Berg Books

Convenient though it may be to talk in undergraduate lectures on enzyme kinetics as if nearly everything of interest happened in homogeneous aqueous solution, we all know that in reality it is not so. So a book that concentrates on reactions that occur on surfaces or in mixed phases is most welcome, especially for people who need to work with these systems in real life, for example in large-scale engineering applications.

The book is at its strongest in describing the more qualitative aspects of the subject, such as the components of biological membranes in the earlier chapters. When the authors come on to the necessary algebra for their presentation, however, their treatment becomes much less clear, and cannot be said to bring the subject to life.

In summary, this is a useful source of descriptive information about interfacial systems, but kinetic analysis is presented in an unstimulating way, and numerous points that ought to be explained are left unexplained.

somehow I got AND PAID for two of the same book. didnt want two of them. but dont know whos mistake it was.

This book of modern critical views provided thought-provoking insight to many, in fact nearly all, of Chopin's literary works, including her many short stories and two novels, the most critically acclaimed being The Awakening. The book helped me to look at Chopin's work with more respect and a totally new perspective and understanding. However, since I have not read all of Chopin's works, some of the analyses were difficult to comprehend, seeing as I had no background for assimulating the information into something coherent. All in all, the novel is a worthwhile read if one is interested in the wonderful works of Kate Chopin.

Mad Magazine's Dave Berg may just be the funniest person they have ever had on staff, and this book showcases his powers of observation and commentary at their finest.

The drawings are well done, with lots of use of shading to add a hint of realism to the scenery. The jokes are also very well done; most of them are based on the exposition of the neuroses and unpleasantries that make up the human personality.

It's very funny to see his wry and brutally honest commentaries on American life. Whether it's the woman who uses her seatbelts to keep her groceries safe while her kids stand up in the convertible, or the sleazy punk who pretends that he's had sex wit a pretty girl in order to impress his friends, these are the people that we see around us.

Berg's best-known regular feature in the magazine is "The Lighter Side of..." That was always a favorite of mine, and this book shows why. This is as good as the series gets, and if you're going to pick one of the Mad paperbacks up, start here.

I thought this was a great book--to start with. It wasn't very deatiled, but gave a broad overview of Maud and her life, family, friends, etc. It only took a few hours to go through--thoroughly--so checking it out at the library mught be a better choice than just buying it. Definitiely for younger kids--not really at the adult reading level, but for people reading the books for the first time, or just finished--10 year olds.

Despite being a male to female transsexual herself, Claudine Griggs seems to have done a one-sided research by collecting more information regarding female to male transsexuals. If you belong to the latter group, you might like this book.

As a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ and all that He has provided through the cross. Be careful, because this is a false religion, it has some interesting and similar beliefs, but there can be only one true faith.

I did read it and I threw it away when I was done. The book just goes against my beliefs. This does not mean it was bad, to me its a false doctrine. I do from time to time read about what others base their faith on so I can have a better understanding when talking with them.

It is a good book for laying out important points, but in the end my son still did not know what to do with the information.

Viruses in Water by Gerald Berg

Stephen Berg, X= (University of Illinois Press, 2002)

X= is, above all, an audacious book. Put aside the actual subject matter for the moment. The form of these poems itself is hubris in the extreme, a lone guy in chainmail hoisting a longsword to the heavens and cursing the gods in the midst of a lightning storm. Sixty-two pages of sprung-rhythm chant, with almost every line in the book beginning with the word "he." It's an invitation to the muse not of poetry, but of boredom. That Berg manages to keep it interesting is in itself a triumph of, perhaps not the human spirit, but... well, something, anyway. For that alone the man deserves some mad props.

And now, back to the subject matter. The "he" of these poems is involved in your basic midlife crisis (one marvels at the lack of mention of the protagonist buying a cherry-red Corvette). Obsessed with attempting to figure out meaning behind various chaoses ranging from Rwandan genocide to his own failing physicality, our humble narrator stumbles around in circles, with each attempt to find answers raising only new, equally unanswerable, questions.

Put it all together and it's obvious that the chant form here is meant to convey an immediacy to all this, the alternating revelations and confusion of the protagonist. And, in the books' best segments, it works. The immediacy is palpable, urgent. The problem is that it doesn't work all the way through. If it did, this would be a book to be devoured in one sitting, that would command the reader to not put it down until the final page had been turned. It is not. Why this is is likely a debate best left to people who do that sort of thing for a living, so I won't try to figure it out here.

There is some good to be had, enough for a hesitant recommendation, but if you've got other books of poetry on your TBR stack, this one can wait. ** ½