error Books

I purchased from my book club as part of a 3 pack of books by this author. All of them were written in 2007. I had never read any of her stuff before but thought I'd give her a try. I guess she started out as a romance writer but has since switched to crime/mystery writing. This is a FBI thriller that is actually quiet good. Lots of twists and turns to it - most I was completely blindsided by. There is a little bit of character background in the story that I didn't completely understand. I assume these characters had been introduced in earlier books. I will certain try to get some of her old mystery stuff and read more. I recommend this book for people who like murder who done it kind of stories.

This is NOT a romance. FYI I thought the suspense was good; certainly had me guessing even to the end. This author has a lot of potential, but (for me) there were too many mundane tasks, and lengthy (although well written) descriptions for my personal tastes. Overall, though, a good mystery read.

This is my first time reading Mariah Stewart and I must say I enjoyed this book very much. It had a great mystery and surprising ending. My only complaint was that there was very little romance, if any. One kiss in the entire book was a little dissapointing, but if you buy this book just for the suspense, you will love it. If you buy it for the romance, there won't be any. All in all, a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

I am in total disagreement with the other reviewers of this book. The suspense is just okay and the romance was nonexistent. I am a fan of Mariah Stewart and I have realized that the last two books that I have read of hers, this one and Hard Truth, lacked in the romance department and didn't exactly thrill me with the suspense. I was looking forward to reading this new trilogy of hers and was disappointed. I will think twice before purchasing from Stewart again. It's like she is a totally different author! Some of her older books, Dead Even, Dead Certain, etc. were much better! Borrow the book from someone, don't buy it.

In 1983 in the town of Hatton Shannon Randall disappeared and the chief of police thought that eighteen year old Eric Beale from the wrong side of tracks had something to do with it. Out of his depth he calls in the FBI who sends Special Agent Matt Ranieri to take over the case. Although he couldn't get a confession out of Eric, Shannon was seen in his car, her blood was found on his shirt as was her homework book. When the case comes to trial Matt is so convincing that the jury finds Eric guilty and sentences him to death. He is executed eight years later.

In the present Shannon's body with a bullet and stab wounds is found on Shelter Island off the coast of Georgia. She died approximately eight hours ago which means an innocent person died. Special Agent Andre Shields is assigned to find out who killed Shannon assisted by Matt's daughter FBI agent Dorsey Collins who is unofficially working with him.. When they arrive in Hatton, Dorsey thinks that Shannon ran away and was a victim of abuse. Getting answers in the small town won't be easy as the townsfolk know how to keep secrets. As the FBI agents work the case, romantic feelings spring up but they don't let their feelings get in the way of finding out who beat up Shannon before she ran away and never returned home.

Mariah Stewart can always be counted on to write an exciting romantic suspense thriller and LAST LOOK is no exception. The protagonists are totally believable in their actions and desires especially Dorsey who know what she learns will hurt her father whose reputation was made by the Eric case. Ms. Stewart does a good job of showing how the small town *inhabitants close their doors politely to the outside authorities.

Harriet Klausner

With only a high-school education in English, and a style gained by reading excerpts from cereal boxes, a person can become a master of prose by seriously studyng two books. Both were written fifty or so years ago but clarity in thought and style were in vogue even in the times of Euclid. The first book is not easy to read but is really fun and so well-written it sings--"The King's English" by H.W. Fowler and F.G.Fowler. (Don't accept any interloper's revision of the book!) The second book, and it will give a writer courage,is the present one: "The Reader over Your Shoulder," Graves and Hodge.

If your students refuse to learn how important it is to focus on INDIVIDUAL WORDS-- if they insist on thinking that it is sufficient to 'get their point across in a rough way'-- if their sentences are as a result sometimes nonsensical, suggest this book. And then make them read it-- including the appendix at the back.

Among other valuable aspects, the book uses examples of bad writing from famous authors-- simultaneously reassuring the student that a mistake can happen to the best of us, and reminding the student that vigilance is always necessary.

THWACK! Down comes the headmaster's birch-rod on the sensitive knuckles of the bumbling pupil. Botch that passage again, lazybones, and I'll have your hide!

Poet-novelist Robert Graves and historian Alan Hodge have written a delightful book containing a very quirky 126-page critical history of English prose, a few short chapters listing every conceivable principle of clear & graceful writing, followed by some 200 pages of the most carping, anal-retentive editing & revising you've ever seen. Unlike most style-book authors, who criticize hypothetical or anonymous examples of bad prose, Graves & Hodge courageously tackle many of the biggest names of their era (Hemingway, Aldous Huxley, Bernard Shaw) and relentlessly pick, pick, pick until the carcass is clean and the bones lie strewn about the lair. Then they put it back together again PROPERLY, the way the author should have done it the first time. As G&H themselves note, the book might as well be subtitled "A Short Cut to Unpopularity".

Of course, if any headmaster ever treated me the way G&H treat their victims, I'd be outraged. Luckily, we are not one of their hapless victims suffering under their harsh tutelage; so, although we wince in sympathy with those being raked over the coals, we can also profit greatly from their chastisement. "The Reader Over Your Shoulder" is the most painstaking and explicit guide ever published on the craft of revising one's prose. Ideal for self-study. But beware: G&H get under your skin and stay there. Even as I write this review I can sense these two meticulous sadists hovering over my shoulder and I ready myself for a thrashing.

This review refers to the out-of-print, unabridged 1944 edition.

Robert Graves was one of the best writers of his era, but as this book shows, he was also a Puritan when it came to language. While this book contains many useful tips, it is also pedantic and argumentative. As many of the reviewers noted, Graves and Hodges often illustrate poor writing with examples that seem, in an initial reading, to be sound. Perhaps this merely shows that modern readers are being anaesthetized by bad prose, but I don't think so. If Graves and Hodges loosened up a notch or two they would have written a much better book.

The authors leave the topic of style a little too early for my taste, making the book more of a guide to editing than a guide to writing well.

Still, the book focuses on developing a prose style that is logical, clear, and succinct--the backbone of all good prose.

I just don't know about this book. ... I got it out of library, started reading it and came across this passage:

"For example: 'Everyone this autumn is wearing amusing antelope-skin gloves.' This may have been true in 1934 of every woman, or almost every woman, of a certain income level in certain London districts; elsewhere it was demonstrably untrue. Fashion notes of this sort ... historians will find them most misleading."

Are these guys for real? Two distinguished authors, one a professor of English literature, apparently totally missing the point and purpose of "Fashion notes". It hardly needs to be said that historians are probably the last people for whom these fashion notes are written, at least if my own experience of historians' dress-sense is anything to go by.

And then there's this example from a letter by an evacuee girl in the second world war:

"'The old cat was on to me yesterday about being careful with my crusts. I bet she's careful enough with hers, the old ... I don't suppose she'd give one to a beggar-child, not if it was starving. I must waste not and want not and put everything in the savings bank ... I must bow down to her as if she was a little tin image. I must get out of this place before I go potty.'"

Here is Graves and Hodge's analysis:

"Great care must be taken to let the reader know just when the ironical note is sounded and just when it ceases ... The three 'I must's here are not parallel. The first is the reported advice of the Old Cat; the second is the writer's ironical deduction...; the third is the writer's practical decision, given without irony."

Now, what exactly do Graves and Hodge intend by presenting this example? Are they saying that the girl's letter does NOT make it clear when she's being ironic? Coz frankly I think it's stunningly clear. To anyone. I think it's a remarkably well written letter, lucid and eloquent -- which is why Graves and Hodge were so easily able to explain the precise function of each 'I must' in the first place.

Graves and Hodge have themselves been guilty of a lack of clarity here -- are they criticising the letter or not? -- and for a book about good style in written English this is unforgivable.

The only trouble with writing a book on the errors made in WW II, is deciding which ones to throw out. The amazing thing is that after all was over, we won.

The book is well organized and tries to apply some structure to the errors, but it could easily be twice its size. For instance where is Kasserine Pass, the Hurtgen Forest, the whole strategic bomber campaign (well, part of that is covered here), Operation Cobra (where the highest ranking American officer, Lt. Gen. McNair, was killed by our own Air Corps).

This is an excellent book that covers the major errors of military operations in WW II. Mr. Macksey does a good job of seeing the strategic errors of all sides in the war. He goes far beyond the tactical evaluations and points out the principal thinking errors that resulted in key outcomes in the various campaigns. The author is not shy about saying someone was a dunderhead. On the other hand he is objective about why that person was making tremendous errors. "Bomber" Harris, for example, is castigated for his handling of air operations and his misguided belief in how the bomber forces were to be used. He (Harris) did not value scientific evidence as to how to achieve the best results at the least cost. Harris was apparently motivated by the desire to expand the air force and make it the decisive factor in the war.

Macksey does not point out often enough how correct action on one side lead to errors on the other. He does discuss this factor at length, but he often omits it in the analysis of key events. The battle of Midway for example, which he covers very well, omits any discussion of the risk taken by Nimitz in committing his entire carrier force to one battle in one area against a clearly superior enemy force. It should also be remembered that Nimitz did this after the US Navy and its allies had been taking a terrible beating for six months. The Japanese had blasted the US Navy at Pearl Harbor, destroyed the allied fleet at the Java Sea, hammered Port Darwin and embarrassed the US Navy in the Philippine landings and other places. After this unending spate of disasters Nimitz still remained confident he could beat the Japanese at Midway. And he put all his resources into one attack. Macksey correctly points out that if the US has lost big at Midway (which it well could have) the result would be Japanese hegemony over the Pacific for at least another year with all the attendant problems that would bring.

So the outcome at Midway went far beyond the Japanese doing things wrong, it also meant the US Navy had to do a lot of things right even after the series of defeats and setback of all kinds that it suffered.

One other matter should be noted. Mr. Macksey's writing style is hard to follow. His book is not an easy read. His sentence structure is very complex and his serpentine prose makes his conclusions hard to follow.

Still, it is an excellent book with a good deal of stretegic thought analyzed and compellingly set forth.

I read the book in Hungarian translation (ed. by Alexandra, Pécs, Hungary) and have found it interesting and informative. However:

1. the vacillating behaviour of Adms Inouje&Takagi in Coral Sea Battle is compared with that of Nagumo in Pearl Harbor action and this all is said to be well beyond to the example set at Tsushima by late short-sighted Adm. Togo. Well, everybody has the right to like or dislike Japanese of near or late past, I were, however, grateful to the author for giving even a piece of evidence of vacillating or short-sightedness of Togo(Last but not least: a good one-third of enemy ships succeeded in taking the leeway at Trafalgar, while at Tsushima no capital Russian ship remained afloat. What about Nelson, then?)

2. The picture presented here as VAdm Fukudome, had been published elsewhere (in an excellent overview on Great Sea Battles of XX. Century)as VAdm Kurita.

Sure, they could be consequences of translation, but such a valuable book is worth to a closer look. Just this is I tried to do. Sincerely: KF.

Whilst other reviews might criticise this book for not going into enough detail, it does work out as either a good foundation for further study, or simply as an interesting insight. It covers most aspects of the war, providing unbiased and clear points, with summaries to help simplify the arguments. It demonstrates the sudden changes and shocks that this new, technological world war presented each of the powers, particularly the stubborn Japanese Imperial code, and how the ordinary soldier was affected, often fatally. The book presents a range of careful individual personal profiles, mirroring the events, that so-often suffered from similar flaws, and in turns leads to an intriguing summary of the simple problems that were magnified into major flaws in planning and procedure. This is a good textbook, or a good read.

Military Errors of World War Two, is a fine addition to anyones book collection, detailing many of the main battles and events which took place during WW2.

The accounts of the Russian conflict are excellent, pointing out many of the flaws which are evident today, but were missed by the Germans over confidence.

My main gripe is the lack of depth for each area covered. The book should have contained maybe 3 key battles during the war and explained the errors with these in some depth.

Aside from this, a recommended book.

Mostly, I'd echo Mr. Giltinan's comments. The book is a disappointment, more full of anecdotal stories of everyday failures than the more the more interesting analysis of WHY these failures occur and how they reflect on the nature of scientific inquiry (and, as Mr. Giltinan point's out, many of the events reported have more to do with technical application problems than actual "pure" science.)

Moreover, many of these stories are fairly well-known. It feels more like the kind of book you'd find engaging as an adolescent, learning about these events for the first time, than as an adult reader looking for some thoughts on the nature of scientific error.

It seems like the majority of books I am reading these days are authors who are on "The Daily Show". I really enjoyed this book. I usually read fiction but these vignettes are so surreal that it is hard to believe they actually happened.

It's a type of book that keep you saying "That really happen". A good buy.

This is a fascinating book. The author describes twelve instances, one per chapter, where scientists' work has resulted in some form of disaster. The scientific fields in which such incidents are presented include medical/biological disciplines, earth sciences, nuclear sciences, space science and psychology. In many of these cases the author shows how a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It is clear from this book that the many scientific advances that we hear about regularly are peppered by a few serious fiascoes -often involving human error. The only way that I can envisage improving this book (or a sequel) is to include a few simple sketches or diagrams in the chapters where detailed descriptions of physical items are presented; this would greatly help the reader to better visualize that particular item and thus possibly better understand the nature of the disaster. The writing style is clear, friendly, accessible, authoritative and quite engaging. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but science buffs as well as those who are particularly interested in the potential shortcomings of the science/human interface may appreciate it the most.

A most enjoyable book. I read other books of this author and have always been
fascinated by his literary style, but in this book the author outdid
himself. Because the stories told in this book lend themselves to mix personal
and scientific aspects, they read like a thriller, but a highly informative
one. The chapters span a wide range of topics relating to science, engineering
and technology, so that there is something for everybody. However, despite the
variety of subjects covered, there is a clear unifying theme: scientists, and
people with highly technical occupations, are as human as everybody else. They
make mistakes, are moved by noble and less noble motives, and have careers to
worry about. In each chapter the author effortlessy switches between the
description of technical issues and the emotions and conflicts of the people
around that issue. It is this mixture that makes the book so enjoyable and
accessible to everyone. Technical details are never presented as dry facts, but
always firmly attached to some key event in the story, and personal details are
always offered to provide a natural context for the more technical aspects. One
aspect of this book which I really appreciated is that it got me interested in
things which, at first look, seemed not terribly exciting, like Mary Tudor's
study of stuttering in orphans, which took place in pre World War 2 Iowa. As the
story in question and the characters became more developed I could see the
orphanage and Mary Tudor in my mind, and started asking myself questions on
ethics and motives which trascended the specific topic. I highly recommend this
book to anyone with an inquisitive mind. The author has an impeccable reputation
for his thourough research, and he clearly conducted an impressive series of
interviews in developing the material for this book. Combined with his mastery
of the English language this led to an excellent product, which makes for a very
satisfying read.

I have bought it half years ago.and following my French study progress,I found it is an useful book for my grammar learning.It has lots of units which includes some mistakes that I would meet in my language study.Although they are complex and hard to memorise,it can give my great help than my class note.It is arrangement and clearly.but it is not include all French grammar area,so I give it 4 stars.however it is a useful reference book.

This is a great book for any level of French student. I've found it invaluable as a bridge between grammar studies and French as it should be spoken. You can open this book anywhere and read an interesting discussion on conversational usage you will not find in typical grammar books. A must have, in my opinion.

The book's format is basically this:
There's a little box with a French sentence containing an error made by an English speaker. Then there are suggestions on how to correctly write the sentence in French. This is not a bad diagnostic approach to improving one's French.

My problem with the book is that the vast majority of the errors cited I would not have made. At no stage in my learning of French would I ever have thought to made a lot of these mistakes. The effect, then, is that the book puts ideas in my head of how to make mistakes speaking or writing French.

Perhaps other people commonly make these mistakes. However, in my profession, I regularly encounter Americans who are in the process of learning French, either with books and lessons or by immersion. I have found that they do not make a lot of the errors mentioned in the book either.

I would recommend reading the other people's reviews and perhaps thumbing through the book yourself before you take my word for it. However, I would not recommend this book.

This is a great refresher to help anyone who studied French in school but wants to improve the accuracy of their grammar. The examples of "blunders" are a great way to illustrate to those experienced in speaking French of the inadvertent errors they may be making. For a grammar book, kept my attention better than I thought.

Extremely, très, très, très thorough! Great for any level. I have it for both french and spanish. I think they should attach a cd for the pronunciation portion though, so you can hear it. Yes, I'm one of those people who must hear a language :-) Other than that...this is a must have book.

Not just about alien abductions and satanic cults, this book helped me see that the "normal" therapy group I was in was a cult. The therapist I was involved with claimed that those of us in her "community" were healthier than average people and that the recovery she provided could not be found anywhere else in the world!

Singer also describes the dubious nature of some of the common practices in psychotherapy, like rebirthing, that are ineffective and also potentially dangerous.

Most importantly, Singer states that there needs to be an FDA type body to monitor all these people. The therapist that "treated" me belonged to the ACA which has been extremely professional in handling my complaints, but Singer's point is an excellent one.

This is an important book. I'm glad it exists. As the other reviewers mentioned, it exposes that certain types of therapies can be inefectual or even extremely damaging. The calls for caution are well deserved. Sometimes therapy can do much more harm than good. The scenarios presented in this book were disturbing for me to read, and I would not want anyone else to fall victim to similar situations.

HOWEVER, this book is also extremely biased. The fact is that many of these therapies work, and some of them can be a lot more effective than traditional methods (although I strongly believe that all these methods should be used in conjunction WITH traditional psychotherapy).

Many of these therapies are only dangerous when in the hands of a therapist who is either ignorant, irresponsible, ill-informed, or just plain sadistic. A traditional psychotherapist who was equally incompetent or malicious may be just as dangerous to a client.

However, I suspect that certain types of therapies may attract corrupt therapists, thus increasing the likelihood that one will encounter a corrupt therapist when seeking help. For example, any type of therapy involving hypnosis, including past life therapy. Hypnotists have complete control over their subjects, and are in a position where they would be able to brainwash them. Therefore, this type of therapy may attract therapists who have a desire to have power over others, and to use this power irresponsibly.

And yet, in the hands of the right therapist, hypnosis can be an invaluable tool for obtaining insight and facilitating the healing process.

Similar statements could be made about any of the other types of therapies mentioned in this book, including traditional psychotherapy.

Moreover, there are various interpretations of, and sects within all types of therapies, whether Freudian talk-therapy, or bio-energetics. There is much debate between psychologists, even between those in the same genre of therapy. I noticed that the "experts" on the various forms of therapy sighted in the book gave interpretations that seemed to be very different from interpretations I've read in mainstream literature on the subjects. It seems as though they are fringe groups within their field who have a false or skewed interpretation of the therapy that they practice. Other practitioners in their field would no doubt be equally disturbed by the scenarios described in this book, and would be enraged at these fringe groups giving their respectable therapeutic philosophies such a bad name.

Overall, the authors failed to provide balanced evidence. There is plenty of literature out there in support of these therapies. I have read some of it, including: many case studies with positive results; sane and scientific explanations as to WHY these therapies are helpful; empirical studies supporting their benefit. Why did the authors fail to provide such evidence? Especially when the sub-title of this book suggests that there will be a balanced investigation as to whether or not these therapies work. (They should rename the book: Crazy Therapies: They Don't Work!)

I was disapointed in this book. I believe that the warnings of danger and message of caution in this book are crucial for consideration for those considering these therapies. HOWEVER, I am saddened by the bias message, which (for those who don't know any better) will likely turn people completely off from trying these types of therapies, many of which WORK! (my personal recomendation goes to EMDR or any type of Thought Field Therapy. Check out the book "Instant Emotional Healing.")

Crazy Therapies surveys the disreputable world of therapy charlatans and wackos who base their methods on untenable theories and promote ideas that range from absurd to dangerous. The work is useful for anyone to read, though it is primarily directed at current or prospective patients. While an immediately appealing aspect of the book is its anecdotal recounting of the ridiculous (alien abduction, past-lives regression, the inner child), its competence and commendability lie in the practical guidelines it provides to those seeking therapy, in order to avoid harm and fraud at the hands of incompetent practitioners. An embarrassing but necessary review of the current state of psychotherapy. Sure to enrage.

An unfortunate but inevitable feature of the psychotherapy and holistic therapy fields is that theories and techniques tend to be supported by hype, anecdotal evidence, and personality cults. We are still a long way off cutting through the smoke and mirrors to arrive at objective and evidence-based conclusions.

It is true that Crazy Therapies can seem a little biased and negative in places but that is an equally inevitable conlusion that comes from "over-selling" therapies of dubious validity, or even taking moderately effective techniques and portraying them as quick fixes or miracle cures.

The proponents (salesmen?) of the therapies criticised in this book will probably post reviews attacking the authors. At the end of the day people need to decide for themselves what to believe but their decision should be an informed one, taking account of both the pros and cons of each approach. The criticisms, which prevail in the scientific literature, have been massively under-represented in the popular literature so this book goes a small way to filling an important gap and helping to restore some balance to things.

This is an excellent book for those who are simply interested in the topics presented, who are involved in any of these "therapies" or thinking of seeking them out. There were a number of therapies I have never heard of - maybe because I don't have television or read New Age garbage - or (possibly) because some of the therapies are no longer used (the book was published in 1996). I was truly stunned at how cruel, dangerous, and wacko some of these treatment modalities are. For example, Neural Organizational Technique (NOT) used on dyslexic and learning-disabled children is supposed to "correct blocked 'neural pathways' by means of painful and stressful 'adjustments' of the bones of the skull." In other words the practitioner "attempts to move the skull bones." The chiropractor who developed this ridiculous treatment must have been absent on the day they taught skull anatomy. If not he would have known that the skull bones are fused and do not move. As the mother of a six-year old boy with delayed speech recalls, "They were applying such tremendous pressure to [my son's] skull and the roof of his mouth that they would break into a sweat and their bodies would just shake with the force of their exertion." Unbelievably, this technique is still practiced today (I just did a Google search and the first two websites listed were about the wonders of this therapy).

I know that "recovered memories" of alien abduction therapies are still around because Harvard professor John Mack is still around. Past-life regression is still around, as well as rebirthing - although this procedure has resulted the deaths of some children (Milwaukee, Colorado). Criminal charges have been brought against a few of these incompetents. In addition, children and their families have been torn apart as the result of the discredited therapy of facilitated communication (see http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/06-05-25.html to start).

Not to minimize all the damage done to patients/clients presented in 'Crazy Therapies,' while reading this book I couldn't help but wonder about the gullibility of so many people in need of help. I am sure that people enter these therapies out of desperation, but also because of all the hype that goes along with these cure-alls. Why anyone would consider a recommendation from a celebrity as some kind of testimonial to the effectiveness of any of these modalities is beyond me. But we are living in a society where magical thinking has replaced common sense and the evidence presented in peer-reviewed journals of random, double-blind studies is ignored or rejected (a favorite excuse among Alternative Medicine practitioners is that their treatments or claims cannot be tested - not good). The results of a 2001 Gallup Poll showed the following beliefs in the general population: 54% of people believed in psychic/spiritual healing, 42% believed that houses can be haunted, 41% believed in satanic possession, 36% in telepathy, 25% in reincarnation, and 15% in channeling (Skeptical Inquirer; 30, 1; 37-40).

I have to comment on the review given by "a reader" in Canada. She states that she supports some of these therapies, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - also known as Thought Field Therapy (in one of her other reviews it appears that she buys into Satanic Ritual Abuse - Hmmm). Despite "a readers'" claim to contrary, EMDR has been discredited (for example, see Lilienfeld, et al; Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology). She also complains that the book is biased. Well, if she means that pretty much all these treatments are discredited in the book, I guess she's right. However, Singer and Lalich use direct quotes from many of the developers and advocates of these treatments to hang themselves. Using their own words, practitioners theorize how their treatments work - and some of them admit that they don't have any idea how they work! The lists of symptoms or diseases that these people claim their treatments cure is really scarey: cancer, MS, 'AIDS.' Pity the poor person who falls for this stuff.

Finally, the authors give some important advice when one is choosing a therapist or is already seeing a practitioner of these therapies. I'll only mention two because these are the ones that I have come upon in other books on controversial therapies: run away from anyone who tells you that in order to get better you have to get worse, or if the therapist tells you to stop communicating with familly and friends. In addition, check their credentials - and find out what all of them mean. Just because someone is certified in a particular therapy doesn't mean that this therapy is safe and effective (for example, UW-Oshkosh offers a post-graduate certificate in Alternative Therapies for R.N.s).

I am a tutor, and needed a very basic teacher's guide. This fits the bill. At first glance, I doubted that is would be what I needed, but after reading it and using it the first time...I find it to be excellent.
The exercises are very appropriate, and I copy them off for the work sheets.. I am well satisfied.

With the patience and attention to detail of a saint, Professor Shaughnessy hunted, and found, patterns in her students' writing that allowed her to lift each student to his or her true potential. This is THE book for the teacher of basic, first-language writing. Her prose is stunning in itself and is a model for the kind of clear, elloquent writing she would espouse. Certainly the best of its kind and as yet to be equalled.

I am in graduate school and read this for class--while I think it's interesting, I think it's a difficult read unless you're actively teaching. Read it if you find yourself teaching Basic Writing (BW) students, are interested in learning more about the social aspects of BW students (i.e. how the lower echelon of students feel about its treatment vs. those students in higher tracks) or the psychology of the student in general. If you are going to use it, it might be best to focus initially on what you are strongest in, i.e. syntax, grammar, spelling. While overall I found it interesting in theory, it was a difficult read and hard to grab practical information from it.

In the dry world of composition theory, Shaughnessy's brilliantdiscussion of error in student writing stands as a landmark. Aftertwenty-plus years, this book remains highly readable and one of the half dozen most important books in the field. I particularly admire the writer's refusal to slip into the pseudo-scientific jargon that typifies the trendy, flimsy, unreadable literature that comprises the field of composition. Anyone who teaches writing at a high school or college level would benefit from reading this fine book.

I can't agree with Dr. Bruce Leeds more. This is THE book for the teachers of basic writers. Also, it is food for thought for ESL writing teachers. This book is a classic. I am waiting for another equivalent classic for an ESL writing teacher like me.

This text gets right to the point about root cause analysis and the various analytical tools that are used in the process. It is a great supplement to the material I've review on the subject for class work. I highly recommend this text for anyone who is studying the subject for accident investigation or process improvement.

This book does an excellent job of quickly covering conventional root cause analysis. With an emphasis on documentation, the author takes you through a series of steps that include defining the problem, methods for collecting data and gathering information, analysis of the problem, and ultimately developing corrective action. This book moves very fast, reading more like a slide-show presentation than a book, yet the author is able to communicate a lot of good information using this minimalist approach. Rather than detailing numerous analysis methods, the author keeps it simple by sticking with a fixed path to problem solving. I found the "Pitfalls of ..." sections after each topic very insightful. In addition, the collection of forms, tables, and checklists included in the book (great appendix) are excellent. Don't look for case studies here, this is a straight forward how-to book

Provides a clear, step by step methodology, with techniques, for problem or error analysis and identifying a solution. This is an exceptionally practical work offering a methodology for problem solving that is attractive; one which I subscribe to and use. Recommended.

My background is information systems service delivery. I stumbled across this gem when I was searching for resources on how to structure outage investigations for applications that did not meet service level objectives.

Prior to reading this book I viewed root cause analysis as a reactive tool to be used to investigate the causes of failures. The approach taken by the author is to also use this technique as a proactive tool in a manner similar to failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA).

Here is a summary of what how this book approaches root cause analysis: it begins with a section on defining problems and collecting data. This approach allows you to take a proactive approach, especially if you are in an environment that uses statistical process controls to measure process performance. This is augmented by a chapters on task analysis and event and casual factor charting. This is where the author's approach begins to resemble FMECA techniques, which are proactive versus reactive methods of addressing problems and risks. This is followed by chapters on interviewing and reporting.

I particularily liked the chapter on interviewing techniques, which added a practical dimension root cause analysis. I also liked the way the author used hints throughout the book to reinforce methods.

The rest of the brief 135-page book is devoted to forms, worksheets and checklists that significantly add to the value or the book. I would have liked an accompanying diskette with this material in electronic format, but the lack of it does not detract from the book in any way.

If you want to use root cause analysis as a proactive tool in conntection with a continuous improvement initiative I recommend that you also consider Understanding Variation by Donald Wheeler. If you are seeking a more proactive approach to preventing problems in the first place you might consider augmenting Root Cause Analysis Handbook with Failure Mode and Effect Analysis by D. H. Stamatis.

Accidents happen because of an amalgamation of errors, not simply because of one person's "human error". Design faults, management pressures, poor training, long shifts, poor device interfaces, insufficent safety guards, poor maintenance, and many other issues come together to afford an accident that would not have caused that accident alone. Finding root cause enables blame to be placed and make the rest of the system feel "safe" while latent problems still linger. Safety is created by fostering a culture that sees risks for what they are and works to minimize those risks (better training, better safety guards, lessening worker fatigue) and NOT by placing blame on one "root cause".

I've read all of the puzzle lady novels and have enjoyed them all, but this one is not up to par. First, the cursing has escalated both in frequency and severity. Before, it was an occasional "he-- or sh--", but now it's gone to more unexceptable ones & pops up much more often. This one is also too much about Cora. There is very little interaction w/the people who make the stories good. Her antics are way over the top & the solution is one that the reader couldn't possibly see coming. That's not all bad, I suppose, but it needs to have some line to follow & this is way out there. I'm about to start the next one, but if this style keeps up, it will be the last.

Cora Felton's birthday is coming, and the citizens of Bakerhaven are going to give their most famous citizen a party whether she wants it or not. Bur Cora's focus isn't on avoiding her birthday (she doesn't celebrate any more). Instead, it's on the old case she's be hired to investigate.

Lawyer Becky Baldwin has asked Cora to look into a 20 year old murder case. Darryl Daigue was convicted of the crime but still says he's innocent. Darryl's sister has hired the lawyer to see if there is reasonable doubt about his guilt.

Cora has barely started investigating before she is told to drop the case. Considering she didn't think there was any evidence worth pursuing, that intrigues her. A little more poking around produces a suspicious accident. Then, someone starts following her. Why all this interest in a case that is so old?

Fans of this series know what to expect, and this book is more of the same. The witty banter between the character had me laughing the entire way through. Cora has given up drinking, but her smoking seemed more obnoxious, at least at the beginning. The supporting cast isn't given as much to do in this book, but I found Cora plenty entertaining on her own. There are cross word puzzles included, but they are related to a sub-plot and not a part of the mystery.

The book does have one flaw, the ending. The story is so convoluted that it is hard to keep track of everyone's motives. And the ending is especially weak. It does make sense, although I had to read the last few chapters twice to make sure I understood. It's almost like the author had so much fun constructing the mystery that he forgot he had to end it somehow.

To be honest, I had so much fun with this book I really didn't care. There were so many great moments, it's hard to complain too much about the ending. So if you are a fan of this series, plan to read this book.

Enlisted to investigate whether reasonable doubt exists that repugnant Darryl Daigue actually committed the murder he was convicted of 20 years ago, Cora "The Puzzle Lady" Felton stirs up one hornets nest after another in "And a Puzzle to Die On." It's the sixth in Parnell Hall's series featuring Felton and the regular gang in Bakershaven, Connecticut, and if you've enjoyed any of Hall's previous novels you'll no doubt like this one.

This is a cozy with a slight edge: The violence is muted; the dialogue is pretty tame by crime novel standards; but Cora is a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed (compared to most cozy characters) old broad with an attitude. The fun is following along from one riotous chapter to the next, listening to the banter among the characters, getting lost in a comic misadventure that's light as air. If you enjoy that kind of thing -- and Hall is quite adept at carrying readers along on a wild ride with few hard bumps or crash landings -- this book is for you. You'll be able to ignore the implausible, hopelessly convoluted plot that exists solely to puzzle the reader. After finishing the book, I still wasn't sure what had happened -- but I didn't care all that much. Hall had entertained me for a few hours.

I had read the first in this series, "A Clue For the Puzzle Lady," and after reading this most recent entry, I'll go ahead and read the others. As a rule, I don't enjoy cozies. But Hall has a nice touch and a good sense of pacing, and this series provides a welcome change of pace for a reader who usually prefers a crime novel with a harder edge and bleaker vision.

One side note: A glaring error in the dust jacket copy has me wondering if the folks at Bantam even read the book. The copy twice refers to Bakersfield instead of Bakershaven.

She is known as the puzzle lady but it is really her publicity shy niece who is the puzzle constructor. Cora's favorite pastime is solving real life murder mysteries, which is why she agrees to lawyer Becky Baldwin's proposition. Becky wants Cora to find out if convicted murderer Daryl Daigue really killed seventeen year old Anita Dryer two decades ago. Depending on what Cora digs up, Becky will decide whether she wants to take the case.

Sara visits Darryl in prison; he acts like a criminal but insists that he was working at the time Anita was killed and he was covering for Ricky Gleason, the actual killer. Before leaving the prison, Warden Profack subtly warns Cora not to work on Darryl's case. Sara find that admonition suspicious and keeps digging which leads to her being followed by a private detective who is murdered at Cora's birthday party. Later, someone throws a rock through her window and she is arrested for absconding with a toy poodle that belongs to a woman who was also murdered because she had something that the killer wanted. The truth about who hired Becky and the two murders comes out when Cora has her day in court.

AND A PUZZLE TO DIE ON is a deliciously convoluted amateur sleuth mystery in which everyone connected to the case has a hidden agenda. The protagonist is in fine form as she breaks into offices and homes, steals what turn out to be significant, winds up spending a night in jail, and refuses to conform to court etiquette. Parnell Hall has written a complex who-done-it that has the requisite number of red herrings and misleading clues.

Harriet Klausner

Like the other reviewers, I picked this up at the bookstore without looking at the date it was published. Lots has changed in the national airspace system since 1989, but the underlying technology remains similar and - the most important part - pilot-controller interactions have remained almost unchanged. "Avoiding Common Pilot Errors" probably isn't the place to look for the latest information on terminology, but it's a great resource for the thinking pilot who wants to understand more about how controllers work and interact with aviators.

I'm a recently-certified flight instructor, and there are dozens of points which Stewart raises that my extensive training hasn't covered. It's not the only resource, but it's an excellent supplement that will probably benefit most casual and professional pilots.

This book was a great introduction to the world of ATC, how controllers see traffic, and how they interact with pilots. Good tips on how to help controllers help you (and how not to seem like a fool). My only complaint is that it's out of date (it predates the switch to Class A,B,C,D,E,G airspace), which detracts from a few chapters. The author notes that the book will need to be updated "soon", but this apparently never happened.

I am a beginner pilot and I found John's book to be very helpful in demistifying the air traffic control system. It gives great explaination of the system and what the jobs and concerns are of the folks who work in the system. I highly recommend this book to all pilots, especially beginners.

I just finished reading John Stewart's book, Avoiding Common Pilot Errors, which I purchased in March 2003 from Barnes & Noble. I enjoyed Stewart's style and appreciated his in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, much of which is greek to most pilots. However, and this is a BIG HOWEVER, Stewart's book was published in 1989, years before GPS came into common usage, before airspace designations was changed to Class A, B, C, etc., before the wild advances in computer processing speed and memory/storage technologies, -- well, you get the idea. It's a bit, umm, "dated." (Remember MLS, LORAN, TRSAs, TCAs, ATAs? This book will tell you all you ever wanted to know about those dinosaurs.) Nevertheless, this book does teach things that increased my comfort with the ATC system, but the book begs to be updated to reflect the myriad changes that have occurred in the ATC environment as a result of 15 years of legislative pressures, technological advancements, security concerns and edicts following September 11, etc. Mr. Stewart, if you're out there reading these words, PLEASE publish an update if it's feasible. I'd really like to have your good advice (and great examples, stories and anecdotes) about such things as filing GPS-direct, ATC equipment upgrades, ATC procedural changes, facility consoldations, legal issues affecting pilots, the increasing role of private contractors in the operation of ATC facilities, coming FSS changes, getting the most out of automated reporting services, etc. (For example, I live in OKC and fly to Iowa frequently. Why can't I find a website where I can listen to the current ASOS or AWOS or ATIS at every airport in the state of Iowa?) Despite my gripe about the dated sections of this book (should I have thought to check the publication date before going to the Barnes & Noble checkout?), I believe that every U.S. pilot should both hear and heed John Stewart's advice. Oh, by the way, I am an instrument-rated commercial pilot.