC. Each chapter represents an episode, in which the clearly knowledgeable and vastly experienced John Barton has conversations with well-known actors. During these exchanges, he will ask them to act a bit of text. We see the text reprinted, but we lose all of the acting. I found myself aching to see the original series, which I would bet is stunning and educational.

I found it unfortunately ironic that in the introduction, the author specifically expressed his hope that this would be a practical guide, a departure from other works which do not "tell an actor what to do or how to do it." His guide fails similarly, I think.

I imagine that the TV version would be very successful on this count, though. One confession made throughout by the author is that he is less-suited to the theoretical explanation of these things than he is to the practical application in the rehearsal room. This is clear. One can sense, from the text, the power of his direction. To see that in action would indeed be helpful, I think.

Much of what Barton explains can be boiled down to a few simple guidelines. I should also say that he does often say that there are no hard rules, and that the general lesson is one of being attentive to changes in meter, word choice, anything as possible signposts for actors. But too often, he talks of general directions (for example, to play the poetry more) without saying what that really means.

Overall okay, interesting, worth the read if you are curious, but not the book to buy if you are looking for a crash course in how to approach a bit of Shakespeare's text as an actor.

John Bardon, with the assistance of the players from the Royal Shakespeare Company, presents with great zest and humor not merely the mechanics of speaking the verse of Shakespeare, but the sense of the Style of Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Age. The actors demonstrate all of the means by which they have discovered the characters they portray and make their own, and their great fortune in the legacy of the RSC. They have absorbed with passion and insight the very beings of another time. I wish, when I was a young actor, that I had had John Bardon as a teacher of verse drama. It took me years to find anyone who could teach me the basic, uncomplicated approach to verse I found in this book. May I just add, I also saw the London Weekend Television production on which the book is based and it was magical. The book reinforces my memory of the living actors, most of whom are favorites of mine who I have seen in all types of productions. However, it is not necessary to have seen that program to appreciate and learn from the book. Highly, highly recommended.

Though not an actor in the general sense of the word, as a teacher I often act a part in class to initiate attempts from my students. Hence, I am a frequent reader of the available works purporting to an understanding of Shakespeare's plays and the intents of the characters.

So it is with some experience that I award this book the five stars; it is simply the best unmasking of Shakespeare's characters and intentions that I've come across; and, because the reader must imagine adjustments players make to the author's suggestions as they work through the lines, it engages the reader actively in the interpretation of scenes from chosen works.

If you want to penetrate further into the work of this towering genius who somehow knew so much about the human condition, read this work. I cannot recommend it more entirely.

Barton's careful method and artful writing combine to create a powerful primer on the actor's responsibilities to the text, the character, and the play. This is a must-have-must-read for anyone preparing for the profession.

While thesde stories are almost uniformly about the survivors of tragedy (and therefore offer little to make one smile), I would read them stories simply for the beauty of the words. In her writing, Barton has the economy of a poet, using spare but resonant words, Her dialog is wondrously authentic and would sound real to anyone who has lived in the South. As most of the stories are written in the first-person, they come across as authentic and deeply personal. One suspects that Barton is not unfamiliar with the dark places of which she writes. It is, simply, good writing.

I enjoyed reading Staci's stories immensely. Not only were the stories powerful and sad and exquisite moments of ordinary lives, but the way in which Staci tells these stories shows a strong grasp over technique as well.
I highly recommend this collection.

The stories of "Surviving Nashville" are so powerful, I could only take a little bit at a time (like horseradish!). I love what Barton does with voice and dialogue--I get the sense of watching a film or a play, and the conversation flows naturally but with many levels of meaning. And Barton doesn't shy away from harrowing scenes. I am amazed that she gets such earth-shattering stuff into tiny short stories. Overall a great read.

It's 2:24 AM and I couldn't wait until daylight to tell the world how much I loved this book. The characters grabbed hold and wouldn't let go, and I know I'll linger in their spell for a long, long time. Savor this collection in little bites; it's too wonderful to gobble down in a rush. Red Wax Rose

These stories get into your head like your own memories. They are very short; they don't spare any words to explain or apologize for themselves. They just give vivid snapshots that, in a page or two, summarize a life, or several lives. You can see way before, and imagine way after, each narrative takes place.

Barton looks at the good, the evil, the beautiful, and the ugly of who we people are. We can see the world crashing in because of an unlikely first kiss, or understand how justified a mother in a trailer park can be for shooting the balls off her ex-husband. Like in memory, what is horrible also becomes the beautiful path to who we are.

Hometown Favorite" a wonderful story: Eyes can not help but get moist. Tears down a cheek will not be uncommon. A riveting story of youth competition, a battle of faith vs. arrogance, yet friendship intended to last forever. Will they? Love enters from two very diverse backgrounds. Yet, were they really so different after all? Bonding of man and wife, deceived by a clever, scheming villain who never lost his stipes. Multiple murders testing the faith of one who is abandoned, except by an investigator that searched for truth. Vindicated at last, but never lost to a recovered abuser. A new start once again with a time limit for life. The reminder of Job's trials in the Bible are a reminder to us all. This, a story one may find difficult to put down before completing the issues presented.

This story is for those who search, find, or have doubts during their journey of life. Larry

I am not a big fan of football so I was not sure if I would be able to "get into" this storyline. Well...I did. After the first few pages I was hooked. You get to a certain point in this book where you can not put it down. I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. to finish this book because I just could not stop reading!

This book will remind you that you are real. Even the "crustiest" of hearts will feel the emotion this book will stir within onesself.

I highly reccomend this book to anyone over the age of 15.

I wouldn't have chosen this book to read for pure entertainment. My major reason is football. I'm not only not a fan, I don't get the game. I also do not care for omniscient point of view. The authors vocabularies and talent resulted in some overwriting as well. That said, I was won over by the story.

Though I skimmed football details fairly often, football non-fans can find something to enjoy in this story. I'm not going to give away many details since they would be spoilers. I will recommend this novel to folks who wouldn't have issues like mine as stated above, and who are looking for edgy Christian fiction. There are usages of slang and a smattering of curse words in this novel. Heavy subjects like child endangerment, violence, sexuality,drinking and drug use give the book a solid PG to PG-13 rating depending on your sensitivity.

The authors paint a picture of grace and hope. Despair pops up, forgiveness and restoration are covered. It's not a light read, but it could be just the ticket for some folks. Those who are fans of Creston Mapes novels may want to check out Hometown Favorite.

Although their team lost the Mississippi state championship game, the three stars remain heroes in Springdale as they go off to college. Wide receiver and linebacker Dewayne Jobe gores to USC; quarterback Sly Adams to Miami; and linebacker Jesse Webb to Mississippi. Dewayne and Sly become superstars contending for the Heisman while Jesse's career ends with an injury. At school Dewayne meets affluent Rosella Caldwell; they fall in love and marry.

Dewayne and Sly go to the NFL as stars while Jesse dies in a drunken driving incident. Dewayne, Rosella and her parents rescue her nephew Bruce and her niece Sabrina from their addicted mom Bonita. Rosella gives birth to their child. Dewayne is on top of the world and thankful to the Lord, his widowed mom, and his wife until a tragedy, a personal life threatening health issue and betrayals by loved ones leave him to understand how Job felt.

Using football as a mechanism Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold modernize the story of Job as several traumatic incidents in a short time leave Dewayne in all sorts of anguish. Will he blame the Lord for deserting him or will he seek solace in the Lord while going through incredible layers of traumas? Young adult fans will appreciate this inspirational tale of the football star sacked several times until his life seems fumbled away.

Harriet Klausner

"Jesse, a man is not defined by one event in his life." (p. 96)

Coach Jake Hopper's words, spoken to one of his former high school football stars, became almost prophetic in my mind by the time I reached the final pages of Hometown Favorite. Truly, Bill Barton and Henry O. Arnold understand that life indeed has many defining moments, and whether we lose a ballgame, lose a family member or lose a friend, we each must choose whether or not we will cling to God's strength to see us through or whether we will cling to our own bitterness and become broken. Hometown Favorite is a story ripe with unconditional love, raw with human emotion and seasoned with sorrow and suffering that adds the depth needed to draw this story to a satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion. Your heart will never view life as anything less than a precious gift from God once you have read this story!

Hometown Favorite takes the reader on a journey through the life of Dewayne Jobe. Beginning in a small Mississippi town and reaching out as far as Los Angeles and Houston, this story is filled with richly textured, believable characters that range from Cheri Jobe, factory worker and sports mom, to Rosella Caldwell, daughter of wealthy L.A. parents and the love of Dewayne's life. Jesse and Sly are Dewayne's closest friends, and Coach Hopper is the man that loves each of the three men as his own sons. The story unfolds as easy-going and steady as Dewayne's rock-solid faith and intensifies to a point that almost squeezes the reader's heart in two. The changes that come to Dewayne Jobe take his faith beyond its breaking point to a place only God can reach.

Hometown Favorite is much more than just a football hero's tale. This is a story about God's grace and mercy - about His sovereignty in every detail of our lives. The details in this book may be fictional, but all readers will recognize many scenarios from their own life experiences. We will all recognize the fact that even when life is filled with unbearable pain and times of suffering that the thread of hope binds us to the heart of our Heavenly Father. It is this hope that brings us through our suffering and into a renewed place of joy and life.

Hometown Favorite is a book I highly recommend! It is a story you will remember for a very long time!