Bennett Books

I used this book almost exclusively in studying for part 2 of the boards. I would answer the questions from each section and if I scored below 60% on a section, I would read more about it in my optometry notes. My boards part two score was greater than 600 (300 is needed to pass)! I highly recommend this book.

Overall, I found this review guide very helpful in preparing for the NBEO. As the product description says, the book is divided into sections following the same format and weighting as the actual exam: There are many more ocular disease/trauma questions than public health questions, for example.
With each answer, there is a rationale explaining why that choice is correct, or why the others are wrong... this is awesome!

One of the things I noticed was that the questions, especially in the systemic section, focused a lot on the nitty-gritty details. This made it really challenging and at times, discouraging (which is why I gave 4 stars, not 5). However, after taking the test I felt (as did many of my classmates) that the questions on the actual exam tended to be slightly easier than the ones in the book, but that similar topics were covered.

So -- even if you never actually sit down and do all the questions, this book will give you a good idea of what conditions/diseases, etc. to review.

Good luck!

This book is so helpful for NBEO part 2! I studied this and it really helped me learn areas I was weak and strong in. The questions about ethics are especially helpful. I strongly recommend this to anyone studying for part 2 boards as an additional resource.

If you want to learn about candle lighting, this is a great start! FYI - I didn't like Volume 2. It has too many thoughts and not enough direction.

I purchased this book several years ago and used it through the entire timespan. It took all the guess work out of when to do your candle burning. It's also good if not better than any almanac. I would not be with it.

Even the best-known motivational devices and speakers around cannot give you exactly what Tina Ketch has given us here. Not only do you learn how to get what you want out of and from life, but you learn what life's most valuable resource truly is. This book is a "must read" and a "must live"

Chaper 2 was somewhat helpful but nothing new. Maybe I need to read it again.

Livro permite compreender a metodologia "estudo de caso" para além da mera antinomia "quantitativa" versus "qualitativa".

This book provides many wonderful insights into how to conduct case studies that can withstand methodoligical criticism from the quantoids. I have used many other texts to build case study strategies, but this one by far was the best. Concpets are made very clear and accessible, which allows for clear application of these ideas.

I REALLY enjoyed reading this novel. It went so fast and I couldn't put the book down! I tried to guess what happened and I actually was correct! If you love to read horror/ mystery this book is definitely for you! Happy Reading!

Jay Bennet delivers another thriller in this story about a guy who doesn't believe his girlfriend killed herself and goes the extra edge to find out who did kill her.

Bennett keeps his famous writing style going in this murder novel. Bennett's layout of bone-shaking lines and crooked plots will keep you peeking a few pages ahead to see just what happens.

Mr. Bennett provides a thorough and, as far as I can tell, unique account of the lives of the private citizens of Gettysburg. It's an intriquing book. However, Mr. Bennett should have invested in an editor for his book, for it is fraught with grammatical errors. The flaws appeared frequently enough to be distracting.

For anyone who feels the Battle of Gettysburg took place strictly on the battlefields are sorely mistaken, as "Days of Uncertainty and Dread: The Ordeal Endured by the Citizens at Gettysburg" will attest. This book is an amazing find - an encapsulating historic window to the past at an event rarely discussed when studying the Battle of Gettysburg. What the citizens of Gettysburg endured during this time in our nations history goes beyond the scope of humanity. The fear for weeks and months before hand of hearing "The Rebels are coming!" preyed on the nerves of these 19th century folk like we've never experienced in our lifetime. Then to have the Confederates actually show up and take over the village (followed shortly thereafter by Union troops) - quite an ordeal, if you ask me.
In this book you'll read various true stories about the men and women who lived in Gettysburg during those trying days through the many journal and diary quotes. Our 19th century ancestors wrote with such finness and feeling that it is not hard to see through their eyes the horrible happenings on the streets of their town. I literally could not put this book down. Tillie Pierce, Jennie Wade, Catherine Foster, and so many other Gettysburg civilians tell their story through their own words with narrative help from author Gerald Bennett, who writes in quite a lively style. As the title for my review states, the happenings in the town of Gettysburg during the whole summer of 1863 (not just the three days of the battle) would make an excellent movie (if done right) - maybe a Gettysburg Part II. Is anyone listening?
Truly fascinating.

One of the best books covering the civilians, the town, and
significant buildings involved in the Battle of Gettysburg.
The main body of the book covers many personal accounts,
in detail, and includes source references. From my point
of view, the maps and descriptions of the town and structures
really are a valuable asset for people interested in a
point of view not readily availible from other sources.

"The DeIndustrialization of America" explores the problem of multinational corporations reducing their US industrial payrolls and directing all investment to foreign countries. Multinationals produce abroad for sale into the United States, thereby making American workers compete against foreign starvation wages.

The federal tax code actually encourages speculation, mergers and acquisitions, and foreign rather than domestic investment.

Unbelievably, the taxpayers, through the US Export-Import Bank finance the transfer of equipment from American plants to subsidiaries in the Third World. This capital flight is also creating and financing our own future competition.

We are also creating a dual economy at home, have/have not, with a missing middle class. Most Americans are aware that this nation has experienced widespread closing of industrial facilities. Probably a lot fewer realize that our standard of living is lower than in Switzerland or Denmark.

We can look forward to unemployment, underemployment, and increased government costs for welfare & food stamps. These jobs are being replaced (if at all) by jobs with less pay and benefits, less security, and often part-time work. Also the ripple effect touches everyone in town, and of course the charities. Loss of property taxes affects schools and police.

This book's conclusion is that the global economy is synonymous with a reduced standard of living for all Americans. The trend will end with Third World status for the US, and inability to afford our current large social safety net (entitlement programs). Without a middle class, there will be nobody to pay for it. Reducing government social programs will be mandatory.

Unfortunately, the book's style was dry like a college textbook, with plenty of statistics and charts and too much effort to explain opposing viewpoints.

The last 70 pages are pure leftist drivel. The solutions? More of the same things that goofed things up in the first place! Central planning and "lively experimentation with bureaucratic forms." The book was great on defining the problem, clueless about the solution.

From the backdrop of World War II, American business emerged as the World's undisputed industrial economic leader and lender. The expansion of American investment in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and further assured its prominence by the establishment of the U.S. currency as the capitalist world's principle reserves, while labor strenuously acquired the motifs of a welfare state. Such unprecedented success created an ambivalent relationship between capital and labor where each party had acquired a win-win situation. This brief cease-fire came to an abrupt halt with the threat of foreign competition and sluggish growth development spurred what Bluestone and Harrison termed as the `deindustrialization' of America. In a panic to maintain the capitalist status quo, business owners closely emulated Japanese zaibatsu's in purchasing many non-related businesses to expand their economic clout versus improving their current facilities. The failure of industries meeting excessive profit percentage justified many corporate executives of closing down factories to minimize labor costs and outsource to less constraining economic contingencies and forever disrupting people's and the communities livelihood. Drastic improvements in network technology, communication and transportation permitted micro and macro control of factories despite distance. Thus companies are no longer confined by regional or national boundaries can effectively utilize segmentation tactics against unions, local, state, and national officials in gaining unequal terms. Corporate outsourcing has manifested itself into dual the phenomenon of boom-town and bust-town causing unforeseen problems. American urban areas such as Houston and Silicon Valley have grown in attracting Northern city businesses, foreign investment, and becoming known as tax heavens.

Out of print? This book should never be out of print. But then again, Jean Renoir's Rules of the Game was almost destroyed during the Second World War. Greatness is sometimes fragile.

Barry is something of a personal hero of mine so I do have a bias of sorts regarding this book and its follow-up, The Great U-Turn. Reviewing this book is like reviewing a classic music album: everything written in the last 20 years about Economic Policy and investment has been influenced by what Barry and Bennett wrote here and there is no more hated book by Reaganauts who would like you to believe THIS NEVER HAPPENED.

This book was the first book to talk about how industry in the United States was dismantled, in particular the Auto and Steel Industries of the midwest. The book traces decisions made by corporations in the 1970's and why these decisions were made, in light of perceived opportunities in Central America and the Far East. Could have the decision been made to do the reinvestment in the US (particularly in light of the modern day relative success of Saturn)? The answer is clearly not without the calculated weakening of powerful unions in auto and steel. If the unions were weakened, however, communities such as Flint, Michigan and Youngstown, Ohio were almost wiped out by disinvestment. There was considerable denial at the time about what was happening but Barry and Bennett's book makes clear that industry was dismantling and disinvesting and not coming back.

The awareness raised by this book probably saved a bad situation from becoming much worse. If the dinosaurs left the continent, though, maybe in retrospect we are better off for their having left. Car makers from Japan and Korea have been willing to make the autos that US carmakers have only made with the greatest of reluctance, and creating assembly plants here in the US as well. But it has taken a generation to recover from the wholesale deindustrialization and the cost was much greater than people should have been asked to bear.

Never again should American industry be allowed to tear out its roots and toss them aside. If you want to know why, this is the book to read. Please read the great final chapter on Reindustrialization with A Human Face for helpful guidance and insight on where to go from where we are at, insight that 20 years later still makes a great deal of sense.

this book is a little dated. Much more scientific research has been done since its publication. A few good points

Although this book is beginning to become dated, it remains in line with what scientific research keeps stating: We cannnot sustain a reduction in food intake any more than we can impose a sustained change in our breathing patterns. We need science to invent an appetite-suppressing treatment that affects ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin and other hormones--the dictators of our appetite and metabolism. Until then, all we can do is choose quality foods, eat until we are satiated, and enjoy whatever physical activity suits us best. This book will not help you lose weight, but it may keep you from losing mind when all the popular diets fail you.

This is an excellent book. It is the very first book I have ever found that actually describes the scientific research on weight loss and gain. Other books about dieting simply promote the author's diet and carefully avoid discussing the biology of dieting. This book tells you what you really need to know.

Hopkins and Arenstein did a wonderful job on this. Besides being useful in the classroom, events coordinators and trivia buffs will find it indispensible. I suspect the people who write the questions for The Weakest Link have a copy.

In 1990, when I finished student teaching, my cooperating teacher gave me a copy of this book. She wrote inside, "It's the first day of the rest of your life". I have used it and lent it for a dozen years. It's a great source for quick history lessons and concise information. I'll be giving one to a student teacher I've been working with when she leaves tomorrow.

This book is an excellent resource for historical (and sometimes trivial) information. Although it is somewhat outdated and I am unable to find a more current version of this book, I still find it useful. I use it on a daily basis as a springboard for conversation and discussion with my fourth grade class. It provides an opportunity to discuss issues and historical figures that may not otherwise be addressed in our curriculum. The brief explanations of the significance of a particular day are perfect for a mini lesson on that topic. I am anxious for an updated version of this book.

It's rather interesting to read, although it's a bit challenging too since I'm very unfamiliar with Astronomy. The best part of it is mentioning the uncertainties of the universe, and it's very up to date, making it exciting and intriguing.

I received the book I ordered faster than I had expected and it was brand new.
I couldn't be happier.
Would do business with this seller without any hesitation.

I love this book! I don't even read text books very often, but this one is one of the most fun text books I've ever read--the fourth edition of "The Essential Cosmic Perspective." Perhaps I say this because I like Astronomy. I've never taken the course before, so this is really the only college text book in this subject I've looked at. Still, everything in here is interesting.

It has been updated with the most recent expansions with two notable points. It contains the most recent alterations of language by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Did you know that Pluto isn't a planet? It's actually a comet! In August of 2006, the IAU changed the definition of planet to account for the differences of the planet Pluto, an object whose composition recently discovered is essentially the same as a comet from the belt of comets just outside of the Solar system: called "the Kuiper belt (pronounced like "viper," but with a K. In 2006, the IAU changed the designation of Pluto to a new category of Solar body: the dwarf planet.

Dwarf planets are not planets, as the definition of a planet now has a finer meaning, changed by the IAU. Planet designations are based on composition and size: the inner four planets--Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars--are referred to as "terrestrial planets," because their compositions are made up mostly of metal and rock, they're all about the same size, and they have two moons or less. Asteroids also have the composition of rock and metal, and so the belt of asteroids lying just outside of Mars gives an interesting connotation about our system which I will explain soon. Then, the four outer planets--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune--are called "Jovian planets," meaning "Jupiter-like," because their compositions are mostly gaseous, and because of their sizes: "gas giants." These Jovian, gas giants are several times the mass and diameter of the terrestrial planets, and so their sizes make them considerable to the system. What sets these solar bodies apart the most is THE WAY THEY WERE FORMED which accounts for their composition differences, and therefore the asteroid belt is the boundary line between the inner-terrestrial and outer-Jovian planets of the Solar system.

Every Solar body with an orbit on a somewhat-similar elliptical plane and beyond Neptune is a comet of the Kuiper belt. Although Uranus and Neptune also have essentially a similar gaseous composition as comets like Pluto, the main difference is Pluto has a radius of about 1000 kilometers. Anything that small is considered to be a comet, and, because the comets of the Kuiper belt are usually very small, Pluto resembles them more than a planet, as it is much smaller than even Earth's Moon. Pluto's mass is about 18 percent that of the Moon.

Remember the tenth planet, "Planet X?" Planet X, the tenth planet, was known as "Planet X" because scientists thought that, because it was so small and had the composition of a comet, that these were fundamental differences between comets and planets of the solar system. They felt that, if every newly-discovered comet of the Kuiper belt orbiting the Sun could be called a planet because it revolved around the Sun, our new computerized telescopes would be discovering planets quite frequently; comets, no matter how small they are, would be called "planets," by old definitions. That's why these new definitions are in place now. Pluto has enjoyed the stature of a planet for about 75 years since its discovery, but now that designation is over.

Additionally, the Jovian worlds are known for their multiple moons. Pluto has a moon, but, because its center-of-gravity lies outside of its moon Charon, both Pluto and Charon should actually be referred to as "binary planets," or more correctly "binary dwarf planets" by IAU's new definition--or rather a "binary system of dwarf planets." A planet and a dwarf planet are separate categories of solar bodies and not the same.

Incidentally, speaking of the Moon, the Moon is thought to have been a planet that, at one time, moved around the Sun. Scientists think this because of the size which is roughly the same as Mercury, a terrestrial composition, and it has a similarly substantial amount of gravity. It theoretically took an orbit around the Earth after they collided based on the attractions of their gravity, after which the Moon started orbiting around the Earth. The Moon is also similar to Mercury in that neither of these bodies maintain any atmosphere.

If you hate Al Gore, well--guess what--the same charts used in Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" are in this book: a major subsection of one of the chapters. This may be a point of either hostility or remorse for those Americans who were comforted by the anti-Gore beliefs of "the Flat World Society": apparently, some scientists think Al Gore actually has facts within his determinations. This book also states the reasons for these conclusions and relates them to a runaway greenhouse effect. If anyone needs an explanation of why people should be concerned, this is as pedestrian as it comes.

Although Venus is thought to be Earth's sister planet, there is nothing there to comfort any human. It has clouds of battery acid! Until 2006, no one could even see through its thick atmosphere due to an extreme greenhouse effect, and in the past only a form of radio technology could view the planet only slightly. In 2006, the European Space Agency (ESA) landed an unmanned spacecraft there to take pictures and send back data about the surface. The "Venus Express" lander, a specially-made craft designed to withstand Venus' harsh atmosphere, lasted for only about an hour on the surface, then corroded into uselessness and dissolved from the extremities of the atmosphere there. You see, there is no water or oxygen on Venus: the extreme greenhouse effect would've caused its oceans to evaporate into space. The atmosphere on Venus is so thick, the pressure at its surface translates to the pressure of one mile beneath the surface of one of Earth's oceans. This book refers to Venus' surface as resembling "a traditional view of hell" (144).

More importantly, although Mercury orbits the Sun at half the distance as Venus, Mercury's surface temperatures are substantially lower than Venus'. This sounds counter intuitive, and it is. But, the reason for it is the extreme greenhouse effect on Venus. And so, although Venus is twice as far from the Sun, it is MUCH hotter there than on Mercury! While Mercury's temperature goes back-and-forth between 700 kelvins (K) in the day and 100 K at night, Venus has a constant average temperature of 740 K (880-degrees Fahrenheit) all the time!

All this information is located within this book. The writing all seems very well put. The glossary has all the terms located in the chapter questions sections, so students should have an easy time finding anything. The chapter information, as it is introduced, is labeled nicely in easy-to-read bold upon its introduction, so eyes can quickly move right to the place where to find that information. The index is large and covers anything I would want to know. It has beautiful photos, images, and tables, in color of course. Many of these shots are brand-new images from off-earth, satellite telescopes and unmanned space vehicles. Of course, I have some doubt about the context of a few of the pictures, but there's surely nothing missing that NASA or other space agencies have allowed to be released: the book is up-to-date.

The book comes with interactive things like on-line supplements and a CD-Rom. The CD-Rom contains a program allowing a student to view any known place from any other known place through a telescope: one can look at Earth from the Moon for instance, and receive technical information about it. You can copy the CD-Rom onto another blank CD or put it on a hard drive for free. The book's included on-line supplemental course features are interactive and reiterate the book's material.

I have not opened the envelope containing the on-line password for fear of reducing the sell-back cost at my college--once a student has opened the envelope containing the on-line pass code key, the envelope cannot be sold back, can only be used once. I regret not having used it, because the Pearson, Addison-Wesley website was extremely helpful in one other course in which I used its on-line supplements. I can only imagine how beautiful the on-line astronomical images are. I would steal the images and put them on my computer desktop, or make a screen saver with them. Maybe I'll open it now, anyway, even though I'm nearly through the course.

If you purchase this text book here at Amazon, make sure you also receive the envelope, because it is worth around thirty or forty dollars. Students can buy the code at the web site without the envelope, but know that the envelope is part of the text book and should come with it unless the seller provides product information stating otherwise. I once had someone sell me a text for college algebra on Amazon with a price about thirty dollars less than Amazon's price. When I received the algebra text, it didn't have the envelope with it! The text was also used-but-wrapped-in-plastic, even though that product description stated the book was new! It may have come to me in plastic, but it wasn't new! Because the envelope containing the on-line code was missing, I peered closely at the book itself and confirmed that the book was USED, because of dirty palm prints on the book. I called the seller and sent it back at the seller's cost with the included mail-return sticker. I don't like people selling me something under false pretenses! Make sure the envelope is in the wrapper; otherwise, you're giving away thirty or forty bucks. Make sure also that the CD-Rom is in there, too.

Fantastic learning tool.One of the few book you can read and put into action on your own,even though you should NOT paddle alone.
The best book under $10 you can buy.

A friend of mine let me borrow this book, seeing how I am new to the sport, and it was great. It took me from basic rolls to maneuvering in whitewater. This book is great from beginners to experienced paddlers. No matter your skill level this book is a must. I will definately get my own copy.

I'm new to kayaking and being a kind of do-it-yourself person, instead of taking a kayak class, I rather bought this book.

Reading through the chapters and then trying the methods in the kayak, I quickly learned different strokes, rolls, manouvers, reading the whitewater, understanding where danger may come from, how to avoid it, ... I'm not saying I became an expert or something (afterall it's been only a couple of weeks I have it), but I did get the proper knowledge base to build from - and since it gave me the understanding of the concepts, I can easily extent my knowledge by watching (or asking) expert kayakers - you can learn so much more and faster if you know *what* to watch or ask!

I was not comfortable even thinking of more demanding rapids or performing some tricks before, but now I feel that I want to try it. Now quite now, but eventually, when I get more experience and confidence.

I give it five stars because it is easy to read/understand and at the same time very informative. If you are a begginer and are buying a whitewater kayak book, you can't miss with this one. You should also consider this book if you are familiar with whitewater, but want to extend your knowledge (performing tricks, playboating, ...). It sure boosted my whitewater experience.