Martinez Books

The story and characters were great. I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say the ending wrapped up too neatly, was implausible, and uninteresting. Makes the reader feel cheated, especially given how good the book was until the last couple of chapters. Consider Christie's ABC Murders instead.

The author has chosen to set his story in Oxford among mathematicians, which initially appears odd, and remains so throughout the book. There is a lot of conversation about numbers, numbers theory, and various famous math folks, intersperced with murders (or what appear to be murders). The plot, shorn of the math parts, moves along briskly, and the ending does come as a shock, so the book is well worth reading, if you can handle the math!

This book is billed as a mystery for intellectuals (several glowing quotes printed on the cover). Actually, it's a mystery for those who, without developing themselves into disciplined thinkers, would simply like to see themselves as intellectuals ("the cover says it's for brainiacs, I bought the book, therefore I must be . . ."). Without playing the spoiler let me just say that maths and logic are central themes (and several concepts are presented amusingly), but the story itself is lacking logic at nearly every turn. In addition, if a mystery is supposed to keep you guessing until the end, you'll be sorely disappointed. The who in whodunnit is quite clear WELL before the end and subsequent misdirection is painfully clear. Finally, whether it was the author's or the publishing company's idea, the use of formula structure and writing make the book unnecessarily dull and predictable not only in plot and resolution, but in development and flow as well. I read an article recently which claimed that blurbs on book jackets are now "for sale" by reviewers and celebrities. I think we found a smoking gun.

The central premise, which finds both the police force and a renowned logician collaboarting with a young graduate student whom they have no reason to trust, snaps credulity in two. And the mystery itself, drily told and slowly paced, ends on a note as depressing as it is unlikely. You'd think the setting would evoke some heady atmosphere, but the author devotes almost no attention to Oxford or its history. A cold, hollow novel about cold, hollow people.

The book was short and a fun read. The author threw in mathematical theory, philosophy and history. There are several problems with the book but every British Whodunit has them. Character development was poor and I had a hard time caring about any of them. The book used red herrings and false endings to bad effect. The romance was okay. The "denouement" was fairly weak. Since it is a mystery, I won't divulge it. Needless to say I was disappointed.

The best part of the novel is the location at Oxford. The author wrote about the different locations. The mathematical philosophizing after a while became gibberish, but in the early parts of the book the philosophy and puzzles were entertaining.

In summary, I enjoyed the book more than I was disappointed in the ending.

I would recommend this book for sure. Yes, it is simple but that is the whole problem with the forex market and why 90% or higher do not know how to trade. There are so many "systems" and folks are confused. He shows how to trade with a high probability in this book but it's his personal testimony that I identified with most. It got me headed in the right direction by pointing out that I must use discipline or NO system will work. This is not the only information you need to learn to trade but a good one for your collection. I really enjoyed the book a lot.

Before you put your money on the line, READ THIS!

This book is a quality item for becoming acquainted with the reality of trading forex.

Good advice on the psychological aspects of trading.

I would recommend every beginner in Forex to read this book. As a person without any financial or investing background I like this book. It was my first book in the industry of market and explained me in simple words what Forex about.

The first day trading book I read was John Carter's Mastering the Trade. The 2nd book was Jared Martinez's book here.
So I'm a bit of a newbie. John Carter's book is not specifically on Forex. But I have to say, John's 3 pages on Forex have more substance than Jared's entire book. The other thing that is quite confusing about Jared's book (maybe I'm totally missing it) is that no where in the book can you see a basic overview of what the "10 Essentials" are!
Jared obviously is using this book to try and sell his MTI software.

The one thing that I found to be useful was his basic and repetitive reminders of how our personality type, emotions, etc. will effect our ability to be successful. I know this is somewhat obvious, but it helps to keep hearing it.

Jared Martinez talks to you one on one in this book. I have read other books and they tend to assume you have done forex already. This book starts you from the ground up and although allot more may be required in the world of the forex it is an EXCELLENT OVERVIEW to get your feet wet in a least paper trading. An excellent buy for new beginners. Easy to read, Easy to Understand.

The author did not play fair with her readers! There was no way one could have figured out who the killer was because Martinez threw him in within the last 30 pages! How in the HELL did this book get published???? It started out very strong then deteriorated into babble until she decided to throw in a killer. Part of the reason I like reading mysteries is so I can try and figure out whodunit. In this book it was impossible! It's the first and LAST book of Martinez I'll ever read.

Cover-Up by Michele Martinez-4
Another winner. 7/11/07

I've read the first three books about Melanie Vargas and they're all very good. As was this one.

After a brutal slaying of a TV reporter Melanie and boyfriend/lover/FBI agent Dan begin the search for a killer. Unfortunately, the killer becomes Melanie's stalker. It's a definite thriller with nice development on the personal front.

Why did I give it a four?
One: Terrible editing which seems to be the norm with books anymore.
Two: Implausibility's Ex: Witness Dave Harris, who had been in the military in Israel: "He had, like, this harness on his head with what looked like binoculars attached to it." Since he had been a soldier why didn't he recognize night vision goggles?
Three: Melanie's' father had cheated on her mom, Melanie had been cheated on by her ex, Dan had been cheated on by his ex. Dan expected Melanie to tell him every contact she had with her ex, even if it was by email. With all this history and trust issues why would Dan pull what he did with his ex without telling Melanie about it? Just doesn't sound like something he would do nor was it necessary as a plot device.

Would I read this book again which is my personal book "rater". Yes, in a heartbeat.

Michele Martinez's Cover- Up delivers everything you can ask for in a mystery- suspense, a strong protagonist, a thriller of a plot with some very intriguing twists, violence and enough gory scenes that will keep you awake at night.

The novel's plot unfolds when New York federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas who along with her boyfriend, FBI agent Dan O'Reilly, are called to the scene of an horrendous crime wherein a well-known tabloid television personality Suzanne Shepard was viciously raped and murdered. Shepard was a dog hound for sniffing out some very interesting scandals and was fearless when it came to reporting her findings.

Vargas is an up-and -coming prosecutor and she wants this case badly even though she knows it isn't going to be a cakewalk. To make matters even more interesting where a conflict of interest may be involved was that Shepard was investigating a sex scandal involving a future New York mayoralty candidate, Clyde Williams whose son Joe is a co-worker with Vargas.

As the plot thickens we learn about a plastic surgeon, Benedict Welch, who is mixed up in selling drugs to his patients and another character, Miles Ortiz, who is supplying him with the drugs. Just prior to Shepard's murder, her apartment was burglarized by Ortiz and a file pertaining to Welch was stolen which, as we later learn, contained some very interesting press clips concerning the murder of a stripper in Los Angles that had taken place several years before the Shepard murder. Could the two be related? We also learn some very interesting revelations pertaining to Welch's past and someone connected to Welch who had served time in prison and who was now out.

While the investigation is proceeding, Vargas receives a series of very disturbing emails from someone who apparently seems to be stalking her and has threatened to kill her in the same way Shepard was brutally murdered.

The twisting plot, the deception, and the frantic dash to try and capture a ruthless killer on the loose in New York before he kills someone else including Vargas will keep you reading long into the night.

For eight years Martinez was a federal prosecutor in New York City and her intimate knowledge of the workings of the criminal justice system come shouting through as she builds up a strong narrative momentum. Moreover, Martinez has an excellent grasp of storytelling structure with her effective use of rhythm, pacing, and the development of plot. In mystery writing, plot is everything, and here is where Martinez shines.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

I read Most Wanted, and thought it was better than alot of mysteries today, while there were some unrealistic/cliche/annoying parts of it. Finishing school had less of the cliche/annoying, but it wasn't as good as Most Wanted. Cover up, was bad.

For one, we get it, you/melanie vargas is half puerto rican!!!! I think you mentioned it 100+ times in the first book. Second, I wish she'd stop using cliche's and fads. Fads, like gold teeth, that had really gotten old about 4 years ago, and we don't need to know what they're called. Cliche things being like, "glocks and tec-9's"(most wanted), other than in movies, I've never seen a criminal with a glock, tec-9's yes, but they were discontinued in the 90's, so they aren't around much anymore. More like hi-points and ap-9's, if you want to be realistic.

and unrealistic things like all the criminals talking black. Puerto ricans do that alot, but like the salvadorian guy in finishing school, most of them are like mexicans and have their own culture/pride in that culture and dont talk like that. Slice was a realistic puerto rican, but having an ese, talking black doesn't make any sense.

Other than that, "notorious" is going to be about a rap star. She was good at first, and had potential, but Michele Martinez has had it. Cover up was the worst so far, because of the mention of fads, and not really building up the bad guy like before (he's a complete stranger until the end) wich I have to admit is a fairly clever ending. I won't be buying "notorious" or any other books until she can write an entire book without mentioning that the character is half puerto rican, and without ideas she got from rap videos.

Michele Martinez initiates a very subtle change of direction in COVER-UP, her third Melanie Vargas novel. MOST WANTED and THE FINISHING SCHOOL, the first two books in the series, introduced not only Vargas but also a plethora of secondary characters that included several members of Vargas's personal family and circle of co-workers. In COVER-UP, Martinez moves a majority of the characters (Vargas's mother, sister and boss, among others) to the side --- if not off the board entirely --- giving a freshly-divorced Vargas and her blossoming relationship with Dan O'Reilly the opportunity to sparkle.

COVER-UP begins with Assistant U.S. District Attorney Vargas being pulled reluctantly into the lead of the investigation of the savage murder of Suzanne Shepard, a television reporter who has a high Q rating with the viewing public but receives low marks from her prospective targets. Vargas has no shortage of suspects, who range from a celebrity personal trainer to a Park Avenue nip/tuck surgeon to --- most significantly of all --- Clyde Williams, a New York City councilman with designs on the mayor chair who also happens to be the father of one of Vargas's best friends in the office. When Vargas does not immediately bring charges against Williams, Shepard's network screams cover-up, which does not help Vargas's investigation.

Meanwhile, FBI Agent O'Reilly is his usual competent self --- both on the job and between the sheets (functions that, as readers shall see, he sometimes performs simultaneously), though his increasingly frequent nighttime disappearances are giving Vargas pause. To make matters worse, it appears that the killer is now tracking Vargas to the extent that he knows her every move despite her own best efforts.

Suspects are ruled in and then out, making COVER-UP a classic and suspenseful whodunit, even as Vargas races to a fateful and climactic apprehension in a noisy and dangerous Times Square video arcade. There, Vargas engages in the ultimate role-playing game, as she matches wits with a brilliant and deranged killer while time runs out for one of them.

This is by far the best in an already top-notch series whose expectations have been exceeded since the publication of MOST WANTED. Martinez continues to fine-tune her character both personally and professionally, walking a fine line between the familiar and the unexpected. COVER-UP is one more reason to add, and keep, Martinez on your must-read list.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Before studying this book I recommand to read the book "Games of Strategy, Second Edition (Hardcover)by Avinash K. Dixit (Author), Susan Skeath (Author)" this book will be helpful in understanding the osbornes' book. it is very scientific , logical and you will be interested in game theory. good luck!!!

The book offers several argument about modern applications of the game theory. Particullary, it is importantant the Bayesan probability and the relation with the information theory. The autor leads the student into the secrets of the actual economy. I'm sorry that the cooperative games are treated no completly.

As a grad student preparing for his comprehensive exams, I searched long for an exemplary introduction to game theory. The descriptions of this book which I found on the web led me to believe Osborne's book was the one I needed. The book starts off promising enough. The preface exclaims that "the only way to appreciate the theory....is to put it into action" and that over 280 exercises will allow you to do this.

Then comes the part they don't tell you - those 280+ exercises have no solutions. They are not included in the text. Even after contacting the author he refused access to the solutions.

So what may have just been the best intro to game theory ever done is useless to a self-motivated learner. The only purpose I can see that it serves is as a required text book for a course.

Bottom line - unless you HAVE to have this for a class, don't waste your money. It will be very wisely spent elsewhere.

As part of my M.Sc. in Operations Research and Decisions, I took two courses that are developed to teach the basics and slightly advanced concepts of Game Theory: 'Models of conflict' and 'Economic models of games with incomplete information'. Since I am highly interested in the subject, I decided to buy a book that summarizes the field in an intuitive (but not shallow) way. I left the mathematical theorems and proofs for the class. The professor that teaches both courses indicated this book to me and despite the high price I decided to buy it.

I believe that I did not receive what the book promised on its description. While the book does not intend to be a mathematics coursebook, it is not an intuitive overview as well. In the end, it got stuck in middle! The book reminds me of a quote by Laurence J. Peter: "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them."

The book explains most of the theoretical concepts and gives very interesting historical information on Game Theory and its thinkers. However, it is surely TOO high-priced.

It is a totally disaster to buy a poor book such like this.
I am really frustrated to find out that the author can not make difference between a relation and a function, just in the chapter 2.
It is incredible it was published by Cambridge University Publishng.

I would rahter recommend "Game Theory" by Drew Fudenberg and Jean Tirole(MIT Press). It is much clear but lacking of various examples.

Even one star is exaggerated.

This is a sad story about two boys who grow up and become enemies. It was a good book. I learned more about the civil war from this book. I didn't like that the book was so short and also the ending of the book.

The Ballad of the Civil War is one of the best books I've read. Jack & Tom are twins fighting in a battel. Read this book to find out what happens to the twins when they enlist in the war. Icould not put it down.It is not scary. tis a short read.

I did not like this book at all. I read it because I wanted toread a short easy book but instad I got boring.

This book is boringand has absoluty nothing to do with the Civil War. Only the last chapter about 7 pages even mentions the Civil War.

At the end one brother finds a man from the other side and it made him think about his brother...

I must say that I am well read. I have read many books by many great authors--Cooper, both Brontes, Austen--and yet I find myself coming back to this ballad. I read this when I was in fifth grade, and liked it, but didn't care for it overmuch. Previously this year I found myself faced with a challenge. My english teacher wanted each class member to read something they liked, a poem, a song, part of a book, etc. to the class. I couldn't think of anything. I was searching through my mind trying to think of what I could read, then I thought back to my fifth grade teacher, and remembered this ballad. I read it to my class, and nearly everyone had misty eyes. This is the most touching poem I have yet to see. Each time I read it I get chills down my back. Background information on the Civil War is a good idea. I hope in time you readers who were "board, bord" or bored with this book will be able to realize how touching this really is.

i really did not like this book. i was supposed to read thisbook as an assiment for school, i did not have time during thatweekend so i read 18 pages during school in the morning and i almost fell asleep. i got so board.

i want to know about the golden carp and the catholicism with ton

This book was the most boring, dryest, and stupid book of all time. In fact the reason I didn't burned it was because my 10th grade english teacher Ms.Gomez suggested that i needed it to pass her class. As well as it not being my book.To all new readers i strongly suggest not buying this book,however, if your into reading books that in the end turn out to be a total waste of time and oxygen used to finish reading the book. Actually to be quite frank about this book it truly was work of endless stupidty by the insane Rudolfo Anaya. Thank you for your time.

Bless Me Ultima was a wonderful book. I loved the fact that the author possesed so much talent to put such a vivid picture in my mind. There never was a dull or boring moment in the book. I was captured by the tale of a young boy from New Mexico. I absolutly adore this book it was well worth reading.

Recently, I've had the chance to read this novel through an english class which has brought out many new perspectives within the novel. This novel shows the importance of family and the balance and equality between life. The conflict with the Marez and Luna can be referred to a "Romeo/Juliet" Shakespearian drama. One of the good aspects of the book that I found was interesting engough was the mockingbirds that kept on appearing within and between the lines of the text. Well, that's all folks. Also, to help you with the understanding of the text would be to discuss and ask questions with fellow classmates or family members. *sparknotes.com may help too.... (^_^)

In my ninth grade English class we have read this book. No one in the class enjoyed it. The dreams that Antonio has are strange and the writing is very bland, not to mention confusing before class discussion. I could not help being bored during this book. I would dread picking it up and reading for homework. I did not enjoy this book at all, Im sure many others will agree. It is not what I call a "masterpiece" thank you.

Shipping was super fast, and book brand new, low price, and good communication, highly recommended

political leaders are motivated by their desire to stay in power? REALLY? wow, talk about obvious. and yet his book manages to explain the implications of this in the most convoluted, annoying way possible. he talks about terms he never defines, doesn't explain his math properly, and cites himself far more often than is necessary. this book is the only one that discusses issues in the abstract (so said my polisci prof), but it could still be written better.

Ignore the previous bad reviews for this textbook. It does a very good job of presenting the fundementals of International Politics and discussing the different schools of thought on the subject (this book is a believer in the "all politicians strive to keep themselves in power" theory, which is a contrast to other international political theories)

The book also covers all of the basic game theory over the first 10-12 chapters that you will need to know for most politics courses.

This is a marvellous book that moves beyond the loose metaphors that pass for theory in most of international relations.
I sincerely hope no one pays the slightest attention to the junk some people write in their reviews for Amazon. What a bunch of nit wits.
Fat Bob

Throughout this text, Bueno de Mesquita tries to convey to the reader his belief that all wars and conflicts in the history of the world could have been avoided if only the decision makers had read his book. And through it all, he manages to project a sense of self-righteous superiority that I have never before seen in a book designed to be a textbook. I personally think that his theory has merit, but it is not the cure-all for international politics. He uses many examples, some of which are good and some of which are bad. An example of the latter is found in the chapter on preferences (9) when he spends about 10 pages on an inane and contrived example concerning a soda machine and the choices involved. Stick with examples involving the subject of the book! Also, he likes to refer to himself a lot. There is one instance in which he refers to his own past works 5 times in 2 consecutive paragraphs. This so annoyed me that I began highlighting each incident of self-citation, which generally occurs on every page.

That being said, if you're interested in BDM's strategic theory of International Relations, this is a good book, but if you want a more objective and comprehensive explanation of various IR theories, I would go with something else.

Up to the point - great to have on the shelf for quick consultations. It makes a great textbook to be complemented with specialized papers on the different topics. A must have for anyone doing computational Statistics in Matlab. "Exploratory Data Analysis with MATLAB" by Wendy L. Martinez, Angel R. Martinez is a great follow up volume to this book.

There were a lot of negative comments for this book on Amazon so I sort of held off the purchase of this book. However, last week I ordered the book and quickly realised it is very useful. The book may lack detailed theory but excellent references are scattered throughout if you really want to follow it up. And the book is easy reading and well written with most statistical concepts defined before they are used.

The focus of this book primarily is to explain how to work on statistics using Matlab and it provides a taste of various areas with adequate explanations and code to get started. One advantage of this book is they do not define their own notation but use the notation which is currently in vogue in academia.

If you are starting out in Matlab, are not a statistician and do not have previous experience with other packages (like Splus or R) you should definetly think about getting a copy. If you are a Stats Guru you can just read the toolbox documentation. However note that these authors provide their additional stats toolbox FREE (which is also well written) on the website which contains most of Matlab statistical functions so you could save yourself some money on the Stats toolbox.

As an independent student of probability and statistics this was a great find. You get a great overview of the useful algorithms of computational statistics. The chapter on Exploratory Data Analysis with its use of multidimensional graphing was very enlightening. It's wonderful that each topic is accompanied by source code (free on-line) that lets you see exactly how it's done. It's easy to tweak the code and explore your own data as you go along. You get just enough theory to understand the algorithm and lots of good common sense and rules-of-thumb on how to best apply it. Finally, the extensive bibliography and chapter-by-chapter annotations will point you straight to the best source for more in-depth study.

I was initially excited about this title. It seemed like an opportunity to develop some advanced techniques and learn them interactively with Matlab. Unfortuantely, I was disappointed upon reading the book. The topics themselves are not developed well by the authors and the Matlab examples are way too simple for them to be of any use or for the reader to gain insight. The material itself is somewhat eclectic, but for the price/value I just can't see it. A determinted researcher could find the same thing for free on the internet.

I ordered this book assuming to get something useful, but i got the impression while reading the book that it is like a collection of notes from other books, wrapped with some matlab code. More worrying to me was that the mathematics makes a sloppy impression. For me that means I cannot grab the book to lookup something and use the code without having to be concerned on the validity. The bottomline being I will not use it for applications and the book is a waste of money.

OK as another reviewer put it barely has any full colour murals. It more shows you graffiti where it gets done at street level. Think dripping ink tags, hastily rushed throwups with the dirty background of NYC surrounding it. Granted it wasn't what I was expecting when I ordered it and was thinking of the awesome talents of NYC's rich graffiti history but it is still a unique and interesting photobook showing the hustle and grind of getting your style on.

Mr. Martinez hits the spot with this true-to-the-game pictorial of recent and current writers in NYC. It's drenched and drippy with no-excuses, raw street, straight up. The quotes by various writers are just as raw. Only trouble I had was navigating from the index to un-numbered pages when I wanted to reference particular photos. Aside, a must-have for anyone down with the most relevant art form of our day.

If you are looking for a book about pretty, glossy full color murals and pieces, don't buy this book. If you want a book about dirty, illegal, real graffiti, keep reading. The book is more of a photo essay on bombing, and the quotes throughout are great. I would recommend the book to graffiti fans, more casual readers should probably check out graffiti world or something like that.

If your serious into the ny graff scene, this book might be fun. There are some good pics. If you're looking for pictures of amazing pieces, this is not for you.

This book is just a complete waste of time. Its more of a photography book rather than graffiti. The pictures are either pictures of paint shoes, random people, or some good throw ups that get ruined by placing them on the crease. Nothing is labeled and no order is set. The quotes inside the book are good but either city officials or the same artists over and over. My recommendation is to buy another book.

What an incredible book!
I was recently given this book as a gift.
Each time I go through it I am just blown away by how each painting
is more incredible then the last.
At first I thought I must be so moved by this body of work because I am a women.
I was pleasantly surprised when my husband told me he felt just as moved.
We each have our favorites.
My favorite is "Puerto Rican Stereotype: The Way You See Me Without Looking At Me"
What a gift! Everytime I open it, I am filled with gratitude.
Soraida Martinez has given all of us the gift of Verdadism

Regarding the review submitted by the pseudo-artist, A. Garcia, I find it contemptuous that an individual with no professed knowledge of the visual arts would so boldly state that this book does not have artistic or literary merit. In particular, I would question the sincerity and authenticity of a reviewer who, not only has not provided evidence of any proper qualifications in the disciplines of art, literature, and philosophy but would also have the arrogance to make any claim of expertise in dictating the aesthetic worth of the paintings and commentaries within this book. On the contrary, I am a published writer and poet, I have studied art, and I am a private art dealer; accordingly, I have the utmost confidence in stating that this book contains some of the best works-of-art created in the twentieth century; furthermore, the artist and her Verdadism art style have been recognized by academics, educators, writers, artists, and many other individuals for the contributions that this book is making towards promoting tolerance and positive social change. Additionally, the artist is formally trained, has two degrees (including a BA in Fine Arts), and she has served as a member of the New Jersey Council on The Arts. If one reads the other reviews submitted by A. Garcia, a hidden prejudicial agenda is clearly revealed and the supposed subjectivity of the review of this book is severely compromised. I implore anyone interested in supporting the innovative art and provocative ideas that the artist is fostering through her Verdadism Art and Philosophy to purchase this unique book; you will be both enlightened and entertained.

To the contrary, one does need a formal education to realize the aesthetic quality of this artwork; in particular, a study of art appreciation and history would be a good start towards understanding the creativity and innovativeness apparent in this abstract art. Furthermore, a statement like "the truth still stands that the work is not good at all" deserves an intelligent analysis of the aspects of the artwork that is being called into question. Let me clarify this issue of substance by briefly referring to three of the ways in which the artist has made intentional use of the visual language - and, in the process, has achieved her own distinct and expressive voice:

1. Foremost is the obvious subtle balancing of the colors used in rendering each painting: a close evaluation of each artwork's imagery would thoroughly provide the proof of a sophisticated application of the advanced rules of color theory; also, the artist's bold use of flat, intense complimentary colors, within a compressed 2-dimensional space, has the added effect of subconsciously evoking an innate emotional response from the viewer - who may not be aware of this influence but, nonetheless, will intuitively feel the sadness, hope, serenity, anger, and other emotions depicted in each individual work-of-art
2. Secondly, there is the definite rhythmic and melodic quality that permeates each painting: depending on the treatment of the subject matter being portrayed, some of the artwork conveys a staccato movement, while in others the artist has chosen to evince longer, fluid lines; both applications of visual movement can be compared with the imaginative musical variety and syncopation found in American jazz or even the unimpeded freedom of contemporary poetry - which strives to verbally emulate (through onomatopoeia, unrhymed vernacular, and non-traditional grammar) the same iconic palette that this artist has visually accomplished
3. Lastly, in each painting, one can clearly discern an acute emphasis on the formal principles of design. The artist has reached this advanced stage of creative composition through her own unique utilization and manipulation of shapes and forms: blocks for hands, elongated outlines for bodies, geometric lines for lips and eyes. This coherent fashioning of graphic elements further defines this artist's figurative art as an extension of the already established art style of hardedge abstract expressionism; thereby, placing this artwork in a historical timeline that can be traced and studied

The uninitiated eye values the worthiness of any artwork only if it has followed the cultural conventions that his or her society has designated as aesthetically pleasing. My advice would be to stop using those prejudiced eyes and minds - only then will true beauty be perceived.

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr.Garcia. Have people stopped using their eyes and minds? One does not need a formal education to see that this artwork is not good at all. The fact that the artist of this book has two degrees and other accolades makes this work even more embarrassing. While I agree that her work has helped to promote social justice and other positive cultural advancements, the truth still stands that the work is not good at all.

As a puerto rican artist myself I find Verdadism (as she tries to quip uneffectively) to be bad art made worse by cliched commentaries. Her art is contrived, appears disingeniuos and most of all it lacks the asthetic qualities necessary to effectively communicate the elaborate messages she imposes on them. You give puerto rican artist a bad name.