Hart Books

After serving as George McGovern's campaign manager in the 1972 presidential election, Hart entered the Colorado senate campaign in 1974. An upset victory set the young, dashing idealist on a course for national leadership. To the suprise of many this presumed dove, who had just spent the past several years of his life arguing against US intervention in Vietnam, turned his attention to war making. He created the Bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Military Reform which dealt with such neglected issues as military doctrine, personnell retention, and unit structure. Sensational issues like $1,000 toilet seats may have gotten the headlines but it was the obsession with obscurity that ultimately made the difference. Hart personally sought out inconoclasts in the ranks like John Boyd and Pierre Spreye and brought their ideas to the forefront over the objection of Pentagon brass. This book, written prior to the 1988 debacle, is in part the dramatic story of those visionaries who overcame the resistance and inertia of the military establisment to create a lean, mean fighting machine. It is also part blueprint for finishing the job. This book is indispensable to military history buffs and is still relevant today thanks to the oblivious, foot dragging, poll watching Bill Clinton. What a sad contrast.

It is an excellent view of the tort law. This book is an introduction accessible for anyone that wont become immersed in a complex subject like the law of tort. With simple style the writer get show how work as a whole the liability system .

When I was in the sixth grade we moved twice, and in all three of the schools from New Jersey to Connecticut to Japan I got to study Ancient Greece in the history part of the class. I also got a lot of mileage out of having read Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" (I still have my mythology report with my versions of all of the illustrations). But in all the times I got to study Ancient Greece before, during, and after the sixth grade I never got to do any of the fun stuff that Avery Hart & Paul Mantell come up with for "Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age."

This Kaleidoscope Kids volume for kids ages 7-12 not only offers activities but also a variety of information about the Ancient Greeks. So this is not simply a book of activities that teachers can pick and choose from to give their students hands-on experiences, it is also a source of facts and stories that will supplement what exists in whatever textbook is being used. Throughout the book there are "Great Greeks!" and things to "Think About." After reminding young readers of the gifts that have come down to us from Ancient Greece, Hart and Mantell get students acclimated to the idea of looking at the past from the perspective of those who lived way back when. Then the book looks at key periods of Greek history.

"Meet the Minoans: The Pre-Greeks of Crete" looks at the culture that gave rise to the greatness of Greece with activities to make a Greek yo-yo, a Great Mother figure, a Hamster Labyrinth (without the Minotaur), and a fantastic fresco. That gives you an indication of the sort of activities to be found in this book before we even get to Greece itself. Other chapters are devoted to "The Age of Heroes," where you get a super-short version of "The Iliad" and can build a Trojan Horse, "Language Unites!" (including speaking "Pig Greek"), "The Dawn of a Golden Age," where you can organize a pentathlon and make a victory wreath, and "Ye Gods! Greek Religion and Mythology," where you can design your own constellation.

In the last part of the book chapters cover "Classical Athens: The Flower of Ancient Civilization," where you get to build a Greek Temple with Ionic columns (or even build the entire Parthenon), "Think For Yourself: Philosophy," where students can make a monochord or hold a symposium, and "The Amazing Arts," which covers create sculptures and painting pots in the first part and making masks to make up a Greek play in the second part. The final chapter covers "A Wider World: Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age," where you can start a library. At the end, students can appreciate how being a Greek meant standing in the center of the world (as least, as far as the Ancient Greeks were concerned).

Again, there are some key issues to be discussed to go along with the activities. Students can debate what is the difference between a hero and a celebrity, understand why every vote counts in a democracy, and decide what makes somebody beautiful. Learning how to press olives or how huge blocks of marble were transported across the sea, gives students an appreciation for how things were different way back when. Throughout the book Hart and Mantell show how ancient ideas live on in modern traditions, which remains the biggest legacy of the Ancient Greeks.

I teach Classical Greek & Roman Mythology (not to be confused with Modern Greek & Roman Mythology apparently) but I teach it online so I do not really have any opportunities to have my students engage in hands-on activities. But that does not mean I cannot do them in the privacy of my own home or that elementary school teachers will not find these extremely useful for their unit on Ancient Greece. Although I am suddenly reminded of coming up with the "Sparthens" (a.k.a. the warriors with the brains) in elementary school. But that is another story.

Mr. Hart presents a superb overview of Mayan spirituality in a modern context, and does so with a depth of knowledge and sensitivity that is extraordinary. So far and above the usual disservice done to the subject by countless guidebooks and magazine articles, the many interviews are woven together to show a beautiful tapestry. Un muy buen trabajo, senor sacerdote!

Gary Hart should be eternally grateful for Antwaun's oeuvre. He is responsible for resurrecting public interest in a washed up presidential ex-candidate.

4.5 blue ribbons

Lucy West loves everything about her job at Wirrindago, an Australian cattle station where she's employed as a cook and housekeeper. She's even in love with one of the stockman. The arrival of her sister with the request that Lucy return to England to be at the bedside of a friend who's in a coma means leaving it all behind. Having to leave Australia for England is bad enough but having her antagonist Guy accompany her is almost more than she can take.

Guy Dangerfield is a successful English businessman who's visiting his cousin at Wirrindago. He takes great pleasure in annoying Lucy, including calling her Cinderella. He's perfectly aware that she fancies herself in love with Kevin but doesn't let that deter him. Guy senses that she's just drifting through life and accompanying her back to England presents him with the opportunity to get to know her better and issue a challenge that she accepts. After all, proving him wrong is a priority.

Lucy isn't at all happy about returning to England and aside from the time she'll spend at the hospital at Richard's bedside she doesn't know what she'll do, or even where she'll be staying. Guy points out that she's always counted on others to take care of the details and maybe it's time for her to take care of herself. Guy offers to let her stay at his place but Lucy doesn't want to impose. She gladly accepts Guy's challenge to find a `real' job and soon finds herself a job as a receptionist at Dangerfield & Dunn. She discovers that she actually enjoys the job and as an added benefit, she gets to see Guy every day when he's going to or from his office.

Their `friendship' evolves and takes on a romantic nature. Circumstances, friends and family as well as a few well-meaning lies result in some unexpected circumstances from which they're going to find it very difficult to extricate themselves.

After reading OUTBACK BOSS, CITY BRIDE, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen with Meredith's sister Lucy. There's so much antagonism between Lucy and Guy that I eagerly read through each new scene anticipating what would happen between them. Jessica Hart's APPOINTMENT AT THE ALTAR provides the perfect ending to the BRIDEGROOM BOSS duo and give readers their much desired happily ever after with a few twists and some comical situations along the way. I'll definitely be watching for more Jessica Hart books in the future as well as buying up some of her backlist titles.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Hart's book is a must for all those interested in the esoterica and its key role in forming the Stuart court. The book also sheds interesting light on Stonehenge and the work of the court architect Inigo Jones.

The 4th Revised Edition (ISBN # 0826203949): "This new edition contains 76 drawings that add much to his narrative, plus a foreword discussing Benton's place in American art and an afterword covering his career after 1968...." by Baigell. Chronology. Bibliography.

I first fell in love with the Harlem Renaissance, back in high school, when I had the great good fortune to do a research project on the intellectuals, artists, writers and multitudes of other great, visionary people who participated in this, possibly the greatest cultural revival in the United States. From the 1920s through the 1940s, African-American voices were finally being heard and recognized by a greater sector of the population. For starters, this renaissance was inspired by the renaissances of Europe, and the talent coming up at this time were truly voices of their culture and their generation. Some of the greatest voices that come to mind include Zora Neale Hurston (author of THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD) and Langston Hughes (poet and essayist).

ARTISTS AND WRITERS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE takes a great look at just a few examples of some of the most-well respected contributors to this artistic movement. They include James Weldon Johnson, Alain LeRoy Locke (for some, he was best known as "the architect" behind the Harlem Renaissance), Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington (a legendary bandleader and composer). This book was short and sweet, yet very informative! It was great to refresh my memory about some of these great Americans. I hope that this book inspires a new generation of aspiring talent in the world, and that a resurgence of this cultural celebration takes place one day!

Melissa Hart takes us along for the ride as she and her siblings cope with having her mother come out as a lesbian and the resultant divorce and hate war between the angry father and the resolute mother. We see the father's rejection of the son, who has mental difficulties but is full of fun, and father's inner violence under minimal control at times. Melissa grows up, dealing with these issues along with dating, teen peer pressure, racism, and coming to know herself. The most amazing thing about this book is the laugh-out-loud funny passages that are interspersed with heartbreaks. I couldn't put it down.