Valori Wells' lavish photography alone is worth the price of this book: her lush, colorful garden imagery will be a very comforting re-read on a dreary winter's day here in New England. The quilt patterns, however, are a serious disappointment. There are surprisingly few quilts to be found among the exquisite portraits of rippling lavender fields and dewy pansies; and of the tiny handful of patterns included in this book, there are only two which I like well enough to attempt.

Through the Garden Gate is a great looking book. I enjoyed it for the descriptions of the quilters and their inspirations, as well as to see their innovative quilt designs. It includes glossy pages of photos of both the quilts and the gardens that inspired them. The quilt designs are fresh and different. It is obvious that many of the designs tell a lot about the designers. But don't buy this book if you're looking for any quantity of quilt designs. Buy for inspiration from nature. There are only 11 patterns included from 9 quilters. Clear, concise illustrated instructions good enough for beginners.

My daughter bought this book for my most recent birthday and it is absolutely fabulous. I love the garden photographs and the pictures of quilts in neat settings. I may even try to make the quilt on the cover for my daughters upcoming birthday!

OK so I'm not a trained critic and this is just my opinion. Does anyone else see the obvious artifice in his poetry? Constructed to tried and trusted formulae. The other reviews speak of his broad spectrum of subject matter. Reading some of his material, he knows nothing first hand of what he is writing. Maybe I am a sentimentalist, but I prefer poetry to be written from real expereince, from the heart. I find Stevens' writing literally competent, but I can't ever imagine it moving me. I need something deeper, truer.

Stevens is a national treasure. This is poetry of and about the imagination, but it is grounded in our real life experience of things. One should read his work as one would listen to great music, let it flow through you...but don't try too hard to comprehend it intellectually, at least, not on first reading it. If I had to choose one book to take to a desert island it would be this one.

Who knew that the self-possessed and elegant verse of Wallace Stevens actually masked an insecure, nervous man of choleric temperament? Not me. Kermode, a Stevens scholar and biographer, has done a good job of not merely reprinting here the familiar but of finding some true surprises, too. For example, this verse, written in Stevens' 40th year to a college literary magazine that was sponsoring a competition:

I Want to Win The Darned Contest

Please let me win
your poetry contest
I'd like to be a lucky winner today.
I'm dreaming of the fame that will
ensue if you call me to utter
the words that make it worth while:
You're a winner, you're not a loser
any more
you totally have what it takes to
write a poem
that moves us
without making us puke.
Please god, that's what I need to
hear from you.
OK? OK.
Thanks again.
Very Truly Yours,
Wallace Stevens
Vice President.

The book taught me a lot about this great American poet.

Would you ever stand outside in the freezing cold, while getting beat and stared at all just to be heard and fight for something that you know you may never ever win? Well most wouldn't, however the brave yet very young shirtwaist girls did, day after day until something was done about it! The novel We Shall Not Be Moved by the author Joan Dash clearly and vividly informs readers about the "Women's Factory Strike Of 1909". Though many look upon the matter as insignificant it is truly the opposite as the author obviously demonstrates in her writing and enthusiasm.
The story is a very influential and heartbreaking; however it is all of this as well as more all while being incredibly precise. It explains that not only hardworking "men" get tired but hardworking women need a break also. Though it is indeed a story of triumph it sends an important and strong message across to its readers. The story starts in a shirtwaist building as many, many girls started their days in 1909. Young women, so deep into their silent yet busily done work they almost overlooked one little fact. The almost did not and at times ignored the simply stated fact that they were being "pushed around". Any one of the girls could have told a story of going hungry, not having a home and numerous more mishaps that occurred. All of them due to a extremely unfortunate cause, the very undersized amount of pay they received, especially for such carefully done work. Finally, a fed up girl speaking and crying out in Yiddish tongue announced her pain to the entire room of people, each and every one with the same exact opinion on the subject matter. Soon, that one girl would change the world.
Dash's writing plainly shows her passion and beliefs on the subject matter. The author uses descriptive and vibrant words to express emotion and feeling. Very specific detail and accurate facts also contribute to the wonderful story. In addition, occasional quotes and/or excerpts from original speeches dating back as far as the late early 1900's add to the exceptional story line. One of the plentiful examples include: "Many were paralyzed by their ignorance of the new country". This quote is not only strong and powerful but truthful all at the same time. It has a deeper meaning than what it says, it goes way beyond that simple meaning it seems to have. It conveys the seriousness of young girls (immigrants) coming to America with no skills and whatnot trying to make a living anyhow. She accurately and intensely captures what exactly the girls went through at the time period.
Dash uses real life situations that many of the young adults were faced with. For instance "One girl is given the factual name of Rea Lupatkin. She is nineteen, and like thousands of other young, single Jewish women she has come to America entirely on her own. Working in a shirtwaist factory, Rea earns four dollars for a fifty-six-hour week. Out of this she pays four dollars a month for lodging in a tenement apartment shared with a married couple and their child. She walks forty-five minutes to work each day to save the expense of carfare. Her food costs $2.25 a week so her regular weekly costs of living are $3.25, leaving seventy-five cents for every other expense. All the same Rea sends an occasional two dollars abroad to her family in Europe." This story is just one of the several young shirtwaist girls' stories. It proves that there were treated unfairly by their bosses and such. In addition it demonstrates that the young women were living and supporting not only themselves, but usually their family as well on close to nothing! These are just some of the various stories and testimonies of the shirtwaist makers.
Clara Lemlich, the one how happened to luckily start the strike and ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Workers Union) movement, clearly had spirit and nerve! She would go on to lead the young women and countless others in a march that not only changed the world for their advantage, but for the better!

The Story is about women in America. It was the year 1909 and new immigrants are coming from different countries. They get jobs as shirtwaist-makers. Some of the women workers go on strike because of the low wages and unbearable conditions. They are picketing even though they get sent to jail or beaten up.Then, some other women in the middle classes and higher classes start unions for these workers. American girls and Immigrant girls alike join together in some strikes.
I liked the book very much. It was very educational. It was also exciting and exhilirating. I liked the book because it had girl power. It told me of how men dominated the world from women. It showed me to be very strong about something you believe in. It was a big morale booster, especially for girls.
I chose this book because of the cover. I thought the cover was very much enticing.The cover of this book caught my eye. Also because when I read the back of the book it grabbed my attention. I like historical books. I read some reviews of this book and it looked pretty good.

I was shocked that these women(and a few men)were willing to risk so much,their jobs, their homes, their respect, their pride and their safty for higher wages and for more resect.Many of them were beaten by hird thugs.Stricker and streetwalker(hooker) were sininims,it was so scary to the strickers because if the strick did not in time they might be driven to being a streetwalker by hunger.Although this book is slitly depressing it is a good book.My words don't even begin to describe the pain these women felt.

this book was not as captivating and engrossing as other nicu books by the parents. the stories seemed to gloss over, there are a lot of pages, but there are pictures, etc that dont use as much space for words. the stories of the children were not as detailed, and it didnt tug at my heart the way other books have. instead, i recommend-"living miracles-stories of hope from premature babies" by kimberly powell and kim wilson, editors. this one is more detailed, gripping, and heartfelt.

"Alone" is how parents feel when they first walk into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Spouses even feel alone from each other. Husband and wife have planned and dreamed of this birth together, but a baby born either too soon or sick leaves everyone alone and terrified. The tragedy of this unexpected (but much too frequent) childbirth makes the book, "You Are Not Alone" of tremendous importance to new parents of a baby in the NICU. The many true stories (and their realistic pictures) can help parents to realize that they are in a place where pioneer parents can help them. At the beginning the NICU experience is like being lost in a maze with no end. But "You Are Not Alone" helps new, very lost parents to realize that there are experienced guides that wish to help them. The writers of "You Are Not Alone" are a few of those guides. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a baby in the NICU, even it it is decades ago. I also recommend that every tertiary hospital include it in their library of books for parents of high-risk babies and their gift store. And all libraries that believe that books on child rearing are essential should put this on the required list.

Michael T. Hynan, PhD, Clinical Psychology from University of Iowa. He has taught in the Psychology Department at U of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1974. He is the father of a premature baby, Chris, born in 1980 at 30 weeks gestation weighing 1200 g. Dr. Hynan also does research on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in high-risk parents. Dr. Hynan is the author of "The Pain of Premature Parents: A Psychological Guide for Coping."

For many new parents, there are two major sources of difficulty around coping with having a newborn in the NICU: (1) Fear that their intense feelings are abnormal, and (2) feeling singled out by tragic fate. This book can help. Filled with a wide variety of personal stories written by parents who've "been there," it offers comfort and reassurance to new parents who need to know that others have struggled with situations similar to theirs; that others have felt the same emotions.

The mothers and fathers who contributed to this book are not professional writers--some are more eloquent than others. Some parents merely skate on the surface. But to the editor's credit, these are not sugar-coated stories of medical miracles or stoicism. The ups and downs, joys and sorrows, triumphs and fumblings are all here. Some babies survive and thrive, others continue to have medical complications or developmental lags; some babies die. Parents share their fears, challenges and failings, as well as insights, lessons learned and blessings found. They admit that while dealing with a sick baby is a labor of love, it also takes a lot of patience, time, and energy. It's not easy. But therein lies the richness of their lives.

As new parents read these stories, they will be struck by the fact that their own deep feelings of anger, guilt, helplessness, fear, and despair are normal, not crazy or overreacting. They can see that other parents have emerged from the dark days in the NICU. They'll come away empowered, knowing that they can face their baby's fate and their emotions. Most importantly, they'll acquire hope--that whatever happens, they too can survive.

By Deborah L. Davis, Ph.D. Psychologist and author of "Empty Cradle, Broken Heart," Fulcrum, 1991; 1996; co-author of "The Emotional Journey of Parenting Your Premature Baby," NICU Ink, in progress.

I wished I had looked a bit more closely to see that the three stories in this book were first written in the early 1980's. There are classics worth re-reading, but this wasn't one. I enjoyed the stories, but they were rather tame and not as well written as later books. Not a keeper.

Joan Hohl is one of my favorite authors and I loved this book! I can't wait until her next one.

I have not read a book in years due to my demanding work schedule. I picked this book up on a weekend away for a mental time out. I could not put it down.... It was wonderful... The three stories within the covers of this paperback were full of heart pulling romance, that left me searching for more...

First of all, the author is not a female. "Joan D' Arc" is a pseudonym for a delusional, paranoid male from the fraternity of tin foil hat enthusiasts. The author has no credibility and no standing in any community except his own shut-in world. Clearly, the psuedonym is used because he believes himself important enough that the government would take wrath on him for publishing this book.

I do not dispute the book is well researched. In fact, there is soemthing to be gained from squeezing shards of relevancy from within. I say that only because I already bought the book (my mistake). Overall, it would be foolish to take his words at face value. The material is most applicable to people with a grasp of the big picture and with more sources to reference. This author is too concerned with debunking the debunkers to be taken seriously. This is a shame because UFOlogy could use as much professionalism as it can get. This author is far from professional as evidenced by a bevy of sophomoric commentary such as saying he will "party till the cows come home" should the end of the world become an issue. Yea, that'll get you places.

My advice is to not bother with this book as there are better written and far more useful works available for areas he covers.

This book is thought provoking and extremely well-researched. It blows apart the theory of evolution with facts evolutionists don't mention. The author's unique style and courage to address these issues - spiced with wit - in the face of rather startling information is refreshing. The book introduces readers to the maze of information- some of which might be factual, some of which might have been disinformation. All in all, this book is well-written and is a rollicking ride for those who dare to read it.

In her discussion of Neanderthal man, author Joan d'Arc makes an important point about "prehistory". We do not actually know for sure what happened on planet Earth eons ago and our various systems of understanding the history of this planet are jig-sawed together from a variety of fossils and artifacts which by serendipity happened to be the artifacts located by university professors and acknowledged authors. Beyond this scattering of information, a cultural selection no more universally valid than the winning lotto tickets of a sweepstakes are valid in culturally representing the population of the area in which the sweepstakes was held, there are other bits and pieces of valid information which do not conform to any of the historical interpretations in the academic and/or popular publications canon. Because only the available artifacts and fossils have been used to build Darwin's "theory of evolution", the simple journalistic observations of author Joan d' Arc serve to call the absolute acceptance of this theory into question. In similar fashion, her observations on documented systems of "space travel", genetics and political "causality" which lie outside the accepted canon of academic literature are excellent journalism oriented toward the liberation of the reader's mind. Read this book. It may cause you to change your "earthbound thinking."

A very attractive book, but covers only a few moves. (Forward/backward rolls, cartwheels, round-offs, back walk-overs, back handsprings, and handstands.) Not really useful for a girl wanting practical tips. Other apparatus (bars/beam/vault) are barely touched on.

I think this is a nice book about gymnastics, but like one reviewer said, it's a little too short. It starts off with a forward by Shannon Miller, a history of gymnastics, what to wear to class, and shows a typical gym. The section with the skills was pretty good, but there weren't many in here. The instructions were nice and detailed, though, and I liked the rythmic gymnastics and sports acrobatics part. It's great for people who want to learn about the sport or beginning gymnasts.

This is one of the best books on gymnastics I have read. It has pictures that show people how to do the move, and it starts with really simple tricks and moves on to the most difficult trick in the book- a backhandspring. It also has parts on sports acrobatics and rythmic gymnastics. It's a great book, but I would recommend it to beginning gymnasts.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Ms. Sullivan's book is the accuracy with which she portrays the participants in her anecdotes. As I covered Bradley's campaign for Reuters, I came in contact with many of the players, and upon reading the book was struck by the generosity and penetration that were displayed in turns. Without overtly caricaturing her subjects, Ms. Sullivan has managed to emphasize many of the quirks that typify people on the campaign trail.

Joan Sullivan gives readers an inside look into presidential politics with all of its hopes, aspirations, and flaws. Sullivan joined Bill Bradley's 2000 presidential campaign as an advance team member. She writes about the nuts-and-bolts of choosing the right podium-not to ostentatious, but not too plain- to planning her own large scale event in New York and having to secure a site with just a few hours to spare. Sullivan writes in a very fresh non-politically jaded voice, yet sometimes languishing to quotes from political books. Sullivan also helps a reader appreciate a candidate who is on the losing side and the work that goes into bringing issues to the American voter as well as a face to Bill Bradley and all political candidates.

As an advance person who has had the pleasure of working with many of the same people Joan Sullivan mentions in her book, I can personally testify to the truthfulness of "An American Voter." Sullivan describes the chaotic day of a political advance staffer better than anyone I have yet to read. If you are looking to do advance work, read this as a guide. If you are an advance person, read this to reflect. This one is highly recommended.

This book reads much like "Dick and Jane," but it would be cute for 2-4 year olds. Most of the story is told by the pictures. Boo and Baa hunt for blueberries. Initially unsuccessful, they stop for a picnic. Their encounter with ants is amusing, but it will not endear children to these important insects. The ending line has the potential to prejudice young minds against ants. However, Boo and Baa are able to solve their own problems. Overall this book encourages little ones to explore and use problem-solving skills.

My 2-year-old daughter owns every Boo and Baa book and she loves them all. Just tonight as the lights went out she wanted to know what happened to the ant on Boo's sandwich, a la "Boo and Baa in the Woods." Through her delight for these sheep I have learned that they are great models of cooperation, optimism and good humor. Frankly the humor went over my head until she showed me the light. Captivating simple stories for two-year-olds. Buy them!

The Boo and Baa books are perfect for little readers - and the adults reading to them! The storylines revolve around everyday activities that little ones can relate to, and there is always a little bit of adventure, and plenty of humour in them - which makes the 4,536th reading bearable for the adult! The text is short but to the point, and can easily be elaborated on by the adult reader. The pictures are absolutely brilliant in their simplicity, but if you really look at them you will find plenty to talk about with your little ones. The facial expressions of these rather clueless little sheep are priceless! Get to know Boo and Baa - and fall in love!

I'm pregnant with my second and was looking forward to lots of practical advice about preparing my toddler, myself, and my husband for the new arrival. I found the section on when and how to tell the first child about the new baby was totally inadequate. It doesn't address different ages at all - yet there must be a difference in when and how you present the information to an 18 month old, a three year old, or a four year old. The book was packed with anxiety-provoking scenarios of resentful and frustrated children and parents, unhelpful observations (some parents do this random thing, some parents do that random thing), and ridiculously obvious advice (have two children to lug around? Consider a double stroller - wow, I wouldn't have thought of that on my own!). I found it to be a waste of time. I'm reading Siblings without Rivalry, now. It's much more focused and useful.

I got this book yesterday and I am considering returning it today. I have read the first 130 pages or so and find the overall tone to be very pessimistic and gloomy. The author's style is to first present you with some disheartening statistics and then to follow these not with strategies that will help you avoid the same scenerio, but with near platitudes. She seems to be saying that since 90% of parents in study X were less verbal, less attentive, less enthusiastic, less smiley, less EVERYTHING with their second borns, then the rest of us are exteremly likely to follow suit. As a former sociology major, I find the statistics interesting, but I bought the book looking for a parenting guide to help me avoid some of the pitfalls of parenting a second born, not as a review of reseach findings. This book should not be listed in the parenting section, it is more suited to the pop sociology/psychology section. I did glance over a small section where the auhor tried to offer some advice in how to avoid the gloomy second rate parenting we are aparently doomed to repeat, but like another reviewer I found the advice to be common sense and simplistic. If, like most of us, you are looking for encouragement for parenting the second time around; if you want to learn about the *successes* of other parents; if you would like some optimism with your statistics, then this book is not for you. I already knew that being second born is sometimes a disadvantage, and I don't need statistics to prove it to me because I am a second born. In my opinion there are only two reasons to invest in this book: 1) you're unaware of the way second children can have a totally different rearing experience with the same parents of the first born, and you need some enlightenment (forewarned is sometimes forearmed) or 2)you are the type who enjoys being motivated by fear, then read to your heart's content. Incidentally, I found her descriptions of first time parents as over-bearing, and over-the-top to be cartoonish, laughable, and insulting. I came away with the sense that the author doesn't expect her audience to be very insightful about their own behavior.

We were expecting our second child and both of us read this book. It provided some good advice on both the psychological issues faced by each member of the family and the pragmatic ones as well. It also highlighted how pregnancy can be very different from an emotional/psychological point of view than it was the first time. Highly recommended reading. I've been buying it as a gift for expectant friends.