Richardson Books

Student Revie

Modelling for Management by George P. Richardson is the first of two volumes on the subject of systems thinking and dynamic modelling. The first chapter / article provides the reader with insight into the very practice of modelling for management and exposes the fallacies inherent in many of the more common approaches. Subsequent chapters explore a broad spectrum of cases and applications of systems thinking to management. It is an excellent introduction and reference book for all readers interested in the field.

Hapgood and Richardson provide a well written account of the reasons behind the destruction of the Abbey at Monte Cassino during the Italian Campaign. It is of interest because the authors incorporated information taken from the Monk's diaries. The secret story of the German Commander, General Frido von Senger's attempts to save and protect the Abbey and the events leading to the Allied bombing are revealed. Its an easy read and makes you want to find other books on the same subject.

Moose Girl explores a public health and private issue, the body image of adolescent girls. Easy to read, pleasant scenes of Philadelhia.

A few semesters ago, I borrowed this workbook from one of my colleagues at the university where I teach, among other things, Intercultural Communications. I was amazed with the variety of activities it provided for my classroom.

My students enjoyed the activities and in turn the activities allowed them an opportunity to begin to develop a dual cultural perspective when interacting with people who are different from them. "The Global Village" activity was one of the best learning experiences for my students. The day we did that activity was a "light bulb moment" for them. They began to see how people from a western culture often times see the world not from a global perspective, but from a very narrow viewpoint.

I have used this workbook every semester since then and will continue to use it when I teach Intercultural Communications.

This book has a particularly fine and comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of the various natural textiles, particularly as the cloth's qualities relate to use in home furnishings. Information on sun-resistance, soil-resistance, resistance to abrasion, absorbency, strength, and so on makes the first section of the book exceptionally useful. Without that first section, this would be a fairly standard book on making soft furnishings such as cushions, chair covers, curtains, blinds, table furnishings, etc. I would only suggest a section on sources for materials (for example, the author mentions 108" wide linen!) to elevate this book to a five-star treasure.

We now realise that Victorian Britain was a mess of prejudices and customs. Amongst which was a subordination of women into a few approved role models. Yet Richardson explores the fiction of that time, to bring before us examples of female characters that often broke this mold.

She quotes extensively from one writer, H Rider Haggard. In his lifetime, he was a famous writer of adventure stories. Often set in darkest Africa, to crib a popular cliche. Think perhaps of his (white) male protagonists as the 19th century equivalent of Indiana Jones. But Haggard also was careful to have female characters, to provide a love interest for the reader. From novels like She, Richardson explains how these characters often had an allure and power. Nor is this confined to Haggard's works.

Other writers are studied, though they are now largely forgotten to our contemporaries.

Richardson also looks at the interplay between sexual stereotypes and racial stereotypes. The latter often arose when the novels were set in some region or British colony with lots of non-whites. Unsurprisingly, several writers contributed mightily to both types of stereotyping. But Richardson looks at nuances. Different novels by different authors indulged in varying amounts of these.

I'm not sure if this is better than the original book, or if I just enjoyed it more because I'm familiar with the basic premise and characters. At any rate, Noble Causes is exactly what it's billed as-a fun, soap-opera-y book about a family of superheroes. It's a light read, but quite well written. I reread the first book after finishing this one, and appreciated the whole thing more because a lot of elements in the first book gained a whole new meaning when you know what's GOING to happen.

That said, Family Secrets stands fine on its own, and also feels complete. That is to say, it ends at what feels like a logical point, rather than half-way through a story like a lot of graphic novels seem to. Don't worry, it does have a great cliffhanger...something I've been dying to know since the first book gets PARTLY revealed...

I am not a Noble Causes fan. I have never read another issue before. The reason I bought this particular issue because I read that Invincible (another image character) had a guest appearance. (As a note for other Invincible/Kirkman fans, Invincible appears for 2 panels and has no lines or real involvement to the story. Brit also makes a slightly less brief appearance. And Robot, Atom Eve, Rexsplode, and DupliKate are there with Invincible.)

On to the comic. Having never read Noble Causes before I think that this book seemed to do a good job of introducing you to most of the main characters and giving you a glance at what they are like. You get an idea of who has a problem with who and who tolerates who. Since it's made of all short stories though it felt like there might not be to much substance for long time readers who are probably already familiar with the characters. Most of the short stories were good, I especially liked the first one and seeing Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's almost Hellboy like short on Krennick was very entertaining. (As I'm a Kirkman fan, I may be a little biased) I have to say that the Zephyr short story was my least favorite. It was extremely tragic and felt a bit pointless to me. I would go as far as to say it was simply for shock value.

Again over all a good read. There's good artwork and good writers. A good read for someone new to the Nobles but as I said previously there might not be enough substance for long time readers to really enjoy.

Orel Hershiser: Up Close and Personal is not really a biography of Orel Hershiser, although it does discuss his life. This is a rather short little book published by Here's Life Publishers in 1989 for the purpose of spreading the gospel, primarily to boys and young men interested in baseball, by offering examples of salvation's positive effects on successful baseball players. Orel Hershiser had just finished an amazing season: he had set a Major League record by throwing fifty-nine consecutive scoreless innings, he had won the Cy Young Award, and he had been named the MVP of the World Series. The baby-faced pitching phenom seemed to have come out of nowhere, but he had actually spent a number of frustrating years in the minor leagues before ever being called up to the Dodgers. This book describes Hershiser's decision to become a Christian at age 21 and shows how important this decision was in allowing him to achieve the incredible success he enjoyed in 1988. Hershiser is quoted extensively on his faith in God, making him an excellent role model for youngsters then and now.

The book includes two additional sections following the Hershiser story. The first one describes the important role that Branch Rickey's Christian faith played in giving him the courage and strength to begin to desegregate Major League baseball; Rickey is the man who signed Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers just after the end of World War II. The final entry is a purely religious message from former Yankee Bobby Richardson; after describing the thrill of his completely unexpected Grand Slam in the 1960 World Series, he goes on to tell readers about his Grand Slam in life, which was his decision to become a Christian.

Orel Hershiser: Up Close and Personal, written by Bill Horlacher & Joe Smalley, was probably distributed for the most part by interested coaches or parents among young baseball players. Hershiser was incredibly popular at the time of publication, making this a good means for attracting youngsters' attention to Christianity. Today, of course, many youngsters probably don't know who Hershiser was, but this is still a nice little book to have. It is definitely a Christian publication, it is important to note.