As a longtime reader of this consistently satisfying series, this years' edition just might be the best one yet. It is meatier than the last few years and each story in the book seems a little bit better than the last one. As always, there are surprises, too, not only of more obscure sports (wreck diving, poker and surfing) but in point of view, re: Gene Collier's farewell to sportswriting and Charles Young's meditation on losing. But there's plenty of straight sports, too; Tiger Woods, DiMaggio, Ripken, etc., and big names like Reilly, Pierce and Bissinger. And maybe it's me, but there's an odd, antidotal prescience to this book in these strange times. Collier's story alerts us to the real heroes, and if you need an uplift, read the story called "Toughest Miler Ever," for a true profile in courage. Collins introduction is vintage, and well, that's it. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I enjoyed this so much I rather wish I had another to read right away.

well for one its hard to read the book when i can't get to it so please tell me how i can get to it. also anything on collin raye is rated at a 5 star mark. he is the greatest

REVISAR TEXT

Since this book was first published in 1996, there has been at least some progress in terms of what Vernon Jordan calls "signs of new opportunities" as indicated by the appointment as CEOs of Kenneth Chenault (by American Express) and Richard Parsons (by AOL Time Warner). However, obviously, much more remains to be achieved in a society which still relies so heavily on gender-specific adjectives (e.g. female jockey) and hyphenated descriptives (e.g. Lilliputian-Americans). Let us all hope that Chenault and Parsons were selected wholly because they were best-qualified to provide the organizational leadership needed. Period.

The subtitle of Collins' book ("The Making and Breaking of a Black Middle Class") implies -- to me, at least -- initiatives which were consciously and deliberately expedient. That is to say, in response to various pressures (especially from the federal government) on many corporations in the late-1960s to create access to career opportunities previously denied to black executives. These same corporations then "racialized" the positions many black executives occupied by limiting their responsibilities to supervising Affirmative Action programs, cultivating "special markets", and solidifying relationships with minority customers. In almost every instance, this eliminated them from the "fast track" to positions at higher levels within their respective organizations. Their income permitted what Dick Gregory once referred to as an "Oreo lifestyle" but job security was tenuous. I was curious to know: Was the emergence of a Black Middle Class, throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, more a perception than a reality?

In an e-mail from her, she responds to that question. "I really don't think the emergence of the middle class was illusionary at all. I think the socioeconomic gains were/are real but they are grounded in different sets of conditions than those that prop up whites. I think that its emergence and growth was, and still is, dependent on the continued support of public policies and social pressure. When I look at the Ken Chenaults and Richard Parsons of the world I see them as anomalies rather than as symbols of a a trend. In other words, I don't think these companies are going to integrate their power structures in a sustained way unless there's some type of external nonmarket pressure to do so. Of course, I could be wrong and, if so, I'll have to rethink my understanding of race relations in the business world."

I was also curious to know to what the extent (if any) the demographics of black executives (male and female) have changed since 1996 when her book was first published. In the same e-mail, Collins observes: "The demographic trends associated with the number of black executives is almost impossible to measure for several reasons. One, the best source (EEO1 data that surveys private employers) groups managers so that rank is obscured. Managers counted here could be the manager of a 7-11 food store or a CFO of a Fortune 500 company. Census data does have an "administrator" category, but that probably relates more to public than to private sector employment. This problem has been my nemesis and probably will continue to be so because I am forced patch together information from various sources and than draw inferences." Although the scope and depth of Collins' survey sample may seem insufficient to support her generalizations (i.e. two sets of interviews with 76 of the most successful black executives in Chicago's major corporations), she consulted extensive supplementary research resources which apparently confirmed what she learned from those interviewed.

The Collins Web site features a statement which asserts that her analysis in this book "challenges arguments that justify dismantling affirmative action. She argues that it is a myth to believe that black occupational attainments are evidence that race no longer matters in the middle-class employment arena. On the contrary, blacks' progress and well-being are tied to politics and employment practices that are sensitive to race." That brief excerpt refers to her analysis of circumstances almost two decades prior to 1996. It remains for each reader to read and evaluate Collins' book, then draw her or his own conclusions as to its relevance to circumstances today. I rate the book so highly because she addresses so many important issues which remain timely in 2001; also, because she raises questions which must continue to be asked, and then answered honestly, until such time that there is no longer a need to do so.

As a college student in the late '60s, R. Thomas Collins Jr. felt torn over Vietnam. Would he enlist or resist? He never had to choose. He flunked his draft physical because of a pustule on his rump.
A quarter century later, he finds himself in a Hanoi hotel room struggling with the ghosts of war. Now a Mobil public relations executive, Collins is on the front line of the battle for drilling rights along the shore of America's former enemy. He finds the waters of Southeast Asia remain treacherous, the political currents swift and unpredictable -- and that's before all hell breaks loose when a reporter leaks word of the secret negotiations. Collins soon discovers that the passions of a long-ago war remain strong on both sides of the Pacific.
In Blue Dragon, Collins has gathered up all the ingredients of a first-rate political thriller, but he gets no credit for imagination: It's all true. Collins, a former journalist, reports insightfully on this little-known coda to the war that helped shape his generation...

The photographic material, sideboxes and quotes alone are enough to make this book a 5 star rating; the actual book itself is revealing, involved but does not seem to dwell on individual topics for too long, leaving you feeling you "vaguely read something about that". The material is interesting, there could just have been a bit more of it.

However it offers a very interesting perspective, and the stories and quotes are very dramatic. It's a book you'll keep picking up, and whilst it seeks the truth about Bomber Command, it shows great respect for the men and women who's lives were given and lost in it's operation.

Couple this game with an online WWII simulation like iMagic Online's Warbirds, and it will give you a new insight into the aerial combat.

I have attended and heard Dr. Gary Collins's seminar based on the same book title and this book just refreshes what he teaches in his seminars. If you are starved for time, make time to read this book to learn how to take control of your life.

Delightfully written and charmingly illustrated by Ross Collins, Busy Night is a whimsical children's picturebook about a young boy whose attempts to sleep are disturbed by ghosts, the tooth fairy, the Sandman, Santa Claus, and just about every other scary or fantastic creature imaginable. Eventually he has to order them all away to enjoy his sleep, in this colorful story which is perfect for bedtime reading.

As an English graduate student looking forward to a career of teaching, I have read several books on the subject. This particular text is one of the most useful I've seen so far. The articles cover a myriad of teaching approaches and exercises for potential students.

While not forcing one particular philosophy on the reader, articles by authors like Peter Elbow, Douglas B. Park, Lisa Ede and Andrea Lunsford offer different perspectives on different ares of the teaching process. These articles help the reader decide how important "audience" is, and whether literature has a place in a freshman composition course.

Chapters cover such areas as: "Teachers," "Students," "Approaches," "Perspectives," "Composing and Revising," and "Styles," among other things. This book would be incredibly useful for a new teacher, a potential teacher, or even a student interested in further developing his or her own writing skills. The book offers ideas for a teacher to help a student with typical writing roadblocks: how to start, how to get organized, and how to overcome writer's block. An invaluable tool that has helped me not only develop my own philosophy on teaching, but has also helped me in my own writing process.

I attended a conference presentation where two of the editors outlined some of the ideas that are presented in the book. The information about negotiating salaries, finding a mentor, and dealing with departmental politics and the personal stories presented will provide invaluable for anyone starting out in academia, or even for those who have been there a while!