Saw it on the shelf at a local bookstore, started reading, and took it home. The individual pieces range from good, to stunning ("Packing a Rod" by Allen James and "The Gender Cops Work Overtime" by Gina Reiss are immediate standouts, both good enough to demand being read aloud). The authors address behavior, family relations, social relations, sex-reassignment surgery (whether or not to have it), the bi-gender system, and other topics.

"Genderqueer" is a "pull it off the shelf for guests" book - I don't know any other way of putting it. As a transgendered person, I have a number of books on the topic, including Riki Wilchins' excellent "Read My Lips." However this is the one that I find myself repeatedly grabbing for non-transgendered friends and family to highlight ideas and create awareness of the range of gender expression and identity issues. It is also a book that I have to work hard to keep it coming back to me - it has a tendency to go home with guests.

Be forewarned, though - this is not a book for the easily offended, be you straight, gay, queer, trans- or not. If you need your own feelings and ideas confirmed and validated, better to read something else. A number of the authors are brutal in their honesty, coarse in their language, and express disturbing opinions. For me, though, "Genderqueer" was enlightening, stimulating, often hilarious, and occasionally infuriating.

Although a lot has been written about gender already, the editors--all acclaimed activists in their own right--go beyond the usual discussion of MTF and FTM. Instead, they talk about all kinds of people who fit outside gender norms, and argue that it is more complicated than we thought. If more people are included in this category, there is a better chance of fighting for acceptance. Gender equality is the latest battle in the quest for civil rights, and it's an interesting one.

But this is more than gender theory. The personal stories are all thought-provoking. I found myself thinking about them long after I stopped reading them. You will too.

Go Saddle the Sea is about a boy called Felix. It is quite exciting but predictable. A dying servant gives him a package. He cannot make out what the writing on a piece of paper is...

Aiken is in top form in this (sadly) out-of-print children's novel. Felix, the main character, is engaging without being perfect; the minor characters are drawn with an eye to the amusing improbable detail. As usual, the plot is wild and rapid, but the pace is steady enough to make it all feel satisfyingly real . . . The trilogy (Go Saddle the Sea, Bridle the Wind, In the Teeth of the Gale) shares many stylistic characteristics with her other alternate history series, which begins with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. In some ways these three books are even better, being a little slower and more coherent as a single narrative. Of side interest to Austen fans is Aiken's use of _Lady Susan_, which appears occasionally throughout the story. I won't spoil the details, but the series makes a nice companion read.

It is a wonderful idea to make available recordings of great speeches. I hope we have more of this in the future.
In the case of older speeches, the selection is very good, considering the restraints of time, and the readers are uniformly excellent.
As for the modern speeches, it is a marvel of technology that we can hear these speeches as delivered. It is incredible that we can hear the voice of William Jennings Bryan. I can listen to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" a thousand times and never tire of it! How I wish I could listen to the voice of Patrick Henry! But this selection is too heavily weighted to the modern, and many of those do not deserve billing as the GREATEST speeches of ALL TIME. Also, some of the modern speeches which are included are abridged, e.g. Reagan is cut off in the middle of a sentence, while lengthy and undeserving speeches are played out in their entirety.
Also, with only a few exceptions, the selection is almost entirely American. It is hard to understand why Jimmy Carter's lengthy speech on energy policy is included, while Pericles' funeral oration is not; or why only a small portion of a single Winston Churchill speech is included; why while Bill Clinton's complete 1993 pulpit address, in excess of 20 minutes, is included.
It would be helpful if the complete list of speeches were available to online buyers, as it would be to shoppers in a brick and mortar store.

I have listened to this collection twice now, both times with pleasure. Hearing the acutal voices of Amelia Earhart, Rev. Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and Neil Armstrong made a deeper connection than simply reading their words. The collection showcases different subjects and many times contrasts opposing viewpoints of the ideas. This volume is a fantastic introduction to the moving ideals and sometimes sad truths that have influenced Western Civilization.

It is a compact and attractive story. I have just finished this morning, actually, I am living in Hong Kong. In this story, everytime when I read this book, I didn't want to stop. Moreover, there are some plots that were exceeding all my expectation. Also, I could see the writer did many ideas to make story more sucessful and attractive.

I just finished reading this book for my March book share. This book is one of my favorites. It made me jump out of my seat sometimes because it was so scary. It was so interesting I never wanted to stop reading until it ended. My favorite part was when they found the treasure and Amelia's body in the cave. It was an easy book to understand and I would recommend it to other fourth graders. I would want to read it again when I get older.

Not up to Johnstons usual standards. In each story there did not seem to be any depth to the relationship then BAM, they're in love. I found myself skipping pages and moving on to the story. The book was ok, nothing great.

If the book is by Joan Johnston they are all good . Just hope she don't go Modern. All the good writers change from what they are good at. The Western History Romance are the best...If You haven't read the 3 sisters books (some of her first) you are missing out . JOAN JOHNSTON IS SUPER ALWAYS.

as the book jacket says, contains the best asteroid story ever. true. the other story is very good too. both stories are smart and visionary. too bad it's out of print.

This book Is pretty good, well the first part anyway. It is divided into two stories, the first ones is good and the second one is okay but not incredible. I would rebuy this book again if I lost my copy.

As one of the real "unsinkable" Mrs. Brown's great granddaughters, the more I read this book, the more I enjoy the spirit and warmth of it. Molly's life was gradually embellished into legend even in her own lifetime and through her own telling, so it is appropriate that the book takes her dramatic flair to extremes with the Mississippi River story, a yarn Ms. Blos invented. Now that the 1997 movie has renewed the interest in Titanic and endeared her character to a generation of teens, this book is a good version of her great American legacy, in-a-nutshell, for the younger kids. No, it's not all true, but neither is Washington's cherry tree story. The illustrations are fabulous and include many real-life outfits and decor Molly owned, down to the family photographs on her wall.

Well-received by my Titanic-crazed kids (ages 7 & 9). They enjoyed Molly's spirited story & loved the poems that appear periodically, summing up milestones in the heroine's life. I loved the illustrations & overall quality of the book. Nice gift-giving item.

The book that I reviewed above was updated in 1999 and has some new information (photos and text) on the growth of Hudson County since the first book was published in 1986. A must-read if you are interested in the record of this history-rich area of the NY metro region.

Since Henry Hudson sailed up the river named after him and observed the land on the "left bank" of the Hudson River, Hudson County grew up in the shadow of its giant to the west. The book traces the history of the area now known as Hudson County, NJ, from the earliest Native American settlements to the Dutch and English communities that lived in the area. The book also touches on the growth of Hudson County as an industrial giant, and the railroad terminals, warehouses and industries that populated the Hudson River waterfront. The book also features some of the major employers of the County and I suspect that it was used as a tool to sell books and investment from these companies. When the book was published in 1986, the County was finally awakening from the collapse of blue-collar industrial jobs as the Hudson River waterfront in Hoboken and, to a smaller extent, Jersey City, was just starting to grow with new office buildings and luxury apartments. 12 years later, the Jersey City waterfront is one of the hottest commercial and residential real estate markets in the US, and most apartments in Hoboken are just as expensive as ones found in Manhattan. New housing is now springing up in the northern areas of the County, and Bayonne looks to finally be getting into the fun with redevelopment of the old Military Ocean Terminal. So, yes, the book is quite dated, and I have heard rumors that an updated version may be on the way. Coupled with _The Powerticians_ by former Jersey City Mayor Thomas F.X. Smith (which is out of print), a great book that chronicles the political happenings in Jersey City from the post-Civil War era through the late 1970s, _The Left Bank_ provides an introductory look into an often-overlooked area of the New York metro area.

I'm not "preparing" to take the SAT so I felt odd reading a book in which I was not a target audience member. In other words, the author has sold himself short by marketing his book to a niche audience. Strange. Anyway, I purchased this book because I'm going back to high school to get my GED (I'm 38) but I am not preparing for college (hence my earlier reference to NOT taking the freaking SAT). And, to be honest, I was also tired of my 15 year old nephew using all these big words like 'piquant' and 'effusive' and 'schmaltzy' etc... So I told that stupid brat that I would be able to use stupid big words too. So thanks to this book I got my GED and I can now castigate my stupid nephew. So if you aren't taking the SAT don't feel upbraided by the stigma and get a copy of this book.

Although the 270 pages listed is a misnomer(it's 212), In-a-Flash Vocabulary delivers a copious plethora of prodigious vocab in a fun and easy format. From infantile words such as trepidation to more obscure words such as chimera, there is no dearth of new words, sentence examples, word roots, and exercises to put you on the road to a bigger vocabulary.

Perhaps a little on the easy side, but it is nonetheless a great tool for anyone preparing for tests or simply to ameliorate your working vocabulary. After all, it's your vocabulary, or lack thereof, that people use as the key discerning parameter as to your level of intelligence. My favorite vocab book. Also recommended: Word Smart & 1000 Most Important Words.

"Inversions" is the latest in Iain M. Bank's science fiction novels, and illustrates some of the growing literary skills he has developed in his mainstream fiction over the last couple of novels. Writing two plots in parallel, Banks develops an intricate, multilayered novel. Set on an unnamed world, technologically and culturally equivalent to our sixteenth or seventeenth century, it is less obvioulsy science fiction than his previous genre work. There are two central characters, Vossil the King's doctor, and DeWar, bodyguard to the usurper, UrLeyn. They never meet, but their stories intertwine, both within the narratives themselves, and in their own pasts. Both are outsiders, trusted by their masters, but are feared and hated by others. They must both deal with deceit and intrigue, and above all, hide away a secret love. This is Banks at his most lyrical and literary. Don't expect thrills and spills, but do expect his usual wit, strong characterisation, and intricate storylines. The one downside of this book is that many of its subtleties can only be appreciated by reading Bank's earlier work, especially his Culture novels. Don't let this put you off if you have never read him before, its a strong enough novel to stand alone, but you will get more out of it if you are already au fait with the mythos of the Culture.

Inversions divulges from the usual sci-fi novels written by Banks. Away from the skein of space , strange species and mind blowingly complex ships inversions gives an example of the work of a specific branch of Special Circumstances. Worlds like Earth have not yet been enlightened to what is really happening in the universe, and manipulators are sent ,undercover, from the culture to twist the future of certain planets to accomadate the culture. This book ties in with the rest of the culture novels, especially 'The Use of Weapons'. A great read , but please read all of the others first to get the most from this one.