Shepard Books

My son read this book with his 4th grade class. I read it along and out loud with him because we are really working on reading comprehension.

This is a terrific discussion-starter book for parents and children. Not only is there the sexism parts, but there is also the theme of Justin being never shown how to do things (or made fun of when he tries) to the extent that he just stopped trying.

I was very surprised to see the "n-word" (it's on page 82 in mine) in a book geared toward such young children. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I would not have known about it if I had not been reading the book with my son. They did not discuss it in school or let the parents know which is a shame, as it led to a few great discussions in our home about racism and the power of words.

Overall, a great book. It was nice to see some diversity in my son's required reading and to have a completely boy-centric book where the main character is not sickeningly perfect.

I borrowed the book from the library, because my children like biscuits. The book surprised me with its story line. It is so beautiful about a boy becoming man of responsibility and knowing his african american history. A few times the story did not flow too well. Therefore I gave it a four star review.

I really really liked this story because it show that at first Justin does not know how to do anything right and he had two sisters and one that was bigger than him and he always got in trouble and at the end he learns how to make his bed and cook biscuits and other stuff and know body believes that he can do all those things because before he went to his grand fathers he could not do anything but when he gets back he can make his bed and his on food and it just amazing that he could do all those things after he got back from his grand fathers and its cool.

I liked the book cause it was exciting.I relate to Justin because I don't like to clean my room,or make my bed.This book made me hungry cause of the biscuits.My favorite parts were when they went to the festival and at Justin's house.If you like cowboys,roping,and horses you'll like this book.And it also teaches you stuff.I think this is a great book.I really enjoyed it!

I thought this book was pretty good because he was supposed to do his chores but he did'nt and did not do the dishes and Hidya had to.And he made a mess in the kitchen and his mother had to clean it up.

The One Minute Manger was great but this title fell well short.
I was disappointed and will not add this book to my required reading
list for my direct reports.

Concise, pragmatic advice on management practices: goal setting, praise, reprimands. This book serves as a great reminder that you don't have to have a PhD, or read every tome on leadership and management to be successful - more often than not, little changes can make a significant impact. An easy read, and one worth revisiting every once in a while.

This book keeps management principles in its simplist form. I have given these books to many managers over the years to help them understand and learn the basic principles of management. A great read!!!!

This book is about so much more than management. I applied the principles to all areas of my life years ago and what a difference it made.

I highly recommend this as a wonderful addition to your must read list. This book gave me easy ways to apply the concepts to my life.

I read this book in an MBA course taught by one author. Both are "executive coaches", meaning they counsel well-paid CEO's. Nice shtick if you can burrow in. They cannot be mentors since neither has real work experience and they aren't real academics. Lorber spends less than 1 day/wk at UCD, mostly lending his Organization Behavior aura.

The methods discussed are necessary, but hardly sufficient. A competent manager should walk the floor, pat people on the back, discuss short-term goals, and give regular performance reviews. However, managers must also be very competent, which usually requires rising through the ranks. They should do more than shuffle papers and put on a show, although that can work in large bureaucracies. Psychology tricks may work in the short time to get employees to shoulder more of the company's obligations and risks, but over the long-term employees wise up. Managers must provide proper incentives, both financial and for professional/career advancement, otherwise their best people walk.

The book arrived in good time and excellent condition. I have finished reading it and it was value for money!

The writing is mediocre. The man was a sailor and wrote like one.

But the story of a Nantucket whaling crew's efforts to survive an attack by a crazed whale is incredible in that it's true. Every poorly-nailed-together sentence of the account will keep you in suspense.

It may even inspire you to write your own book about a vindictive whale.

Some men die at ebb tide; some at low water; some at the full of the flood.....
Herman Melville, MOBY DICK

On the 12th day of August 1819, the whaleship Essex put out from Nantucket on her last and fatal voyage. Before her two-and-a-half year trip would be done, her bows would be stove in by an unheard-of act of aggression--the seemingly intentional attack by a sperm whale. Her crew of twenty men would find themselves in three small, flimsy whaleboats whose sides rose mere inches above the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean, a thousand miles from salvation. Not all would see the mainland again.

The slim volume of THE WRECK OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX is the account that Owen Chase, first mate and one of the few survivors, penned of his ship's destruction and of her crew's sufferings in the months following as they tried to survive and strove to reach safety. In it, Chase gives the reader some idea of the wracking thirst, the pitiless burning sun, the destructive waves, the despair, and the deaths that stalked the crew across the trackless wilderness of ocean. When the last morsel of the mercilessly hoarded hard bread finally vanished, the only source of food was the flesh of some of the crew themselves.

Chase's account is a factual, unadorned diary of the crew's travails. He was obviously a literate man but not a professional writer. His book is clearly and grammatically written, although early 19th century English will strike some modern readers as stilted or perhaps quaint. Such a mere recitation of fact, however, cannot adequately convey the sense of desperation, the fear of dying, the loathing at having to eat the flesh of one's companions if one is to live another few hours that these men surely felt.

If the reader wishes to experience more fully the emotions of the crew as hope turns to hopelessness and as the will to survive becomes only a desire to end one's interminable suffering through death, then he should turn to Nathaniel Philbrick's IN THE HEART OF THE SEA: THE TRAGEDY OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX. Chase's first-hand account gives us the facts of the unprecedented catastrophe, but Philbrick conveys the feelings of the men as they strove to survive yet one more day or, in some cases, surrendered to their fate.

The danger in Philbrick's book is that it is so graphic in the horrors it depicts that the reader may come to feel that he is reading a fictional work, so hard is it for the modern reader to conceive of the degree of suffering endured by the Essex's crew. Reading Owen's first-hand account will remind the reader that what he is experiencing vicariously was experienced both physically and psychologically by twenty men less than two hundred years ago, and that over half of that company were seen to die or to vanish forever in the vastness of the ocean. Read IN THE HEART OF THE SEA to gain a more complete picture of this incredible episode, and read THE WRECK OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX to reassure yourself that Philbrick's book is indeed factual and not the stuff of a horror novel.

Moby Dick is so dry for young readers with all the details of life on a whaler, this book is much more the adventure, the what happens when the whale decides that he's had enough. How men endure when they run out of food, then water, then people start to die. It's a fairly fast read and Owen gives a fairly good account of the problems and the horror of the men as they watch the whale ram their ship.

There's nothing wrong with this book except that there is a more comprehensive collection published by Penguin Classics titled, "The Loss Of The Ship Essex, Sunk By A Whale." The Penguin Classic includes not only Owen Chase's story in his own words but also contains that of Thomas Nickerson a fellow shipmate of the Essex. Nickerson's account has been lost for decades and reading Chase's account alone would be cheating yourself of a real treat since Nickerson is by far the better storyteller.

This was an enjoyable lighthearted read, but I don't think it will be anything that sticks with me. The events related are amusing in some respects, but each chapter is almost a stand alone story which I did not like (but maybe that is how all memoirs are, this is the first one I have read). You are simply given the facts of each incidence as it occurred and it is left at that. There is no reflection back in future chapters, or watching to see how the current event you are reading about plays out in the future. It reminded me of sitting around the table with my family and listening to many funny remembrances of some long gone beloved grandfather. I did enjoy the characters and it was an entertaining book, but I think it serves best as a cleansing of the palate between two more serious books.

Life with Father is a collection of anecdotes by Clarence Day, Jr., mostly having to do with his childhood and primarily involving his father. The primary reason Life with Father is so fascinating is because Clarence Day, Sr. is larger than life. The man is domineering, meticulous, and tyrannical, yet is also, in his own way, loving and good natured. His interactions with his wife are particularly entertaining.

Many incidents reported here occur in the 1880s and 1890s, and this book provides great insights into nineteenth-century American life. The chapter on how the family first came to own a telephone particularly shows how very far America has come.

Day's writing style is typically matter-of-fact, excepting a few occasions, particularly when he writes about himself. This style serves to highlight his family's absurdities, which is where much of the humor comes from.

Worth mentioning here is the marvelous 1947 film starring William Powell, which is based on the play, which is in turn based on Life with Father and several other of Day's books. Neither the book nor the movie draw a large audience in the twenty-first century, but a number of people do come to the book after seeing the film, and filtering the book through the lens of the movie's cast does help accentuate its humor.

Life with Father is an excellent and humorous book, perhaps best read in small doses so as not to dilute the effect. It is also a very interesting window into nineteenth century America.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I was captivated by the hubbub that seemed to erupt often in the Day household. Traveling back to a time long past and being told of society's customs was a treat. Witnessing Mr. Day's frequent outbursts was entertaining as well. And what of Clarence's two-week stay in Chicago for the World's Fair, which cost him only $48? Imagine that today! Mrs. Day had such a singular way of handling Mr. Day; I found it hard not to admire her fiesty spirit. Mr. Day was domineering by today's standards, but Clarence even remarks that it was clear his father loved the family dearly.

I loved reading this book growing up, and I still reread it about every five years. Some reviewers have complained about the father's behavior, and certainly in 2004 no husband/father could behave as he did. However, for the period in which the story takes place (the 1870s/80s), the father is pretty typical and clearly loved his family a lot. The chapters about the author having violin lessons and sharing mail with his father are particularly good. For people who understand that customs and society itself were different in earlier times, this book will be a delight.

These are very amusing sketches of family life in New York in the 1880s and 90s. Clarence Day Seniuor is a larger-than-life character, autocratic, excitable, with strong likes and dislikes. I was a bit startled to read a previous review that spoke of his 'emotional abuse' of his children. There is no abuse , emotional or otherwise, in this book. Mr Day clearly adored his family. Another reviewer says that Day Snr 'disrespected his wife'. Again, I see no evidence of disrespect in this book, Mr Day obviously loves his slightly eccentric wife to distraction, and in their frequent clashes of temperament she almost always succeeds in getting the better of him. The chapter where she departs on a lengthy trip to Egypt, leaving him pining for her, is particularly touching. This is a charming book, much more amusing than the pleasant but rather bland film that was based on it.

I thought I've taken enough Management courses in MBA school that would prepare me for managing problem employees. I found out I was wrong when I realized that I had some of the symptoms of BMS -- Battered Manager Syndrome, as explained in Glenn's book.

I appreciate Glenn's book because it starts out by asking People Managers if the job is right for them. I found it helpful that the book gives prescriptive advice on the kind of manager one ought to be. What I also found helpful was his explanation of "Why People Do the Things They Do" in Chapter 7, and his recommended actions that a manager could take to deal with types of employees that he has effectively profiled from his experience in conducting management seminars. I thought the book was already worth its weight in gold after reading Chapter 7, but Glenn exceeded my expectations further when he clinched the book with a chapter on handling daily challenges brought upon by problem employees.

After reading this book, I immediately applied most, if not all, of Glenn's prescriptive advice, and I'm happy to report that I no longer have the symptoms of BMS.

This book is definitely not for the thin skinned. But if you're sick and tired of trying to get a good day's work out of people with an entitlement mentality who think the world owes them something, Glen Shepherd has unapologetically provided the answers you're looking for.

Glenn Shepard is the Professor of Harsh Reality. He's provocative and tells it like it is in a humorous but chillingly serious fashion that cuts to the core of the issue in a way that no other management guru does. His style is not for everyone, especially those who think more positive thinking and a pat on the back are the solution to everything. But if you've been in the trenches of management and have experienced how miserable problem employees can make your life, this book will be your salvation.

Without a doubt the least useful management book I have ever read. I suffered through the platitudes, the moralizing, the sermonizing, the self-serving egotism and the "I'm the boss, take or leave it" response to every personnel challenge in hopes of finding at least one useful tip to justify the money I spent on the book. But, alas, there was none. Serious managers - don't waste your time or money.

If you are male, white, Republican, politically conservative, born before 1965, and have Andrew Jackson as your all time personal hero then by all means purchase this title. I loved my copy so much I'm donating it to The Salvation Army.

In my quest to obtain and read on the story of Atlantis, I learned that only Plato ever actually wrote about it. That being the case, I went in search of the writings that would allow me to see the original story, and not the convoluted versions handled by the Atlanian Conspiritors. That said, I have learned that it was the Timaeus and Critias which it was described.

I am glad I did get this book, I also obtained the Penguin Classics Timaeus and Critias, because I learned a lot. For example: The orininal tale of Atlantis was not about Atlantis only. It was really a tale of Athena and the war Athens had to fight against the Atlanean invaders.

Further, it increased my belief that such places did exist and that Atlantis is probably under the Atlantic ocean due to the wide spread influence Atlantis had, and the further reference to how Athens freed all the other nations, including Lybia and Egypt, from the domination of the Atlanteans.

If you want to simply read about the Athens-Atlantis war and cultures, then this is the book for you. If you want more on the Myth part of the tale, then go for the Penguin Classic, Timaeus and Critias (Warning, Timaeus and Critias removes from the historic reference of Ancient Greece as a polytheistic society and puts it into a duplex theology of a Single God, who made the other

It is really interesting to read the old good Plato. He lived so many ages before ours but the story he writes about is much older. According to Plato Atlantis has been destroyed as a result of violent earthquake that was brought by gods upon the city as a punishment for their greed and corruption. Whether the story is true or not, the message is universal and timeless... The reading was truly enjoyable. I truly recommend it. For those interested in more facts about Atlantis I suggest Atlantis Encyclopedia

I understand all things in a book must be questioned.
I found this book very interesting and enlightening.
I recommend an objective mind to review this book and enjoy it.

I enjoyed the dialogues immensely, however, one who is looking for a more in depth look into Plato's philosopies on this "Utopic Society, Atlantis", this is not the book. From a theatrical perspective it is great fun and the imagination takes over.

The first best thing to do when seriously curious about a legend like Atlantis is to become familiar with the source materials from which it sprang, in order to expose later embellishments. Enhancements added over time commonly render otherwise believable original accounts into fanciful yarns, believable only as myths. (Sorting out the embellishments from legitimate research findings is another task.) This book presents that source account; the whole and nothing but. It is much like an archaeological find; a genuine relic dug up. A bit pricey for its size; its main sellig point is convenience: Quick, easy, portable reference, without the bulk of the full dialogues; and its slim enough to fit into a notebook. The editor seems to hint of bias in the introduction; but, the text itself is plain and free of italics, paraphrasing, and other editors' devices, and is not a new translation. To me, this oldest version reads like a new one. I found no mention of lasers, energy vortices, or power crystals. I did find an eerily familiar description of a civilization whose construction and archetectural achievements and innovations were no more astounding, and certainly no less, than those of the Egyptians, Chinese, Romans, Maya, or Inca, most of which remain equally mystifying. I was far more intrigued by the plausibility of this story than by the modern myth it has become. Atlantis must remain a myth until someone finds it. On the other hand; the city Ilios of Troy was also another myth invented by another ancient author for another work of fiction, until it was discovered in 1871 by Heinrich Schliemann, using Homer's Iliad as his guide. If Atlantis can be found, the lead clues are in this work.

The book is crystal clear. The structures of the book was developed in a brilliant manner. It describes all relevant issues simply but with enough depth. It covers strategy from all relevant viewpoints as OT, IO. It even adds a final chapter on process. This last chapter is a fine summary of the advances in strategy-making process developed in recent years. I would recommend this book as must in any strategy course at undergraduate and MBA levels.

I am an MBA student at MIT. We use this textbook in our Strategy course.

My opinion is that this textbook is very valuable. I have ready it very carefully, and it has had a tremendous impact on the way that I approach strategic issues. However, the book is poorly organized and the writing is opaque at times. This means that the benefits of the book become apparent only after careful and repeated readings.

The most important content of the book consists of the frameworks it provides. But these frameworks are not consistently labeled, numbered, or organized -- so the reader has to go to get great effort to pull them out and categorize them. Once found and understood, these frameworks are very valuable. I hope that future editions of the book will do a better job of explicitly enumerating and organizing these frameworks.

In summary, if you are willing to put in the time to carefully read and digest this book, it is highly valuable. But a superficial reading will be of little benefit.

As a final note, this textbook is much enhanced if it is read in conjunction with the many business school cases it references (such as EMI and CT scanners, or Disney and diversified acquisitions). The book itself provides only a few examples.

"Strategic Management" is an in depth study into the basic concepts of managerial strategy. Subject matter includes industry analysis and trending; strategic resource and core competency identification; and impacts on market share by changes in product offering. This is an excellent reference book for a business student to keep beyond classroom use or for a reader familiar with business topics. It provides straightforward explanations and insight into strategic planning for an organization. I am not certain what some may be seeking but this book is not Cliff's Notes on Management. This book does not afford you a "See Dick run" sentence structure so a mastery of "flowery" words is appropriate. In addition, for those impressed by their own education level, this book may be a bit basic. However, similar to some others, I am also well read, having a Bachelor's and Master's in Engineering, and an MBA; but I found the book to be quite worthwhile.

I really wanted to give this text a fair shake...I really did (and believe I am). However, the whole problem I had with it began in the first chapter, and five later, I'm simply disgusted. I'm an MBA student and along with classes in Import/Export and International Business Law, this is my last prior to graduation. In other words, this is the last of a multitude of texts I've read over the last six years of business study so I do have a clue. I also am graduate level in three languages other than English (and they are not my native tongue), so I'm well read overall...
Anyway, I immediately noticed as did another reviewer here, that this material is comprised of basic business concepts, but the twist lies in the fact that every simple concept was made into something extraordinary through use of flowery language. I've felt that every simple aspect of business design, structure and operation is developed into some enormously complex "concept" and the more I read, the more I am insulted. The text takes very simple examples of what an overall operation within the world of business might be comprised, and makes them difficult to understand and boring. I read a chapter, awake, read it again and mumble "so tell me something new...tell me something I don't know..." If you cannot improve upon the wheel, why try to reinvent it? I'm really sorry guys, but this is a miserable work. Don't take it too personally. I'm sure that people who want to sit around smoking fat cigars and talking about business "concepts" will surely be impressed, but I am a student who wants real-world advice about running real businesses. This is fluff pure and simple and presents nothing new in management strategy aside from other ways to word simple ideas. Perhaps my education has been so progressive that this is all old hat and so, my problem...I think not. Better luck with the second edition. Hope I haven't bruised any egos, but for the price of texts today, I want to learn something. If a professor falls short, this text is all a student has to fall back on for his time, effort and money.

In my case, I was looking for a good book on the subject in order to learn by myself, so I found this book. The result was totally disappointing, if you aren't taking a course based on this textbook I'd recommend to look anywhere else. The book and the software included are designed as a student's material for a formal class.

The content of the book is really wordy and boring however, the cases are interesting and the learning center is an excellent resource for practicing. I think that the results you'll get from this book will depend completely on your teacher's skills to translate the concepts in a more simple way.

I'd recommend "Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage" by Jay B. Barney if you want to learn out from the classroom.

This book has a photo of a man smoking a cigarette. I am returning it. If you don't want to show your young child pictures of smoking, don't buy Loving either by the same author. It also has a photo of a man smoking a cigarette.

Wonderful photos of adults and children from around the world cooking, eating, selling, and otherwise enjoying bread, with minimal text.

Our whole family likes this book. My daughter is not yet two but she loves Ann Morris' entire series of books and likes to identify things in each photograph. We look at the photos and talk about different kinds of bread, different ways of eating, and what different things might taste like. The photos are obviously dated but I don't believe that alters the impact of what the author and photographer are trying to do. There is one photo in particular the the adults enjoy sniggering at (I'll let you guess which one!)

We have also started baking the different types of bread in the book together so she can jump right in to the content (what kid doesn't love to have her/his hands in dough?). As she grows, we'll continue to read these books, moving on from identifying simple items to talking about cultures, traditions, environments, geography, and etc. In the final pages of each Ann Morris book there are maps and descriptions of locations/actions for each page that allow readers and children to talk about where places are in relation to one another. I recommend these books for curious children starting at age 18 months and all the way up into the school years.

This book like the others in the series is great. My 4 yr old & 14month old love both this book. The pictures are vivid, the text is simple...a perfect jump-off for an engaging conversation about the similarities we all share throughout the world.

We may all live in different places, speak different languages and end up having completely different life experiences, but many of us have a common food. My wife and I love this book as much as our children do. It is very simple, extremely genuine and makes me want to try all the world's bread.

Shepard's work has been seminal to mine as a bioacoustician. I am only sorry I came to realize the importance of his efforts so late in the game. In particular, the ideas expressed in Coming Home...shed a very bright light on our otherwise muddled thinking about our ancient human roots and our current ecological struggles. At the same time, I can well understand why other readers might feel challenged. His ideas are sometimes difficult to grasp and expressed in ways that might otherwise be presented more clearly. However, if one has the patience and the perseverence, the walk is well worth the effort. I like to be made to reconsider my strongly held convictions. Shepard's work has never failed to add great value to my life in that regard.

Paul Shepard was a brilliant ecologist and an amazing original thinker. His final book is one of the most important contributions to the Earth Crisis discussion. It combines the best ideas from "The Tender Carnivore," "The Others," and "Nature and Madness." It leaves out his clunky ideas, and it's fairly easy to read. This book is a condensed version of the cream of Shepard's life work -- his masterpiece. Shepard died shortly after finishing it, so his wife did the editing cycle. Consequently, this is the most readable of his books.

In a nutshell, he sees that we are genetically wild animals from the Pleistocene. Our genes expect us to be living a leisured life in the wilderness, in small bands, eating wild foods. We are not designed to thrive in cities, eating [bad] foods, in overcrowded conditions. Living in the modern world destroys our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Shepard takes us on a fascinating voyage through human history, with extended discussions of plant and animal domestication, and the horror that these grave mistakes brought to humankind. He recommends beginning the voyage back to a Pleistocene way of life. Shepard has done his homework, and this book is filled with provocative and head-spinning ideas. If you want to know WHY we got to where we are today, this book is a treasure chest.

This book is the culmination of one of the most important academic careers of this century. It is, to be sure, several decades ahead of the curriculum. It also offers an insightful perspective on the development of Shepard's thinking since his preposterous vision of a modern cynegetic society as laid out at the end of The Tender Carnovore. His recommendations at the end of this book are simple and realistic, and emanate a maturity and an acceptance that his earlier books lacked in all of their radical fervor! By recognizing some very broad truths and offering some very simple and realistic recommendations for the individual to follow, he clearly hopes to outline a path that will gradually change human societies for the better, within the realities and constraints of modern modes of existence. In this way, he has chosen only to offer a better laid foundation for the future of humanity (or at least to begin repairing the faults in the modern 10,000 year old foundation). To my mind, despite its posthumous publication, this is Shepard at his wisest and most conciliatory with his fellow human beings. I trust that the ideas accurately represent the culmination of his thinking by virtue of the fact that his wife edited the book shortly after his death. As for modern culture having "evolved", this doesn't fit into any current anthropological models. Technology has evolved quickly in reaction to problems generated by overcrowding and/or climatalogical change, and societies have shaped themselves around new technologies and economies. However, biology cannot change nearly as quickly as culture, and sometimes suffers as a result. By incorporating some of Shepard's ideas, we might be able to marry culture more closely to biology. Such modern evolutionary theory is truly exploding in several academic disciplines; if you subscribe in any way to the concept of biological adaptation, then you cannot simply dismiss thinkers such as Shepard, Piaget, H.L. Abrams, or others by accusing them of nostalgia or romanticism. They have provided some of the most empirically sound theories of our time, theories that continually gain confirmation and vindication. You can almost hear Shep saying, "See? I told you so..."

Yes, evolution is important. Yes, biological evolution is slow. So much is true.

However, hey-wow hippie fantasy that freefalls until it links to the latest jargon is not helpful - this book is simply this, sadly.

For a proper analysis of culture and its evolution [yes, evolution, it doesn't have to be biological] and hence a correction to the mistakes seen in this book, see 'The Meme Machine' by Susan Blackmore.

Although not an easy read, this profound book does a better job than any I have ever read to tell us who we are. His work is well supported by the best science and history have to offer, but speaks powerfully about human "spirit" in each of us.

I first read this book with my father when I was seven. I am now 23 and have re-read it many times. It deals with serious issues in a clever and funny way. I think most kids can relate to this story on some level. Everyone has felt like they are behind, or unable to follow a class. Everyone knows what its like to not fit in. Many people know what it's like to be the new kid in school. I had a lot of problems in school for my first three years. I didn't have a learning dissability, I just had trouble focusing. Consequently, I was often behind in my classwork and felt ashamed and slightly outcast. Finally, my parents realized I needed a more creative type of education and enrolled me in an experimental school. I excelled and proceeded to a brilliant academic career. I think this book suggests, not that students with different learning needs be sent to "special classrooms", but that their problems may result from a failed approach in the classroom. I think different kids, just like adults, need to be stimulated in different ways in order to absorb information. Sam's regular teachers failed to give him the skills and confidence he needed. Sam taking a few out of class tests dosen't mean he will spend time being in a "special" environment. It means he had someone help him in a new and creative way. It also gave him the confidence to believe in himself. This book is a total triumph. He starts out feeling like a friendless loser. By the end of the book Sam has two great friends, is begining to believe that he is smart, starts to see the skills he took for granted such as his math abilities, learns responsibility and that adults trust him. What isn't triumphant about that?

This book is great for kids who like books that have many problems to deal with and if you like kids with a learning disability. It probably has issues you have to deal with in your life spand. When you first read it, it might be boring for you, but as you get to the middle it gets really interesting. The setting of the book are great because all through the whole course of the book. Sam and his friends (Alica and Wally) do things together and help each other out. Anybody who reads this book will like it very much!

I agree with everything the review below stated about how this book is triumphant and affirming of the main character. Furthermore, it is affirming of all of the main characters. Everyone, from Mrs. Glass, who learns not to sell herself short as a working woman; to Alicia, who learns that although "book smarts" come easy to her, she will have to work hard to develop her "people skills"; to Sam, who learns to value his mathmatical abilities, and stop considering himself as stupid because he has difficulties with reading.

I would like to take issue with the reviewer who criticized the book because Sam claims that his small reading victory is comparable to swimming a great distance. Why is that statement so offensive? In my mind any educational process, if you're really trying to learn and not simply going through the motions, feels exactly like that. I've always been a good student, but that doesn't mean that I didn't have to work hard to learn new things. That feeling of exhaustion and pride that you've really concentrated your efforts to learn something new shouldn't be a source of shame, it should be a source of pride.

First, let's dispense with the obvious. The title of this book refers to the first question on a learning disabilities test. Sam Mott is in sixth grade, but he reads at a second grade level. He has an undiagnosed learning disability, but in his moves from school to school, no one has been able to pin it down. Sam feels stupid, and erects mechanisms to disguise his `dumbness', like acting silly in class. We all know students like this, either as teachers or students. What we may not know is how painful and frustrating school is for these students.

Do Bananas Chew Gum? would be among the first books I would recommend to a child having trouble in school. The book ends on a hopeful note, with Sam realizing that if he works very hard, he will be able to get along fine. It presents a positive image of learning disabilities.

I strongly disagree with the review that states this book is not positive and allows institutions to rationalize the learning disabled. I have dyslexia and have successfully graduated from top undergrad and law schools. This book made me feel less alone at a time when dyslexia was little understood and it also allowed me to see that "stupid" is a relative term defined mainly by the ignorant. We each have different strengths and weaknesses and this book celebrates that while at the same time illustrating that weaknesses may be improved upon with hard work.