Lawrence Books

To majority of people a minimalist lifestyle has little attractiveness because in this day and age we are taught to spend and enjoy our lives through acquiring material things. However, Peter recommends that one may reach a higher level of happiness if one was to spend within its means and maximizing its utility per resource level (in economic terms). Concept of minimalism doesn't mean that you cannot purchase expensive things, but rather buying things within your own means and not wasting any capital on additional items that do not provide similar satisfaction or utility. What a refreshing concept during our current housing and debt crisis!! I highly recommend Appendix G for a brief summary of the main ideas of the book.

The book is a quick read but lingers long afterward in the caverns of your mind. Why? Because too many of us feel like that proverbial hamster. Our wheel is spinning ever faster but we are going nowhere. Fast! How to remedy that situation is not easy. Peter comes up with a variety of ways of thinking about energy, consumption, lifestyle, diet, the whole mish-mash of the thing we call life. He makes you question the notion of a 'good life'. I found the book provocative and engaging. Some of it was humorous. Kudos for weaving Seinfeld into the story! Bottom line: the book is not a panacea. Don't think that was ever its intention. Or pretension. It merely makes one think. And for that I'm grateful to have read it. (full disclosure: I too have met the author)

The book recounts the author (who in full disclosure I know and is how I became aware of the book, but this is an honest review.) has pared down his life considerably, and lives with a lot of things many of us would consider necessities. I don't realistically think his experience will translate to the population at large, and he admits as much.

Those limitations aside, he builds a good case for a minimalist lifestyle not only from a perspective of what is good for the planet, society, but also what is good for the individual. A particular point is our reliance on automobiles and a sedentary life is making us more obese as a nation. He also pulls from a range of sources in historical and contemporary literature to make the case that these are tried and true ideas. Making no claim to being ground breaking, it is a nice summarization of thought in support of a minimalist lifestyle.

The value of "The Happy Minimalist" is not in the descriptive reasons for his lifestyle, but the prescriptive remedies and suggestions he takes from his experience. He provides real usable tips for reducing the impact of your life and on your life that modern age throws us. For instance, what put Lawrence on the path of writing this book was his encounter with a doctor who prescribed medicine for a chronic condition. Upon further studying Lawrence decided that regimen of diet and exercise could correct the situation, something the doctors said was not possible. However months later his condition disappeared. I think this says more about our desire for a quick fix. There are many paths to health, wealth and well being that do not require consumption.

The book's value is another example of what can be done with less without a decline in happiness or quality of life. There are things in the book that will give you a pause and think, and you can't ask for much more than that out of a book.

This is a very timely and thought-provoking book. I read it as a cogently argued philosophy rather than a how-to-manual, although both themes reverberate in different part of this book. At a time when oil and food prices are soaring, medical costs are unthinkably forbidding, and the environment of our beloved Earth in severe stress,nothing could be more refreshing than a carefully laid out thesis for minimalist living and consumption. Lawrence argues convincingly that happiness and the pleasures of life can still be savored while reducing consumption to the barest minimum. Yes it does take a re-orientation of our values and some personal discipline. And no, the economy does not need to come crashing down if everyone adopts a minimalistic lifestyle. This is a must read for singles, young people, married couples and families alike - for everyone who cares about where we are headed.

A thought provoking book that not only asks the question "When is enough, enough?", but poses an answer that is much less than you thought (and with a smile!). Lawrence explores the monetary costs of our lifestyles and the impact on an environment increasingly under stress from an increasing population wanting more.

He provides a detailed account of the various decisions he made, weighing the costs and benefits of every lifestyle choice that we all make: furniture, consumer goods, daily expenditures and so forth. But do we really appreciate the true cost of these items? In a provocative and thought provoking manner, Lawrence seeks to address these questions with his own choices: by having so little he has lots.

Excellent story. As always the paintings by Jacob Lawrence are incredible. A must for every library.

Great story about a great woman, Harriet Tubman, american liberator. I read it with my children and they seem to delight in the cadence of the soulful prose and the beautiful bold art.

First published in 1968, this artistic book tells the awe-inspiring story of Harriet Tubman. It ought to be on the list of children's bestsellers, for it gives children the stories of two American heroes for the price of one. The first is the title figure, Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), who escaped from slavery but courageously returned south 19 times to lead more than 300 others to freedom. The second is Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), who made this magnificent series of illustrations in 1939 and 1940.

The text is poetic. Early in the story, on a hot summer day in about 1820, "a group of slave children were tumbling in the sandy soil in the state of Maryland," Harriet Tubman among them. She dreamed of freedom and escaped, but returned to help others. The story builds as the selfless African-American leader risked her life many times to help others reach freedom. "Some were afraid, / But none turned back, / For close at their heels / Howled the bloodhound pack."

As the story closes, young readers find an enthralling figure of Harriet Tubman building support for the anti-slavery movement. At every convention within 500 miles, she could be found speaking in words and tones that brought tears to the eyes and sorrow to the hearts of all listeners.

Lawrence's paintings, made in tempera colors and poster paints, are poetic, too. Trained in the art workshops of Harlem in the 1930s, including the Utopia Children's House and the Harlem Art Workshop (sponsored by the New Deal), Lawrence became one of the finest African-American artists in U.S. history. His extraordinary talent was recognized when he was still relatively young.

Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he moved to Easton, Pennsylvania and then at seven to Philadelphia. At 13, Jacob moved again, to Harlem. Drawing on Bible stories and the powerful Christian sermons, often given on street corners, Lawrence remembered orators who spoke with reverence of Harriet Tubman and determined to show the African-American struggle for freedom in his art.

The Tubman series was one of Lawrence's earliest. It predated by only a couple of years the 60-panel migration series that made Lawrence's career in 1941-42. Half that series was bought by the Philips Gallery in Washington D.C. and the other half by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

But Lawrence's Tubman work is among his best. This book's only shortcoming is that it does not reproduce all of the Tubman paintings. Several were excluded and can be seen only in an art museum, or the pages of an art catalogue. But don't let that stop you. Children will find themselves doubly enriched. Alyssa A. Lappen

This beautiful book tells the story of Harriet Tubman's life in pictures by Lawrence. The story is simply written but the art is the true draw. Many students know the story of Tubman before they get to 8th grade. I use this text to practice a prediction strategy. I had students only look at the pictures and write an outline for the story of the book. The stories were quite interesting, but all seemed to twist their stories to be about Tubman in the end. It makes a great short story portfolio piece.

This children's book helps us to better understand the true feelings of an African-American person in the south. It is great for those of us who don't really have a grasp of what was going on.

This atlas has the most beautiful anatomical pictures. They are precise and neat, and if you want to learn head and neuroanatomy, seeing such great drawings motivates you. This is a must have book for those who learn more and better by seeing the structures rather than just reading about them.

I have taught human gross anatomy to medical students for 3 years now. Netters is a good atlas but the Thieme atlas of anatomy series is the best I have come across. The figures focus well on specific areas of the body and give a much more information rather than just structure. It is not a replacement for an anatomy textbook such as Moore's but is an essential supplement.

This Thieme series has opened a new era! By far, this is the best atlas series available and as a medical student, I would recommend the three atlases to anyone who studies in the field of anatomy. Trust me, this is THE book you keep for life!

I just love the amazing pictures in this book. Although it is an atlas is also has some really interesting written details that you don't often get in the other atlases. I would recommend all the Thieme Atlases of Anatomy, they are truly worthwhile books to have

This series from Thieme (this is the third book) so far surpasses every other illustrated anatomy, comparisons are almost pointless. Get all three, learn them, pass your exams.

I read the book before I entered law school in order to get a general understanding of the history of American law. Professor Friedman's comprehensive work is of little use to law students (or anyone entering law school) looking for a practical guide to the study and practice of law. Frankly, you can get through law school just fine without ever picking up this book.

That said, you would be doing youself a great disservice. Friedman's work is so comprehensive (covering over 400 years of American law, from the importation of the English legal system during the colonial period to late 20th-century corporate law) that it would be impossible for anyone to read this book and not come out with a better understanding of *WHY* our legal system is the way it is today.

Besides, Friedman's engaging narrative style makes for fun reading. "A History of American Law" and Chemerisnky's "Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies" should be required reading for anyone who has the least bit of interest in the American legal system.

First review written more like the words i wish i could write, providing too much school and being taught lesser is what i got out of the faulty structure. forgot what i was going to typewr. -we

My first reaction after finishing the book, was to ask myself how anyone could have enough time to put so much information together. As the cover states, this "book touches every conceivable aspect of law...it is a stupendous achievement." The author takes an insurmountable task and first breaks it up into four sections, Part 1: American Law in the colonial Period, Part 2: Revolution to the Middle of the 19th century, Part 3: Close of the 19th century, Part 4: The 20th century. Within each part he segments chapters into readable legal topics. (i.e. Corporations, Crime and Punishment, etc). In that way, the reader gets an understanding of the period and how it effects all sorts of law, before going onto another time period and seeing how other areas of the law grew and affected other areas.

Although the republic split from England, the author reviews how attached the our legal system continued to be and all the reasons why this was so. (All the legal treatises and cases were only printed about English law for quite some time). He also discusses why certain areas of the law, nonetheless, quickly grew away. (i.e. the are lots of navigable seaways in America, not so many in England). This is just a small sampling of a tremendous source of information.

The study of law present a tremendous number of apparent inconsistencies, non-sequitors, and just beyond the reasonable conundrums. The author tremendous dedication to this work really sorts out these issues buy showing the development and goals through the history of the Union. (And why the Socratic method is everywhere, much to the consternations of L1s everywhere)

Of course such a treaties requires a good effort to read, assimilate, and remember. Should you decide to read it in a bar on say, a lunch break, you get lots of curious questions, puzzled looks, and few invitations to dates, so be warned. Nonetheless, highly recommended for the all the people in this country that are interested in US history and legal history; yes, I recommend it to both of us.

I had to treat this book like a text book. Read a little here and there. Thoroughly researched, it provides the reader with a detailed history of American law. This book is a keeper.

If this edition is at all like the 2nd edition (what I am inferring from) then it will be a very readable history of American law up to 1900. It's something of a social history given the wealth of information on how law affected the family, the early commerce of the Republic, and industrial growth (and suffering it caused, see the chapter on torts). It is something of a social history. The early chapters on colonial law are a bit tough but are worth comparing to the changes that would follow. If you're at all interested in the law and how U.S. society evolved (and did harm, at times) this book and its sequel, American Law in the 20th Century, is very much worthwhile.

"The Hopes and Fears of Future Years: Loss and Creation," Volume III of Lawrence R. Velvel's "Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam, Quartet: A Story of the Last Half of the Twentieth Century," is the longest of the first three books but for me turned out to be the quickest read. The first volume, "Misfits in America," resonated with me on such a personal level that I would have to absorb each chapter or two and translate it into my own life experiences. The second, "Trail of Tears," focused on the chain of disastrous events by which Velvel's protagonist Lionel Wolfe is fired four times by little people with little minds, big egos, and more often than not deep voices. At the end of each episode your sense of moral outrage has to abate a bit before you can stand to read about Wolfe's next downfall. There is a fifth firing at the start of this third volume, but Velvel makes it clear that out of the ashes of this final defeat would come the seeds for success so it is possible to read about Wolfe's experiences at the Free State Law School without a sense of despair.

The focus of this book is primarily on how Wolfe became the dean of Free State, which was supposedly an attempt to provide a legal education to working class students. When he was fired Wolfe realized that while the school was a sick joke perpetrated by a criminal, the dream of such a school was worth pursuing. This leads to the creation of the North New England Law School. Most of the book, like most of Wolfe's life at that point, is devoted to the creation of NNELS and the attempt to get the school accredited (without the ability to confer law degrees its students could never take the state bar exam). However, there is also an interlude in which we finally get to the resolution of the massive securities litigation spawned by the Skywaukee Port Authority debacle detailed in the previous volume. This is fitting because the case is what finally provides Wolfe with the financial security he has been denied while the creation of NNELS represents his success at creating a model of legal education superior to the sorry state of affairs covered in the first volume.

At this point my assumption is that the final volume of the quartet would be more about the practice than the theory of this idealized legal education to show its pragmatic value, but by this point in the fictionalized narrative I know full well that those whose lives and work are being challenged by the policies of NNELS are not going to suffer implicitly being called fools lightly. So I am sure there are more travails for Wolfe to come, but also anticipate getting to read about the success of the innovations at NNELS. But clearly by the end of this book Wolfe is looking at the Promised Land, so even if we have to wait a while for Velvel to publish his final volume at least we are doing so from what is clearly the happiest point in the narrative to date.

One of the things that I have enjoyed about reading these books is that Velvel crosses his T's and dots his I's with respect to his characters. You always get to find out what happens to people and I appreciate the sense of narrative completeness. I was also happy to see that Lillian Wolfe, whom I was convinced would be staying behind in Washington, D.C. when her husband went off into the world to try and make a living, not only moved but found something worthy of her abilities being NNELS's one person registrar office. It was also heartening to see that Wolfe had assembled a group of allies that would offer various means of support and that finally justice was prevailing in his professional life, both in and out of the courtroom. That makes the several instances where Wolfe notes the testimonials that have mean the most to him more poignant.

But the highpoint of this book was when I finally figured out the real world identity of one of the characters in Velvel's drama. That allowed me to start unlocking more of the actual locations involved and I am sure with some due diligence I could figure out more of the characters, but ultimately such things do not matter. The truth of Velvel's narratives lies in the details and not in the names, which apparently have been changed to protect the guilty more than the innocent (when you meet a "real" person, such as Robert Bork in the previous book, you wonder if there is more to it than the fact the man's last name became a verb). That is probably why Velvel did not choose to construct an autobigraphy that was more thinly veiled (e.g., Eric Severaid's use of the Winnie the Pooh story of the Heffalump to ridicule the McCarthy witch hunts). He was not interested in having his readers play the game. He just wanted us to get the morals of his stories.

As I have been reading through 'Misfits in America', its sequel, 'Trail of Tears', and this third of four volumes, 'The Hopes and Fears of Future Years: Loss and Creation', I am reminded in certain respects of Amoz Os, the modern Israeli writer, who, upon being criticised for some of the political stances of his characters, pled the defense of the characters being fiction - and therefore, by implication, that the stances would likewise be fictional, not necessarily his own. I get the same sense when reading this, that Velvel is using this fictional tale, drawn from his own experience, his own profession and his own time to critically examine the state of affairs both current and recent past, both in society generally and in the legal/judicial profession specifically.

Velvel's idealism, apparent from the start of the story, continues with force in this volume. Drawing from Abraham Lincoln's idea that it isn't good enough to do well for oneself, but rather one must also help fellow humankind, and exploring the less materialistic aspects of what the American Dream should incorporate, Velvel proceeds down a path that really would lead to the proverbial 'city on a hill', with alabaster towers that gleam in the distance. Alas, Velvel is not writing that kind of fiction. His fiction remains close the corridor of the progress of history, and so we see in compelling and interesting situations how the idea of America falls short in different ways, while still maintain the ideal.

This volume in particular takes me back to the Arthurian legend in which Merlin was asked by King Arthur which was the most important virtue of a knight. Some had said courage, others strength, others skill. Merlin shocked them all by proclaiming that truth was th emost important virtue, with the words, 'Whenever a man lies, he murders part of the world.' Velvel states that dishonesty is 'perhaps the most vicious and consequential of societal plagues that afflicts us, particularly because it makes the other plagues possible.'

In this volume, Wolfe is held up early as an exemplary victim of what is happening in society. A lawyer, a white collar worker (who was assumed to be immune from perils of unemployment), he became an early casualty of politics and growing dishonesty in the system. Wolfe goes to work for Free State Law School, sensing dishonesty in both practice and image there. Wolfe is eventually fired from there, too, after a political struggle in which his rival tries to set him up to appear unethical at best, criminal at worst. Finally, Wolfe and others band together to form North New England Law School (NNELS), dedicated to principles of ethical action both among and with regard to students and faculty/administration members.

NNELS was begun on a shoestring (closer to the $20,000 left over from sale of a house than the 10, 15 or 50 million required to start a proper law school according to the Bar Association), but was not without controversy itself. In particular, the character of Diggins, instrumental in Wolfe's departure from Free States, returns again in a strange guise to attempt to ruin NNELS (the idea of a law school hierarch ending up as a mud-wrestling bar keeper is too rich to have been pure fiction!). NNELS is controversial with accreditors because of innovations it considers a bit beyond the pale (too much reliance on adjuncts, even though the adjuncts are engaged in the campus and student life more than just the hours in the classroom; not relying on the LSAT as a primary admissions standard, etc.). However, as the volume ends, we see a graduating class, and as is symbolic of graduating classes everywhere, hope for the future years.

The title, 'Hopes and Fears of Future Years', derives from the lyric of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', a hymn of hopefulness and expectation. Velvel gets into great detail in this volume, and it is easy to see how the idea for the story went from triology to quartet.

Lawrence Velvel is a great storyteller. Perhaps this is unexpected from an academic in the legal profession (Velvel is Dean and professor of law at the Massachusetts School of Law). This quartet is the kind of series which compels the reader to keep reading; even though the general ebb and flow of history are fairly well known, the details that are presented keep the reader looking for more, and the personalities presented are also very interesting - perhaps even more so at the moment, as the country is engaged in watching the selection of a new Chief Justice, and awaits yet another Supreme Court justice selection.

Five stars!

It could be called the "shrunken head" syndrome, and it developed within the framework of American enterprise - the dark side of the entrepreneurial sword. Greed, and hoarding made possible by professions ruled by fictional and numbered shareholders quickly descends to the depths where elitism and justification for it thrive, where little guys (but most often women and minorities) are pushed around and pushed out, to increase the Darwinian capitalistic odds. Social compression is all about shrunken heads where knowledge, justice, and commitment don't prevail, and where the frenzy feeds upon itself from bottom to top since it is capped by the status quo. Yesterday's prince is therefore tomorrow's dinner, and so on down the line of the hierarchy in a true Darwinian discriminatory fashion. Committed to living by the sword, most die by it, figuratively, if not actually, and all spiritually. Most therefore, haven't the courage to read what mankind hath wrought and brought upon himself.

It's hard to review an achievement such as Lawrence Velvel's tetrology "Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam" but suffice it to say, the struggles to create a law school"for the people" are portrayed in these books in exquisite detail.

The accounts are fictionalized, for obvious reasons, but as fiction, this is of course a flop--it's not even a roman a clef. This is a documentation of political infighting, conflicting goals, treachery and unbridled power-grabbing. As a depiction of American politics at any level, corporate, governmental or scholastic, it's a winner. You really have to read the entire series to get the full impact, so I won't review each individually. If you have been to law school, deal with lawyers or professors or if you want insight into political scheming, this is a text of huge merit.

The Hopes and Fears of Future Years: Loss and Creation is the third novel in Lawrence R. Velvel's extraordinary Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam quartet. With this series of novels, the author, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, tries to identify the source of the problems that have festered and spread throughout American society since the middle of the twentieth century, starting with the legal profession. Greed, immorality, a disregard for ethics, honor, and justice, and other troubling issues have formed a society of politicians who routinely lie, business executives whose crooked ways have led to increasing business scandals, judges who ignore the Constitution when it gets in the way of their own opinions, law schools built around engorging the riches of the faculty and administration rather than on preparing new generations of able lawyers, and basically a society that is just lawyered up to its very neck. I don't agree with every single one of Velvel's opinions, but the man knows how to frame an argument, makes his points extremely well, and says the things that really need to be said about the problems in our legal system today. It is just a remarkable breath of fresh air to hear a lawyer buck the all-powerful system and criticize those who have hijacked what should be a noble profession.

The books in this series are essentially nonfiction novels, and Velvel proves himself adept at keeping his storytelling engaging - even as he shares details of the seemingly boring legal profession with us. The first two novels explored the lives of two brilliant yet unfortunate young Jewish lawyers who encountered one grossly unfair setback after another yet persevered without betraying their ideals. Truly, it is hard to be an honest lawyer, as Lionel Wolfe exemplifies. This novel finds him on the brink of radical change. Having been fired five times for grossly unfair reasons, he finally decides to escape the poisonous legal culture of Washington, D.C. Despite some misgivings, he decides to accept the post of dean at Free State, a small and struggling little law school. Despite some bad omens in the process of securing the job, he sets in to furiously prepare the law school for its crucial upcoming visit by the Board of Regents - while also continuing his work on a big-money case he has been involved with for several years. Sadly, history repeats itself yet again for Wolfe. Some of the school's students, however, float the balloon of their starting their own law school, and in unbelievably short order (seven months), the Northern New England Law School (NNELS) opens its doors to students for the first time.

It was fascinating to see just how much work was involved in making NNELS a reality, but starting the school is really just the beginning. Wolfe and his colleagues immediately go to work planning for their first inspection by the Board of Regents; a failed inspection would doom the school because it would be unable to grant law degrees or qualify its students to take the state bar exam. The inspection process is nerve-wracking enough on its own, but Wolfe - naturally - faces almost insurmountable obstacles thanks to the corrupt president of Free State and a prominent politician who threatens to cut NNELS' inspection prospects off at the head. Free State is extremely down but not out, and Wolfe finds himself greatly pressured to give in to a hypocritical politician's stubborn (and obviously greedy) desires to move the law school (be it Free State or NNELS) to a certain building in a neighboring town - despite the fact the location is run-down and in a seedy section of town. It's impossible to describe all of the worries Wolfe endures throughout the whole long, drawn-out process of forming NNELS, keeping it afloat, and defending it against self-interested political assault - and all while maintaining the mission of the school to cater to those students traditionally excluded from the legal profession. It's an amazing story that really draws you into every minor success and potentially devastating setback Wolfe encounters. And, with this third book in the series, there is finally as much triumph as there is tragedy in the related events.

This series just keeps getting better. Velvel is a zealous proponent of legal reform, and his storytelling ability makes the Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam series of books the most effective way I know of for getting his points across to a larger audience. Hopefully, many of those in the legal profession in particular will be exposed to these amazing nonfiction novels because, as Velvel makes clear beyond a shadow of a doubt, the legal system is in dire need of reform. You might expect dry, boring writing from an academic lawyer, but Velvel is all about breaking through stereotypes. These books need and deserve to be read.

One side-effect of the common lectionary used by Catholics, Episcopaleans, Lutheran, and various mainstream Protestant churches is the development of some excellent lectionary based resources. (A lectionary contains the Biblical readings for a given Sunday).

This series of three volumes for the three year lectionary cycle (each year concentrates on a synoptic Gospel - Matthew, Mark or Luke) contains music, poetry, art, etc. that in some way reflect on the Scripture for a given Sunday. The volumes are carefully multicultural.

An example: for the first Sunday in Advent, there are poems by Philipp Nicolai with Carl P. Daw Jr, and Alberto Taule; a photo of a cross of the community by the artisans of La Palma, El Salvador; a responsory reading by Miriam Therese Winter; and a painting by Glen Strock.

Each Sunday is equally diverse. You should always be able to find something that meets your needs and/or challenges you to reconsider your needs. Highly recommended.

One side-effect of the common lectionary used by Catholics, Episcopaleans, Lutheran, and various mainstream Protestant churches is the development of some excellent lectionary based resources. (A lectionary contains the Biblical readings for a given Sunday).

This series of three volumes for the three year lectionary cycle (each year concentrates on a synoptic Gospel - Matthew, Mark or Luke) contains music, poetry, art, etc. that in some way reflect on the Scripture for a given Sunday. The volumes are carefully multicultural.

An example: for the first Sunday in Advent, there are photos by Paul Chesley, David Austen and Dennis Oda;excerpts from Robert A. Raines and Jospeh Wood Krutch; poetry by Dom Helder Camara and Thomas John Carlisle; and a detail from art by Naul Ojeda.

Each Sunday is equally diverse. You should always be able to find something that meets your needs and/or challenges you to reconsider your needs. Highly recommended.

Gorgeous book of art tied to the Christian lectionary. Poetry, paintings, photographs, sculpture, scripture quotes. A real treat!

This is a thick soft cover art book that accompanies Biblical passages with art objects - paintings, sculptures from all cultures, Italian Renaissance to Modern Chinese water-colour that attempts to IMAGE the WORD - the gospel, and puts the love of Jesus in Christianity into a non-preachy, very emotionally and aesthetically moving document that appeals to the modern, intellectual, sophisticated, sensitive, cultured but atheist reader. It makes the Bible come alive in a fantasy of visual ecstasy. A marvellous gift for those who are hurting from a lack of understanding God's love. A spiritually soothing gift in a coffee-table book format.

One side-effect of the common lectionary used by Catholics, Episcopaleans, Lutheran, and various mainstream Protestant churches is the development of some excellent lectionary based resources. (A lectionary contains the Biblical readings for a given Sunday).

This series of three volumes for the three year lectionary cycle (each year concentrates on a synoptic Gospel - Matthew, Mark or Luke) contains music, poetry, art, etc. that in some way reflect on the Scripture for a given Sunday. The volumes are carefully multicultural.

An example: for the first Sunday in Advent, there are poems by Czeslaw Milosz, Sandra Cisneros and Janet Morley; a photo of a festive cross by Claudio Jimenez; quotations from Lamar Williamson Jr. and the Gelasian Sacramentary; a song by Arthur G. Clyde (contemporary); paintings by Rodolfo Abularach and Salvador Dali.

Each Sunday is equally diverse. You should always be able to find something that meets your needs and/or challenges you to reconsider your needs. Highly recommended.

One of the best collections of articles from some of the top theorists in the business. Well selected, well organized, and an excellent read for the serious student of Instructional Design.

An essential book for any instructional designer's library- especially for beginner designers

Charles is my Ph.D. dissertation advisor and my mentor so I knew that he put in a lot of efforts on putting this book together. Please pay attention to the last chapter: formative research methodology. Not only for us researchers or professors in universities to get more insight about instructional design, theories and models, but I know a lot of corporate trainers are also using this book as "bible" to guide their daily design work. A very good book (green book vol. 2), highly recommended.

The number of instructional theories and camps of instructional theorists are growing at a rapid rate. Camps of constructivists face off against camps of reductionists and the debate rages on. Unlike many other scientific communities, educators and instructional theorists seem to spend as much energy tearing down the past as they do in inventing the future.

Charles Reigeluth has taken a very different approach to instructional theory. He has gathered together many of the best minds in instruction and assembled their writings into a second volume of instructional theory and practice. In this volume, he allows the various authors to present twenty-one different instructional theories. As editor, Dr. Reigeluth and others cross-reference these various theories and practices to create a discussion of similarities. Rather than take a position that one camp or another is right or wrong, each is allowed to make a case for the work they are doing. Each is given space to offer examples of process and results. If you are looking for a clear picture of the profession of instruction in 1999, then you need look no further than this volume. You will not find exhaustive descriptions of each theory or complete descriptions of all the associated research. This book is more of a summary of all the important work in the profession with extensive references to the larger body of work.
The message from Reigeluth is clear. Instructional professionals need to spend more energy looking for solutions and less energy on carving out individual positions. The focus should be on results because results ultimately determine what works. This work builds on the original volume of instructional theories published in 1983, and there is an indication from Reigeluth that a third volume is now in the works. This is must reading for anyone who wants to take the pulse of the profession.

Reigeluths first volume of Instructional Design Theories and Models was published 16 years ago and quickly became "the bible for the development of many instructional designers in the years that followed" (p. 1). In this second volume, Reigeluth has assembled more than a survey of instructional design and learning theories. He sought to reflect the great diversity and changes in thinking since his first volume in 1983. He reasoned logically that the original book formed a picture of the topic in that time period and now it was time to assemble a new snapshot. Taken together, volumes I and II fully illustrate the roots and development of instructional design theories in the U.S. from the 1970s to today.

Volume two is organized into five units. An introductory unit and a reflective unit surround the three units that form the core of the book. These three units present instructional design theories grouped around cognitive, psychomotor and affective development themes. While the topics are divided, the overarching theme of the book is a systems approach to learning-- everything is related.

The introductory unit offers two papers presenting perspectives on the theories and changes that have occurred since the first volume. Reigeluth (1999) begins the unit by defining the terminology of design and theory. He works to establish the framework within which the reader can "analyze and understand the instructional-design theories presented in this book" (p.5).

Thirty-eight authors present twenty-three papers in the three units that form the core of this book-- the descriptions and reports on the state of learning and instructional design theory. Reigeluth organizes each unit purposefully. He explains the selected content and his thinking about their organization by briefly introducing each unit. Each paper is authored by a recognized authority on that topic: Jonassen on constructivist learning environments; Hanaffin on open learning environments; and Gardner on multiple approaches to learning, for instance. Romiszowski presents the single paper that comprises the second unit, psychomotor development.

The only comment that might be taken as a mild negative suggests that while there are many discussions of changing paradigms, the reader is left without a sense of one direction in which to develop instruction. This is more a reflection of our times than the quality or organization of the text. Thirty years ago there were fewer theories and more consensus than is evident today. Reiguluth has been fair to present the multiple points of view, even when they do not intersect to form one dominant theory by which to gauge the work of instructional design.

The author, Charles M. Reigeluth has been a Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University since 1988. According to Reigeluth, his "research interests include redesigning educational systems and designing high quality learning resources" (Reigeluth, 2001, p. 2). An avid writer, his publications include eight books; two have received "Outstanding Book of the Year Awards" from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT).

A very cute story of a fun cookie caper. My daughter askes me to read this to her over and over. The pictures are fun and the story is too. A must have for every parent.

The kids aren't happy with the ration of one cookie each; but they face an impossible barrier to more: a laughing cookie jar which loudly chuckles when they try to get more. Josephine Taylor's whimsical drawings enhances William C. Marks' fun story of trying to get the most from a cookie jar - through creative theft.

"Lawrence the Laughing Cookie Jar" has something for everyone, it is truly a wonderful book. My grandkids love every bit of the book and make me read it over and over to them---they are especially fond of Reggie the dog. I also found it interesting that a jar is actually a jar in Will Marks' world, not a Safeway sourball. As a grandpa and erstwhile disciplinarian, I admire Marks' style by having the cookie jar laugh hysterically when the kids attempt to take more cookies. While my Phys Ed measures were far more draconian, Marks shows that you don't need to be Colonel Jessup from "A Few Good Men" to properly discipline kids. They are far better off learning from their own mistakes...the cookie jar is a kind way of teaching an important lesson in life.

This was a great 2nd book for Marks. As a bachelor for years, Marks provided me with many simple recipes in his initial epic instructional, "No More Mac and Cheese". The gazpacho soup recipe was my favorite, so easy I could throw it together in the back of my Vanagon or in the comfort of my PE office---although the aroma never overcame the jocks in the locker room!! Every meal was always finished off with a nice couple of jars, usually the ones left over from the glandular kids who got only 0+ on the pullup bar (apologies to Otis). I look forward to more from Marks.

It's one of those books your kid makes you read over and over again long after you get sick of it (after 45 reads for me, which is a record). I give it as a gift to every new parent. You'll dig it.

Like many of you, I have been waiting for quite some time for Mr. Marks next book....No More Mac & Cheese was a groundbreaking accomplishment, and was #1 on the San Mateo Times Nonfiction Best Seller list for 182 straight weeks....clearly the expectations for this book are high, since Mr. Marks has not published in over a decade...in fact, when No More Mac & Cheese was initially published, Clifford Rozier played for the Warriors....this has left many fans to wonder what Mr. Marks has been doing since No More Mac & Cheese and whether or not he was just another one hit wonder....while it may be unclear what Mr. Marks has done in his off-time (a rumor on the Drudge Site suggested that Mr. Marks had gone back to school to get his MBA), what is clear is that Mr. Marks has hit another home-run with what is arguably the best children's book in the last 50 years...no knock on Theodor Geisel (a Dartmouth grad), but Mr. Marks has established an entirely new format that stresses all 4 of the Big-E's: education, entertainment, excitement and elastic brand positioning....with regard to last of the big 4, many authors today overlook the need to create a branded product than can reach several demographics through a tiered multi-channel approach....clearly Mr. Marks is not just the #1 rated real-estate analyst in the country and a soon-to-be two-time best selling author, he is also a marketing master, understanding that utlimately a children's book is no different than a tube of toothpaste in terms of marketing positioning...I cannot say enough about the book, and have put in a large order myself, as I imagine supplies will be limited based on the book's likely selective distributin (No More Mac & Cheese was largely distributed thru gas stations in Nevada, Utah and Montana) and huge amount of publicity the book has already received (Dr. Spock I believe recently was quoted as saying that Lawrence will add more to the collective knowledge of parenting than "Baby and Child Care," becoming the bible of parents in raising their children)...the writing in Lawrence is on par with the tremendous prose of No More Mac & Cheese, and the illustrations in this book are a huge upgrade...I honestly cannot say enough good things about the book...my only caveat is that the book might not be suitable for all ages -- while not overt, it appears that the dog character (Reggie) may have some sexuality issues...other than that, another must read...kudos to Mr. Marks....Dipak Jain

Too rarely is a book on the education of children written by a person who has been an effective teacher, a highly successful school administrator, and a scholar. Dr. Lawrence combines all three qualities.

As a former public school teacher, principal, supervisor, professor of educational evaluation and a Fulbright lecturer, I can highly recommend this book to those teachers, principals, and school supervisors (and parents) who wish to learn how to cut through much of the red tape and bureaucracy that, sadly, characterizes too much of public education.

Dr. Lawerence provides specific cases of being confronted with and coping effectively with children whose instructional level is misclassified, the difficulties of unsuitable tests, rigid grading systems, teachers who are in dire need of help and many other areas of concern.

For your information, in retirement, Dr. Lawerence continues to volunteer her time working with children prone to being written off as failures.

William D. Hedges, (...)

I'd like to thank Dr. Lawrence for sharing her experience and wisdom with us through her book. Having insight to the internal workings of the public school system has better prepared me to make sure my child is not "left behind." Dr. Lawrence's emphasis on reading readiness in the early grades, has helped define my goals as a parent.
Thank you so much,
T.F.Ambrosio

It was a pleasure and surprise to see the inside commentary of a modern school principal. I do not think a parent can get a better picture of school administration problems and details. I thought "Boston Public" was a little too violent. My experience with school boards is deciding on how to pay for new water fountain. This book gives a parent a great insight to school problems and solutions.

Dr. Lawrence writes an honest inside view about the nuts and bolts of running an elementary school with the principal as a strong curriculum leader. She recognized reading as the elementary school's primary concern.
This anecdotal, informative and entertaining book explains the significance of identifying correct student instructional levels to effectively impact reading gains. Her ability to recognize the school as a function of its community is a critical factor in a successful education system. Poverty is a serious subject, a powerful distracter, but Dr. Lawrence guides us with humor, and the down and dirty understanding of identifying vital academic needs. She shows how to remain focused throughout the day-to-day crisises of running a school while making positive impacts on the children's academic and social growth.
As someone considering a career in educational leadership, I would recommend reading this valid, often humorous reflection of a principal's journey.

Dr. Lawrence has a simple solution for the education of children. Teach them at their level so that they can achieve success. In the days of over emphasis on test results, children are not only left behind, but they are also taught to fail. This book takes a humane view of the tender loving care that children need. By teaching them at their level, they do achieve success, thus beginning a real education. The gift is in their joy of learning.

The book had adventure, fun, mystery and danger. The Little Family had to go look for Aunt Lilly after she falls from cousin Dinke's glider. The small family must explore the world of regular size people to find Aunt Lilly. The Little Family use a family cat for their ride as they search the forest. While in the forest they meet large animals and other tiny people called tree and ground tinies. The book ends with the rescue of Aunt Lilly and a journey back to their home in the house of the Big's family. I ernjoyed reading this book.

In "The Littles to the Rescue", Mrs. Little is expecting her third child, and, by tradition, she wants Aunt Lily to deliver it. However, Aunt Lily and her son, Cousin Dinky, live four houses away, which is quite a distance for Tinies (little creatures--approximately 4 - 6 inches tall--that vaguely resemble elves with tails). Nevertheless, Cousin Dinky pilots his mother in his glider plane to the Littles' residence, even though it's in the middle of the night and snowing. However, during the trip, Aunt Lily falls out of the plane and is captured by the reclusive Ground Tinies. A search party is formed to locate Aunt Lily, with the added help of a cat and skunk, who remarkably don't make a meal out of the Littles. But will they find her in time?

This was one of my favorite books (and cartoon series) when I was a kid. It was given to me by my grandmother when I was about eight-years-old. Not only are the black-and-white illustrations terrific, but the Littles are extremely resourceful and imaginative in this story, using most things people throw away as tools, decorations, etc. My only two complaints are that the book has a rather abrupt ending (or perhaps there's a page missing from my book; I have had it for about 15 years), and that it's a bit ...., though younger readers may not pick up on this. Still, "The Littles to the Rescue" is a fun adventure story for children age 7 - 10. Highly recommended.

This is a great entry in a great series, which features the adventures of a family of small people-with-tails named the Littles, who live in the walls of the clueless humans, the Biggs.

This is probably my favorite book in the series, prominently featuring two other families of little people, the Specks and the Tinies. These two clans have an irrational distrust of each other, and the Littles get caught up in their struggles just when they desperately need to be focused on the pregnancy of Mrs. Little.

The elements that make the series consistently great are also on full display. The little people are essentially living in isolated pockets in the vast and dangerous frontier created by humans, and they must rely on their own wits to carve out a decent living. The problems they face, and the solutions that they struggle to find, are amazingly realistic, and there is no need to create evil-minded villains when the terrain is so inhospitable. Seeing the other clans in action also shows that the methods of living life on such a small scale can be very localized; the Specks, who live in the trunk of a tree, have an entirely different way of life than the Littles.

This is a charming series, with hundreds of thoughtful details that will delight children with their ability to portray a real world. Interactions with housecats and toy gliders are particularly thrilling.

Also, I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful sepia-toned drawings by Roberta Carter Clark. They mirror the text's adherence to realism, and give us a very graphic and fun look at the scenes that the text describes.

Living on this Earth, right under our very noses, is a race of tiny people. They are not dwarfs or elves, but simply tiny people, six inches tall at the most and possessing beautiful, furry tails. And in the home of the Biggs, lives a family of these tiny people, called the Littles.

In this book, Mrs. Little is coming due for the birth of her baby. But, with a snowstorm covering the area, the Littles decide that they must telephone Aunt Lily (a nurse from four houses away - quite a long distance) and tell her NOT to come. However, when a human intercepts the call, Aunt Lily decides that the call was a call for help, and she and Cousin Dinky set off in his glider. Disaster strikes when a gust of wind throws Lily out of the glider, and now it is up to the Littles to stage a rescue. It's a dangerous world out there for a little person, and Aunt Lily has fallen into adventures in a big wood!

I am a fan of Mary Norton's Borrowers books, and was saddened by the knowledge that there would never be any more. When I discovered Mr. Peterson's Littles books I was overjoyed, hoping that these would be just as good. Well, I wasn't disappointed!

The story in this book is charming, and quite entertaining. My children and I were thrilled with the story, and look forward to reading more of the adventures of the Littles. We highly recommend this book to you.

I am 7 years old and in 2nd grade.I like to read about the Littles because they are always having fun adventures.This story was interesting when the Littles traveled by rabbits, a cat, and a skunk.I try to think how much fun and how fast I could go on these animals. I like how the Littles get help from animals. I thought Aunt Lily was not going to make it in time for the baby.
But with the help of everybody she was found.