Byrne Books

This book is very helpful to parents who are learning what to look for/avoid in a preschool. It also provides in-depth information about many of the programs in San Francisco.

In response to the concerns of other reviewers:

Although this book does not include every preschool in San Francisco it does list a good percentage of them. I would suspect that most of the schools that are not included are:
1. a small, in-home school
2. brand new OR
3. barely legitimate...

Of course the information is written by the schools. No outside author could provide comprehensive information about each school. The object of this book is to provide 1 source for information about each school's philosophy and programs. Only by actually visiting the school or meeting the staff can you determine if its really true...

Developing your OWN opinion about what is right for your child and your family is crucial. Listening to the playground buzz can lead to disastrous decisions. Only you can make decisions about what is right for YOUR child and YOUR family...

I recommend this book to San Francisco parents all the time.

That is a must have for the first time mother like myself. It tells you what are the preliminary factor affecting you in choosing a Preschool? What Preschool should offer? Different approaches to early Childhood Education and a list of Preschools in san Francisco.

This book is not a bad place to start, but it's not very helpful either. It does not list all preschools in San Francisco. The information about schools seems to come from the schools (schools provide mission statement, for example) and is not consistent or particularly informative. The guide does not give an insider view of preschools, nor does it indicate which schools are particularly hard to get into. I liked that lists schools by zip code, but it doesn't provide a map to show where the schools are, which would be more helpful.

This book didn't give me anything I couldn't have found without looking in the yellow pages or online. It is a comprehensive list of SF pre-schools with contact info and description, but not much else. I would have liked to have known which schools have waiting lists, what their entry criteria are, etc. It would also be nice to get a feel for relative school popularity.

I guess this book might help a little if you don't have a yellow pages handy and/or are totally clueless. It's basically a listing of preschools in San Francisco who have submitted completed questionnnaires to the author. Buyers of this book should be aware that not every preschool is represented, and those that are have chosen what information to include (and what information NOT to include!). It's certainly not a substitute for interviewing friends, neighbors and other moms at the park for recommendations.

I can still recall purchasing this book, and a couple of others on the subject, over 20 years ago and bringing it, and the other books, to class to show my instructor, and I still vividly recall what he told me after looking through them. "Go ahead and try it, if you want to break your hands and feet." Imagine my disappointment in hearing this. I really wanted to learn how to break boards and bricks and yet my instructor was telling me that if I followed what this book was telling me, that I would end up breaking my hands and feet instead of the boards and bricks.

Well, I will admit that I didn't listen and went ahead and tried breaking some boards first before moving on to bricks. I figured I'd try the easier boards first before moving up to the harder bricks. Now I didn't break my hands or feet, as a matter of fact, I ended up breaking the first several boards I tried with both punches and kicks. Then I decided to try two boards, and that is when I should have listened. Well actually I should have listened in the first place, but it was already too late for that. Anyhow, I proceeded to try punching through two boards since one board was so easy. Needless to say, I didn't break the boards and I almost broke my hand. My middle knuckle was swelled up for at least two weeks and was sore for at least twice as long. Now I decided I would wait until my instructor got to the point of teaching me himself, how to break properly.

Once my instructor started teaching me how to break, I went back to this book and realized that a lot of the information that was in it was good, only it wasn't complete. The author was telling you a lot of good information about breaking, but he wasn't giving you the full picture and all of the detailed information you needed.

This is not a bad book at all, and I have no problem giving it a three star rating, but due to the subject matter it is covering, it should have been a lot more detailed. I would only recommend buying this book for reference material only and I would not attempt performing any of the techniques in this book without first getting proper instruction from a qualified and competent martial arts instructor who knows what he is doing when it comes to breaking.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

If you like pictures of people breaking stuff, then buy this book. But otherwise don't waste your time and money. There is a little foreword with no usefull information on breaking and then...NOTHING. Just pictures of the author breaking stuff. Ask any martial arts instructor about breaking and you will learn much more.

This book lacks depht. It shows a number of differnet tecniques, and is no doubt inspirational when it comes to new ideas for breking demonstrations. But it did not really give me anything new. Particulary the side kick break could be explained in much more detail, whwn it comes to keeping the body straight at impact and much much more. The pictures are however clear and the book is nice to look at, and for beginners ore novices this is no doubt an entertaining book. But if you practice Karate or Taekwon-Do allready, and has been for more than a year, i guarantee you will not find much new in this book. And if you do then shame on your instructor because this is very very very basic stuff. If you dont belive me, by all means buy the book, after all it has an all right price tag.

If you're bored with breaking boards by hammer punches, palm strikes, and elbow strikes and would like to try some new hand techniques, this book is for you! The author stresses the importance of safety and of locking out to prevent injury. Various kicking breaks are also covered, as are advanced techniques for those breaking enthusiasts who're ready for a bigger challenge. Excellent photos and descriptions.

The book discusses conditioning, many kinds of breaks (including speed and special materials). Lacks detail, especially on conditioning and points of contact.

Despite all the criticisms. I would not have passed Biochem (with a HD) without this book. Reviewers are correct, biochemistry is difficult, mostly because of all the names of substrates and enzymes that are nigh on impossible to remember, no matter how you do it. However, what this book does is to strip away the bits that serve only to add confusion to an already difficult subject and leave you with the kernels that are the requirements to pass exams or to use to build on, should that be the direction you want to go. I used all the expensive biochem books as footrests and actually learned biochem from this book, Thanks Mr Byrne for saving my arse.

This book helped me pass medical boards. You can't read it just once. It requires repetition to really know it.

The idea of this book is very seductive. This book simplifies the material by cutting through a lot of the detail and focusing on the main ideas of metabolism. It reads like a series of answers to basic chapter questions, perhaps like a freshmen's notes. There is no attempt to elucidate the logic of the material and build bridges to understanding in this way. All structures are completely absent! The transformations become a memorization of the names and orders of compounds. Without structure, understanding metabolism is rendered more difficult if not impossible. It's actually easier to understand the subject if you can see what is happening. There is nothing graphic in this book to illustrate points. Although the book is successful with helping the reader focus on the main points I think it fails to provide real insight. For the chapter summaries I would gladly pay $5 - $10 for this book. I noticed this book was published by the author. I suspect it's because no one else would publish it. Clearly this book is an attempt by the author to make a quick buck without really putting very much into it. At $25 this book is a rip off. Don't buy it, unless you just need a minimal understanding of the material. Clearly there is a niche still waiting to be filled. Perhaps there is someone who will be truly able to make Biochemistry very easy in the future.

Biochemistry made very easy is a very seductive idea. This book readsas a series of answers to the essential points covered in a typicalBiochemistry book on metabolism; almost like study notes on thesubject. The author makes no attempt to reveal the logic ofmetabolism and provide understanding that makes learning the subjecteasier. No chemical structures are in sight! Without structures everytransformation is a new chemical name without connection to thechemical name before it! This book does help you focus on the mostimportant parts of the material and doesn't overload you withdetails... The author self published this book and I think it'sbecause no one else would. He really is trying to make money withoutdelivering much. Disappointing... There is still a great niche herefor anyone with the talent to write a great book on Biochemistry madevery easy. Don't waste your money on this book!

A highly entertaining part of John Byrne's Fantastic Four run, from influential stories such as the Skrulls losing their shapeshiftin ability, in a crossover with the Avengers in super cheesy fun space adventure:
"I, Zabyk, shall soon unleash upon an unsuspecting galaxy the ower of my hyperwave bomb--the power that will make me Master Of the Universe!"

To poignant tales of a little boy that wants to be The Human Torch, to the recovery of Jean Grey's body deep underwater many years later leading to the formation of X-Factor.

Definitely one volume of the Fantastic Four Visionaires season that is worth reading if you haven't seen these stories before.

3-1/2 stars. I consider volumes 3, 6 & 7 in this series to be about average to slightly above average in quality. This is the Return of Phoenix/ birth of X-Factor paperback; it's the thinnest edition in this series, yet issue 286 is really good. There are only six issues here, but four are bigger than average, with between 30-42 pages each.

It's content is split evenly, with the Phoenix storyline being in the 2nd part. Since Phoenix, or Jean Grey, is clearly the highlight here, I'll start with that. John Buscema kicks things off in Avengers 263, where that team first discovers the device that contains Jean Grey. Avengers here include: Captain America, Captain Marvel; Wasp; Hercules; Namor & the Black Knight. This leads us to the great FF issue 286, where Byrne is teamed-up again with Terry Austin on inks; a real treat for fans, since we hadn't seen this pairing since their famous X-Men days. Byrne & Austin did an excellent job on this issue- we get Byrne drawing the FF, Avengers & X-Men all together(!). X-Factor #1 is included for the sake of completion, but the highlight here is clearly issue 286. As far as the rest is concerned, issue 285 is a tragic story involving the Human Torch, and the two annuals are an interesting experiment depicting two perspectives to one conflict.

If you're at all interested in the Return of Phoenix, I can't see why you wouldn't want this edition. Unless you're on a very tight budget, that is; this thin paperback costs as much as a thick one(!). (... $24.99 list price... Yikes!)

Included in this volume:
*Annual #19- John Byrne writes & pencils; Joe Sinnot inks
*Avengers Annual #14- Roger Stern writes; John Byrne breakdowns;Kyle Baker finishes
*Issue #285- John Byrne writes & pencils; Al Gordon inks
*Avengers #263- Roger Stern writes; John Buscema breakdowns; Tom Palmer finishes
*Issue #286- John Byrne writes & pencils; Terry Austin inks... my favorite here
*X-Factor #1- Bob Layton writes; Jackson Guice pencils; Layton, Guice & Josef Rubinstein inks

P.S. The Return of Phoenix storyline is also printed in the X-Men: Phoenix Rising TPB. I bought this visionaries volume 7 mainly because I wanted Byrne's complete FF run. So if you're mainly interested in Phoenix & you want to save money, that might be a way to do it. Phoenix Rising has 2 problems though: inferior reproduction in its 1st printing, creating a very dated, dot-matrix look in various flat areas of color throughout. It also didn't include the covers to the 3 issues inside. If you want the *best* printing of the return of Phoenix, this visionaries volume 7 corrects those issues & has more material... but at a higher price. And check out Byrne's X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga.

Not only is this volume smaller than the previous ones but it also contains an Avengers Annual (OK, it's drawn by Byrne), X-Factor #1, an Avenger tie-in with the resurrection of Phoenix episode of the FF. It's nice to have the storyline continuity but Marvel is too stringy on what the customers expect: the Fantastic Four as seen by Byrne. Only 2 issues and 1 annual of the FF. It's not what I'd call a 'vision'. It's more of a 'peep'.

OK, I love this series, but really, only TWO issues of Byrne's Fantastic Four proper? I can see reprinting the Avengers issues because they are tied in to the storylines, but reprinting X-Factor #1, which is only loosely linked to the Fantastic Four at all, is a total waste of paper in this volume. It's called "Visionaries - John Byrne," not "and whatever random tie-ins we can stuff into these volumes."

Perhaps the first thing to consider with this work is that the number of total pool related stories is low. So don't expect every story to be excellent or to be totally about pool. I am impressed Byrne found this many stories.

This is a great book for people who collect books on pool (such as myself.) There is nothing else like it.

I think there's enough stories in here, that most people would enjoy at least some of them. I was surprised at one negative review which dismissed the whole book. I thought the story "The crossroader" was almost worth the price of the book alone. Throw in the Walter Tevis stories (I seem to recall there being two,) and you should have little to complain about. I also loved the "sci-fi" story about the pool playing alien.

If you don't expect every story to be a classic story about high stakes pool matches or hustling, you should enjoy this.

Of course, it also helps to appreciate the short story as an art form unto itself.

If you don't have any pool stories, I suggest first buying Playing of the Rail as it's the best pool story I have ever read.

I have rated it 4 stars due to it's unique nature, and R. Byrne's hard work in actually finding enough pool stories to fill a book.

I have read several books latley Hustler Days and Playing off the Rail to name a few. This book doesn't even belong in the same name as Pool. The Stories made no sense what so even. This book is made up of very short stories. The first one only mentioned pool because the background story took play by it. no ON IT!!

If someone offers you this Book to read RUN!!!

Being an avid pool player, I often look for books on the subject to take up the time when I can't play. Most of the stories in this book were well written and were very enjoyable. Granted, there were some stories that were not as good, but in any book of short stories, that is bound to be the case. Overall, the book was humorous, and I enjoyed reading it.

"The exquisite Amy Norman is only seventeen when her parents are killed--and her life is changed forever. She can never go home again. She must stay in New York with friends of her family, people she has never met...
From the moment Amy moves in with the Westermans, she is attracted to the handsome, blond Luke--but their love will always be out of reach. When he enters the priesthood, she turns to his brother Tommy, whose jealousy over her love for Luke torments his soul...

But Luke is always in her thoughts, in her heart, when she is with Tommy--a fact that never lets her forget, not in New York, where they are a part of glittering society, and not in rustic New Mexico, where they move to begin a new life...

A sweeping tale of love and betrayal, of adventure and glittering romance."

I picked this novel up in a secondhand store, and really didn't expect to like this as much as I did. And that's because of the superb rendering of just one character - Tommy Westerman. The plot is somewhat hackneyed. An orphaned young woman, Amy Norman, meets two brothers; falls in love with one but ends up marrying the other. But there is a certain depth to parts of the plot that make this story very readable.

Luke, who Amy loves, is kind of a throw-away character, and is not really developed (and what an opportunity was missed, given that he's a priest who could easily break his vows for Amy).

But Tommy! Superb rendering of a man twisted by the knowledge that his wife does not love him & never will --his jealousy and rage just eat at him & eat at him until his inner despair becomes a force of evil. He does terrible things to his wife & his mistress, and in the way he conducts business as a New Mexico rancher, and yet, through all that, he somehow remains a sympathetic character. Though I generally dispose of books that I can't give 4-5 stars to, I just may have to keep a hold of this book because I enjoyed & admired the author's rendering of Tommy so much.

There are certain holes in the plot-and-character development--as noted, Luke could have been a richer character, and, Amy falls into a melodramatic romance with a Spanish doctor (a plot device I could have done without). It's never really explained how Amy's parents ended up raising her on an African farm, and became the owners of a diamond mine which Amy is heiress to. But, for all my quibbles over the lack of development...the character of Tommy...yes, I just may have to hold on to this book.

I'm sure that Ms. Byrne is a great teacher in person, but the exercises described in this book are really hard to follow. Getting into the right position, holding the right muscles and trying not to make mistakes was just too much. I gave up and went to step aerobics -- much more fun.

This is a good book. It gives detailed descriptions of all the exercises as well as some photos. Since there is a lot of reading of exercise descriptions, it would probably be a good idea to get this book before you have the baby. I found it difficult to read & practice the exercises once I had my baby.

We got into the SF preschool game late and, in my desperation, I bought this book and read it cover to cover. It gives a nice summary of each school that responded to the authors' request for information and it was one of the few resources I've found that includes information on public preschools in the city. I would not recommend that parents use this as their sole guide in finding a preschool - check out savvysource.com, ParentsPlace's "Choosing a Preschool" class or preschool information night, or "Babies By the Bay" for more information - but it's a good starting point and I was happy to pass my copy along to a friend. (Our preschool search had a happy ending: we applied to three schools and got offered spots in two - one of which was our top choice. Good luck to you, too!)

I grew up in a place where you just call up the nearest preschool and say, hey my kid is 3 and you drop them off the next day. But getting your child into preschool in San Francisco is about as competitive (and expensive!) as getting yourself into graduate school. I bought this book for a litle wisdom and insight on the process so I wouldn't end up having to educate her myself. It outlines all the preschools who responded to their survey on factors such as admission policies, parental views, costs, teaching focus, etc and provides some overall background on popular preschool "teaching philosophies". However, what it doesn't tell you is which schools are the most popular, which schools are the hardest to get into unless you build a library or know someone famous, which schools will actually call back when you try to get information, and which schools require a visit when child is still in womb. These are the kinds of things that could be helpful to know. Instead, it says more reassuring things like, all kids find the right school, don't let the process intimidate you, don't worry, blah, blah, blah. So while its a good start, I guess I was disappointed about what it doesn't say and what I really wanted to know. In fact, I finished the book more anxious about the process than when I started.

This book, written by ex-nun Lavinia Byrne, is an autobiography focusing on how she was forced out of her order by the Vatican because it would not allow her to even discuss the issue of women priests. Though Lavinia attempts to look at all sides of the issue, she actually comes across as having written a book seriously lacking in detail.

The discussion of her early life is very poor, and Lavinia appears to just be thinking that what she has done ever since first joining the IBVM in the early 1960s was almost mapped out at the time. Lavinia never discusses how she came to think the way she did, and instead focuses only on the way in which certain groups like the Catholic Truth Society just focus on such issues os contraception in ways that were different from her childhood.

We do see the way in which the Vatican successfully censored her book (apparently through conservative laity in Britain), but, again, though the writing style is clear, we are left empty of understanding except of Lavinia's desire to state her opinions in ways the Vatican would not allow a nun to do.

Given that, unlike the papacy and its teachings, the idea of female ordination in the Catholic Church (the theme to a considerable degree of this work) is already destined to be a passing fad, this book also lacks relevance. One should say it was destined to be a passing fad because the idea of female ordination is so contrary to traditional views of human personaility. In the future, I feel, books on female ordination in the Catholic Church will be only found in archives of secular academia.

John Paul's writings and his policy, on the other hand, are shaping and will shape the Catholic Church as long as it exists.

Though an easy read, this book is not really a reward.

This is a book which everyone who cares about the Catholic Church should read. It is the story of a journey - a journey made by Lavinia Byrne from her middle class Catholic family background, a journey that took her into the confines of a convent and ultimately to a clash with the Vatican. Byrne's crime? To talk openly about the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. The Vatican ordered the American publishers of her book on women priests to pulp it. The Congregation for Religious put enormous pressure on Byrne's own religious order to stop her talking about the issue. Ultimately she was forced out of religious life. This is a fascinating account of the tensions within the Catholic Church. Do not miss it!!

Disappointing. I sent it back and ate the return postage. There was no context, no notes telling where in Mexico the images came from, no clue to the actual creators of the signage or designs. An interview with even one of the sign painters would have made all the difference for me. I felt like a tourist in the worst sense, a hip tourist, but a tourist nonetheless. At a bricks and mortar bookstore, I would never have purchased this book.

For once, a graphic book that lets the images speak for themselves. Outstanding printing, true to the essence. Highly recommended!