T Books

Few veterans describe themselves as "heroes." It's a painful word - filled with aspiration, horror and loss. Many veterans who write memoirs avoid the most devastating echoes of war - their own perceived culpabilities. It's understandable. Who wants to poke a finger into a festering wound?

Douglas Bergman is a brave man. Using a magnifying glass, he focuses a scorching sunbeam onto his own soul - allowing the reader to see his demons in great detail. It is unsettling in a world where few want to accept responsibility for their mistakes - where confessions are whispered litanies of shame washed away with a few penitential rosaries. My initial reaction was to look away but I soon found myself examining the author's broken heart like a curious onlooker drawn to a fiery car wreck.

This book is many things - a memoir, an adventure, a tribute, a confession and a sob. From the shiny hearse-white cover to the imagery-dense prose, Mr. Bergman's tale perplexes and intrigues. Vietnam was a conundrum for everyone. For the men who fought there, growing up was like peeling a scab off a half-healed wound. Boy soldiers drawn to the service to resolve other problems found new sorrows to occupy their nightmares. "Names I Can't Remember" is a close up view of a Vietnam Veteran's reaction to war - and a description of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that still torments many who were mere babies in the 1960s.

The author plunges into his story with profane vigor. He amuses and shocks with an almost adolescent glee - as though he has returned to his rebellious, angst-ridden youth and is set on taking the reader with him. He uses literary flourishes that complicate the read like a translucent veil draped over lovers laboring together for their love. You can see the movements, hear them moan - but their faces are dim behind the silken sheen of the fabric. Mr. Bergman peoples "Names I Can't Remember" with garish characters that touched his life but have now faded into ghostly symbols - a motherly whore, a man with a cat on his shoulder, a doofus unable to function in the jungle, an alcoholic CO who confuses courage and foolhardiness -- a nun and a Vietnamese child trying desperately to survive. Despite this distance - or perhaps because of it, this book is powerful and literate. I found myself lingering over the pictures the author created in my head - almost as if this was a novel. It was easier to appreciate this work on that level than to acknowledge the reality of Mr. Bergman's anguish.

The Vietnam War was not a Disney Movie -- neither is this book. However, if you are a student of psychology, a poet - or someone who wants to understand the warrior in your life, this is a wonderful read.

"Names I Can't Remember" is a tough, brilliant read of one man's journey into Dante's Inferno. All human foibles and flaws are put out for display. Mr. Bergman dares the reader to forgive him as he hasn't been able to forgive himself for thirty years. A piece de la triumph! 5 military gold stars - Lillian Cauldwell

"...there is something Keseyesque or Hunter Thompson - like about Bergman's prose: often profane and at the same time, image rich." - Daily News, Clem Richardson 7/8/05

This is not a book filled with words on a page, it is a capturing of a mans inner guts spewed upon pages from his tortured memory. We see the ramblings of a young boy yanked from the unsafe world of his home and the bottle, to be immersed into the world of drunking decisions, adult behavior expected from a still nursing infant. You need to digest every word and feel his feelings. Some of his experiences will fill you with disgust, horror, the need to nurture, but your diet will never be the same after you digest this meal of feelings.
Devour it...chew it... spit it out if you need to... But dont just sit there and read it........

"You'll be on an emotional roller coaster ride while reading this work. The author has given us a very raw look at a young life destroyed by a dysfunctional family drowning in alcoholism and how he carried that with him during his No Slack tour. Doug was in the same company as I was and we walked the same villages, but never met, the places he describes are familiar to me as they will be to others who read him. I wasn't ready for the constriction I felt in my chest as parts of this book made me wonder how he slipped through the cracks as he performed his duty as a platoon leader in an alcoholic fog. Read the book, it's a raw look at a personal battle with a life almost destroyed by abuse, mingled with war. Names I Can't Remember will shake your senses and make you ill but you will find that once you start reading it you can't put it down."
"Yankee Jim" Simchera - A Company 2/327th Infantry,101st Airborne Vietnam: 1969-70

It's so useful, especialy with me, a young I/O psychologist in Vietnam. Thank so much.

I get the feeling that some of the comments by readers suggest that managers cannot understand academic books. We can, if we buckle down and read them. Sure, the quick one-liners of a Covey or a Blanchard are cool and easy to understand. After a while, though, those books become a bit empty. Too much of "how too" and not enough of "why".

I kind of liked the challenge of reading a book that is written by researchers. All of the chapters (14 in total) were quite easy to follow except for the second chapter (about definitions of leadership), which I skipped, and also the last part of the third chapter (on using science to study leadership). The other chapters were very applied. I liked the chapters on traits, information processing, contingency models, transformational and visionary leadership, culture, and ethics. The Bennis chapter is pretty good too.

The Nature of Leadership is a book everybody claiming to speak about Leadership has to read. This book does not provide any easy method to be used to become a leader; instead, it demonstrates with scientific evidences what are the attributions of a leader. It will help any students interested by this field of research better understand what this matter is about.

Some of the reviewers below are bit too excited about this book. Okay, it is a good book but a bit heavy (I got a hard cover)! For the almost 500 pages you do get good bang for your buck ($50/500=$0.10 per page). What I liked about the book is the way it's laid out. It's pretty well organized and covers leadership from many angles. That's an advantage of this book. It doesn't have one message but many messages. The authors of the chapters know what they are talking about. The editors are psychologists/leadership specialists and have good credetials from Yale University. The downside (for some an advantage) is that it looks more at leadership models and says a lot about the state-of-the-art regarding leadership research but not about practice (well the book is not about that and the authors don't claim to do that).

This book will help you if you want to know what leadership model to invest your money in. It's a bit like a consumer car guide. Tells you what's good and what's not so good. If you have this book then you know how to spend your money wisely on other leadership books.

The reviewer that refers to this book as being "painful" is partly right. This book is difficult to read, that's for sure. However, leadership, as a topic is not simple. There are no quick fixes. To learn about leadership you will have to read a lot, particularly what the researchers have written. The topic is not simple and certainly cannot be summarized in simple graphs or charts. You'll need some level of intelligence to understand "The nature of leadership"

Managers or students, who have some basic education will be able to understand this book. If you are looking for quick stories, this book is not for you. Reading "Who moved my cheese?" or "Good to great" will be a better fit for you--these types of books are certainly easier; however, these kinds of books are very simplistic and not well researched (even though they pretend to be).

If you want to get fit, there is not simple way to do it. You have to watch what you eat, you have to exercise, you need persistence, and you need to work hard. If you are the type of person that believes in working hard then this book is for you. You are the type that likes to take the straight and narrow way. You believe in "No pain, no gain."

I had the pleasure of not only using this text for my neural network design graduate course, but also taking the course from one of the authors (Professor Howard Demuth).

This book is extremely well written. Being a PhD student in computer engineering, I have read many math books and advanced engineering books. Most of these books are informative, but difficult to read. Much of this is understandable because the topics are complex and explaining them in a very simple manner requires significantly more time. More diagrams, more examples, rewriting paragraphs to improve clarity, etc. This book tackles all of those issues perfectly!

Right now I am reading one of the other "classic" math texts and while I am already familiar with the topic, the reading is extremely difficult. Due to this, I recalled how easy it was to understand the neural network design text and wished my current author wrote more like them.

If you are interested in machine learning, in particular, neural networks, this is a superb book to get you started. Even the most complex mathematical topics in linear algebra and network design are explained so almost anyone can understand. Even if you do not have a strong mathematical background, you'll be able to understand almost all of the math.

Excellent book - (5/5 stars)!

I knew the very poor Matlab Neural Network Toolbox User's Guide by the same authors and I was kind of expecting the same, and boy was I wrong!

This book is simply brilliant, a miracle of pedagogy. It is intended for undergrad classes, but it is so clear that graduate students will benefit enormously from reading it before any other material. Plainly put, this book makes you UNDERSTAND this difficult topic, more than any other book that I know of (Zurada, Smith, Hassoun, Haykin, Duda-Hart, Caudill, etc)

A selection of worked out problems are included at the end of each chapter, a practice that is highly beneficial but alas too rare in books of the kind.

I very much appreciated the very clear exposition of backpropagation, and optimization methods such as Levenberg-Marquardt.

A note to Matlab users: funky demos are available for free and illustrate the main points of the book.

I purchased this book while looking for an appropriate textbook for use in my class on neural networks. This book is excellent for both beginners and experts. It is a rare book in that it demonstrates complex mathematical manipulations and principles (that are difficult to grasp and visualize - and explain) using examples. The review on mathematical principles is very useful. The book makes it easier to teach the subject now. Given the way everything is presented, this book will also help those that want to code their own networks. I recommend this book to everyone.

Very useful book to have if you plan to use NN (specially in matlab environment). The theory is very well covered and explained, along with graphical examples. The book lacks however, more insight into how to implemen NN in real world problems (for that, I would suggest seeing Fundamentals of NN by Laurene V. Fausett).

I have been studying neural network design for almost 30 years now and I have never found a more enchanting text book than this one. From day one I could not put it down. In fact, I bought a copy for each member of my extended family. Beale is brilliant in the way he demostrates the design and capability of neural network systems. No one has ever captured the public's imagination and heart the way he does in this compelling work. He has taken the study of neural networks to the next level. Hence, the world will be a better place. H2BurBabes4Ever.

A unique book that contains great principles and insights into building strong relationships... It is well worth the read.

Such a smart book! Marriage counselors married to each other, Maurice and Seanna are two unique people who have managed to craft a solid, lively relationship for themselves without giving up their individuality. In The New Couple they pass on their experience, strength, and hope to their clients and readers in an interesting and entertaining way. The material is beautifully organized into ten "new laws of love" that make wonderful sense. The book is intellectually compelling and emotionally sensitive...almost too much to ask of any book. (I could not get through the Mars/Venus stuff.)

I found The New Couple so upbeat and full of good advice that I attended a workshop presented by the authors. I left their presence feeling that a relationship is possible, and I've started dating again after ten years of terror at the prospect of repeating my past mistakes. This is nothing short of magic! Read this book, you won't regret it.

I am an avid but sceptical reader of relationship / couple books but it's hard to find anything to criticise in this one. I purchased this book when I decided I needed to clarify exactly what I wanted and needed in a relationship and it has literally become my relationship "bible".

If you want a very clear, simple and complete map for the route to a healthy relationship with both yourself (most important!) and a partner then click purchase now. It could just be the book that should be mandatorily handed to all people considering starting a relationship.

I was having problems with my husband and this book saved our marriage. The rules they present are so simple and clear. They make sense for today's relationships. I recommend this book for every single person and couple. Priceless!!!

Among relationship self-help books, this is one of the better titles of the moment. Taylor and McGee write in a breezy style and sow their text with a large number of example couples, which make their story readable if uninspired. Their forte, however, is the comprehensiveness of their list of rules and the reassuring common sense they must have used in developing them. While none of the rules are new and different individually, listing them in this comprehensive fashion is useful, and makes this book stand out as one of the better examples of the genre.

I am a scientist, but not an engineer. Equations are not my forté. This book gives a great intuitive understanding of materials science, but goes beyond that to tell us how simple structures work. It's filled with great anecdotes and carries it all off with a sense of humor. I discovered it many years ago, and I'm reading it for the 3rd time just for the pleasure.

Good text for fracture mechanics enthusiasts- material failure, strength of materials.
Good reading, if you are an engineer, scientist, or not. Great examples. Dry british writing, but if you can get through it and the silly jokes, you can learn a lot.

Reading this before embarking on university studies was an inspiration and I still come back to it now, it has a lot to offer all ages and disciplines.

I wish to echo the comments of all the previous reviewers. This is a delightful book!

Subjects such as elasticity of materials quickly bog down in mathematical detail and in the process of learning the subject, the student or interested person may quickly lose touch with what they're actually trying to grasp. This book is mostly a nonmathematical treatment (there are only a handful of mathematical formulas, chemistry equations and graphs throughout the book) which describes in a practical way what really happens with materials. Of course a deep understanding of this topic requires the full mathematical treatment, but this book certainly makes the subject accessible and engaging to anyone interested in the question "Why Don't You Fall Through the Floor?"

I agree with the reviewer who felt this is the kind of book that an undergraduate engineering, physics or applied mathematics student should read along with the more technical textbooks when first introduced to the subject of behavior of materials.

This book is part of the Princeton Science Library, the best collection of books on mathematics and science for the intelligent layman. Like other books in that series, it is succinct and clearly written. I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. All of the positive reader reviews are right on.

Because I liked it so much, I purchased "Structures," also by Professor Gordon. As it turned out, that book covers the same material, but in greater breadth and depth, and with more illustrations. There's much to be said for reading both books, but if you're only going to read one, "Structures" is the one.

This is one of the early books dealing with the bible and homosexuality written in 1983 just after John Boswell's book (Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, 1980.

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians Gordon D Fee says that this book "is a model of fairness to all sides". The book is very clearly written and his quotation of the various Greco-roman sources is especially useful as it gives us valuable historical information about society and homosexuality at that time, for this alone it is worth getting. His main thesis is that pederasty was the main form of homosexual activity in higher levels of society in the Greco-roman world. And that the NT bible is against this exploitative sexual activity. Now if Paul had only written 1 Cor 6:9 condemning the malakoi and arsenokoitai, he would have a very good point. However, this argument falls rather flat when one considers Paul's reference to male and female homosexual activity in Romans 1. The fact that Paul says that the men were "consumed with passion for one another" means that he is hardly referring to just exploitative sex. As far as we know female homosexual relationships were very rare in society in those days. Paul's argument in Rom 1 is based on the created intent of the Creator, therefore he indicts both males and females who practise this sin. It is easy to understand that men indulge in this sin, but even the females indulge in this sin, that is Paul's point.

In his discussion of the origin of the word "arsenokoites" used in 1 Cor 6:9 he establishes that this is based on the Greek translation of Leviticus 18 and 20 in the Septuagint the LXX (p86). He fails to point out that Paul's use of the word arsenokoites, which he gets from his Greek OT, means that Paul also thought that the Levitical prohibitions against male-male intercourse also applied in his day. But on p107 he seems to back track by saying that arsenokoites has no recoverable history prior to Paul's use if it, but this is hardly the point, Paul's use of the word arsenokoite is derived from the LXX, meaning that Paul approved of the Levitical prohibitions. He then goes on to argue, and it is quite subtle, that when malakos and arsenokoites are used together, then malakos points to the effeminate call-boy, then arsenokoites in this context must be the active partner who keeps the malakos as a "mistress" or who hires him on occasion to satisfy his sexual desires. If this argument is correct then Paul is only condemning exploitative sex and prostitution, which Paul also clearly condemns in 1 Cor 6. Again we need to look at Rom 1 to see more on Paul's thoughts in order to clarify the issue.

In his discussion of Rom 1:26-27 on p 109 Scroggs clearly looses the plot. He does not seem to realise that Paul refutes his expoitative argument when Paul mentions "dishonoring of their bodies among themselves", men being "consumed with passion for one another", and "and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error".

I highly recommend this book for all who are interested in the biblical issues that surround this debate, especially for the Greco-roman history. Also recommended is Robert Gagnon's book "The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics".

Dr. Scroggs does a wonderful job of describing the culture at the time the bible was writen... A little gross but effective.

He then relates this to what is said in specific scriptures. A good way to read the bible, I think.

This is an excellent book for anyone curious about the Scriptural basis (used by both sides) in Christian debates over the morality of homosexual acts. It is short (150 pages) and very readable.

The book starts out with a brief overview of various positions on homosexuality taken by different Christian sects, and how those different positions are claimed to be supported by Scripture. Then he takes a historical approach, going into detail about the cultural background of the time and place where the New Testament was written, which means particular focus on Greek pederasty (sex between men and boys). Scroggs explains both the debate in mainstream Greek society, as well as the views of and Scriptural interpretations (and misinterpretations) of both Palestinian and Hellenistic Jews. He makes clear what is known, as well as what is missing from the historical records.

My favorite aspect of this book is that Scroggs does not let the reader know his opinion at first. He starts being incredibly objective, and then slowly becomes more and more opinionated and colorful in his statements. Finally, in the last chapter, Scroggs gives his own conclusions. I won't spoil the end, but I will tell you that he bases his conclusions on two conditions:
(1) The biblical statements must be consonant with the larger, major theological and ethical judgments which lie at the heart not only of Scripture, but of the historical church throughout the ages. (2) The context today must bear a reasonable similarity to the context of the statements at the time of writing.

Scroggs, a Biblical scholar and Christian, is intellectually honest and rigorous about both his research and analysis. He jumps to no rash conclusions about anything, and when he states his own conclusions, he always presents opposing views in a way that is non-judgmental.

It is the Christian right who takes scripture out of context to suit their own desires, that is, promote homophobia. Start scratching--itchy ears.

tching ears, April 15, 2003 wrote:
Reviewer: A reader from Ballwin, Missouri United States
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

The information in this book is incredible. It compares and contrasts the "boys club" in Rome and Greece circa 300 BCE to 300 CE with the loving caring relationships enjoyed by modern gay couples, and concludes they have nothing in common. The reader is guided through an unjust, misogynistic, male dominated society that was in every way the exact opposite of God's kingdom of equality and justice and love. It is no wonder, the early church found so much to condemn. And it is no wonder the later, unjust, misogynistic, male dominated church did nothing to correct the misunderstanding. Robin Scroggs has come a long way toward documenting the injustices done to our brothers and sisters.

SUFREN SUS PROPIAS TRAGEDIAS ...¡QuÉ error !
Este libro sabio, te guìa para que guìes a su criatura a que no solamente no sufra, sino hasta llegue a celebrar ( o por lo menos a aceptar ) la llegada de su "rival "

muy sencillo.
Pero preparar a tu hijo o hija mayor para que lo acepte con alegría auténtica, SON PALABARS MAYORES.
Luego anda uno por ahi de quejoso de que "los hermanitos no se llevan bien"
¿Cómo se van a llevar bien si al mayor no se le pidió su opinión y no se le preparó debidamente, y el chiquito siente los celos del mayor?
NO se trata simplemente de anunciarle que va a tener un hermanito: ESO ES MUY CRUEL.
HAY QUE DARLE LAS ARMAS Y LA SEGURIDAD EN SI MISMO AL NENE MAYOR !

Y TAN SABIA ES LA AUTORA DE ESTE LIBRO !
Ella si nos transmite la tragedia del mayorcito cuando sabe que viene otro nene en camino.... Y NOS DA EL REMEDIO !

ANTES DE COMENZAR A COMPRARLE COSAS Y ROPA...¡COMPRA ESTE LIBRO !
Es indispensable para que no sufra tu hijo o hija mayor, y NOS GUÍA A PONER LAS BASES PARA QUE HAYA UNA RELACIÓN DE AMOR Y NO DE CELOS ENTRE LOS HERMANITOS...
De veras, amiga...es vital para el futuro feliz de toda la familia y para el corazoncito del primogénito !

Nos fue muy ùtil cuando naciò nuestro tercer hijo..porque cuando el segundo anunciò su llegada, el primogènito sufriò lo indecible en el aspecto emocional !
Esta obra psicològica, te DA LOS PASOS MÀS INTELIGENTES PARA PREPARAR AL MAYORCITO PARA LA LLEGADA DEL NUEVO BEBÈ !

The books in this series are absolutely incredible. The characters are very well developed, they are historically rich, and they are easy and fun to read. I read them until the covers were falling apart and I had parts of them memorized. I highly recommend them to anyone - even those who don't usually enjoy reading.

Through the many books of Mrs.Renich they have been overall touching! You can ask anyone, but I have never liked reading, but through these episodes I was not able to put down my books! The type of description that Mrs.Renich gave made me cry, laugh, and feel hurt! I wish all love storys could be as dramatic and wonderful, as what her texture makes it out to be like! If you want something touching, and adventurous, I garentee this will give you all! I have really enjoyed reading these, and I am sure, so will everyone else who reads them!

I love the whole series. I've read then so many times I can quote from them. I recommend them to all my friends. The books talk about a struggle to survive though war and love. Salina and Jeremy love each other. They go through so much. I want to know what happens next! I've been waiting 3 years. Please Come out with a Fourth book. They all left me hanging at the end and I want to know what happens next. I also like how they quote from the Bible and are Christians. That doesn't happen much in the world today. I love them so much! Let me know!

Let me just start with saying that I read each book in this series so fast and was so eager to read on that I barely noticed when I HAD finished and was halfway through the next book. I went straight through the whole series in less than 3 days. I was very impressed and emotionally filled with with the lives of the characters. It put a whole new perspective on the civil war. I must admit also, I'm not a normal bookworm, but T. Renich sure did get my attention. Although, I was extremely disappointed that it all ended so soon. I know that if I were to get the chance to read the next in the series(hint, hint) I would in a heartbeat. Please!!! I NEED MORE!!!

I think that this book is excellent. I LOVE the entire series. I wish that there were more books in it. I would tell everybody to read this series. I wish that Ms. Renich would write some more. If she did I would buy it in a heartbeat.

I will make this short and I'm not going to summarize the book. This was a wonderful book to read. The imagery is fantastic. The writing and depth of story is awesome. This book isn't for the for the meek.

I would not know where to begin to try to summarize this book. There are several story arcs, and several narrative voices which are actually all one voice-- different guises of Humberto Peñaloza. He is an unborn fetus (miracle baby), a frustrated nun, an improbable mute, and the secretary to a rich man who may or may not have fathered the rich man's deformed baby.

The Obscene Bird of Night is justly considered one of the best books in Chilean literature. Richly and skilfully written, its myth and metaphor wraps around itself to be moving, horrifying, mystifying and satisfying.

This is a book that needs some time. It is very far from an easy read. If I have not given it five stars, it is not a comment on the genius of the book. Rather, it is simply that it is more grotesque than I really have the stomach to enjoy in an unqualified way. I admire it immensely, and recommend it unhesitatingly.

This is one of the best latinamerican books, further than magic realismus (realismo mágico) this novel traspasses all the borders beyond time, gender, reality and absurd. Dark novel that takes you into your own clue du sac. This wonderful story narrated by a mute man, who becomes all the voices in the novel, is like a monad of humanity, himself represents all the human disgraces, inherited from generation to generation and unable to scape fate. Must not be missed if you want to take a deep immersion into human condition.

I have a really hard time finding fitting words for describing this work. I will, perhaps in the manner of the author and the formal lines the story follows, will make the following word association: voices, flux, silence, gravitational intermitence, mentalese, overcrowding, sensation overflow, vertiginous, fast, schizophrenic, haunting, implosive, relentlessness... extremes, circles, spirals, ouroboros that eventually finds that recursion leads to nothing; that is, indeed, the last word: Nothingness.

I tried to show you by way of just a chain of emotions and ideas what you will most certainly experience by reading it.

There are two advices I most heartily provide:

1) Read it in spanish. Please do try. No translation can do justice to this piece, specially in terms of rythm and word play.

2) Prepare your mental voice to adopt the rythms given by the author on each paragraph, on each sentence. I do know this may sound obvious, but in this specific case, it cannot be overstated. Almost every paragraph will be an extreme and wild travel, a rollercoaster of voices and emotions and images, all entwined and tangled together quite organically. The author made a strategic use of commas and dots, comply with his strategy and the trip, the mesmerizing experience, will be unavoidable.

This is by no means a literary critic, since I barely enjoy most kinds of novels but, in this very particular case, you cannot avoid the gravitation of the work, the way it draws you near as if it had a thousand hooks, the way it never completely lets go, even upon reaching its end. This is, by far, one of the most superbly accomplished works of narrative I've ever read. I thought no one could even begin to compare to Rulfo, Sartre or Kafka, three of my personal favorites, but this book, although essentially different, even surpasses them.

That much I recommend you this work of art, a supernova of images and spears and apneas, multi-dimensional apneas.

Rarely is a book more complex, more funny or more harrowing. The magical tale of Humberto Penazola who spends the last days of his life in a convent taking care of old women, is narrated through a series of surreal hallucinations. Questions of his identity and his sexuality are explored beyond the realms of imagination. Tumbling through a dark spiral of black magic - this book is a MUST read for one and all!!

Like all good teachers and media specialists, Mrs. Skorupski won't tell her students anything, but she will teach them how to find answers on their own.

Our Librarian Won't Tell Us Anything! by Toni Buzzeo is a delightful book with strong characters, and the bright, lively art by Sachiko Yoshikawa adds even more zest to this empowering story. Highly recommended.

Several years ago I met Toni Buzzeo on an airport shuttle at a conference in Kansas City.The van was full of Teacher-Librarians swapping stories, and after I shared mine, from the front of the van came...."there's a picture book in that". Fast forward to Pittsburg, October 2005 when Toni and I met again and I reminded her about her comment. The rest as they say, is history! There really is a Liberty Elementary, a Carmen character and me, the Real Mrs. Skorupski! I hope many of my Teacher-Librarian colleagues enjoy sharing Toni's book with their students! My students did! I can't wait to see the second in the series "Fire Up with Reading".
The Real Mrs. Skorupski

I love this librarian. She runs one smooth operation and if I were a kid who needed to do a project, I would go find Mrs. Skorupski. Her data projector works. She is never flustered.
When she meets a new fourth grader, she says, I love fourth graders. Students will love her back and tackle their research problems with more skills because of meeting her.

Way to go, Mrs. Skorupski!

This book challenges children to discover libraries and become capable, independent learners. In a cheerful manner with vibrant illustrations (love the spider earrings on Mrs. Skorupski!), the storyline empowers children on their quest for knowledge within a library setting.

This book is ideal to use at the onset of a research project with students within classrooms or within a library setting, as a read aloud, or to offer to children for leisure reading.

Sachiko Yoshikawa's illustrations are the perfect compliment to the lighthearted yet meaningful message.

-Jennifer Ward

What a fantastic book. This book is a wonderful way to help teachers and librarians to help children in learning to become independent library users. The book delivers the message in a simple and cheerful manner. The story is great for students beginning a research project, learning to use the online card catalog or searching for books to meet their individual needs and interests. This book makes a wonderful read aloud as well as a fantastic book for kids to read on their own. After reading this book students will want to become "A library success story".