Morrison Books

It'd be a shame to limit THEATRES' attraction to architects alone; any with an interest in the stage and theater productions will find this a comprehensive, fascinating survey of the changing history and styles of theaters from early playhouses to modern movie houses. It's the first comprehensive study of American theaters and uses holdings from the Library of Congress to profile a range of styles and settings across the U.S. Blend these archival photos with architectural plans and drawings by artists and you have a powerful visual reference recommended for any serious theater enthusiast.

"Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies" by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff is one of the best introductory astronomy books I have come across. The book is marketed as a textbook for a (non-science major) college course, and as such it works great. But I also think the book would be ideal for anyone who is interested in astronomy, and wants something more substantial than what is offered in most popular astronomy books, but who also does not have the math background (or the time or inclination) for a math intensive textbook. In fact, even if you are interested in a more math intensive book, if you are new to astronomy, this might be a better starting point from which you can branch out later. The reason I say this is because the book gives such an excellent overview of astronomy, while providing very clear explanations of the underlying scientific principles. Thus you walk away from the book seeing the big picture and having a good grasp of the science behind it all. You have an excellent foundation from which to delve into more math intensive books if you so desire.

For example, consider the life of a star. A popular astronomy text will generally give you a nice description of the various stages in a star's life. Interesting, but just not enough meat for some people. A university level textbook will give you all the meat you want, but it may be difficult to see the forest through the trees so to speak. Voyages, on the other hand, gives you the descriptive overview, AND explains the scientific principles behind each stage, all without losing you in lots of math. It is a good balance.

Not that this book has no math in it. There is some, but it is generally minimal, or presented in side bars or additional problems that you can explore.

I've read other introductory astronomy texts, and none have been as consistently clear while striking the right balance for a first year college student or interested amateur.

I have read this book three times; the first a couple of years before starting flight training when it inspired me, then again during pilot training when it encouraged me and most recently as I was finishing my instrument rating and could appreciate all that Tom had written about. The author's skill with aviation narrative compares well with that of Ernest Gann and Robert Buck, making this book a minor classic of aviation literature, especially for current or future flight students.

Toni Morrsion's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Beloved, deals with the self-sacrifice of motherhood, the black experience in America, and an unescapable history which will haunt the bravest at heart. First, she creates an elaborate, detailed story for the reader and secondly, she spins the literary web together by alterating between past and present. Morrison does an extraordinary job in portaying the trials and tribulations of slavery shortly after the Civil War. Also, Toni's greatest aspect and technique of Beloved, is her use of the past ruling the present, this enables the reader to know more about the character than the character may know about themself. The theme of the novel which I found most intriguing was the aura of the book itself. The gothic tale conjured some of the most deep-rooted feelings from my soul. The book is definately a masterpiece of its time and history as well. And it feels extraordinary to have a piece of history in the palms of your hands.

Missy Kubitschek's book does the impossible: she presents a thoughtful, educated, and appreciative reading of Morrison that makes these wonderful novels even more accessible than even good readers could imagine. For teachers who want to provide their students with a superb critical model, here it is. Look at the literate biographical first chapter. The "contexts" chapter moves smoothly and clearly through the critical whitewater of postmodernism, orality, and black identity. The chapters focusing on individual Morrison novels (even the daunting _Paradise_) illuminate Morrison's careful plot and characterization strategies. Best of all, each chapter showcases a particular critical strategy (formalist, historicist, archetypal, "Afro-modernist," etc.) as a lens through which to read the text. This is not only a brilliant teaching strategy, it's delightfully readable. I was surprised and moved all over again at the author's deft discussion of marigolds in _Bluest Eye_ and its subtle evocation of the Demeter/Persephone theme. It's the best discussion I've read of _Paradise_ and the chapter on _Sula_ brought that novel's power home to me years after my first reading of it. This is criticism at its very best.

Dr. Rogozinski, Through vigorous and expeditious interpretation of the defined economic material, he stealthily synthesizes the significance of privitization in Mexico. Considering myself as a great conoisseur of his work, a High Price for Change is a masterpiece of all macroeconomic rhetorics. He determines the aggregate value of consideration through sectional interpretation of Mexico, not simply as a third world country of extreme potential growth, but as a site for a huge international economic market of export through limited resources.

As a final word, the material is concise, accurate, and to the point. Rogozinski follows up his stunning string of economic policy books with an equally powerful performance. This is a must-read for any economics enthusiast....

Approximately one year ago, I edited a series of children's plays where the central character was Pacala, a Rumanian character also known as the trickster. While reading through the plots, I was struck by the similarities to other tales that I have read. It seems that trickster characters are as culturally ubiquitous as heroes and villains. That is no more evident than in this collection of tales from the frozen north to southern India. All involve heroes who survive dangers or dispense justice by using tricks of words or deeds.
Although there are many threats of violence, there is none committed, which makes it well-suited for children. With a moral of problem resolution by thinking and planning, it shows children that there are many ways of solving problems, sometimes even using the evil perpetrators negative disposition against them. The sources of the stories are India, northern Eskimos, Scotland, Turkey, Iran, Japan, Indo-China, Korea and Europe.
I enjoyed the tales immensely, both as a parent and someone interested in the cross-cultural value of legends and historical tales. They are the kind of stories any parent would like their children to hear.

It is always fascinating to learn how ancient technologies worked--by trying them out. The authors of this volume describe their reconstruction of such a ship, which they named the OLYMPIAS. They used the ancient shell-first method of ship construction. Planks were fastened edge-to-edge by tenons.

This method is superior to the more recent plank-on-frame method of wooden shipbuilding. Coates comments: "By that method, common in Europe for about the last thousand years, planks forming the skin of a ship are not positively and directly fastened to each other, but only via the frames. Only the caulking rammed between the planks prevents them from sliding on each other, like the leaves of a carriage spring, when the hull is subjected to longitudinal bending and to shear forces. Framed construction is heavier, cheaper, easier to repair, but inherently weaker and structurally less elegant than the shell construction of the ancient Mediterranean. The shell strength of the ancient method is essential to the trireme whose hull is fifteen times as long as it is deep, a very high ratio indeed for an undecked timber hull built without the benefit of modern glues." (p. 22).

I just had the good fortune of meeting author, Mary Kay Morrison, at a professional humor conference. She has written a seminal book for practicing educators on how to bring humor into your classroom in positive, productive ways. Mary Kay is an educator "from the trenches" so she knows first hand the importance and effectiveness of humor with learning. This book is filled with all sorts of gems - wonderful quotes, related research, and absolutely great on-the-job practical suggestions.At the closing of each chapter there are suggestions for inter-active school improvement activities. How about a year long professional development/building improvement goal to maximize learning through the use of humor? This book lays it all out. If you are an educator, be it administrator, teacher, or para-professional, I highly suggest this book. And, if you are a parent, or anyone who cares about and is interested in how people learn, gift this book to the people who can influence students to become what we all should strive for - being life- long learners. Highly recommended!

This resource sheds a lot of the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental illness. I would highly recommend this book to any one of any faith who is personally struggling with this issue or has an affected family member. The author's own daughter is affected so he really speaks from experience and the heart on this matter