I was delighted to read Ron's book. I am no scholar, nor a teacher so my review is from the simple reader! I was excited about the book coming out as I went to school with Ron, and his sisters and brother. Peggy, his sister is my age and we played together that year in Panoche. In fact, my father is Mr. Light which Ron wrote about. So, my excitement was because of that connection. But when I began reading the book, I was hesitant to put it down. I had no idea what Ron's life was like while his family attended Panoche School. My eyes were really opened to the migrant life, which in my nievette thought growing up in San Benito County, that only hispanics were migrants. It was good to get to know Ron through his book! It was very informational and good reading. I think everyone should read this book, it shows that you shouldn't assume what people are like until you really get to know them! I had the pleasure of re-meeting Ron this past summer in California and look forward to reading his next book!

I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Hughart before ever knowing he was an author. This provided me a truly different perspective when reading this book. It was a pleasure reading about Ron's childhood, coming of age, and life experiences from a different generation than my own. The book describes in simple terms Ron's daily struggle with hunger, work, school, girls, and the natural elements around him. There are many of "Life's Lessons" to be learned through this author's own experiences.

I'm sure this book will have special meaning to migrant families and their descendants, but I am not from that generation or geographical area and found it completely satisfying. I could identify with almost every David vs. Goliath experience described by Ron (dealing with childhood bullies, overcoming poverty and hunger, doing what's right in life over the wrong thing).

I could probably count the number of books I have read cover-to-cover on one hand. This is a book I will read AGAIN! Thank you Ron for sharing "The Place Beyond the Dust Bowl." The pleasure was all mine!

Teachers looking for migrant biographies will find this book an excellent resource. Ron Hughart writes in a comfortable "talkative" style. He makes the reader ponder his own life and how events shape the way one sees the world. The reader may also wince a time or two pondering the lasting effects of childhood labels like "sissy," "sickly" or "retarded." The book is a unique mixture of sad and happy moments. But it is mainly a story of how the human spirit triumphs over fumbling school and family systems that are primarily concerned with their own survival. These systems often fail children, and that Ron eventually learns to fly is an outstanding testimony to the indomitable hopes of a child. An excellent read.

For most managers and workers coaching is telling or listening to criticism and judgements about events of the past. Real Time Coaching is a collaborative approach designed by the author and based on the coach leading the worker through a simple process of self-evaluation that can be used in almost any situation whether it involves the past, the present or the future. Ernst presents the process in an easy to understand format filled with clear examples and dialogs. This is the best book of its kind I've read to date.

RealTime Coaching is a practical, collaborative process that allows people to focus on what's really important and develop an action-based plan for achieving it. Using this process, I've coached, been coached, and trained others to coach. It really works! The book provides an easy-to-follow framework for the coaching dialogue, supported by "how to" tips and pointers. Although the book provides numerous real-life examples of RealTime Coaching at work, the best examples will be your own as you start to use the process. A must read!

I've been a full time coach for over 10 years and Ron Ernst's RealTime Coaching is a real contribution to the coaching profession. The model he developed is easy to understand and powerful in its application. His use of actual coaching dialogue demonstrates how to use the coaching model and let's you go behind the scenes and view not only what the coach said but why she said it. A very practical "how to" book for any manager who is charged with getting work done with and through the cooperation of others. I highly recommend it!

Ron Rozelle does an amazing job of recalling the sights, sounds, and conversations in a small Texas town during his growing-up years in the 50's. He focuses on his father, the local school superintendant, who always seemed to have his world under control. As the book progresses, the author chronicles his father's decline into Alzheimer's disease and a loss of the control he had always exhibited. Rozelle alternates between his early years and his adulthood and tells his father's story with touching sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.

This book evokes a bygone era when many people lived in small towns where families had known each other for generations. Ron Rozelle alternates scenes of his boyhood with the more current situation of his father's declining health as his Alzheimer's disease advances. Rozelle's ability to recall the sights, sounds, and conversations of his youth draw the reader into true nostalgia and his pain at his father's decline is communicated in a straightforward and touching way. This book hits on universal themes and is presented in a very sensitive and caring way. I read it slowly to savor it, and felt a loss when I had completed it. We want more from this author!

My parents grew up in Oakwood and knew Ron's father, and that's why I read this book. However, it's a beautifully written story, and you don't have to have an Oakwood or Texas connection to appreciate it. It's a very real slice of life and captures moments with poignancy and realism. I felt like I was there with him during all parts of the story. Oprah-this is your kind of book-a wonderful snapshot of simple but complex nuances of small town life. Bravo, Ron!

I've been a fan of the series since it first aired and was extremely disappointed when Fox cancelled it without airing the last 5 episodes. I then heard about the books coming out, but could not get my hands on them till now. I finished Roar yesterday and all I can is wow! I love that they included the story behind the story with Gar as a young man and Conor not even born yet. I also liked the allusions that were made about Catlin's father. Overall I thought this book ran true to form and I'm glad that nothing was cut out that was in the pilot episode.

I had watched the T.V. show befor I read this book ( and before the show was canceled) and had thought it was great. As soon as I read Roar I thought it was great. The characters in the book were a great match for each other. If you like fantsy and Scifi, you'll love this book. And the sequal is really, really good to. It is almost better! (Sorry if there is any spelling mistakes!)

I have never seen the show ROAR, but the book was awesome! Sean Kiernan is now one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to read the sequel. It was great literature, very descriptive. I couldn't put it down. It had a different sort of plot, but very interesting. I recommend it! Great book!

Dead Silence is one of the books where I can just sit down and read for hours. It is a mystious and thrilling book. I'm only 15 and I love the book. I recommed this book to anyone because it is so good!!!!

This was an excellent book. I couldn't put it down...not only for the fast-paced action, but because it was based on a real crime that has never been solved. I cared about the characters, and was never disappointed in the story. I hope Mr. Handberg keeps writing, and uses Alex Collier as the investigator again.

Fabulous book! My test of a 5-star is that I can't stop reading a book.....until I get close to the end when I actually force myself to slow down...because I don't want it to be over! Dead Silence met that test. It also avoided gratuitous gore and violence which I appreciate. More, Ron Handberg, more!

I found the book Prisoners of Age to be a very powerful and revealing collection of portraits and photo essays. The images were on par with the photography of Richard Avedon and Mary Ellen Mark. This book forces you to slow down and think about our aging prison population not just as a number but as real people with hopes and dreams. This book does not attempt to pass judgment about the incarceration of the aged but lets the viewer draw his or her own conclusions. The overall quality of the book is outstanding with first rate printing and cutting edge design and layout that showcases the photography.

I spent hours browsing the sobering and, at times, shocking stories of these aged and infirm inmates in the prison system of the southern U.S. The portraiture, stunning design and layout of this book made it a thoroughly engaging read. I only hope the "Prisoners of Age" exhibition itself comes to the east coast so that I can have a chance to see it in person.

RIVETING!! Not only does this book graphically depict the often horrible treatment of America's aging prison population, but also serves as a sample of how Americans view the elderly in general. Our fast-paced, high-tech society places too much value on youthful vitality and pure intellect, not realizing the contribution that wisdom and decades of experience can bring to heighten our humanity and sensitivity for our fellow man. Even if you choose to ignore the deeper meaning of this book, the quality and impact of the photographs and artwork still make it a bargain for the price.

Chris

Dave Lowry writes with a clarity that is accessible and moving. In Autumn Lightning, Lowry explores his early interest in the arts of the bugeisha (samurai-in-training). He trains with the ken/katana, and learns much about the world of Japanese Martial Arts.

But this is not simply a martial arts book. What makes it so unique is its easy realationship with the reader. It is like having a discussion with an old friend, and hearing all the wonderful stories that friend has to tell. Lowry expands on his experiences with his neighbor/sensei and relates them both to his life and, by proxy, the life of the reader.

This is a book I loved from cover to cover not just because it bridges certain cultural constraints (which it does with wit and candor), but also because it is a delightful story. Hearing the stories about the author, his sensei, and even his sensei's wife, are inspiring and thoroughly entertaining. If you have any interest in the martial arts, Japanese culture, or just open thinking in general, this book is most certainly going to excite your literary pallete.

Ostensibly the autobiography of an American bugeisha (practitioner of Japanese martial arts, in this case kenjutsu, "sword techniques"), this book is much more as it delves into an easily-read discussion of different bugei (Japanese martial arts), zanshin (the state of "continual mind"), special skills and hidden methods, the precursors of jujutsu, warrior monks, Zen Buddhism, seppuku and much more. Even if you do not practice a martial art, you are likely to find this a fascinating read, and if you do practice a martial art, this book will inspire you no matter what your own art is (I practice eskrima, which has no relation whatsoever to kenjutsu and yet I found many principles in this which I can apply to eskrima).

Out of print for nearly ten years, Shambhala Press makes this masterpiece available to another generation of martial arts students and Westerners who are interested in the Japanese "student-teacher" relationship. As a young teenager, Lowry learned of a "Japanese swordsman" living in the same University town. In the tradition of old Japan when a student seeked an instructor, Lowry stopped by the house every day, asking the woman who answered the door if there was an instructor who would take him as a student. Lowry's persistence paid off and he was "adopted" by Kotaro Sensei (teacher), a master of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship. Lowry instruction was by no means limited to the physical techniques of the sword. As the subtitle implies, Kotaro Sensei transformed this wet-behind-the-ears teenager into an "American Samurai." Lessons learned within and without the dojo (training hall) taught Lowry that a "samurai" has to live ALL aspects of his or her life to a higher standard. While his schoolmates were busy experimenting with drugs and worrying about the Viet Nam war, Lowry's spare time was spent learning honor, respect, courage, virtue and justice through this sacred relationship between Sensei (teacher) and kohei (student). Lowry takes an interesting and very effective approach to the assembly of the book, alternating chapters that chronologically detail his experience and historical anecdotes about the martial arts that reinforce the lessons he learned. Lowry is a true "master of the sword AND pen," his masterful re-telling of his experience almost allows the reader to experience the same struggles and joys he experienced, yet he keeps this writing accessable. This book would be equally valuable to a nine-year old beginning karate student as it is to a 80 year old master of the arts. I have been involved in the martial arts for only ten years, but have read and collected more than 100 books on the subject. If I had only one book to recommend to students of the arts seeking the "definitive text" on what the "teacher-student" experience is SUPPOSED to be, this would be it.

Driving Ambition "The Official Story of The McLaren F1" is a great book because it explains many things about the McLaren F1, from the thought of the car to the winning of the famous LeMans race. The book is 272 pages long, it has over 600 photographes and illustrations (the pictures in the book are great), it is hard covered and jacketed, and the book comes with a McLaren poster. Buy the book if you like McLarens, besides all you have to do is get a credit card type some numbers and wait a little while. Its worth it.

Written with F1 designer Gordon Murray and McLaren Cars head Ron Dennis, Doug Nye's Driving Ambition is to car books what the F1 is to production road cars. In its 12in x12in, 272-page embossed hardcover format, Nye begins with the background of McLaren Cars and its legendary founder Bruce McLaren, and takes the reader through the ideas and concepts leading to the dream, commitment, talent and development of the F1. Probably never-before-published photos of F1 designer Gordon Murray's hand-written notes, sketches and F1 patents accompany exquisitely detailed full- and two-page color photos of the F1, including snapshots of the F1 during every phase of its development and subsystem prototypes. Nye writes lucid details and quotes, tying chronological events to the day. The F1's brief but glorious racing history is charted with the results of each McLaren in every race. One may be left in awe after reading Nye's transcript of the incredible 240-mph+ high speed runs at VW's test track in Germany, firmly establishing the McLaren F1 as the official fastest production road car in the world (now published in the Guinness Book of World Records). If the performance capabilities, colorful racing success and visual perfection weren't enough for the general car enthusiast to appreciate, reading Driving Ambition will reveal why so many regard the million-dollar price tag justifiable for what may be the best road car built--ever. The execution of this dedicated book, in content and substance, is worth every penny, and does honor to the car, designer and team that brought this dream car to reality. With the collaboration of Gordon Murray, Ron Dennis and McLaren Cars, this beautifully printed book is the definitive reference work on the McLaren F1, and by which all other F1 books will be judged. If you're a collector, get your copy now!

"Driving Ambition: The Official Inside Story of the McLaren F1" is an absolutely delightful book, especially from an engineer's perspective. It thoroughly and entertainingly tells the story of how an engineer and his team can achieve their creative dreams if allowed maximum latitude.

The overall quality of the text, diagrams and photographs is excellent. And it won't disappoint motorsport fans, either! This book would be well worth twice the asking price.

The book rates an 8 instead of a 9 or 10 because it could have had at least one startling story in it. Since Stanley's short story, CHILDREN OF CRECHE, back in another earlier volume, there have been some near-contenders to such a slam-bang ending, but none have come even close. Still this omnibus offers some above-average short stories -- stories without the gum-smacking, philosophically idiotic messages that the previous three volumes were heavily caught up in. There's more intelligent stories evident in this volume than in the previous three volumes.

Jayme Blaschke's short story Cyclops in B Minor, appearing in this 1998 edition, is probably one of the best modern fantasy stories I've ever read. This book is a collection of very talented young writers. Get this book for a sneak peak at the future of the genre.

I love short story anthologies and this is a book packed with good stories. from "Blade of the Bunny" to a thought provoking "The Price of Tea in China" every story is a must read. The tales are mixed with thoughtful tips and hints for new writers and the whole book makes a worthwhile text for anyone trying their hand at writing.

I had read Ron Rash's three books of poetry and found his work extraordinary before I learned that he had also ventured into fiction. Then I became aware of Mr. Rash's two short story collections. I read them and found that this man, whom I had thought to be pure poet, was capable of a lyrical, poetic prose that I found engaging. It had the "feel" of endurance about it. But when I read Mr. Rash's first novel, gulping it down almost in one sitting, I was absolutely convinced that a major talent had come among us. Ron Rash can easily take his place alongside any number of the older, more established, and, alas, even major, novelists of the American South. I await Rash's second novel with bated breath. But I hope he will not forsake poetry. We readers need him in both genres--poetry as well as fiction.

Ron Rash is one of North Carolina's finest poets. Set in the Jocassee Valley in the southern Appalachians, One Foot in Eden is a taut, compelling story of infidelity and revenge killing that has the feel of archetypal mountain legend, a sort of "Lord Randall" updated by a psychological realist. A nifty and quite cunning murder mystery plot is parceled out to readers, Roshomon-style, from the cross-angled, and occasionally contradictory, first-person testimonies of the major players: the high sheriff, who knows murder has been done and who has done it, but can't find a body; the murderer himself; the adulterous wife for whom he kills; the bastard son of the illicit union; the deputy, a sort of Everyman, who serves as the reader's proxy and comes on, like Horatio in Act V, to wonder over the principals' unraveled fates. (There's also a witch!) For me, in some ways, the most compelling character is the Appalachian landscape, which Rash delivers tersely, with a poet's exacting eye and speech. Ultimately, One Foot in Eden is a parable about the pursuit of justice-its elusiveness at the human level, its certainty from the divine. True statement: I read the book-which is only 200 pages-- in a single sitting and couldn't (didn't) put it down.

Ron Rash has written a beautifully told story about desire, heartbreak, cunning, murder and justice. He's done it in simple language and in a riviting style. Broken into 5 sections, each character tells the story from their own perspective. Ron lays out each section in such as a way that the story never becomes repetitive and the book is riviting. The Apalachian language with colloquialisms is delightful, making me want to read lines over again for their color and style, as well as content.

I hope Ron Rash is currently working on a second novel because I will be looking for it every day until I can purchase it!
I gladly give this book a 5 star rating.