Foster Books

A great book telling a story I have always been curious about.When I found out that something like 25% of of the black American radio audience listened to country music I have to admit I was both surprised and yet I wasn't.Country music was always a "adult" music and as is stated in the book,black Americans have not just contributed styles and techniques but have also been practioners of the form.Foster introduces the reader to various people, from people who work in the industry(DJ's,promo people etc..)to musicians and even fans.I have to admit the only black country singers I'd ever heard were Charley Pride (obviously)and Stoney Edwards(fantastic)until I heard the CD box devoted to black country musicians called "FROM WHERE I STAND".The singer LaMelle Prince was a stand out for me.Now my curiosity has been aroused I'm going to try and get some of the singers that sounded interesting. Two points 1)Now that a book has been written about the influence of black music on Country,when will some politically in-correct, non-liberal type write a book on the influence of various European musics on black music.There are hundreds of books written about black American music forms showing its relationships to African styles and rhythms yet no one seems to have bothered to research the influence from the other side as author Barney Hoskyns' classic book on soul music with a country flavour"SAY IT ONE TIME FOR THE BROKENHEARTED"

(newly reprinted-get this,if you like this book) states on one page,it seems too contentious a topic for an impeccably liberal musicologist to research and write about,black musicians are deified,white country musicians are bumpkins and rednecks who steal,yet black musicians who played music of an Anglo-Celtic or European style were great musicians who adapted to a awful situation (slavery)not that they may have actually enjoyed playing the music not counting their enslaved position in society of the time. 2)It was heart warming to read about a "young star in the making",a 13 yr old girl who wants to be a country singer.I really hope she makes it. Foster has done a great service to all the people and fans of country music in the black community who have followed their love of a style of music that has never been thought to have been their own but as she has shown can proudly claim their own as much as anyone.Country music is not just "white"music,it is an "AMERICAN" music as this book proudly shows.This book deserves a wider audience,Foster has self-published this effort,but it deserves publishing by a major publishing house to expose to a larger audience,I only found it here at Amazon.com by accident.Lucky Me !

I purchased a copy of this book and found it to be phenomenal! I shared the information with my friends. It opened up my eyes (no pun intended) to a lot of everyday things. The information about the meaning of the symbols on the American dollar bill was indeed interesting. After reading the book I began to think about a lot of the stereotypes and "tapes" that we play in our head. Great book. I would highly recommend this for anyone. I will be sharing it with high school students that I mentor.

This activity book is a wonderful resource for foster parents and foster children! I like this book because important and tough topics are raised, but in a non-threatening way. Any book that helps explain foster care and the issues involved is a valuable resource for foster parents (or any adult working with foster children) and foster children. -Cynthia Miller Lovell, author of The Star: A story to help young children understand foster care, and Questions & Activities for The Star: A handbook for foster parents.

My Personal Life History Book: A Guided Activity Workbook for Foster Children ( Their Families, Case Workers and Teachers )
This is the only therapeutic, guided activity workbook for children of its kind for which a manual for parents, teachers, primary caregivers and mental health professionals has also been created. The Personal Life History Book method was developed decades ago to help traumatized foster children. It has been scientifically studied and shown to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to help stabilize foster care. All children can potentially benefit from using this book which helps children think about and express their feelings and strengthens coping skills. The workbook is a derivative of the Cornerstone Method of Reflective Network Therapy (See www.cphc-sf.org for more information.) The Children's Psychological Health Center (CPHC, a non profit agency) also provides this and other guided activity workbooks regarding disaster relief to helping agencies for a nominal one dollar fee per copy to reprint this book from a copyrighted pdf file when quantities of 100 or more are required. CPHC's Medical Director made this general comment to help explain why these workbooks help children heal:
"The use of guided activity workbooks shows children that honestly facing the disaster is sup¬ported rather than avoided by their teachers and families or emergency caregivers. The use of drawings and encouragement of narrative writing advances a subli¬mative and witnessing process in which the child feels respected and useful within the child's human network. The child's personal locus of control and sense of personal history are enhanced. The psychological benefit of promoting the concept of shared experience in the child's mind in times of general disaster cannot be overstated. When the adults in their lives concretely acknowledge the complexity and depth of children's traumatic experiences, children are helped to understand that their inner world and their personal history is honored and valued. One cannot discount the therapeutic value of natural empathy and nurturing rescuers may provide to children suffering the aftermath of mass scale trauma. However, the only method I know of capable of reliably providing almost immediate and direct therapeutic relief to such children which is psychoanalytically based (and can help without reliance on such workers' psychological expertise) is the intervention of therapeutic activity workbooks we have made available for this purpose." -Gilbert Kliman , MD
-Terese Reitinger, Friends of Cornerstone, Member

This is a wonderful book I just love it I have adopted a child and it was fun to go back and put things in there for her to remeber threw the years.

I read The Mystery of the Star Ruby for a project at Waukazoo Elementary. I thought it was a good book because it is a boxcar mystery and the kids are detectives that solve mysteries and they are in the same family. I think others would read it that are ages 8-11. I would recommend this book to kids from elementary school.

I read the book called The Mystery on Blizzard Mountain as a project for Waukazoo Elementary. I thought it was a great book. I like it because it is full of action and mysterious parts. I think others read it from ages 8-11 of age. I will recommend this book for fans of the Boxcar Children series books.

Mark S. Foster's A Nation on Wheels describes the rise of automobile culture in America. The first chapter sets the stage, giving background as to why society was ready for the introduction of the automobile. Foster gives a rounded and interesting account of the history of the automobile and its impact on American culture, but fails to give any insight as to the solution of the problems created by the automobile. He also gives important statistics on the effect of the automobile on the US economy. Foster also showed how the automobile created the market for huge industries today such as motels and fast food. As well as the automobiles influence on the trend towards suburban lifestyle and it's effect on the economy.

I am a CASA (court appointed special advocate) and just came from a lecture by Dr. Ira Chasnoff. He is completely convincing and wonderfully qualified on this subject.

He has run fascinating experiments and seems to have opened a completely new area of diagnosis for problem children. By running a diagnostic and treatment center for problem children, he can offer courses for people who deal with problem children or who are interested in starting a community program to deal with the growing problem. You might check into this...

But, after diagnosis, what can be done to help the child? Dr. Chasnoff describes treatment and can prove its effectiveness. Elsewhere, these children are usually drugged and often over-drugged, but without solving their behavioral problems. He has designed a series of solutions to help the child cope with actual structural brain dificiencies (caused by pre-natal drug use).

Of course, he has found that pre-natal drug use (including alcohol) affect behavior -- but, oddly, he has found that mothers who use drugs AFTER birth continue to affect the child's IQ! Thus treating the child without treating the mother can be futile (probably a reason why Head Start's good results do not last -- the parents must be treated too).

Highly recommended. It may save a life. If you have a problem child, consider getting diagnosis and treatment with Dr. Chasnoff. Get involved with bringing this new information into use within your community!

Good overview of current debate around process/ post process. Berlin cognitive map summary useful. Rumblings of discontent audible. Networked subjectivity, etc. obvious metaphor for this moment. Stasis is a good aim-- there must be common ground from which to negotiate meaning. Must read Kent now-- odd disconnect between "most required course on college campuses" and "we can't teach anything b/c we don't know that we know anything"--- in the real world there must be compromise.