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Booker Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Booker
More Than Anything Else
Published in Hardcover by Scholastic (1995-09-01)
Author: Marie Bradby
List price: $15.95
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Collectible price: $15.95

Average review score:

More Than Anything Else
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-02
More than Anything Else, by Marie Bradby is about a boy that has a family and works at a painful salt mine but more than anything else he wants to learn how to read. One night when he, his dad and his brother were walking home he saw a man reading his newspaper to every one. Then they rushed home and the boy tells is mom he wants to learn how to read. Then his mom gives him a book and she says that she thinks it's called the alphabet but she doesn't know because she can't read. So the boy reads it and doesn't understand it so he tries to look for the man reading the newspaper. He finds the man and the man teaches him how to read and the boy jumps up and down with joy. Then the man says "What's your name?" and the boy says "Booker." Then the man draws it on the ground. Booker stared at it knowing how to spell his name and knowing how to read.

Booker doesn't express himself unless it's really important to him. Booker doesn't talk very much in the beginning of the book. He just introduces himself and tells what he thinks about in his mind. He only says something out loud when he wants to read. He tells his mom and the newspaper man but he never tells his family how he feels and and when his dad and his brother don't believe in him. This book reminds me to always believe in my self and never give up.

By Arthur

More Than Anything Else by David M
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-21
" More than anything else I want to learn to read. But for now, I must work. More Than Anything Else is a true story about a boy named Booker, hiss brother John and his father. They were slaves and had to deliver salt near the Kanawha River in the mountains. They had to use a shovel to put the salt in the barrels. Booker tried to learn to write in different ways, but had trouble until the newspaper came. Booker had a problem because he wanted to learn to read and write, but couldn't because he was a slave.

I like this book because it shows you a lesson on how you can learn to read. The theme of this book is to never give up on your dreams! I recommend this book to 7-10 year old children. I told you this was a true story, so if you want to find out who Booker really is, then read this book. by David M

Why haven't this book won the Caldecott?
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-30
This is by far, one of my favorite children's books of all time. If anyone have seen the beautiful watercolour paintings in this book, you'll also wonder why this book haven't receive the attention it fully deserves. Not only are the illustrations exquisite but Bradby's text is brilliantly poetic. This book will reminds us of a time when not everyone had a chance at an education where some kids today foolishly take for granted. It takes us back to the simplicity of a time when there were no computers, cell phones, or any of today's over overindulging gluttony. This book teaches us about the human spirit and what we can do with the power of words. This is an overlooked book during the Caldecott selection process. I hope that everyone will have a chance to see the beauty in this book. If you can't wait to have Amazon.com send this to you, go to the library and check it out yourself. It is an amazing piece of work in both text and art!

Tell your children a different world from what they have
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-13
My son is 4. He is like most of the kids in America who have everything. I used to tell him there were children without food and could not afford to go to school. He did not understand. When I read him this story, his eyes were wide opened. I can tell this story hit his heart really hard, and definitely touched his soul. I am not an African American, but I almost cried. We have to show our children how lucky they are today. They definitely have more than they need, and do not know how to appreciate.

"More Than Anything Else" - a review
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-14
Well, 53 Five Star reviews pretty much says it all.

This is a beautiful book. Not only is the artwork superb (see the cover and Amazon's "Search Inside This Book" feature) but the story is glorious. A triumph of the human spirit when everything in the immediate environment says 'give up' and 'don't dare to dream'.

In this fictionalized story of Booker T. Washington, a young boy ignores the difficult world around him -- where newly freed slaves struggle to find their place in the changing American economy, where 9 year old boys work alongside grown men doing hard labor, where families are short of food -- and dreams of something better.

He says in the book:
"I see a man reading a newspaper aloud and all doubt falls away. I have found hope, and it is as brown as me.

"I see myself the man. And as I watch his eyes move across the paper, it is as if I know what the black marks mean, as if I am reading. As if everyone is listening to *me*. And I hold that thought in my hands.

"I will work until I am the best reader in the county. Children will crowd around me, and I will teach *them* to read."

A love for books and the importance of the written word comes through in this book. A great book to include in any home library.

Five Stars. Beautiful art and story. Amazon has the age range as 4 to 8, but as a mom I think 4 is too young to fully absorb the implications of this story. Likewise, I think the message is one that children older than 8 could come to love.

Booker
The Siege of Krishnapur (New York Review Books Classics)
Published in Paperback by NYRB Classics (2004-07-31)
Author: J.G. Farrell
List price: $15.95
New price: $9.00
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Average review score:

Genuinely Classic
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-03

The Indian mutiny of 1857 sees the cantoment of Krishnapur besieged by sepoys. For three months Mr Hopkins (the collector) galvanises the British community in resisting the onslaught...
This book is superbly written and often reminds one of the style of George Elliot. It is both witty and profound and wonderfully researched and charactorized.Like the best of Elliot,Farrell uses his narrative to inform on other topics-the great cholera debate;the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace- and questions the basis of what culture actually lends to civilisation.
Books like this just don't get written these days.

The beginning of the end of themselves
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-31
Paul Scott wrote in his RAJ QUARTET that it was in India during the last days of the Raj that the British came to the end of themselves as they were. In this superb Booker Prize-winning novel written concurrently with the QUARTET (and which casts a similar cold eye towards the British imperial ambitions in India), J. G. Farrell shows how the Raj itself was formed and how it already carried within it in embryo the seeds of the destruction for the entire Empire. The novel takes place in a city in Northeastern India during 1857, the year of the Great Sepoy Rebellion: the British stationed in Krishnapur hear vague rumors of what they will call "The Mutiny" from faraway towns but are mostly unwilling to take them seriously. The ensuing siege they endure carries on for months as they wait for help to relieve them; though slowly forced to an absolute subsistence level--and then to even less--, they refuse to relinquish the habits of social conditioning that have made them already who they are. Social snobbery, physical modesty, gender segregation: all remain firmly ensconced even as their physical conditions start deteriorating so greatly they start dying in large numbers.

The novel's subject would seem to suggest that the novel would make for almost unbearable reading: oddly it does not, because the characters of the novel (who are almost entirely British) maintain such a droll and uncomprehending attitude towards their conditions, no matter how desperate things seem. Thus, since Farrell focalizes his narrative mostly through his thoughts, everything seems unreal throughout the entire siege and not quite so nightmarish as it might have been had he used a more distanced narrator. The work is in part a parody of old-fashioned "Mutiny novels," so you should know that the ending is very much in keeping with those kinds of novels (which proliferated throughout the Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth century); characteristically, however, Farrell puts his own intelligent spin on things, so even if the ending you had been expecting does occur it doesn't in the way you had expected. This is the second, and perhaps most famous, of the three superb works of Farrell's "Empire" trilogy which beautifully illustrates the conditions of Empire described in another nearly coeval work, Jan Morris's famous PAX BRITTANICA trilogy. It's exciting, amusing, intelligent, and greatly worth reading.

Bringing The Indians A Superior Civilization
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-25


This is an excellent novel about the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. The focus of the story is the siege of the British Civil Service enclave at Krishanpur (historically this was the siege of Lucknow). A group of Sepoy soldiers was given new rifle cartridges that were wrapped in greased paper, and the paper was removed by biting it off with one's teeth. The word spread was that this grease was animal grease, which was an insult to religion. The sepoys mutinied, killed their superior British officers, and started marauding across India.

Hearing about the mutiny the (tax) Collector in Krishnapur had ramparts built around the British buildings in Krishnapur. Shortly afterwards the Sepoys attacked in waver after wave for a period of several months. Surprisingly author Farrell describes the sufferings of those besieged with a good deal of humor, humor that pricks holes in the pompous beliefs and attitudes of 19th century British colonizers. We bring them progress, a superior civilization, yet they turn on us marvels the Collector. The condescension doesn't stop with the Indians. At one point the Collector speaks to the British women in the enclave, and silently thinks that in reality women are really useless creatures. It is the men of the world that shoulder the responsibility of getting things done. The padre runs around telling everyone that God is punishing them for their sinful behavior. A new school and an old school doctor constantly disagree over medical treatment. In perhaps the funniest scene of the book the old doctor contracts cholera, and instructs his aides to cover him with mustard plasters. The young doctor, who is aware that cholera victims die from dehydration, initiates a saline IV every time the old doc sinks into a coma. The IV brings him around, and he immediately pulls out the IV and insists on getting his mustard plasters, following which he soon sinks back into a coma. Back goes the IV and the doc becomes conscious again. This cycle goes on and on and becomes hysterically funny.

The British thought they were doing wonderful things for the Indians, but the harsh reality of it is they were creating harsh lives for their colonial subjects. The sepoys, for example, were paid near starvation wages. This is an important novel about the misguided philosophy behind imperialism. Perhaps there is a lesson here for us Americans. Should we really be focused on bringing our way of life to other countries?

Masterful Recreation of the British Under Siege in the Great Mutiny
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-01
"The Siege of Krishnapur', the second of J.G. Farrell's now classic works on the British Empire, (see also Troubles (New York Review Books Classics) and The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)) is a fictionalized account of the Siege of Lucknow during the Great Mutiny of 1857-1858 (aka the Sepoy Rebellion). The mutiny or rebellion, depending on one's point of view, was ultimately defeated by the British and led to the replacement of East India Company rule by direct British governance under the Raj.

Farrell masterfully recreates the insular British upper-class life in India - and the siege only intensifies this insularity. As the siege drags on and on, the inhabitants strive to maintain expected standards of behavior and decorum. Farrell populates his book with interesting characters who debate and dispute morality, religion, progress, and civilization.

Excellent introductions are a hallmark of the New York Review of Books Classics and the introduction to this volume by Pankaj Mishra places the book in historical and cultural context and adds significant value.

Highest Recommendation.

Trapped in the Flag
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12
At the climax of this magnificent novel, the book's protagonist, Hopkins, the British civil administrator or Collector of Krishnapur, finds himself trapped in a Union Jack whose flagstaff has been shot down, knocking him to the ground. He recognizes it as the scenario of a persistent nightmare that had been troubling since his small enclave had been put under siege several months before. But it is also a symbol for the entire book.

The initial set-up here is similar to that of the author's TROUBLES: a group of British colonialists crammed together in a decaying building while the threat of native rebellion comes closer. But this is larger in scope, with a bigger cast of characters, grander themes, and a rebellion which is much more than some background disturbance. Unlike the violence in TROUBLES, which is seen at first hand only in the hallucinatory final chapters of the book, this one (the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857) takes center stage about a third of the way into the novel, leading to harrowing scenes of death, starvation, and disease. On the level of a simple war story, these events (based on the siege of Lucknow) make for a stirring story of heroism and courage -- especially where these qualities are unexpected, is in the formerly stuffy Collector who discovers hidden talents for generalship and strategy, and the young poet George Fleury, fresh out from England, who proves to have a strong practical streak and a remarkably cool head.

Also as in TROUBLES, there is a pervasive eroticism to this book, centering around three of the younger woman besieged in the Residency: the debutante Louise, chaste belle of Calcutta balls; Miriam, George's young widowed sister, tired of being assigned to stereotypical female roles, and Lucy, whom everybody knows as a "dishonored woman" although nobody is entirely clear as to the extent or agency of this dishonor. As the siege persists, the courtship conventions of colonial society are turned on their head by proximity and deprivation. There is one almost surreal scene in which Lucy, attacked by a huge cloud of otherwise harmless flying beetles, rips off her clothes and promptly faints, leaving two young men to scrape the insects off her, in the process discovering the differences between a real female body and a marble statue.

For, despite the bloodshed, Farrell's characteristic tone of comedy is present here too, but now his targets are as much institutional as personal: the hypocracies of colonialism, trivia of class and culture, and Victorian attitudes towards faith and science. As we meet the cast of characters, we find many different points of view: the Padre who believes that the rebellion is God's punishment for sin, the cynical Magistrate who is a confirmed atheist, the Opium Agent who believes only in profit, rival doctors from older and newer schools of thinking, bluff soldiers who do not think much at all but who can yet be excellent at their jobs, the aesthete Fleury whose first reaction to being under fire is to assemble phrases for an epic poem, and the Collector, who believes in progress, but attempts to strike a balance between all points of view. And to a remarkable extent, the author also manages to retain that balance. The siege is a crucible in which every kind of received attitude may be tested, and for the most part found wanting. But Farrell is never preachy or polemical; he does not make everything subservient to a single point of view, even the anti-colonial one. His great gift is to keep you thinking, even as you turn the pages with bated breath. A brilliant achievement!

Booker
See You at the Top = Formerly Entitled Biscuits, Fleas, and Pump Handles (Motivational Series)
Published in Hardcover by Pelican Publishing Company (1982-06)
Author: Zig Ziglar
List price: $22.00
New price: $8.97
Used price: $0.01
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Average review score:

Amazing Classic!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-13
This book is without doubt, an amazing classic! I first read this book just out of my teenage years. It developed my thinking in a way that has served me in many areas of my life for over 20 years now (o.k., well, almost 30 :). Zig Ziglar gave me my life creed through this book. That is, 'To get everything you want in life, help enough other people get what they want.' Every person on the planet should read this book. Every serious student of personal development should read it at least once a year.

Michael Murphy
Author of Powerful Attitudes

Highly motivating
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-03
Served as my handbook for motivation for quite a while now. It is good to have a copy in your personal library.

Take This Authors Advice
Helpful Votes: 45 out of 45 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-08
I have read this book at least 6 times in the past 15 years and it gets better each time I read it. I always find some new
gold nugget I didn't pickup the last time I read it.
Zig Ziglar use to sell cookware door to door. And his knowledge and techniques he shares in this book are not rehashed from hearsay but from actual experiences of his climb to the top. If you want to keep climbing to the top(in wealth, health, and happiness)this book is a must read!! By the way, in life, there's always another step to take to get to the top of the mountain in our journey of life. This book can help you get there.

The cure for "Stinkin Thinkin" and "Hardening of the Attitudes."
Helpful Votes: 51 out of 51 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-27
I have to admit that I didn't initially like Zig Ziglar. He came across like a used car salesman, untill I really listened to his message.

Zig is funny, entertaining, motivating and when need be deadly serious. See You At The Top has been a best seller since 1975. I recently re-read this great book and felt recharged! Zig is awesome. While a lot of what he says is not new, it's worth getting a jolt once in awhile and to recharge your batteries. I recommend reading this book at least once per year.

Inspirational and informative
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-03

This is an inspirational and informative book on how you can achieve remarkable success, wealth, confidence, peace and joy in your life by adopting the right attitude, positive self-image, setting challenging but achievable goals, adopting a productive work ethic, establishing good loving relationships with others, among other things. By the use of numerous and enlightening stories, Zig Ziglar shows the reader the way to the top and how we can improve our careers, our relationships and our destiny.

This insightful book explains how you can build a strong belief, confidence and how to get into the action habit in an easy to follow and understand format which makes the book useful to a wide readership. The book pragmatically examines why many people achieve mediocrity or are failures and what it takes to be a winner in a big way.

This is a self-help book, a how-to book on how you can get anything you want in life. I treat reading the book as a process of continuous learning about my personal vision, goals, self-image, human relations and desires both at work and in my family. I use it as my guide for dealing with people and in integrating the different responsibilities in my life, encompassing my professional, family and personal responsibilities.

I found the book inspiring, stimulating, thought provoking and very interesting. I refer to the book often to energize my spirit and to keep me thinking positively and avoiding being bogged down by trivialities.

Booker
Naked into the Night: A Novel (Booker)
Published in Paperback by Hampton Roads Publishing Company (1997-03)
Author: Monty Joynes
List price: $11.95
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Average review score:

knowing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-05
this is the beginning of a trilogy of books about anglo and his experiences. travel to new mexico to the home of the hopi and other tribes and learn the ways of a shaman.

wonderful starting over
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-21
Ran across this book several years ago at a local bookstore, lost track of it, found it again looking for something else. It's a wonderful novel about how one can begin a new life that is deeper and more connected than one's old one.

A spiritual contemplative experience
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-13
I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction novels, but I was intrigued by Winn's endurance to throw away his identity, his family, his prominent position in the community, and, most of all, his comfortable life. It's not every day that a very wealthy and educated middle aged man, sound of mind, decides to do something totally irrational, by leaving his loved ones, his bank accounts, his assets, and his successful business, and goes naked into the night, wandering around the country with the true hope to find a new identity and the true meaning of his existence. It takes a lot of guts and a `desperate' drive. This is what kept me devouring the book page after page, depicting myself in the same situation, and living his experience as he is about to start a precarious new life, just about when he had pratically achieved everything and had accumulated wealth and power. Each chapter kept me nailed to its story with trepidation and suspense. I had a spiritual contemplative experience, and I cried with Booker, when Nita died. Now I can hardly wait to buy the sequel "Lost in Las Vegas" and to read more about Booker's new life with the Pueblo Indians.

THE RIGHT BOOK AT THE RIGHT TIME IN MY LIFE
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-08-25
"NAKED INTO THE NIGHT" ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE INEVITABLE MID-LIFE EXPERIENCE SO MANY OF WE "BOOMERS" ARE ASKING.LEAVING SELF-SUFFICENCY AND MOVING TOWARD FAITH AND FOCUS ON OTHERS IS THE PATH TO INNER PEACE. IN THIS PARADIGM, IT MATTERS LESS WHAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU HAVE, ETC. THE FOCUS IN THIS BOOK IS ON HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO.IF YOU SEARCH FOR FREEDOM AND INNER PEACE, THIS BOOK HAS SOME OF THE ANSWERS.

An amazing journey
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-03-13
A spiritually renewing read from beginning to end. I became a willing participant in Booker's emotional quest and will not soon forget Naked's powerful message. Monty Joynes is a truly gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more from him!

Booker
Living
Published in Leather Bound by Booker Group Publishing (1998-10-30)
Author: Paula Toney-Brooks
List price: $19.95

Average review score:

Very highly recommended.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-21
This book of "Poems" was very well done. It had a sense of straight from the heart warm feelings. The poems were very true to life... Living and Living for Christ. I really, really enjoyed reading "Living".

Truly inspirational!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-27
This book is a wonderful book of remembering what God is to us and how we should be to others. I'm so glad God inspired Paula Toney-Brooks and even MORE glad that she ACCEPTED the inspiration to write!

Thank you!

MY SOUL WAS TOUCHED BY EVERY WORD!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-01
Very seldom does one read a book that touches the core of your soul with each word...."LIVING" did just that for me! The variety of poems makes for an all around special blend that speaks to all situations and occasions. Two of my VERY favorites are," IT'S YOUR TURN NOW",(which is still ministering to me) and "SECOND CHANCES"...( What a great reminder to us all just how good GOD is and how he keeps on giving us another chance when we mess up.) To the author, Paula Toney-Brooks, I have only one thing to say...." LET GOD CONTINUE TO USE YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT PROJECT." GOD BLESS

Love it.....Wonderful......Inspirational
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-31
My sister in Georgia gave me a copy of the book Living for my birthday. Best birthday present she could have given me. I have read the book twice already and shall read it over and over again. This is the type of book that once you start reading it you can't put it down. Very inspiring. Thank you Paula Toney-Brooks for being God's secretary.

BEAUTIFUL!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-29
LIVING makes you want to "live"! Each poem became my "favorite". The best gift I ever received from any man except Christ!

Booker
Reconstructing America: A History of US, Book 7 (Unabridged)
Published in Audio Download by audible.com ()
Author: Joy Hakim
List price: $35.75
New price: $18.71

Average review score:

sastisfied customer
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-26
The book was shipped in the condition described and by the time I needed it.

Great Series
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-26
I Love This Entire Series! The author makes history so interesting. I have enjoyed learning U.S. History all over again (more like for the first time) with my kids. Recommend the whole set!

It's Not What You're Probably Thinking...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-29
When I first saw this book, I expected it to be like the awful textbooks found in schools across the country (the ones you could fall asleep reading), but it was nothing like what I had anticipated it being. Joy Hakim's fabulous writing, and the fun facts and illustrations scattered throughout this book make history seem like an ongoing story. Good for kids and adults alike!

Recommended for ages 8-12...AND EVERYONE ELSE TOO
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-22
This book is really supposed to be for little kids in elementary school, but I am reading it to understand my U.S. history class in high school, because it conveys our history with such clarity, and doesn't muddle things up like big ol' textbooks. SO BUY THIS NOW!You won't regret it...I wish I could have given this book more than 5 stars.

A time of great hope and incredible change in U.S. history
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-05
"Reconstructing America 1865-1890," the 7th volume in Joy Hakim's A History of US series, expands the notion of reconstruction, usually applied only to the Southern states of the former Confederacy to include the entire nation. In her preface to the volume Hakim declares "Are We Equal? Are We Kidding?" Her point is to underscore the Declaration of Independence's famous proposition that all men are created equal and to point out that ending slavery does not really free people if they are denied education and jobs. However, while the issue of racial division begins and ends this book, Hakim covers the entire domestic history of the United States in between the Civil War and the rise of the nation as a world power.

This volume does not have a formal structure but you can still find four rather distinction units. The first (Chapters 1-10) talks specifically about Southern Reconstruction and the fight between President Andrew Johnson and Thaddeus Stevens, leader of the Radical Republicans in Congress. The second (Chapters 11-18) tells about the opening of the West and Indians ordered to reservations. The third (Chapters 19-25) contrasts the world of Boss Tweed and Thomas Nast, P.T. Barnum and Mark Twain, with the immigrants who came to both coasts of the country. The fourth (Chapters 26-37) starts with the beginning of the movement towards rights for women and ends with Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois taking on the Jim Crow laws, with the birth of the Industrial Revolution and its patron saint Thomas Alva Edison in between.

As you can see, this is an inelegant division of these 37 chapters at best. But in the second half of the 19th-century of American history lacks the direction of the first, where the nation was hurdling towards Civil War. The idea that America was indeed reconstructing, or remaking itself, makes sense. However, there is no finality to the story at this point because equality between the sexes and the races are still a half and full century away respectively. One sign of the changing focus of history is that George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn is literally a marginal topic while the story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce gets an entire chapter.

These volumes are wonderfully illustrated, with historic photographs, paintings, and in this particular volume political cartoons that help bring the period alive. Throughout the book you will find detailed features on subjects such as the first conservationist, John Wesley Powell, and the Route of the Nez Perce in 1877. As always the margins are crammed with notes, definitions, mini-biographies, and choice quotations. For children raised on computers and the Internet it is clear that Hakim is speaking their language, and for parents home schooling their children they will find Hakim to be an active teacher who anticipates questions and concerns from students even when she is writing and book and they are reading it. This is an excellent series of American history textbooks.

Booker
Nanotechnology For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))
Published in Paperback by For Dummies (2005-08-08)
Authors: Richard D. Booker and Earl Boysen
List price: $24.99
New price: $12.37
Used price: $5.39

Average review score:

A New Science Explained As Simply as Possible
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-16
Sometimes I have to chuckle at the titles contained in the For Dummies series. Nanotechnology is not something that I would normally think of as being of interest to Dummies. I guess I'd best not give examples of subjects I'd think of as being suitable For Dummies.

However, that misses the point. The For Dummies series has pioneered a writing style that enables the non-informed reader to get a much better understanding of complex subjects.

Nanotechnology is a science that is only about twenty years old. I say 'about' twenty years because it really depends on just what you consider to be the start of the science.

Nanotechnology deals with things that are nano in size, say around 1/5000 the size of a red blood cell, about 1/75,000 the diameter of a human hair. At that size, all kinds of strange and wonderful things begin to happen. The technology promises to offer significant improvements in all kinds of areas from energy, health, to computers.

I can't really talk about the subject in this short review, it's too big, that's why it takes a whole book to cover.

Conclusion: Written in the For Dummies style, this is a book on Nanotechnology that makes it understandable to the average person. I'd consider it mandatory reading for anyone thinking of going into chemistry or physics for a career. My prediction (and the authors) is that this is going to be the hot science subject of the next generation. If I knew a high school student interested in science....

Great things in *very* small packages...
Helpful Votes: 21 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-23
It's *amazing* what you can find in the "For Dummies" series... :)

I've always enjoyed the Dummies series, especially when it comes to a complex subject where "I don't know what I don't know". A book that can explain the subject in simple terms gives me the mental framework on which to build my learning. This book is a perfect example... Nanotechnology For Dummies by Richard Booker and Earl Boysen.

Contents:
Part 1 - Getting Small with Nanotechnology: The Hitchhiker's Guide to Nanotechnology; Nano in Your Life; Gathering the Tools of the Trade
Part 2 - Building a Better World with Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials Galore; Adding Strength with Composites
Part 3 - "Smarter" Computers! Faster Internet! Cheaper Energy!: Building a Better Digital Brain; Routing Information at the Speed of Light; Nano-fying Electronics; Getting Energy and a Cleaner Environment with Nanotech
Part 4 - Living Healthier Lives: Diagnosing Personal Health Quickly, Easily, and Pain-Free; The Fantastic Voyage into Medical Applications
Part 5 - Investing in Nanotech: Industries Going Small; Countries Investing In a Nano Future; Nanotechnology Goes to School
Part 6 - The Parts of Tens: Ten (or so) Nanotech Movers and Shakers; Further Reading on the Web and in Your Library
Glossary; Index

My prior knowledge of nanotech was pretty much restricted to the sci-fi realm, where machines build themselves and nanotech runs amok. But if asked how it all works, I'd be at a complete loss. In this Dummies title, Booker and Boysen do an excellent job in making the very, very tiny... very understandable. You won't be ready to launch your own nanotech firm or get a degree in nano-medicine, but you'll at least walk away with a better understanding of the subject. While the authors do tend to be wonderfully enthusiastic about the nanotech future, I think that their optimism is somewhat warranted. They show you the edge of the future that we are about to enter, and even after dismissing the hype, there's some intriguing stuff out there.

I think I was most fascinated about where the medical field is going with nanotech. Customized delivery systems for medicines that can put the dosage right where it's needed. Nanocells that can attach themselves to cancer cells and then respond to laser stimulation and fry away the cancer. Obviously not next week's cure, but the authors show you it's closer than you might think.

If this subject is something you've thought interesting but still don't understand very well, it's well worth getting a copy of Nanotechnology For Dummies. It's an enjoyable read, and you'll come away with many "small" pieces of insight (sorry, bad nano-joke there...)

The best book on nanotechnology
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-23
Before reading this book, I didn't know, nor did I care about nanotechnology. But now, I see all the applications of it in every day life!

Single Principies
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-24
Made Nanotechnology clear and easy to understand. Provides a pointed introduction to the fascinating subject of nano-techlogy with emphasis on the applications.

Juan Carlos M. Escobar-remolina

Nanomaterials, Nanointermediates, Nano-enabled products
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-03
Nanomaterials: nanoparticles, nanotubes, quantum dots, fullerense, dendrimers, nanoprorous materials.

Nanointermediates: coatins, fabrices, memory and logic chips, optical components

Nano-enabling products: finished goods for cars, clothing, airplaines, computers, video, pharmaceuticals, appliances.

I found the Lux Research Index reference interesting (LUXI). I read about companies building products like: Zyvex , Mems and Nanotechnology , Nanosys, Altair, NVE (spin state storage MRAM) , FEI (visualization systems), Veeco (data storage and semiconductor), and Accelrys.

Hurdles: 1. Cost. The smaller the product being worked on, the more sophisticated and expensive the equipment needed to monitor quality control. 2. Availability. The equipment needed to producing nanomaterials may not be readily available or could be expensive. 3. Regulatory barriers. Evaluations and government approvals are needed to bring products such as a new drug to market, this takes time and time to market means sunk costs.

Growth: "Nanotechnology is likely to become a trillion-dollar industry in less than ten years." If this is true the Nanotech indexes reflect the exponential growth explosion. The time required for manufacturing process transform suggests companies are making purchases now and generating capital nanotechnology projects. For example, Toyota should be in the process of covering major sections of their car production lines to use nanomaterials. It may be true that no process modification is required and that raw materials can be substituted for nanomaterials. This is the best scenerio. If nanotechnology is too emerge it could start with a series of new companies that will create radical and disruptive technology.

Nanotubes: Researchers found that by adding a few percentage points of vaporized nichkel nanoparticels to the vaporized carbon, they could make as nanotubes as buckyballs. There are three methods for producing nanotubes: 1. High-pressure carbon monoxide deposition, HiPCO. This method involves a heated chamber which carbon monoxide molecules gas and small clusters of iron atoms flow. When the carbon monoxide molecules lands on the iron clusters and the iron acts as a catalyst breaking the molecule into carbon and oxygen. The result is a carbon nanotube and Carbon dioxide. The second method is called chemical-vapor deposition, CVD. In this method a hydrocarbon, such as, methane flows into a heated chamber coated with an iron catalyst. The high temperature causes the carbon and hydrogen break apart. The carbon atoms attach to the catalyst particles forming a nanotube. The third methods uses plasma torch to break apart hydrocarbon producing nanotubes.

Nanotube have three topology arrangements: armchair, zigzag, and Chiral. Nanotubes are elastic and strong. Nanotubes conduct heat and cold very well. A nanotube can be either metallic or semiconducting. A nanotube is metallic I the energy level that allows delocalized electrons t flow between atoms throughout the nanotube is right above the energy level used by electrons attached. A nanotube is semiconducting if the energy level of the conduction band is high enough sou that there is an energy gap between it and the valence band. Nanotubes will provide more efficient energy transmission and faster and more power computers. Nanotube tensile strength (GPa)=200, Young's modulus(GPa)=1000, and density=2.

Nanowire: Researchers have demonstrated using nanowires to create memory devices and transistors. A nanowire crosslatched arrangement will be able to store 40 gigabits per square centimeter.

Polymer composites: "Scientist at University of Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a unique self-healing composite. It involves dispersing microcapsules and catalyst within the composite. When the catalyst comes in contact with the healing agent inside the microcapsule, the healing agent polymerizes and hardens." Heals microcracks resulting from temperature changes or pressures of mechnical loading.

NanoTransistor: A transistor is the switch that says whether a bit is 0 or 1. Think of a water dam. In the off position no water is flowing through and on the water is flowing, electrons are flowing freely. The smaller the transistor, the smaller your electron gate-which means faster switching between on and off, resulting in a faster overall processor.

Photoelectrochemical hydrogen extraction: A photoelectrochemical device is a 30 nm layer of nanoparticles placed on a conductive glass. The nanoparticles are composed of semi-conducting oxides. The conducting glass is connected to an electrode. The space between electrode and nanoparticle film and conductive glass is filled with water. Light strikes the layer of nanoparticles knocking the electron's loose. Those electrons move through the conducting glass layer to the metal electrode putting a negative charge in it. You have a layer of nanoparticles that electrons are rushing out and a nearby metal electrode that electrons are rushing in. Hydrogen is emitted. (Hydrogen Solar Ltd)

Nanotech Movers and Shakers: Richard Smalley , Charles Lieber , Jongjie Dai , James Heath , James Von Her , George Whitesides , Paul Alivisatos , Angela Belcher , and Richard Feyman and Eric Drexler .

Booker
A Call to Holiness: A Cry for Belivers in Jesus to Come Out of Harlot Babylon
Published in Paperback by Booker Educational Services Corp. (1997-07-10)
Author: Bruce R. Booker
List price: $7.00
New price: $7.00
Used price: $0.27
Collectible price: $15.25

Average review score:

What the Church needs to know
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-18
A must read for Today's Church. See that God truley is the same ... yesterday, today and forever; and that His Word is as valid today as it was when it was inspired, and that like God, the Word hasn't changed either.

This book resonates with what "the Spirit is saying" today.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1997-11-14
Dr. Booker, in a very clear and concise manner,
sounds the alarm to the people of G-d
...Messiah is returning for His people, a
holy people, a spotless bride, unencumbered
by the traditions of man, faithful
only to Him. I encourage all believers
to prayerfully read and be challenged
by this 'now' word for the Body of
Messiah.

True Christian Liberty
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-14
This book is not a new premise in doctrine, supported by scripture, but instead teaches scriptural precepts that give us doctrine to live by.

Cloaked in the Christian Churches is "Liberty in Christ", defined as we are "free from the law" of sin and death, that the Sabbath has been done away with, that the dietary laws have been rescinded, etc, etc. This book scripturally defines true christian liberty - that we have the power through the Ruach Hakodesh, Holy Spirit, to live holy live's as G-d has commanded us to do - to keep the Sabbath day, to eat kosher, to be holy as G-d has called us to be holy.

G-d has given us commandments, and he has not left us powerless to fulfill them. If your are serious about living a holy life as directed by G-d, then I encourage you to immerse yourself in this book along with the scriptures, and true "Christian Liberty" will begin to awaken your soul to be like the Messiah, and not a cookie cutter Christian.

A Call to Holiness
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-24
This author takes you from Scripture to Scripture, backing up everything he says with the Word of God. The question is not do you believe what the author is saying; the question is do you believe what the Scriptures are saying?

Booker
Gotta Be Down!
Published in Paperback by 1st Books Library (2001-06-01)
Author: Booker T
List price: $20.23
New price: $0.87
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Not Yet Read The Booke But Met The Author
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-29
I met the author of this book Saturday at a book signing and let me tell you, this guy is amazing. He is very nice and took the time to talk to me personally. I am trying to become a writer and he talked to me for a good 15-20 minutes and gave me some advice on writing. Even if i haven't read his book yet i still say he is a very nice man who cares about helping people make their dreams come true. He even gave me his card and told me to contact him if i ever needed anymore advice. SO as you can see this man is a great author and is going to be just like someone else said...a household name or maybe even a leadgend. I gave the book 5 stars because it has to be good coming from a good writer.

awesome!!!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-05
Remember the name Booker T. It will soon be a household name. Gotta Be Down is one of the best books I've read all year. The book centers around a young boy, T, and his metamorphosis into a hardcore drug dealer.Not for the easily offended crowd. I don't want to give any spoilers here but pay close attention to the character named Money, who also drives a long, black '65 Fleetwood. Things "heat up" when he's around. This Booker T guy is probably the best writer of this genre since Donald Goines. Kind of like a cross between Chester Himes and Stephen King.

A story of coming of age
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-10
Gotta Be Down! is a blunt yet powerful novel of growing up in the inner city in a single-parent home, under conditions of desperate ghetto poverty and the constant, threatening influence of gangs and conflict. Young T is the fifth child of a struggling Momma whose husband left her for another woman. Adapting to the inner city without the role model of a father, T becomes drawn into new friends with less than kindly interests; though in his young life he has not begun to comprehend the deadly nature of violence, a terrible awakening lies in store for him. A story of coming of age, learning the hard way and seeking a better future, Gotta Be Down! is an utterly compelling read.

Choices
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-17
Life is a series of choices but what path will we choose? This is one of the important themes of this book. Alphonso struggles day after day to find a legitimate job with no success. As a result, he is faced with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, especially when he has to tell the live-in girlfriend who is supporting them; he still has no job prospects. By fate he is offered the chance to start selling drugs. Initially, he continues looking for a legitimate job but after a few more failures he and his best friend Tony enter "the life" and start selling drugs.

Terrance, better known as "T", has lived in poverty for most of his life. After his father left, his mother took on two sometimes three jobs trying to support the family. But with other brothers and sisters in the house there was never enough money, food, or time to go around. "T" learned early on that in order to survive in his family and on the streets he had to be tough and hustle to get what he wanted. It is no surprise that although he is young he too gets involved in dealing drugs, first as a "runner".

Although this story is a fictional account, it deals with a number of important social issues such as education, domestic and community violence, child abuse, teen pregnancy and most obviously alcohol and drug abuse. Booker T. creates multidimensional characters that you cannot help but feel for even when you don't agree with the choices they make. The author really illustrates how difficult circumstances can help lead us down the wrong path without overlooking the personal responsibility we all must take for the choices we make.

The only disappointing thing about this book is that it seems to jump around. One minute you are reading about one storyline and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of another. Although you may find yourself flipping back to make sure you didn't skip a page be patient because the author will eventually tie everything together into a coherent whole. This is a wonderful story that really illustrates some of the challenges faced by many young African American males and their families.


Reviewed by Stacey Seay

Booker
Gun Crazy: A True Tale of Murder and Justice in Texas
Published in Hardcover by Eakin Press (1995-05)
Authors: Hamilton Booker and Ann Gaddis
List price: $16.95
Used price: $2.99

Average review score:

A tremendously exciting read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1997-11-22
"A tremendously exciting read" Judge Sanford M. Brook

Deals with a real trial
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1997-11-21
Patricia Williams, Acting Justice of N.Y. Supreme Court says about Gun Crazy: "I truly enjoyed Mr. Booker's writing. He knows the secret of making you want to actually visit the scenes he describes so well. . . Mr. Booker's book is different than others, because it deals with the many different aspects of a real trial. Hence, the characters are drawn with detail and care."

Warren Burnett recommends this book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1997-11-20
Warren Burnett said: "Superbly, writer Booker honors his craft in this story of a courtroom trimph made possible by the grit and grace of Kerrville's Scott Stehling, a true examply of the decent and talented lawyer."

Racehorse Haynes recommends this book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1997-11-20
Racehorse Haynes said: "A brutal senseless crime, a skilled trial lawyer's fight for Justice for a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time. A must read for all interested in trial by jury."


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