NAIA Books

Well this is a beautiful book, with beautiful photographs, that teach and explain in detail the basics of ballet. My dauther is 4 years old and she's in love with the book, because it helps her practice what she's learning at her Ballet School! Little girls can relate to everything inthe book, it explains why they have to wear the leotards and ballet sleepers, and why they have to be neatly presented for every class. it also teaches about being persistant and that practice makes perfect! So I'm very happy, because my ballerina is improving in class thanks to this book that allows her to practice at home with a well illustrated and explained story.

Ages 5-8 will find Ballet School a warm story of a young dancer's introduction to the world of ballet. The book follows the expereinces of young ballet students from first dance classes to year-end performances, paired with color photos of the class in action.

My 6 year-old owns this very book in german language and loves it. Not only the proper attire is explained, but the children are also introduced in the basic arm- and feet-positions of ballet and the french terminology. As a mom of a ballet-crazy girl, I can only recommend this book, it is made for children, but also very suitable for the parents. My daughter showed it also to her ballet-teacher, who also said, that she'd recommend this book to little ballet loving girls and their parents, as it can also be used as a good base for practise at home.

The pictures are beautiful too.

This book is a must have!!! I have a 3 year old who takes Tap/Ballet lessons from a dance school and she is in love with this book. She loves to listen and look at the bright and big pictures of the children dancing and compare what she does in class to what the kids are doing in the book. Can't say enough good things.............

This is a great book for girls, encouraging them to get into sports. Shows a group of about 8 girls (and 2 boys) learning gymnastics. The kids look to be around 8 years old, but my 3 year old loves looking at the pictures and trying the gymnastics moves. The photography is beautiful and the text is very informative.

This book is pictoral in nature, and follows the progress of a group of young students during a series of gymnastics classes, ending with a competition. The photography is beautiful, and basic gymnastics skills (stretches, splits, cartwheels, etc.) are demonstrated by the students. The book is geared toward young girls, probably around ages 4-8. However, the photography is excellent and the storyline is not too terribly babyish for older fans to enjoy, too. This would be a great addition to a gymnastics library.

This is a great book for girls who are involved in gymnastics and are inspiring to be on the team someday. It is geared towards girls probably up to age 9-10. I have a 5 and 7 year old that are in gymnastics and really like the book. There are many pictures and descriptions on how to do what is involved and what they can look forward to as they progress. Great book.

This work is primarily on the ideology of the wartime German sponsored Russian Liberation Movement. Its leadership, who had advanced under Stalin and had been captured by the Germans, attempted to combine Communist, Russian nationalist, and Western democratic beliefs, in a platform that would appeal to the majority of Russians, as well as to the United States. The main statements of the Movement, which the author examines, were devoid of Nazi ideology, and the Movement itself never received the full approval of Hitler and his highest subordinates. Because the leaders of the Russian Liberation Movement were able to express their views on the Stalinist system, without the constraints of the system, this analysis of their ideology, would be of great interest to students of Soviet internal politics before and during the Second World War.

Every so often a text appears which dispells the conventional wisdom of what we come to accept as history. Catherine Andreyev's "Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Movement" is such a work. This narrative tells the story of one of the strangest, yet most compelling episolds in the history of the second world war. In July of 1942, a Soviet Army general, Andrei Vlasov was captured by the invading German Army. He later came to lead a non-existant force known as the ROA, or Russian Liberation Army. Although this force had never exsted, he was in fact the ideological leader of an estimated 800 million Russians who were opposed to Stalin and served in various capacities during the war. Throughout the war it was clear that the movement was not, as their opponents had charged, blind collaboration with the Nazi forces but a political movement in its own right. The goal of Vlasov and his group was none other than a free and democratic Russian state. In the course of the movement, it was in fact the Nazis themselves that provided the strongest opposition to the goals of the ROA. They, in fact had desired to use Vlasov only for the purpose of propaganda against the Soviets. Andreyev's story tells the story of the various individuals in the movement and the tragic outcome of this movement. Particular emphisis is placed on different factions involved. In this story we learn about the soldiers themselves who were mostly russian prisoners of war, as well as the civilian emigre groups who supported the ROA. We also see the internal struggle between the Vlasov's group who sincerely wanted to liberate their homeland and the Nazi hierarchy who concidered the russians as being racially inferior and wanted to use them as puppets. In short this is an excellent story of an idealistic, but doomed group of people and their struggle.

Tom Pierce

I just finished reading "Choosing Naia" and very much enjoyed it. I have a six year old boy with DS who was diagnosed when I was 20-21 weeks pregnant. I was interesting to see some of the similarites between my families situation and reactions and the Fairchilds. I would highly reccommend this book. I do not feel there was undue emphanise on the potenital abililies or inabilities of the unborn child. I have a hard time believing anyone in this situation would not have those thoughts. I feel everyone wants a child who is happy ,interactive and to some degree self suffient. The issue of abortion was explored and I found it interesting to profile a couple who had made the decision to terminate. It is amazing the technology availble to diagnose DS during pregnancy but I personally wished I had not known before the birth of my son. Knowing ahead of time ruined the joy of my first pregnancy He was born without any health problems which was a blessing. Mattie is not what I would consider high functioning (not talking or potty trained) but he is his own person and can't imagine life without him. Having a child with DS is not the end of the world or even close.

Some of you in the Boston area may have seen the series that ran in the Globe last year, the author expanded it into a book. It profiles a couple who gets back the AFP results showing an increased risk for abnormalities, has the amnio and then has to choose between having a child with Down syndrome or terminating the pregnancy and trying again. The author, Mitchell Zuckoff, spoke at the National Down Syndrome Congress convention in Denver back in August and said that his original intention with the series was to show how advances in technology present us with very serious choices and explore how different families deal with them. The book is not at all preachy in either the pro-life or pro-choice direction, very balanced. It really makes you think about the nature of the challenges of parenthood and how our choices play out.

I was very disappointed with "Choosing Naia". I would not recommend this book to anyone expecting a child with Down syndrome, or even to someone who already has a child with Down syndrome. I found the style dry and uninteresting; I found the emphasis on "how retarded" she'd be (and the end implication that the only reason the story had a happy ending was because of her cognition skills) extremely disturbing. Despite the fact that the author has put everything ever written about Down syndrome into this book (although with an emphasis on eugenics and abortion), I would not recommend this to students. People, including those with Down syndrome, aren't worthy because of their cognitive or language abilities. They are worthy because they are human beings. Kids are kids. If you want to know more about Down syndrome, meet a few people who happen to have it. Read stories from parents, not from a journalist. And give this book a miss.

Greg and Tierney Fairchild are a well-educated, middle class couple who are thrilled to discover that Tierney is pregnant. Tierney undergoes all of the usual tests, and the Fairchilds are stunned to discover that not only does their unborn child have a hole in her heart, but that she may also be born with Down syndrome.

Investigative reporter Mitchell Zuckoff spent hundreds of hours with Tierney and Greg, and the result is "Choosing Naia," a book that began as a series of articles in the Boston Globe. This book is not only the story of a couple's arduous journey, but it is also an eye-opening look at the history of Down syndrome and a good explanation for the layman of what such a diagnosis means to a child and his parents.

Zuckoff's conversational style makes "Choosing Naia" flow smoothly. Throughout the book, the author provides valuable information on such topics as genetic testing and counseling, early intervention for children with Down syndrome, and the importance of networking in order to get the most valuable information and assistance for your child. Another factor that makes "Choosing Naia" stand out is its unflinching honesty. It is a tribute to the Fairchilds that they allowed their doubts, fears and uncertainties to be recorded for posterity. They come across as vulnerable, yet strong and determined, real people who have decided to meet a difficult challenge.

I highly recommend this touching and informative book. "Choosing Naia" reminds us that in an age of amazing technology and prenatal testing, we are privy to information that may make our lives more complicated than ever before.

How many of us have said we believe in a woman's right to choose, but would not personally choose abortion? What if you knew that your child would be born with an unknown degree of mental retardation?

In these situations, many Americans, including those who declare themselves to be pro-choice, don't see a pregnancy as a "choice": the woman/couple should abort a child with a condition such as Down syndrome or spinal bifida.

Mitchell Zuckoff's tale is one of a couple who discover that their long-awaited child not only has a hole in her tiny heart, but also has Down syndrome. Zuckoff takes us through Greg and Tierney Fairchild's weeks of agony as they explore the decision to continue Tierney's pregnancy and the months following their choice.

Family members urge them to consider both termination and continuance, while doctors and counselors strive to remain neutral. Meanwhile, Greg and Tierney wrestle with the questions that would inform our own opinions: would they be able to have other children, knowing that their first-born may require a great deal of time, money, and energy? Were they willing to fight discrimination and ignorance for their child's life?

As the book's title makes clear, the couple chooses to continue the pregnancy and take the future as it comes. Unfortunately, it comes with much more heartache. Zuckoff recounts the early health difficulties that plagued baby Naia's life, as well as her parents's introductions to the social challenges she will face.

I applaud Zuckoff's work on this book. While the reader is aware that none of the characters are telling the story, the journalist also does not appear in the tale. He effectively minimizes the space he occupies on the edges of the page.

Zuckoff strives to tell a complete story in every chapter. After opening with a scene from the family, he explores background information about prenatal testing, the history of mental retardation in the US, and the biology of Down syndrome. The reader is exposed to much of the same information the Fairchilds sought out during the decision-making period. While the author does not become over-technical, at times he fails to make a smooth transition between the Fairchilds and the other information.

What Zuckoff does not tackle is the Fairchilds's choice in the abstract. For those of us who call ourselves pro-choice, what does it mean when a woman/couple makes the "wrong" choice? Are we willing to support women/couples who choose to have a child with a debilitating condition, possibly suffering from profound mental retardation?

However, this is a small criticism. If his focus was on one particular couple, then these wider issues have limited value in the narrative. Greg and Tierney face this issue on a small scale when family members gently urge her to consider termination.

The tale is one of heartbreak, triumph, resilience, and overwhelming love. For those who enjoy it, I recommend both Martha Beck's "Expecting Adam" (which covers the same ground with a more mystical spin) and Rayna Rapp's "Testing Women, Testing the Fetus" (which covers the ethical and social issues of amniocentesis).

Im a skater and thought this will help me with my skating. It sucked.