Do not get this! I am a high school student, and our language teacher made us do weekly exercises for no apparent reason outa this book. As you be seeing, it never workd. It even had some errors in it. The jokes are not funny at all! Example: Silly Suzy said she selled sea shells by the seashore! HAHAHA, how funny! OVERALL: DO NOT GET THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU ARE A NERD!

This short book in free verse style (like Out of The Dust) about childhood memories would be excellent in three areas: to read aloud in installments for Quality bedtime; to read in one sitting; and to assign as a first book to be read by young students, who will then respond to easy questions and do minimal research. The simple pleasures and homespun concerns of life in rural Oregon are preserved in Claudia Lewis' poetic journal, as she gradually realizes that her pre war world is slipping into the past-- impacting both her town and her family. Joel Fontaine's bountiful b/w sketches create an aura of fragile and tender childhood, soft as pastels, reflecting Lewis' poingnant vignettes of a bygone era. This is a gentle introduction to journals and historical fiction for elementary children.

The author attempts to write in language that confuses the reader to hide the fact that the point she it trying to make is obvious and not worthy of sooooo many pages.

i have not been able to see what this book contains but am very interested in the contents.

To my embarrassment, I required Jacobson's text on midlife women in my Psychology of Midlife seminar this semester because it was touted as a "feminist" look at women's midlife issues. Instead of learning from this book however, my students used it for target practice for their critical thinking skills, scientific thinking skills, and critiquing skills. This book reads like an undergraduate wrote it -- it is fraught with grammatical, typographical, logic, and even math errors, and the authors' hypotheses are not grounded in the literature. Many research questions are presented, but few of them are ever discussed in terms of Jacobson's findings. I jotted "corrections" on virtually every page of the book, and began class discussion on the text pointing out errors to the students so they would not be miseducated. Furthermore, Jacobson's articulated perspectives on feminism are ignorant and biased. I was truly sorry that I had my class read this book.

I bought this book and paid a premium because I was under the impression it was a rare book - I got a white covered paperback book - that was of average construction and found elsewhere for [cheap] - do not - I repeat - do not get ripped off paying more for this book

The readings seem fine, but for me they are ruined utterly by intrusive background music - some kind of modernistic tinkling on a piano, completely unrelated to the shape of the verse. Crass, insensitive - I wish I hadn't bought it!

ARCO claims to be the number one NAME in study guides. Maybe the last twenty years in business lets you sell your name. The demographics of college educated teachers wants quality. The NAME is the strength but the price is a ripoff for getting twenty five sample questions in any of the multiple subject tests. Why do I care what is on 20 different subject areas? I only want the one I take. They think they make you feel confident that you will "score high" without giving any content to review. Four years 25 questions? The only reason I gave it a 2 and not a one is because I give students credit for at least looking for help. The professional knowledge section is the best part. Again it lacks content. Some people may want to learn by reading the answer key. Better stuff is out there

This book is nothing but a horrid little compilation of other books, and Branwell's name apparently was used only to sucker people who were curious about Branwell into buying the book....This book is NOTHING. No Branwell insights. It doesn't even FOCUS on him. Rip-off, don't fall for it. Bad book.

No historian of the 20th century will need the comments in this book. They are regional (real estate speculation in California, the 'classes' in California), or local (New York newspaper reports on murders), and out of date (the lower middle class background of the Reagans, the electoral contest Dukakis-Bush).
The author plays not in the same league as a Simon Leys (about China) or a Ian Buruma (about Asia).