Nova Books

The book is outstanding and i picked up this audio version used, for my car as it doesnt have a CD player. Old car. The audio book is great and the core essentials are all there. Very well done and great for those who end up collecting unread books due to time pressures. Not sure worth it new but got mine for a few dollars on cassette.

I had some trepidation about reading what seemed like another dry book for business analysts (my job,) but found this book to be much, much more.
The author recounts stories from IDEO, to give examples for the ideas presented. I found myself wanting a job at IDEO after reading only a quarter of the book.
The lessons that can be learned from this book extend beyond business analysis. A CEO, manager, teacher, priest, parent or any type of leader will be able to gain insight and make positive changes in their organizations using the ideas presented. If you're in any type of leadership role, READ THIS BOOK! If you're not, buy it for your boss - You'll benefit from it too!

I read this book awile back during a vacation and couldn't put it down. I only read no-fiction books and this one was the best I'd ever read. I've never felt compelled to review a book before, but his one was worth it. It was very well written, informative as well as inspirational. It made me want to go work at Ideo. Well worth your time.

Thanks Tom! We're just starting a new technology business and we're wanting and needing to create the sort of culture that you have at Ideo. Our industry is dynamic, so if we're not dynamic then we will not succeed. For us that means innovate - deliver true value to our customers - learn - innovate - deliver more value to our customers, in a continuous cycle. You have given us some practical ideas about how we can ingrain innovation into our culture as we grow. Thanks.

I looked at quite a few books about Bassets before deciding to buy this one. As a new owner of a pet Basset, I wanted a book that would tell me what to expect and how to care for my new friend. Many other books focused on training for show; this book tells you all about Bassets. There is some information for those interested in showing and registering a Basset, but this is a good resource for anyone who just wants to love, care for and understand the lovable little hounds. Highly recommended! And even better if you check this out and read all about them before you adopt a new friend! Enjoy!

Much better than the animal planet books, the terra nova series really gets into the basset hound and what it takes to own one. Great source of information if you are considering the basset.

This is such a great book. Every Basset owner should have one. Very informative, lots of info on the breeed, common medical issues, and training tips. Everything you would ever want and need to know about Basset Hounds is in this book.

Dog breed books come and go in various guises year in, year out. This one leaps out from the pack. Excellent advice, excellent breed facts, wonderful photos & illustrations. Nothing negative to say about this beautiful book. Put this one high up on your gift list for the Basset Hound lover in your life.

Distant Valor takes you to Beruit International Airport 1982-83, if you were their it conjures up feelings of loss, remorse and a deep dark need for revenge. Sgt. Griffin embodies all that is the career grunt, a need to prove himself in combat and defend the honor of the Corps. Cpl. downs is the sum of all young marines, trying to leave a past behind he is constantly reminded of the girl he loved. Not wanting to soil his memories of her with all the carnage he was now being exposed to he forces her into the the dark recesses of his mind so only he can access her. The warrior must learn to trust his young apprentice and deal with his own demons. faced with politics and 'Rules of Engagement" Sgt. Griffin makes a decision that would alter the Marine mission in Beruit and possibly end his career. From all non-coms thank you Mr. Moreau, your tell of war and honor has reminded me of what I loved and hated about my Marine Corps. This book reminds me that "it is better to die in the Corps. than live anywhere else" . Semper Fidelis........

A superb book for any would-be leader. A must read for young Commissioned Officers in any branch. You must understand the conflicts an NCO experiences during your absence--the absence may be due to your missing character, your narcissism--your service academy notion that you are always indispensable. Officers are often their own impediment to effectiveness. The young NCO in "Distant Valor" is doing the best he can. The First Sergeant, who has the trust of the Officers, is out of control, and everyone looks the other way because of a few hashmarks. The Junior NCOs are left holding the bag. NO senior enlisted leadership other than a corrupt 1st sergeant and NO Officer leadership until after the fact. Ineffectual Officer Careerism is shown to be the Mortal Sin that is always is. The spit and polish of the Corps is there at long green table of a courts martial proceeding. While the Officers were busy crossing the "t's", no officer wanted the ugly job of backing down the moslem militia chieftain. Read this book and walk a mile in their boots. Put yourself in their shoes. Find out where you fit in this complex weave of characters and then re-evaluate. Where SHOULD you fit? Should your version of leadership change? What is more important? Your Men? Your Country, or your career? Find the Balance... What would Chesty do? What would one of those "potted palms" back at Division" do ?

C. X. Moreau's book is a must read for all Marines--former and active duty--enlisted and OFFICERS! It is not just a story of the Marines' experience in Beirut, but an insightful view of the inner workings of the Corps. It explores the personal relationships between officers and enlisted Marines as well as those between senior staff NCO's and all of the other ranks. It is my opinion that Moreau is making a dynamic statement about the raw courage of the Marines with whom he served as well as voicing his frustration with some of the legitimate problems he encountered. His characters are set forth in an honest manner that not only shows their personal strengths and weaknesses but also provides an insightful view into the strengths and weaknesses of the Marine Corps system itself. This book should be utilized by each Marine for an in-depth objective review of his own current or past performance. I consider Moreau to be a patriotic and loyal Marine whose honesty has been provided for the benefit of today's Marines and a tribute to those courageous Marines with whom he served. Semper Fi, Moreau, from a former Marine officer whose respect you have thoroughly earned!

Unlike many contemporary authors who have never served a day in the military and always write about officers, C.X. Moreau digs into the minds of the enlisted men serving in Beirut during the early 1980s. His description of the antics of a First Sergeant who is out of control is so real - only a former marine could truly relate. The real tragedy in the book is that the U.S. Embassy was bombed in April - why was that bombing not a huge red light for Marine Corps officers and the U.S. intelligence community? I was a little disappointed in Moreau's handling of the embassy incident. There are not just civilians in our embassies - the marine detachments and the Defense Attache Office are very much a part of most U.S. embassies. Overall, the book was excellent. Moreau was not grinding an ax, but telling it like it was. Hats off to a good read and semper fi from a former marine sgt.

A brilliant overview of Africa's abundant wealth, and a vital critique of the failed socialist policies which ruined Africa's economies.

Godfrey Mwakikagile should be commended for showing us that Africa is not an entirely hopeless continent. The main problem is its leaders, busy stealin'. And spending huge amounts of money on weapons to kill their own people, whom they also regularly starve into submission.

"Economic Development in Africa" is also an inspiring book. It should encourage us to unite and integrate our economies. As the author says, the continent has huge potential. But without economic integration, Africa will indeed be a hopeless continent.

There are, however, hopeful signs. In East Africa, we have the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar (Tanzania), with problems of course, but enough proof that African countries can indeed unite. We also have revived the East African Comunity made up of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and there is serious talk of these countries forming a political union. In southern Africa is the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and in West Africa, ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which already has plans to introduce a common currency, the Eco, by 2004.

So, there is hope. And we need more books like "Economic Development in Africa," especially by our own African writers like Godfrey Mwakikagile, to encourage us and point in the right direction. We are already headed that way. But we need the right kind of leaders to go all the way.

As an African myself, I am both proud and ashamed of our continent, supposedly the richest yet poorest. Why are we in such a mess?

Godfrey Mwakikagile from neighboring Tanzania - I come from Zambia - provides some of the answers in his excellent study, "Economic Development in Africa." We have had bad leadership for decades since independence; we have pursued wrong policies; we have not fully used our potential; and we are hopelessly disunited, despite claims to the contrary, as we continue to pay lip service to regional integration and African unity on a continental scale.

There is no other continent so richly endowed in natural resources; and probably no other continent so fertile in different parts of this huge land mass, the second largest after Asia. It is estimated that there are four acres of arable land for every African; yet, on average, less than one acre is under cultivation. And tens of millions of Africans are starving or undernourished. Eating one meal a day is a luxury; one every other day, the norm for millions.

It is potentially the richest continent. But it is also the poorest, the most battle-scarred, disease-ridden, and least developed. This is also a continent where the people would not only be able to feed themselves; they would be able to feed fellow Africans in less endowed areas instead of seeking international relief. It is also a continent which used to export food in the thirties, forties and fifties. Now it imports even beans and maize which we can easily grow ourselves in abundance.

Even debt forgiveness won't do us much good unless our leaders are held accountable for their actions. Instead, they are busy stealing from us, depositing in foreign banks what should be used to develop our countries. They even steal foreign aid coming from donor nations. The masses hardly get anything. Forgiving poor countries is a good idea. But also remember who's being forgiven: the leaders for what they stole.

Make them return what they stole. Donor nations can make them do that because that's where our leaders hide the money, the gold and diamonds, they stole from us. That's also where they go to buy expensive merchandise. Don't let them in, and freeze their accounts. And tell them to stay where they are, in their countries, and work with their people to develop their countries.

Africa is not going to be developed by outsiders. We are the only people who can develop our continent. But we must have the right kind of leadership, and we must work together. The author makes a very strong case, and an impassioned plea, for regional integration without which Africa is doomed. That, alone, is good reason why African government officials should read "Economic Development in Africa" by Godfrey Mwakikagile, one of our most clear-headed writers and articulate Pan-African spokesmen on a continent being led astray by our leaders, many of them muddle-headed.

What struck me most about Dr. Godfrey Mwakikagile's book, "Economic Development in Africa," is the vast amount of wealth the continent has: the minerals, agricultural products, the superbly fertile land in many parts of the continent, and much more...The unscrupulous nature of most African leaders is one of the highly volatile subjects the author addresses in his book. The book is also an excellent guide for those who don't know much about but want to invest in Africa. The focus is on sub-Saharan Africa where the author has examined the economic potential of every country, from crops to minerals. And as a textbook for development and comparative studies, it has rightfully earned its place in university libraries and on the shelves of economics and international relations professors.

But the book is equally important to members of the general public who want to know about the economic potential of the world's poorest continent. They'll find out that Africa is not really that poor. It is the leaders who have made it poor. And it is the leadership that must change in order for the continent to exploit its full potential for the benefit of all its people. They have suffered enough. And Godfrey Mwakikagile makes that clear. African leaders should, at least, have the decency to concede that much.

This is an excellent and comprehensive survey of
Africa's enormous economic potential; paradoxically,
the richest yet poorest continent, as the author
convincingly argues. He has looked at the potential of
every country in sub-Saharan Africa, naming crops,
minerals and other resources. The book is also a
balanced account of the failed - socialist - economic
policies most African countries pursued since
independence, and of the market approach adopted
mostly in the 1990s after the end of Communism as a
rival ideology in the international arena. The author
also makes strong arguments for regional integration,
without which Africa is doomed. But he does not
adequately address the negative impact of globalization
and the market economy - of which he's very much aware -
on African countries which has had catastrophic
consequences, in terms of lost jobs and income, health
care, educational opportunities and other services for
millions of Africans already living in abject poverty.
May be that was not his intention in this sweeping survey
and analysis. He does, however, warn against the
predatory nature of capitalism which, he says, is
ruthless and capitalizes on greed; and calls for
government intervention to protect the weak, but
without reverting to socialism. It is a useful text,
and an interesting one to read. But it would have been
even more interesting if the publisher and the editor
had taken the time to correct glaring typos found in
the book. It's hard to understand why they didn't, and
even harder to believe it's the writer's fault,
especially when the book is supposed to be a college
textbook published by a leading academic publisher. A
number of books, including this one, by the same author
are found in university libraries, obviously recommended
for purchase by professors in appropriate departments.
Yet such embarassing mistakes are inexcusable and may
even impair the author's credibility, while the blame
should really be placed on the publisher and his/her
editor or editors who are responsible for the
final product. For example, Ghanaian President Dr. Kwame
Nkrumah was overthrown in February 1966, not in 1996 as
is stated in the book; a date the author knows very well,
especially as a former news reporter in Tanzania and in
a country whose government under President Julius Nyerere shared ideological affinity with
Nkrumah's. In spite of all this, the author's work
remains true to its central thesis: how to achieve
economic development in Africa in this era of
globalization, despite the author's reservations about
Western penetration of the continent because of
EuroAmerican - and Japanese - domination of the global
economy.

Hemingway nos da un rrecorrido por el interesante mundo de "la mar" haciendonos identificar con el personaje principal y su pasion por la pesca, quiza esta es una manera de expresar una de las pasiones del escritor e introducirnos a un mundo que puede ser desconocido al principio pero del cual muchos terminamos entendiendo mas al final de la historia. La hisoria de Santiago puede ser la historia de todos nosotros que dia con dia luchamos por aquello que creemos aun cuando parezca que perdemos la batalla en el camino.

Se las recomiendo como su nombre lo indica, es una historia muy bella...

un cuento hermoso, escrito con la parquedad de palabras que caracteriza a Hemingway, con sus oraciones cortas y concisas, con su estilo de periodista puesto al servicio de la novelistica. este cuento trata sobre la busqueda, esa interna busqueda del ser humano, esa agonia por poseer, conquistar, domar, por no ser vencido por el inexorable paso de los anos y la muerte. esto es lo que impulsa a santiago a la pesca todos los dias. no se porque, pero esta historia me recuerda mucho a moby dick, aunque aqui la busqueda sea diferente muy recomendado. LUIS MENDEZ

Ésta es una novela corta, cuya narración se mete en los detalles de las situaciones, pero no aburre al lector, por el contrario lo hace interesarse en la historia.

La historia es sobre un viejo pescador que está en un periodo de mala suerte y sale a pescar. Durante el tiempo que dura la pesca muestra las bellezas y peligros del mar, reflexiona sobre el hombre y su parecido y diferencias con criaturas marinas, enseña que cada persona es producto de su pasado y así sucesivamente.

Es una novela sin sobresaltos, para que chicos y grandes la disfruten.

After taking the course in person and experiencing the energy of Saratoga and Telstar, I must say that in their prescence, one cannot deny their intentions to help all humans release themselves from the source of fear. After reading the book, I too felt that same love and compassion. With any of Telstar's work, 10% of it is words and 90% is energy. The energy of pure divine love. The book explains in layman's terms the way the "fear" energy, stops our natural courses of evolution and holds us back from doing what we came here to do. Anyone I have recommended the book to, no matter how closed their belief systems, say that it contains alot of "common sense"... however, until it is in our awareness's can we see "fear" for what it is and be able to overcome our own fears. The book communicates this much more than I ever could, which is why I highly recommend it to anyone who feels stuck, lost, or any amount of emptiness in their lives. Combine this with humour and genuine compassion, it is a soul searcher's answer to finding out who they really are underneath all of our programming. The process does not end with the book, it is ongoing and requires little physical effort to break free from the bars of denial of who we really are and what we came here to do. I can barely remember the frail, victim I once was before I first experienced this book. A must read!

I found this book to be one of the most profound sources of truth I have yet to read and experience. I believe if I had read this book when I was young I may not have experienced the truth and power of the words and feelings that I did now that I'm older. This is not to take away from anyone wishing to reading this book. In fact I would encourage any true seeker of truth to read it. You will experience a powerful expression of connectedness and maybe a clear understanding of your place in the universe. Take a chance, the only thing you have to loose is fear.

I loved this book. My friend bought it at a library sale and we took turns reading it to each other at first as a joke because of its silly title. But after one page, we both realized that they weren't kidding.

They claim the book can permanently remove fear from your life. I have grown to realize what fear is and it's not in my life much anymore. This book was a large component of making that come true.

Its a good and simple read too. Very direct and no nonsense.

This was the best book in my life. IT WORK`S I recommend this book for all people who which to overcome about fear.

A very riveting piece from an author with lots of potential, can't wait for a sequel. Maybe someone should tell Oprah to read this and then we could look forward to the movie version !!

Faye did an excellent job on her first novel! Looking forward to her next

This is a wonderful book. You don't want to put it down. The author has created an amazing read for us to enjoy.


Korey

Found this new book to have an interesting plotline and was able to read it all during a flight from Florida to Phoenix . . . Not bad for a first novel. Will look for her future books.

Just checking Kindle selections and this must certainly be one of the best electronic choices out there currently. A superb piece of writing that I have been through several times. Family interactions that are acutely real. Scenes that will make you feel you have experienced them visually. Try all the other non-electric Nova's out there as well.

I am in awe. Mr. Nova has written a magnificant book. The story is coursing with testosterone, adult peer pressure and the constant demands to abide by those spoken and unspoken social expectations. Though these events take place during the time around World War Two, the basic aspects of human nature are still applicable today. The three female characters' first-person accounts help to give a counterweight to the primarily male-driven tale. The first person narrative of each character gives divergent perspectives of the person's desires, frustrations and motivations, but never slows down the development of the story. The mother's intermittent remarks about different animals which inhabit their estate is a nice touch. The metaphor of the goat is pure genius. This story will resonate with me for years to come. Well done, Mr. Nova.

and I read it in the fourth grade. It still gives me chills.

I think this is the book I read, anyways.

It's about this boy who's mother dies, and his father has to make business trips, so the boy goes to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins.

His cousin, Henry, is about the same age as he is, and Henry is evil.

If you can find a copy of this book, you really should try it, but it truly is frightening.

Do not confuse - as some other reviewers have - Craig Nova's stunning novel, The Good Son, with the not-so-stunning movie of the same title starring Macauly Culkin. The two are completely unrelated, although Nova's novel would certainly make an excellent film.

At a basic level, The Good Son tells the story of Pop Mackinnon, a wealthy country lawyer, and his son, Chip. On another level, The Good Son is the closest and most capable literary understanding of the human condition that I have read in recent memory.

Pop Mackinnon is a man with grand and masculine ambitions for himself and his sons. After his eldest son John is killed in World War II, Chip is the only son Pop has left. Having returned from the war as POW, Chip is expected to follow in Pop's footsteps - to become a lawyer and to marry well. When Chip's relationship with Jean, a 'lower class' woman, gets in the way of his engagement to the pure-bred Carolyn, the battle between father and son escalates to an emotionally and physically dangerous height where the bond of love between a father and son becomes that which each can use to hurt the other the most.

Nova tells the story through the eyes of several different narrators, all characters in the story, whose subsequent roles as character and narrator add depth and clarity to the novel. To punctuate the events of the story, Nova takes several short excursions into the natural world, through the diary entries of Mrs. Mackinnon - Pop's wife, Chip's mother, and a soft-spoken overseer of the battle lines drawn between father and son. In these short passages, Nova demonstrates a profound understanding of the ebb and flow of life, the intermingling of the forces that create, unite and destroy us all.

Craig Nova exterts a masterful control over his work: as you read it, you come to realize the volume and intensity of thought that is required to produce prose so deliberately spare, that each word, each sentence, resounds with delicate roar.

The Good Son, like Nova's other works, is virtuoustic stuff. Not everyone will enjoy it or understand it, but I suspect that those who read it will be as richly rewarded as I have been.

I highly recommend this novel, Nova's fourth and perhaps his best. I'm in good company recommending it, too: John Irving (of The Cider House Rules and The World According to Garp) wrote an excellent review of The Good Son in the New York Times Book Review in 1982 that you ought to read

The Leaving and Other Stories by Budge Wilson is a collection of nine stories set in Nova Scotia about girls who are being pushed into the adult world. They face challenges like peer pressure and problems with friends and family.
One of my favorite stories is "The Metaphor." It is about a seventh-grader named Charlotte and her literature and creative writing teacher, Miss Hancock. Miss Hancock is very enthusiastic about her job, and wears lots of makeup and flashy clothes. While her students love her, most adults consider her "brassy" and think she's too overenthusiastic. One day in class, Miss Hancock introduces her students to the metaphor. She gives the class an assignment to write metaphors about people and things they know, and Charlotte writes a long, intricate metaphor about how her mother is a flawless concrete building filled with machines. On the bottom few floors, Charlotte writes, people track mud all over the building and "mar its perfection." Miss Hancock is thrilled by the long metaphor (although a little disturbed by its meaning) and encourages Charlotte to write more. Charlotte starts writing metaphors in the bathtub at night.
Then the story flashes forward a few years and Charlotte is starting her first day of high school. She's thrilled to find that her literature teacher is-Miss Hancock1 However, the other students think Miss Hancock's a joke and ridicule her every day, until she comes to school every day as a beaten-up wreck. Charlotte thinks she could stop this, but peer pressure convinces her not to. Then one day, Miss Hancock is killed by a bus. Charlotte is horrified and thinks that it's all her fault. At the end of the story, Charlottte is sadly writing a metaphor about Miss Hancock.
Many of the stories are like that. All of them have preteen and teenage girls as the protagonists, and many of them have the girls facing some kind of loss, be it of a teacher, parent, or friend. I would recommend this book to any girl who has ever faced problems with friends or family.

The stories in the leaving will really help you in life, most of them will make you laught. It is a great book and worth the money.

I liked this book because it was written very well. The writer wasn't afraid to say things bluntly and to be honest about things. I also liked how the stories told about life and what things happen during these young girls growth into adulthood in Canada

If you are looking for a book of short stories that will keep your sixth to eighth grade students and readers debating about what the characters' true motives are all about, this is a perfect book of short stories with fiesty female protagonists. I have taught The Leaving for six years and I am still haunted by the characters, especially Lysandra and Elaine. Because Wilson uses first person "unreliable" narrators, she forces the readers to wonder about what the other characters are thinking. We never know why the brilliant Miss Hancock left seventh grade to teach tenth grade, consequently losing control of her class. The title story is a perfect excuse to tell students about Betty Friedan and life for women before The Feminine Mystique. What happened between the mother and Manuel Jenkins that caused her to cry alone at her dresser after he left and changed her family forever? I first read The Leaving with a faculty book discussion group and have been giving friends copies ever since.Each story is a gem.

Very interesting and believable characters. I wasn't bored for a minute. I highly recommend it to all. I have an acquaintence from Bulgaria that I can't wait to tell about this book and get her opinion.

I can't recommend this book enough! I found it to be very enlightening. Before reading "The Making of June," I had no concept of what the people in the Balkans (Bulgaria, in particular) have been going through since being freed of communist rule in 1989. And, their struggles continue on into the current 21st century. Unbelievable!

The author tells the story of American journalist, June Carver, living in Bulgaria in such a way that I feel like I know June personally. Very good book! Can't wait to see if Annie Ward gets other books published.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I felt like I was with June when she started this journey, and I felt like I grew and changed with her. Annie Ward has the uncanny ability to express feelings through writing that we all have but can't put into words.

This book has it all--romance, deception, action, and an exotic setting. What more could a girl ask for? The setting is Sofia, Bulgaria, a place that I knew little about before picking of Ward's novel. I like to read books that have a definite sense of place, that can teach me something new while entertaining me at the same time, and Ward's book is just that kind of book. You'll be swept up into the rocky marriage of Ethan and June, while also learning about Eastern European politics despite yourself. Ward's prose is savvy and fast-paced. I highly recommend!