York College Books

This is where Burke defines the terministic screen concept, which I found very valuable in my undergraduate thesis on visual rhetoric. The title is fairly significant; it's an interesting language concept that Burke explains at some length.

I will warn, however, that Burke takes special pains to make his writing difficult to follow. Sometimes, I don't think he's really saying much of anything--just sputtering words and sentences for the hell of it.

Still, any hoity toity English department is going to throw Burke's name around, even if they haven't ever actually read the damn books. If you're serious about rhetoric or the English field in general, you'll need a copy.

"Should not have contained any Colleges outside of New York State" (Space could have been used for more insight into NYS Colleges - only)!
"Majors" and the Colleges offering these majors at the back of the book was very helpful!

This book is a valuable resource in that the story of the 1959 national champion Syracuse Orange needed to be told. The information gathered in the various interviews is informative and revealing.

That said, was no one assigned to copyedit or fact-check this book? The errors jump out at you from the second sentence of chapter one (where "its" is spelled "it's") and continue throughout, to chapter 19 (where "we're" is spelled "were").

Errors of fact abound, such as referring to Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson as "Wilkerson" and Pitt coach John Micheloson as "Michelson." Photos of SU vs. Maryland are misidentified as SU vs. Penn State. And I don't believe the University of Kansas ever used the nickname "Jayhawkers" as the book claims; nor was the Kansas coach in 1959, Jack Mitchell, an All-America at Oklahoma (at least not a consensus All-America).

The book even concludes with an error (of ommission). The final page has a list of "1959 Syracuse University Football Team Statistics," categories in which the team led the nation, such as 451.5 yards/game total offense and 39 points/game scoring. However, the listing "Touchdowns -- 21" should be "Passing Touchdowns."

-- Jon C. Halter
Euless, TX
5.22.07

I felt the author spent too much time blaming politicians for the situations going on in the NYC high school and less on the positives of the program she was a part of. I taught in basically the same situation as the author and didn't feel so negative about everything.

I used for preparing for Orange County Comm Coll, NY assessment tests. They offered four levels of testing...This book says for 'intermediate algebra, trig and precalc' but found for my intermediate testing level at OCCC, the practice to simple since tests questions next level of complication. Not taking Math for awhile, I did not have sufficient review for parabola, complex binomials that were asked on the test.

I have become a huge fan of AW and thought I would go back and find some of her earlier books. I have to say I was rather disappointed by this offering. I found the characters to be a bit duller than her current ones and the book to be overall depressing. Then again it might be the fact that her 5'3" character is considered to be fat at 135 lbs, which just further buys into the size 0 stereotype that is evident today.

This story follows the early college year of Manya and her interactions and their intersecting lives with Ophelia, Arthur, her Professor, Saul and Boris.

More a fiction not a chick lit book.