Bates Books

Let me say this up front, because it affects how I read things: As a rule, I HATE books that end on a cliff-hanger (the single exception being "The Lord of the Rings").

This is the first of a trilogy featuring Thea, a young, club-hopping monster hunter and her comrades in Chicago who are being manipulated by a creature who has his own motives. Like many World of Darkness novels, there is a bleakness and despair that threatens to drag the story into depression, but Bates avoids that by keeping his style light and contemporary.

However, the plot was obviously padded. Instead of a tightly-plotted adventure, there are extraneous sub-plots with Thea's roommate that go nowhere, and the story suddenly changes viewpoints to a secondary character on a side-quest that has no bearing on the primary plot.

Bates' style is fun and easy to read. I will be looking for more books by him, as long as they can stand on their own. "Heralds of the Storm" cannot.

I read this book with a bit of trepidation because of the cheesy cover and the very cheated feeling I had after finishing the clan novel series. However, unlike almost all WW books, this book was written by someone who is a little more upbeat and can keep the pace of the book moving by not getting bogged down in this angst-ridden tone that other books of the genre seem to have.

I wasn't expecting the Vampire Hunter angle, but it really worked here. The plot had a few snags, but overall it moved really quickly and had enough action and realistic character development (something almost absent from V:tM books) to keep me interested. Plus, I live in Chicago and the author actually seemed to know a bit about the city (rather than having the just-read-the-Guide-to-Chicago feel of the clan novel series)

Overall, I would recommend this book highly to action, horror, vampire and V:tM fans alike.

This book didn't exactly give me what I expected, but still delievered quite the page turner. The story mainly centers around a Hunter, who seems to have some unwanted assistance, but suprisingly the story continues to branch out in numerous ways switching perspectives to give a reader a full view of the entire story.

My main complaint with this book, was a problem that befalls most white-wolf books though. The characters seem to perfect, why are Thea and her workaholic room mate, both, apparently, so sexy? Infact most of the characters who are good guys, seem to all be made up as incredibly attractive. I don't think that's overly problematic, but it seems to be something that plagues many white-wolf books, and to those who are extremely picky it can seem rather silly.

I picked up this book as an impulse buy, so I wasn't expecting much from it. I had never read a World Of Darkness novel and I had no idea who, or what, Hunters were. This book knocked my socks off.

My only complaint is that I wish the back cover had been a little LESS descriptive. Knowing that the trilogy serves to introduce the M-words to the World Of Darkness universe dulled a bit of the impact the ending would have held.

This is the first volume outside of the Predator & Prey introductory series that deals with hunters, humans who have pierced the shroud of darkness around the Masquerade and are actively seeking to do away with creepy guys. I have honestly been less than enthusiastic about the P&P tales, but "Heralds of the Storm" turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

Thea Ghandour is a member of the Van Helsing Brigade, a clan of monster hunters that works in and around Chicago. Her compatriots, Romeo, Parker, Jake, Dean, Carl, and Lilly, are young men and women with a strong sense of cause. Each has developed special talents that help in their battles and have kept them alive so far. They do not lack for courage, but frequently hide their fears behind anger and bickering.

The book opens with an attack on a vampire's lair near Chicago. Even as they infiltrate the site, they realize something isn't quite right. It goes too easily. Most of the guards are gone or are quickly handled. The guard watching the security is dead. After killing the Vampire with minimal injury, the entire lair is destroyed by explosives as they leave. Thea and the others suspect that someone was there before them, and that they are being set up.

When Thea gets a brief, anonymous phone call her fears are confirmed. But the gang has no clue on how to proceed. Before they can do much research, several brigade members are attacked and killed by zombies. Thea arrives in time to prevent things from being even worse and finds herself being helped by a stranger, who identifies himself as Maxwell Carpenter and pulls Thea and her unconscious friends from the building. Then he erases her memories and disappears.

Thea awakes in a hospital. When Romeo tells her she was pulled from the building by a super zombie who can pass for human she remembers what happened. Frantic research reveals that Carpenter was a 1920s gangster and was definitely dead. Many more phone calls and arguments later they finally meet with Carpenter. He asks them to help him get into the Temple of Akhenaton in downtown Chicago and gives them some time to consider their answer.

Carpenter has his own agenda, the complete destruction of the Sforza clan that caused his death years earlier. Thea and the Brigade find this out and are torn over whether they should cooperate with Carpenter or kill him for the monster he is. What they decide, and the horrific results of that decision fill the remainder of this volume and the next two novels of this promising and exciting trilogy.

This may be Andrew Bates first novel, but he shows considerable skill and talent. His characters have none of the stick figure quality which often troubles World of Darkness novels. Bates has a good sense of timing and a fine eye for detail as well. My only gripe is that the novel's designer decided to sacrifice page numbers for decoration. As a reviewer, I found this quite irritating. Otherwise this series looks like a winner from the folks at White Wolf.

This book is attractive and value-adding for the following reasons: 1. It contains interviews with a cross-section of business researchers, in a largely Q&A format. 2. It contains lists of several useful reference sources, which are also cross-referenced throughout the book. That helps the reader understand the context for each reference source, and determine whether it's going to be useful to the reader or not. 3. The flow of material through the chapters (essentially interviews with the researchers) offers an interesting direction to the whole book. 4. The book is written in a lucid (simple, conversational) style. It's not heavy duty reading. 5. I found it offered practical insights. Good value for money!

This book is attractive and value-adding for the following reasons: 1. It contains interviews with a cross-section of business researchers, in a largely Q&A format. 2. It contains lists of several useful reference sources, which are also cross-referenced throughout the book. That helps the reader understand the context for each reference source, and determine whether it's going to be useful to the reader or not. 3. The flow of material through the chapters (essentially interviews with the researchers) offers an interesting direction to the whole book. 4. The book is written in a lucid (simple, conversational) style. It's not heavy duty reading. 5. I found it offered practical insights. Good value for money!

With the rapid expansion of the web, this book is already woefully out-of-date. The format is distracting and the text is poorly edited.

The migration of literally thousands of companies and their databases to the Internet has made available a tremendous amount of helpful information about the inner workings of these companies and the products and services they have to offer. The availability of all kinds of information in a variety of formats has given birth to a new breed of corporate employees - research professionals. Linked closely with terminology such as "competitive intelligence" and "data mining," researchers can play an important role in the future of any company doing business today.

Mary Ellen Bates has done the business community a great service by bringing together a handful of some pretty amazing interviews with researchers involved in finding information for business use. Super Searchers Do Business offers readers plenty of useful research tips and ideas gleaned from these researchers already operating in the corporate trenches.

The professional researchers interviewed for this book offer plenty of insightful help. They identify some of the databases they use, the discussion groups and mailing lists they participate in, the journals they read, the electronic newsletters they receive, and some good recommended reading. These resources are listed at the back of the book for convenient reader accessibility. While the use of these resources alone won't guarantee researching success, they do offer a good place to start.

Other helpful insight offered by these researchers includes their advice. Each offer their own angle for success. They point out how they make use of multiple resources for information gathering, how they have learned to move from one resource to another when the task calls for new direction, identifying reliable resources, and how they have learned to rely on their "gut" feelings at times when sorting through information. The professional researcher must learn not only how to gather information but how to package it together to meet their client's needs. This book will show readers how!

One of the recurring themes identified throughout this book is that of combining research skills with a business mindset. The researchers interviewed for the book demonstrate by example how they have interacted with their clients. They cite actual circumstances they have faced on the job and how they responded to client demands. This valuable insight will go a long way to help readers assess their own research and interpersonal relationship skills and help them to learn how to relate better with their own business clients.

This book is ideal for persons desiring to improve their research skills. It's loaded with tips, resources, and many ideas that can make online and off-line researching an easier and more productive task to accomplish. It is must reading for persons desiring to setup their own research services!

This is a great book for anyone who wants to use the Internet or online services to do research. I liked the variety of super searchers who were interviewed, and I learned something from every one. The book is useful and fun to read, too!

Excellent book. Most of the more common protocols are in here, with sector images and simplified explanatory drawings of each one. Detailed description of all aspects of how to obtain good images as well as patient prep etc. I've seen even the most experienced tech refer to it on many occasions.

The book is excellent for students and beginners in the field of ultrasound. The information provided is optimal for self-practice and improvement your practical skills as well as theoretical. The only one issue concerning the book is the date of last edition (1999). However, how much it changed? Anyway, I recommend this book to those who are about to start ultrasound scanning.

Great book for the beginner,is a book that you must read if you are learning to scan.

this book is basic, has many pictures without color , and schematic pictures,but has basics comments ,hasn`t photos , I recommended others books ,for example Introduction to Vascular Ultrasonography ,the autor is Zwiebel

Highly recommened for anyone studying to become a Sonographer in a didactic, clinical or Hospital setting. If you have difficuly making out what you are seeing on the monitor, or knowing what images you should be taking, This book is the ticket. :)
Caution: Not a substitute for formal traninig!.....

Seeing into the mind of a seven-year old is an amazing journey. From sullen independence to exhuberant joy at new horizons. Louise Bates Ames guides readers around the pitfalls and gives a new understanding to this inwardly viewed age. It's as wonderful as the rest of her age-related books.

These books have helped me understand what my children have been going through at various stages/ages of their development. This book was on target with my daughter's behavior/temperment. However, I found the problem solving answers to be extrememely outdated. The authors suggested that a particular seven yr old who disliked school could either change to a private school, stay back in first grade or shorten the school day. What were they thinking? No suggestions were given as to how to talk to the child or work with the teachers,school or family doctor. I thought I would get some advice for a similar problem, not this time. In general I found this book helpful but think it needs to be updated, possibly each decade.

When my then 5 1/2 year old was behaving much differently than he had at age 5, my mother pulled out an old hardcover version of the Gesell Institute Books and - oh my! - much of the changes seemed to be quite common among 5 1/2 year olds!

These are 'old' books (I'm one of the earliest of the baby boomers, though my child is now nearly 9), but they are still useful.

This book and all in the series are little paperbacks, quick to read. Our society has changed since they were written, so a bit of the book may seem dated if you don't like 'traditional roles. However, there is much good information and wisdom in here, unencumbered by the modern day concerns about ADD and such. In expensive, a good investment to ease a parent's mind. A nice gift from grandparents to their own children, and for young parents, just nice to have on the shelf for those days when we forget that kids behaviors and interests change as they grow up.

We have been reading this series faithfully since our son was 1. They are easy to read and yet pack a lot of insightful information on the development progress of your child. They have helped me understand what phase he might be in and be more patient with him as a result. I always order the next one right around his birthday! I hope they help me thru his teenage years also.

"Life in a Minor Key" provides a sneak preview to the parental challenges and pleasures which lie ahead for the coming year. As I watch my child's dramatic transition from young child to schoolboy, it is comforting and helpful to refer to this reassuring guide.

I just finished reading this book, and I loved it. VI Warshawski is one of those characters that you got to love.

This is the best installment of the VI Warshawski series that I have read. Here, she's tough and uncompromising yet vulnerable. This book is most thoroughly recommended.

One of Paretskies greatest Books ever. Private Eye V.I.Warshawski gets in trouble in helping her old aunt, who is adicted to alcohol and got thrown out of her appartment. Watching V.I. stumbling through the world of crime, government politics and lovely neighbourhood, listing to her sarcastical comments and sharing her decisions concerning her wardrobe is once again great fun and everybody who has read any of the other Paretsky books will love this one. It definitely is my personal favourite of all V.I.-Adventures!

Vic must reluctantly rescue her Aunt Elena, a notorious drunkard, con woman and flirt. While she is disgusted at Elena's antics, she is discerning enough to know that she shares some of Elena's character flaws. As usual, Vic's good heartedness leads her into a murky world of dishonest politicians, traitorous cops and disgruntled bankers. As usual, she can rely on none but herself to solve the mystery and right the wrongs of the system. As usual, Peppy, Mr. Contreras (Sal)and Lottie are ever watchful and protective of their friend. As usual, this book is filled with interesting characters, locations, events and probing character analyses. If you like your protagonists intelligent, resourceful, wisecracking yet wearing the perfect set of Magli pumps, this heroine is for you.

After having finished Burn Marks last night, I read the on-line reviews here. Isn't it interesting how the same book can provoke such different opinions?
Look out, VI fans - I'm about to commit sacrilege.
I found Burn Marks in my bookshelf while hunting for some bedside reading. After the first chapter I got the impression that I'd read the book before, but never finished it.
I soon realized why.
So long-winded, so verbose, frankly - so BORING!
Ms Warshawski is alternately dead tired, sick, throwing up, having headaches, being injured or detailing the condition of every last burn blister in minute detail; her old Chevy is "groaning" on virtually every page, sometimes even in consecutive paragraphs, until it predictably dies; the plot barely gets going only in the last couple of chapters.
OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but not much.
Doesn't Ms. Paretsky have an editor who could weed her story down by some 50 percent?
By sheer dogged persistence I managed to arrive at the final chapters, where the tension picks up a bit.
But unless you're looking for a sleeping pill, stay away.

Thanks Ms. Bates for another Alex Powell mystery. I absolutely fell in love with Alex in Plain Brown Wrapper and had to read this one to see if it would be just as good - I was not disappointed! I was glad to see Alex still up to her old tricks, and with her man Paul firmly by her side. Alex is still as smart and no-nonsense as she was in the first novel and you can't help but root for her. As in Plain Brown Wrapper, this book gave a peek inside the upper echelon of Black society that is not always seen. It was nice to see how the other side lives, and easy to see why they don't want everyone to know (as Simp and his 'folks' weren't the nicest people you could meet). Anyway, if you are looking for a good book, and a good mystery, check out Ms. Alexa Powell. You won't be sorry!!!

I couldn't wait for this book to come out after reading Plain Brown Wrapper and I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed. I can't wait to read more about Alexa and crew.

I found the first Alex Powell book by accident, but I immediately liked her. Smart, opinionated, intelligent - this was a Sista I could like reading. And, I liked all the rest of the supporting characters, both Black and White. Having a Sistafriend who was a journalist for many years, Alex and her fellow journalists' travails about the newsroom were not unfamiliar to me. I think I liked this second book better than the first one because I already knew so many of the supporting cast. I hope Ms. Bates writes a third and fourth Alex Powell book. There are so many good Black mystery writers...I totally wish that BET or TVOne would do a series with them. ..

Bates has written another well-paced, well written novel starring Alexa Powell, which I think that many people will like even more than PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER.

CHOSEN PEOPLE is about the upper crust of black society and the african american elite, aptly called the "Chosen People" in some circles. In the book, as in real life, many people think that talking too much about money and class and social status is considered vulgar. Simp, a man who is obsessed with chronicalling the status of the black elite, is unsurprisingly murdered. But no one knows who, among the many people who were clearly disgusted with Simp, could have committed the murder. Alex Powell, reporter turned detective, is trying to write an article about this murder and two others that she intuitively thinks are related.

Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that one of the connections among the characters is their understanding of and committment to improving the black and minority communities and helping those in need. The novel is just as much about political power, cultural identity, ethnic awareness, and community service as it is about social status and violent murders. (After all, there are four murders in the novel!)

I don't want to give away any more of the plot, because I was so surprised and intrigued about the way that the murders were and were not related. I didn't anticipate it at all. Although I am not especially fascinated about this particular segment of black society (I actually find it a little annoying), I honestly think that this angle will make the book more interesting to a lot of people, because most people can only read about the Chosen People, and generally enjoy doing so. I really enjoy reading about Alex, although I got tired of reading about what she was wearing, and I like her. I relate to her, and I look forward to reading about her again.

This is a great summer read, I finished it in about 3 days or so. I really hope it goes to the top of the Essence bestseller list and stays there!

We last met protagonist, Los Angeles Standard columnist, Alex Marshall, using her sleuthing skills to solve a murder at the National Association of Black Journalists in Plain Brown Wrapper. Author Karen Grigsby Grant unleashes Alex's expertise again with her latest release, Chosen People.

Alex, who has her pulse on the black community of Los Angeles, is assigned to write an article about James Simpson Lee Hastings Jr., the self-proclaimed authority on the Black Bourgeois and author of Chosen People, a book that, depending on who you ask, is either uplifting rich black folk or putting down poorer black folk. Alex knew Hastings had enemies but who would slit his throat at an Eso Wan Book Store signing? She finds herself right smack in the middle of another murder case much to the chagrin of Paul Butler, her out-of-town beau, and her landlady, wealthy matron Sally Ferguson, who have continually admonished her to stay out of trouble, but it seems it just ain't going to happen. Why do these things happen to her? When Alex makes the connection of Hastings' murder to that of an alleged suicide of a wealthy white philanthropist and the vicious attack murder by pit bulls of a prominent African American woman, the plot thickens. All of these victims are only separated by the proverbial six degrees of separation.

From the horse country in Norco of San Diego County, to the streets of South Central Los Angeles to swanky homes in Hancock Park and the Los Feliz Hills and the churches of the Black middle-class, Alex searches for answers. The cast of characters include a pro-black, militant activist turned horse trainer, old money black L.A. and a Jewish socialite. Not only is it a "small colored world", it is a small world, period.

Grigsby Bates peppers her book throughout with phrases, some familiar; some newly coined, a sort of insider's secret language. Besides "small colored world", there is her code for white people, "WP", and the Black Bourgeoisie, "Nigwazeez" and other witty terms. The book, Chosen People, featured in the storyline was an excellent parody of Our Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham, the controversial account which took the middle/upper class African American community by storm several years ago. Indeed, as in her last book, Grigsby Bates gives you a glimpse into the black elite of Los Angeles; the class schisms in the African American community, the divisions and tension that exist and how they are exploited. I can hardly wait to see what Alex gets into next.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub
www.apooo.org

This book examines a simple and important puzzle: why do African governments choose such terrible economic policies? These policies are especially bad for agriculture, even though most Africans are farmers.

The answer is simple: African governments systematically favor urban interests. That means that they provide cheap food for urban workers, which means cheap labor for urban businesses (capital). These groups are outnumbered, but they live in the cities. This means that labor and capital can mobilize politically against the government in the capital city, while farmers - - who are scattered all over a large countryside with poor transportation links - - find it very difficult to pressure the government.

Bates' basic claim has much to recommend it. It is simple, yet it served as a productive research agenda for other studies - - such as Michael Lofchie's comparison of Kenya and Tanzania, among others. It is no wonder that this book made Bates' reputation, and was a seminal contribution to political economy in its day.

Its simplicity also makes the argument incomplete. Though he does discuss colonial legacies, Bates doesn't consider the wider international context. African countries would find it difficult to pursue pro-farmer policies because the rich world, especially in Europe and Japan, closes its markets to many African food products. Certainly this fact deserves to play an important role when we consider the poor choices that African governments make.

The decolonization of Africa was espoused by two ideals of the African people: political independence and economic development. The African nationalists attributed their economic backwardness to their colonial heritage and believed that `independence' would pave the way to prosperity. Yet facing the dilemmas of economic development and the limitations of the international system, they eventually ended up with inefficient industrial firms, impoverished peasantry, and increased economic inequality.

Robert Bates' Markets and States in Tropical Africa analyzes the reasons for and the mechanism of state intervention in market in African states. Like every other country who has attempted to develop so far, independent African countries too faced the dilemmas of economic development, namely capital accumulation and market creation. The economies of Africa have been overwhelmingly rural in nature and the governing elites in Africa aimed to change this situation by through industrialization. The scarcity of capital led national elites to extract resources from agriculture and channel them into manufacture and industry. What is important here, as Bates emphasize, is that all nations seeking to industrialize have done this: "The African policies are thus notable not as exceptions but as examples of a larger class," (p. 119). The forms of economic manipulation were compatible with the prevailing economic doctrines: industry is the engine of growth, savings come from the profits of industry, rural sector should be squeezed for development, etc. (p. 97).

The African governments had both economic and political incentives to channel resources from the rural agricultural sector to the urban industrial enterprises. On the one side they regarded this as necessary for the industrialization and economic development of their countries; on the other side, "the politicization of the electorate" in the nationalist era pushed the governing elite to follow clientalist policies to maintain their political status. As Bates put is, the resources allocated through governmental programs have been channeled to those "whose support is politically useful or economically rewarding to the state - that is, to members of the elite," (p. 56).

As for the instruments of state intervention in the market, African governments mostly exploited taxes, tariffs, and subsidies to transfer resources from rural areas to urban ones. Government in Africa subsidized fertilizers, seeds, mechanical equipments, land, and credit for commercial farming (p. 50). The taxes collected from the rural areas constituted the bulk of these subsidies given to the urban and rural elites. Also, to promote industrial development, African governments constructed protective barriers between the world and domestic markets which sheltered local industries from foreign competition (p. 66). Apparently, the peasantry has been the victim of both policies.

The history of African economic development in the post-independence era in general and Robert Bates' book in particular demonstrate the inevitability of the sacrifices and burden that at least one class should undertake. Historically speaking, these classes have usually been peasantry and workers. A capitalist economic development necessitates the accumulation of capital in the hands of a capitalist entrepreneur class, which forces the state to intervene in the market and to channel resources from the lower strata to the upper ones. Neither the developed Western countries nor the East Asian NICs escaped this necessity of economic development. Yet what made these countries `overcome' the aforementioned dilemma and eventually become a `success story' were the availability of `external resources and market' at their disposal. While in the Western case the cheap labor, food, and market of what is now called the Third World made possible the redemption of the agonies of the peasantry and the eventual establishment of `welfare states', in the `Asian miracle' case, their privileged access to the Western markets provided the `fuel' to keep their economic growth and to gradually relieve the burden of the peasantry and working class in these countries. It was not the intervention of the state in the market that differed the African case from the `success' stories, rather it was the unavailability of external means that determined the eventual fates of African countries.

In this work, Bates moves away from dependency theory in explaining the financial discrepancies between the Center and Periphery. Rather than concentrating on external catalysts to stalled development, Bates rational-actor model concentrates on the internal problems facing African development, particularly the pursuit of interests on the part of political and urban elites.

Much of Africa is facing an agricultural crisis. Although generally populated by small farmers, many nations in Africa face food shortages. Bates argues that these crises are the result of inefficient policies (which intervene in, and distort markets) implemented by political and economic elites. The question becomes, why are these policies being pursued? Bates explains the implementation of these inefficient agricultural policies through a rational choice model. Bates suggests that these policies are developed and implemented by rational political and economic elites seeking to maximize their own utility - particularly in regards to garnering political support - rather than pursing the collective good. This often occurs at the expense of many small farmers. He writes, "Policies are designed to secure the advantages of particular interests, to appease powerful political forces, and to enhance the capacity of political regimes to remain in power" (5-6).

The political and urban elites work in tandem to harvest economic resources garnered from the agricultural sector to promote industrialization. This is often done through the manipulation of market forces, particularly in keeping food prices low for urban interests. Doing so keeps the urban masses content, and allows industrialists to maintain low wages. In turn, the policy making elites garner political support. Bates spells out the beneficiaries of such policies clearly. "Owners and workers in industrial firms, economic and political elites, privileged farmers and the mangers of public bureaucracies - these constitute the development coalition in contemporary Africa" and hence benefit from the inefficient policies.

In regards to production, such policies skew the incentive structure of smaller agricultural producers. When receiving below world market prices, farmers will lower production, in turn limiting food supply. Or farmers may pursue a policy of "out-migration" and moved to the urban areas in pursuit of jobs. In this regard, the peasants are too acting rationally according to Bates model. Bates also discusses the problems of mass organization in order to oppose these policies. The small farmers are so dispersed and politically weak that the collective action problems ensue. The government expands on these collective action problems by offering preferential disbursements of subsidies, etc. to those who tow the party line. This divide and conquer technique has limited the power of the rural masses to organize a coherent oppostion.

This book nicely presents the way that African governments influence markets, why they do so, and the effect of their involvement on citizens, especially the poor. I found it helpful in explaining why some states make the decisions they do, despite the fact that they might not always be the most economically efficient.

In this landmark study, Robert Bates offered an interpretation of African economic policies toward the agriculture sector that set the terms of the debate for the years to come. Why do African governments pursue policies that create market distortions, skewed incentives and misallocation of resources, despite their obvious costs for social welfare and long-term development? The core of Robert Bates' argument is that bad economics often makes good politics: governments choose to pursue policies that are clearly irrational from an economic viewpoint because their economic and social costs are more than offset by the political benefits that accrue to them and to the social forces that maintain them in power.

Things did not have to turn that way. Political elites who took power at the time of the independences sincerely believed that they could put their countries on a path to economic modernization and social well-being. What trapped Africa into a low equilibrium of narrow clientelism and entrenched self-interests was a mix of bad institutions, bad advice and bad luck.

African governments inherited from their colonizers institutions that were set to extract rents from the agriculture sector rather than to maximize the welfare of farmers. They chose a mix of development policies that emphasized the role of the state and the importance of a nascent manufacturing sector. And they benefited from a period of high commodity prices that led them to consider cash crops and natural resources as an inexhaustible source of foreign exchange revenue.

The institution that came to symbolize the rent-extracting nature of African agriculture policies is the marketing board, which purchased cash crops from farmers at administratively determined prices and then sold them for a higher price on the world market, thereby accumulating funds that could be used for state-sponsored industrial projects or for social subsidies, if not for outright plundering. Another instrument of redistribution away from the agriculture sector was the local industrial firm that processed raw agricultural products acquired at artificially low prices, or the importation of foreign crops at prices below domestic ones in order to feed urban workers and lower the cost of living.

This complex web of policies and institutions should not be seen solely as a way to transfer resources away from agriculture into the modern urban economy, thereby achieving the "primitive accumulation" that Marxist economists saw as a condition to industrial development. Some policies, such as large irrigation projects, the subsidization of inputs, the channeling of credit or the extension of public services to rural areas, benefit large landowners at the expense of small-scale farmers. Likewise, industrial development projects under protective trade policies give rise to large, capital intensive public enterprises which often operate below capacity and at high costs.

Robert Bates makes heavy use of interest group theory to explain how policies are designed to secure advantage for particular interests, to appease powerful political forces, and to enhance the capacity of political regimes to remain in power. More ground-breaking is his analysis of the market as the setting for the struggle between the peasant and the state, the political arena in which social forces collide or avoid each other. Through intervention in the market, the state seeks to levy resources from the countryside, to appease social unrest in urban areas and to serve the private interests of those in power. For their part, rural producers use the market as a means of defense against the state, thereby evading some of the adverse consequences of government policies. They do so in part by reducing output, shifting crops, migrating out of the countryside, returning to subsistence lifestyles or joining the informal sector. Consequently, policy aberrations on the part of the government are more likely to result in exit patterns than in attempts at reforms.

This book has been vilified in some quarters because it was said to have provided the intellectual blueprint to the policies of structural adjustment that swept African countries soon after its publication. The denunciation of the urban bias and the abolition of the marketing boards certainly provided a rallying cry that was easily picked up by market reformers working from development agencies, with little consideration to the social forces that would be put in motion by such prescriptions. And it is true that Bates is almost entirely silent on the organizational characteristics of his interest group coalitions that underpin policy choices and institutional settings. But this classic work still provides many insights on Africa's internal and external structural problems.

I LOVE this book and HOW TO BE by Harriette Cole. Every African American needs to read both books cover to cover. Basic etiquette that used to be taught in the home.

Basic Black is a book that should be on your shelf. It covers topics that we ordinarily overlook, while it providers a refresher of Manners 101. If you've ever had a question about what the "appropriate" thing to do is, then you should buy this book

Although the book is written by two Black authors it's not much different than Emily Post. I'd give it three stars but so much missing. For example it could have discussed how to visit other churches. AME Zion is not the same as a Baptist chuch and neither one is the same as a COGIC church. I would have loved to found out what to bring to a baby dedication...it's not the same as a baptism. There are so many events that are unique to Black life it's too bad the book doesn't address the etiquette required for them.

I brought this book through a book club that I joined recently. At first I didn't think it could tell me anything that I didn't already know, but it did. This book tells you important things that some of us seem like we didn't know the answers to (i.e., when you go on an interview what is too much when it comes to dressing). It "reminds" us of things that we see and may sometimes do that we shouldn't (i.e., if we are in a resturant and we see other's waiting to be seated, don't continue to hog the table while just talking). The book is really based upon common sense, but sometimes people choose not to use it; therefor, the book reminds you to use those common sense cells located in the brain. It's a good little book to have.

Circles Around the Sun is a beautiful account of one of life's greatest tragedies - war. The Vietnam era is recounted in amazing descriptions that let every reader feel a part of the realism that America's heroic young soldier's led. In my quest to know more of death of my brother in 1969, also a medic, I was introduced to Doug Bates in 2004. Little did I know he wrote about "Doc" Tiffany, depicted as Jon Richardson in his writings. This book is highly educational, filled with emotional impact and compassion, and is personal in a way that brings greater understanding to the reader. Brotherhood and love eminates from the stories told. Share this book. It tells of our country's history in a most unusual manner.

Engrossing and very moving...couldn't put it down! As one who missed by 6 months going to Viet Nam but knowing many men who did go, Mr. Bates's vivid descriptions of the country, the people, and his experiences are very memorable. This book is one that I will cetainly keep and re-read.

J.Douglas Bates' book Circles Around the Sun,is about a young man serving in the army in Vietnam. He serves as a medic, caring for fellow soldiers, locals and the enemy. This is not a "woe is me" type of story, it is written in chapters that can stand alone as their own stories but all together give us a clear picture of the comraderie (sp?), danger, and loyalty these guys shared. It is one of the few books I have ever read that I literally had to put down and take a few deep breaths. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I'm sure this book was a healing process for Mr. Bates and I think it would be for other vets also. But it is also good for someone like me to read who was a child during Vietnam.

Doug Bates lets us, no makes us, experience the War in Vietnam through the eyes of a young medic with the Army.They not only patch the wounded, or hold the hands of the dying; but, they also shoot. He has us feel the horrow of war, the comic aspect at times, and the forced maturing of young men and the pathos to that small part of Vietnam that was his own.

Farmer Dale is a friendly dog on his way to town with a load of hay. The trip is not uneventful--he encounters a skating pig, an accordion-playing goat and other farm animals in need of a ride.

They soon learn a pickup will only carry so much weight and that one farmer can only do so much--working alone.

This is a fun story of working together and getting the job done to everyone's benefit. Told in simple rhyme with pictures to bring it all to life, it is aimed at 3 to 7-year olds, but the boys in my house enjoyed it even though they are a couple years older.

Armchair Interviews says: Add it to your gift list. Great fun.

Farmer Dale is heading for town in his red pickup truck full of hay. Along the way he meets various animals that need a ride and he is more than happy to help. But what happens when the truck is full and more animals need a ride? And what happens when the old truck is not able to carry any more animals without breaking down? A fun read with each animal having their own unique personality, Farmer Dale's Red Pickup Truck is recommended for children ages three through seven.

I had a feeling I might like this book even before the story began. The title page shows a big dog asleep in a fireplace-heated easy chair, books spread about the room, and his spectacles (it's old-fashioned that way) perched on his nose. It turns out that the dog is the titular "Farmer Dale," and he deserves the rest after the day he had! Driving his shiny truck, he picks up one idiosyncratic animal after another, from the bossy cow (who repeatedly says "Mooove over!") to the accordian-playing (!) goat, to the rooster who annoyingly tells him the obvious after his rolling barnyard steams and shakes to a stop:

"It seems you have a problem,"
a cocky rooster crowed.
"We do," admitted Farmer Date,
"The problem is we're stuck.
The weight of all these animals
is too much for my truck."
Rooster eyed the animals.
"You're such a cozy group.
I hate to cluck like Mother Hen,
but who will fly the coop?"

WIth all apologies to non-clucking hens, Rooster has pretty much properly assessed the problem--except it gets worse. The crowded animals (in a delightful close-up) are, quite frankly, a bunch of cranky, whiny animals, and good-natured Farmer Dale tries to get them to "settle down." In a fairly wacky and pun-filled cow-llaboration (sorry), the animals get them wheels a-rolling again, and the surprise conclusion explains why a goat was holding an accordian!

The illustrations have the same kind of abandon as the story, and yet the wild animation-like scenes share the spotlight with startlingly beautiful depictions of the rural countryside. Ivan Bates' watercolor and pencil crayon pictures have an old-fashioned classic look, with hints of Beatrix Potter, sketchy movie storyboards, and a little N.C.Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. It's an uncommonly imaginative mix of pictorial styles, and it compliments the menagerie that Farmer Dale collects in his truck. The rhymes are funny and unforced, and the story moves both logically and wildly along. Filled with action, emotion, barnyard humor, expressive pictues, and a clever surprise, this winning book is a little slice of Americana. Highly recommended!

This fun to read book chronicles a day in the life of Farmer Dale, and several other animals in the town. When Farmer Dale begins his journey to the county fair, he stops first to pick up Bossy Cow, who is in need of a ride. As the book continues, more and more characters with their own savvy traits are introduced. They all need rides to the fair and Farmer Dale is willing to help. There are just two problems: Will all of these animals fit into Farmer Dale's red pickup truck? Will the truck be able to last the whole ride to the county fair? Read this exciting book to find out! Filled with rhymes, repetition, and a moral at the end, it is a great read for Pre-K through 2nd graders.