Big Books

Lennie Peterson is one of the most talented comic strip writers of our time. The Big Picture: A Comic Strip Collection showcases the best of his insightful and witty comics up to the time of its publication. Lennie is a major player in the field of humorous comic strip writers. Buy the book! You will love it. It is a must have for all collectors. The Big Picture: A Comic Strip Collection is guaranteed to make you laugh. As you read the lively and colorful comics, you will wonder how Lennie manages to get to the heart of every situation that comes in contact with his artistic tools. Lennie Peterson is charismatic, and to say the least, very cute!

-Suelaimon, author of The Final Dream & Rainbow Bridge

Lennie Peterson, while being an extremely talented musician, his comic strips go right for the mind, body and soul. A look at his life in a way most people don't let show through makes this book a very funny read. HIs cat is cool, his coffee habit axtreme, and his band INCREDIBLE!!! The dialogue hits a little close to home also, and that is good.

Actually no tears or shame just laughter - a great collection from a great talent. If you don't get TBP in your local paper, call the editors and scream, darn you, scream!

Reading this book is like breaking into Lennie Peterson's diary. You'll see yourself in this collection, I'm warning you now! I enjoyed the "Lennie-isms" throughout ... his peculiar way of spelling "stupid" ... his dork sightings ... and his ongoing banter with real life readers of the strip. Lennie Peterson is a cutting-edge original, so buy the book and send him an email. Chances are he'll fire a letter back at ya and then the games begin.

I couldn't put this book down. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. I leave it on the coffee table in the TV room (an honored place) and pick it up again and again. I enjoy a good laugh and this book is full of them. I also enjoyed his other book "Why God Makes Bald Guys". I get a big smile on my face when I read these books.

Like usual, my seventeen-year-old snatched Jenny's book before I could get my hands on it. That's when the torture began--hooting and guffawing erupting from the other room for hours while Her Royal Highness refused to tell me a single joke!
When my turn to read The Big Picture finally came, I laughed at Jenny's snarky humor till I cried. Katie Parker and her wacky foster grandma, Maxine, walked off the page and into my kitchen till I fed them pizza with the rest of the teen fixtures around here. When Jenny's next book comes out, I'm buying two copies--make that six--one for me, one for Her Royal Highness, and the rest for the kids who have pizza smudged my whole series.

This is the third in the Katie Parker Series, which is about a teenage girl in foster care because her mom is in prison for drug dealing. In this book Katie's mom wants to take her back, and Katie feels torn between her mom and her foster family and friends. How can Katie show her druggie mom the love of Jesus when her mom does not want to change?

I think this series is awesome! I don't like to read, but this story pulled me in right away and has showed me that reading can be fun. I like how the author mixed humor with sad situations. I found myself crying sometimes but I laughed a lot.

~~by Erin, age 14

Katie Parker is a riot! A realistic, relatable, sarcastic, hilarious girl on the verge of adulthood and all the issues that come with. The best part about Katie is EVERYONE gets her - young teens, college students, moms, middle-aged women, even grannies can relate to something in Katie's life. In fact, one of my favorite characters was Mad Maxine, Katie's crazy foster grandma who gets into more trouble than Katie herself.

I would recommend this series (please, go back and read them in order!) to any teen girl. They're fresh, fun, and full of inspiring themes that don't preach, but rather give subtle undertones of faith. Katie is real - it was hard to put this last book in the series down. I want to save them and let my daughter read them one day. (Okay, so she'll have to wait about 12 years, but hey!) =)

I really enjoyed reading the 3rd book in the Katie Parker series! I caught myself laughing out loud throughout the book. I'll never understand how authors can be this funny and come up with this stuff, it is pure talent! Katie Parker is a character that you continue to love throughout the series. She goes through REAL challenges and learns big lessons. The series would be a great present for teenage girls!

Once again, Jenny B. Jones proves she is one of today's top novelists. In The Big Picture, she brings Katie's story to a hopeful conclusion, leading readers through the story with her typical wit. It takes a skilled writer to weave her kind of wit with genuine depth so readers stay enthralled with the characters' world. Katie is so real that it's easy to imagine hanging out with her, yet her antics and humor are bigger than life at the same time. Jones also shows additional spiritual growth in Katie, guiding readers to search for more in their own relationships with God. Great read! May we see more from Jones for many years to come.

You could fill a book with all the information I _don't_ know about Brazilian music... In fact, these guys already have! Concise, conversational, informative and very well laid out, this is an exceptionally readable book. Chapters on samba, bossa nova, tropicalia, forro and jazz include focused biographical sketches of dozens of key artists, as well as succinct historical information about the progress of Brazilian music from its European and African folk roots into its bewildering and often beautiful modern offshoots. The book's focus is nonpartisan: although there is plenty of room for aesthetic criticism within the various styles, the authors generally hold their preferences and dislikes to themselves. They do, however, give readers a good sense of which recordings might be best to check out -- an invaluable service considering how little of Brazil's vast musical output makes it to the United States. Highly recommended! Certainly the best English-language guide to Brazilian pop that you will find in print (online is a different matter), this is great for casual listeners and hardcore fans alike.

The Brazilian Sound is good as far as it goes - a who's who list and discography of 20th century Brazilian music. Although, the book has the feel of a junior college textbook, it's written in plain language. It would be a relatively easy read if it were not that a parenthetical list of Brazilian names breaks up every third or fourth paragraph. There are some very informative passages - notably the chapter on Bossa Nova and the "Escolas de Samba" section of Chapter 2. At their best, the authors provide clear and comphrensive explanations of the geneology and sociological context of the music.

Unfortunately, unless a person is willing to spend countless shopping hours and a couple of thousand dollars building up collection of Brazilian records, he or she will gain almost no insight from this book into what the music feels like. The authors describe individual works and artists in only vague terms - terms often identical to those previously used to describe others. They beat the term "syncopation" into irrelevance - it's clear only that all Brazilian music is syncopated. The authors habitually refer to folk music genres and song forms ala "Composer X's work is all based on the Y song form..." But they provide no practical examples or definitions of those genres or forms.

The authors stridently dumb-down their text, accepting as axiom that one has to "hear it to believe it" and that it is meaningless to describe Brazilian music in technical terms. They generally refrain from even using common musical terms - bar, measure, pulse, key, etc. - to give the reader a clearer understanding of Brazilian rhythmic and harmonic structures. They use few effective musical comparisons or verbal metaphors. It is understandably difficult to describe music in writing. But it is possible. Judicious use of metaphor, comparisions, and technical descriptions would have greatly fleshed out what in the end comes off as a skeletal text.

This 1998 edition serves as the update to the first, apparently published in 1990 or 1991. However, the amendments appear to have been quite minor - embodied by an isolated paragraph here and there, and four meager pages in the final "More Brazilian Sounds" chapter. It's as if nothing has really happened in the evolution of Brazilian music since 1990 - an impression that must be wrong.

The Brazilian Sound catalogs decent research, but is neither good writing nor effective music history.

The best book about Brazilian music in English, "The Brazilian Sound" is a beautifully written, in-depth guide to samba, bossa and other Brazilian genres. Many of the reviews below are on the mark, but BGB from WA seems not to have read the book (or to have read a different book!). The 1998 edition substantially upgrades the original 1991 version. There is much added in terms of early history, capoeira, racial issues, choro, and the blocos and afoxes in Bahia. There is more on important artists from the 1990s, like Marisa Monte, Daniela Mercury, Carlinhos Brown, Chico Cesar, Chico Science and Karnak, though these additions are in various chapters, not just the final one ("More Brazilian Sounds"). One needs to have actually read the book to know that, of course...The music is nicely described, in both musical and cultural terms. One gets a strong sense of how it sounds, and a clear understanding of its rhythmic, harmonic and melodic ingredients. Some of the writing is rather encyclopedic, dispensing a rather staggering amount of information, while many sections vividly convey a sense of the music. I often felt I was at a bossa nova club in '59, at an escola de samba rehearsal, watching one of the 1960s song festivals, or attending a forro party. "The Brazilian Life" brings to life both the current and past greats of Brazilian music. As a result, I added quite a few CDs to my collection, especially of artists like Milton Nascimento, Pixinguinha, Jobim and Marisa Monte. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

An excellent book for anyone who wants to explore Brazilian music beyond the well-known classics. Helps place current and past musicians in their historical contexts; helps you understand who influenced whom, etc. The book will pay for itself just by helping you guide your ever-growing collection of Brazilian CD's (hard to stop once you get started)!

A lively and well-written book, The Brazilian Sound provides a broad overview of the remarkable spectrum of musica popular brasileira, from samba, bossa nova and forro to tropicalia, choro and Brazilian rock. It takes us on a journey both through the evolution of Brazilian music and the history of Brazil, and places artists like Jobim within a cultural context that helps us appreciate their music all the more. One comes away with a solid grasp of the major artists and genres of Brazilian music, as well as their impact on the "North American Sound." There is an extensive glossary at the end that is worth the price of the book alone, and an exhaustive discography.

The authors succeed in bringing the music to life, whether they are conveying the playfulness of the choro musical style, placing the reader at an Olodum concert in Salvador, or describing a samba-school rehearsal on a "hot and humid night in Rio de Janeiro." For the latter, they write, "Surdos (bass drums) pound out a booming beat, and their incessant drive provides the foundation for the rest of the bateria, the drum-and-percussion section that will later parade triumphantly during Carnaval. Snare drums called caixas rattle away in a hypnotic frenzy, and above them tamborins (small cymbal-less tambourines that are hit with sticks) carry a high-pitched rhythmic phrase like popcorn in an overheated pot. Enter the sad cries and humorous moans of the cuica (friction drum), the crisp rhythmic accents of the reco-reco (scraper), and the hollow metallic tones of the agogo (double bell). Other percussion instruments add more colors, the ukelele-like cavaquinho adds its high-register plaintive harmonies, and the puxador (lead singer) belts out the melody...." Such vivid and elaborate descriptions helped me make sense of the wall of sound that is samba, and made me want to book the next flight to Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval.

The second edition adds more historical information and brings the book up to date with musical developments in the `90s. There is extensive additional information about the origins of capoeira (the Brazilian martial art which is accompanied by music in training and which is gaining increasing popularity all over the world), and about racial issues in Brazil as reflected in popular music. There are new profiles of contemporary artists such as Marisa Monte, Nacao Zumbi, Karnak, Daude, Chico Cesar, Daniela Mercury, Timbalada, and Carlinhos Brown. The descriptions of Bahian percussionist-songwriter Carlinhos Brown's collaboration with Sergio Mendes (on the 1992 album Brasileiro) and his groundbreaking 1996 solo album Alfagamabetizado are especially memorable. This is a classic study of Brazilian music, a must for any world-music aficionado.

This is 21st Century marketing; a must read for all small business owners who are battling the Big Boys - that's all of us. Steve O'Leary and Kim Sheehan walk you through the process of identifying your customers, and establishing, growing and supporting your virtual customer community.

For store owners who are tired of paying for coupons that just discount your price to your regular customers, who are sick of the high cost and low results of radio, television and newspapers, and who want to understand and implement a marketing concept that will yield tangible results, this is where you start.

This book takes you step by step through the stages of building, implementing and measuring the results of a marketing plan that leverages the strengths that a small business has. It is full of real world advice to overcome the resources that large companies have and get the customers in YOUR door. This book does an excellent job of describing where the future of marketing for a small business is going. Read it and get ahead of everyone else!

A must-have guidebook for retail-based businesses! O'Leary and Sheehan will teach you how to find out who your customers are, then teach you how to not only keep them as satisfied customers, but turn them into "evangelists" for your brand/business -- and they do it in an easy-to-understand, entertaining manner. A great read!

There are tons of great ideas for any sized business in this book. If you use just one idea, it will be well worth the price. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grow their business.

What do you get when you combine an experienced retail advertising expert and a journalism professor? One of the best "how to"s on successful business building ideas for retail businesses of all sizes. They have written a comprehensive guide, filled with a virtual plethora of proven marketing programs and ideas for retailers. This is a book that a successful retailer will keep on hand, and refer back to on a regular basis - if they want to succeed!

This is a perfect training book. The way it is writen keeps my two year old interested. She even knows the song now. It doesn't recommend rewards or any odd words that you may not want to have your child use for pee and poo. It talks about wanting to be older and do what the big kids do...use the potty. Buy it, you will enjoy this book. Recommended for girls because of Miss Piggy...it's too bad that they didn't do one with Kermit.

this book is the best potty training book available to kids. i used this book 11 years ago when i was getting potty trained. and now the child next door that i help babysit is using the book. i loved this book. and so does Lauren (the child next door). every child should get the expierence of reading this book for potty training.

My child loves this book. I must read it to her six or seven times a day. She sings along to the song with a row row row your boat melody. When my girlfriend or myself are not reading this book to her she attempts to sing the song anyways. My daughter can relate to the troubles of not being able to have her diaper changed exactly when needed and the inconvenience of having it changed so frequently. We have a toilet for her and when the book says hello potty she goes over to it and waves. It is the cutest thing ever! Without this book I think we would be miles away from potty training my beautiful baby girl.

When my youngest sister turned 3, she wanted to learn how to use the potty. I got this book at our local library and it really helped her learn to use the potty and wear underpants. This is a great book to teach your child to go potty. Get this book at your local library or bookstore and teach your child what it feels like to use the potty.

my child is now proud of wearing diapers. the first line in the book is --Do you wear diapers?-- my kid laughs and says yes and pats his diaper. He doesn't relate to her dislike of diaper rash or having to sit in it when mommy doesn't have time to change it. Also this book talks about diaper pins and tape which is outdated even for cloth diaper users. So this book has had the opposite effect by no error of the writers; I didn't expect that reaction when i bought it! Really is probably a decent book for every other child in the world

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to write a hit song? Perhaps you have asked yourself why do some songs become commercial successes while others end up in the dustbin?

Journalist, talk show host, teacher and consultant, John Braheny, provides us with the answers to these queries as well as many other topics in his blue-ribbon manual The Craft and Business of Songwriting-Second Edition.

Braheny was one of the founders, along with Len Chandler, of the Los Angles Songwriters Showcase. For 15 years he was intimately involved with this national non-profit organization that was dedicated to creating opportunities for discovering aspiring songwriters. As a result of this relationship, he accumulated an exceptional amount of knowledge pertaining to the business and craft of song writing. The reader is fortunate to have all of this information neatly wrapped up in a compact manual that is split into two main sections, the craft of writing songs and the business of selling and marketing songs.

Within the section dealing with the craft the author delves into such topics as creativity, inspiration, subject matter, media, listeners, lyric writing, song construction and possible collaboration with other writers. Naturally we would probably be sceptical of a book that purports to teach us how to write a song. Some would say you are born to write a song, others would disagree and say it is possible to be taught the craft. Braheny believes that you can't be taught inspiration or imagination. However, you can be taught ways to get in touch with what you have to say and how to communicate it effectively. Using this premise as a base, the book provides us with the tools that will perhaps uncover our hidden talents.

The second half of the book deals with the business features of song writing and as the author states, "writing a great song is only part of being a successful songwriter. Unsung thousands possess the talent and craft to write great songs, but without understanding the business and knowing how to protect your creations and get them heard by those who can make them successful, those songs are like orphans." Perhaps we should refer to the second half as the entrepreneurial skills needed to sell, promote and market your songs. Within this section we are introduced to such topics as protecting your songs, securing money, publishing, self- publishing, demos, marketing, Internet and record deals.

The appendix of the book provides the reader with a very comprehensive listing of songwriters' resources containing names, addresses, phone numbers, web sites and general descriptions of the various references. No doubt this inclusion will save anyone who aspires to be a songwriter a great deal of time and effort.

After reading the book are you guaranteed that you will be successful songwriter? Probably not. Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball indicating who will succeed and who will fail. However, at least after reading and being exposed to the elements of song writing, you will have a better understanding as to how the music industry works in relation to the songwriter, or writer/performer. As the author asserts in his introduction, "it will demystify and humanize what can often feel to a newcomer like a cold, monolithic, and impersonal industry."

The above review first appeared on the reviewer's own site

Although this book isn't as comprehensive as others in the songwriting department, it presents information in a very concise and interesting format. It also has a comprehensive section (half the book) on the BUSINESS. It's a quick, easy read and definitely worth the price. But if you want to get serious about songwriting, you'll also need a book with more theory such as WRITING MUSIC FOR HIT SONGS.

One of my most basic problems when starting off as a songwriter, was the lack of background and knowledge on how to approach a new song. I am talking about your basic strategies and how to structure them into a final product. Where does one begin, what do you need to take into account, what to do first, how to approach rhyme, basic tips about melody, chords etc. I found this book to answer these type of questions in a simple and interesting way.

The author is obviously a specialist with a very good track record. He taught me how to analyse existing songs to expand my knowledge. No more do I just listen to music, I learnt the skill to expand my songwriting knowledge whilst listening to other songs on the radio or on CD.

I have learnt how to decide on a basic structure, how to approach the most important issue of finding a "hook" for your song and refining it to something useful. I have discovered that it is O.K. to rewrite songs, but I have learnt how to approach it. This book has taught me how to make songs more interesting and it has made songwriting a more interesting hobby for me.

I think the most important lesson from this book is how to grow from a songwriter that tries to express his/her own feelings to himself/herself and a few close friends, to someone who can express his deepest feelings in such a way that his song could be loved by millions and could become a commercial success. It also contain an abundace of valuable information on the industry and how to promote your music.

If I did not read this book I would have missed something for sure. If you are serious about songwriting you cannot go without this book.

The first Edition of the book, was a must read, now this 2nd Edition, updated with new information and current song references, is also a must read for everyone that writes songs. The most complete songwriting book, for beginning songwriters to the aspiring, to even pro writers will learn from the book. I often refer to it as "The Songwriters Bible", just full of information that we need in the world of songwriting.
I have been a Nashville Songwriters Association International coordinator in Charlotte for (6) years, and do at least one activity or read a quote from a hit writer or music professional in the book at every meeting. This book is years of songwriting seminars and workshops all in one. The reader will learn just like the title says, the craft and business from someone who knows what they are talking about, and has led workshops for some of the best songwriters of all time, including the awesome Diane Warren and several other hit writers. John Braheny made a difference with hit writers, with myself, and other songwriters that I have recommended the book to in the past 14+ years of reading the first edition, and now the 2nd edition. I recomend this as the very first book for every songwriter to read and study. If you know someone who writes songs, buy the book for them, and a copy for yourself. Buy a highlighter or two, to use when reading the book. ...Doak Turner
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So what if words and music come natural? We write the stuff down, add a tune and sing it to the world. Then what? This book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting, is a very affordable reference; and probably all you need.I'm happy it contains material that will make me wiser.Buy this or you'll miss out.

This is a well-written and well-researched description of the economic problems ailing contemporary American agriculture, and of the deleterious effects mammoth-scale corporate farming is having on the environment. The author is an experienced investigative reporter and an unashamed proponent of sustainable agriculture and the ever-dwindling "family" farmer representative of traditional crop cultivation in the United States. As such, Diet For A Dead Planet is a bit of a polemic and firmly in the camp of other books critical of the relationship between agricultural economics and modern food production, such as Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. Needless to say, Cargill and Archer-Daniels Midland executives are not going to be enamored of Diet, but any citizen concerned about the state of farming in the US, and its effects on public health and environmental well-being, would do well to read this book.

Cook organizes his topic into three sections, dealing with food quality and safety; the business and economic aspects of modern agriculture; and environmental consequences of profligate pesticide use and "factory" farm effluents. Each section contains several chapters with extensive footnotes. The chapters are obviously targeted for a general audience, and as a consequence are very readable without overwhelming the reader with statistics and technical jargon. In particular, I found the chapters on the evolving history of American agriculture offered a concise but informative account of a complex and often tumultuous subject. Other chapters on such diverse subjects as the "mad cow" crisis, the continuous deposition of toxic pesticides in water supplies, and the travails of workers in high-throughput slaughterhouse operations, are all eye-opening to one degree or another.

Cook ends the book with a admonition to the public: unless we actively choose to support organic / sustainable farm operations, our health and the welfare of the environment we live in are not going to improve. Rather than simple hectoring, however, in the last segment of the book he provides an extensive listing of whole-food organizations and advocacy groups dedicated to helping us change the way we eat and consume natural resources. There is of course an element of "better to light one candle" rhetoric here; even Cook is not so naïve as to think that tomorrow will see the US converted to any kind of enormous vegan commune. But his hope is that after reading Diet some of us will devote a bit of thought to the hows and whys of our eating habits, and in this, I think he is as realistic as any "muckraker" can be.

Whether he is taking on the exploitation of farm workers and poultry-plant employees; the take-over of large-scale agribusiness; farm subsidies, or an America swimming in pesticides and animal waste, Mr. Cook has clearly done his research. Extremely well documented, the book contains a number of startling statistics. Did you know that in California's Central Valley, the 1,600 dairies there generate more waste than a city of 21 million people? Did you know that in 1997, growers applied more than 985 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides to crops? Can you conceive of a farm subsidy system that has people like Scottie Pippin and Sam Donaldson receiving farm program monies?

There is a lot to ponder in this book and some excellent ideas and suggestions as to what we as consumers can do to make changes in our lives and our communities to help bring farming back to the people and out of the hands of the giant corporations.

Christopher D. Cook's latest book Diet for a Dead Planet offers the American public with a wake up call view of the food industry today. As an investigative journalist, he gives a complete overview of the socioeconomic and political ills facing food production. He begins the supermarkets and ends with the global agricultural market.

Cook inspects the multifaceted complexities which have arisen due to cheap labor, often exploited and without healthcare. He also depicts the plight of migrant workers, processed food, and pesticides manipulatively spread over crops with the able assistance of government subsidies. The findings are thorough, compelling, and difficult to ingest at times. However, they are warranted as he introduces authorities to backup his claims.

The statistics Cook presents are real, yet harsh. Yearly, 75 million Americans are sickened by the food they eat, while an estimated 67 million birds are killed by the millions of pounds of toxic agricultural pesticides sprayed on crops. Meanwhile, farmers that remain take home only about 19 cents per food dollar spent by the average consumer (this is in comparison to 37 cents in 1980 and 47 cents in 1952) according to Cook.

Cook closely examines every branch of the food industry. In doing so, he reaches a necessary reason for change. The socioeconomic, environmental, and political injustices currently practiced weigh heavily on America's well being. Within each chapter, he goes into great detail explaining, expanding, and scoping the historical difficulties and how they adversely impact today's food industry. Beyond that conclusion, Cook explains that unless a new solution, specifically changing how food is "made", Americans will continue to spiral downward.

Cook clearly maps out the issues beleaguering and tormenting many workers in the food industry from farmers, supermarket employees to higher up executives. All problems such as exploited migrant workers, sickened Americans, corporate control, and government subsidies carry negative consequences for the future if nothing is done soon. In Cook's last chapter, he outlines a solution which focuses on changing the role of the food industry in the future. This book is powerful in its own right. However, more pages need to be devoted to envisioning that solution than one final chapter. I hope to see more works from Christopher Cook. I recommend this book as a read for anyone who eats. This is also a book for anyone who wants to learn the truth about a topic in urgent need of active change and tired of complacency.

This book will open your eyes to the American food industry...from poor quality to bad business practices, Cook covers it all. I knew that quality and mega-chain stores were a concern, but I never considered the demise of our communities and food culture as a by-product of these issues. This book won't help you to sleep easier at night, but it will make you think before you purchase your next carton of milk or loaf of bread.

Millions of Americans are sickening from the food they eat, last year 5,000 died, and obesity and diet-related diseases are on the rise: so Christopher Cook's examination of the food industry in America in Diet For A Dead Planet: How The Food Industry Is Killing Us provides much food for thought. Cook is an investigative journalist whose probe of the food industry's perils is backed with facts and well-honed research. Food lies at the root of many epidemics and poor social and economic conditions. Cook not only pinpoints the problems, but argues for a new way of looking at what and how we eat which places sustainably produced foods within reach of the public. Diet For A Dead Planet is informed and informative reading.

My son loves anything with photography of trucks, trains, and especially construction equipment. The shape of the book is also novel to him.

The little one had a few others from this series and he likes this one just as much as the others. It's great.

I bought this book and another in the Things That Go Board Books series for my grandsons, 1 & 3. They seem to love the photos & ignore the text. The book lives in their car & is the perfect size for one or the other to read while traveling. This book is perfect for kids who love construction vehicles!

My truck loving 2 year old loved this book. He did manage to break it fairly soon, being a board book, but he still loves it.

My son is only 2 years old but he loves trucks. This is the perfect book for your son or daugther if they love trucks, too.
The pictures are real-life and the text provides informative information about each type of truck, with the correct name(s). I would recommend this book to any caregiver who has a child who loves trucks and anything that digs and moves!

I have read the Constitution several times and it has always been a mystery to me how many (if not most) laws are permissible by our courts and deemed congruent with our founding fathers vision. This book no only addresses my confusion but does it in a clear entertaining style free of Latin and other confusing "legalese". I highly recommend this well written engaging book.

The Supreme Court is governed by humans, and humans do make errors."The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom" is an examination of these mistakes that have cost America dearly. Pointing out cases in which the Supreme Court has bumbled and allowed the federal government to interfere with private contracts or political support, detain prisoners charge, wrongfully seize property, and other misdeeds of the court, "The Dirty Dozen" is an expertly crafted and harsh criticism of the courts. Highly recommended for community library law collections.

It had been years that I looked for some author to explain the solidity of "stare decicis"of the Common Law, and, I found it here, an honest explanation of how to understand the "dogma" of the stare decisis. Magnigicent and very honest!!!!

I believe you and every American interested in our freedoms and the Supreme Court should read this book. The authors, Robert Levy and William Mellor, pick 12 Supreme Court cases they believe were poorly decided and had detrimental consequences to our society. Each of these cases is given its own chapter and often includes another case as a "dishonorable mention" that they may also reference.

Now, we are far too deferential to the Supreme Court and even the Federal Courts. We allow them to "correct society" through rulings that are really super-legislation. This is not in the Constitution and is bad for our society. It allows the legislative branch to avoid its responsibilities, and plants undemocratic sentiments in the hearts and minds of the citizenry. But this is my point of view.

Richard Epstein gives a very nice introduction and goes over his views on the cases selected. While he mostly agrees with the authors, he offers up some disagreements and explains why. This helps the reader start his or her critical thinking as they work through the book. Yes, it is written for the general public, but it is reading you will want to read and argue with in your own mind to come to your own conclusions.

The book is in two parts. The first talks about cases that have led to the expansion of government. Chapter 1 uses Helvering v Davis (1937) and U.S. v Butler (1936) to discuss the misuse of the general welfare clause. Chapter 2 uses Wickard v. Filburn (1942) and Gonzales v. Raich (2005) to demonstrate the abuse of the clause about regulating interstate commerce. Chapter 3 looks at rescinding private contracts with the 1934 case Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell and the 1935 case Gold Clause Cases. Chapter 4 is an important look at lawmaking by administrative agencies through the 2001 case Whiteman v. American Trucking Association, Inc.

Part two is about eroding our freedoms. Chapter 5 examines the infamous efforts at campaign finance reform and free speech. McConnell v. Federal Election Commission 2005 and Buckley v. Valeo in 1976 are explained clearly. Gun owner rights are discussed in chapter 6 using the 1939 case U.S. v. Miller. Of course we are about to get some kind of ruling from our current Supreme Court about the second amendment. Are they going to affirm our rights, deny them or punt? We don't know yet. Chapter 7 is an important look at our civil liberties versus national security using the case Korematsu v. U.S. from 1944.

Chapter 8 talks about asset forfeiture without due process using Bennis v. Michigan from 1996. Closely related is eminent domain for private use discussed in chapter 9. The authors use the rotten decision Kelo v. City of New London from 2005 and Berman v. Parker from 1954. Taking property by regulation (a real problem nowadays) uses the cases Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York from 1978 and the Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency from 2002 in Chapter 10.

Chapter 11 examines earning an honest living using U.S. v. Carolene Products from 1938 and Nebbia v. New York in 1934. Chapter 12 looks at equal protection and racial preferences using the famous Grutter v. Bollinger case from 2003 and the Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke from 1978. The afterword on "Judicial Activism and Tomorrow's Supreme Court" is very much worth reading.

They offer two postscripts. The first is on Roe V. Wade from 1973 and Bush v. Gore in 2000. They also provide a copy of the Constitution for easy reference. There is also a table of the cases referenced, notes, and a helpful index.

I enjoyed this book and recommend that you read it and wrestle with what the authors say about our government, our Constitution, and our manner of living. This is important and serious stuff that each of us needs to think about and act on.

For their next book, I hope they take on cases where the results were popular, but were still wrongly decided because the Supreme Court should have referred it back to the legislature for resolution.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

You might also want to look at:
The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review

and

The Heritage Guide to the Constitution

"Regrettably, the [Supreme] court has too often taken the plain wording of the Constitution and interpreted it to mean exactly the opposite of what the Founding Fathers intended. By that process the Court profoundly altered the American legal, political, and economic landscape."

So begins Richard Epstein's forward to this truly remarkable book.

The authors, Robert Levy, of the Cato Institute, and William Mellor, of the Institute of Justice, have chosen twelve Supreme Court cases they believe "changed the course of American history".

The book is not written solely for lawyers. In fact, it is written for the citizen concerned with the expansion of government at the expense of individual freedom.

The tragedy of this book is that it will be read by so few people when it should be read by every citizen, regardless of political persuasion, who is concerned the fate of the United States.

These twelve cases are considered by the authors to be the worst decisions of the Supreme Court of the modern era. In most cases, they also list a runner-up. Events move quickly, so it is quite likely that the authors would add Boumedienne v. Bush, the incredible decision that grants a variety of rights to terrorists. Personally I think that Boumedienne will vie with Dredd Scott as being the most lunkheaded decision ever made by the Court. U.S. v. Miller, 1939 case about the Second Amendment, has been resolved by the very recent decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. (One can see how endangered the Constitution is by the 5-4 vote of the Court in Heller.)

The authors (unsurprisingly) relate each of the cases to a specific topic. The book consists of two parts, the first on how the Court has allowed government to expand far beyond the intentions of the Founding Fathers and the second on how the Court's decisions have eroded freedom.

The topics and "dirty dozen" cases are:

Promoting the general welfare (Helvering v Davis)
Regulating Interstate Commerce (Wickard v. Filburn)
Rescinding Private Contracts (Home Building & Loan v. Blaisdell)
Lawmaking by Administrative Agencies (Whitman v. American Trucking)

Campaign Finance Reform and Free Speech (McConnel v. FEC)
Gun Owner's Rights (United States v. Miller)
Civil Liberties Versus National Security (Korematsu v. U.S.)
Asset Forfeiture Without Due Process (Bennis v. Michigan)
Eminent Domain for Private Use (Kelo v. City of New London)
Taking Property by Regulation (Penn Central v . New York)
Earning an Honest Living (U.S. v. Carolene Products)
Equal Protection and Racial Preferences (Grutter v. Bolinger)


As you can see, critical liberties we take for granted are covered, such as what most people consider their "right" to earn an honest living. In fact, as the authors point out, more than 20% of jobs are subject to regulation or licensing requirements - and no matter how stupid or anti-competitive the restrictions, the Court has given the states free reign to restrict your right to earn a living. This chapter is frightening - but so are all the other chapters. Once you see how the Court has truly altered the intent of the Constitution in the past seven decades, you will worry about tomorrow and what could happen if more left-wingers are appointed to the Court.

If you are concerned for the future of the United States and its Constitution, read this book. I suspect that after reading it, you - like me - will be suggesting to everyone you know that they read it too.

Jerry

I just wanted to leave a bit of review here for my mom (the author). Hopefully she'll see this someday and know that despite what she has viewed as shortcomings, she has always been an inspiration not only to others but to her family and all those closest to her. I've had my own difficulties and was raised amidst many of hers. With a great deal owed to her example and support, I was able to carve a path from high school drop-out to acceptance at a prestigious university for the fall. You have been and continue to be an amazing mom and I love you!

If you haven't yet read this book, you are missing out on an experience everyone deserves to have. If you guys loved her debut work as much as I did, please keep an eye out for her upcoming titles. They're on the way!

-Andrew

The author tells her story about how she succeeded in her dreams and kept pushing herself further. She definitely makes the point that she was not a super woman along the way; she made plenty of mistakes. The author always seemed to have a clear sense about who she was and what she wanted. Her personal stories added a great deal about her advice. Her stories happened to her and she was simply not repeating stories of friends or patients. From who she was, to who became is an inspiring story. How the basics like writing letters helped her network. How she wanted to blast salsa music in her suburban neighborhood. Through the toughest times, the author maintained a strong sense of self.

I've just begun reading this, after picking it up and seeing answers to some of my own dilemmas in its pages. She says things with finality, and I don't always agree with her. For example, I like to think that, someday, I WILL drive a Jaguar. But, that said, when she talks about letting go of things that haven't worked in the past, and moving forward to a better future filled with achievable goals... this is a very good book for people who are depressed or otherwise feeling "stuck" in life. If you don't actually buy a copy yourself, ask your library to order it.

I am not an avid reader. I tend to read more newpapers, professional journals. When I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I finished this book in one night. A record for me.

This book is uplifting, inspiring and true!!! I felt motivation I haven't felt in a long time since I read this book.

This is a very inspiring book. When I initially started reading, it felt like just another feel good book with general advice. However as I progressed it picked up and became quite interesting. The advice given by the author is not new or unique, but offered in the context of her own life experiences, become very useful.
One shortcoming of this book, as for many books of this nature, is that it seems to address primarily a younger audience. What about the readers who are now in their mid-forties, early fifties and have less time to start over and be effective? Understandably the author is in her thirties, hence this shortcoming. Nevertheless, I wish I had a book like this available to me when I was in my twenties, because the ideas offered are inspiring and most valuable.