College and University Books

Professor Padilla has written a book on the characters and operating principles of a collection of exemplary academic leaders. While this volume is well researched, it exceeds the usual academic exercises in that it is eminently readable, insightful and human. The instructive lessons are clear and generally applicable to students of business management.

I'm the head of a small, non-profit organization so I was not sure whether this book would actually be of much interest. But as one of the reviewers on the book-jacket writes, this book should be very useful to people outside universities as well. It is well-written and very engaging. What makes it especially appealing is the author's ability to take "academese" and convert it into understandable English. His chapter on leadership is one of the most original I have seen and the discussion of "resiliency" is fascinating. He also presents six detailed case studies and each is written essentially to stand alone. The first three chapters lay out a conceptual blueprint and this makes each case easier to interpret. His use of compelling anecdotes and well-researched historical passages really bring the cases to life. Highly recommended.

Even though this is essentially a research book it is very well
written and contains a solid presentation of the leadership process. The chapter summarizing leadership research is the best I've seen and provides an original framework around which to read the case studies. There has been a lot of academic research on leadership over the last twenty years and much of it is incomprehensible and so specific as to be relatively useless but the author's original synthesis of this work
is excellent. The cases studies are not only very entertaining but they follow this basic leadership framework developed in the theory chapter. The chapter on the University as a complex organization is also very good and highly readable. I recommend the book both as an essay on leadership and as an analysis of university presidency.

Ms. Ramon's diligent research has shaped a highly complete biography of James Stephens, the founder of the IRB--the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Her exploration of Stephen's relationship to the American Fenian Brotherhood of America is cogent. Stephen's was a very complex man, yet Ms. Ramon dug out all facets of his personality in a lively style. Her book will not be matched in our lifetime. Some scholar must take on the task of providing us with great biographies of Michael Doheny and John O'Mahoney to close the Fenian ring.Highly Recommended!

The Fenian movement consisted of two linked Irish nationalist organizations, one centered in Ireland and the other in the United States. Fenianism was an outgrowth of the Young Ireland Rising of 1848. Many participants of that rising escaped from the British dragnet that followed to settle in France and America. It took ten years for these men to reassemble their forces again. In 1858 Young Irelanders, now old, under Michael Doheny and John O'Mahony living in the United States, signed up James Stephens to organize an army in Ireland to challenge the British right to rule. O'Mahony and his organization in the US promised military men to lead and to provide arms for a new Irish rising. Stephens did a masterful job of organizing Irishmen in Ireland into a secret society known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood or IRB. Unfortunately his organizing powers were much better than his ability to coordinate the hard decision to fight in 1865 and Stephens was written off as a vacillating failure by many nationalists. Desmond Ryan, an admirer of Stephens, wrote his biography (The Fenian Chief - published posthumously 1967) but it is outdated and lacks research material uncovered by Ramon and others in recent years. Ramon's biography brings scholarly research up to date on Stephens and details his life and his contribution to the Fenian movement. The book is very readable, meticulously footnoted and provides, at last, a scholarly biography of the supreme organizer of physical force nationalism in Ireland. Ramon's biography examines Stephens' character and offers well-thought out discussion concerning the motives for Stephens often criticized actions as the Chief of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood. In addition to facts not before revealed of Stephens' life, this book is written with an objective clarity that is lacking in the Desmond Ryan's account. Ramon explains in a coherent manner the complex nature of Irish physical force nationalism, from its formation out of the failure of Young Ireland through the turbulent years 1865-1878. The Fenians laid the groundwork for the eventual independence of the Irish Republic that arose out of the 1916 Easter Rising. This book should not be missed by those interested in Irish and Irish-American history. A great biography of a man who altered the historical path of Irish history.

Required reading for anyone interested in the fascinating history of the Fenian movement. This will be the authoritative Stephens biography for some time to come. It is thorough, precise, enormously detailed, and altogether entertaining at the same time.

This book was written by my high school english teachers. It was published and I purchased it years after I graduated from college. I'm using the book as a means to measure how "well read" I am. Whenever, I'm at a loss of what more to read, I pick up this gem and find numerous suggestions. Thank you Doug, Michelle, and Patty.

Many different universities and colleges provided the author with the names of works they recommend or use in first-year English classes. I remember seeing the first edition of this book when I was in high school and falling madly in love with it. Unfortunately, it was at the public library and someone lost it a month after I checked it out. I am an obsessive list-maker and this adds fuel to the fire of my two passions, lists and literature. Not all the books listed in here are predictable, canonical works, either. I'm surprised how many are out-of-print, making the search for great reading material even more fun. One gripe: no comprehensive index. I may just make my own.

As soon as my college prep and Advanced Placement English students start complaining about "ALL" the reading we have in my class, I break out this little gem and read a couple examples from among the 103 representative college and university lists contained within its pages. The book also offers the high school student a reading program with the goal of reading 100 books from among the lists by the time they enter college. It is a sensible plan with a simple form to chart one's progress. This book has a place in every college prep classroom and on every college hopeful's bookshelf.

There is a lot of racism against Korean's in Cambridge University. Most of this racism seems to emanate from French students, who appear to have an irrational hatred of Korean's. A good example would be when a group of Korean's came to my College bar to watch South Korea play against France in the World Cup. The Korean's were told repeatedly to shut up by a group of French students whenever they cheered for South Korea (known as the red devils). The French students were very aggressive towards the Korean's, especially after Park Ji Sung scored the equalizer. I hope that France gets knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.

It is a shame that Christian Kim was asked to leave Cambridge since he did a lot of good work as president of the Cambridge University Korean Society. Racist attacks against Korean's fell during Christian Kim's presidency, however they are now on the rise. I feel that this is a very important book in the fight against anti-Korean racism. All korean's in Cambridge need to read this book.

I have been looking forward to reading this book by Christian Kim. I have read his other books and find them quite impressive. He is insightful and understands social dynamics of today. I would recommend all books by Christian Kim.

This book written by one of the prominent leaders of the Korean community is great! Koreans have been struggling for many years to empower ourselves and it's great that there is a person out there who is willing to sacrifice himself to empower Koreans.

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE MSU NCAA CHAMPS OF BASKETBALL IN 1979. LED MY MAGIC, JAY VINCENT, GREG KELSER AND COACH JUD HEATHCOTE THIS TEAM DOMINATED INDIANA STATE TO WIN THE FINAL GAME. THE AUTHORS INTERVIEW ALL THE PLAYERS AND COACHES AND WE GET THEIR INSIGHT INTO THAT SEASON ALONG WITH WHAT THEY ARE DOING TODAY. I AM AN OHIO STATE FAN BUT I REALLY FOUND THIS TO BE VERY WELL WRITTEN AND INTERESTING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL SPARTAN AND COLLEGE HOOP FANS.

Being a die-hard Michigan fan, it's hard for me to admit that I enjoyed anything with the word "Spartans" associated with it. Based on a strong recommendation from a friend of mine, I decided to give this book a chance. I am very glad that I did. It offers a collection of wonderful stories masterfully written by two men who followed this team's every move through the 1978-1979 basketball season. Stabley and Staudt are then able to track nearly every member of the team down 25 years later for their own recollections of what was truly a "Magical" season. A must-read not only for every Spartan fan, but for anyone who appreciates the triumphant nature of the human spirit. I can't wait for the sequel: the story of Rumeal Robinson and the 1989 Michigan Wolverines!

A must for all true Spartan fans as well as basketball fans. The book comes out 25 years after the Spartans' 1979 NCAA championship season and is comprised of many short stories dealing with the players, coaches, media and fans from that season. The stories include the battles the coaches went through to recruit the MSU players including Earvin "Magic" Johnson. It's interesting to see where all 13 players are these days and what they've done in the last 25 years. The battle between Michigan State and Indiana State changed college basketball forever and the book touches the memory banks of those who played in the game. It's a fun read and enjoyable for fans of all ages.

Experience counts, and this is someone who has spent time in the classroom. I found it a concise, but not superficial, summary of one person's take on higher education teaching. This is not another person with a theory, but someone who integrates several approaches in an informed and practical manner. I'm thinking of sharing this book with some Instructional Technology professors. It is that good.

Leamnson delivers on his title for this marvelous book. Having clearly done a great deal of serious thinking about teaching and learning, he has taken the next step and compared his ideas and experiences with "the experts". The result is a deeply insightful masterpiece.

Thinking About Teaching and Learning deserves a place on every professor's bookshelf. This author approaches college teaching from a basis that is usually ignored by other authors of resource books on college teaching, namely the basis of neuroscience and brain-based concepts about learning. Leamnson is particularly well qualified to produce such a book: his disciplinary training and research is as a biologist, and his experience in teaching spans several decades. Many aspects of instruction are covered, including practices and evaluation, but the consistent thread throughout is how the brain functions in learning. This approach is immensely valuable, because it focuses on the practical and leads the reader toward practices that have firm foundations in research.

When one realizes that learning, at the basic level of the brain, involves self-initiated brain changes, it becomes obvious that any teaching practice which fails to emphasize student responsibility is incomplete. When one realizes that new knowledge becomes a part of memory through synapses that are organized then stabilized by use, it reveals that good teaching practices are those that promote and accelerate brain change beyond what a student would likely be able to achieve on his or her own. Based on the concepts given in this book, it becomes obvious why "good practices" such as cooperative learning result in significant increases in learning: time spent in class employing many senses, formulating an understanding and communicating it to be reviewed and discussed by others has the potential to employ more synapses than will taking notes and memorizing words. Effective lessons that promote brain change just don't materialize out of thin air; these require informed planning and an investment of time and hard work by teachers. When "good teaching" is viewed as the practice of creating situations that maximize effective usage of students' brains, it is evident why trendy paradigms which emphasize the value of learning while de-emphasizing the value of teaching should be viewed with healthy suspicion.

The author conveys immense respect for both teachers and students and reveals a great awareness that faculty time and student opportunity for learning are assets too important to squander with practices that have no firm foundation. In so doing, the author confronts the meaning and utility of a number of progressive concepts such as passive vs. active learning or learning styles. In so doing, he will cause discomfort for those who are used to parroting popular terms or advocating for progressive practices without having them challenged or subjected to demands for evidence. Here the challenge arises from the very basis of how the brain operates.

This is no dry technical book nor is it a prescriptive reference that reduces teaching to employment of a few prescribed pedagogical techniques. Rather, it is an uplifting resource that admonishes the professor to practice in a holistic way: to learn how to communicate, how to appreciate differences among the student clientele, to love students and, above all, to THINK about the practice of teaching and learning. It is a pleasure to confront a book in faculty development which comes from a reflective passion for teaching, and yet remains firmly grounded in substance.

Thinking About Teaching and Learning, in a very concise and effective format, provides a reader with a central unifying framework through which to evaluate concepts and models that are rapidly being added to the literature on practice of higher education. The professor who first reads Dr. Leamnson's book and then examines practices suggested in the extraordinarily useful Tools for Teaching by Barbara Davis will find that the practices that have been proven to be particularly effective are those that are indeed obviated when understanding how learning occurs in the brain. The same end result will occur for those who make use of the extensive primary literature compilation found in Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom by Kenneth Feldman and Michael Paulsen.

A message from God: In this day and age, of watered down Christianity, it is good to drink from the source of living water. Tozer, filled with the Holy Spirit, pours forth living waters to anyone who would take and drink. With a trumpeted sound, Tozer speaks to this generation and its tragic blindness, of grieving the Holy Spirit. He captivates the listeners by encouraging them to make strait paths for the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts. He gives 5 vows by which any believer can enter the deeper life of joy unspeakable and maintaining the fullness of the Spirit. For you who are unsatisfied with today's Christianity and longing for spiritual perfection, walking in the Spirit without satisfying the lust within, Tozer, here, has given real food and real drink. He has confirmed what the Holy Spirit has been working in me these last 10 years. God truly is using Tozer's words to warn this generation, the kingdom of God is near.

I strongly recommend all of Tozer's work for good spiritual growth, and all books by E.M.Bounds to for a strong prayer life.

Lyle Dorsett has carefully thumbed through the sermons that Tozer gave at Wheaton college and has collected them in a concise yet very helpful book. In A.W. Tozer we see a man of God, who held a robust view of the Holy Spirit, during a time when not everyone held such a view. A must read for anyone interested in Tozer and the Holy Spirit.

You don't have to be from Chicago to love him, but it helps. Tozer speaks the truth in a straight-up, no-nonsense, hearty way.
"To become a stronger Christian take these 5 steps", he says:
1. Don't trifle with sin
2. Don't steal God's glory
3. Don't own anything (actually don't let things own you)
4. Don't gossip
5. Don't defend yourself!

Beside this list of "Don'ts" stands a man who is honest, thoughtful, modest, and speaks with power and conviction. It is very much like the Lord speaking to me. Tozer reveals himself as a preacher and man, head over heals in love with Jesus. He shows a tenderness at odds with his strict, stern veneer.

I had a lump in my throat when he described "three wounds from God". More than once, I was pierced with conviction.

As a spirit-filled Christian, I will treasure this little jewel of Tozer's.

As any fan of the USC Trojans knows, the football program has a very long and storied history. No college football fan would deny that USC has a place among college football royalty, alongside the likes of Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska and Texas. Of course, getting to that level involved winning games - lots of them - and important ones at that. But of USC's hundreds of victories, which were the most important in contributing to USC's status as a former and current powerhouse?

In this book, Barry LeBrock examines ten of the most momentous victories in USC football history. From the early days in the 1920's when Howard Jones' Thundering Herd took on Knute Rockne's Notre Dame teams and forged a tremendous rivalry that has produced some of the greatest players and plays in all of college football history, to the modern day, when Pete Carroll forged his reputation as the most gifted USC coach since John McKay - the top 10 greatest victories in USC history are included. Of course, there might be some controversy involving the ten games included, but I think almost all USC fans would agree that the ten that are listed in the book are indeed milestones in Trojan history. For instance, USC's 2001 victory over UCLA (a 27-0 shutout) is a curious inclusion, given that USC's 2001 season was a mediocre campaign, with only 6 wins against 6 losses, but it was this game that really set the bar in Los Angeles that USC was back, and UCLA was no longer the big dog in town.

Each of the ten chapters involves a description of the game itself, but with ample background information so the reader can understand what was going on in the world of college football at that point in time, and what the stakes involved in the game were. The descriptions of the players and coaches and atmosphere of the game are truly engrossing. This is a wonderful, enjoyable read for any Trojan fan (or for those who just want to know what USC football is all about) and I would highly recommend it.

I have been following USC football for about twenty years and I thought I knew most of the stories about the Trojans. But this book was full of stories that I had never heard before. He quotes everybody -- from guys who played in the 1920's to OJ to Garrett, from Marcus to McKay, and Leinart and Carroll.
Definietly worth reading if you are a Trojan backer. Excellent.

While Barry LeBrock's "The Trojan Ten," as the title suggests, focuses on what he considers to be the ten most significant victories in the long and celebrated history of USC football, the book is actually an historical compendium of a program that stands at the top of the gridiron pedestal alongside Notre Dame, USC's oldest and most competitive rival.

Currently the Trojans and Irish have each secured 11 national championships. They are also even in the Heisman Trophy department with each school boasting 7 winners.

LeBrock explains how graduate manager Gwynn Wilson of USC, realizing that legendary playing Notre Dame under famed coach Knute Rockne could be the springboard toward a Trojan surge into the top ranks of collegiate gridiron teams, was able, with the assistance of his wife doing a good sales job on Mrs. Rockne, to get the famous Notre Dame to okay the series.

LeBrock also reveals how, when USC fired football coach Gloomy Gus Henderson, Rockne lent the Trojans a helping hand in recommending that they consider hiring Iowa's coach Howard Jones. It was a 16-14 come from behind victory by USC over Notre Dame at South Bend in 1931 with Jones as coach that prompted the school from the West to catapult into the same elite circle with ND. This, understandably, was LeBrock's first choice as he chronologically presented his choices of the ten most significant victories in the school's history.

Two other victories over Notre Dame also fell into the elite ten category, the others being 1964 with a 20-17 upset over the number one ranked Irish and the benumbing 55-24 victory over the Irish after the men of Troy overcame a 24-0 deficit and appeared ready to sustain a humiliating defeat.

While the title scheme and a certain amount of emphasis on LeBrock's part extend to the ten victories selected, the book has much more. He leads into those classic games by giving shape and perspective to the Trojan program during the periods in question before and after the classic victories then reveals the aftermath of the impact on the school's overall program.

For instance, in analyzing the great 1931 triumph solid emphasis is given to the winning mentality developed by Howard Jones in establishing a juggernaut that provided national titles in 1928, 1931, 1932 and 1939.

We then see a passing of the dynastic baton almost one generation after Jones's death from a heart attack following his final season in 1940 to the advent of witty and jovial John McKay, the architect of the 1964 and 1974 storybook wins over the Fighting Irish and the molder of four USC national champions in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1974.

Another game put in LeBrock's top ten was one of the most memorable of McKay's career, when USC battled crosstown rival UCLA for the 1967 national championship. The Bruins featured the quarterback who would win the Heisman Trophy that season in Gary Beban. The game's deciding touchdown in USC's exciting 21-20 win was scored on a 64-yard romp by O.J. Simpson, the Heisman winner to be in 1968.

Once that the McKay years are completed LeBrock segues to the era of Pete Carroll, the next and current USC dynasty coach. His first top ten selection concerning Carroll was a 27-0 shutout of UCLA in 2001 in what he sees as a milestone game in which the Trojans made significant inroads into the future and the recruiting war with the Bruins.

One of my favorite elements of this book is the way that the author explores the USC winning tradition based on the productive careers of three coaches, providing an important insight into winning psychology. Given that there are a lot more people to interview concerning the McKay and Carroll dynasties, this psychological element involving a dynastic football program can be explored at greater detail than in the case of Jones, the great coach who built an impressive Trojan foundation in the twenties and thirties.

Current USC athletic director plays a major role in the development of this book. In addition to writing the foreword, he was recruited by McKay and became USC's first Heisman winner in 1965. As athletic director he was responsible for hiring Carroll over the vociferous objections of many L.A. sports media figures and prominent school alumni, who were proven wrong by Carroll's enormous success.

A extremely insightful book, Dearing's exploritive probe into the heart of the beast that is Tulane University is shocking, objective, suspenseful, and distinctly brilliant. Upon reading this young author's book I realized that I had found the literary equivalent of a Babe Ruth minor league baseball card. A college student herself, the author's insightfulness shows a style, mastery of diction, and rhythm that is and of itself a tribute to the fine institution about which she writes.
Tulane University: Diverse? Just? Overrated? Greedy?
Is this a place where the young mind is cultivated, and the seeds of knowlegde sown that mixed with experience become the dangerous power that is wisdom?
What percentage of Tulane graduates are millionares? The answer is surprising.
What if anything happened when television's Red Power Ranger visited the campus?
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Institution that is Tulane University- young and old, Jewish and not, American or other, dead or alive, THIS ONES A WINNER!

I would have never gone to Tulane if I hadn't read this amazing piece of literature. Even if you're not thinking of going to Tulane or college at all, you should read this book for its insight into the human psyche and comedic banter.

ps: there's a secret message on page 35, if you switch the first and last words of every sentence in the 2nd paragraph down. It's hilarious!

this is the best college guide book ive ever seen. its incredible. its amazing. pick up a copy or five. i would read it before even looking at anything tulane has published about itsself. A++++

This book has become a cornerstone of my existence. Shakespeare has become a mere footnote compared to this nirvana of literary perfection. I personally know the author and can attest to his impecable diction and vocabulary...and good personal hygeine. He has used all these forms of completing a sentence, every word at his disposal, and has incessantly groomed himself during the creation of said work.

Reading this book is like having a nice long conversation with a current student about their college. They give you intimate details that other guides won't tell you and you know you're getting accurate information because there are both pro and con oriented quotes about every aspect reviewed, and they come direct from anonymous students. I really found the "Finding a Job or Internship" section helpful because its' good to know that the college has such great resources to help me when I need to find summer/post-college work.

I was considering Richmond as one of my final choices for college, and was interested in learning more about it. I knew the college prowler series was well-regarded, and this book was especially helpful. It's a fast but thorough read, and since the author was a student, I tend to trust it more than I would a guide from an old fogarty