DIDACTICS METHODOLOGY

Theory and Methodology of Teaching Models of Teaching Alternative Types of Teaching and Learning Internal Differentiation and Individualization of Teaching Global Studies Intersectional Approach of Values The Single-classroom School and its Particularities

I read this in 1991 at age 12. It was perfect. These kids live in jamaica, hot and muggy and looking like the typical carribean island. But there home was once a Brittish colony. They struggle between two cultures; the relaxed west indian mannerisms, and the stiff ones the Brits left behind. A must-read for all school children in the US.

If you are interested in the science of genetics (What exactly is a gene? How does DNA work? How does genetic fingerprinting work? How do they do that?) then this book is for you. If, on the other hand, you are interested in the social implications of genetics (Is genetic profiling ethical? Should we be exploring gene therapy? Does genetic testing of fetuses promote abortion? What good is the human genome project?), then this book is ALSO for you.

Indeed, one might criticize this book for having an identity crisis as to whether it is about science or ethics. However, I have come to realize that in genetics, perhaps more than in any other discipline, science and social issues are inexorably linked. Even so, while I found the book fascinating from cover to cover (almost), I would have to say that it tends to be disjointed in places, leaping from subject to subject a little haphazardly. It is almost as if the writer was ticking off items on his "things to write about" list. As such, the book loses its cohesion from time to time. For example, a chapter on the early Soviet Union's biology program is wedged in between accounts of recent searches for pernicious genes and studies of twins.

But this is a minor point. Mr. Watson is not only a top notch scientist, he is an excellent writer. Although the chapter on Soviet biology left me scratching my head, it was amusing, interesting and well-written, as was the rest of the book. And for that, I can forgive a great deal. The proof is in the pudding. Over the last few days, I have engaged a number of colleagues, as well as my wife, in discussions on genetics issues and have found that this book has greatly enriched my understanding of the field and reinforced my interest in the subject. It's also worth pointing out that if you are in the process of building a family, this book is full of the kind of scientific background that will hold you in good stead as you examine options like genetic testing, in-vitro fertilization and the implications of family histories of disease.

I will levy only one direct criticism about this book. It tends to wander aimlessly toward the end. It is almost as if Mr. Watson couldn't decide how to end it, so he chose to do so multiple times. The result is a rather off-putting set of diatribes espousing the author's agnostic and highly utilitarian approach to the subject. (Incidentally, those of you on or near the religious right will find plenty of fodder here.) Not that I minded hearing the author's views, it's just that "I got it already."

However, this is a minor taint to an otherwise excellent book about the science and ethics of genetics. For you armchair scientists out there, I would put this one toward the top of the "to read" stack.

When I picked up James D. Watson's "DNA: THE SECRET OF LIFE" it
didn't seem an entirely promising read. It looked like it might be
just another uninspired "rehash" survey of the subject of genetics
(and genomics and so on), an impression reinforced by Watson's
comments in the foreword that it was partly derived from a TV series
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double
helix by Watson and his colleague, Francis Crick, which won the two
the Nobel Prize.

On reading into "DNA", I quickly realized that this was no mere
rehash, but a very cleanly written and highly readable survey of
genetics. Watson, who has the advantage of a central viewpoint
in the field, neatly weaves together a history of the field, a
technical explanation of it, an exploration of its business and
politics, and something like a professional autobiography.

The writing is outstandingly clear and even witty -- Watson comments
in an understated but clearly pleased fashion how another genetics
researcher named his Siamese cats "Watson" and "Crick". An educated
layperson, clearly the target audience for this book, could hardly
hope for a better introduction to the field, and a nonprofessional
would hardly need to know much more than it provides.

However, this is not saying this is an effortless read. Although by
no means resembling a textbook, "DNA" covers an enormous amount of
ground and range of concepts, and anybody who would claim that he
could pick it up in one reading from end to end is either a real
genius or, more likely, a fraud. My initial reading went cover to
cover and amounted to no more than a survey, to be followed up later
by an extensive session in note-taking.

* Having said all these things, there is a subtler aspect to this
book. In the initial chapters of "DNA", Watson mixed his history of
the early days of modern genetics with a discussion of the "eugenics"

movement, an effort to improve the human race by breeding up
desireables and (more to the point) breeding out undesireables.
Eugenics was weak science and strong racism.

That story was interesting, but I wondered if Watson had a
politically-correct agenda. Further reading showed this not to be the
case -- Watson sees the left-outfield politically correct crowd and
the right-outfield fundamentalist crowd as both obnoxious influences
in his field, and in fact he hardly sees them as being much different.

What emerges is that Watson has an "advocacy agenda". This is not to
say this is the sole focus of this work, it's just that genetics has
certain social and ethical implications that are so unavoidable that
they end up having to be discussed as part of a real survey of the
topic. Fetal genetic screening, for example, has immediate
implications relative to abortion rights, and of course human genetic
engineering is controversial on the face of it.

Watson has his views on such matters, laying out skeins of a general
argument about the social and ethical aspects of his work and then
tying them up in the relatively short final chapter. Of course, there
are weaknesses in his arguments -- for example, he blasts the
authorities for making decisions on a political and not a scientific
basis, which seems a bit silly. (A government organization makes
decisions on a political basis?! REALLY?! Gosh! Who knew?!). His
final argument also was the sort of thing that I wouldn't touch
myself, since long experience with Internet forums told me I would get
nothing out of it but a loud, mad, pointless barking contest.

I do not mock him, however. This is not really my battle but it is
clearly his, and if he seems to struggle with it, well, that's because
it's troublesome stuff. And I on the same wavelength with him in one
respect. He does not see the issues in terms of liberal and
conservative. He sees a clash of two beliefs.

The first belief is that anything that poses any potential public
hazard should be forbidden. The alternative is that people should be
free to do anything that does *not* pose a demonstrable public hazard.
The first belief is that of the control freaks of both left and right.
Watson believes the second and I am in the same camp.

He also does his advocacy the right way, stating his views carefully
and embedding them inside a powerful narrative of facts and details,
which lends them far more credibility than hollow assertions of
opinion. In fact, although Watson's views might infuriate extremists,
the book remains outstandingly informative even if his views are
disregarded. The willingness of the author to confront controversy
does not affect the fact that "DNA" is an excellent piece of science
writing.

* I did catch the author in an exceedly minor error that I point out
not to nitpick but because it's an amusing detail. In his list of
inherited dog traits, he refers to greyhounds as "twitchy".

I used to believe this myself, but there's an "adopt a race dog"
program in my locality, quite a few people around here have
greyhounds as pets -- and all report that the dogs are absolute
couch potatoes who take life easy when not actually chasing
something. On consideration, this is the ideal behavior pattern
for an animal that spends much of its life in a kennel, and an
impressive example of the power of controlled breeding. I think
they just *look* high-strung.

And I suppose while I'm at it, I might add another interesting
inherited dog behavior pattern that wasn't mentioned in "DNA" -- how a
Rottweiler will come up alongside you and give you a small but
powerful sideways NUDGE that will literally throw you for a loop if
you're not expecting it. I was surprised by this when I first ran
into it, but it turns out to be an instinctive herding behavior.

This is an outstanding book, perfect for the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, that reviews the history of genetics and the many advances that have been made in genetic research. It is a very readable book for a layperson with a huge wealth of information about who discovered what and when. The book is thus written for a non-biomajor who wants to understand the history of genetics and gain a broad appreciation for the many discoveries. The book provides insight into the personalities of geneticists and the inner squabbles and politics of genetic research. As packed with information as the book is, every chapter could easily be expanded into a separate book as readable, lucid, and stimulating as the original book. What great reading that would be!

William Berry has written a well-detailed, although brief, look at his attempted escape and captivity after the fall of Correigdor. While not a scholarly look at these events, the author gives a good account of his capture, escape and trek through the jungle, recapture and liberation by American servicemen from Bilibid prison in Manila. He painfully recounts the agony these men went through as they were crammed, up to 13 men at one time, into a 10 by 10 cell and forced to sit, without flinching, and stare at the wall all day.

As a recaptured prisoner, Berry and his two comrades somehow survive the war, as the usual penalty for escape is execution. They were sent to the maximum security prison in Manila for "special prisoners", and many prisoners stopped here only long enough to be sentenced and shot. Berry, who was a fledgling lawyer before enlisting in the Navy, saw these skills save his life and the lives of his friends when being sentenced, not so much his arguments, of course, but rather how he shaped it to fit his audience (A Japanese tribunal)

This book does not take long to read, but it is an interesting tale, and well worth the time invested. But, if you want greater scope and detail of Americans in Japanese captivity, read "Prisoners of the Japanese" by Gavan Daws, an extremely informative and well-written look at the horrors these men had to endure daily.

The author of this book is my grandfather. I found this book to be inspiring as I am also a soldier. I am in the Army and found this book to give me a greater appreciation of my profession as well as bring a greater understanding of my grandfather's life and why he is so proud. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand what POWs in the Philippines went through. I have lent my copy of his book to several of my friends and they all gave it great reviews as well.

One of the few true to life books written by a WWII POW. As a history buff I find the first hand accounts in this book of the authors experiances and the others he came in contact a first rate story of America's darkest time. A must for all those who want to know more about POW's of the Japanese.

Having been stationed in the Philippines and traveled to Battan and Corrigidor it brought the meaning of those visits a little sharper in focus.

To those who either study Greek, or simply are curious about the meanings of the Scriptures, this is an excellently informative tool of insight. At this low price, every Christian can afford his own Greek Bible! I would encourage all to take advantage of the opportunity.

The hard cover edition printing is deficient as variations in text darkness are readily noted on many pages. Some pages (e.g. pp. 652-653) bore large ink blotches which are undesirable. The content is from the best Greek source text and the interlinear structure (literal translation) with footnoted textual references is excellent. A superb Greek-English interlinear New Testament based on the oldest unadulterated Greek text - Textus Receptus (1550). A must for the serious student/exegetor of the Word of God. Used with a companion Greek New Testament, Bruce Metzger, 66,68, 1975, United Bible Society, it is very helpful. A FIVE STAR book except for the printing deficiency noted.

Why?

There are several interlinear NTs (AKA, "ponies") available, some with words "Strong-coded," and/or more "up-to-date" translations, while others, like Berry, stick with the KJV and the Textus Receptus Greek. At least one includes a rather extensive concordance.

The advantage of this book is, as you can see at the bottom of the sample pages, they have included all the variations in the Greek texts that have been used as the bases for most of our newer translations. Therefore, when you see words added, omitted or changed in an English version, you can see from whence it came, assuming that it is not just a paraphrase, and determine whether the modification was justified, perhaps by the number of Greek texts that support the change, or by looking into the reliability of the texts involved.

I find this help invaluable, especially since the marginal notes are usually vague about alternative renderings of a passage, if they are given at all.

You many find that you may want to use other references too, such as a Strong's Concordance, and a Vine's Dictionary, although the included lexicon is not too shabby, but the extra effort is worth it.

We bought this in the children's section of our local bookstore, but the poetry in the book is aimed at a much broader audience. That's a plus for us -- it means I can read "Adventures of Isabel" and "It's Dark in Here" to the children and follow it up with "The Beautiful" and "A Prayer in Spring." The selections range from Silverstein to Blake to Frost to Wordsworth. All in all, they are well selected, both for their subject matter and their musicality. It's quickly becoming a family favorite.

I have given this book as a gift perhaps eight times now. It is without a doubt the most amazing collection of poetry...old and new, joyful and sad, silly and profound...that I have ever seen collected under one cover. I've taught English for 30 years and it still remains my favorite. It may appear to somehow be poems for children, but it is poetry for our entire lives. I love this book....

This is a great selection of poems. James Berry is a poet and has a poet's ear for language. "To Be Read Aloud" is the key to the title. Open the book. Pick a poem and speak the words into the air. Read them to someone you love, young or old. Treat yourself to a poetry reading, by you, for you. This is not lightweight poetry; Yeats and Eliot are not your usual "Children's Poetry". There are classics that children love, such as "The Owl and the Pussycat," but it's not the second-rate poetry that is often pawned off on children who don't know better. If you would like your children to "know better" poetry, this anthology is full of first-rate examples.

Don't Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird is a wonderfully crafted kind-hearted tale. The author quickly moves you through the adventures of Anancy the spiderman. Anancy goes from one person to the next exchanging items. His trip and the transition and exchange from one person to the next is so rhythmical, that I can almost hear drums and music as Anancy travels along. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover with such a light story and illustrations, which are influenced by traditional African art themes. Although crafted for a child, this story, a Ghanaian folk tale has a rich heritage.

I did not like this book, it was boring. There was no action.
I only like Science Fiction books, or non Fiction.

Overall I think that this was an ok book and it was pretty informative and showed people what it was like back when there was slaves. I would recommend this book but probably to a little lower grade level,like fourth or fifth grade since it was so short.

This book is very different and it's not something I would normally read. But it was nice to get out and read different things I don't always think about. It gives the imagination fuel to burn. And the book was very cultured. I would recommend this book to people that like books with different cultures.

If the anonymous reader's review is referring to modern Greek texts of the New Testmament as inaccurate, I would merely like to say that's quite arguable. If the reader is referring to the Textus Receptus as a superior source, he is entitled to, but he stands in the face of superior scholarship and many, many texts and good text critics that have come to light since the TR. To support the Textus Receptus in favor of more accurate modern texts is a position of ignorance.

Why?

There are several interlinear NTs (AKA, "ponies") available, some with words "Strong-coded," and/or more "up-to-date" translations, while others, like Berry, stick with the KJV and the Textus Receptus Greek. At least one includes a rather extensive concordance.

The advantage of this book is, as you can see at the bottom of the sample pages, they have included all the variations in the Greek texts that have been used as the bases for most of our newer translations. Therefore, when you see words added, omitted or changed in an English version, you can see from whence it came, assuming that it is not just a paraphrase, and determine whether the modification was justified, perhaps by the number of Greek texts that support the change, or by looking into the reliability of the texts involved.

I find this help invaluable, especially since the marginal notes are usually vague about alternative renderings of a passage, if they are given at all.

You many find that you may want to use other references too, such as a Strong's Concordance, and a Vine's Dictionary, although the included lexicon is not too shabby, but the extra effort is worth it.

(This review is based on the Zonderan hardcover. It is assumed that this paperback is essentially the same.)

As a pastor and student of the Bible, I have found this edition of the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament a very valuable tool. First of all, it is one of the few editions that is honest enough to use Textus Receptus Greek with the King James English. Most interlinear editions are very misleading by using the KJV English with the corrupted Alexandrian Greek text (such as Wescott & Hort, Nestle's, ect) to force the student into the conclusion that the KJV doesn't match the "original Greek". This is the right Greek text with the right English Bible, which is a breath of fresh air to those who are lovers of God's infallible, inerrant and inspired word for the English speaking world, the Authorized (King James) Version of 1611.