I just finished reading Dear Alice. I found it extremely helpful in preparing myself mentally for an upcoming trip to China. The letters were quite authentic and honest, often revealing small details about the enigma of life in China. While I can't assume that I'll have a similar experience to that of the writers, I feel comforted to know that others have dealt with China and survived. A great book if you're curious about this foreign culture and an especially illuminating book for those of you from the United States and who are interested in the ways Americans might react to "The land on the other side of the looking glass."

First of all, I would like to mention that I had the opportunity to teach for one year in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, and now the capital of Shaanxi province. I am thankful to Alice Renouf, the "Alice" of the title "Dear Alice", for making this dream come true. I went in 1992, if I remember correctly. Since I began reading this wonderful book, I have been unable to put it down. So many forgotten memories and subtle emotions came pouring into my consciousness. From the shock of the first weeks in China to standing in front of the classroom to the everday rush of life which I was part of, to eating in the nightmarket. Reading this book is a vivid and emotional experience. Second only to going to China oneself. Though, I feel it is a must read for anyone planning to go; either as teacher, student, tourist, businessman, politician. In fact, I feel it is not only important for those going to China, but also for anyone who intends to immerse themself in another culture. But even if you just want to read a good book, either while sitting on a warm and glistening sandy beach, with the waves lapping against the shore; or while sitting in your living room sipping a cup of coffee or tea; this is certainly a worthwhile, entertaining, and educational book. After all, it is about becoming sensitive to another culture, and discovering one's own, in the process. I highly recommend "Dear Alice". You will certainly enjoy it.

"Dear Alice" is a must read for anyone headed for China. It's a collection of hundreds of letters by English teachers from America, who arrived to discover China was a bit too different. Often in desperation, but usually with great wit and insight, they sought a shoulder to cry on. So they wrote barrel-fulls of letters to the person who sent them there; hence, Dear Alice .... Alice Renouf, the author, began sending teachers to China years ago and now runs a full-fledged human resources firm helping people who want to teach English in a truly different, challenging environment. Even the locals will tell you China is a crazy place -- a soviet-style bureaucracy trying to run a 3,000 year old society on a marathon of change. Some of the 1.2 runners are at 'start' and some in the 20th centruy. The route changes hourly, and the finishline is definitely "mei you." But if you want to know people who suffer awful frustration with courage, you're in the right place. The best part of the book is learning how many Americans overcome their initial shock, and why they don't flee to the nearest airport. The common strategy seems to be (1) Talk about it (2) Make friends with fellow suffers first, i.e. other Americans. This sounds a bit stand-offish considering you've gone all the way to China to meet Chinese, but it isn't, (3) Learn Chinese if you can, but failing that develop a busy schedule. China is truly ugly, but always interesting, so don't allow yourself an idle minute to examine your (usually) wretched physical surroundings, (4) Take enough money, or make enough. China isn't cheap, and a "mental holiday" in a place like China (dinner at a joint venture hotel) is many times costlier than in the US, (5) Travel and see the country. Make the experience count, and (6) Be prepared for the ultimate culture shock -- ending up where you may have started -- wiser and more tolerant perhaps, but believing your own culture makes considerably more sense.

When I first looked at this book, I found I didn't understand it at all. It took me a few years to begin to get into it...then it opened up to me and I couldn't put it down. I'm a professional astrologer now and I keep coming back to this Master work and get more out of it every time. This is one you'll have on your bookshelf for many years. My advice is to savor it slowly. Enjoy!

This book was given to me by an astrologer. He understood the complexities contained therein. I'm in my 5th reading and I still have much to learn since astrology is not my forte. Yet, with each reading I absorb a bit more about the Logos, the Will of God, the hidden Light of God and the Life of Light... Slowly, I experienced self-consciousness as a necessary step in man's evolution. Recognition of the Christ life and nature, as it expresses itself in daily living to the aspirant was seen to happen in my life in the hope that awareness as lived by the initiate will eventually be mine. A book to be read, re-read and lived. A book to pick up often, daily, for many years to come.

The master work on astrology, now updated and made more understandable by Dr. Douglas Baker's work of the same name, available from Baker Publications in England. Put Baker's Dictionary of Astrology with it and you can comprehend true astrology for the first time, and forever.

Alice Fulton here offers beautifully crafted essays on poets and poetry, emphasizing the power of estrangement that gives lyric much of its interest. Emily Dickinson plays an important role in this book, but above all the reader will find elegant and telling formulations about poetry's exploration of possibilities of feeling.

Let's keep it simple: this is a challenging but accessible and rewarding book. It's not surprising that some professional reviewers have carped; the book takes them (often deservedly) to task for preaching "karaoke poetics," parroting with increasing volume and decreasing originality things that were said -- and tired -- a decade ago. Fulton's chapters on her own poetry and on Dickinson are outstanding, but the whole rewards even a casual reading. Though it's prose in format, the book is still a poem -- a fractal poem -- in the way it plays with its subject matter, diverges on flights of fancy and whimsy, reveals the poet as a person rather than a cold auctorial voice, etc.

Not since I read Wallace Steven's 'The Necessary Angel' 25 years ago have I felt such a wide-ranging intelligence in a book of essays on poetry. Fulton uses theories of science in absolutely startling ways. Readers with any interest in rich metaphors will find much here that is positively exciting and new. Her two essays on what she's calling "fractal verse" are solid, thoughtful, and full of possibilities for where poetry can take us. So far as I know, no poet has ever before described the "poem plane" and how poets are at the threshold of "breaking" through it. To me, this is as significant as Pound's idea of "breaking" the pentameter was when it was first proposed. This book is the work of a true visionary.

Did the capture and execution of Che Guevarra prove that the military actions he led in Bolivia in 1966-67 were doomed to failure?

This interview with Bolivian participant Rodolfo Saldaña reveals the opposite. His captivating description of how fertile the ground was in Bolivia and throughout South America for revolution includes the mass support and financial aid given to the guerrillas by tin miners, peasants, and students. He explains how the U.S. backed the military junta, and the real reasons for the defeat.

In this firsthand account, Bolivian tin miner and revolutionary militant Rodolfo Saldan~a explains how the
guerilla lead by Che Guevara - which Saldan~a helped lead the support network for --was rooted in the
revolutionary upsurge of workers' , students' and farmers' struggles in the mid-late '60s in Bolivia and the
mass movements against dictatorship and Yanqui Imperial domination in the neighboring countries of Peru
and Argentina . As he explains from first-hand experience, Che's efforts were not isolated, driven by
desire for martyrdom, or sabotaged by Fidel Castro, as so many of Che's ' biographers' have claimed.
Excellent preface and introduction by Cuban General Harry Villegas and Pathfinder Press' Mary-Alice
Waters place the lessons of Che's final efforts in the context of the struggles of workers, farmers and youth
of today against capitalism and the Yanqui Empire.

Saldana's fits Che Guevara guerrilla struggle in Bolivia oin 1966 and 1967 into the context of workers struggles that had been shaking that country since the 1940s. He shows how Bolivian revolutionists, workers, students, and peasants welcomed Che's struggle and how the class struggle in that country advanced by Che's struggle. At the country's biggest tin mines, entire unions pledged one day's salary to support Che. Saldana, a founder and leader of the Bolivian Communist Party until he broke with them to work with Che's guerrilla, shows how the Bolivian CP sabotaged Che's struggle. With economic and social conditions in Bolivia and other parts of Latin America much worse than they were in the 1960s, this book should be read as a manual for future upsurges of struggle by workers and peasants in Bolivia and throughout the Americas.

Go Ask Alice! refers to the website of the same name maintained by Columbia University. It is a forum for college students to ask about nutrition, exercise, symptoms, general illnesses, mental health, STDs, sexual relationships, friendships, etc., mostly in the context of adjusting to living on their own for the first time.

This book is a compilation of all that great advice and the letters that inspired it. I have found this is a good book for high school kids as well, as many of them are concerned about the same topics.

This book fills a definite need for adolescents. It presents the facts, not fallacy, to all of the questions they have that parents and other caregivers may be too embarrassed to talk about. It is from an extremely reputable source (Columbia University), and is readable and accessible to the average teen. Kudos to the people who put together "The Go Ask Alice Book of Answers".

The review dated May 9, 1999 is not germain to this book, having a similar title to an earlier fictional book simply titled Go Ask Alice.

This book illustrates and discusses issues regarding healthy practices on many levels.

This book touched me deeply because I can relate so closely to how Susan was feeling while raising a daughter with Rett syndrome. Her book takes you not only through her daughter's struggles and challenges but it alsotouches your heart as you begin to see how Susan grows with her own realization of how wonderful life can be with a child with special needs.

"I have spent most of the day reading Grief Dancers, and am awed by its honesty and beauty. It's a wonderful book, and I wish it could be required reading." Madeleine L'Engle, Newbery Award winning author. "Susan Zimmermann portrays, with honesty, passion and wisdom, a chapter of her life that is both deeply terrifying and wholly inspiring. It is a story of loss and gain, pain and joy, and -- above all -- profound truth. It is a story with the power to change your life." T.A. Barron, author of Heartlight, The Ancient One, and The Merlin Effect. "Susan Zimmermann has written a book about her daughter, but also a book about each of us -- the fragile, damaged, but insistently precious part deep inside, that refuses to be cast off. To read these pages is to be reminded of the value of life itself. I have rarely been so moved." Swanee Hunt, former U.S. Ambassador to Austria.

Susan Zimmermann's story about Katharine is NOT for readers with special needs kids only! It is for all people who have an interest in raising children who will appreciate the different gifts that "different"people have to offer. It is about cultivating in our children an appreciation for, rather than disdain or despair for, people who are "disabled". This is a quick read,very compelling true story that deserves widespread attention! I look forward to Susan's next work!!!!!

This original and unique book was written by an 87 year old retired librarian. Ms. Vitale devoted 30 years to researching and creating this wonderful portrait of leaves. The 110 leaf specimens are all grown in American soil. The author includes fascinating information on tree lore, medicine, botany and so much more. This book brought me hours of pleasure and is also a great reference book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest and love for trees and/or all aspects of nature.

Good Lord, this book is absolutely stunning! What a find! Getting this book as a holiday gift is indeed a good argument for writing an accurate self-description on one's wish list - I said I loved leaves and I got this amazing book which I never even knew existed. The ink autoprints are so finely detailed, it's hard to believe they are really printed off living leaves. Meeting the woman/artist/botanist who so lovingly (obviously) and painstakingly created these prints would be an honor and truly fascinating. This is a case of art imitating yet surpassing nature by making you really SEE and understand its wonder.

110 specimens are the result of Alice Vitale's life-long avocation and work. The leaf drawings are exquisite and each herb is delightfully presented with a smattering of folklore, origins, medicinal uses, quotes and poems. Some very obscure herbs are covered in this compendium.

As one of the women in this book I must say Alice has done very well telling our stories! I was the youngest in the book and was humbled after reading the other stories. I am now 18 and in college still trying hard to carry on the story. I hope all of you who have read this wonderful story become inspired to do something to help others!

When we read of famous women there is always a sense of their accomplishments being something beyond what ordinary women like most of us could possibly do. This book looks at the work done by ordinary women that has made a big difference in some way. It would be a perfect book to have in classrooms where teens and preteen girls could use it as an inspiration. But it is also an inspiration to women of any age.

Alice Hellstrom Anderson features a great variety of women both in terms of their ages and in what they have done to contribute to society. Each woman was personally interviewed by Anderson. You will find women concerned about the underprivileged, world peace, world health, and more in this book. It is a wonderful resource and a great way to get in touch with how ordinary women are making a difference.

You will be amazed at what these women have done, accomplished or experienced. Each story is inspiring and unique. A true display of how one person can in fact make a difference.

Probably the best book I have ever read on the subject. It really touches on the pertinent issues in a woman's life at this point in history. The issues are presented in a straightforward way, leaving the reader to ponder how they may relate to her own life. There is no dominant theme or single hypothesis the author is trying to advance, which is in my opinion the major fault of so many books on this subject. The complexity of women's lives is presented for what it is -- complex, no sugar coating, yet no whining either. A rare gem.

I discovered this book and recommended it for my book club without really knowing what to expect. As a woman in my early 30's I was able to relate to many of the topics that Ms. Orenstein covered. Every chapter had an "Ah Ha" moment for me! I came away from this book feeling like I wasn't the only woman out there today faced with difficult choices about my life. She allows the reader to recognize themself or someone they know through her use of personal interviews with real people. This book is so insightful that I have now given it as a gift to half a dozen people including men. This is a must read for anyone from 23-55 living in today's society and trying to figure out what it all means. The women's movement has come a long way, but this illustrates that we still have a long way to go. Horray for Peggy Orenstein for writing this wonderful, highly readable, not too 'preachy' book!

I read this book for my bookclub - an all women's group. We had the best discussion from it. This book raised some thought-provoking questions. For example, why do many girls grow up thinking that they need to be independent (financially) to support themselves, yet many boys group up thinking that they need to be able to support themselves *and* their family? Hmmm... As an electrical engineer, I had always thought of myself as an independent woman, but why didn't I grow up thinking that I needed to support a family as well as myself? Peggy doesn't answer these questions, but the interviews with different women allow the reader to come to their own conclusions. The only criticism I have about this book is that many of the women interviewed have very similar careers. She interviews many lawyers, which actually seems to serve well as an example of a somewhat male dominated field. I thoroughly recommend this book for any woman in her 20s, 30s, or 40s - or any man wanting to understand women in that age group!

The book was well constructed and collaborated. It is very informative for any young preteen/teenage girl. It has a fair amount of information such as body works, courting & marriage, women through history and much more. This book is a bit dry but if information about women and miscalleanous things interests you, go for it.

I loved this book. Great book for young women my age. Veryinformative! kudos to the authors. Defiantly recommended. Every youngwomen should read this book!

This is a great book for girls. I borrowed it from my friend and read just about the whole thing cause it's really informative, yet Interesting! It's cool.