College and University Books

I guess I really like this book because it actually has all it claims to have -- everything! Also, it doesn't have schools that aren't accredited, you know, diploma mills. The CD was great for searching and has test prep software and links to their main web site.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who is about to go to college. Instead of looking through the enormous amounts of college mail that gets sent to you, you can just look through this book and find which schools you think are best for you. This book contains detailed information about the majors, academic and recreational programs, abroad studies, application deadline, etc. It also contains tuition and room and board costs where applicable. This book is a great help in the college search--I would definitely recommend it to every college-to-be student!

Getting your kid into a good college is a nerve-racking process for most parents. It certainly has been for us. We have found the customer reviews in Amazon very helpful. That prompts us to distill our ratings of the various guidebooks.

The best short reference on each college is the Princeton Review of The Best (311) Colleges. It gives ratings of academic quality, difficulty of admission, percentage admitted, etc. There is also a brief summary of college life and what each place might be looking for.

Peterson Guide is comprehensive, and has long write-ups for each school. There is a front section for each school, listed alphabetically within each state, and a back section with detailed profiles of selected institutions.

Fiske's guide is interesting, but he basically has something good to say for each school, so careful reading between the lines and for "damning with faint praise" is called for.

The Yale Insider's Guide is extremely subjective, with different students writing various reviews. We did not find it too reliable, except in conjunction with other books.

Likewise for Barrron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. Recent alumni write of their (invariably positive) experiences. Take it with a grain of salt, or read carefully between the lines.

Choosing the Right College by ISN was extremely helpful. Some readers criticized it for being allegedly right wing. We did not find it so. Rather, knowing the point of view of the authors helped us evaluate their observations. Other books do not make their biases explicit. A feature of the book we found particularly helpful was the naming of excellent professors and departments in each college.

Antonoff's College Finder was interesting only in conjunction with other books.

Three books written from the perspective of college admissions officers were very interesting and helpful. They are The College Admissions Mystique, by Mayher, Getting In, by Bill Paul, and most of all A is for Admission by Michelle Hernandez. We strongly recommend that parents and the kids who are the applicants read at least one of these.

Another very helpful book was You're Gonna Love This College Guide, by Marty Nemko. It takes the student through the decision process of big vs. small, urban vs. country, elite vs. the level just below, geography, and so forth. That really got our daughter unstuck in her thinking process.

Loren Pope is another helpful author for those who think that not getting into Harvard is the end of the world.

Three books we did not find to be particularly helpful are Getting Into Any College, by Jim Good and Lisa Lee, The National Review College Guide, by Charles Sykes and Brad Miner (too out of date), and The Real Freshman Handbook, by Jennifer Hanson.

One book we found to be unexpectedly useful was Getting Into Medical School Today, by Scott Plantz, et. al. Even if your child is not interested in medical school, this book puts college in perspective for any post-college program.

We hope readers find our review helpful.

I love buying a book that says it is comprehensive only to find out that it doesn't have all that "comprehensive" promises. This book has it all. I don't think I want a subjective book about colleges. I get fluffy stuff like that in the mail everyday written by the colleges. I'm a Joe Friday "Just the facts, maam" kind of person I suppose. This book had ALL the facts. I liked the free CD too.

This is the best SAT book I've used - it really helped me improve my score. I thought it was well-written, and the practice tests were really useful. I would recommend it over any of the others out there.

I have purchased this book hoping to find something innovative, something very cool - and under the cover of so much advertisment I found a simple, but not bad, SAT preparation book. It has all the elements to prepare for the real thing except for the practice tests and the so-called "SAT words" - both of them are low in quantity. Perchaps it's a suggestion for the authors. Overall, I think I wouldn't have bought it if I had seen the Barron's title earlier.

PS: The "word teams" is just great - explore it more and this might be your key to success!

This is the best SAT prep book out there. This has great pointers for avoiding common mistakes, a comprehensive vocabulary building section, an easy-to-understand math review, and even gives you prep talks along the way to keep you calm but psyched and ready to ace the test. This was great, I recommend it to anyone hoping for high scores on the SATs.

Lots of practice questions and tips for difficult problems. The CD-ROM is neat because you can take a practice test and see what how you would score.

Perfect for the Aggie lover in your house. Awesome coffee table type book. Stunning pictures. Brings back memories.

The traditions at Texas A&M are unlike any other university in the nation. The Pride of Aggieland is a hardcover book, mixing excellent photograph and stories, taking you through the history and traditions of one of the most unique universities in the nation.

The book begins with with the changes in the mid-1960's that allowed Texas A&M to transform from a male-only military-based college to a full-fledged university . Previous to the mid-1960's, membership in the Aggie military corps was compulsory. The book makes it clear that this transition was controversial and opposed by many, then explains why the transition helped turn A&M into one of the top universities in the nation.

Football history is covered in the middle chapters of the book. A few things become clear here - Aggies love their football; they have had a good history, not a great one; and they love to beat the Longhorns more than anything on this earth. Aggie football greats are well-covered, from John David Crow, the Aggies only Heisman trophy winner to Dat Nguyen, the phenomenal linebacker in the 90's. The book doesn't pull punches when it comes to listing the failings regarding great coaches such such as Paul Bear Bryant and Jackie Sherrill. Both were involved in getting the Aggies placed on probation during their tenures at Texas A&M.

The history and tragedy of the 1999 Aggie bonfire in which 12 students were killed is covered in touching fashion as are the events at Texas A&M just after September 11, 2001. The book ends with an explanation of traditions which appear odd to outsiders, but are part of the biggest team-building exercise in the free world.

The Pride of Aggieland is a good coffee-table book for any Aggie alum who wants to reminisce, or have a 'show and tell' session. The layout of the book makes it easy to read, especially since there are many sidebar stories than can be read quickly.
The book does an excellent job of showing and explaining why the Aggies do what they do - good enough that they almost seem normal. (That's a joke, son - I've spent some time there myself.)

This is the book we Aggies deserve. It's got all the school's history, traditions and spirit. And lots of football. Tons of color photos. Lots of games and great seasons and stats. And bonfire, red white and blue out, and just about everything else. Written by an Aggie. It's fantastic!

Texas A&M is a school built on pride..from the freshman orientation to graduation school spirt is omnipresent. This a well written book on what makes the Aggies unique. The text is very interesting and the images are well executed. As a Texas Ex I always marveled at the sprit in Aggieland, I mean don't get me wrong I bleed burnt orange, but I do envey their spirit, we may own the overall football series, though in the last few decades it has been close to even, but we will never compete with Texas A&M's pride in their university and football program, they have spirit like no other.

Wow, really touching and creative. This story is interesting, informative, and from a serious and yet fun perspective. The main character is both unique and just like that girl from English or art class you sat next to in college. Now I finally have an idea of what she might have been thinking. I definitely wish I read this before I left home to live at college. It would have really helped me understand and benefit from that new environment. This book makes me want to enroll at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I have since visited the campus. THIS IS A MUST READ. It would make a great edition to any high school reading list. Another good addition for a high school reading list is Road To Grandma's, also by Kathryn L. Krueger.

This is the perfect joy-filled book for the recent high school graduate to let them know that college can be one big party, but sex and alcohol don't have to be a part of it. Katy shows that life is about how you choose to live it and not about all of the crap that so many college kids get lost in. Her lessons are sweet and full of heart and every kid on their way to college could benefit from reading her upbeat take on what campus life can be like.

Katherine's book is an amazing depiction of life at an SEC college! I would recommend it to anyone going to college. This book is a fabulous treat....funny, witty and sparkly! I would love to meet the author because I am sure that she embodies just those characteristics!

If your daughter is planning on going to college soon, this book is for her. Even though every teenager out there already knows the dangers of life... drugs, alcohol, sex, and cigarettes (just to name a few), it won't hurt to remind them of these important subjects. Statistics show that the freshmen year of college is the toughest. This is when the highest number of students die from illness, binge drinking, and suicide.

I am the author of this book and each story is taken from my own personal experiences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I saw the drugs, I saw the alcohol, I experienced the peer pressures of campus life and I survived. My book shows how your child can say "no," like I did. It also shows that if you make positive choices in life you will graduate and live a healthy, happy, productive life.

An added bonus is at the back of the book, a toll-free number that parents and teens can call for help/counseling.

Enjoy the book and remember...you can do it! Believe in yourself!

In Separate by Degree, Prof. Miller-Bernal brings to life the history of women's higher education at different institutions. The various approaches to educating women and the changes along the way are presented in a well-rounded manner and make for interesting reading. A lot of ground is covered here and some hallowed halls of learning receive tough scrutiny. Insightful, well-written and pertinent for many different kinds of readers, I recommend this book. As a Wells College graduate who took part in the four-year study, the second half of the book was of special interest to me. There were a couple of surprises when I got to review how my fellow students had responded to questions posed to us over ten years ago and a bit of regret that I can't exactly remember how I responded myself! The actual data from the survey may not be for everyone, but Prof. Miller-Bernal presents it clearly and draws some thoughtful conclusions that are relevant to the endangered status of women's single-sex education today.

In Separate by Degree, Prof. Miller-Bernal brings to life the history of women's higher education at different institutions. The various approaches to educating women and the changes along the way are presented in a well-rounded manner and make for interesting reading. A lot of ground is covered here and some hallowed halls of learning get tough scrutiny. Insightful, well-written and pertinent for many different kinds of readers, I recommend this book. As a Wells graduate who took part in the four-year study, the second half of the book was of special interest to me. There were a couple of surprises when I got to review how my fellow students had responded to questions posed to us over ten years ago and a bit of regret that I can't exactly remember how I responded myself! The actual data from the four year survey may not be for everyone, but Prof. Miller-Bernal presents it clearly and draws some thoughtful conclusions that are relevant to the endangered status of women's single-sex education today.

Choosing the right college is a difficult decision. For many it is based upon reasons that may not be totally valid. For some, the choice is not given much thought at all. For this reason, Professor Miller-Bernal's new book, Separate by Degree, should be on the reference shelves of our libraries and in the guidance offices of our high schools, for Professor Miller-Bernal gives some cogent reasons why single-sexed education might be a more suitable option for many of our young women.

Professor Miller-Bernal has done extensive and well-documented research on the treatment of women in four different kinds of colleges. She takes us to Wells (a small single-sexed institution), Middlebury, (a long-time coeducational college), Hobart and William Smith ( a coordinate school), and Kirkland/Hamilton (once a coordinate school and now a coeducational institution). She is totally honest about the good and bad points of all four colleges and has thoroughly researched what is happening to the women who graduated in the class of '88. She also tells us about the academic and social opportunities for women at these different institutions and how women fared in positions of leadership and responsibility in campus life. She shares suggestions on how all four colleges might better serve their female populations.

Professor Miller-Bernal has also done extensive research into the history of women's colleges. The cliche, "You've come a long way, baby," really does say it all in this case. Fortunately, society's reasons for educating women have changed, and truly it is only in recent years that women are finally receiving some sort of equitable treatment in higher education. Anyone interested in learning about women's struggle for rights will find this book enlightening and informative.

Madeline Nelson Teacher West Islip Public School System

Leslie Miller-Bernal's Separate By Degree is a timely, engaging and accessible book about the important differences in the educational experiences of women who attend women's colleges compared to those who attend coeducational institutions. The book is timely because it calls on the reader to reconsider the value of single-sex education at a critical moment of decline in the history of women's colleges. The book is engaging because Miller-Bernal tells an exciting and frustrating story of the struggle of women for gender equity in higher education. And the book is accessible, thanks to the easily understood manner in which the author writes.

Professor Miller-Bernal argues that single-sex education still has advantages for women. Those advantages include: a high proportion of women faculty who can act as role models for students; more opportunities for young women to develop leadership skills; and a supportive atmosphere where women do not have to defer to men. Her argument is based on quality research, including longitudinal surveys of women students at four Northeastern colleges: Wells, Middlebury, William Smith and Hamilton. The histories of the colleges are described in rich detail, the differences in the experiences of women students at the four institutions are carefully compared and contrasted, and the most recent literature on single-sex education is well presented and thoughtfully critiqued.

Although Professor Miller-Bernal asks the reader to reconsider the value of single-sex education for women, she does not fall into the nostalgia trap. She recognizes some of the past and current limitations of women's colleges, and she details the many factors that have made coeducational institutions more viable than women's colleges. She ends Separate By Degree with a set of recommendations for applying the beneficial aspects of women's colleges to coeducational institutions and a caveat--If colleges are really concerned about women and equality, they will have to attend carefully to meeting the needs of all women students and never waiver from the goal of achieving gender equity.

In "Shattering the Glass," Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford explain how women's basketball became one of the most exciting and dynamic sports in America today. They document how the sport first became popular in the late 1800s, leading many high schools and colleges to create teams. The book contains outstanding biographical sketches of the game's early pioneers, many of whom came from rural communities, factory towns, and working class neighborhoods to attract local support to the game. The authors also describe how women's basketball was strongly embraced by black high schools and historically black colleges, long before the civil rights era, as a means to combat racism and demonstrate the courage, determination, and ability that black athletes possessed, following in the footsteps of Jesse Owens and Joe Louis.

Grundy and Shackelford do an excellent job of describing how women's sports have historically been hamstrung by presumptions about women's role in society. In the early 1900s, concerns about female frailty led many communities to ban women from playing. As time progressed and more colleges created teams, administrators feared that women's teams wouldn't bring in enough revenue, or that funding women would draw too much revenue away from men's teams. In the 1950s, rising incomes and the introduction of television loosened local community ties around the nation, forcing the women's game to evolve to appeal to a national audience. Even after Title IX was enacted in the early 1970s, the severe recession forced many colleges to reduce funding for women's programs. Over time, though, women's basketball overcome these obstacles and began to thrive.

The most fascinating parts of "Shattering the Glass" involve debates regarding the future direction that the sport should take. In 1974, a group of female physical education instructors created the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) to govern women's basketball because the NCAA had little interest in supporting it. The AIAW banned athletic scholarships because it wanted to avoid the academic and recruiting scandals that plagued the NCAA. As the AIAW built momentum and achieved success, the NCAA lobbied vigorously against federal enforcement of Title IX. However, when the women's game reached the limits of where the AIAW's limited resources could take it, many women's programs chose to make the transition to the NCAA. Grundy and Shackelford explain that while giving up on the AIAW was agonizing, many women had the foresight to see that working within the confines of the NCAA was necessary to give women's college basketball the exposure it deserved.

This debate played out again in 1996, when conditions became ripe to launch a professional women's league. Once again, women had to choose whether to create their own league and achieve success on their own terms, or to work with the established men's organization, in this case the NBA. Grundy and Shackelford explain how women who wanted to strike out on their own created the American Basketball League (ABL), which played during the winter, sponsored teams in college cities, offered relatively high player salaries, and held games in small arenas. Women who chose to work with the NBA formed the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which played in the summer, had relatively modest salaries, played in large NBA cities, and used the NBA's large arenas. Although both leagues got off to a good start, the ABL was not able to secure the long-term television contracts and corporate sponsorship necessary to survive. The WNBA went on to become an extraordinarily success, offering exciting games while solving many of the problems that plague men's professional sports leagues.

"Shattering the Glass" is a rewarding account of how women persevered over time to make women's high school, college, and professional basketball as exciting to watch as men's. The book is strongly recommended to WNBA fans who want to learn more about how the league got to where it is today with athletes who demonstrate character and integrity, vibrant franchises in both small and large market cities, strong competitive balance among the teams, and great people working to make the league work behind the scenes. The women who paved the way for the WNBA's stars overcame extraordinary adversity to make women's basketball what it is today, and fans owe it to themselves to read this excellent book and learn more about their stories.

I just purchased two more copies for friends and fellow coaches ... and I'm only halfway through this mesmorizing read. I especially enjoyed the accompanying photographs beginning in the 1890s ... and the timeless, oh-so-familiar looks of intensity, confidence, and joy in the eyes of the players. My own life in sports was incomplete until I was introduced to the women's game through my own daughters. Attention Ken Burns: Here is the script for your next project. Long live Title IX!

I checked this book out from the library after I first got WNBA fever two years ago. Before that, my only experience with women's bball was playing in 7th grade. Although it was the funnest sport I ever tried, I left it completely behind when i became a grungy teen and eschewed all sports. (Blame in on Texas' sports-centric culture y'all, I was just reacting, ha!)

Then WNBA games starting broadcasting regularly on ESPN2. The women's game mesmerized me. I couldn't get enough - which brought me to Shattering the Glass. It's a great overview of the history. If you're new to the scene, it's a fabulous introduction to the stories behind the big names. I didn't know Nancy Lieberman was nicknamed Fire in the 70s, thanks to her showy moves! Too awesome. The cover, showing Chamique Holdsclaw (who recently retired, sadly) and Lisa Leslie, is a great indication of the guts, brawn and glory that is the women's game.

Wow--I can't believe I'm the first person to review this book, given how comprehensive it is and what a great overview it provides for the sport of women's basketball in the United States.

Grundy takes us from the first days of the game itself as developed by James Naismith (what a smart guy he was, to envision this great game) and then quickly adopted by Victorians to allow women to play sports but with all of the quirky Victorian values in place. Readers will learn a little about the first rules for women's basketball, including organization of the court into cells, each one containing a woman who stood within its boundaries to defend her team's basket and pass the ball for offensive plays. Yes, the game was really that slow and inactive back then! But the rules were designed to prevent women from over-exerting themselves and retaining that air of refinement.

Grundy also does a good job of including stories about the key players at the college and professional levels from the 1930s onward. You'll recognize the well known women players and learn about others who, while less well known, were still instrumental in growing the sport. You'll also learn something of the spirit, vision, and character of these physically and psychologically strong women pioneers.

And, because this is a history involving women, you will also learn about the difficulties women, as recently as Pat Summitt (Lady Vols basketball coach--GO VOLS!) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford women's basketball coach--GO STANFORD!) who went to high school when there was NO basketball team for girls, had in finding places where they could learn to play the game and play with other teams. That's hard (thankfully) for women of the next generations (like me) to imagine, but this was the reality for much of the country until the 1970s. Readers will also learn about the passage of "Title IX" by Congress, legislation that was key to creating greater opportunity in sports, and how it was actually part of a larger piece of legislation that didn't initially actually have a sports/althetics focus. Women's basketball in this country is a fine mirror of the equality, civil rights, and social justice movements that were happening concurrently with the development of the sport.

Grundy also does a good job of including some information about other women's basketball leagues that have been a part of the game's history, including Asian-only leagues. While she only mentions Chinese-American leagues, there were also Japanese-American leagues for children and youth, where many of the players and families were Japanese American. These ethnic-specific leagues were and, for some, continue to be important aspects of ethnic communities and ethnic identities, often being the only time a child or youth from that background would think to play the sport. That Grundy knew about these leagues and included them in her book only adds to the diversity, love, and support this game has had from all groups, but whose stories would otherwise be lost over time.

Grundy's book ends in 2004 and with the story of the successful WNBA (and accompanying demise of the ABL, the other competing women's pro ball league that eventually folded).

The only reason why I gave this book only 4 stars and not all 5 is because the book is too short and I would've enjoyed more details. Still, this is a great book to read if you want to know the comprehensive history of this game for women, be inspired to play the game or support players who do, and understand the evolution of sports and athletics for women. It's an even greater book to read in between the college and pro women's basketball seasons!

Super fast shipping, and the book was in great shape. Would order from them again no problem.

I received my product right on time. The condtion of my book was in great conditon. I would definely but again online.

The english book came to my house in excellent condition and was purchased at a discounted price!

This book is an excellent study guide and reference for the home or office. The editing, spelling, and research sections are very well done. There are chapters on business letters, resumes, diction, narration, argument, making yourself clear, documenting sources, punctuation and mechanics.

This is probably the best single collection of all this material for a writer that I have ever seen in one book! I would recommend this book to both native-English writers and also ESL/EFL learners who are writing in English not as their first language. For them especially, this book would help them make a great leap to first-rate or even professional writing quality!

If I'd have any complaint, it is that the authors obviously chose mostly politically-correct ("PC") topics for their "Reader" section of the book. All the "diversity" articles over and over get old quick and I would not want to find "Women's Issues" in a book like this at all, which is not the place for pushing an author's PC agendas! Otherwise, the whole rest of the writing instruction is useful.

Although the century old language is a bit difficult to read initially, once you get rolling, it isn't difficult. The neatest thing is how amazingly applicable James' observations are in today's society. The book is fun and interesting to read. I learned a great deal.

Beginning in 1891, William James gave frequent lectures to teachers in which he explained the psychology he had developed in his "Principles of Psychology" and offered suggestions on applying the science of psychology to the art of education. Similarly, beginning in 1895, James delivered a series of lectures to college students -- generally at schools for women -- on education and its purposes. In 1899, James gathered both sets of lectures together and published them as "Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals." The book was read widely and became financially successful for James.

In his illuminating recent biography of James, "William James in the Maelstrom of American Modernism", Robert Richardson describes the "Talks" as a whole as "written in what we may call William James's third style." He explains: "The third style is his plainest, clearest, most public style. It is at once vivid, personal, comprehensible, and without a shred of condescension. It is best exemplified in 'Talks to Teachers'. The longer James worked over a subject, the simpler and shorter and more direct he made it". (p. 360)

The two sets of lectures are complementary with the first set explaining to teachers how psychology could be of use in the educational process while the second set explains to the students the value of the educational opportunities presented to them. The "Talks to Teachers" begins with what many people at the time saw as a mechanistic psychology rooted in physiology and developed in light of Darwin's theory of evolution. In many places, James encourages teachers to see a pupil in part as "a subtle little piece of of machinery." An effective means of education endeavors to work with rather than against the nervous system. In successive short chapters, James discusses his fundamental theory of the "stream of consciousness" and applies it to learned behavior through exploration of reactions, habits, association, attention and memory. The lectures are lucid and clear and show both flexibility and wisdom in considering the process of education.

James's focus throughout is on education as an activity fitting the student for the conduct of life in a wide variety of situations rather than as means of learning intellectual abstractions. James stresses the importance of the body and of physical activity in the learning process. His psychology begins with science and mechanism but it does not end there. I would like to point out two of what I found to be among the insightful observations of the "Talks to Teachers." First, in the chapter on "Memory", James points out that the psychological abilities of the mind must be taken together in an individual and that a person need not be "cast down" by deficiencies in any single element. James stresses passion and desire as critical in overcoming any mechanical difficulties. He writes: "You can be an artist without visual images, a reader without eyes, a mass of erudition with a bad elementary memory. In almost any subject your passion for the subject will save you. If you only care enough for a result you will almost certainly attain it."

The other passage in the "Talks to Teachers" I wish to single out is in the concluding chapter on "The Will". Here James allows Spinoza to have the last word. James points out that there are two ways in which people can make choices: by saying "no" to something or by saying "yes" to its contrary. James opts for the latter approach. James writes: "Spinoza long ago wrote in his Ethics that anything that a man can avoid under the notion that it is bad he may also avoid under the notion that something else is good. He who habitually acts sub specie mali, under the negative notion, the notion of the bad, is called a slave by Spinoza. To him who acts habitually under the notion of good he gives the name of freeman. See to it now, I beg you, that you make freement of your pupils by habituating them to act, whenever possible, under the notion of a good". This is wise advice, from both Spinoza and William James.

The second part of the book consists of three wonderful addresses to students: "The Gospel of Relaxation", the seminal essay "On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings" and its companion essay "What Makes a Life Significant." The first essay is a still timely corrective to the tendency of many Americans to stress and to wrongly-directed effort. But second and third of these essays are critical to James's work in its entirety. The "blindness" to which James refers is the difficulty every person has in knowing the mind of another and in properly and sympathetically valuing what the other person finds important and significant in life. As James states in his Preface to "Talks to Teachers": "The facts and worths of life need many cognizers to take them in. There is no point of view absolutely public and universal." James develops this theme through the use of literary examples drawn from Robert Louis Stevenson, Whitman, Tolstoy, and many other writers.

In the Preface to the "Talks to Teachers and Students" James also underscores the importance of the essay "On a Certain Blindness". This essay is James's most direct statement of the value of pluralism, individualism, and democracy. He writes: "The practical consequence of such a philosophy is the well-known democratic respect for the sacredness of individuality -- is, at any rate, the outward tolerance of whatever is not itself intolerant. ... Religiously and philosophically, our ancient national doctrine of live and let live may prove to have a far deeper meaning than our people now seem to imagine it it to possess."

This short and beautifully written collection of essays is an excellent non-technical introduction to the thought of William James.

Robin Friedman

This work is divided into two parts. The first is Talks to Teachers and the second Talks to Students. The talks to teachers are more technical, but they too are in clear, understandable prose. The Talks to Teachers open with a chapter on 'Psychology and the Art of Teaching'. There are also chapters on 'The Stream of Consciousness' ' The Child as a Behaving Organism' ' Education and Behavior' 'The Necessity of Reactions' ' Native Reactions and Acquired Reactions' 'What the Native Reactions are' 'The Laws of Habit' ' The Association of Ideas' ' Interest' 'Attention' 'Memory' ' The Acquistion of Ideas' 'Aperception' 'The Will'. The Talks to Students consists in three essays, 'The Gospel of Relaxation' 'On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings' 'What Makes a Life Significant'.
In the first and most scientifically important section I especially took pleasure in the essay on 'Habit' James shows how our habits lead us to action in ways we do not know. And he shows how by putting on auto- pilot of habits many activities we free our minds for new creative efforts in everyday life.
Perhaps the most well - known essay is 'On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings' where James teaches the inherent difficulty we have in understanding others perspectives and needs. Always the pluralist, the fox who sees many things, James strongly advocates our greater openness to others, our tolerance for their perspectives and actions as long as they do not damage ours. " Now the blindness of human beings is the blindness which we all are afflicted in regard to the feelings of creatures and people different from ourselves."
He asks of us a generosity in understanding.
He illustrates his thesis by many quotations from literary works, including Tolstoy , whose 'War and Peace' he calls the greatest of all novels, and 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry' of Whitman.
The final essay is "What Makes a Life Significant" He opens this essay by telling of an incident from his own personal experience in which he spent an enjoyable week at Chattaqua a kind of paradise of reasonable successful rational secure American life. He later reflects however on what he felt missing in it. And this leads him to thoughts about the heroic struggle of life and why our lives seem to need some element of danger and adventure ." But what our human emotions seem to require is the sight of the struggle going on.The moment the fruits are being merely eaten, things become ignorble. Sweat and effort, human nature strained to the uttermost and on the rack, yet getting through alive, and then turning its back on success to pursue another more rare and arduous still- this is the sort of thing the presence of which inspires us, and the reality of which seems to be the function of all the higher forms of literature and fine art to bring home to us and suggest."
For James the meaning of life is bound up with our action in the heroism of the everyday life struggle. "It is the 'exercise of courage patience and kindness' which James sees as most important in giving life meaning.
He also speaks in this regard of our acting in 'obedience to a higher ideal' As he understands it Education is a means of mulitplying and enhancing our ideals and thus enriching our lives. " And let the orientalists and pessimists say what they will ,thing of deepest- significance in life does seem to be its charactr of progress, or that strange union of reality with ideal novelty which it continues from one moment to another in present".
James thus provides in his teaching- a philosophy of action for better enabling us to realize our life- goals.

My father always had this book at arm's reach.It was a pocket version.I can still see the tip of its well worn appearance comfortably peeking out of his tweed coat side pocket.Even as a kid it really peaked my curiosity,as at that point I had never read a book,'a real book',just the hardy brothers,and all that kid stuff we all recall as children.It appeared to be one of his best friends,and that in itself fascinated me.I considered my father even when I was very young to be a friend,in my mind,'father'was just a moniker.I never mentioned it to him for years.I finally mustered up the courage to ask what this book was.He said "guides to living".Yes "this little book" is my best advisor and tutor."It has comforted me on many an occasion"Years later when I adopted an avid love for books,I read these wonderful essays.I go back time and time again,seeking advise from it's pages for a variety of reasons.These essays by William James originally published in 1917 remain as fresh and applicable to modern life as if they were written last year.James,the father of Psychology pours his heart out to you in these essays.My favourites are THE GOSPEL OF RELAXATION- THE ENERGIES OF MAN-ON A CERTAIN BLINDNES IN HUMAN BEINGS-HABIT an THE WILL.This book always travels with me.I hope you have a chance to read it sometime.Here is a little taste.This is an excerpt from THE WILL

"Our strength and our intellegence,our wealth,and even our good luck,are things which warm our heart,and make us feel ourselves a match for life.
But deeper than all such things,and able to suffice onto without them is the sense of the amount of effort we can put forth..."

Hello all, I would buy this book again, if I had to...I would recommend it to any adjunct instructor, especially if they are new. There is great advice in this. It is well researched. At the end of each chapter, there are great summaries and "take-aways". This book shows not only the instructor's point of view, but the student's point of view. I found these things most helpful.

SOMETHING REMARKABLE HAS HAPPENED.
A BOOK WRITTEN BY THREE SEASONED EDUCATORS HAS DELIVERED TO OUR COMMUNITY OF FULL AND PART-TIME PROFESSORS AN HONEST-TO-GOODNESS "HOW TO"MANUAL. HOW TO TEACH WITH INTEGRITY, AUTHENTICITY, CARING, CREATIVITY; WHILE GIVING US VALUABLE TOOLS TO REACH EVERY STUDENT WITH ENERGY,CARING AND ENTHUSIASM. IN THIS "AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY" TURNING TO THIS BOOK (AS I DO-OVER AND OVER) WILL GUARANTEE SUCCESS, NOT ONLY FOR YOUR STUDENTS BUT WILL SURPASS YOUR IDEALS OF WHAT A GREAT CLASSROOM AND COLLEGE LEARNING SUPPORT SYSTEM ATMOSPHERE CAN BE.
FROM EFFECTIVE FIRST MEETINGS, THROUGH LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE WITH TODAY'S STUDENTS (WITH THE INCREASED DEMANDS PLACED ON THEM) TO LESSON PLANS TO LEARNING STYLES AND EVALUATIONS, THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL. A MUST READ FOR ALL EDUCATORS, STUDENTS AND COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS. ALAS, WE CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND WIN!
THANK YOU DR. LYONS AND COLLEAGUES FOR AN AMAZING GUIDE ON HOW TO BE THE BEST EDUCATOR OF THE 21ST CENTURY!
L.J.SOHL,M.S.,ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

The title got my attention, and the table of contents convinced me to read this book. I am very impressed with the way the authors clearly explained the context of teaching today, and in the way they addressed the conflicting pressures that instructors like me perceive. I am asked to facilitate student success by my instructional leaders with little guidance on how to achieve it. This book provides that guidance. Like many, I perceive a call to lower standards to aid student retention, but that totally contradicts why I chose the profession.
This book provides me with the tools to facilitate increased success among my students, while helping feel much better about my role. Many are relatively simple, but extremely helpful for use in the classroom. The book also addresses how to manage key retention mileposts of each term; how to achieve greater effectiveness with first generation students;and how to ensure my evaluation methods are valid and appropriate.
It has made me think about my teaching in a much more grounded way. It is the most practical book about teaching that I have ever read!

This text is a must have for the new and seasoned professors alike! I found myself continually noting practical ideas that I can immediately use to polish and enhance my practice as well as improvements I can make for future courses. The authors generate an authentic and realistic picture of the college classroom today-they've been there! From planning and launching a successful semester to generating effective instructional methods and assesments during the course, this book is filled with specific and practical ideas throughout.

This book is about more than just the obstacles and victories in sports; it gives insight into how players can get the most out of their sports career and LIFE. It is a WONDERFUL book that high school and college students and their parents should read. My 3 children who are in Middle School and High School read it and loved it.

If you have children participating in athletics, this book is a must for their reading list. I couldn't put it down. Read it from cover to cover in one night and then went back and re-read it to appreciate it further. Just when you think that the trials and tribulations in your life are all encompassing, you realize that life is suddenly much better than you imagined it to be. Wonderful read.

I did get the book and I must say that I can't put it down. Just tonight I read another chapter with my pen and highlighter by my side. It is so cool to see athletes with the same dreams, beliefs, problems, and aspirations. I have told my friends about the book, and there is a line to get it after I have finished it. Thanks again for providing a book that can reach, teach, and motivate an athlete

What I found so interesting and worthwhile about this book was the author's unfliching and focused desire to let people see and feel the emotions an athlete lives in the world of sports. You hear the fear of "what if I'm not good enough to make it afterall" and "do I really want to go further". What if that person is injured...have their dreams and aspirations become nightmares? I really liked the idea that someone saw a way to let other atheletes express their feelings and put that together so that they had a voice. Katie could do that because she has felt those same emotions because she too is an athlete. Neat twist and good prespective and talented too.