Nova Books

This is a good book for Quantitative Section.This improved my Quant score.
But dont prepare Verbal from this book.Its a kinda mess.
Still it is a good one for Math.

I took the GRE for the first time in November 2004. I used books like Princeton Review and Peterson's material put out by ETS. I used these books to study mostly on my weak area, math.

I decided to take the test again in December 2005. I only studied math and used the GRE Prep Course book. It was hard at first. The book was different than the rest -- it actually had hard math problems in small print on 300 pages, instead of large print baby problems like in the Princeton Review. I've never done well in math, but your book made sense. It made the other prep books seem like they were written to make you have to take the test twice.

Anyway, when the date to the test came around, I felt prepared. I got up at 4 AM on the morning of the test to drive 2 hrs. to the testing site. On my way, my car started to have problems. I called my mechanic uncle and he said the car wouldn't make it. I was passing the airport, so I pulled into a rental car place, rented a car and got myself there with minutes to spare. Two hours late, I got my scores: 240 points higher on my math!

Your book works,

Thank you,

Leah

This book has a good introduction and description of the GRE. The math explanations are clear, and the math problems are well constructed. The word list is helpful -- I already knew most of the 4000 words but the list is a good guide for the vocabulary to be tested. However, the definitions for many of the words were from an older dictionary (circa 1913). Furthermore, many of the word problems were simply incorrect (e.g., "seasoned" is not an antonym for "verdant" by any stretch of the imagination. We can't use the transitive property as in mathematics for definitions, especially when the intermediate terms involve using figurative language! Another bizarre example was having "convocate" be the antonym for "mete".) Luckily, you can see that the actual GRE questions are more straightforward than this. The best thing to do is use questions from ETS's actual tests. The other reference books I've found to be better in the verbal practice sections and definitions are Barron's and Kaplan's.

Though several other reviewers seem to find this book mediocre at best, I found that it was very helpful in a lot of ways. The questions seemed a lot harder than actual questions on ETS practice tests as well as on the real GRE, so when it came to actually taking the test I felt that everything was pretty easy by comparison. My score was much better after having studied this book than it would have been without it. Granted, I did come across some wrong answers in problem explanations, but very few when considering the sizable quantity of practice questions in this book.

The Quantitative lessons were the most helpful to me, as they provided in-depth reviews of all the concepts that are likely to be encountered in the exam, with practice problems for each concept. The logic sections were also very helpful, especially when it came to practicing how to concisely jot down the conditions of a problem and how to draw the right kinds of diagrams quickly. Finally, the verbal section provided a good review, including a list of 4000 important vocab words. Unfortunately, the vocab definitions provided were extremely brief, and I found it necessary to turn to another study guide for more extensive definitions.

Overall, though I didn't manage an 800-800-800 like some reviewers who used this book (I wish I could have gotten that score!), I did very well (well enough to feel no inclination to take the test again). I found that the only factor that lowered my scores at all was the fact that I had trouble finishing all the questions on the quantitative and analytical secitons within the time limits (damn those time limits! damn them to hell!). I was much better off for having studied with this book and I would recommend it to anyone, although I'm sure that most study guides are fairly equivalent. What really makes the biggest difference is the time and effort you're willing to devote to studying this or any other guide.

The author puts too much of his opinion in the reading comprehension section. Answers are vague and i questioned whether I should learn why HE justifies his answers. Perhaps a different answer would be correct on the GRE! He comes off as pompous and sexist and the author's voice should not come through at all in an instruction book.

Really enjoy the story, with each new generation of primes the story is extended and made more interesting.

This books along with the latter talent books are so unrealistic as to be boring. The first talent books, Pegasus in Flight and Pegasus in Space were interesting and fun because we were reading about real characters.They had Talent, but they were still real people.The characters in the latter talent books are nothing less than gods, with an almost all-powerful Talent, and seemingly little or no personal problems or limitations (which makes th books dull). Also, what the books really portray, without actually saying it is basically a Talent autocracy. Non talented are inferior and unimportant, and the talented rule over everyone else with their powers. This reminds me of Star Trek, where everyone is law abiding, and the authority of the Federation is unquestioned.So what happens to those who question the authority of the Federation? They are automatically outlaws. Its really quite totalitarian.
Anyway, this book is boring and not worth the money.

I listened to the audio version of Lyon's Pride, and enjoyed it, with a few caveats. One: there was a distinct lack of plot, and two: very little actually happened. Sure, we got a peek into the perfect world of Damia and her Children, but the plot seemed to meander...And the hive 'menace' was not really much of a menace at all.

Pet peeves: Personally, I found the parents (and grandparents) meddling and matchmaking to be annoying. I also thought the gifts of the t-1's and how they manipulated the emotions of the lesser talented to be manipulative, and downright scary. Who says the t-1's have a right to mess with people's emotions? It was quite intrusive of Zara, to mess with the mind of Kincaid while he was sleeping, even if her intentions were good. Such powers can quickly become abusive and Damia's children seem to have no boundaries, despite their motivations.

Also, I liked the character of Kincaid, but nothing was really resolved with him. We never really found out the details about what happened to him on the deep space mission, and the character seems to be dropped halfway through the book. Other romances seemed flat to me. Roger's romance with his cousin Asia was tepid. Asia was just too timid, and Roger too self confidant. Plus there was the cousin thing...Errr, sorry, Anne, that didn't work for me.

Overall, despite these peeves, I liked Lyon's pride. It just didn't go anywhere; and the assumptions and liberties the 'talented' made towards those with lesser gifts were supercilious and grating.

"The formidable Lyon's Pride," as a character in the next (and final) book of the Talent series calls them, are the children of T-1 Damia Gwynn-Raven and T-2 Afra Lyon; and that "T" rating is a measure of the Talented one's power. Telepathy and telekinesis keep Human and Mrdini commerce operating by moving travelers and cargoes instantaneously across vast reaches of space. Those same Talents enable the two allied species to battle successfully against a third: the implacable Hivers, who covet the same kind of real estate as do Humans and Mrdini.

All eight of Damia and Afra's children have Talent ratings of T-1. All are destined, as adults, to be known as Primes. Some, like eldest daughter Laria, will operate commercial transfer towers - a prestigious and powerful position, but one that can take a young Prime far away from home. Some, like sons Thian and Rojer, will carve out new roles for Talents in service aboard naval vessels. Second daughter Zara's strongly empathic Talent fits her for the career of healer - after it enables her to do what no one else can manage, by communicating (on however rudimentary a level) with a captured Hiver queen. The Lyon's Pride is, indeed, formidable. Its four eldest are reaching adulthood just in time to play key roles, as the Human-Mrdini alliance begins to solve the Hiver threat that first loomed when their grandparents were young.

An exciting, character-driven tale, which only occasionally bogs itself down with shipboard protocols and politics. If you can get past those pacing problems, you'll be glad you did; because "The Tower and the Hive," the next volume in the Talent series, provides a worthy conclusion to the long-running Gwynn-Raven saga.

What makes this book worth reading is the that we are able to follow the lives of Damia's children as well as the rest of the extended family. For me that is always what made this series worth reading was the family's dedication to each other in-spite of their egos and talents. This 4th book in a series of 5 Lyon's Pride by Anne McCaffrey is set in the universe we have come to expect of her Talents series. The story continues on with Humanity and it's Allies continued fight against the hivers. There are several subplots that are set up or carried along for conclusion in the 5th book. But it is worth the read if you like this series, and McCaffrey in general.

Well all i can say is that this book is the by far the best book i have read this year. It is stunningly gripping written with obvious style and talent. It is not a book to be missed.

Fast paced and exciting this book will keep you on edge the whole way through.I couldn't get to sleep without finishing it.
This writer has a lot of talent.

I can't believe my teacher made me read this book, it is the stupidest thing ever, it is so badly written, and the story seems to go somewhere, but where? This is the stupidest book, the only real highlight was when they wanted to smoke a join(heh this is a joke people), in the beginning of the book, that alone raises it from a NEGATIVE score, but still, this book blows, and if you disagree, deal with it, thats my opinion, and it should be posted, like the others, so people can see both sides of it.

I thought it was a pretty good story. The prose is functional not elegant. But the story informs by enertaining. I thought Fullerton's Russo convincing. My thoughts return to Dennis Quaid in Savior and my expereinces in the placid atomosphere of Romania. I'm thinking about giving this book as someone's Christmas present.

I had my doubts about a detective story being set in wartime Sarajevo, but Fullerton pulled it off with flying colors. He used his experiences as a correspondent during the war to create the setting for this novel about a detective investigating a brutal murder in a city under siege. The story is also loosely based on the Bosnian government's actual crackdown on Sarajevo's warlord militia leaders in late 1993. Fullerton weaves a fantastic story which brilliantly depicts some of the many aspects of wartime Sarajevo: the multiethnic character of the city and the fraying of interethnic tolerance as the war dragged on, the hardship and gruelling monotony of daily life and survival in Sarajevo, the blurring of lines between good and evil as the leaders of Sarajevo's prewar criminal underworld became its chief wartime defenders, the voyeuristic role played by foreign correspondents in the city, etc. All of this is adeptly merged with the story, so "The Monkey House" never falls into extended preachy tracts or historical discourse. Never dull, and never pretty, this is a dark, brooding and harsh novel - and one of the best literary descriptions of Sarajevo under siege. It's only unfoturnate that the book is not available in mass market paperback format in the U.S.

Some of the Amos Walker novels are excellent. Sinister Heights is not one of them. The book has a too-short plot, so Estleman pads the novel with gobs of politico-babble, a car chase, and one of the most far-fetched endings I have ever read. Don't waste your time.

I'm a huge fan of this series and of Estleman's books. My problem with this one is that it's completely absurd. I really have no idea what Estelman was thinking on this one. The ending is ridiculous. I'm sorry, you'll have to read it to find out exactly how silly it is. That being said, I could never tell a fan of the hardboiled PI genre to avoid any Walker mystery. Amos Walker always makes the read worthwhile, no matter how silly the events (this book) or predictable the killer ("Retro"). I do, however, recommend reading any of the other Walker mysteries before reading this one or "Retro."

Being a huge noir detective fiction fan I found it a little difficult to muddle through this installment in the Amos Walker series. The plot starts out in typical fashion and then goes on to become Walker out for revenge, sort of like Walking Tall or something along those lines. The ending went back to a typical hard-boiled style of ending with the detective confronting the person behind the mayhem which was nice. Unfortunately this one just didnt do it for me. Estleman is definitly an accomplished author and all the other reviewers of this novel are right on target with most of their reviews but the revenge angle just didnt work for me.

It's an overworked phrase to be sure but Loren Estleman really is 'the legitimate heir to Raymond Chandler'. And even that's an injustice because Estleman is no mere imitator. His voice is his own - tough, poignant, as gritty as the streets he writes about, and with a killer ear for dialogue.

The Amos Walker series has matured over sixteen novels from it's breezier, almost pulpish beginnings to one of the finest detective series in print. The sheer skill of his writing and his deftness of phrasing makes you gasp in wonder. I find myself constantly re-reading sentences just to savor them.

Other reviewers have gone into the plot of Sinister Heights in some detail so I won't bother repeating it. The real magic here is the writing. This may not be the best Walker novel (Never Street and Sugartown are possibly better) but then I can't think of a bad one either.

While other good PI writers have seen their glory days Estleman goes from strength to stregth with each new book. For those that still wish there were more Philip Marlowe novels, who've given up on Spenser and his clones or who just like the best in PI fiction available, don't go past Estleman and Walker.

And, as other reviewers have noted, his western novels bout Marshall Page Murdock are well worth picking up too. They're really PI novels of the old west. Or his Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Hell, anything the man writes.

Have I made my point? Don't miss Estleman. He's the real deal.

Loren D. Estleman's journeyman solo P.I., Amos Walker, is back working the mean streets of an ever-changing Detroit, as he is sent from the haunts of the very very rich to locate a lost heiress. His search will bring him into contact with various lowlifes from the social depths to those that walk in the ranks of elites, the movers and shakers of old Detroit. And criminality will be found everywhere, high and low.

In an ever more computerized world, Amos knows he's a throwback, but finds there is still a niche for a tough guy, even a low tech one. This will turn out to be a nasty trek and a personally tragic one for Amos. The climax may be a little over-the-top but getting there is all the fun.

Estleman's style is just as arch and funny as always. One reads him for the pleasure of the writing and the plentiful wisecracks, similes, and asides. Good stuff.

Out of curiosity I read exactly one James Patterson novel, his last Alex Cross, and I was amazed at how badly written it was. And he sells by the ton. Go figure. Oh well, I'll never read another, so bless you Loren D. Estleman, and keep on keeping on.

This was my first book by this author and I am not sure what to think. There are parts that I really really liked, and parts that I didn't. I would have liked to see more at the end. It was a good, heart warming read, but not a Stash Keeper.

What a yawn. Plot was predictable, characters mundane, dialogue and writing style adequate but not interesting. I wasn't in love with the hero, heroine, or the kid, but they were okay. The sex was okay, and sort of even married sex, actually. I considered abandoning the book, but it really wasn't annoyingly flawed, so actually I'd put it at 2 1/2 stars if I could. I must choose between 2 and 3, though, and since I'm feeling sort of glass half empty tonight, I'm going with 2.

I rate books as follows:
***** Fun and meaningful book, or changed/challenged me in a positive way.
****Really fun or meaningful; well worth the time.
***Pleasantly skimmed the surface; not memorable.
**Plodded through.
*Abandoned; very flawed.

I found the book to be absolutely wonderful. How Kate struggled to get what she really deserved in life and almost lost it. How she kept true to herself when it came to the preacher. The little boy just broke my heart. How he became the commanche then at the end finally started excepting his life as a white boy. How touching. Reed struggled with his feeling and finally decided that he couldn't be without Kate. I was thinking it was about time he woke up. :) I was never a book reader but thought I'd give it a whirl. By chance I purchased Magnolia Creek and read it in no time. I got this one next. I have already finished it as well. I never knew I could enjoy reading so much. I haven't found an author that would just want me to keep reading. Thank you Jill for being such a spectacular author.

I traditionally read books by Grisham and Koontz but was drawn to this book while browsing the local bookstore. I usually do not read "romance" novels however once I began this I had a hard time finding a place to stop and put it down and finished it in a mere 3 days. I liked the historican aspect of the book and the fact that the author told the story through a variety of perspectives, unlike most books I read. When i finished reading I was disappointed that I would no longer be reading about these interesting charachters. I would be willing to read other books by the same author after experiencing this story.

Summer Moon is the story of Kate Wittington, a woman who at the age of nine was dropped off at an orphanage by her prostitute mother. When Kate is twenty-nine the orphanage closes and she must decide what she's to do with her life. She answers an ad in the newspaper for a woman to be a mail-order bride. She takes a chance and answers the ad and is the lucky woman who is chosen to be the wife of Reed Benton. When she arrives in Texas she finds out the shocking truth. She married Reed Benton by proxy but he knows nothing of their marriage. It seems they were both tricked by Reed's father, Reed Benton Sr., a devious and scheming man who devised a plan to get his son back home to the Lone Star Ranch. When Reed Jr. returns to the ranch, wounded, and with his son who has been raised by the Commanche for the past six years he finds out he's married to Kate. Since he's wounded and can't care for his son he hires Kate on as his housekeeper and caregiver to his son Daniel.

This book was very entertaining and very easy to read. The characters were very life-like and well developed. Every character in the book has a purpose and they serve their purpose well. Ms. Landis seems to have thought out her character before she began writing. Even the secondary characters are well rounded. They all add to the story in their own way.

Summer Moon moves along at a steady pace. Again, the storyline seems to have been well thought out before the book was started. The author clearly had every scene planned out and this makes the book very enjoyable to read. The book doesn't seem choppy or hurriedly put together. It just seems like a well planned book about everyday characters on the Texas frontier.

Summer Moon is an excellent read. I was able to finish this book in just two days. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to find out what was going to happen but at the end didn't want the book to end. I felt like I personally knew the characters and could feel their emotions. Summer Moon is a great book and will make a great addition to any romance lover's or Western romance lover's library.

If you look for a comprehensive account of almost all the musicians involved in Bossa Nova including what they earned for what, if you want to know which of Miucha’s recipes Joao was crazy about (couscous with fish) or who ironed Joao’s pants minutes before he went onstage at the famous bossa nova concert in Carnegie Hall, N.Y. 1962 (Brazilian Vice Consul Dona Dora Vasconcellos – admittedly an absolutely hilarious story), if you can be amused by Brazilian musicians forever coming late to appointments, or drinking themselves into hospital frequently (Vinicius, Baden Powell, Maysa …) – this is your book. If you care to know who dated who among all those wonderful Brazilian musicians of the 60s or who was the Girl from Ipanema (Heloisa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto, age 18 in 1962, for further details see Brazilian Playboy May 1987 edition – when she was 43 though) – this book is a must for you.
If you share Ruy Castro’s contempt for politically engaged music (however naïve) in times of military dictatorship or if you believe that Tropicalismo, which was started by Gilberto Gil, Tom Ze, Caetano Veloso among others after the air went out of Bossa Nova in 1967, was “a ye ye ye renovation movement” – you’ll absolutely love it.

But if you care for the music - if you want to know how musicians worked and felt, what ideals they looked up to and which traditions they respected – forget it and go look for something else.
Faute de mieux (because it deals mainly with the post Bossa Nova period) you might look into Caetano Veloso’s own book “Tropical Truth”: much more intelligent, much more respectful (especially towards people like Roberto Carlos or Nara Leao), insightful and although pretty intellectual much more heartfelt and humane than Ruy Castro’s comprehensive compendium of Bossa Nova gossip.

(Out of disappointment I might make it look worse than it really is: there are amusing and interesting parts. At least you get to learn some about all those fantastic poets and singers and composers, especially Joao Gilberto. But on the whole a huge let down.)

I first read Ruy Castro's 'Bossa Nova' and wanted more! Then I found this book, and loved it. I also went on to read Ruy Castro's next book (translated into English) Garrincha which is about a Futebol star. I am not into soccer but I loved the book.
In short, I've been really enjoying reading the Ruy Castro books that have been translated into english. Maybe I'll learn Portuguese and read the rest. I recommend this book.

If you look for a comprehensive account of almost all the musicians involved in Bossa Nova including what they earned for what, if you want to know which of Miucha's recipes Joao was crazy about (couscous with fish) or who ironed Joao's pants minutes before he went onstage at the famous bossa nova concert in Carnegie Hall, N.Y. 1962 (Brazilian Vice Consul Dona Dora Vasconcellos - admittedly an absolutely hilarious story), if you can be amused by Brazilian musicians forever coming late to appointments, or drinking themselves into hospital frequently (Vinicius, Baden Powell, Maysa ...) - this is your book. If you care to know who dated who among all those wonderful Brazilian musicians of the 60s or who was the Girl from Ipanema (Heloisa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto, age 18 in 1962, for further details see Brazilian Playboy May 1987 edition - when she was 43 though) - this book is a must for you.
If you share Ruy Castro's contempt for politically engaged music (however naïve) in times of military dictatorship or if you believe that Tropicalismo, which was started by Gilberto Gil, Tom Ze, Caetano Veloso among others after the air went out of Bossa Nova in 1967, was "a ye ye ye renovation movement" - you'll absolutely love it.

But if you care for the music - if you want to know how musicians worked and felt, what ideals they looked up to and which traditions they respected - forget it and go look for something else.
Faute de mieux (because it deals mainly with the post Bossa Nova period) you might look into Caetano Veloso's own book "Tropical Truth": much more intelligent, much more respectful (especially towards people like Roberto Carlos or Nara Leao), insightful and although pretty intellectual much more heartfelt and humane than Ruy Castro's comprehensive compendium of Bossa Nova gossip.

(Out of disappointment I might make it look worse than it really is: there are amusing and interesting parts. At least you get to learn some about all those fantastic poets and singers and composers, especially Joao Gilberto. But on the whole a huge let down.)

The title of this book makes reference to "Chega de saudade", a revolutionary song written by Tom Jobim, that was recorded for the first time in 1958. Ruy Castro shows us how the Bossa Nova started ("A história" = the story), but he also introduces the reader to the lives of the musicians who "made" the Bossa Nova ("as histórias" = the stories), for example Joao Gilberto,Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and Sylvia Telles, among others...

When we read "Chega de saudade" we are told Bossa Nova's story as if it were a tale: we get to know important facts about that movement, but also entertaining gossip regarding the people who were part of it. Reading this book is quite easy, and you will find that the author makes you smile from time to time with his ironic commentaries. Due to the fact that this is the original version in Portuguese, you won't miss the subtle nuances of meaning that sometimes are lost in the English translation, and you will be able to take delight in several wordplays that Ruy Castro makes throughout the book.

On the whole, I highly recommend "Chega de saudade". I give it 5 stars, because I think it is a perfect example of an entertaining but useful book regarding the history of an important movement in Brazilian music. I particularly love this book because I think that it adds a "human dimension" to Bossa Nova. I like to enjoy the songs, but also to know about the lives of those who wrote them, and what inspired the creators regarding each particular song...

Of course, this book by itself is not enough: you will need to learn more, and listen to the songs "Chega de saudade" talks about. But where can you find a book that exhausts a subject?. I haven't been that lucky yet, so I will gladly settle for one that allows me to start studying the subject, and that makes me more interested in it :)

Belen Alcat

The previous reviewers are being too picky. I'm sure there are mistakes in the translation but this book captures Ruy Castro's writing voice amazingly well. It's really a sweet book, a sweet story and of course sweet music. I know next to nothing about pre-Bossa Brazilian music and I wasn't confused. I did keep a pad by the book to write down names of singers and songs I need to search for. It's fascinating how all these different stories led to Bossa Nova. It's a lot more diverse than you'd think. I only wish there was a companion CD to hear all this great music, especially the more obscure early stuff.

I'm normally a big fan of mysteries, particularly the novels of Michael Connelly, Steven Cannell, Ridley Pearson, and Ian Rankin. I was eager to dive into a mystery set in the undeniably intriguing setting of the Washington DC area. Nonetheless, I have to chalk up A Murder of Honor as a disappointment.

There's some promise to the setup in the novel. Certainly the setting is a plus. The buddy dynamics between the cops are reasonably developed.

Nonetheless, I strained to find anything particularly original about the protagonists. Kearney's malaise was all too generic and Jose Phelps never rose above being the Trusty Black Sidekick. Their gutless supervisor, Emerson, seemed to be borrowed from central casting. Worse still was the mayor character, a weak cardboard cutout imitation of Marion Barry (without even a change of initials). There was nothing to compare to the strong characterization one finds in the writing of Connelly, Pearson, or Rankin.

The plotting, for that matter, left much to be desired. The joy of police procedurals is often the attention the authors give to the means by which little bits of evidence can be exploited. The cops here seemed to get a little too lucky. One strained for the Connelly or Cannell-like details that would indicate a thorough understanding of police procedures.

The novel held my interest, but only barely. There really is a lot of room for improvement.

This is the first book which I have read by this author; I came across it @ my local library. I like it for it's credibility, it's action, and it's fast pace. I plan to read all of this author's books...

I think the author should have stuck to spy thrillers. It's just on cliche after another in this one: black cop/white cop, both are rebels, both have been there 25yrs, one is a lieutenant who's still investigating cases, there boss is a prissy type who sits behind a desk,,,,,blah.

Reminds me of John Lescroart with his lawyer Dismas Hardy and homicide lieutenant Abe Glitsky series. A believable
police procedural, except for the ending.

Andrews has written a solid, entertaining, if unoriginal, "tough cop" police procedural set in Washington, DC. He does a good job in depicting DC, and his plot is intricate and fast paced. But his characters lack color and intensity (as compared to the characters created by George Pelecanos or Michael Connelly, for example). Overall, I put this one in the middle of the pack.

This books covers the whole range of Asian American history in a quick and fun way while being extremely well researched and deceptively scholarly. If a book can be both popular and easy read and yet a perfect academic resource, this is it. I learned more in one hour of reading it than in whole semesters in school. I strongly recommed this book as well as other fiction and non-fiction work by Himilce Novas.

Wow! I love this book. The question and answer format is really user friendly. It covers all the Asian American groups and gives their history and all sorts of cultural information without feeling heavy. And yet, is IS heavy in the sense that it gave me a very good handle on the struggles and the contribution of the various Asian American groups, as well as all their celebrations, important holidays, legal landmarks, etc. I am half Japanese and it made me very proud of my mother. I am giving the book to all my relatives on my father's side. This one's a definite for any home library. They should teach it in schools. Maybe they do.It should be required reading for all non-Asians as well.

I am a scholar who wrote a dissertation on Filipino American culture and contributes articles on the topic to academic publications. Though I had suspended my usual critical standards upon approaching the earlier edition of EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW..., by most reasonable measures the chapter on Filipino Americans was underdeveloped; it revealed more about the authors' myopic perception of Asian Americans than it communicated about the second largest Asian American group and could not be recommended to its juvenile literature audience. This criticism was taken to heart by the authors, and as a result the 2004 edition features a substantially expanded and conceptually renovated Filipino American section. Important historical and social features, such as the impact of the Philippines' colonization by Spain and the United States on Filipino Americans and their experience of racism from both whites and other Asian Americans, is emphasized through an informed selection of questions ("Why do Filipinos have Spanish last names?"), answers written in a clear & simple language, and appropriate examples. In addition, issues that distinguish Filipino Americans from other Asian Americans and continue to vex scholars - namely, social invisibility, or if there are so many of us in the U.S., why is it that only U.S. Navy and Peace Corps personnel are capable of recognizing us? - are introduced. (There's even a highlighted block-quote on social invisibility from E. San Juan, Jr.'s FROM EXILE TO DIASPORA, which isn't exactly trade paperback non-fiction.) Some of the biographical selections are questionable: Jocelyn Enriquez is divine, a glorious Pinay diva, but she has not influenced popular music as much as "turntablists" like the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and the World Famous Beat Junkies or the larger networks of mobile DJ crews. But, overall, such thorough and successful revisions of older editions are so infrequent that when they are achieved, its authors deserve recognition. In summary, were my younger cousins to approach me with questions about Filipino Americans, before crossing their eyes with lectures on heteroglossic subjectivities and the exclusion of neocolonial subjects from hegemonic racial discourse, I'd point my relatives towards this book.

this book was an unexpected bonus. not only did i totally enjoy it, it was a breeze to read cause it's in funny Q & As, and when i finished it (i read it here and there, cafeteria style), i really felt like a whole door had been opened to me about asian american history and asian american life--this is an incredible and great and excellent culture. i was also able to use this book to help me with my college history courses, and even with my asian american friends when i visited with their families. two thumbs up!

This book is in a readable format consisting of questions that middle and senior high school students might ask about Asian Americans. For the most part, the explanations are clear and short. I do not agree with the reviewers who hated this book. The titles they recommended are scholarly works more suitable for the college level. This book is a useful introduction, not "Everthing you need to know," as the title suggests. This book has sparked interest in Asian American history and many of my middle school students have gone further to read Sucheng Chan and Ron Takaki's Asian Pacific Islander series, but I haven't had much luck using the more scholarly Asian American histories as a starting point.

As an avid football fan, George Allen is one of the greatest NFL Coaches of all time. Throughout the book, Jennifer Allen describes they storybook life of an NFL coach from a footbal and personal perspective. George's rough-and-tough attitude made two winningless teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, into champions. However, his personality as a coach effected his role as a father, which created tension between him and his children. As the his only daughter, Jennifer tries to win her father's affection as she struggles of being a product of an NFL coach and well-known celebrity.

This entire story could have been written on the cover of a matchbook and saved me the time I wasted reading it. Endless complaining about her parents and siblings, If the peoples identities had been with held until the end, one might have expected to find out this was the childhood of a serial killer or some one else you might have expected to have a miserable childhood. Why would anyone even bother to write a book about people she seemed to care for as little as her family is beyond me except to possibly capitalize on her Dad's famous name and make a few bucks. A depressing read.

I was misled by a review in SI that said this was a great book. If you're an Oprah fan, then it's a great book. If you want to learn about the life of an NFL coach, the Washington Redskins or football in general, you're better off buying a subsciption to Sports Illustrated or reading the sports page.

About 80 percent of this book is about the struggle of the writer to get her father's attention and approval. Another 10 percent has to do with her mother, her brothers and the writer's life away from her house. Maybe 10 percent has to do with football. It is a maddening experience to put up with the "I was a girl, girls weren't important to my dad, someone please pay attention to me" anecdotes and thoughts in the hope of getting to, say, the Washington Redskins' 1972 season where the team finally made it to the Super Bowl, and then when you get there have Jennifer Allen say in almost these exact words, "I don't remember much about that the season the Redskins went to the Super Bowl." I almost hurled the book across the room.

It is unfortunate that George Allen essentially ignored his family in his obsessive quest to do what he believed he was born to do: coach. No kid should have to grow up with that kind of home life, and it's obvious that her father's inattention has left its mark on Ms. Allen. But darn it, this is an Oprah book of the month selection, not a sports book. Someone should be clear on that!

A few words about George Allen ... I am about Jennifer Allen's age. I am a lifelong Redskins fan and grew up in D.C. When Mr. Allen took the team to the Super Bowl, it was a highlight of my young life. I remember him licking his fingers, tugging his hat and mentioning milk as his drink of choice. I had no idea that he ignored his family. I'm sorry he did that, but I am also grateful that the man came to my hometown and coached my favorite team and finally made it a winner. I wish the book had a little more about what made George Allen such a successful coach and a lot less about the struggle of a little girl to get close to her daddy.

As a lifelong football fan I was hoping that "Fifth Quarter" would include more about football than Allen puts into her memoir. However, the book is well-written and engaging. If you're looking for a book about George Allen, this isn't really the book to read. However, if you're looking for an interesting book detailing the childhood of a coach's daughter, "Fifth Quarter" might be the book for you.

I was particularly enlightened by her descriptions of her brother's, former Senator George Allen, violent, hostile, even sociopathic personality. These sections completely and utterly presaged George Allen's violence, hostility and ultimate meltdown on the campaign trail.

I wonder if these negative reviews are shaded in a curious yet unfortunate personal pespective.

I read this book for Trevor Melia's college class, "Rhetoric in a Free Society". I also skimmed through it again later when I was sorting old books deciding which to keep and which to throw out. This book was not a keeper. I would not recommend it to anybody. There are much better options for books of this genre. This book is superficial. The book's character lack development. The plot is week. The attempts at dialogue between characters are stiff and unnatural. The attempts at making intellectual points are cartoonish. The content of the book reflects a certain immaturity of character. Lucifer State is a poor imitation of other classics, such as 1884. So, why purchase an inferior imitation when such great, solid classics are available. The people who reviewed this book with praise clearly were more excited by the personal charms of the Professor who wrote the book, than his "writing talent". This professor though popular as a personality in the classroom was never successful in the publishing end of his career. He never published anything of any significance because he couldn't write. This same lack of ability is clearly reflected in this book. His general lack of literary skill also explains why he never progressed beyond an associate professor at the University. You know the University saying, publish or perish, well Trevor Melia died on the vine at the University. He was never promoted, as were his colleagues, because he could not produce as an author in his field. It's much easier to get a book on the market than to get work published in peer reviewed journals. Though I must say I enjoyed his lectures, his gift for gab does not extend to paper.

I read this book in a college course on persuasion. Many aspects are covered in the way people are deceived into believing various views. Group think, rituals, even being deemed no longer productive by a certain age. If you like 1984, this book is an ideal read. Melia's book is a genius way to introduce persuasion. A perfect 10 out of 10.

The first thing you have to understand about this book, is it was the prime textbook for Melia's popular class, "Rhetoric in a Free Society," at the University of Pittsburgh. It's a class I took and enjoyed very much in the mid-1980s. Because this is a textbook, there are so many things happening that someone erroneously referred to as "symbolism." The plot devices, as they're introduced in this science fiction novel, co-incide with what's being taught in the lecture hall. That way, instead of students trying to grasp abstract ideas, they're presented for them in the context of this novel. As students hear about brainwashing techniques in the classroom, they read about it happening in this fictitious society. What's more, beyond the textbook itself (which reads a little like a Robert Ludlum take on the world of sci-fi), the story is enjoyable enough to keep the students' attention. In fact, if you never took the course, you'd probably enjoy this book as a sci-fi novel. Also, the footnotes at the book's end tie into many of the recommended readings from the lectures. If there were more textbooks written like this, there'd be more students pursuing higher education. Long live Melia!

I took a college course where this was one of the text books for the class. I thought the same thing then as I do now, the book was a sad attempt to cash in on readers of 1984 and a Brave New World. I did not even think the book helped the class that much. If you want to read a book on a fictional repressive society read A Brave New World, 1984 or Fareignheit 451.