Hall Books

Cooperative learning can be defined as: concepts and strategies for enhancing student-student interaction. Since the 1970s, an impressive body of work on cooperative learning has developed in the areas of theory, research, and practical application. Lynda Baloche's book, "The collaborative classroom: Empowering learning" contributes to this work by bringing together ideas from many different authors in the field, as well as adding ideas of her own.

Lynda is a former classroom teacher who is a university professor helping educate other teachers - both those currently teaching and those preparing to teach - in the eastern U.S. The features of her book I like most are:

1. As mentioned already, the work of many others is synthesized 2. The ideas are illustrated by many examples across a wide range of subject areas and age groups, from kindergarten to senior high school. 3. One of the most useful means of illustrating ideas is through scenarios that show cooperative learning in action in a variety of classrooms. 4. A large number of cooperative learning techniques are described with sample applications. 5. Materials for classroom use are provided. 6. Attention is paid to making cooperative learning work in untracked classrooms. 7. Each chapter ends with cooperative learning activities for teachers to use to review, discuss, and apply the chapter's ideas.

After an initial chapter on the benefits of working together in the classroom and beyond, the other ten chapters are divided into three parts. Part one consists of three chapters that help us understand key psycho-social variables involved in group interaction. Chapter two looks at the classroom as a group and the importance of shared values. The third chapter provides insights on how groups function in the context of multicultural societies, including how status differences among group members arise and can be treated. Chapter four describes the need for cooperation throughout the school and the school community. Among the concepts dealt with here are parental involvement and conflict resolution.

Part one of the book looked at cooperation in a fairly general way. Part two focuses more specifically on cooperation among small groups of students. Five elements are seen as key to realizing the potential of this cooperation. These elements are: positive interdependence, simultaneous interaction, individual responsibility, interpersonal and small-group learning skills, and reflection and planning. The chapters in Part two help us understand how to facilitate the existence of these elements. This is what the author calls the "discipline of cooperation".

Chapter five describes two types of groups and how they function. Base groups last for a year or more, providing a kind of support group for each student. On the other end of the spectrum in terms of duration are informal groups that last only for one activity. The main type of cooperative learning group is called the formal learning group. Such groups are described in Chapter six along with nine ways of fostering positive interdependence among the members of the groups.

Chapter seven offers many ideas for helping students with another of the key elements of cooperative learning: interpersonal and small-group learning skills. The next chapter, eight, discusses the cooperative learning element of reflecting on past learning and planning for future learning, while chapter nine tackles the thorny issues of individual responsibility within groups and assessment of group work. The last chapter in Part two examines teachers' roles in the cooperative learning, such as seating, size and composition of groups, and lesson planning.

The book's final part consists of just one fairly short chapter, but it involves an essential aspect of the implementation of cooperative learning. This part is entitled "Developing commitment to an exciting profession". Among the themes dealt with are cooperation among teachers, teacher inquiry, and developing purpose and vision. After this final chapter, a list of books for further reading is offered in addition to the standard list of references and the subject and author indexes.

Baloche presents a primer on cooperative learning. But it's more then that! Her's is a hands on directory of effective strategies to implement cooperative learning in your school. She begins with the why, continues with the importance and directions for building community, talks about diversity and presents essential skills of cooperation. She teaches these skills to the reader so that the reader may teach her students.I found this book jammed full of excellent ideas. I have since tried some and they work. I have reccommended this book to my faculty.

The International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education reviewed this book in their April 1998 newsletter. Excerpts from the review include: "Lynda Baloche has just produced one of the freshest yet comprehensive books for educators--novice and veteran--who 'want to learn about the power of cooperation for high levels of meaningful inquiry, independent thought, and active and productive participation in diverse, democratic settings.' She includes a healthy examination of the basic theories of group structure and development and uses theory to focus on diversity issues, multicultural education and parent involvement. This book provides a progressive and conceptually sound framework for assessment. The book has several important features that make it particularly friendly. She introduces each chapter with a series of open-ended conceptual questions that help focus the reader's attention. Chapters in Part II and III use extensive scenarios that describe highly skilled teachers and classrooms from kindergarten through grade 12 in a variety of subject areas and integrative thematic units. These are rich and provocative materials for discussion and reflection by both preservice and inservice teachers. To find one book that is so comprehensive in terms of theory and research, while providing a structure for understanding and using cooperative group work, is unusual."

This book has been a valuable tool in not only understanding cooperative learning, but also teaching it to fellow teachers. The material is set up so that each chapter gives research and background of each technique, explanations of how and when to use them, and practical application for the classroom. Teachers who used this text to learn cooperative learning this summer are ready and willing to utilize these skills directly into their classrooms. My school is a technical high school with a major interest on career training and because of Linda's clear explanations they are able to apply techniques which will help in their career areas.
I would reccommend this book for anyone from elementary through college level interested in teaching using cooperative learning techniques. It is well written and easy to utliize.

This book is a continuation of the first book. The book covers deployment of web application in great detail. It takes you through the development of a JSP, custom tags and does not leave you hanging like other books. It takes you through the steps of compiling, building and installing your web app. It covers security filtering and much more.

Another interesting technique this book uses, is it take the web developer through the different types of web development. It starts with development of custom tags and takes the reader through JSTL libraries and then discusses the Struts framework.

Finally, I used this book to help me through deployment of my web application. It was an invaluable tool.

I highly recommend this book. I have not had it for very long but I already find it very useful. It has helped my team introduce new technology and features into our applications. The Application Events Framework in chapter 6 helped me debug my application and discover that Struts creates a new session, if one doesn't exist, on every request In fact, JSP Tag files technology discussed in chapter 7 was the basis for a new reusable common component that we have created.

I like the style of the book very much. One thing in particular that I like is when a new technology or feature is introduced the steps needed to use it are numbered and laid out clearly without going into too much detail. Then as the feature is developed and each step is examined in detail the steps as a whole are repeated. This helps keep things in perspective - you can see more clearly where each thing fits into the big picture.

The authors also do a good job of trying to give small but useful and instructional examples of the different technologies - not always an easy task.

Whenever I look into this book I find new and interesting ideas. Even the concepts that I am familiar with I still learn new things about them. I wish I had more time to read through the entire book.

"Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages, Volume 2: Advanced Technologies" targets developers who already know Java and basic servlets/JSPs. Note this book's second edition does not cover the latest technologies. It uses J2EE 1.3/1.4 and Struts 1.3.

The main topics are advanced deployment descriptor settings, security, custom tags, filters, event handling and JSTL. Then there are three chapters on Struts 1.3. These additional chapters were very good although I'm not sure what they have to do with "core servlets." The browser screenshots were good for showing output and the examples were excellent.

As with "Core Java", the 700 page book contains some long classes. I could have done without the complete 5 page deployment descriptor at the end since it was gradually built up with new additions highlighted. The highlighting does help with spatial orientation.

I did notice a couple typos in the book. None of these affected the meaning, but it gives you the impression it wasn't proofread as carefully as other books. And (at least my copy) had a printing error where one page was missing a few lines.

For most part the book pointed out best practices. There were a few exceptions such as one chapter mentioning which jsp page should establish a database connection. Different chapters had different opinions on whether there should be scriptlets in a JSP as well.

Overall the book was fine although I would prefer to invest in a different title - either fully on Struts or fully on servlets/JSPs.

2nd edition has all the details for environment setup so it makes it easy and clear how to start your first web application. I always refer to this book when I need some reference or to review basic web application development.

Oh, I love this little book!
It does cover some very basic information but the advanced stuff its there too - and I've been using their pattern-drafting technique since I was given a copy of that chapter back in college.... 25 years ago!
Great stuff.

Hey guys! Wow, if you're lookin for books on costuming and you've found this book, you've probably realized that there aren't that many books out there on the topic. I found this one at a library and I had to own it. Altho a little outdated (there's more technology now and even more techniques) It's a really good starting place since it lists many other books and sources in the back. The Authors also wote the Theater Technician's Handbook.....I like this one better since it has more information on actual construcion of costumes.

After being in a small costume shop for five years, i wish i had discovered this sooner! This book gives realistic solutions for common problems!

I took this book out of the library because I do costuming, but I didn't think it would be that good- now I want my own copy. Even though it contains theatre oriented advice on making realistic looking armor without breaking your budget, aging fabric, padding out your actors properly, etc., it also contains basic helpful advice for anyone who sews about the fabrics you use, how to solve problems when things don't fit right, picking the right sized dart, and more. I definitely recommend it.

George Oldroyd's book The Technique and Spirit of Fugue is the best book on fugue composition but it's out of print and VERY expensive. So, by default, Kent Kennan's book is the best reference book a composer can buy for a basic overview of counterpoint. If you already have a year or two of music theory (you know about modulations, sonata forms, and basic part-writing) you can,literally, just start working from this book with Bach as a companion text and start teaching yourself how to write fugues.

Kennan's book is helpful because while mostly covering Baroque counterpoint he covers the topic in a way that lets a student expand on the contrapuntal principles into other styles. If you're going to get just one book on counterpoint make this the book.

Having taught counterpoint for about twenty years, I can honestly say this is still the best textbook available on the subject. Along the way I tried a number of "newer" texts, but my classes always met with more success using Kennan. The workbook that accompanies this book is a must for anyone who wants to master the art of eighteenth-century counterpoint. To be honest, you also need a teacher to evaluate your progress.

This is the most practical and efficient counterpoint textbook for class room use, the textbook I would use if I were to teach counterpoint in the class room. It is clear and concise and to the point. To gain a broader understanding of counterpoint, I recommend this work be supplemented with Walter Piston's COUNTERPOINT. I also recommend PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.

The first musical example for Chapter 3 should be an excerpt from Bach's Two-Part Invention, No.11. It is not, as the reader will quickly discover when the text talks about a "lower voice" that simply doesn't exist! This is not a huge problem, since the correct measures are shown soon after (in Example 5). But it could be confusing at first.

The fun starts the moment that Stanley and Alice check into the Blue Frog Inn and doesn't stop until the improbable(or just goofy)conclusion. I've read all of the books in this series and while this is a little different from most it is just zany enough to keep you reading. It involves two murders, a small town sheriff who doesn't have a clue and a little bit of everything for everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun light mystery to read.

A fascinating story of murder and mystery among strangers.

Parnell Hall has written another well-loved Stanley Hastings mystery. Private detective Stanley Hastings and his wife, Alice, have just taken a vacation to relax when strange things begin to happen. On a hiking trip Stanley meets lots of new people who all turn out to stay in the same inn where he's vacationing. This seems strange to Stanley, but he doesn't mind until someone begins killing the guests one by one, bringing his vacation plans to an end. The officer investigating the murders suspects everyone, even Stanley, until all clues lead to the arrest of one of the other guests. Believing the guest to be innocent, the Hastings try to find the real murderer.

If you are looking for a book that will keep you guessing and that has a twisting plot, this is the book for you. It has interesting characters and a surprise ending that will make you unable to put this book down. So settle in for an evening of mystery.

Each time someone in the book asks, "I beg your pardon?" I tumble into hysterics. This is the result of cleverly built up dialogue that becomes funnier with each fragment of repartee.
Who cares about the plot? This author is a genius who could solve all the problems of the world with his wonderfully optimistic and forgiving attitude, and a humor that is on the par with the very best comedy writers (even exceeding them). I had to stop reading at times to prevent myself from strangling on my own convulsive laughter. Have mercy, Parnell. If you had been any funnier, I'd have gladly died laughing.

As a mystery writer with a book in its initial release, I have long admired Parnell Hall's work because of his unique approach to the mystery genre. His style and voice are entirely his own. COZY, his new Stanley Hastings outing, perfectly illustrates what I admire about Hall and his writing. Hastings and his wife travel to a New Hampshire bed and breakfast where a series of homicides immediately begin to occur. The local police, in the manner of the long history of cozies, mishandle every clue. Hastings finds that he must solve the crimes in this well-plotted mystery. COZY is a solid work by a solid writer who keeps his tone light and his approach, in this book, breezy. I recommend COZY highly.

Good book. Easy read. Very much to the point.

However, it does not cover the essentials of teachings. With the Moonies, they clearly drifted away from the original intentions of the biblical teachings. What if you feel you really hit the truth (like many Christians do)? Is it allowed to not totally give a newcomer the full scope? But 'introduce' him with the good looking aspects? We do the same in a way with children, e.g. not showing pictures of dead people, simply because they are not ready for that part which embodies the life they will live. So Christians that 'know' they hold the truth may also feel that they are allowed to hide children of faith from the harder aspects of God untill they are more spiritually grown, and ready for it. Still not sure where I stand on this one, and the book doesn't get into that. I think the decision is not so important as the reason behind it: greed (personal desires and fears) or love.

Still, a very clear good introduction of what teaching methods can/should be used and avoided in life.

The book is over twenty years old.However,the material is ageless. As long as there are radical cults in this world, there will be a need for a book like this. The book takes you through the initial idealism of joining a radical group to the subsequent dissolutionment that follows when one realizes how he/she could have been involved in such a group. I challenge you not to feel that dissolution at the end of the book.

As an ex-cult member, I have to say that this book by Christopher Edwards was instrumental in helping me to leave the group I was with. Though we were not moonies (we were oneness pentecostals, United Pentecostals) there were enough similarities in the thought control process between the two groups that it shook me up and started me thinking about what I was involved with. A great book, a must read.

Christopher Edwards gives an excellent, riveting story of his experience in the Unification Church and how he got lured into this cult and how his whole life was controlled by the Moonies. It also shows how he eventually was deprogrammed from them. A must read for ex members of any dangerous religious group, parents of current members, and even current members themselves.

A solid compendium of medieval documents relating to the clash between church and state. Translated from Latin into fairly readable English, Tierney includes introductory material and notes which allow him to maintain some of the nuance of Latin connotations that would usually not carry over into English translation. This book has lots of documents that we all hear about in European History texts but usually don't read in their entirety, such as the supposed "Donation of Constantine" which the Renaissance linguist Lorenzo Valla proved to be a forgery through textual analysis. Tierney's book shows that far from the relatively aloof, spiritual province the Church consigns itself to today, things weren't always that way. In the medieval era, the Church Militant was every bit a secular authority as well as a spirtual one, and the boundaries between church and state blurred. It was only through the centuries of conflict reflected in Tierney's book that the modern split between church and state first emerged, and the possibility of Western Europe and the United States being ruled by theocratic governments faded. A great supplementary text or source of documents for a medieval history or western civilization course, this book would be an interesting read for anyone concerned about the ancient roots of the tension between Church and State whose reverberations still echo today on Capitol Hill.

Brian Tierney's THE CRISIS OF CHURCH AND STATE: 1050-1300 is an interesting study of the struggle between European secular rulers and the Catholic authroities for control of the "Universal Church" (the Catholic Church). This struggle was basically a poltical affair in which men on both sides added religious arguemtns to bolster their case. This is not to say that some of these men were not motivated by religion.

Readers should realize that contemporary definitions of separation of church and state did not exist in the Middle Ages. There were divisions, but these were narrowly defined. However, due to these struggles the Catholic authorities were gradually able to free themselves from secular control which was the beginning of separation of church and state.

Tierney begins this study with early Catholic sources definning the relationship between political authority and the status of Catholics. He cites St. Augustine's (346-420 AD) THE CITY OF GOD in which St. Augustine considers state authority as a necessary evil due to Man's sinful nature. Tierney's explanation and comments are clear and accurate.

Tierney next examines the internal control of the Catholic Church. One should note that until the 11th. century (the years between 1001 to 1100) that men who controlled monestaries held considerable prestige and power. The fact is that land represented both wealth and power, and the monestaries had control of large land areas. One of the internal Catholic Church questions was that of reform and the relationship between the secular clergy and regular clergy. Abbots and monks were known as regular clergy because they followed a monasttic rule such as the Benedictine Rule for example.

Another internal dispute that Tierney effectively explains is that of reform of both the secular and regular clergy. Catholic authorities have never concealed problems and scandals. The question was who should be in charge of such reform. The monks claimed this was their responsibility. Secular rulers claimed reform was their responsibility. The Popes and the Curia claimed this was their responsibility. Tierney adds that members of Church councils should take control which irritated the Popes and Curia who saw such councils as intruding on the authority of the Pope.

However, the most significant conflict was the Investature Controversy between the German ruler Henry IV (1056-1106) and Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). Tierney explains that in 1057, the Papal Curia initiated the Papal Election Decree to remove the German rulers and other secular rulers from imposing their own candidates to the Papacy. The Investature Controversy involed the authority of appointing bishops to their dioceses. Many of the German bishops had been appointed by the German rulers,and these bishops loyalty between secular rulers and the Church was at best questionable. Gregory VII tried to put an end to this problem by challenging Henry IV's authority on this issue. The results were turbulent and at times violent. There were exommunications, military campaings, the looting of Rome by the Normans, etc. One result was known at the Papal Revolution.

These conflicts between Catholic authroities and the Germans ended with the reign of Frederick II (1211-1250). Readers should note and Tierney explains the Frederick II succeeded Frederick Barbaroosa (1152-1190). This conflict ruined the German Empire temporarity enganced the Papacy and status of the Catholic Church. Readers should examine Tierney's comments and the sources he cites to have a good grasp of these conflicts.

Tierney also does a good job in explaining the bitter conflict between the French King Phillip (1285-1314) and Pople Boniface VIII (1294-1305) which inflicted an almost fatal blow to the Catholic Church. This section of the book is perhaps the best section. Tierney's use of sources and introductory remarks are very well done.

Tierney also examines the Canon Law jurists and Scholastic philosophers. Of particular note is the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). St. Thomas showed a marked difference with St. Augustine. Aquinas' view of the political authority was to protect men and women rather than a necessary evil due to their sinful nature. In regards to the Canon Law, Aquinas argued that the Canon Law was to give each man his due. One can note the change here.

This reviewer recommends this book. Tienrey's introductory essays are informative and well written. His choice of sources is good. One should note Tienery's work on the Middle Ages is among the best this reviewer has read. A good companion volume is Berman's LAW AND REVOLUTION.

This book contains many of the critical documents that trace the origin of Western freedoms. Tierney prefaces the main body of his material with a few short but fascinating passages from and on people like Ambrose and Augustine. In the following chapters, he traces the debate about the relationship between Church and State as it developed in three or four dozen key documents from 1050 to 1300. Tierney helpfully sets context for each passage. In some, popes and kings jockey for power; in others, thinkers offer balanced or didactically one-sided solutions.

Again and again one notes key NT passages coming up, like "My kingdom is not of this world," and "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's." As Tierney notes, the influence of Christianity on the proceedings are clear in two ways: first, "The very existence of two power structures competing for men's allegiance greatly enhanced the possibilities for human freedom." And second, "The possibility of a continuing tension between church and state was inherent in th every beginnings of the Christian religion." The documents eloquently demonstrate these points for themselves. The interest is not always in big themes, however, but often in human and even humorous details. Tierney's selection is varied.

Anyone who thinks modern freedom was an escape from Medieval despotism or ex nihilo invention of the Enlightenment, or that all religions are the same, and theological differences between religions have little practical effect, should carefully read this book. Clearly, the Grand Inquisitor is not the whole story, nor the big story, of the Middle Ages. Donald Treadgold's Freedom: A History, also makes some good comparative points in relation to other cultures. But there is nothing like going to the original sources for getting a feel for what people really thought, and why they thought it. An excellent resource.

Tierney's book is a very thought provoking book. However, I do not think that the reader can fully enjoy the entirity of the book without being apart of a discussion group or a class. This book is remarkable for its reference and outline. Tierney, being an anti-infallibist, helps guide the reader through his work by using the dialectic method. Arguments are presented and then the counter arguments are presented. This may seem repetitive but it is all apart of the process. This allows the reader to see one side of the argument get rebuked by the other side and then that side get rebuked again. In addition, each introduction to the chapter/section, provides all the background you need to know in order to enjoy the battle of wits, so to speak, between papal loyalists and emperor loyalists.

As one other reviewer noted there is continuing recurrence of key passages from the Bible in this book. This is central to the main argument that is taking place. Of course the main argument is who controls what and who has the power over whom. Knowing a little of Tierney's background will help you understand his position, as an anti-infallibist, meaning he doesn't like the papacy, to put it bluntly. But don't take that to heart. Tierney along with many other especially the emperors of the medieval ages did not agree with the papacy. Back to the main argument. When reading this book make note of the key passages aforementioned. It seems that sometimes this is the only ammunition that the papacy has, basing their power on what Jesus said to Peter. Of course, any serious student of religious studies knows that the NT is made up of thousands of texts, most written about two generations after the death of Jesus and later, so it may be impossible to really imply that Jesus was really granting Peter supreme authority on the earth. For more information see various works on N.T. Wright, E.P Sanders, or Powell's book, Jesus as a Figure in History.

Overall, this is a great book, which may seem dry at some times, but it is well worth the read.

Informative and well written book about the sinking of the Gustloff at the end of the Second World War. The authors set the sinking into the historical and political context of the time and remain objective about their subject. There are several black and white photographs inside the book.

I thought this was a fascinating book and a very enjoyable (if that is the right word) and informative read which I would readily recommend to anyone interested in the subject. The Cruelest Night is like an academic version of The Damned Don't Drown by AV Sellwood which is also about the sinking. I did not read the two books one after another so I cannot honestly comment on any factual differences between the two although they do have similar survivor stories.

I bought the book second hand and at a very reasonable price if I had paid more for it I would possibly have been disappointed. In some respects it is an old fashioned book and if the subject was tackled today a very different style of book would have been produced with a lot more illustrations and maps and possibly a different layout. However it is one of only two books I could find in the English language about the Gustloff and it is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the Second World War or maritime history.

I'm a survivor of the Gustloff and finally got to read this book in '94 or '95. The authors did an excellent job in researching something nobody was interested in. I was only 11 at the time of the sinking, but much is still vivid to me. I would like to purchase this book to leave for my kids.

The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, with a loss of as many as 7,000 lives, is marked by ironies. Although the ship carried civilians and wounded soldiers, it was recognizably a legitimate military target owing to its contingent of German naval personnel as well as its armament (anti-aircraft guns). The Soviet submarine which sunk the Gustloff had been built before the war as part of the clandestine Soviet-Nazi military cooperation. The Gustloff sailed from Gothenhafen, the renamed Polish port of Gdynia which the Germans had seized as part of their conquest of Poland in 1939. The refugees crammed into the doomed ship, having escaped the attentions of the avenging Soviet land forces, fell instead to the Soviet Navy. The Soviet commander, ostensibly a hero for killing fascists, ended up in Siberia, and it took nearly twenty years for him to be totally vindicated. The whole range of human behaviors was exhibited by the humans once the three torpedoes hit. Some civilians cried helplessly and were paralyzed by fear into inaction. Others were methodical in their attempts to save themselves. Some men gave up their lifejackets. Other men fought off women and children in order to get the lifeboats and rafts for themselves. The ship's crew was also preferentially saved. The last survivor was an infant who was discovered at first dawn, hours after the sinking, surrounded by the huddled-together frozen bodies of his relatives on a floating lifeboat or raft.

When lists of famous ship-sinkings are printed, complete with their number of lives lost, how many of those lists begin with what is probably the worst one of them all - the Wilhelm Gustloff? On the night of January 30, 1945, as the war in Europe was drawing towards its inevitable conclusion, the Wilhelm Gustloff set sail from Gdynia with some 8,000 people on board (some put the number at over 10,000!). Crewed by an ad hoc crew, captained by two competing captains, and protected by one ill-armed torpedo boat, without adequate lifeboats or life preservers, the ship was a disaster waiting to happen. And on that dark night, when three Soviet torpedoes slammed into it, disaster came. This is the story of the worst maritime disaster in history...the forgotten worst maritime disaster in history.

Overall, I found this to be a wonderfully informative read. The author covered the events in great depth, covering everything from the launching of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the careers of the people involved in the tragedy, the events of January 30, 1945, and on to the end of the war. As an added bonus, there is a postscript on a lost priceless art treasure, the Amber Room, which may have gone down with the ship. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

Nick Tosches in collaboration with Daryl Hall & John Oates keeps the beat going all the way through this well-written semi-autobiography of Daryl Hall & John Oates from their beginnings to 1984.

The book itself is a good, easy read, featuring lots of color photos and drawings by Daryl that hasn't had too many cartoonists looking over their shoulders.

This item is currently out-of-print, but it would do well for the author to update "Dangerous Dances" since a lot has happened since 1984 and Daryl & John have had a renaissance of sorts with the success of their "Do It For Love" album which has already scored a number one A/C song and the duo has also had a recent (February, 2003) Billboard Magazine issue done as a tribute to their 30+ years as artists.

This is THE official autobiography of Daryl Hall & John Oates. They take you through their childhoods right up to the most successful time of their careers. There are some great pictures in this book from childhood right on up. If you want to know as much as possible about the most successful pop duo in music history, this is the book you'll want to read!

There are few books that I read more than once. This will be well received and a most for all Daryl and John fans. It is the struggle that we all watched them go through to achieve stardom. I have actually purchased a second book and have one autographed. It is a hot item!

I had purchased this book originally in 1984. It wasn't easy to get back then either!

I have read this cover to cover, repeatedly, and just can't get enough!

And I agree with one of the other reviewers saying that a lot has happened since 1984! Maybe another book is called for!

This book is very informative. It gives a lot of useful tips as to how to manage your finances and how to actually deal with your debts. I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out ways to managing their debts.

I have known Liz Weston for years as a journalist and have always found her to be very thorough and no-nonsense. This book is no exception. It's well researched with unbaised and sensible strategies for dealing with debt. I had the opportunity to interview Liz on my internet radio show EverydayWealthRadio recently about the book and she clearly has great advice on this topic. She addresses things like 401k loan, pros and cons of different types of debt, and the common questions I hear from consumers,

This book is full of great information on high to prioritize your financial life in terms of debt reduction, retirement saving and other saving. But the advice assumes the reader has a fair amount of discipline (i.e., ability to budget and constrain extraneous spending). The book goes into great detail on how to balance debt reduction with maintaining financial flexibility, maintaining good FICO scores, etc. But far too many people who are deeply in debt (and seeking help from books like this) have a spending habit that needs more drastic surgery than this book gives. So, I would say this book gives outstanding advice, but only for a subset of the public who have the right discipline. For many folks, the more drastic "surgery" advocated by cheerleaders like Dave Ramsey will be more effective.

I bought three debt books the last time I was at Amazon. They were all good, but this was the most comprehensive in easy to read format and sentences that it made things easy to develop a plan from this book. I already passed it on to two other people.