College and University Books

Every student-athlete in the nation should read this book by Rodney McKissic

Amesome, entertaining book!!!!

In Search of Susanna is a remarkable transgeneric experiment in life writing, a densely textured "word quilt" in Bunkers' words, testifying to the author's passionate determination not only to reclaim her family past but to affirm a vital future for the female descendants who look back to Susanna and discover themselves." --William L. Andrews, University of North Carolina.

"In Search of Susanna is a lovely weaving together of threads from the ancestral past to tell a story of the present and future. The Susanna sought in this book--and beautifully evoked--is not only Suzanne Bunkers' great-great-grandmother but the author and her daughter as well. No one restores to us the lives of women across generations as gracefully and as movingly as Suzanne Bunkers."--James Olney, Editor, Southern Review

All I can say in incredible. If you're an IU fan you NEED this book.

Incredibly comprehensive, historically correct, and utterly fascinating telling of the history of Indiana University Basketball. I read this book cover to cover and even use it to look up different facts (like seeing if 45 points WAS the Assembly Hall shot clock record low point total).

If you are a fan of one of the most storied programs in NCAA history, the IU men's basketball team, this is as close to a must have as you can get.

Though published through the regional University of Akron Press, the autobiography of Wayne Embry is essential reading for basketball fans, sports historians and those intrigued on how sports reflects the games played by the power brokers in society.

Embry was a professional player and climbed the corporate ladder in the NBA during eras when the racial divide was felt in locker rooms and in neighborhoods throughout the nation.

Perhaps mostly known nationally as the executive who traded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers - Embry drew the ire of Cleveland Cavalier fans for the trading of Ron Harper, which is covered in depth.

But it's within the inside game on the hardwood floor of life - that needed the finesse of a swift ball-handling point guard and the sharp elbows of a tough power forward - where Embry ultimately excelled. He did not close the doors of opportunity when he maneuvered into a position to take advantage of a small opening, but has been a trailblazer by leading the way for many others into successful careers in pro basketball and the corporate world.

I just finished this book tonight, and it's one of the best sports autobiographies I've read in ages, and I read most of them. Wayne Embry is a pioneer, and a man that overcame a tremendous amount of racism and adversity in his life to become a power player (GM) of 2 NBA ballclubs.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Embry in passing at camps, and he was a kind gentleman. I always admired him but never knew all that he went through. To be fair in my review, I must say that in reading the book, he seems at times overly-sensitive in his analysis of some situations, especially those with Cavs ownership, and that he often seems to have felt slighted, when he may have just been a casualty of an underachieving ballclub, and NOT the victim of racism.
Either way, the man is an intellect, and also found success in business as a big-time McDonald's franchisee and sat on the BOD of several Fortune 500 companies, as well as a trustee of his alma mater, Miami of Ohio. A man who has been married to the same woman for almost 50 years. A man of conviction.
I say this for Embry, whether or not you agree or disagree with his views, he pulls no punches. He tells it like it is, and does not sugar coat things in this book. There's nothing worse than shelling out $20 or $30 for a book, and then you get nothing but cliche nonsense, or the same old fuzzy stories you already knew from the sports pages or internet.
This book is a must for old-time/vintage NBA fans or those who wonder what it's like to be a GM of a team. Wayne Embry was not only a physical specimen, but a cerebral giant of a man, and this is one helluva read. Kudos, Big Wayne. Regards, James R. Acho, Esq. www.cmda-law.com

With this, his name-making book, Hilal Khashan offers insightful analysis of the Lebanese predicament as manifested by the Lebanese themselves. He is to be commended for his courageous and path-breaking study. Professor Khashan has done what no other specialist on Lebanon has dared or could articulate before -- he has the presented the bitter facts as they are. This is one of the very few books on Lebanon that will guide us to a better understanding of Lebanese politics in the next millenium and beyond!

Hilal Khashan, Lebanon's leading pollster, has written a cogent book that provided me with deep theoretical and methodological insights during the preparation of my Ph.D. thesis. In fact, many researchers on education employing the content analysis approach to confessional pluralism in Lebanon find this impressive empirical work useful to uncover the complex set of aggregated political factors which are pronounced and perhaps reproduced in this country's educational policies and practices. Judged by the sheer mass of new data and complex analysis which Professor Khashan provides, this book represents a major contribution to the understanding of the subtle and complex nature of the confessional conflict in Lebanon. This monograph has a twofold objective; first, it reviews some interesting methodological issues; and second, it presents the cornucopia of original findings reported by the author. The title of the book signifies a relatively new approach to research on the roots of the corrosive confessional conflict in Lebanon. This approach incorporates a range of theoretical perspectives and original quantitative-qualitative research techniques.... Khashan's work transcends all other works on Lebanon by the quality and comprehensiveness of his data, as well as the sophisticated statistical techniques which he expertly utilizes. This is a truly an unsurpassed book on Lebanese society. It tackles without apology difficult issues which most Lebanese do not like to discuss or even admit. ...Khashan's incorporation of regression analysis filled much of the gap caused by the paucity of empirical data on Lebanon's political viability. Shortage of statistics as those generated by the author in the past tended to stymie research on politics in Lebanon. In this book Khashan has addressed the political arena of Lebanon from a wholly new perspective for which he must be commended. Any observer of post-Tai'f Lebanese politics will readily endorse the author's conclusions and approve of his recommendations. This work shall continue to guide scholars surfeited of research in their own field into provocative horizons. Kamal E. Abouchedid, PhD., Center for Ethnic Studies in Education, The University of Manchester, UK.

This is a very impressive book. The photography is exceptional, and the reproduction of the images on these pages is of high quality. You can practically count the individual threads in the cadets' coatees. I was also pleased to find that the captions accompanying the photos tend to explain what's happening in them, or at least provide some sort of context to the images.

An explanation of the Ratline and the phenomenon of Rat year is an essential component of any book about VMI, and Geoffrey Norman's text does a fine job here, too. This book was produced with the cooperation of VMI itself, and that access shows in the detail and thoroughness with which the VMI experience is explained. It may well be true that nobody who hasn't been through the Ratline can ever truly understand it -- but within those limitations, I feel like I have a much better grasp of what is involved, and what it all means, than I did before.

Certainly this book would make a fine gift for a VMI alum, or something he (or she!) would like to get for themselves. VMI parents and friends would get a lot out of it too, as would students and parents thinking about attending the Institute. I've been doing what I can to find and read as many books about "the I" as possible, and so far this is one of the, or perhaps THE, very best. I don't see that evaluation changing any time soon

This really is a very nice book, with fabulous photgraphy which makes the book worth every penny of its price. The book was written just before the admission of women to its school, and therefore focuses on it being an all male school.

One of the things I loved about this book is how contemporary it is. Normally when I have picked up books on military colleges, the author spends pages and pages going on about the schools hisotry and its early formation and those who were involved in it. A miniscule amount of time is spent looking at the lives of cadets and how the school is structured (such was the case with Drawing out the Man, a historical book by a VMI grad). Fortunetly this is not the case with the Institute. The book looks at the lives of Rats (first year cadets) as it is right now and their transitions through the school.

This book has also taught me how far VMI has come. VMI is not afraid of positive making positive changes. Unlike another somewhat infamous military college. VMI will shed some of it more archaic traditions in order to be welcoming to others (There were several shots of multi-ethnic cadets). The school has seemed to shed some of its old emphasis on worhipping the Confederate Old South. And has now turned into a school dedicated to educating young people and building them up with character and fortitude. Which in my eyes is what makes this school truly great and unique.

I am too old to attend VMI now, but if I could I would quickly enter.

Rah! Rah! VMI

This book offers a very unique angle to the college selection process, like no other college guide book I've read. It helps families identify and integrate all the different pieces of information that go into the final decision (like rankings, financial costs, the quality of specific programs of interest) and helps weigh these different factors intelligently in terms of importance and eventual financial payoff. I've recommended it to all of my friends and coworkers with college bound teens. It's an easy read, too.

As a career consultant, I work mostly with professionals who are midlife and mid-career. Those with children often take for granted the need to "invest" in their children's education, often sacrificing their own lives, careers and retirement.

As a former college professor and holder of multiple degrees, I enjoyed the experience of high quality universities. But I agree with the author's premise: students and their families often over-invest in college, believing that they can buy their children's future happiness. Recently I talked to a woman in my gym, visiting from another state, whose daughter was agonizing over a choice among 3 lower-tier colleges. I wanted to tell her, "Choose the cheapest and frankly, you're just as well off at a state university."

I couldn't say this. Fortunately, Getz can and does. He's very realistic about what you get for your investment in college dollars. He's got some of the best advice for choosing a college, such as, "Don't get overly enthused about small classes." He notes (correctly) that the percentage of part-time faculty can influence the quality of education at a university - something few non-faculty folks will realize.

I'm impressed that Getz recognizes the role of athletics on post-college success. Athletes tend to be achievement oriented, confident and likeable. They may get lower grades but they have qualities that are valued by most of the world and that are rewarded with real dollars.

Of course, no book can include everything. Getz notes the value of high achieving peers, who can be found at competitive universities. At my own highly competitive undergraduate institution, these peer relationships sometimes backfired. Some high achievers coast through college (having experienced awesome high schools). Others have high intensity problems as well as achievements. Most important, some students become intimidated by competition and never achieve their potential.

Second, I've never talked to anyone who considered the alumni association when choosing a college. But let's face it: you spend 4 or 5 years as a student and a lifetime as an alum. Because I attended a New York college, my reunions took place in the Big Apple -- always a treat. But for some reason, my alumni association never offered practical help for mentoring and networking. Today's alums might be different. I'd definitely take a look at alums and make a point of talking to some.

Finally, I am impressed with the students Getz met. They seem to have a strong sense of who they are and what they need. Many students I met as a student and teacher were far less confident and self-aware.

Definitely I would recommend this book to any parent who's looking at a very expensive college investment. It's nice to have a book that respects the value of education but maintains perspective. Once you graduate and get out in the "real world," you find the real achievers come from a diverse range of universities...and some from no university at all.

Tis is what u call a great book. It can be really funny at times, but also very serious. Tunis' writing styles effect his book tremendously. I really enjoyed it and i can almost guarentee u will love it to.

Ranking my favorite running books is like choosing favorite children. You love 'em all equally, right? While the Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a better literary achievement and Once a Runner is a more believable account of what it is like to be a runner, there is something special about Iron Duke that sets it apart. A good read for young adults and runners Iron Duke has that rare combination of great story and heart; Tunis certainly caught Lightning in a bottle with this one! But don't take my word, read for yourself.

This book teaches the value of teamwork and the results that can come from it. Great for all kids, not just Husky fans.

A fun book to read to and with kids...especially if you want them to grow up to be a Husky fan!

I own a dozen or so books about Longhorn football, but this one's my favorite. From the gorgeous photos to the insightful text, this book covers UT football history better than the others. One difference is in the large, coffee-table-sized format. Another is the unmistakable feeling that Hawthorne's "one of us." He's not afraid to use first person pronouns when talking about the Horns, and his commentary nicely captures the feelings of us orange-blooded fans (e.g., the teams we consider rivals). Thanks, Bobby, for this excellent addition to my Longhorn library!

If you LOVE football as much as I LOVE football, you absolutely must purchase LONGHORN FOOTBALL by up and coming author, Bobby Hawthorne. Hawthorne has gleaned the very best from over 113 years of outstanding Longhorn photography to create a dynamic picture that seems to come to life in your very hands. His insightful commentary only adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. I just couldn't put it down once I opened the book. I could almost hear the crackle of helmets on crisp fall afternoons as I reminisced over many of the best loved players, coaches and fans of the last 100 plus years. In short, this is the book that Darrell Royal would have wanted to be written about the greatest game in the greatest state in the union. Rick Hill