Adam Sandler is my idol. He has been for a while. I own every movie and have posters and every cd of his and 2 books. This one is awesome. I only gave it 4 stars though because i don't anymore unathourized biography i want a full fledged Adam Sandler autobiography. I shall leave you with this though... This book is a must have for the smallest ot the largest (me) Sandler fan.

I have spent my life since I first saw adam trying to make myself as funny and cool as he is. Well when I read this book it let me know a lot of things I didn't know about adam. I reccomend this for any fan. Whether you are also one of his biggest fans like me or just a small fan you'll probably like it.

After anyone starts reading the book Adam Zigzag you will never want to put it down. It's a book with a lot of emotional attachments. You just want to jump in the story and help the boy and his family finds out how to deal with their problems. It is a fiction book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
This boy named Adam was born with dyslexia. When he was little he would try and read to his family and he couldn't. Despite not being able to read as he got older he became popular and very good looking. He is older but he still has problems with reading that he can't fix. It just kept getting worse. So he had to move to a different school to get help. Ever since he was little he has always had tutors to help him responding to the book he would be reading.
The other main character is Caroline. She is Adams older sister. She is normal and doesn't have any disabilities. She doesn't like how her brother has problems but she tries to deal with them anyways. She tries her best to help him in any way he might need. In the middle of the story she gets in a fight wit her friend and her mom helps her out. They are a very close family and always there for each other. Since they have to move she looses all her friends anyways. Out of the whole family it seems like she is having the most trouble with everything because she is so embarrassed.
Adam Zigzag is the perfect title for the story because every time Adam would read he would relate and compare how all he sees is zigzags and scribbles. Even in the book when he was little his friends would call him zigzag as a nickname to try to encourage the fact he can't read.
Every character in this book demonstrates the thinking behavior persistence. For example, when Adam had to try his best to get out of that New York school he never gave up. He worked until he got the grades to get out. No matter what happened he had to prove to everyone that he could do it. Caroline had to keep working on maintaining her friendship because if it was over she wouldn't have any other friends. The parents are persistent on trying to convince Adam to keep going to school and trying to peruse reading.
When they were little they all lived together but Adam would just go to different schools. In high school he was the most popular guy and was still having trouble reading. He also had trouble doing his homework and turning it in. His grades were falling and they were getting so bad that he had to transfer schools all the way back down in New York. He had to go by himself and live without his family in a home.
The end of this book is just as interesting as the beginning. Adam Zigzag never gets boring for one second. But then again it all depends on what the reader enjoys. Most people would think this book was exciting and worth while to read. It was sad to think that a guy couldn't read even though he tries his hardest. Knowing that the harder you try and the more you think about it, you will never accomplish reading because you have a disease.

From the moment I read that the plot of this novel concerns dyslexia on the back cover of this book, I knew that this was an ideal story for me. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I like the way she describes things and uses topics that are easy to relate to. I feel there are many good points of this book, even though the vocabulary is too basic for the audience she intends to have read her story. It's told in first person by two of the characters, Adam and Caroline. It deals with issues that young people of today might be familiar with, and offers comfort to those who are having the same kinds of problems mentioned in the book. It is reassuring for them to know that they are not alone.This story takes place in present day New York City. It is about the childhood and teen years of a dyslexic boy, Adam. He calls himself "Adam Zigzag" in secret. His sister, Caroline, is dyslexic as well, but she has a far milder case than Adam. The story is told from the viewpoints of both Adam and Caroline. Adam goes through much testing to find his strengths and weaknesses, and to find which schools can meet his needs. Caroline, in the midst of all this, is jealous of all the attention that Adam is getting from everyone. When he gets in to the same school as Caroline, she resents him more. "And then Adam enrolled. Suddenly here comes this blond, angelic boy. 'Oh he's so cute!' everyone said. No one had to tell me I was definitely not 'cute'. No cheekbones. Too skinny. A gigantic nose." Many other things happen throughout the course of this story. Adam has to have his bar mitzvah and he's worried that he won't be able to read from the Torah. He goes from school to school and interview to interview. He becomes more and more frustrated, and Caroline becomes embarrassed by his behavior. He begins to hang out with the wrong crowd. Caroline feels she should tell someone, but as she said, "Adam had enough bad stuff going on." And she "just couldn't add to it." Adam eventually realizes he needs to change his ways to be successful. "Sometimes when I think about all the money and time my parents have spent on me while I was [goofing] off in classes at school, I could just shoot myself. I wonder: did any of the time I spent with previous tutors pay off?" Adam Zigzag is a wonderfully written book to which young people of today can relate. Right from the beginning, the characters are introduced and the scenario becomes familiar. If you are a person who is dyslexic or close to someone who is, or someone who has been having problems hanging out with the wrong crowd, this book could be exceptionally good for you. I highly recommend it. Kara ... is a freshman... who enjoys books that reflect on life.

Amelia Appleberry has just inherited a small Wisconsin farm from her Aunt Grace. She meets Adam Larsen, the man who has been trying to buy the land from Grace for years. Early resentment turns to attraction, as Adam helps Amelia through some hilarious adventures from planting a garden to finding the perpetually wandering cow and getting butted by the goat. Amelia has a real knack for communicating with the animals, but does she have the same knack for knowing Adam's heart? It's the secondary characters (mostly animals) that make this very funny story work. Patricia Ellis can tell a good story while she makes you laugh in this 4 1/2 star novel.

"Adam's Kiss" is an enjoyable romance with likable characters, humorous situations, a quick pace and vivid descriptions. Animal lovers will enjoy Amelia's quirky but sucessful conversations with her pets, and her humble yet uninhibited response to Adam. Their "gardening passion" will leave you smiling, and you'll never think of liniment in quite the same way again. Patricia Ellis blends the right amount of passion, playfulness and human interest to make this story a good read -- so much so I read it in one evening! Hope she writes a sequel for Adam's brother!

The plays in the History's Project's "Character in Time: The US Presidents" series are interesting and informative and, above all, very readable. People unfamiliar with reading plays should not be put off by the format -- after a few minutes time, it seems perfectly natural to read dialogue instead of normal prose. Students, especially, will appreciate the playwright's artful distillation of the subject's ideas and philosophy, as well as the lively presentation of his character -- there's really a lot of information packed into these small volumes.

We are treated to an original account of our second president in a humorous rendition that plays brilliantly in our minds. This one act play is a poignant look at the personal issues of a Massachusetts's attorney turned president and the country he was elected to lead during its political infancy. The investment of your time will be well spent.

Author Paul Stroble has crafted a wonderful story with real characters and an honest view of life in a small Midwestern town. This novel revolves around Becky, a wonderfully independent woman in all matters except her ties to her hometown. Throughout the novel, Stroble weaves excellent subplots through romance, history and a great group of supporting characters. Stroble offers a realistic look at small town life, and addresses the attitudes of the urban population towards that way of life. Adams Street Antiques provides an outstanding main character with a strong supporting cast, a nice romance and a view of everyday life in a small Midwestern town. Great leisure reading

Adams Street Antiques is so satisfying, it gets my vote as the perfect book to curl up with on a quiet rainy day. Author Paul Stroble does for small town Illinois what Jan Karon does for the Blue Ridge Mountains: Stroble's description of "Mayersburg", its citizens and history is so charming, you'll think you're there---and if you're not, you'll want to be. Main character Becky Harmon is one of the most likeable, unpretentious thirtysomethings in recent fiction history, and her friends and family reflect a spectrum of colorful personalities. Whether you're a history buff, a Midwest-phile, an antiques collector, or just someone who wants to read a good, clean, well-written story, get this book. Make a pot of tea and spend an afternoon with Becky Harmon. You'll be glad you did.

James E. Coleman, Jr., writing in the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1999 notes: "Whether Leeming is as successful in taking on an artist's life as he had been with the literary life of [James] Baldwin, I am not certain. His knowledge of Baldwin's literary world is not quite matched by his savvy of the art world of the same period. Nevertheless, we have a fine introduction to an artist whose reputation is growing and who lived a fascinating life." That's high praise coming from Coleman, editor of The Encyclopedia Homophilica.

America's artistic milieu is known for dismissing from its memory those artists whose works and lives are deemed trivial and not worthy of consideration. Such an attitude has denied younger generations of artists the experience of knowing some of the great artistic man and women of our time. Beauford Delaney was one of those artists relegated to the halls of obscurity.

Amazing Grace is David Leemings biographical piece that examines Delaney's life and contributions to the art world. He looks at the forces which brought forth America's premiere modernist artist and shows how his gift impacted on the way one views life and art.

Who is this man, Delaney? A superficial view of his life reveals him as an impoverished homosexual Black artist who is plagued by many demons as he struggles to find himself as an artist and at peace with his sexuality. James Baldwin called him his spiritual father who was a cross between Brer Rabbit and St. Francis of Asissi. Others knew him as the good negro or an eccentric gadfly. Whatever one may call him, Delaney's goal was to infuse the concept of love within his work that would bring him the wholeness that he failed to capture in his life.

Plagued by paranoia, alcoholism and guilt over his homosexuality, Delaney failed to achieve intimacy in his relationships but poured out his inner struggle through his art. Like many artists, he went through several stages of development in his career which reached its climax in France. Unfortunately the demon of paranoia stripped him of his artistic ability in his later years.

This book must be read to get a handle on the artistic struggles of African Americans and how they succeeded inspite of their alienation from the mainstream art world. Delaney also struggled with being homosexual which undoubtably alienated him from his family and Black colleagues. His struggle opens up a new chapter in examining how sexuality impacts on a minority artists life. Delaney was saved from obscurity through this view of his life. Whether he was saved by grace is a moot point for his demonic voices did him in.

This biography offers its readers a wide range of suggestions and examples how American landscape entered into the American cultural essence as an icon, a point of reference. Obvious that photographers could inhale deeper this magic: great prairies, majestic spaces of woods and water, and so on. Adams fought all his life for this searching, his adventure followed this last century, expecially for what's "preservation of nature and animals/plants nature contains". Thank you, Adams, from one among million walkers and photographers! Fred T. from Turin, Italy.

Jonathan Spaulding's biography of Ansel Adams (or AA as people referred to him) provides a counterpoint to Mary Street Alinder's. While Alinder shows us Adams the Man first, with the influence of the American West and the Environmental Movement in a supporting role, these forces are prominent in Spaulding's work.

This is not to say that Spaulding does not talk about AA's private life, a pre-requisite for any biography, but does so only as it relates to AA's pursuit of photography and environmental causes. Absent, for example, are details of his relationship with his wife Virginia (which was quite complex: someone needs to write a biography of Virgina Best Adams in a way that Stacy Schiff wrote of Vera Nabokov) and the hard relationship with his children.

What Spaulding gives us instead is a very detailed account of the evolution of Adams' photographic vision and technique, and the influence of the American West on it. Through this you find his relationship to other important photographers and their influence on him and his styles: Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, and many others. We also see the influence of Western expansion throughout the first half of the 20th century, especially after WWII. In particular the seeming incongruity of AA producing pictures drawing people to the Western national parks while campaigning with the Sierra Club to limit the impact of tourists on Nature is discussed. The battle, falling out, and eventual reconciliation between Adams and David Brower is also detailed

If you are most interested in AA's life, read his autobiography or Alinder's biographry. If you want to know more about his influences and those things that he influenced, Spaulding's book is an excellent and readable choice. The book is heavily footnoted, with over 80 pages of notes, and contains a useful bibliography for anyone wishing to research further Adams' very interesting life.

As a footnote, the book does not include any pictures whose copyright is held by the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, which refused to grant permission.

Ansel Adams was our photographer-advocate laureate of the national parks. This outstandng volume combines a look at his efforts both to capture the meaning of the parks and to lobby on their behalf. Fortified with a Guggenheim Fellowship in the 1940s, Adams was able to travel throughout the U.S. to visit the many national parks outside of his beloved, native California. This volume greatly benefits from those travels in creating his ideas and the 80 black and white images contained in it.

As Ansel Adams reminds us, "The National Parks, are, indeed a phenomena of an advanced society . . . ." When Yellowstone was established by President Grant in 1872, it was the first national park in the history of the world. Since then, we have been in a race between despoiling our wilderness environment and retaining some of it in national parks. The challenge is heightened by the pressures to commercialize and increase access to wilderness areas. How many people should visit Yosemite each year? These are the questions that Ansel Adams anticipated and helped us address. These questions are even more relevant and important today than when he first raised them. "Possessions, both material and spiritual, are appreciated most when we find ourselves in peril of losing them."

"There is a constant erosion of the concept and the reality of wilderness." Unfortunately, Adams was much more successful as a photographer than in achieving his environmental vision. Will his final epitaph of the future be of someone who captured images of what does not exist any more? I certainly hope not.

I recommend the preface by William A. Turnage very highly to understand Ansel Adams' vision and its effects on our society. The preface also contains a delightful section by Nancy Newhall on what it was like to be Ansel Adams' assistant for his dawn photography treks.

This book contains much more written material by Ansel Adams on conservation and the national parks than in any other book of his photographs that I have seen. I enjoyed reading about his ideas, and they helped me understand his photography better as well. He is trying to show us "the clear realities of Nature seen with the inner eye of the spirit [to] reveal the ultimate echo of God."

As I mentioned in the title to this review, the publisher put these images on pages that are too small to capture the detail of Adams' work in most cases. In fairness to the publisher, I should also point out that remarkable efforts have been made to reproduce these images well in the small format. Compared to other small reproductions of these same images, these are by far the best I have seen.

Some compositions in fact succeed in overcoming the limitations of the page size. These include:

Cliff Palace Ruin, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, 1941

Leaves, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, 1942

Forest, Early Morning, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, 1949

Leaf, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, 1948

Forest, Beartrack Cove, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, 1949

Teklanika River, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1947

Mount McKinley from Stoney Pass, Denali National Park, Alaska, 1948

Cinder Cone in Crater of Haleakala, Haleakala National Park, Hawaii, 1956

Mount Lassen from Devastated Area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, 1949

Mount Clarence King, Pool, Kings Canyon National Park, California, 1932

Many of the other photographs will be familiar to Ansel Adams' fans. If you have seen them reproduced in larger sizes, you can use your memory to add the missing detail. In this size though, the details being indistinct is like erasing chapters from a novel. Adams often accentuated reflections of details between different natural features in his compositions. When some details are obscured in small size, the reflections thus are not available to stimulate your mind.

In keeping with the spirit of Ansel Adams, I suggest that you consider becoming active in organizations (like the Sierra Club, which Adams belonged to for many years) that fight to save wilderness areas. If your great grandchildren are ever to experience the spiritual cleansing of the wilderness, we each must act now.

"Solitude, so vital to the individual man, is almost nowhere."

This book is really beautiful. The pictures have been really well selected. I think this book would make a perfect gift for almost anyone, since it has pictures from all over the United States.

Anyone who doesn't know a lot about Ansel Adams but is interested in learning more about his work will appreciate and enjoy this cleverly organized pictorial. Structured by national parks, the reader will see many wonderful pictures, some classics, that will surely create a better impression as to what type of pictures Adams takes. A great gift book as well.

This wee little book (4 inch by 4 inch format) dispels the notion that the work of Ansel Adams can only be appreciated in a coffee table book. Organized into 10 sections by location (Zion National Park, Yellowstone, etc.) and peoples (Native Americans and Their Lands), it shows Adams's work out west in our great national places like Grand Canyon and the Boulder Dam. The great appeal of this little book is that these fabulous black and white images retain their beauty and mystery even though reduced in size. I can, and I have, carried it with me throughout the house, or on a walk with the dog, or have thumbed through it while sipping a cup of coffee. It is well worn and well loved. And now I am going to order one for my cousin who will move out to Montana with her new husband.

This profusely illustrated text will give residents in radiology the basic anatomy needed to form a solid foundation for a complete radiologist.It however does not contain tables for easy reading and review.
The pictures are explicit and help to further reinforce understanding of the text.

A very well organised and profusely illustrated text which provides information on anatomy as related to and conventional radiology and more sophisticated radiological forms of investigation like the magnetic resonance imaging. First year residents would find the book useful as it provide the basic anatomic knowledge needed in making diagnosis. This book is a must for radiologists!