Floyd Books

Birth in Four Cultures : A Crosscultural Investigation of Childbirth in Yucatan, Holland, Sweden, and the United States
This is a good book, but not and easy one to read. I expected more about birth in the cultures that the book mentions. About rites and beliefs and I did not found that in this book.

I am not sure what I was expecting...but this wasn't it. I don't know. Too clinical maybe, I just didn't really enjoy it. I am sure it will speak to many people.

Heather mama of 5

This was an excellent book to read in medical anthropology class. It gave a view of birthing systems in only some cultures, but that was enough to show some of the drastic changes between cultures one sees in the woman giving birth and the hospital personnel. Amazing how even with technology some of the fundamental needs of the patient are not being met.

I first read this ethnography as an undergraduate major in anthropology, and now that I've started to teach college level courses as a graduate student in anthropology, I have assigned it in my classes for the last 2 years. Students are always fascinated with the information found in the book -- (largely because this may be the first time in their entire lives that anyone has given them frank information about birth in the US, let alone in other cultural contexts) -- and fruitful and interesting discussions have taken place in my classes after students have read this ethnography. I would highly recommend it for undergraduate and graduate courses in general anthropology, medical anthropology, ethnography, and a myriad of other anthropology, social science, and medical/biology courses.

One thing that I have noticed about those who want to argue about Jordan's findings is that they overemphasize the quoting of statistics from third world nations and that they have a need to justify how Jordan's statistical info about the United States is not as bad as statistical info from other nations -- as if the deaths of a few thousand babies per year here is better than the deaths of many thousands of babies per year elsewhere. This information is often coupled with a need to bring in still other types of birth statistics that are meant to nullify or throw into question the validity of birth statistics that show how the US consistently lags behind other industrialized nations in infant mortality rates -- today as well as in Jordan's "ethnographic present" time in the late 1970's.

But these kinds of arguments just show how much people can and do miss the point of reading this ethnography.

The most pressing, and central, point to Jordan's work is that everywhere people are convinced that their birthing system is superior to the birthing systems of other peoples in other places and that this superiority is always defined according to what the people within a culture believe to be the "natural" definition of birth. In the Yucatan, birth is hard work that women need to accomplish in their homes with their husbands at their sides, so it is inferior to give birth in a strange room in a hospital with few family members in attendance and with strangers violating their bodies with vaginal exams while they labor. In the United States, in contrast, birth is seen as a medical event out of necessity because Americans focus on birth pathology and they want medical professionals in attendance to save them "just in case" anything goes wrong. So, it is inferior to many Americans to labor at home, with non-AMA medical professionals in attendance, and with the awful possibility of something going wrong looming over their labor. This kind of chauvinism is cross-cultural and, unfortunately, it is very much in evidence whenever I see any negative American response (i.e. to quote statistical data on birth pathology, of course!) to Jordan's work.

Birth in Four Cultures is not a statistical treatise on birth nor is it meant to teach people about how to do birth "right." It is an anthropological study of the cultural logic people use to discuss, understand and perform birth. It is a descriptive account of how human cultural variation extends to biological matters. If you're reading it in the hopes of proving how American birth is the best type of birth system on the Earth, then you're reading it for the wrong reasons and you're not learning anything new. If you're reading the book in the hopes of proving how American birth is inferior to other birth systems on the planet, then you likewise are not reading it for the right reasons and you're not learning anything new. As Jordan points out, there are "good" and "bad" points to all of the birth systems she describes.

But, if you're reading Jordan's work to learn about human variation and cross-cultural information on birth, then you're going to be delighted with the ethnography. There is a great deal of ethnographic detail that brings the reader into the different worlds -- Mayan, American, Swedish, Dutch -- where women labor. There are moments of great humor and moments of great poignancy. It is an affective and effective work on many levels -- emotionally, scientifically, academically, socially.

If, after reading all of this, you find that it causes you to question some of the logic behind the birth protocol within your own culture, then accept this. If you're old enought to read the book, then you're old enough to understand that no cultural practice or group of people is without fault and flaw. Instead of trying to fight with, and deny the importance of, what you've learned that you don't like, become a person who individually paves the way for positive birth change according to the definitions within your own culture and using the new information you've gained about cultures not your own.

As Jordan says, all birth systems eventually change. How they will change is a mystery, but that they will change is certain. Be proactive in the kind of birth change that happens in your own culture, in your own life, and in how you demand to be treated -- or loved ones to be treated -- during labor. Most of all, though, become instrumental in making birth change be for the benefit of women and babies. This, and not ammunition for cultural chauvinism, is a message everyone should be able to grasp from Jordan's work.

I loved this book. It brought a whole new perspective on giving birth and the beauty of it. I gave birth at a big HMO Hospital and I felt that I was treated as a number basically. This book has taught me a lot and probably I will make different choices for my next baby.

I do not know what people want from a trading book, it is inherently difficult to convey all the nuances associated with making a trade, especially when you are talking about day trading.

The author does a solid job of laying out his approach which should serve as a good place to start for new traders.

The reviewer who was so down on this book and referenced that the author, if such a good trader, should simply manage money rather than selling a book, truly understood day trading, he wold have realized that day trading (as described in the book) is simply not scalable to a point where you could manage millions of dollars.

Walter Devon

Floyd explains how he made his living for the last 10 years by day trading stocks. His strategy is very easy to understand, and can be read in one evening, which I consider a selling point. And Floyd can prove he has made a living day trading stocks this way.

The style of trading is super quick -- sometimes only staying in a trade a few minutes. This trading style requires at least $25,000, leverage, and direct access to place trades, but after having that, anyone can't implement this style. I really like the explanation and use of stochastics - the best I've even found.

Best of all, these trading is ideal for the first two hours of trading. If you're on the West Coast, you can trade for two hours before going to work.

The book could be better put together, both on durability and editing, but I got my money's worth. Learning a new trading style for $50 is more than reasonable.

This book tells you to basically trade with the trend using stochastics, s&p futures and moving averages intraday to capture small moves . It does not work all the time and you must monitor the stock closely and be very disciplined with exiting the position when necessary. If you are a hyperactive trader this book can be of some value. Buy it if you can find it for a lower price than $50.

The first person who reviewed this book must have bought it for the wrong reason. Floyd is not interested in discussing all things about day trading i.e. brokers, data feeds, charting packages, ect... he is only interested in telling how he has made his living for the last 10 years by day trading stocks. Floyd's styles are laid out in a very easy to understand way. This book can easily be read in one sitting. Floyd just tells you how he has made his money. His returns are proof that the guy can trade. His trading style in not for fund managers or hedge funds, his style is that of an individual trader with 100k in their account plus margin. His style is simple and fairly easy to follow. But most of all they work!

With that said this book is not for everyone. You have to really want to be a very quick in and out trader and like trades that only last a couple of minutes. That is all he talks about in the book. He calls it HVT trading and the whole book is only about this one style. Even though the book is good it is not quite worth 50 bucks and it is very cheaply made. (Some of the pages in mine fell out the first time I opened the book.)

Bottom line, if you like very quick, intense, in and out trading all day, Floyd's methods will work. Look around and try to find the book for less money. I bought mine for 6 bucks, it was money well spent.

I am surprised by some of the reviews here stating that the techniques are worthless. No trading strategy can be transferred to a new user without spending some time working with the techniques. Trading is not an exact science, techniques must be practiced and perfected. If one thinks a trading book can immediately result in riches, then they should not be trading anyways. I have worked with these techniques over a 2 month period and they have shown their merit to me.

With regards to the "reverse colors" on the candlesticks, so what, the color of the candlestick is more a matter of preference than some absolute rule.

Don't trip over the pennies to get to the dollars.

Frank Stafford

When will these anti Obama people give it a rest???
McCain & Palin did not convince our country that they had solutions!!!
They ran a bad slanderous, divisive campaign by appealing to small town extremist!!! The Republican party lost my vote for the first time as well as many other voters were turned off because of petty negative divisive tactics instead of dealing with the economy crisis. I lost money in my 401k and all they could do was name call.
It was like watching a very bad movie that I kept hoping would get better but didn't. i hope next time they learn to promote unity among all diverse kinds of Americans then come up with clear, practical solutions so they can succeed at getting mainstream votes but it's obvious that they still need a clue!!!!!

This book was a fascinating look into the life of a presidential candidate who came out of nowhere. If everything in this book is true then Obama is an extreme, far left candidate who is definitely out for change, but is it the kind of change that we want? The book corroborates a lot of the information that is contained in two other Obama books, "Obamanation" and "The Case Against Barack Obama" but is written in a much easier style. This is a fast read that you will not want to put down because you will want to know the next secret that Barack Obama surely would not want you to know. The most fascinating chapter of this book (and frightening) was the one on George Soros and how he plans to sabotage the financial system for the benefit of Obama's candidacy. I was reading that chapter while Wall Street was going bonkers and I was seething. Most of the informiaton contained in this book has been covered more extensively in the right wing press but has been paid lip service in the main stream media (which is just about everyone). I wish that all Americans read this book because it certainly would sway the opinions of independent voters and some more moderate voters in the Democratic party.

Anyone who thinks Obama should be President of the U.S. should read this book. It sure as shooting would change their mind. What is told about Obama is very upsetting to say the least.

Well-researched and documented. "Obama Unmasked" represents the new wave of political creations and manipulations. The information is disquieting.

This book is filled with facts about Obamas' connections to the unworthy ones. Obama fans won't want to read but need to. One of the more interesting things in the book is about the October Surprise that a billionaire named Soros manages to pull off prior to any election he wants his chosen ones to win,like Obama. Great read and easy to read.Makes your furious at what goes on in politics and Obama is not the first.

According to the author of this book,E.Randall Floyd,he'kept notes and collected biographical data,tons of it"on the 40 or so subjects of this book...Now while I do not suggest that I can dispute every entry,there are several people here that Randall has profiled using faulty or flat-out made up data,which is suggestive to me that most and perhaps all of his mini-biographies are flawed...Take,for example,Lizzie Borden...according to Randall"...at her trial lizzie gave a bewildering array of conflicting stories about her whereabouts during the murder"WRONG ! Lizzie Borden DID NOT TESTIFY AT HER OWN TRIAL !Indeed the trial record clearly states that her one comment was that she would have her lawyers speak for her!So how come Randall has Lizzie making these"conflicting accounts"?Because they were made AT THE INQUEST,NOT THE TRIAL,and,because they were made without benifit of an attorney's advice they were never admitted as evidence at her trial.One would think that something as basic as this would not have been missed,or misunderstood by any REAL journalist.Then there is the notion,on Randall's part that the alledged murder weapon was discovered "in a toolshed out back"WRONG AGAIN !The item in question was discovered in the basement of the Borden home.Later on Randall claims that"a few years before her death" lizzie vacated her parents working class home in order to move into a mansion on the fashionable"hill" section of Fall River...Lizzie did this within one year of her aquittal,in the 1890s,and did not actually die until 1927,about thirty years afterwards..the list of mistakes and omissions IN THIS ONE ENTRY ALONE are almost endless,which leads me to believe that there are other entries with similiarly botched research(if what Randall has done here can even be called such)...I mean,if we are going to write fiction,Mr.Randall,we really ought to identify it as such.

Containing extremely short biographies of some of the most intriguing people in American History, "The Good, The Bad & the Mad" is a book well worth reading for anyone who is interested in American history and/or the characters that made it up. Containing vignettes on such personages as P.T. Barnum, Marie Laveau, H.P Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce and Nikola Tesla, just to name a VERY few, this is a very easily-accessible way to learn a little bit about a lot of people. It has made me interested to learn more about many of these fascinating people who helped create our melting pot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of "mini-biographies" by E. Randall Floyd. These people were truly good, bad and mad--and definitely "weird" in every sense of the word.

I have passed this book along to several friends who have also enjoyed learning so much "dark stuff" about some of America's greatest literary, artistic and historical icons. I hope to see a follow-up book very soon!!!

This book makes me wish I had Professor Floyd as a history teacher. These crazy people come to life in a way that makes me almost cry one moment, laugh the next. Some were quite scary and makes me wonder how I missed knowing all this stuff about them for so long. I really think more teachers should tell the truth about the people in our country's past the same way Prof. Floyd has done. Excellent job and highly recommended!

I'm not sure the author of this book knows the definition of 'weird'. What makes Isadora Duncan 'weird' or Tecumseh or 80% of the other people listed in this book? One of my all time heroes Nikola Tesla's actual 'weirdness' is glossed over in less than three sentences, then we're told it's 'bizzare behavior' to watch and enjoy a lightning storm or to feed and care for animals in the park. This book is pap, a meaningless collection of watered down facts about people you've barely or never heard of and won't care about once you have.

After purchasing a 1948 Chrysler and seeing this book was available, I was pleased to purchase it and excited to get it. When the book arrived, from Amazon.com, I was initially disappointed; it appeared to be more of a 'booklet' than a book. And for twenty-five bucks, I expected more.

Reading the book proved even a bigger disappointment; if I could, I'd return it for a refund. It was more a good old boy's story and rememberances than anything practical or useful.

At most, this book should sell for $12. to $15. Even at that, I would not buy it after looking through it.

If you want a nice story about a guy and his 48 Chrysler, buy it. If you're looking for an instructional and practical manual, look elsewhere. And save the twenty-five clams.

"A Chrysler Chronicle" offers tons of laughs, tears, and a variety of insight. This story is an inspiration for folks of ALL ages and interests. We're anxiously awaiting the next one, Dave Floyd!

Curl up by the fire, relax, and enjoy a read with a bit of everything - creativity, determination, family, fun, and all the qualities that are good and heart warming. From start to finish, it's highly entertaining, informative, and just makes you feel good.

I received the book and have read it cover to cover. It is an interesting read, and more so for me since I just bought an identical car. I have to say that I was hoping for a little more detail and analysis of options on the specific car. For example, since the title says restore, I thought that there might be some discussion / sources / charts of the original options, colors, fabrics, etc. I think repair, repaint and reupholster is more accurate than restore.

The book is longer on the author's personal story than of the car. Given his NASA background I had also hoped for a more technical diescussion.

The book is not large or long and cost [money]. If you were to pick it up at a swap meet [for less money] would be the high side of what you might pay.

I'm happy to have the book, I was just hoping for more for the $.

I gave out 2 copies of this book as a gift and kept one for myself. As an owner of a 1947 Chrysler, I can say this book reflects all the joy and pain I had in restoring my own vehicle.

Very well written, many details to help others in planning and executing their own restoration, not only for a Chrysler, but other makes as well.

Well done Dave Floyd! Keep Goliath rolling!

When many hear the world 'God', they feel uneasy. It's a word that may evoke pictures of an old man in the sky, angry at us for everything we've done, a distant, overwhelming authority figure. This isn't how God is portrayed in the Bible, not at all. Floyd McClung's "The Father Heart of God" goes about setting things straight, using scriptural evidence along with his experience as a counsellor and missionary.

God is like the perfect father, loving, patient and always there for us, but this is a truth that many find hard to accept. Hearing the word 'father' often can evoke visions of one's own father, McClung says. If one's father was abusive and violent, they will see God as abusive and violent. If one's father was strict and unforgiving, they will see God as strict and unforgiving, even though the Bible tells us this is clearly not the case. In his work, McClung has met so many scarred both emotionally and spiritually by a poor father.

When I heard about McClung's idea, I must admit I was a little skeptical. Past hurts makes it harder to come to God, yes, but surely people wouldn't mistake God for the behavior of their biological father, would they? As I read the book, I realized it applied to me too. My dad, though a great guy, worked very hard when I was growing up, and wasn't at home for very often. Even though his work was just up the road, he felt so far away. I believe in God, love him, and am doing my best to follow him, but sometimes I have felt that even though he is really close in my life, that he is distant from me for some reason. Where did I get this idea from? The example of my father! Though only a minor example compared to some in the book, I was rather shaken and humbled by the realisation.

So if God is like a father, but not like my father, you may ask, what kind of father is he? What does he want from me? What does he think? What does he feel? Where has he been all my life? McClung provides the answers in a series of well written, flowing chapters, along with strategies for getting rid of all the hurt of the past. Strategies (hand in hand with prayer) that work. I got a lot out of the chapter on "the Saul Syndrome", an analysis of the dysfunction of King Saul, the first Israeli king, applied to modern life.

It's a thin book, doesn't take long to read, but is filled to the brim with life changing material. I'd recommend it to Christians seeking to strengthen their relationship with God and to fathers looking to improve upon their loving environment in which they surround their children (there's a whole chapter devoted to fathers).

Those who are searching for truth or are new to the idea of God will get a lot out of this book too. McClung does interchange the word Jesus with God, with little explanation to the newcomer as to why, which could get a bit confusing, not a good feeling when you're all searching and vulnerable. Isn't Jesus a son and not a father, the newcomer might ask? I suppose you've just got to remember that Jesus came to show us what God is like. "Like father, like son" as the old saying goes.

In God's design of the family, the father serves the role of priest, prophet and king. He provides the leadership and vision while setting the spirit of the home. He meets the physical and emotional needs of those in his charge. And he loves his family with a selfless and undying love, focusing on their best interests.

The selfish nature of humanity, however, tears down this design with alarming regularity. Men (and women) create pain and suffering in families and other social situations through their self-centered pursuits. The fallout is generations of individuals who equate the actions of people with the heart of God.

In this book, Floyd McClung leaves no stone unturned in the process of turning people towards the heart of God. Mixing the truth of the Bible with a love that comes from his own personal experiences, the author shows the reader how God truly views His creation. With sensitivity to the pain associated with rejection and abuse, McClung lays out the facts about the character of God in contrast to the sinful nature of man. The stark contrast will leave the reader with only one conclusion: God loves me unconditionally.

This book is an excellent resource for counselling professionals, victims of abuse and for Christians who want to know God in a deeper way.

My husband picked up a copy of The Father Heart of God for me over the summer. He was involved in the same missionary that the author, Floyd McClung, directed at the time he wrote this work.

"You must read this book," my husband proclaimed. "It will change your life!"

I plunged into reading the book... and found I couldn't go very far. It's virtually impossible to dive into a wading pool, at least not without the risk of breaking your neck. Ultimately I found it to be very disappointing.

McClung's purpose in writing The Father Heart of God was to teach that God is a loving and compassionate Father who cares for your needs, doing so with Biblical passages and anecdotes of his own life and others he encountered in his missionary work. He also includes some workshop type questions in the back of the book where one can write on their own insights and discoveries.

He does accomplish his purpose... but on a rather simplistic and shallow level. Many mainstream Christians learn about the concept of a loving Father before they've graduated from Sunday School. It's a message that is usually reinforced in healthy families who make Christian living and prayer the center of their lives. As a Catholic convert, I was able to learn much of this both in adult catechism and in asking many questions of priests who were patient, wise and happy to walk part of my spiritual journey with me. I've since found there are various Christian pamphlets that cover the same thing in far fewer pages.

In essence, while his examples are good and this may help some who may need a reminder of the role God plays in our lives, I question just how large of a target that can be. It is too simplistic to truly help an adult Christian pursue growth and progress. I get the feeling many who read this book for the purpose of finding deeper spiritual meaning will find its contents lacking.

The part I found most problematic about this book, however, was McClung's approach to forgiveness. He definitely was a product of the school of thought in his day and age at the time he wrote The Father Heart of God. He insists that healing will not occur without forgiving someone who has deeply wronged us, and that forgiving is as simple as a matter of practicing it.

His technique: Simply say to yourself "I forgive (Name)" every day, as often as needed... and voila, the pain will go away one day if you do it often and long enough! I also found it rather contradictory that while McClung believes we should forgive others no matter what, we should beware of our own sins, repent and make restitution to those we harm.

This is an extremely flawed and even dangerous train of thought from both a spiritual and psychological perspective. As I wrote in my review of The Wounded Heart, Dan Allender spares no expense explaining how treating wounds left behind by abuse are many times worsened through suggestions such as McClung's, that smack of the "forgive and forget" and the "you must forgive to be a good Christian" frames of mind.

Ken Graber, M.A. states that it takes an average of three to five years for an incest survivor to recover, and that in most cases that process involves both intensive therapy and participation in a support group. In light of this, simply saying "I forgive my father who beat and molested me" several times a day, if considered in light of Graber's statement, just isn't going to cut it.

Christian counselors Les Carter and Frank Minirth also state that even after forgiveness, there will still be pain and anger. Forgiving does not stop us from feeling, especially when it's in regard to something that invokes righteous anger.

Many experts are agreeing that healing must occur first, and in many cases, forgiveness of a perpetrator is not even necessary, for true recovery. Others, like Matthew, Dennis and Sheila Linn, compare forgiveness to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' dying process: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. In this case, once again, many stages, some of them rather long, must occur before forgiveness can even be considered.

Furthermore, McClung's concept is Biblically unsound. Luke 17:3 states we are to forgive IF an offender repents. Forgiveness is conditional. Other passages in Scripture make it clear that we are to hold each other accountable, and if someone does not repent of their sins despite being confronted by witnesses, their church and even the law, then they must be shunned, sometimes for the sake of our own self-preservation. Nowhere in those same passages does it say we must also forgive.

The Bible also makes it clear that we are all responsible for taking specific steps to be accountable for our wrongdoings before we can even consider being forgiven, as well as what we face if we do not. This is made abundantly clear in both Old and New Testaments.

Scripture does not therefore support forgiving everyone around us no matter how badly they have offended us, and even if they don't repent. We aren't asked to perform something even God will not do. We are called to forgive as God forgives, and by withholding it when someone refuses to be accountable, we are doing just that. It is also my opinion that in some cases, forgiveness, rather than trying to impose our own will in trying to achieve it by reciting words over and over, must sometimes be turned over for God to help us do instead... that is, when it is truly appropriate.

Finally, from a literary standpoint, I found McClung's writing style to be clumsy, awkward and difficult to get through. Something that in a way is surprising given the overly simplistic nature of his messages.

As much as I try to find something good to be able to at least partially recommend what I read so it isn't a complete waste, I found very little redeemable in The Father Heart of God. I think the spiritual concepts are too trite, and it promotes outdated, unhealthy messages in respect to finding healing, strength and hope in a loving, Fatherly God. For Christian resources that are more validating about recovering from past hurts, and seeking deeper relationship with God, I believe one can do much better elsewhere.

This book is a very good and fast read. I recommend this book to everyone. I think that everyone should read this book.

I found "The Father Heart of God" to be deeply challenging and I would whole heartedly suggest it to anyone who has a desire to improve their relationship with God. Floyd is a fascinating author that punctuates the theological material with emotive real-world examples making the book a gripping read. Though he challenges many of the wrong impressions of God, this is far from being a negative book, as the overal aim is to build an accurate, biblical picture of God and His relationship with us.

I bought this book for use as a review of electronic circuits to keep my skills up to date... It's amazing what one forgets through a 30 year career...

I found this book to be VERY informative and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn or refresh their knowledge of electronic components & circuits...

This is an excellent book for teaching analog circuits for an Electronics Technology degree. It explains in algebra how the basic transistor works and continues well beyond the Op Amp into the regulator and communication systems.

nothing new, no original material. Seems to have been taken from 10 different books and abridged into one. Doesn't need to be in anyone's library.

Found many mistakes in this text.
Sometimes the author usese detailed analysis, and sometimes the author usesly overly simplified approximations (which is not suitable at the community college level).

The only colour you will see in this text is blue, and the font is so light too.

Good book if you already know electronics inside out.

Fundamentals of Analog Circuits, 2nd Edition is worthwhile both as an analog electronics textbook and as a post-course reference. In this text the author covers the essentials of analog circuits, beginning with introductory AC topics, progressing through basic semiconductors devices such as diodes, bipolar junction and field effect transistors, advancing to discrete and operational amplifiers, and culminating with functional circuit blocks such as amplifiers and filters. The text contains numerous examples, section reviews, chapter references, chapter problems, and answers to selected problems to clarify course concepts and reinforce learning. A standout feature of this text is that it includes material for developing practical as well as theoretical proficiency in electronics. Background in algebra, basic trigonometry, and the introductory electronic concepts (voltage, current, resistance, Ohm's Law, Kirchhoff's Laws, etc.) is required and assumed, but anyone comfortable with these topics should have no problems in mastering the topics in this book.

Sofia Petrovna is a widow with a bright son. He becomes one of the top engineers at one of the best engineering schools. Ever since the death of her husband, Sofia Petrovna has been working at an office where she is in charge of all the typist. She becomes best friends with the best typist, Natasha, and spends a lot of time with her during ovevrtime and outside of work. People soon begin to be arrested for mysterious reasons. Kolya's, Sofia Petrovna's son, best friend Alek come and informs Sofia Petrovna that Kolya was arrested. Sofia Petrovna takes time off of work and begins to spend most of her time in like at the prosecutor's office. She and all of the other women there want nothing but to know the location of their husband or son. Some of the woman who have been there longer and have already gotten the information they needed, began to take control and get everything in order. When Sofia Petrovna finally gets to see the prosecutor he tells her there isn't anything he can do because, Kolya had confessed to the being a terrorist. By this time Sofia Petrovna had already left her job, and Natasha had already been fired. One day when Sofia went to see Natasha she goes to her apartment and finds out that Natasha had committed suicide. Sofia Petrovna soon receives information that Alek has also been arrested for not saying anything about Kolya to the police. After a couple of days Sofia Petrovna finally receives a letter from Kolya telling her that an old friend from back in high school had told the police that Kolya had joined a terrorist group with him. Kolya couldn't do anything but confess, but he told his mother that he didn't join a terrorist group. Sofia Petrovna wanted to write him back, but a friend of hers told her that she shouldn't so the government wouldn't make her move and lose contact with her son.
The ending was not what I expected. I was expecting for Sofia Petrovna to die, since everything else in her life was going bad. Sofia Petrovna is a book that puts you in the moment of what is happening. While reading, I felt what Sofia Petrovna felt, which is why I expected a different ending. This book is a book that lets people know what was going on in the government in Russia during 1937 without actually putting out that it was all the government's fault. This book is a must read, especially for those who want to understand what was going on in Russia in 1937.

Sofia Petrovna is a novella written about the Great Purge of 1938. It
follows the life of a common woman named Sofia Petrovna who is devoted
to her son Kolya and to the work that she has just recently begun at a
typing office. While working, Sofia Petrovna makes friends with a
woman named Natasha Frolenko, Kolya goes off to college with his best
friend Alik Finkelstein and everything is going very nicely. However,
soon Kolya is arrested and thus begins the true plot of the novella:
the waiting of mothers, sisters and wives in long lines trying to
discover the fate of their loved ones who have been taken away and the
climax as each woman is told whether her parcel for said party will be
accepted or not.

Sofia Petrovna represents the average woman who believes that there is
no way that her family member could be involved in anything illegal;
everyone else is probably guilty, but never anyone belonging to her.
Sofia Petrovna feels so sorry for the other women, sympathizing with
them as to how difficult it must be to be related to a saboteur, but
the possibility that the others might be just as innocent as her Kolya
never enters her mind.

In the end Sofia Petrovna still has had no word from her son and
begins making up stories, saying that he has been released and is
coming home soon. She repeats it so much that she almost starts to
believe it herself and she makes up even more details. For instance
that Kolya is getting married and that he has been named assistant of
the factory that he is working in. Finally though, Sofia Petrovna
receives a real letter in which Kolya asks her to write an appeal to
let him out; however, on the advice of a friend, she does not. To
write an appeal to anyone would remind them of Sofia Petrovna's
existence and she would most likely be deported as well and with that,
she burns the letter and the book ends.

I had to read this for a World Civilization course and found it incredibly boring. None of the characters really have any emotional depth or personality, thus it's hard to care when anything bad happens to them, which is pretty much all that does happen in this book. I realize that many people were like Sofia in that they either did not or could not understand what was happening in this time period because of government censorship and misinformation, but Sofia isn't just naive. She comes off as downright stupid, which is extremely irritating considering that the entire book is about her.

The only good thing I really have to say about Sofia Petrovna is that it was very short and written in quite plain language so I didn't have to suffer through it for long.

This book was assigned to me in a Russian literature course, and it is one of the best Russian books that I have read so far.

As already mentioned in other reviews, it was very dangerous for Lydia Chukovskaya to have written this book, and is an excellent example of subversive writing at the time. It clearly captures the feelings at the time, as well as the reactions of the people.

The sad descent of Sofia Petrovna and her son into despair and madness is well-written in this great novel, which, while very simply and plainly written, is extremely expressive and emotional, while never being a cliche.

How friends turned away when a family member was "taken away" and left those remaining alone to starve since no one could employ them. This reads like a true account of the Stalinist Purge times but is under the label of fiction. Even as fiction, the author was in peril writting it. It is a short effective story written in a compelling manner.

The concept of starting a network of house churches is fascinating to consider. I am grateful for the role that this book played in informing me about the concept. However, there is more content which the authors could have provided on the topic. I felt as if I was left wanting more.

I found this book to be very helpful for solidifying our house church network strategy. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in starting a house church network or already in the process.

Pastors Larry Kreider and Floyd McClung present Starting a House Church: A New Model for Living Out Your Faith, a handy guide to participating in the growing house-church movement, which has sprouted to meet the needs of Christians and their communities in a manner beyond the ability of traditional churches. Chapters cover how to start one's own house church, ideal models for leading house churches, current and future trends in the house-church movement, how to work together with local, traditional, and mega-churches, and much more. "Who ministers to the children when they meet separately for the second half of the meeting? Whatever works! Here are some ideas: a rotation of all adult house-church members; responsible, trustworthy older kids; a rotation of couples with children; or teams composed of one parent and another adult (so that the other parent can participate in the discussion). Some house churches share children's services and resources with other house churches." A handy and useful "get-started" primer, enthusiastically recommended for any Christian reader interested in supplementing their spiritual gathering needs of their community.

For quick ideas, this was a good easy read. They hadn't said anything that hadn't been said before several times, however what the authors did, was compile all the spread out information into one book. I am not afraid of large books, but only if they need to be long, this one could have been cut in half...my suggestion is to pick the chapters that best suite you questions, and only read those, if you want a better, more detailed book on small group churches read, Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens

Cell Groups and House Churches: What History Teaches Us

As someone who has studied and written on house churches throughout history, I was pleased and intrigued to see this book on actually starting a house church today. And it's a great book! It gives an overview of the different forms of church today, of which house church is one. It also provides a good biblical basis for what is a growing phenomenon around the world. Although it does give very practical help in how actually to start or lead a house church, the book, however, does not major on structure but emphasizes that it is all about the heart and spirit of the church - that is a place to provide spiritual community and family so that Christians can grow in their walk with God. The book, furthermore, gives some helpful tips on mistakes which can be avoided. It provides vision, biblical backing and practical help - a very good combination and a worthwhile read indeed!

This book was my introduction to XML. I purchased it specifically with the intention of creating the XML driven web site at http://mobile.act.cmis.csiro.au. The book provided an excellent background on the purpose, advantages and development of XML and the use of XSLT for transforming XML to HTML for viewing. It also describes the document object model and its use and has short sections on document type definitions and XML schemas. Unusually for a computing book I found it a great read and couldn't put it down until I'd read cover to cover with some skimming where there was too much detail for a first pass.

The book aims to be "platform neutral" and describes implementations in Java and the use of Apache in the Unix environment however there is an emphasis on the Microsoft environment, due mainly to the native support in the Microsoft browser and the integration of various components and tools that make this environment easy to use for XML development. The anti Microsoft fraternity may not approve of this emphasis but it suited my needs, as it was the Microsoft environment I was intending to use.

It is apparent throughout the book that XML standards and development tools are still very new and undergoing rapid change. The book describes a number of XML vocabularies that are in early stages of adoption, discusses standards that are still evolving and includes speculation like "This chapter... examines... and discusses the role XML will play over the next several years." This makes for a contemporary text and is in part what makes the book an interesting read as I got quite excited by some of the scenarios described and possibilities that became apparent. But it does mean the book will rapidly become dated and need a second edition. It also left me with a feeling that the book was rushed for publication in an unfinished state.

The book includes a CD that contains the files for a "full blown Web site" that "includes template files, style sheets, and server pages that you can use to create your own site for serving XML." The techniques employed are discussed in the book and this is a great approach. I created a new directory in the Web server's path and copied the files and subdirectories to my new directory with the intention of starting with a working site and modifying the files supplied to create my own site as suggested. This was a great disappointment. Nothing worked. Absolute rather than relative addressing was used so that hyperlinks were invalid. The cascading style sheets were full of errors so didn't work. The scripts assumed my computer had a recent version of browscap.ini, which most computers wouldn't so they didn't work, and it wasn't obvious why. Getting it to function was tough because fixing up the problems with something you don't yet understand is a big ask. Had I realized how much effort it would take I would not have used the sample templates as a starting point for building a Web site. As well the site includes a database sample but no XML is used in the sample and the HTML is constructed entirely by scripting in an Active Server Page, the opposite of what the book is talking about. It was this disappointment that convinced me the book was published when not yet finished. The source code should have been accessible from the accompanying web site and updated as required with additional implementation issues discussed as they emerged when readers tried to use the supplied code.

With the exception of my major criticism I regarded the book as an excellent and wide-ranging introduction to XML and its uses.

This book is an excellent resource for the topics that it covers. However, many of the topics had not yet been released at the time of publication. Rather, the author was able to work along with the development team of XML to get information on those subjects. Before you pick this book up, you should also have knowledge of XML, not only what is behind it and what it is, but also the basic syntax. If you have a working knowledge of XML and can live with semi-outdated information, I would strongly recommend this title.

hi, i can found herer it is the good xml book for all web developer.

As the title suggests, this book is targeted for Webmasters with some knowledge of client-side scripting assumed. The examples are clear and most are general enough to be usable in any website. Later parts of the book go into short descriptions of XML-related products currently on the market and their inevitable quirks (most being beta code). Much of this would have been better handled with a link to the author's website considering that a good deal of this info may be obsolete in a few weeks. In the same vein, the included CD which includes a small example website done using XML could have easily been provided online, reducing the overall cost of the book.

I liked this book. As a consultant, I'm forced to assimilate new technology without consideration for my personal interest. I lean more towards the pragmatics of solving my customer's problems, and while XML as a data transport mechanism can be a very appropriate technology choice, XML for presentation, in my experience so far, has fallen short in providing any compelling argument for adoption over conventional client technology in combination with server dynamics.

This book provides a fine over view of a subject that seems to be rarely addressed directly. It provide good comparative evaluation of technologies, but leans slightly toward Microsoft Centricity - mostly because at the time of the books writing Microsoft IE was the only browser to offer any XML support and it's XML on the server technology was arguably the most mature.

The book provides a good look at what you would use different XML related technology for and how you might approach certain problems including how to support XML enabled browsers and "XML Challenged" browsers in the same code base.

The book comes with a CD, the good news is you don't have to type in the code samples; the bad news is the samples have lots of bugs and yje CD contains ONLY samples from the book. No extra code or goodies.

The Prentice Hall XML Series is well regarded. This book is a valuable tutorial for Web Developers - Front End or Back End.

Joe@ASPGurus.com