Phillips Books

In Sindiwe Magona's Mother to Mother, the old cliché put yourself in my shoes takes an interesting and unheard of twist. It is an excellent novel that gives impelling testimony of history as a basis for the actions of youth. In the story she is the mother of an accused murderer speaking to the mother of the victim. She tries to explain her and her son's history so the mother of the victim could understand why or how her son would kill her daughter. At a glance you would think what! Or how dare she! But because Magona goes into such depth of her peoples' background and uses first person throughout the novel, you will find yourself empathizing with the trials of her people.

This book is riveting. The mother-daughter relationship is powerful. The mother-son relationship is heart wrenching and warming. I felt the pain of blacks in South Africa. The understandable rage of teens in an oppressive environment is so clearly described. The human spirit that helps people survive even the most miserable conditions is a thread through this book as well. This book is a powerful read. I feel like I have been given a window on the human condition.

Mother to Mother tugs at the heartstrings as it reveals the anguish that this mother experiences on developing and raising up her family under the harsh apartheid system of government in South Africa. It is a real eye-opener as the author takes the reader on a journey into the homes of families uprooted by change.

I just spent my summer doing an internship teaching mothers from a squatter camp English literacy. Mother to Mother is one of the most impactful books I read while there. This book explains South Africa and the many complexities and discouraging factors that plague the beloved country. It has an excellent way of showing the heartache that a mother feels and the powerlessness of a mother to control her sons actions, but the unconditional love that a mother has for her child. I am very impressed by this book and would encourage everyone to read it. It will help you understand why things are the way they are in that country. It is easy to judge people, but this book puts the blacks actions into perspective. I love this book.

Ms Magona explains without any excuses why Mxolisi is a murderer. As a mother during apartheid the possibilities for Mandisa, Mxolisi's mother to direct her son's future did not exist. Mxolisi grew up in an enviroment where whites equal sorrow, death, distraction, poverty to name but a few. He never got the oppurtunity to grow up knowing that there are people like Amy Biehl. There are people who do look at blacks, as human beings. No mother comes from the hospital with a murderer in her arms. Every child deserves a chance, read the book to find out what Mxolisi's chances were. The book will take you on a tour of South Africa, it's past, and the possibilities of the future.

Although this early reader has been around for quite a while, it is still one of the very best out there for a beginning reader. As a book buyer for a children's book company and parent, I have found very few that are so appropriate for and loved by children and parents alike!

I read this book by myself about 15 years ago when I was 5. I'm not quite sure how it stacks up against the rest of early child hood literature, but it will always have a special place in my mind as the first book that I was able to read by myself.

I give this book as a gift to all friends who have a new baby. I loved reading it to my son... it is the story of a new puppy and a boy from the puppy's perspective.

A great book for a beginning reader!

I give this book as a gift to all friends who have a new baby. I loved reading it to my son... it is the story of a new puppy and a boy from the puppy's perspective.

A great book for a beginning reader!

Many books easy enough for my kindergartener are not interesting. There is no story line. They focus on the words being simple only. This has easy words, yet a great storyline of life from a dog's view point and it is cute and funny. We read it over and over.There needs to be more of these kinds. Real stories inspire reading.

Phillip has brought to us a great biography of his life from his early career to his "We're not in Kansas anymore" chapter. He will delight you with his renditions of life growing up in several locations in the USA and one more than a few of us can relate to easily. His book has a lot of information that will surprise you! He has even managed to advise us in the types of harmful ocean inhabitants we should stay away from. His writing will charm you and keep you guessing on what the next part of his life will be that he will share with you, the reader.

A Potpourri of Observations, Opinions, and Experiences

Reminiscent of Tom Brokaw's quirky observations on small town life, Phillip A. Nickel mixes ingenious humor with beguiling honesty. From the warm, friendly humor of conviviality to borderline irreverent mockery he writes with a repartee of word play that had me laughing out loud for pages at a time. My favorites included his comparison of: "the highest point in the state of Kansas being equal to a mosquito bite on the rear of an elephant," and "taking a frozen diaper from the clothes line in mid winter Kansas, folding it in readiness for a quick change on baby Mark."

After completing 12 years of college and post graduate work, Phil and his wife, Carin, received their PH, D. degrees. A job opportunity opened in the state of California.

Whether describing details of parasitology, shaking hands with sports and movie celebrities, family outings at the beach, or relating class room shenanigans, Phil entertained, informed, and kept me engrossed ready to enjoy his next unpredictable adventure.

Midway into the book I had pretty well identified with Phil and thoroughly enjoyed his choice of words. I was touched when he made himself vulnerable by sharing some insights into his personal feelings: he writes, "June of 1969 had brought me in the state of happiness to the Golden State, the land of opportunity. Over the next 20 years, however, pleasures and disappointments, clarity and confusion, accomplishments and failures, contentment and discontentment were to swing back and forth like the mechanical device in Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum."

Phil's adventures did take a tailspin, when internal politics, a difficult divorce, and career changes followed. Before hitting rock bottom romance and discovery of a soul mate, in the person of Ann Person, gave promise and a new meaning to life. Phil was soon established in a new career that utilized his education, and provided new challenges. He went to work as entomologist for Ventura County in the Environmental Health Department.

Early retirement or semi retirement, a move to the state of Oregon, life in the country and opportunities for world travel round out the final chapters of Phil's hilarious account of getting full value of life from a Nickel.

This is a great book for your next air flight, vacation reading, or a few fun filled hours in your recliner. Assertive, witty, entertaining, and idealistic, all describe, Phillip A. Nickel and his writing in "My Nickel's Worth an Autobiography."

My Nickel's Worth is a humorous, thought-provoking account of one American life that spans the Depression up to the current age, complete with intriguing anecdotes about the varying cultural mores and practices of each era. It is an educational and entertaining story.

This book should give you a realistic view on what life was like in rural America. I would give this book on a scale of 1-5 a 10. I am always amazed on how people overcome any an all hardships. We sometimes forget that many have paid a heavy price to be where we are today. The younger generation will probable never have to experience what our Fore Fathers experienced. I take my hat off to the author for sharing his life story.

My Nickel's Worth by Phillip A. Nickel, Ph.D. This is the highly enjoyable autobiography of an interesting man and good citizen. Anyone who wants to know what life was like for kids and teens in the forties and fifties will find it here. Anyone who grew up in small town or rural America in that timeframe will find lots of nostalgia here. Phil draws a detailed picture of life on the farm, from the vegetable garden and chicken house to heating bath water on the wood-burning kitchen range. This was life before TV but with plenty of radio programs and an occasional movie. Families worked together, played together, and ate dinner together. Phil has a delightfully wry sense of humor. Speaking of mowing a neighbor's lawn he says, "They had an up-to-date mower with spiral blades on a rotating cylinder, powered by whoever was behind it. When the grass was dry and not too long, the rotary blades made a pleasant whirling-cutting sound. If the grass was long and wet, I sometimes made a self-pitying whining sound." He developed his interest in biology into a career, first as a college instructor and professor, then as an entomologist in vector control in the Ventura County Environmental Health Department. Along the way he married, had a family, and divorced after the children were grown. He serendipitously met his soulmate; they married, he retired, and they moved back to Oregon. Phil's descriptions of his life experiences are vivid and warmly drawn. His battles with the local fauna as he tried to carve a flower garden out of the woods where his new home was built are hilarious to readers, if not to Phil. Deer ate his pansies, wild turkeys fouled his sidewalks, and burrowing moles damaged his plants' roots. Human urine was recommended as a deer repellant but Phil says the deer found fabric softener dryer sheets just as repulsive. He was also told that chewing gum would eradicate moles but says he found it too difficult to "get the stick of gum into their sharp-toothed little mouths." Phil tells some amusing and informative stories of his travels in Europe and the South Pacific and finishes up with some family history. All in all, this book is a great read and lots of fun.

Even though I was born and raised in Detroit, I found this book to be very enlightening. The trials and tribulations of Grayson Starks and his friend, Paul Proudberry, on the streets of Detroit were very real and true. Many Black people lived and still live in this manner.

When the author described the characters' experiences in the inner city, their exposure to the political system (both good and bad) and the riots in 1967, I relived every moment. Never have I read a book that has kept me so riveted.

I found this novel to be an intriguing and extraordinary engrossing read with a compelling powerful story, not only of Black and White relationships, but of other ethnic groups' dynamics in the United States. It keeps the reader looking forward to the next page, hoping it will not be the last. It is a page turner. The author is truly on his way. I can't wait for his next book. In the mean time, I will reread this one.

Oh my God. Where is oprah? Tell her that this is the novel that will raise the bar in American Literature for the next Millennium.

The author has written a first-rate book that provokes as well as educates the reader. It is written simply, and you know the author made it up, but you also know it to be real.

I grew-up in a small New England town, that had more chickens than people. It wasn't until I attended college, that I had real contact with minorities. In short, I was unaware of racial injustices and prejudices, such as the Starks family endured while living in the poor, black ghetto of Detroit, Michigan.

'A Peek Through The Curtain: A trilogy', provides an educational adventure, no, an odyssey for those less, or not at all, acquainted with the sub-culture in America, I mean Black-America, whose citizens have suffered under the terrible yoke of discrimination, in a land of great beauty but with even greater prejudices.

This novel is unlike any I've ever read. The author takes the reader step by step, year by year from the 1920's to the 1980's, tracing two Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry who start out poor as dirt and dumber than dumb, and emerge, years later, rich and powerful. One corrupted by the system, the other unsullied. Sounds familiar? Well, that's just the beginning. Not content with depicting the hopes and fears of one generation, he builds on that to show us the complexities confronting the next two generations, all the time redirecting our focus on the plight of the Japanese-Amrican and Cuban-American and weaves them into a nightmare of a plot.

An excellent book for all to read.

This author knows what he is writing about and he does it with an engaging and graphic style.

The book is about two young Blacks who migrate to Detroit Michigan from the South of the 1920's. Combatting racism from every side, each one takes a different style in dealing with their environment. The authors tracks the lives of the two different men and their families in such fashion as to reveal in colorful detail the intricacies and difficulties involved in life for Black Americans through the 1920's and into the 1980's. One son and grandson become Mayors of Detroit. The other's son, Paul, in a strange twist, becomes a mayoral assistant, setting off a remarkable turn of events.

The author, having observed and written about Black and White relationships then proceeds to introduce other ethnic groups into the plot and shows how each, while facing fomidable obstacles, either beats them down, or is beaten down. An unusually heart breaking part of the triology is the description of the incarceration of the Japanese-American during World War II, and the impact of their internment, specifically on two Nises (Japanese-American born) children.

Through out the trilogy, the reader will think that the author can do nothing more to shock or panic the reader --- then enter the characters of - Judge Hammond, C-square, Lemon, J.J. and Mr. Well-Hung. In my mind, these are five of the best characterizations to be read in American literature todate. The interaction of these five characters makes me feel that the author OWES the readers a sequel -- so as not to leave us hanging! This is a task he should find fairly simple, after having written such an extra-ordinary book!

Oh my God. Where is Oprah? Tell her that this is the novel that will raise the bar in American Literature for the next Millennium.

The author has written a first-rate book that provokes as well as educates the reader. It is written simply, and you know the author made it up, but you also know it to be real.

I grew-up in a small New England town, that had more chickens than people. It wasn't until I attended college, that I had real contact with minorities. In short, I was unaware of racial injustices and prejudices, such as the Starks family endured while living in the poor, black ghetto of Detroit, Michigan.

'A Peek Through The Curtain: A trilogy', provides an educational adventure, no, an odyssey for those less, or not at all, acquainted with the sub-culture in America, I mean Black-America, whose citizens have suffered under the terrible yoke of discrimination, in a land of great beauty but with even greater prejudices.

This novel is unlike any I've ever read. The author takes the reader step by step, year by year from the 1920's to the 1980's, tracing two Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry who start out poor as dirt and dumber than dumb, and emerge, years later, rich and powerful. One corrupted by the system, the other unsullied. Sounds familiar? Well, that's just the beginning. Not content with depicting the hopes and fears of one generation, he builds on that to show us the complexities confronting the next two generations, all the time redirecting our focus on the plight of the Japanese-Amrican and Cuban-American and weaves them into a nightmare of a plot.

An excellent book for all to read.

This Trilogy spans six decades, from 1920 to 1980. The setting is in Detroit, Michigan and records the experiences of two young Blacks, Grayson Starks and Paul Proudberry, who migrate from the South in 1920. The reader will live the shocking, nightmarish, outrageous and heartwarming experiences of their lives as new-comers to the promised land.

The first book, 'Up Jumped The Canaille', is a story of Grayson and his love for Justina, who he meets on the streets of Detroit and their mutual love of education and of Paul and his tragic response to racial discrimination.

The second book in the trilogy, 'Only Two Ways To Live', follows Grayson's son, Charles Starks, now Mayor of Detroit and portrays the emotional and political climates in Detroit and the nation over Affirmative Action. Mayor Starks's time in office is shortly after the 1967 riots, up to the time when the City's population becomes approximately 70 percent Black. Charles finds both success and tragedy in his implementation of the City's Affirmative Action policy, and particularly its impact upon the White bureaucracy, especially the Fire, Police and Personnel Department.

The third book in the trilogy, 'Lives Of Tears', follows the three grandchildren of Grayson and Justina when events in their lives spin out of control. The reader is taken beyond the boundaries of Black and White discrimination in the United States and hurdles them into situations of betrayal and murder based on the increasingly controversial subjects of reparations for Japanese-American and the anti-Cuban sentiment towards Fidel Castro's supporters.

'A Peek Through The Curtain', is a multi-generational trilogy that is replete with divided loyalties and ever conflicting ambitions as Blacks and other minorities, fight for a place at the table. As Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', has St. Claire say to his cousin, Miss Ophelia's outrage against slavery: 'Come, cousin, don't stand there looking like one of the Fates; you've only seen a peek through the curtain,- a specimen of what is going on, the world over, in some shape or other'.

"An alternative universe that ... could easily be heaven ... absurdly elegant ... A beautiful catalogue ... Their creations bristle with audacity, kitschy deadpanning, boldly playful sexiness, and ... a tinge of mystery ... Exquisite."

This book is an excellent presentation of Pierre et Gilles work, esp as a first purchase of their masterworks. It has a great introduction that explains their collaboration which will be of much interest, exp to modern graphic artists who want to do similr work. The prints are gorgeous, and there is a nice variety of work, without including their more "hardcore" pieces to scare off people from appreciatin their work.

Pierre et Gilles are exquisite interpreters of campy glamour.Their sexy saints,their innocently looking yet sizzyingly sexy boys and girls, are like a sumptous glittering candy. I've savoured their work.

This beautiful produced book , accompanying a major exhibition at the new Museum of Contemporary Art, in New York, is a wonderful introduction for anyone to Pierre & Gilles beautiful & unique combination of photography and painting. I have been a fan of Pierre & Gilles for many years, and have enjoyed all of the wonderful collection of books published about them over the years, but this book was indeed welcomed because it has a lot of their new unpublished photographic paintings. Art critic & curator, Dan Cameron, gives a great overview & history of Pierre & Gille's photographic paintings as well as a complete explanation of all of the images presented in this book. It's very insightful and I learned a lot more than I knew before.

So if you are a true fan of Pierre & Gilles work you definitely should have this beautiful book in your collection, or if their work is new to you this is one of the best introductions to their talented and very unique photography.

These two artist are some of the most avantgard and ambicouis photographers of our time. With their representations of saints and their homoerotic pieces they have something for jsut about anybody. I recommmend this book to anyone who is looking to add a very different type of art to their home library!

Wonderful, touching story of a young man who awakes from a coma only to find his lover murdered.Excellent backstory on the life of Philip,the victim, and the why and how this vicious, senseless crime happened.
As Peter slowly starts to regain his memory, the reader, also, is trying to piece together the events leading up to the brutal murder.
We feel Peter's loss. We fall in love with Philip. We WANT to find the killer. We want to remember.
Smooth-flowing story. Wonderful secondary characters that enhance this poignant story. JP Bowie takes the reader on a very emotional ride that you can't get off of.
Couldn't put it down.

J.P. Bowie, in A PORTRIAT OF PHILLIP, has created endearing and complex characters in his novel. This particular edition is the paperback version of the original published some years ago. We first meet Peter Brandon, a young gay artist, while he is caught in the swirling darkness of a coma. The coma is the result of a brutal beating, one in which is lover, Phillip, is killed. Peter emerges from his coma 3 years after the assault, to discover himself in a hospital room, being tended to by a physical therapist, Andrew, and his devoted mother, Eva Brandon.
During his recovery, Peter commits himself to finding the men who committed the crimes against himself and his lover Phillip.
Enter Jeff Stevens, a gay ex-cop, who through a series of coincidences, happens to know about the crimes and Andrew's lover David. Introductions...yada..yada...and Jeff begins to search for the criminals with Peter. Along the way, they find themselves mutually attracted,...and...the story progress from that point. Needless to say, the resolution to the crime is satisfactory, and a new love,as well as a new "detective team", is born.

This is an interesting and sensitive book, permitting the reader to examine an entire host of emotions. It is essential to read this book first if one is going to read the 3 subsequent books based upon the Brandon/Stevens relationship. I highly recommend this book.

Okay, all you fans of a good mystery novel. You HAVE to read this book!! J.P. Bowie really knows how to keep the reader guessing and he knows how to develop extremely likeable characters. And as you read the others in this "Portait" series, the more you care about them.
If you want a good "can't put down" book, this is the one!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I thought this book would be a combination gay romance and "mystery" novel. In some ways it is, but in another way not. It certainly is a powerful gay romance novel, as it spotlights at least three warm and loving gay relationships, counting the one that develops between Peter and Jeff during the novel, and two couples who are close friends of Peter (Andrew and David and the British couple, Rod and Arthur). And it is a bit of a "mystery" what will happen to the fiends who killed Phillip and bashed Peter, though the reader learns early on who the bashers/killers are. It is a bit of a suspense novel, since the bashers/killers stalk our intrepid heroes and nearly do them in several times.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I loved the major characters. It convinced me to read at least one or two more of Bowie's PI novels about Jeff and Peter to see how their relationship develops. Pleasant diversion.

Being a fan of the way Sydney Sheldon (Master of the Game) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) write stories, I initially had my doubts, but the moment I started reading this book I knew I had hit the jackpot. This is an author who can weave that same story-telling magic as Sheldon and Brown and write stories where the gay guys (like me) are the heroes. I especially like the fact that the gay characters are created from a perspective of normalcy rather than the traditional perspective. This book stimulated me as well as made me laugh and cry.

This book describes the way to assess a project management improvement initiative following the concept of the balanced scorecard. It uses a change stage approach that leads to a real ROI: from reaction/satisfaction (acceptance), learning, application/implementation, business impact and quantified ROI. It also provides advice on how to measure each of these stages. I have found the project follow-up questionnaire especially insightful.
At first, I found this book a bit confusing about whether it was trying to assess projects themselves or the project management initiative, but after a second look at it, I see it as is really useful if you need to show the benefits of implementing/developing project management in your organization.

Having read and then reviewed three books co-authored by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (The Balanced Scorecard, The Strategy-Focused Organization, and Strategy Maps) as well as Paul R. Niven's Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step, all of which I highly regard, I was especially interested in reading this book which the authors explain how to measure the success of project management solutions.

In the Preface, they assert that, currently, "there is no book that offers a comprehensive, practical presentation on a project management scorecard, using a process that meets the demands of [project managers, clients and senior managers who must approve project budgets, and evaluation researchers who develop, explore, and analyze new processes and techniques]. Most models and representations of the scorecard process ignore, or provide very little insight into, the two key elements essential to developing the scorecard: isolating the effects of project management solutions and converting data to monetary values." Others (notably Kaplan, Norton, and Niven) are far better qualified than I am to verify or dispute that claim. Of greater interest to me is how well organized and written this book is, and, how helpful I believe it will be, at least to project managers as well as to those who must approve project budgets. My Five Star rating speaks for itself.

Phillips, Bothell, and Snead present their material within four Parts: Setting the Stage (e.g. "Project Management Issues and Challenges), The Seven Measures (e.g. "How to Capture Business Impact Data"), Key Issues with the Measures (e.g. "How to Convert Business Measures to Monetary Values"), and Challenges (e.g. "Overcoming Resistance and Barriers to the Project Management Scorecard"). They conclude with an Appendix in which they suggest how to establish an effective project management culture. In it, they identify 16 "Best Practices" and include a brief case study example for each.

What I especially appreciate about this volume is the fact that the authors devote the bulk of their attention to explaining how to implement effectively the various concepts, strategies, and tactics they present. They are also to be commended for concluding each of the 16 chapters with a "Final Thoughts" section. This facilitates a convenient review when a reader wishes to review key points. In fact, I strongly recommend to project managers that they complete such a review at least every 90 days but, preferably, every 30 days throughout their project's duration.

As the authors correctly point out, "One of the greatest challenges is deciding which costs should be included in the project solution cost calculation. For some projects, certain costs are hidden and never included in the cost calculation. Our preference is a conservative one: Account for all costs, both direct and indirect."

There are several major cost categories:

Initial analysis and assessment
Development of solutions
Acquisition of solutions
Implementation and application
Maintenance and monitoring
Administrative support and overhead
Evaluation and reporting

For most projects, the authors recommend this sequence by which to convert data to monetary values:

1. First, define a unit of measure
2. Determine the monetary value of each unit
3. Calculate the change in performance data
4. Determine the annual rate (and amount) of change
5. Calculate the annual value of the improvement

"Costs are important and should be fully loaded in the ROI calculation. From a practical standpoint, some costs may be optional based on an organization's guidelines and philosophy. However, because of the scrutiny involved in the ROI calculations, it is recommended that all costs be included, even if this goes beyond the requirements of the policy."

In this volume, Phillips, Bothell, and Snead offer a wealth of information and counsel which can help achieve the ultimate success of almost any project in almost any organization. That success can then inform and guide efforts to create throughout the same organization a "project management culture."

I love this book! Why?
1. It is written in easy to read style, simple and direct; anyone with minimal PM expertise, culture will understand it
2. It is covering a wide range of tools and possibilities
3. Anyone can start design, or adjust her/his own tools immediately
4. A great refference for future, to come and review it from time to time
5. It is obvious the author has experience in practicing what he is preaching

Begginer PM practitioner will find a lot of good points, easy to catch and study for future.
Experienced PM experts will have an useful guide to improve or design their own PM tools and ideas to adjust their appeoaches and processes. Highly recommended!

This book is ROI-focused and integrates the people and process elements of project management with a balanced scorecard approach. One of the authors, Jack J. Phillips, has extensive experience and a large published body of knowledge in the domains of HR, ROI and scorecard development. This book has his touch, and covers the essentials of a mature project organization, what to measure and how to measure it.

The approach is as follows:
1. Measure:
* reaction and satisfaction
* skill and knowledge churn during the project
* implementation and progress metrics throughout the project
2. From the metrics capture:
* business impact data
* ROI
3. Identify both tangible and intangible benefits and apply them to an aggregate 'true cost'.

The book also shows how to translate business metrics to dollar values, build a business case, and communicate status, based on the scorecard, to clients and stakeholders. This is essential for anyone who is setting up or managing a program management office or who wants to improve internal project managment processes. It also provides one of the best methods for communicating status to clients and upper management.

This book has a mundane title but could be titled "Everything you ever wanted to know about project success and then some". The Project Management Scorecard focuses on how to evaluate and measure the success of project management solutions. Given that failed projects are far more common than successful projects, executives are investing more time and money in developing project managers. This book recognizes the challenges in measuring the return on project management investment and provides clarity and techniques on how to overcome this obstacle.

The book is very thorough in its examination of the problems, process, and solutions to measuring project management success. First the authors break down the problem into its component parts, then they take a look at the project management process steps, and finally they present multiple approaches on how to create an effective scorecard and to use it to achieve desired results. The book includes not only straight-forward steps to follow, but also questionnaires and forms that can be easily used. Success stories and case studies are also included to illustrate major points.

Some of the topics include the following:
o Project management issues and challenges
o Changing corporate cultures
o Measuring reaction and satisfaction
o How to calculate and interpret and ROI
o Capturing business impact data
o Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project
o Monitoring the true costs of the project
o Converting business measure to monetary values
o Forecasting ROI

This book provides a straight-forward approach to setting up and measuring project success. The authors have taken an onerous topic and provided clarity through simple techniques that can be easily adopted. If implemented, the solutions presented should siginificantly contribute to overall organizational success.

This is probably the best political biography I have ever read. Phil Burton was a fascinating man, and Jacobs does a terrific job of profiling him. Whether the reader is liberal or conservative, he will enjoy this book.

Burton was out there. Great book though despite the author being overly enamoured with the subject. Good info and California politics.

The best background piece on California politics. Similarly, a fantastic insight into a legislative master whose personal vices cut short a meteoric rise to power and influence.

As a San Franciscan who grew up hearing about the exploits of Burton and other more-or-less mythical characters, I feel I owe Jacobs a serious "thank you" for providing this view of what went on inside. The man who nearly became Speaker, who wielded and exercised his power lustily and well, who was known for both creating environmental protections and shunning nature, is now a lot more real.

John Jacobs has done a spectacular job of capturing and relating the career of Congressman Phil Burton, a swaggering, ruthless liberal from San Francisco who came within one vote of serving as House majority leader in 1976. For anyone who wants to understand the history of the contemporary Congress, they need only read "A Rage For Justice," and "The Ambition and the Power," by John Barry, which tells the story of Congressman Jim Wright, the man who beat Burton by that one vote. Both books are chock with candid interviews and revealing anecdotes, and written with style. Each serves as a model of congressional biography.

FIVE BIG IDEAS: 1. The purpose of schools can be viewed by different models. The tribal model suggests that the purpose of school to teach moral and civil literacy. The factory model suggests that the purpose of school is to separate out and track the educated elite, the semi-skilled and low skilled workers. The hospital model suggests that school is the great equalizer that can diagnose, teach, test and cure the ills of society. Schechty suggests that we need to use the best aspects of these cultural, economic, and nurturing models.

2. Students need to be thought of as knowledge-workers where groupwork, self-discipline, loyalty, respect for others, respect of self, sensitivity to social and ethnic issues are stressed. Students need to go beyond the 3R1s. They need to learn how to think, create and solve meaningful real world problems.

3. Education needs to develop a vision that supports that idea that the purpose of school should be student success at doing knowledge-work. Every student can learn if they are provided with the correct work and mode of interaction. Motivated students will achieve by risking failure. The learning results must be valued by the community.

4. In implementing change, resources such as people, knowledge, time and space need to be developed. Questions such as, who is affected by the change, how do you market that, what are the values of the affected constituents, and who1s support is needed, need to be answered. Defining existing conditions, desired conditions, constraints and next steps are all part of a change system that need to be developed and marketed. 5. Methods of setting expectations, providing feedback and setting courses of corrective feedback need to be established. People know what is expected by what is inspected and respected. A system of rewards and consequences need to be put into place at all educational levels. If a person does well his or her only reward cannot be that that he or she does not get punished.

THREE IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE

1. Models of participatory leadership need to be implemented. Employees must be involved and valued as important contributors. Vision tied to purpose must be results oriented. Teachers need to be viewed as leaders and leaders need to be viewed as teachers. Leaders must teach others to make decisions not make the decisions themselves. The district office should support not direct the individual sites.

2. Existing policies, procedures, rules, and regulations need to be reviewed to identify constraints and develop new strategies. A human resource department would need to be established in order to provide the needed support and training to assure that the vision remains aligned with the purpose that every student will be successful at doing knowledge-work.

3. At all levels of the school system, goals and objectives need to be established to increase the rate and frequency of student success in the employees area of responsibility. Evaluation systems to be ongoing and tied to rewards and consequences. If goals are not achieved, then plans need to be put in place to help that employee or student increase their chance for success.

Five big ideas: 1. A need to redesign our schools: Our society has moved from a simple agrarian society, to an information-based society. Schools began in this country promoting Protestant morality. They later changed, and began promoting the American culture to the immigrant masses. Today, education must change again. Schlechty claims that the educational reform movement cannot further proceed without a clear purpose for schooling in the 21st century. The entire structure on which schools are based must change in order to fit the cultural, economic, and social aspects of the next century.

2. Manual work to knowledge work: In our information-based society, the means of production is based on knowledge and the ability to use it to create and solve problems. Working conditions of the 21st century will require that people be able to work well in groups, exercise self-discipline, and exhibit loyalty while maintaining critical faculties. The workplace needs people who know how to learn. Therefore, curriculum must be treated as material to be processed and worked on by students.

3. Clear purpose = student success: Within a knowledge-based school, the purpose of school is to create knowledge work at which the students will be successful, and that the students learn the skills that society values.

4. Participatory leadership for compelling vision: Ideas are formed by people. It is of little consequence whether the ideas go bottom-up or top-down. The important factor is that the leadership process involves individuals at all levels. People who lend their support wish to feel a part of the change. Everyone must be involved. Everyone must feel connected.

5. Changes can occur if...: a) the nature of the change is conceptualized b) the people who are called on for support who were not part of the conceptualization process must be made aware of it c) feedback is solicited from those not involved and it must be incorporated into the change process d) people are motivated to act in the direction of the! change e) a system of support and training are provided to those involved.

Implications for education: 1. Teachers are the leaders. Site-based management must increase. Participants must feel they are valuable contributors to the system. Teachers will teach each other to make decisions. They must become risk-takers and trouble-makers.

2. All stakeholders must become more conscious of education. Business' success and the success of society as a whole depends upon the people that emerge from the schools. We all have a stake in education.

3. A change of attitude: Schools need to redirect their thinking. What is our current purpose for schools?....student success. We must rethink the way we teach, the way we think about the learners, and the way we view ourselves. Our roles must change. A vision must be created in order to guide those changes.

"Can our schools prepare children for the next century?" This is what Phillip Schlechty asks of all educators, parents, and the community. His book exposes what schools need to do to keep current in the new and upcoming age. He advocates an educational renaissance for administrators, community, parents, teachers, and even the government. He states that leaders who are in current positions capable of producing change are usually the ones who are hesitant to generate said change. Therefore, leaders are needed who are actively participating in the visionary process of schools, rallying support to current educators, sharing innovative ideas, and actually initiating the process of change. These leaders need to be at all levels of the educational process. Schlechty also states that leaders need to be proactive in thinking and future planning. Ideas abound in his book for individuals and groups seeking to reform education.

Schools for the 21st Century or... the ABC's of SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING Phil Schlectly What is Restructuring-Schlectly says it this way, If you do what you1ve always done, you get what you always got. Schlectly says that altering the existing rules, roles and relationships must change from the classroom to the superintendent of schools. Change what you do. We could never have gotten to the moon if we spent time refining the combustion engine. We expect 95% of Kids to do what 5% used to do. How to restructure? 1. Develop a shared understanding of the problem 2. Create a shared vision 3. Focused school activity on students. ASK THIS QUESTION EVERYDAY Is there anything here we did today that will harm kids? ALSO ASK THIS QUESTION EVERYDAY Is there anything here we did today that helped kids? 4.Create a results oriented management system. What results do we want is the answer to all questions.Typical statement is we must reduce class size...What's better is results orientated. The results we are after is more personal attention from adults to children. 5.Ensuring a pattern of participatory leadership - It1s easier to make decisions by myself than to give decisions to staff. Why should we adopt this participatory model? Schlechty's analogy! SHEEP Must have dog barking and bitting- sheep move only in big flock, follow the one making most noise-very dumb-will find a green field and stay for life-Very unionized-week leadership-move from behind ! CHICKENS Can1t be herded- only way to get them to move is by being the one they are familiar with-the one who feeds them-Very independent-don1t move from behind-only way to move chickens? Be the one who feeds them, walks by and they follow! Schlechty also gives this analogy "CANARYs in the mine are like AT RISK students in the schools. They1re just die a little earlier. Our schools were built and structured around the game of monopoly, read rules, get the advantage- The problem is kids are playing nintendo-You learn rules by playing the game. You quickly share information -Networking answers to new level of problems will benefit the player. Schlechty defines the different models of schools out there. A School can be a Tribal Center, a Factory or a Hospitals. Schlechty defines knowledge work and that it is what should be the core curriculum of schools. Performance Evaluations =People know what is expected by what is inspected and what is respected. The key steps to moving forward on reform is defined through the superintendents role. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT CHAPTER!

Five Big Ideas and Three ways Schools for the 21st Century: Leadership Imperatives for Educational Reform will help create a vision of a future educational system:

Big Ideas:

1. The purpose of schools must be defined by educational leaders with support from the community. The purpose will reflect the values and commitment of the stakeholders, and shape the goals that schools will pursue.

2. To foster Educational Reform is to foster change. Change in our educational system can be embraced, if there is an understanding of the history of schools evolutionary process. School structure can be reshaped when purpose and vision of schooling are understood.

3. Unless there is a rationale for change, reform will not occur. There are some who believe that "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." Educators must constantly look to reformulate the purpose of schools and create new visions and goals.

4. New visions and goals will be created. Restructuring efforts will consider participatory leadership and followership, accountability and assessment of schools.

5. The creation of a new framework for schooling will address the needs of children and society. Components of the framework include staffing, the distribution of knowledge, and the utilization of time and space, physically and virtually.

Three Implications for the creation a vision of a future educational system:

1. Addressing the five big ideas will raise the collective consciousness of all the educational stakeholders for the need to reform. The process listed above will open our minds to a common vision that can be clearly stated and shared by all the stakeholders.

2. Technology is changing the global workplace. Therefore, technology will be a catalyst for rethinking how we do and redefine school. Becoming digital implies leaving behind an analog and linear approach to an anywhere, anytime, multidimensional approach to learning.

3. Education and schools in the twenty first century must be reinvented and supported by the glo! bal village and must be designed for the betterment of the students, at all age levels.

John M. Marion, Educational Technology Doctoral Student, Pepperdine University

This book represents the pinnacle in terms of a blend of behind-the-scenes insights and anecdotes combined with basic reference data. The multitude of interviews that went into the text give the material a depth that the more common coverage of sci-fi shows rarely attains. Like other books by McFarland, it's pricey, but I can think of none that give the reader better value for their dollar.

What makes this guide especially fascinating are the numerous candid in-depth interviews with the producers and writers of these shows, giving much insight into the creative process and the trials and tribulations of creating innovative television shows. There are countless behind-the-scenes anecdotes that have, I am sure, never seen print before. I thought I knew a lot about certain shows, but this book contained info that was new to me; and even reading the articles about shows I never watched (and the entries on each show are long and detailed) I could scarcely put the book down. This book serves as a reference, but it is more than that; it has a wealth of fascinating insights into the television industry itself.

One of the most fascinating 'episode guides ' that has come on the market , a must have for any one associated or fan of the SF genre. An upto date episode guide / summary with an added bonus of interviews , with key actors directors of many favourite sf shows.

From my own column (ex of Mania Magazine), Andy Mangels' Hollywood Heroes:

If you're a fan of science fiction television history, there is one indispensable book you must have in your collection. Science Fiction Television Series is subtitled "Episode Guides, Histories, and Cast and Credits for 62 Prime Time Shows, 1959 through 1989." It's written by Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia, both well-known writers for magazines like Starlog and Cinefantastique. Kenneth Johnson, producer/creator of V, The Incredible Hulk, Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Alien Nation, and more, contributed the introduction.

The hardcover book is a whopping 691 pages (!), and has photos throughout. Each series is given a historical overview, with interviews for the writers, producers, actors, cameramen, and more! Plus, you get an episode guide with correct titles, guest star information, and trivia. I've had this book on my shelf for a few months, and besides using it for research, I'm immensely entertained browsing through its pages.

What are some of the shows covered? Alien Nation, Auto Man, Captain Power, Cliffhangers, Greatest American Hero, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Logan's Run, Man From Atlantis, Misfits Of Science, Planet of the Apes, Quantum Leap, Spiderman, Starman, Star Trek, Superboy, Twilight Zone (all three series), V, Voyager, and Wonder Woman. And that's just to name a few! Plus, appendixes cover unsold SF pilots, and Emmy Award nominees and winners.

It's unlikely you'll find Science Fiction Television Series in your stores, as it's a specialty book largely aimed at researchers and libraries. It's well worth the price!

Once again, this gets my highest recommendation.

It's past time that someone put some thought and effort into a book of this nature. We've had "Science Fiction TV" guides before, and they've uniformly been written by authors whose axes could be heard grinding away throughout as they slagged shows they disliked and drooled over shows they (often unaccountably) were fans of. Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia have done a good job of research and writing here, with few and minor mistakes. The chapter on "Battlestar Galactica," which is accurate and contains a good deal of information, much of it from new interviews done especially for this book, is worth the price of admission alone. If you're a fan of science fiction on TV, this book, in spite of its price, should be on your bookshelf. Very highly recommended.