Phillips Reviews

When the Grass Was Blue: Growing up in the South

Published in Paperback by iUniverse, Inc. (2007-06-26)

Author: Phillip Shabazz

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The Great Blue Grass

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-20

When the Grass Was Blue is a great book to read on a yourney of discovery the truth about the time period of the Civil Rights Movement. Not the truth in terms of facts - dates, names, places.... But the thruth as a direct, emotional, and personal affect the movement had on commmon african-american families and individuals - especially a child. For me, as an 'english-as-a-second-language' speaker, the book was easy to read, clear and understandable at its basis. Author's use of a main character as a young african-american boy directly experiencing the Civil Rights Movement in the family of an active mother, ever-drunken father, and a desperate-slacker-brother, gave a greatly drawn objective prespective on the issue and a point of view of an innocent child...

Genuine Emotion

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-06

Phillip is an unforgettable person. He enters a classroom and lights up the dreariest of mornings. He excites the most reserved student to open up their mind, look inside their experiences and discover language they never knew they had. With Phillip, creativity comes first. The exploration and the journey are the means by which he arrives at the poetry. When he teaches, he offers a very safe (but not too strict) framework in which students of just about any learning style can let their imaginations run free.

With this book, Phillip shares his innate gift with the rest of the world. His words are honest, emotional and memorable.

Poignant

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-09

Phillip Shabazz's When the Grass was Blue paints a poignant picture of the life of Kathoor, as the title suggests, a young boy growing up in the Civil Rights Era South. Each line, each verse and each story provide the reader with a clear and colorful portrait of this young man-child's world. Shabazz brings this real and turbulent tale to light through the eyes of a child and the words of a poet. A brilliant read at the end of the day for any child, adult or both.

Mr. Greenstreet's 2nd period class

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-04

i really enjoyed this book. most of my family read it and they loved it. we all learned so much form reading the book. it put me and my cousins on a new path. By: Rachel

Mr. Shabazz came to your class for poetry week. We were so lucky to have him. He was amazing. He taught us that the best poetry comes either things we experoenced or the things we imagine. This book he worte took our whole class back to their childhood. We began to open up more than ever in our poetry. The way he writes paints a picutre for every reader to see. I recommened this book to all who truly love poetry that comes from the heart. By: Asia

I really liked this book, why because i could relate to some of the things that he was talkin bout in this book. this book made me want to write more and put my voice out there. When Shabazz came to iour classit felt like i connected with him for some reason this man knew what he was takin bout. I felt that i learned alot of things from this book. Who ever read this book i hope you enjoy it.... Gary

I really enjoyed this book. I could really relate to some of the poems written in the book. Maddison

This book was unlike any poetry book I've read. It illustrated a story that opened my eyes to my history and introduced me to a creative way of writing. Shaakira

A Story for Us All

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-28

As a parent and an educator, I have always been moved by the ability of children to speak truth. When the Grass was Blue is a poignant remembrance of family life and of the civil rights era as seen through the eyes of a sensitive, truth-telling boy. The juxtaposition of personal experience, family struggles, and the dreams of childhood to our national experience, political struggles, and dreams of social justice weave both histories, the personal one and the national one, into a single, colorful fabric. By getting the details right, Philip Shabazz, has created a seamless story that does everything good stories should do--it captivates, entertains, reveals, and, when the last poem is read, leaves the reader wanting to know how life turned out for this wonderful boy. Readers, like me, who are old enough to remember the 60's, will relive their own experience through these poems. Younger readers and children will enjoy an uplifting story and learn how it felt to grow up during these tumultuous times.

Dear Zoe

Published in Audio CD by Highbridge Audio (2005-03-24)

Author: Phillip Beard

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Beautiful Story

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29

Beautiful story about how a family deals with the loss of someone they love. Excellent writing and character development, I was sucked in from the first chapter and was crying by the end of the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has lost someone close to them.

Thank you!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-22

Thank you for this wonderful, wonderful book. I wanted to stop reading it because I was afraid I'd be too sad but I couldn't stop once I'd started.

Dear Zoe

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-20

Dear Readers --- If you want to spend a few days curled up with a book that may change your life, then "Dear Zoe" is, hands down, the paramount choice. Have a full box of Kleenex nearby, though; I became a human waterfall while reading this book, empathizing with this young girl and her pain. I saw so much of my ownself in her, even though it has been decades since I was that age. Yet, I too went through the soul-shifting lifechange that was 9/11. I know my worldview will never again be the same after that day. I can distinctly recall thinking that was the beginning of the end of the world, and I spent the whole day on the phone gathering my husband and girls to come home so we could die together. God, how quickly we forget! I/we lost an innocence, a groundedness that day. We took so much for granted. This book reminded me, however, that one terrible occurrence, such as the death of a loved one, can shift one's world in much the same way. Additionally, my husband and I have raised three daughters, and I saw so much of each of my own girls in these three. A note for the author: Mr. Beard, you somehow managed to insert yourself into the psyche of a 15-year-old girl and you were right-on with frightening precision. I felt my own past exposed and I don't know how you did it, but seeing you do it was redeeming. Kudos to you and yours for tapping into and laying bare for us, the readers, the angst of a teenage girl! Lastly, I do not often buy books to keep; I usually read from the library. However, this is one book I will buy to keep on my shelf and to loan out to loved ones, with the only request being that it come back to me so that the cycle can continue.

Maybe "Z" is the Shape of Everyone's Life

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-22

"Maybe 'Z' is the shape of everyone's life," writes Philip Beard. "You're going along in what feels like a straight line, headed for one horizon, the only one as far as you know, and then something happens..."

But my zigs and zags were few in Philip Beard's slim novel, "Dear Zoe." On this level of writing, it's smooth sailing. Beard is a skilled writer, and his style is seamless enough that he accomplishes the very difficult writer's task - not only of crossing genders in this first person narrative by a female, but with the voice of a very young female - all of 15 years old. And he does it convincingly.

So convincingly, in fact, that I felt myself as reader engage as I should, that is, to lose awareness of self and surroundings, soon immersed completely into the storyline and characters. "Dear Zoe" is a letter, written across time, from one sister to another. Zoe, however, will never read this letter. Zoe is gone, killed in a car accident, and this letter is, perhaps, how older sister Tess copes with her loss, her grief, even her guilt.

This extended letter is about Tess but also about her extended family. It is family like any: not without its dysfunctions, not without its baggage and broken places, with elaborate wounds and still healing scars. When a member of a family unexpectedly dies, everyone grieves, each in his or her own way and own pace, and it can at times meld a family together, at others rip apart. Beard portrays all of this messy and zigzagging process, but without any melodrama, always sensing when to draw the appropriate line.

Then comes the true test. Nearing end, the storyline veers into an event in American history that is almost impossible to mention without imploding into melodrama. When I realized the backdrop this author was setting up for his story, I nearly winced, but, wait, what's this? Oh, my. Beard makes it work. Work so well, in fact, that he accomplishes the individualizing of something nationally, even internationally shared, and brings it down to one heart, one life, one experience, felt by one person at a time. This personal tragedy is of a size, immense and miniscule at once, that each reader will be able to absorb and comprehend, and through comprehending the miniscule, the immense suddenly gains full impact. Just as numbers that trail off into endless zero's at some point become incomprehensible, so perhaps we as human beings cannot truly comprehend tragedy unless it happens one soul at a time, passed gently on from one hand into the next.

Having accomplished this feat, the author, and "Dear Zoe," has earned my highest recommendation.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-20

On September 11th, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in numerous acts of terrorism against the United States. Even now, five years later, people still ask the question, "Where were you on 9/11?" I remember watching, on that fateful day, news coverage that left me horrified, aghast, and haunted. Where was I on 9/11? At work, on a day that started out like any other and quickly turned into one that no one will ever forget.

If you asked Tess DeNunzio, the fifteen-year-old girl at the center of DEAR ZOE, where she was on 9/11, she'll be quick to tell you that she was at home with her younger half-sister, Zoe, waiting for the school bus like any other day. Except for that one moment, when she let her gaze wander elsewhere, and Zoe ran into the street, into the path of an oncoming car. For Tess and her family, 9/11 is a day they'll never forget.

DEAR ZOE is Tess's letter to Zoe, her way of healing from her sister's death and coming to terms with the changes that have taken place in her extended family. This isn't a story about September 11th, 2001, in the ways that most of us have come to view that day. As Tess puts it, "...just like all the people who go to New York and cry over the rubble. I want to tell them all to go home. I want to tell them to go home and hold their children or their lovers or their parents. I want to tell them that they are using that place as an excuse to be sad and afraid when there will be reason enough for that in their own lives if they just wait."

According to recent facts, nearly 150,000 people die every day. That's about 1.8 people every second. And yet no one seems to remember the other 147,000 people that died on 9/11. That includes myself. Until reading DEAR ZOE, I had never stopped to consider that there were other people around the world who were grieving for lost loved ones who had
nothing to do with an act of terror.

Thanks to Mr. Beard, I now have a new way of looking at that day in history. I also have the story of Tess and Zoe, which will stay with me for much longer than it took for me to read the book. Love, loss, regret, and forgiveness mingle within the pages of DEAR ZOE to form a story that, quite possibly, you'll remember even five years later.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Advanced Placement Biology Examination: Preparation Guide (Advanced Placement)

Published in Paperback by Cliffs Notes (1994-10)

Authors: Phillip E. Pack and Jerry Bobrow

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The Best Preparation Guide - Really!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-12

To prepare for my Biology exam, I bought three books. The Barron, the Princeton Review, and the Cliffs. Even though I only covered 1/2 of the Cliffs book, I ended up with a 4. Reason - because I used this book. The Princeton Review doesn't cover enough. The Barrons was written too much like a textbook. I found two advantages of this book: 1) I was able to answer all 4 essay questions fully, because it was material covered in the Cliffs. 2) The Cliffs is written in such a way that the material is easy to study. There is no unnecessary language. It is all only the important facts. 3) Lastly, the laboratory review was very useful. In class, we had been unable to cover all the labs. The Princeton Review and Barron don't cover the lab part well enough compared to the Cliffs. I reviewed the lab part the night before, and it was very easy to understand.

In some ways, I feel that I have learnt much more in my review during the past few days, than what I have learnt in class.

Had I covered the whole book, yes, a 5 would have been expected.

A Quality Review Book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-13

This book was one of my many test prep books for AP Biology. Its strengths and its weaknesses lie in its conciseness. The subject reviews are very brief and would probably not be helpful in teaching you the material; however, if you are using the book as a review tool, it is perfect. The subject reviews always stayed on topic and contained just the right amount of detail for the AP test. It also contained a review of the 12 labs of the AP Biology course, which are a big part of the exam. My biggest complaint is that there was only one full practice test, and there were very few practice quizzes throughout the book. This is where it falls behind the other AP Bio test preps. But for a quick (last-minute) review, this book is definitely your best bet.

If You Take AP Biology, Get this Book

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-01

Buy this book, borrow this book, steal this book. I don't care how you get this book, just get this book! There is no better book out there for the AP Biology test and I am living proof of that. The Princeton Review is a great book that helps you get all of the concepts nailed, but you won't get all the details from the Princeton alone. You will, however, from this book. I normally don't say this about prep books, but you really don't need a textbook. This book does not just offer you a review, but used properly, it can teach the material as well. The text book we used was horrible and unreadable(If you're using Biological Sciences by Keeton and Gould, know that I feel for you) and our teacher was not exactly much help either. Oh yeah, this book features a great review of the labs too. This was extremely helpful considering that out of the fourteen required labs, our class managed to do none of them. How did I get a five? The question baffles me too. But I certainly know where to start. This book and the Princeton Review, nothing more, nothing less.

A study guide that actually helps

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-09-12

I took AP Biology last year as a junior with a teacher who had never before taught an AP class. It was difficult to keep on schedule with the material in class. In fact, my class did not even finish studying animal anatomy and physiology. Despite this, I still got a five on the test. Now don't get me wrong, this guide would probably be extremely difficult to make sense of with no textbook, but this book really helped me get my facts straight and rush through the key parts that my class omitted. I cannot compare it with other study guides out there, but I think that this is the only study guide I have ever used that really had an affect on my grades in class, and on my final AP test.

Good luck, and down with the evil college board!

Buy and Use this Book!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-20

I took an AP Biology class this year and it was a joke! We didn't learn anything, NOTHING the entire year. I used this book from the beginning of the year and, along with my textbook, which was horrible, and the Barron's Guide, managed to learn everything about AP Biology. No Joke! I taught myself biology out of this book. I even got a 5 on the AP test! Many of the questions in this book were almost exactly repeated on the AP exam. Another especially helpful thing was the Laboratory Review in the back. Even though our class didn't do the labs, I understood everything about them. If you need to learn biology. Get this Book. Today!1

Hey, Little Ant

Published in Hardcover by Tricycle Press (1998-09)

Authors: Phillip M. Hoose and Hannah Hoose

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great book for kids

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-27

We used this book for summer reading this summer which was to catch a reading bug. It is a fun book to read out loud esp if you can do voices for the charaters. I would recommend the book .

great story

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-16

This is the best book! I use it in my Kindergarten classroom when we do a thematic unit on bugs. We act out the story then talk about the ending.

I loved it but...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-01

I loved this book and the intention the author had to encourage children to consider the moral of the story. Also for a children's book it is well written with amusing rhymes. The kids also loved hearing this story. The only problem was this - they got absolutely the wrong message from it!

The book presents two arguments - the ant pleading for its life, and the boy who questions the value of the ant's life. But the author wrote the boy's side of the story so pleasingly that my kids far more enjoyed siding with the boy than with the ant, despite explanation, to my complete despair! My young listeners were quite young, ages 2-3, so perhaps this book would be better for a slightly older child.

Teaches Empathy

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-30

I am a 3rd grade teacher, and I use this book in my classroom to teach about bullying, peer pressure (the boy's friends are encouraging him to squish the ant), and empathy. My students love it! I wish I could find a poster of the page where the ant is looming over the boy and asking "If you were me, and I were you, what would you want me to do?" What an incredible lesson for kids! The best part is that the book ends with the shoe looming over the ant and leaves the ending up to the reader. Kids love writing (or just inventing) their own endings! GREAT BOOK!

Hey, Little Ant

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-12

This is an excellent book about an ant who has to convince a boy why he should not squish him with his shoe. It sends a wonderful message to children that you should treat others how you would want to be treated. This rhyming text is very comical to read and the illustrations are excellent. It is a wonderful book for elementary students!

Off the Menu Cookbook: A Four-Star Chef Cooks for Family, Friends and Staff

Published in Paperback by Workman Pub Co (1999-08)

Authors: David Waltuck and Melicia Phillips

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Comfort food with attitude

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-15

With several shelves full of cookbooks to choose from, this is the one that I pull down when I need some inspiration for good, hearty, tasty, basic foods that are easy to prepare. This is my most used cookbook, and everything I've made from it has turned out well. Pop culture cookbooks come and go but this classic stands the test of time. Highly recommended.

Eclectic and delicious dishes

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-25

This is my favorite go-to cookbook for a weekend meal when I am not craving any particular cuisine and just want to try something new. The chatter is lively, and the recipes fun to cook, both reducing well and expanding to suit a bigger crowd. While the dishes do not reflect a "pure" ethnic sensibility, the blending of flavors and seasonings lead to delicious results sometimes even exciting. I return to many of these recipes again and again. My (spoiled) husband who sometimes doesn't know what he is eating but certainly knows if he likes it, is a big fan of this cookbook.

wonderful cookbook

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-10

I love cookbooks and this is one of the best I have ever read or used. It is both a good cookbook and a good read, and most recipes are ones you will use. I am so impressed that I am giving it to several good cooks as a Christmas present.

Tribecca Cooking

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-07

This is the cookbook I have been waiting for for many years. It is supberb, down to earth cooking and it is so well set out that even an occasional cook can follow it and get wonderful results. I would recommend this to any one who likes excellent eating. Every time I look at it I want to go back to Chantarelle for another great eating experience

one of my desert-island cookbooks

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-06

When we moved last year, it was one of 5 cookbooks I packed in my suitcase to use in our temporary apartment. It's chock full of great recipes for American classics, but done in a way that appeals to people who've gone beyond Campbell's soup casseroles. A number of easy ethnic recipes rounds out the mix.

Marquis De Fraud

Published in Hardcover by Seven Locks Press (2001-06)

Author: Phillip Reed

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A carousel of sinister characters

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-21

Tread softly into the "Marquis De Fraud", you are about to come up close to an anonymous murder! The carousel of sinister characters begins slowly, and you will not be sure who is good or who is bad. But does it matter? They all want something. The speed picks up and the chase is on, more murder, theft and fraud. Who can be trusted? What outrageous thing is going to happen next? Enjoy this speeding carousel and do not take it too seriously, it could be dangerous! I'm sending this book to my mother, she loves murder and mystery. I loved it!

The American Dick Francis?

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-21

"The Marquis de Fraud" may entitle Phillip Reed to be called the American Dick Francis. Like the best of Francis' work, this book grabs the reader in the first few pages: an intriguing prologue, a horrific crime. Soon we meet the well-drawn characters who will come to matter to us as the plot twists and turns and pulls us along. Reed also does a fine job of creating a sense of place, the world of horse racing, especially the "backside" of the track. The characters are multi-dimensional; even the good guys have their dark recesses; and one of the finest characters of all is a horse named Epic Honor, who broke my heart. One word of caution for the reader on a strict schedule: I started reading this book at 3 pm. and couldn't put it down until I'd read it through. My sleepless night was well rewarded, though, as I came to feel I'd spent the time with good friends. I'll be looking forward to Phillip Reed's next work.

Philip Reed does it again !

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-09

I really enjoyed the Marquis de Fraud. I've read Reed's other novels "Bird Dog" and "Low Rider", and all his novels have a common link: Casts of interesting characters, and fast paced story's that keep me turning the pages late into the night. Unlike his earlier books which revolved around Car Dealers, this book is centered around Horse Racing. Which I knew little about but found quite interesting.

Central to the story is a slime ball Con Man named Malcom, who rips people off using his Scottish charm, of their life's saving and investments. There's more, this guy has the audacity to steal a valuable race horse and take it where ? Of course there's good guys, somebody has to find this guy and deal with him. But It's a dangerous and bloody path. Well, read the book for yourself. You won't be disappointed !

Simply the Best

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-30

This book is simply the best mystery I have read. Its non-stop action sceens and careful descriptions of intense moments allows you to enter into a new state of reading. Once you start, you cannot stop. Philip Reed has now passed up all other mystery authors and currently holds the lead as my favorite author.

A Winner!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-04

This is Phil Reed's best one yet. The action is non-stop, the characters are fully developed, the plot is never dull. The story flows and you are pulled along with it. This writer keeps getting better and better. I just finished this one and am already looking forward to his next! If this were an audio book, I wouldn't be able to leave my car until I had heard the last tape!

The ValueReporting Revolution: Moving Beyond the Earnings Game

Published in Kindle Edition by Wiley (2001-02-19)

Authors: Robert G. Eccles, Robert H. Herz, E. Mary Keegan, and David M. H. Phillips

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Fantastic ! A must read ! Breakthrough thinking !

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-29

I have purchased several books on amazon.com, but I must say that this is one of the best ones I have read so far ! This is exactly the sort of book management in companies worldwide should be reading ! I live and work in Tokyo, and I think the Japanese public companies here could learn so much from this book ! Corporate reporting here is very poor, especially in the banking sector(horrendous !), and investors do not take them seriously anymore. Public companies here should improve their corporate reporting and utilize the capital markets more, and the first thing they need to do is to regain the trust of their
shareholders. In other words, they should read this book cover to cover right away ! The people who worked on this book, like Mr. Matthew Wissell, who leads the Value Reporting practice in PricewaterhouseCoopers' New York office, should be highly commended for such a fine piece of work !

Fantastic ! A must read ! Breakthrough thinking !

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-29

I have purchased several books on amazon.com, but I must say that this is one of the best ones I have read so far ! This is exactly the sort of book management in companies worldwide should be reading ! I live and work in Tokyo, and I think the Japanese public companies here could learn so much from this book ! Corporate reporting here is very poor, especially in the banking sector(horrendous !), and investors do not take them seriously anymore. Public companies here should improve their corporate reporting and utilize the capital markets more, and the first thing they need to do is to regain the trust of their
shareholders. In other words, they should read this book cover to cover right away ! The people who worked on this book, like Mr. Matthew Wissell, who leads the Value Reporting practice in PricewaterhouseCoopers' New York office, should be highly commended for such a fine piece of work !

Good "second book" on accounting reform

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-31

If you want to learn about accounting scams, you probably need Mulford and Comiskey, The Financial Numbers Game. But for a broader view of the virtues and limits of accounting, Eccles and company have a lot to offer. You can skip or skim the somewhat overhyped stuff about the "ValueRevolution" itself (note that three of the authors come from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where they seem to be having some trouble with their space bar, or spacebar). Keep your best brain cells for chapters three through eight, where you get a look at the earnings obsession -- and just as useful, a suggestion of what investors really need and want. Note that one of the co-authors (Robert H. Herz) is the new head of the Financial Accounting Standards Board).

A Call to Arms

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-07

"ValueReporting" smoothly describes many broken financial reporting processes, including "whispering", a time-consuming process that CFOs play with analysts, where CFOs "whisper" their earnings expectations to the analyst, making the analysts appear intelligent. A great deal for the analyst cause they don't have to do any real analysis. If the CFO does not play this game, they risk the wrath of Wall Street.

The problem with this is that it is in violation of the spirit (if not the law) of the yet to be enforced SEC Fair Disclosure Act which states that Sally Q. Public gets to know material information the same time that John Q. Analyst does.

"ValueReporting" does offer a practical solution through XBRL technology. As a member of XBRL.org I strongly agree with the authors that if business reporting, both financial and non-financial, is standardized, Web technologies are in place to distribute this information uniformly to all investors and in a richer format than at present. With the gentle prodding of regulatory agencies like the SEC and FDIC, this will happen sooner rather than later. Let's hope that SEC Chairman Unger reads this book, and fast.

For me as a consultant and a technologist "who can spell XBRL", The ValueReporting Revolution was a call to arms to apply my knowledge to the inequities of financial reporting. Helping clients sell their wares over the Web is nice, but to level the financial playing field for small companies as well as large, for the small investor as well as the institutional, is ennobling. And forcing Wall Street analysts to actually work for a living, would be, well, just icing on the cake.

Pass Go & collect $200 for this short cut to the future

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-03-14

First I should explain that I'm not a neutral reviewer: I have known one of the authors of this book (Bob Eccles) ever since he woke some of us up with his HBR article "The Performance Measurement Manifesto" almost ten years ago, and I've also met another of the authors (David Phillips) in the last year. Coupled with that, some of the work of my company (Metapraxis) on Business Driver Diagrams is mentioned in Chapter 1. I mention these points up-front in the interests of transparency, which is a core theme of the book itself.

The book's thesis is that the investors of the future will reward companies for such transparency - in other words, those companies that understand, measure and publish information about leading indicators such as growth of market share as well as lagging indicators such as profit will be better rated than their competitors, other things being equal.

This is pretty controversial stuff. After all, if you're the CEO or CFO of a major global multinational that's just announced on-target quarterly earnings, but your (currently confidential) internal leading edge indicators say that your market share is starting to fall, how exactly are your investors going to react if you decide to be brave enough to tell them all about it?

There is clearly something of a problem here and I refer to it as the Paradox of the World's Bravest Customer. You don't know who that was? I think it was the guy who bought the world's first fax machine. Think about it.

So undoubtedly there'll be some short-term pain for the pioneers, but once the markets start to see that a core group of innovative firms has the courage to disclose this kind of information (whether good or bad) then it's obvious that this disclosure will reduce the risks involved in these investments. And as John Maynard Keynes pointed out in 1910:

"What would be a risky investment for an ignorant speculator may be exceptionally safe for the well-informed expert. The amount of risk to any investor practically depends, in fact, upon the degree of his ignorance respecting the circumstances and prospects of the investment he is considering." *

The book is all about the revolutionary implications that follow through from this 90-year old observation. Whether you agree with the thesis or not, it will change the way you think about corporate information, business management and investor relations. I recommend it highly to CEOs, CFOs, IR heads, financial analysts and auditors, business school students and indeed to anyone embarking on a career in these areas.

Robert Bittlestone: Managing Director, Metapraxis - London & New York

* JM Keynes: Hopes Betrayed 1883-1920 by Robert Skidelsky (Vol 1); Ch. 9 Economic Orthodoxies. Skidelsky is quoting in turn from the "Collected Writings of JMK": xv 46-47....

The Crown and the Crucible (The Russians, Book 1)

Published in Paperback by Bethany House Publishers (1991-09)

Authors: Michael Phillips and Judith Pella

List price: $12.99

New price: $3.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $12.99

Average review score:

The Russians -Excellent Novel Series

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-08

Love this Novel series! I purchased this set for my mother's birthday, she is an avid reader and expects high quality writing. She loved them; her friends loved them and so do I! Full of historical informations, but not to the detriment of a great story!

Hope you have time

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-29

The whole Russians series is well worth getting. They are slow at times, but they always pick up in the end. There's a lot of groundwork that needs to be laid b/f the politics and intrigue can make sense.
The characters are interesting though. Phillips and Pella do fairly well writing duo.

Stirred Every Emotion!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-05

I loved this book so much! After reading Pella's Daughters of Fortune series, I went looking for other books she had written and came upon The Russians. The first book is excellent. I felt every emotion I can think of. I was happy, sad, frightened, angry, and moved! Anna was a shy country girl with a quiet strength that helped her move her way up from kitchen girl to the personal maid of a princess in a matter of months. Anna and Princess Katrina teach each other many things as Russia is on the brink of war. I don't want to spoil the rest of the book so I'll stop here! I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction or Judith Pella!

Strong Story Line

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-15

I read this whole series a couple of years ago and after reading many, many books since, I still hold that this is my favorite book. The whole series is great. I knew nothing of Russian history before reading this series, so I learned quite a bit! Though the book is full of historical facts, it is written in a way that doesn't make you feel like you are reading a history book. The story is strong. After this series, Pella picks up on the characters again several years later in her "Daughters of Fortune" series. (Another great series!)

Compelling Reading...

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-10-16

The first of the seven books enticed me, as did the 2, 3, and 4. But as the origanal characters began to die off, so did my interest in the series.

Delta Green (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, Modern)

Published in Paperback by Armitage House (1997-02-01)

Author:

List price: $27.95

Used price: $59.95

Average review score:

Not Lovecraftian inspired, but a good "Modern" horror game

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-18

I would have given a much lower score based on an HPL feel scale; but I must admit the product is solid even if it has nothing to do with classic CoC; its a totally different game.
That other type of flavor game was mainly to appeal to people that:
1) Felt uneasy to play in the 20s
2) Wanted more fire power or modern organized resources
3) Were fan of X-Files even if DG came a bit before the TV series, the popularity grew much after that

So its a good game to play Mulder and Scully or even men in black kinda investigators with those sunglasses and Steyr rifles
Its definitally Modern horror type and not for the classic HPL type of game fans

Delta Green, back in print!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-26

This amazing game (and just plain interesting read!) is currently back in print. You can pick up the new edition, converted to D20, by heading to the publisher's web site. Pagan Publishing and TC Corp have done a great service to its fans by releasing this reprint!

Best game ever

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-22

I don't have a long, thoughtful review to write. Just wanted to say this is the BEST RPG idea/supplement I've ever seen. Intelligent, thoughtful, scary, fun...get it get it get it!

Delta Green- Best RPG book Ever?

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-30

This is the best RPG suppliment I have ever read, bar none. It's a great READ, even if you are not a gamer. Interesting background, lots of plot hooks as well. The group that did this book are great writers and are loving what they do and it shows. If you are into Horror, X-Files, Call of Cthulhu, ect...buy it to read, if not play.
The book is curently out of print, but I understand that it will be reprinted in 2006 as a hardcover with d20 rules. Anyone wanting to write or publish an RPG should read this book and use it as an example. A MUST.

Second Fiction Anthology for Award-Winning DELTA GREEN

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-15

DELTA GREEN is the modern adaptation of Call of Cthulhu. Drawing on the same body of UFO lore and paranormal activity as the X-Files, DELTA GREEN has tapped into something very deep. And of course, once you have a successful RPG, you might as well start the fiction flowing, right?

Dark Theaters has some fairly lenghty short stories, designed to flesh out the world of DELTA GREEN. Some clues and hints are elaborated on; what exactly happened during the fabled raid on Innsmouth in 1928? What was the final mission of Gen. Fairfield? We find out more about the summoning by the Karotechia that was a dress rehearsal for the end of the world, but the entirety of the episode remains tantalizingly removed.

Dark Theaters, like the rest of DELTA GREEN fiction, is about what it means to be human. Or not human. The monstrosities which are called up and cannot easily be put away serve to highlight our humanity. But in the end, humanity is just short-hand for a fundamental incomprehension of the universe. We are carrying on a rear-guard action against reality, buying our fellow-man time for ... what? To say that humanity loses in the end is to pretend that there are other players, rules agreed upon, some validity to having tried and lost. Life is a game of solitaire, and we're not playing with a full deck. All is meaninglessness, a blowing of the wind.

And yet humanity means staying in the game. Like Lucifer, the real patron saint of lost causes, we know that we will lose and darnit, we are going to keep playing the hand we were dealt. It gives meaning to life, death, and the passing of the seasons, the sacrifices we have made and those we have sacrificed, to play by the rules, even if there aren't any. So let us cheer for the hero and jeer for the villain, and not go gently into that dark night.

Fall from Grace

Published in Paperback by Destiny Image Publishers (2006-07-01)

Author: Ryan Phillips

List price: $14.99

New price: $9.64
Used price: $2.38

Average review score:

Ryan Philips is a wonderful author

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-21

I purchased this book after reading the first novel by Ryan Phillips, Saving Grace. Then I purchased the next book. I have all three and I have never been disappointed with her work. If you are in want of a good book, then read this but be prepared not to get anything done because you won't be able to put it down. One of my co-worker/friend was on our way to a meeting in which we had to travel three hours. I decided to bring along my book because I knew this would be the opportune time to read. Needless to say, I didn't talk much to my co-worker and really didn't want her talking much to me because I was so intensely into the book. I recommend reading the preceding one before reading this one. By then, you will swear you know each and every character. Can't wait until Ryan comes out with more of her great work.

Wow

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24

After reading Ryan Phillips' first book, "Saving Grace", I became an instant fan of her work. I just finished "Fall from Grace" and I am equally, if not more, pleased with this book as with "Saving Grace"!

Ryan Phillips is truly a great author, I would highly recommend this book! GREAT READ!! Can't wait for the next one!

Good

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-17

I really hope she continues Grace's story. Saving Grace was GREAT and Fall from Grace was a great follow-up. I'm still amazed at how young Ryan Phillips is you can tell that her writing is a God-given gift.

Great Book Ms. Phillips!!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-09

Saving Grace was an excellent read and so is this sequel Fall From Grace.

Grace and Trina have been best friends forever. Their relationship though causes alot of conflicts between them. At a point in their lives they lose themselves and Christ and must find a way back.

This book is filled with everyday issues, with twists and turns.

Unbelieveable...Master story teller!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-13

Fall From Grace was so good that it would literally take me all day to describe everything I loved about it. It was witty, mesmerizing, challenging, beautiful. To have a front row seat into the hearts and minds, successes and failures of fellow christians was far more than an entertaining read. The characters are so rich it made me think how can one person (the author, Ms. Phillips) be able to so keenly describe, speak and think for such a variety of individuals less she be utterly ingenious. WOW WOW and WOW pretty much describes how I feel and what I think. Beautiful. Creative. Unpredictable. Congratulations Ryan Phillips, I have a new favorite book. I never imagined that the sequel could be any better than Saving Grace (which was phenomenal). Fall From Grace was better than any movie or book I've ever seen or read thus far and I am so excited for the next Masterpiece. I am so thankful for the wonderful blessing this story was to me.

P.S. Between you and me...my eyes were a little watery...and I never cry over fiction! :)

Phillips Books