K Books

As Mrs. Brogan nurses her son along with Dan and Sun Dance, she weaves a marvelous tale of her childhood. It reminds all children that their parents were small once too and thinking that maybe parents are as dull as you might think. The shocking conclusion will leave you waiting on pins and needles for the next book in this funny, exciting series.

Amber Cat was a good book; of course, it was confusing, as all 2 of the 2 books (Dog Friday, Amber Cat) that I read so far by Hilary McKay were. It was confusing as in it didn't exactly give some important details; some so important that you couldn't exactly picture the few scenes, although there were options floating around my head when I read these parts, but none were right, and I will now never know, given to the fact that the author didn't explain the parts and details well enough so that I could see them in my head. But the book made a point, unlike a lot of other books, and it didn't carry on and on with one boring subject, as some other books do also. I also think that Sun Dance's mind was a little jumbled, and that Mrs. Brogan's stories about her childhood were very fascinating and sounded fun. I think that when Robin was going to build a raft, it was not a good idea either. Harriet was very interested and I really enjoyed reading about her and everybody else.

Robin Brogan,Mrs. Borgan Robin's mother and Robin's best friend Dan are the main characters of the story. The Amber Cat is a sequel to Dog Friday and if you like it you will for sure like the Amber Cat. I read Dog Friday first and liked it but if you read Amber Cat first you might not understand it very well. The Amber Cat goes back to when Robin's mother was a kid. Robin's mother has a friend that was alive when her parents were kids. Mrs. Borgan was telling this story when Robin , Dan, and Sun Dance had the Chicken pox. Robin's uncle Charlie was there one summer when they were kids. He hasn't seen Robin since his dad died. Charlie, Robin's uncle, was coming to visit Robin and his mother. The Amber Cat goes back to when Robins mother was a kid.Why I like these books is because they are strange books and thats the tipe of books that I like. Robin finds a dog and since he found him on Friday Robin calls him Friday.

This book is about a mother who stays home with three boys while they have the Chicken Pox. She tells them an amazing story about when she was 11 and played at the beach with her cousins and a mysterious girl named Hillary. The author made me feel like I was right there watching them. I felt like I was in a secret world. There were many characters with interesting personalities. The ending left me thinking everything through again in my mind. I would highly recommend this book!

This was one month's selection for our Mother-Daughter reading group. Half the group couldn't get past the first three chapters (that's never happened before!), and the other half of the group persevered and finished the book, and LOVED it. The beginning is very confusing and there are so many characters introduced, that it's hard to keep track of who's who. Right up until the last chapter, there are things that are unexplained, so it's like putting a puzzle together AFTER you've read the book. This is a book best read silently by yourself---too complex to read aloud. The author does a wonderful job of weaving magic about how we influence the lives of those around us, as well as those who come after, and how others who came before have influenced our lives. My daughters (9 and 10) and I loved this book.

Its strategic location on the outskirts of formerly glaciated areas, but with the moderating climatic influence of the sea along the coast, as well as vast areas of mountainous terrain cloaked in rich deciduous forests, makes the state of New York an incredible hotbed of herpetological diversity, including some very rare and unusual species. In this beautifully composed guide, each and every one of these is described in detailed accounts accompanied by absolutely stunning color photos which almost seem to come alive before your eyes. The hardcover edition is of superb quality with leather binding and sewn pages, and is rather expensive but well worth the price. The size of the book is small enough to make it useful for taking into the field, although it might be best left on the shelf to preserve its quality! Highly recommended.

This the best book anyone can buy if you are interested in a total guide on the Amphibians & Reptiles in NY. It is extremely well done and easy to understand.

"What's so good about this book? Without being long-winded and pedantic, the text is incredibly thorough. Species descriptions are marvelously detailed, putting their field-guide forbears to shame. Every time I pick up this handsome volume, and I do often since it arrived in my office, I stand in awe of its clever, user-friendly organization. Each species is described in six sections: "Quick Identification," "Description" (a greatly expanded version of the preceding), "Habitat," "Natural History," "Status and Distribution" and "Other Intriguing Facts." There are chapters, too, on environmental threats, conservation and folklore... With the help of this extraordinary book and its color photographs, the reader, young or old, novice or veteran, will get to know [New York's amphibians and reptiles] intimately."

Edward Kanze, Adirondack Explorer Vol. 10(2) March/April 2008.

The Amphibians and Reptiles of New York State is a very well written, compact, and excellently illustrated account of the species found in the state. The 6 authors are highly respected herpetologists, which lends a greater credence to the book than is often present in books that summarize species' natural histories. I appreciate the citations throughout the text. The colors in the photos are realistic, the photos are sharp enough, and the captions are extremely informative. I appreciate that several photos are shown for most species, including juvenile or alternate color morphologies. The essays, figures, and tables are interesting and succint. This book could be your primary guide to herps of New England, with the caveat that range maps are shown solely for NY state.

This Book is long overdue for those of us who had to consult with the online herp atlas everytime we needed to find out if a species had been recorded in a certain county. This book is set up and flows very nicely with excellent pictures and species accounts, habitat descriptions, counties of occurance, and so on. I have been very impressed already with this book and how much easier it will make things when I need New York based data for site evaluations and habitat assessment. This book is very informative and well written and my hats off to the authors for compiling all of the data used and keeping it readible. This book is an invaluable resource and is cheap enough to keep it accessible to everyone. A must have for anyone in NY that is interested in herps, some of the information is also valid for surrounding states.

In short: a strait-laced Professor is asked to write a tell-all book about the less-than-perfect Petrefacts.

To the average writer, this scenario could probably get a little tee-hee from the readers, but leave it to Sharpe to throw into the mixture the riotous "Ablution Bath", some midgets (or PORG - Persons of Unrestricted Growth), a sex toy factory, an outrageous interrogation / Silence Of The Lambs-themed chapter, and a crazy carwash incident and you get Tom Sharpe at his best yet again. Even the scene where Lord Petrefact explains to Croxley what he'd like served for dinner is a gem on its own.

Now, I'm the type who throws a book to the nearest bin when the ending is less than ideal but somehow, whenever I read Tom Sharpe's books, as far off as they are to having conventional happy endings, I always manage to put them back on my shelf with a huge smile on my face. So do yourself a favour and grab this book - I'm sure you owe yourself a good long laugh!

Tom Sharpe writes some very wicked satire. His victims are typically the upper class, snobby English or, in his earlier works, the hypocritically rascist South Africans. Although very popular in the UK, his books are almost unknown in America ... too bad!

In 'Ancestral Vices' we have a loosely stiched story about a crusty and warped aristocratic family, a befuddled biographer, victimized dwarves, and a murder. It's a total farce. However the author's wit and humor are lethal, and the story somehow holds together until the very end (or near so).


Bottom line: perhaps not a classic but 'Ancestral Vices' does Tom Sharpe some justice. Recommended.

Introduced to Tom Sharpe's work by a Brit friend, I can't get enough of this amazing author! "Ancestral Vices" literally made my cry with laughter. Yapp's horrifying experience with the "Ablution Bath" sent me into gales of giggles, as did the run amok motorized wheelchair scenario. Lord Petrefact, Willie Coppett, the sex toy factory...all of it was enough to make a cat laugh. Sharpe is warped, twisted, and totally delightful! Simply, hysterically funny!

This book is funny - if you can stand grown-up humor and aren't one of those sexophobic weirdos. And besides being hillariously funny (had to laugh out loud just thinking about it), it is very highly intelligent, massively satiric, thrilling and thoroughly British. Not too intellectual, but not for dimwits either. If you don't like this book you are probably dead.

Tom Sharpe is the most hilarious writer. Ancestral vices is another piece of mad cap mayhem from the master.Fast paced laugh out loud parts. Its always one thing after another with Tom sharpe. Left-wing academics(Yapp)put up against,right-wing capitalists(the Petrefacts),throw in a sex toy factory a bunch of country bumpkins,and dwarves and this is what you get. Like I said total hilarious mayhem.

Dont know whether the praise by Philip Yancey (my most favorite living Christian writer) on the book cover had set so high my expectation or my frequent reading of books on prayers had numbed me, I didnt find it thrilling, intriguing nor insightful. However, I am obliged to rate it a four star (I do always give one star ratings) for

1) the excellent prayers in the end of each chapter/topic.
2) the profound elaboration of "The Lord's Prayer"on pg 156
3) the relatively insightful messages on silence and complaint (to God, the Job way) that both can be alternative forms of prayer to God
4) the very useful study guide presented as Appendix from pg 205-239

In case you seldom read books on prayers, you probably like this book much. If you are a veteran reader of masterpieces from Philip Yancey, Richard Fosters and so on, you may not be well satisfied.

p.s. Below please find my favorite passages for your reference.

Lord, I am not good at slowing down. I like to see things happen. I've become hurried and harried. And I like to fill the silence with sound.
Draw me to the rest I find in you. Remind me that time with you can re-create me, and fill my life with all I need. Amen pg 44

O Lord,you know how busy I must be this day. If I forget you, please do not forget me. - General Lord Astley (adapted) pg 44

A single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing pg 73

Only God can move mountains. But faith and prayer move God. - E.M. Bounds pg 90

A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet and until in the end he realized that prayer is listening. - Soren Kierkegaard pg 113

This book takes you by hand and walks you through the art of learning to pray. It is inspirational!

I found this book to be immensely helpful in my prayer life. Jones has very practical advice for modern Christians, and he isn't afraid to draw from many traditions (RC, Orthodox, mainline Protestant). I found his chapter on Silence and his closing chapter to be the most helpful.

I concur with a previous poster: I got a copy out of the library, and now I want my own! I think it will be dog-eared and battered pretty soon.

Jones captures all aspects of prayer in this book. It's a great guide for pastors and laity alike. I would highly recommend this book.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through this book, but I can't wait til I'm done reading it to post my review of this awesome book! Timothy Jones covers the whole range of topics related to prayer. When I'm reading a book such as this, I put those Post-It arrow flags in it to mark parts that I might want to copy into my journal, or reflect more on, and right now, this book has about 40 Post-Its sticking out of it! It's a library book, so I think I'm going to have to buy this one!

Timothy Jones speaks in everyday English, yet his style is poignant and whimsical! I love his writing style! He talks about how to pray - no formula stuff for him. He talks about how to be STILL and QUIET in the midst of a busy life. He talks about how prayer doesn't even have to be words formed in your mind. He tells about those desperate HELP! prayers and how God hears them all. He covers such issues as why we should pray when God is all-knowing and is going to do what he's going to do anyway, what to do when we feel that our prayers go unanswered, and many more issues.

I've read quite a few books on prayer, but this is my favorite so far. I also highly recommend Timothy Jones' other books "Awake My Soul: Practical Spirituality for Busy People", "Prayer's Apprentice", and "21 Days to a Better Quiet Time with God". There are probably more, but these are the one I own.

Timothy Jones is the kind of person that you'd just love to sit down with over a cup of coffee - he's real and authentic and isn't afraid to tell about his own human failings and his own experiences with prayer.

Take a look at this book, by using Amazon.com's Look Inside" feature!

You might be interested in reading my other reviews of Christian books and music!

One of the very best books I have every read regarding God. Very deep! I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know God in a very deep and real way!
Very excellent!!!!!!!

Any Tozer book is worth reading, but he really shines when he delves into the personality of God. If you will allow it this book's information can bring you closer to God and give you a better understanding as to why certain things are the way they are.

What a powerful book, filled with the Holy Spirit. Tozer states in this book that we have lost the ability to turn within and worship God. This I believe is even more true today. If you are questioning the church's influence in our modern society and wonder why the manifestation of God is not in our congregation then read this book. Tozer gives great insight into the loss of the Devine presence. In Chapter 8 "God's Immanence" Tozer stated "Why then do we feel Him in the distance? It's the dissimilarity in our natures; it's the unlikeness." What a revelation to the church of our generation. What Insight into the present state of the church. I would recommend getting alone with God and reading this book on your knees.

In this offering the esteemed theologian A.W. Tozer tackles the rather daunting task of trying to explain the attributes of God both individually and as they relate to each other and the whole of God's character. While I don't think it's humanly possible to plumb this topic to its depths and get it right, I think Tozer does it about as well as can be expected of anyone who is limited by mortal flesh and a finite mind.

This is the first book I've ever read by this author, and have done so as part of my small group bible study. Week by week, chapter by chapter, we have delved into topics like God's infinitude, mercy, grace, goodness, justice and immanence, to name just a few. Most recently we have confronted the almost impossible to comprehend topics of God's holiness and perfection -- just try to define either one of these! Tozer is quick to admit that he can't, but tries his best anyway.

This book is not just an academic exercise in theology, although it will certainly help you gain some solid doctrinal footing. As the subtitle suggests, this is about trying to know God's heart, to understand who He really is in the rich diversity of his character traits. All that God is, he is infinitely and perfectly. The more we grow to understand these truths, the more we are challenged to grow and change, to be conformed to the image of Christ, who in turn is the express image of God's person (Heb. 1:3).

Tozer leads his readers on a soul-searching, convicting journey that forces us to come to grips with just how awesome and "other" this God is, and how much we differ from what He is and commands us to be. The book is filled with marvelous illustrations that make these mind-bending concepts a little easier to grasp. My personal favorite is the bucket in the ocean -- you'll understand when you read it for yourself. Throughout the entire book, Tozer avoids sounding "theological", that is, he writes in simple, understandable language liberally sprinkled with colloquial, down-home talk.

If you've never read Tozer before, this is a great place to start. There's also a second volume on this subject which will definitely find its way onto my personal reading list. This book will expand your mind and challenge you to think about how your character stacks up to God's own, and His expectations for us. "Be holy, for I am holy." Man, that's a tall order, but this book is a helpful step in the right direction.

Mr. Tozer has once again lite a fire with his gold-tipped pen. I really enjoyed this book. The work on the immensity of God blew my mind and I had to pray to ask the Lord to help me to understand it. The chapter however, that really ministered to me the most was the one on the mercy of GOD. Tozer tells us that if we were to walk into the presence of Almighty God there would be many beings unrecognizable to our natural eye, yet withal there would one in whom we would know, that is the God man. He still remembers the pain and suffering that humans face and He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. This is truly a classic book by a classic Author.

Very fast delivery and very reliable customer service. Will continue to be my first choice for purchasing textbooks on the web.

I am very happy with the results of this book that I ordered.
I received it faster then I thought and it was packaged very, very well.
The book was in very good condition, like it said, but I was lery.
I just had to let everyone know that I am very please with ordering from this site and will do so again in the future

I use this in a basic math course I teach. So far only one mistake caught by a student on page 365 but only in the annotated instructor's edition--a wrong answer due to a slipped digit. Well organized with lots of thoughtful exercises. the only criticism could be that the book is a little bit sprawling and/or repetititive but that is a minor issue. Overall an excellent effort and recommended.

This book (2nd Edition) uses simple, easy to understand language and really makes things clear. It has a lot of typos and misprints, but most of them should be corrected in the 3rd Edition.

This text is being used in a basic math class I'm taking at the local community college. The book is jammed packed with different resources to help you succeed. I've always felt that the math teacher is either going to "make" or "break" my math class experience. So, even if you have a dud for an instructor, you'll still get Elayn Martin-Gay for your personal instructor with this textbook. The author herself is in all the Video/CD's that came with the book and she is very easy to understand. Her unpretentious presentations of each topic are easy to watch and very thorough. She uses a dry-erase board to write out problems, so its as if your right there in the classroom with her. My textbook came with a Student Study Pack that contains 4 CD's and a Student Solutions Manual. Make sure you get Student Study Pack! The text itself has answers and solutions in the back of it but the Student Solutions Manual gives more in-depth information on working the problems. There's even a Chapter Test Prep Video CD. I hope that as I progress in mathematics that the college instructor's will use Mrs. Martin-Gay's textbooks! Frankly, when I get to Algebra, I will probably buy her book even if it's not a text that my instructor is using...that way I can be sure that she'll be there to explain how to work the problems!

There are some fine introductory books in Esperanto (and you can get a pretty good start from the free 10-lesson email course easily found with any internet search engine); this book is probably not the best FIRST textbook (though I think it could be used as a first book without too much trouble), but it is an AMAZING second book, with more information on subtleties of expression in Esperanto (and there are *some* -- it's still a foreign language, albeit one with a very regular grammar, and its logic is not always identical to the logic (such as it is) behind English) than I've seen in any other english language textbook. It's also fun to read.

Once you've wet your feet a little (excuse the metaphor), if you want more, this is an excellent book to own.

Yes, this book did help my esperanto a little, but some of the language is a tad dated. You'd be better off learning it from the internet.

Being Colloquial has an enjoyable, readable style. It's extremely informative and interesting, for learning the subtleties of Esperanto. Jordan is very realistic; although he obviously loves Esperanto, he doesn't avoid talking about the few logical imperfections of this very logical lanuage. I've been using Esperanto for 18 years, and I still find useful information here.

If it's not available at Amazon, you can get this book through ELNA, the national Esperanto organization.

I'm quoted on the back of the dust cover as writing, in another review: "I would say that this is a book which should be on the shelf of every serious American (and other English-speaking) Esperantist, and I cannot recommend it highly enough for those who want to move from the status of beginner to that of expert."

I'll stand by that, but go a step further: Despite this book's basic purpose (to help the English-speaking reader understand more about Esperanto), and despite the fact that it's definitely not a textbook, I would say that it's actually possible to learn the language from scratch via the first half of this book. Not for everybody, of course, but for the committed individual who is willing to plow through 118 pages of great (though never excruciating!) detail about Esperanto, its grammar and its word-formation system without drills or exercises. The fact that Jordan has a terribly dry sense of humor, which he doesn't hesitate to share with the reader, makes this relatively painless. By the time you reach the end of that first section, you should have a full command of the language, except, perhaps, for vocabulary (and I use the word "perhaps" advisedly, because at least half of those 118 pages are given over to a multitude of examples of usage, and you should be able to pick up a pretty good vocabulary just from those).

Oh, and if you want to increase your vocabulary beyond this (and you should), don't forget to read the second half of the book, "Potentially Troublesome Words," in which you'll find much more detail about those words in Esperanto that can mislead the English-speaking student, as well as the words you ought to use instead.

Note: Jordan's (not overlong) lists of transitive and intransitive verbs that will cause trouble for English-speakers (because in English the transitive and intransitive versions of the verb are identical) should be studied and memorized by every American student of the language. Read pages 77-79 and you'll be sitting pretty.

While a straightforward and logical tongue, Esperanto is not English, and beginners tend to think English-ly while writing Esperanto-ly. (And that last sentence is just one of the many ways I could use to demonstrate that one must adjust one's thinking just a tad to become more fluent and universally understood when learning to be more proficient in the language.)
Jordan makes the learning fun. He peppers the book with humor and with wordplay (even the title gets a chuckle) and shows himself the linguist that he is in everyday life. There is much which is fundamental in the book, and yet there are curiosities and rarities that one might find elsewhere only with great difficulty, and these serve to whet the reader's curiosity and lead him on to the next chapter. I loved this book and in a personal letter to the author (before the advent of e-mail) I let him know that my only criticism of _Being Colloquial_ was that there was just too little of the book. Is a mouse the polar opposite of an elephant? In Esperanto, it might be! Jog your grey matter and have fun doing it -- and learn the language which has been, for over a century, the most universal and successful of all planned languages. Talk to non-English-speakers all over the world. Just DO it! It may change your life. I know it changed mine.

"The Best of Pif Magazine Off-Line" offers a refreshing assortment of new stories and new voices. A standout among them is Mimi Carmen's "Love Birds". Ms. Carmen's tale of an aging mother and conflicted daughter resonates with idiosyncratic vision and gritty passion. The bird imagery is breathtaking. I also very much enjoyed "23 Johnson Avenue, 1985" by Diann Blakely. If writers were race horses, and I had money, I'd bet my wad on these two.

A wonderful collection - refreshingly different, but solid. My favorite is "Love Birds" by Mimi Carmen. I'd like to read more of her work.

This is easily the greatest work in the world, the new wave of writing. So fresh, so new, so off the page. This is where the future lies, and I mean it.

I am bored with many print magazines nowadays. The same things, the same things. Ho-hum. I've been following this zine for a while now, open it every month with relish. They've definitely picked a lot of their best, and Camille Renshaw's intro says a lot about WHY I don't like other magazines. Here is something worth a read, something that will make you want to get everything the magazine has put out since the beginning. There's even a rationale for professional wrestling, something that wants me to buy a tape of the event with the Undertaker/Mankind Hell in the Cell match, and I NEVER watch that stuff! You should definitely have this on your shelf--impress your friends with how in the know you are.

Finally! A magazine that will put a foot in each world - print and electronic.

Collection includes Rick Moody, Richard Weems, Ricki Garni, David Ryan, Aimee Bender, Ken Kalfus, Rachel Barenblat, Tami Haaland - both old and new writers are outstanding! Includes fiction, essays, poetry, and interviews. I first read about Pif in Yahoo!'s print magazine - its Web site got a great write-up - and I'm thrilled to have found them.

Although the first sentence of the intro reads, "I hate everything in print," it's clear Pif's out to make it in both worlds.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have or most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities, values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married, middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer. The authors identify leverage points for significant change in organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see new potential for change.

This book provides a powerful example that thinking out of the box
can open up a new perspective on a conflict that had seemed to be
unsolvable. And this book is an example that academic research can
lead to applicable and practical results.

The conflict between work life and family life is as old as the
industrial age. We all know it and we all experience it in our daily
life. The four authors, all of them experienced researchers, have
for most of their lives tried to better understand this conflict and
its underlying story. But with this book they went a step beyond
traditional approaches. Based on case studies they unveil a number
of assumptions on which this conflict is based. They challenge
norms and traditional thinking. Career choices, life opportunities,
values and reward structures are based on a specific western type of
thinking that historically has been shaped by white, married,
middle-class men. The result is a system that dominates most of our

work-life and effects our private life, that of men and women. The
authors question this system from two angles. First, they analyze
the often painful struggle between having a life and a career, and
how individuals are trying to balance the two. Second, they show that
the widely believed assumption: "this system is bad for us but good
for the organization" does not hold true. Organizations and work
processes are often inefficient and the individual behavior that is
based on these norms don't move the whole organization forward.

This book does not make the mistake of ending up with an easy answer.
The authors identify leverage points for significant change in
organizations. The book has helped me to rethink basic assumptions
about work and organizations in the industrialized world and to see
new potential for change.

As a coach and consultant to attorneys struggling to make
the business case for effective and usable work-life practices, I found this book to be an invaluable tool and resource.
Law firms are bastions of gendered assumptions about ideal
workers. The insatiable demand for ever-increasing billable hours makes developing and maintaining a normal life outside of work an extraordinary challenge, particularly for women attorneys. "Beyond Work-Family Balance" clearly articulates the tacit gendered assumptions underlying current law firm work practices and effectively establishes the connection between gender equity and workplace performance.
I wish the managing partners of every law firm would read this.
I'll refer all of my coaching clients to it. At least it will
confirm that it's the system - not them - that has the problem.

This is a book we have all been waiting for. After decades of reflection and debate about how best to develop innovative, high performance organisations, on the one hand, and how to enhance gender equity and work-personal life integration on the other hand, this book tells us that the two are not only compatible, but mutually dependent. Written in a non technical and thoroughly engaging style, the book argues that work practices and norms which are inequitable are also ineffective. The authors have the rare knack of presenting a deep and thoughtful analysis in such a clear way that their argument seems simple and obvious.

The heart of the problem lies in the gendered assumptions that underpin many everyday working practices . The authors point out that assumptions based on traditional masculine values and life situations include the defining of commitment in terms of long working hours that preclude time for family or personal life, and the valuing of stereotypical male competencies, such as heroic action and firefighting, above interpersonal and other competencies regarded as more “feminine”. Drawing on action research in a range of organisations they demonstrate how these assumptions and the practices that follow from them, undermine effective performance, but are so taken-for-granted that we rarely question them.

What really distinguishes this book is that the authors go beyond identifying problems to provide a well tried method for bringing about meaningful change It does not offer one size fits all solutions but does provide a process for reaching tailor made solutions. Their method of Collaborative Interactive Action Research (CIAR) includes examining working practice and the assumptions that sustain ineffective practices and gender inequity and then thinking collaboratively with work teams to come up with innovative solutions to what they call the “dual agenda”. The case studies used throughout the book are based on experience in a wide range of organisations so that everybody should be able to identify with at least some of the situations described. This should leave limited room for the traditional cry of “it won’t work here”.

For all those readers who are interested in organisational performance and change and in gender equity, whether or not they have already made the connections between the two, this book will make compulsive reading. Even the most cynical will find it difficult to totally disregard the central message that gender equity and effective performance go hand in hand.

The long-awaited, "Beyond Work-Family Balance," is finally out! Many of us have been waiting for
the better part of a decade for a full treatment of the worklife
integration experiments at Xerox and elsewhere, and this is it! If you are
looking for a book to get you charged up about the business case for
work/life programs, go elsewhere. If you want the most honest, detailed
account of attempts to make the business case successful in practice, this
is the book for you. The basic argument starts with integration: we cannot
improve things unless and until we are willing to bring the public sphere
of employment and the private sphere of home together, a process that can
range from embarrassing to painful. The second ingredient is the dual
agenda of improving business performance and gender equity. The tightrope
involved in carrying this dual agenda into the workplace is what makes the
book interesting, powerful, and realistic. The authors argue that an
interactive research approach is required to make the dual agenda work,
with the researchers listening and learning almost as much as the
participants in the business world, a process that requires constant
feedback, reflection, and communication. Indeed, an entire chapter is
devoted to lessons for research teams wishing to pursue research while
applying a dual agenda to themselves. Sometimes the dual agenda succeeds,
and employees and managers learn how to improve the functioning of
workplaces for all participants (yes, stockholders even benefit). But the
fundamental honesty of the authors leaves us wondering: is it worth it?
Fortunately, I think the answer is yes, but the authors leave us in no
doubt as to the incredible amount of work required.
The one question left hanging concerns unions, since the parallels
between many labor-management cooperation initiatives and the integration
approach are multiple (if not perfect), but unions are not mentioned.
Well, that leaves something for the next book. Incredibly well-written,
brutally honest, and extremely insightful! A must-read for academics and
practitioners alike.

In my book, Black Storm Comin`, Colton, the twelve-year-old boy who is the main character, is very responsible and knows everything he needs to know to travel by himself and knows how be a man. One example of that is that Colton has to work with his dad every day. Colton has to wake up at 6:00 a.m. in the morning he doesn't stop working until 8:00 p.m. And he has been doing that for 5 years straight. Another example of that is that he has good manners. Colton calls a lady ma'am and a man sir, he is really polite and he says please and thanks you. Colton also became the man of the family. After pa left after shooting Colton accidentally at the leg while he was asleep, Colton had to stand up and was forced to take responsibility for his whole family and he was doing everything. Colton helplessly needed a job so, he thought he could get a job at the Pony Express because it would cover up the pay and it would take him and his entire family to Sacramento, California that everyone needed to go there and he got the job. At the middle of the story Colton's ma gave Colton a letter to give to her half sister, then at the end of the story, Colton gave it to the half sister, but then ended u running for their lives meaning his pa and himself. Colton was the perfect kid at his time as I have already told you how.

A 12-year-old boy, Colton, tries to get a job with the Pony Express in this unusual "western". There are no Indians in the story, but race plays a part with the hero as a son of a white man and a free black woman, but who can pass for white. The family is moving west with a wagon train but is beset by the troubles of the trail--no doctors, difficult childbirth, broken wagon wheels, lack of food. A gun accident while in Nevada precipitates it all: the depressive father accidentally shoots the son in the leg, then takes off in apparent remorse, leaving the family to fend for itself. Racism is a theme of the story, but it is also about a boy's doggedness and the importance of cross-country communication on the eve of the Civil War. The prose is easy, in a colloquial style. Those who like horse stories and action-adventure will appreciate this one. I could hardly put this book down, and despite having to go to work I finished it in less than 24 hours. This book is heartily recommended, and should appeal especially to middle schoolers studying the pre-Civil War era as well as to horse enthusiasts, male or female. It would work well as a read-aloud for middle school, since the audience will be anxious to know how it turns out. It is devoid of love interests, but despite that it should serve a high school audience well, too.

I'm not usually a fan of westerns. I don't get that whole prairie, horse, dirt thing that many find appealing.

But this story is not a typical western.

It's the story of a 12 year old boy and his family - a 12 year old who's forced to take responsibility for his family (an occurrance common enough in the past).

There's a lot of historical information and environmental vibes packed into this book - it fairly places you in the shoes of a biracial child who, quite guiltily, can pass for white in a time right before the civil war. It gives you an insight into the Pony Express - a wonderful group of kids who kept the country connected and informed.

In all, this is a good read, especially for young boys, which will open the mind and the heart.

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Like all of Diane Lee Wilson's books, we get some excellent historical background to a great story. Her characters are always interesting and nuanced, not the stock character so often found in young adult fiction. Her stories are set in interesting times and we always learn something we didn't know. In Black Storm Comin, we get an insiders look not only into the Pony Express but also the challenges faced by the bi-racial rider. And the horses! Wilson can write about horses like no one else - she's taking over where Marguite Henry left off. This is a great read and I look forward to her next one. I recommend it for any reader, young or old, male or female.

Based on Wilson's research about the pony express, this story is filled with fascinating facts and tidbits about the old west. But what is so delightful is the intensity of the story, excellent horsemanship, and relationship of a small boy and his horse. It kept me on the edge the whole time. The young protagonist is also bi-racial, adding an interesting twist and subtheme to the entire story. I learned much about the pony express and its riders, as well as the challenges of being bi-racial in early America.