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The correspondence runs from 1949 until 1969, during which time Helene and the people at 84 Charing Cross Road exchange Christmas gifts and news of their families, but never meet. At least in the early years of the correspondence, almost every year Ms. Hanff states her intention to come over to visit England, but something always comes up to prevent the trip.
In 1969, one of Hanff's letters to Frank Doel is answered by another member of the firm, informing her that Frank Doel has died.
This is a beautiful book, which can be read in 45 minutes. I suppose every reader will take his or her own lessons from the book, but here is mine: If there is something you really want to do in your life, then DO IT when the opportunity arises. Time is finite. If you keep saying, "Maybe next year," there will eventually come a time when there IS no next year. It is a painful tragedy that Helene Hanff never got to England to meet Frank Doer and the other people at Marks & Company, and that poignant sadness is what stayed with me after I had closed the book.
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This book was written with a lot of heart and enthusiasm from a guy who changed his life from one of a juvenile delinquent to a highly charged real estate specialist. His stories are wonderful, however, telling them once is sufficient.
The reason I gave this book 5 stars... It is such a positive book, and it left me feeling good. Isn't that what you read a book for? I do feel that Frank would better represent himself if he changed his style, but that's his business. As someone who is just getting into the real estate business, this book hit the spot. Thanks Frank.
P.S., this book is much better than any in the Rich Dad Poor Dad series!
This is a great business book, but more importantly, this is a fantastic life book. Read it now! Don't wait! The life you change may be your own!
Rocket Boys are still making their handmade rockets. Homer "Sonny" Hickam is trying to
prove to his father that he will go to college and succeed. Although with the mine not
doing very well, it does not look like any of the Coalwood children will get very far in life.
A lot of the miners have lost their jobs and Sonny's father has to make some dangerous
decisions about what to do to keep the town and the mine from going poor. Sonny's
mother feels cut off from her husband and the townspeople. Her role as the
superintendent's wife makes things difficult with the wives of the union workers.
In the bleak, cold winter months optimism is hard to come by in Coalwood. Sonny
is overcome with a sense of gloom and trys desperately to figure out what is causing it.
When Coalwood is in need of some spirt-lifting, Sonny and his friends bring back the spirit
of Christmas just in time.
Hickam's story brings the characters from his childhood to life in a touching tale
that provokes the mood of the mid-twentieth century. Sonny learns many things about his
brother and his parents throughout the story. His father is a workaholic who feels
responsible and inadequate, and his mother is very intelligent and perceptive who feels
isolated from her whole family. Sonny moves from childhood to adulthood in a few short
months as Coalwood changes in many different ways. The story reminds us of the
importance of keeping our dreams and not letting little things or big things change them.
It also remids us that growing up is hard, yet possible. If we stay together with our friends
and family and we we pray and learn to live together, then we can get through anything.
Homer discovers truths about himself and others, even as he's about to move away from home. There is always more to learn from one's parents. There are many emotional highs and lows in Coalwood, but lessons learned from both will leave you feeling hopeful for the human spirit. The people of Coalwood continue to display a dogged determination to get though the difficulties, even if they stumble along the way. Not one to cry easily, I found my eyes welling up with tears during the last chapter. It is possible to find great joy and beauty in hard times.
Homer doesn't miss on emotion. There's anger, joy, fear, excited anticipation, sorrow, laughter, and contentment. You may very well learn something about yourself while reading The Coalwood Way. I highly recommend it!
I've lifted weights off and on throughout the years, but never got the results I was wanting. After I read Frank Melfa's book, I realized that a lot of my sets, technique, diet and exercises were wrong. Now I've been able to gain 9 pounds of muscle, for the first time. Even people at work have noticed the difference.
There is so much info packed into this book, there's no way you can learn it all in one reading. I find myself referring to it often, even after owning it for 5 months. I even copied the exercise regiments on posterboard and hung it up in my basement-gym so they're easier to refer to.
I've completely changed the way I eat. I was shocked to learn that I wasn't consuming nearly enough calories to gain muscle. Frank recommends logging food intake as well as exercises. This is hard at first, but well worth the effort. I also enter my weight, calorie intake, and carbs-protien-fat intake into a graph to see what trends are developing. Of course, the real measure of sucess is the mirror!
Frank Melfa is a real guy, and this shines through in his writing. He has to squeeze his workouts and healthy meals into a normal busy life, just like all of us. But if you have a question about something in the book, Frank will even respond personally to your e-mail!
The book includes pictures of Frank during his various competitions, as well as his appearance today. I think that pictures of the author should be a requirement for any exercise book. I bought this book for my sister, also. She's always had trouble gaining muscle mass, and this book has helped her as well.
As Frank points out, changing the shape of your body is a difficult thing to do. For many of us, our body is the result of our habits and lifestyle. If you truly want to change the way you look, you will need to change your habits. For me, this has been a very fulfilling and worthwhile change...and it only gets better from here!
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One of the strengths of the book is the elegant, slowly building power of Alfred Lansing's prose. He hits the perfect pitch, not sensational and yet not a dry retelling of facts. His writing is very clean, cuts right to the quick, and is full of perfect details. The book is also full of journal entries from several of the men, and most of these are masterpieces of understatement and courage. I won't even begin to describe the elements and details of the hardships these men faced. I simply don't know how they kept going, kept trying, in the face of such awesome, soul-crushing circumstances.
This book, to say the least, is a testament to the survival instinct in men - the surprising deep need the human animal has to simply stay alive, no matter what. And, of course, the book is a testament to the men of the Endurance. The author puts it best in the book's dedication: "In appreciation for whatever it is that makes men accomplish the impossible."
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He is the parent who disciplines all the kids, and the mom is really understanding of how hard it is to live in such an unusual family. Both of the parents were professionals, as the mom was also a psychologist and industrial engineer. They applied their professional ideas on raising the 12 kids. The children learn foreign languages, long division and about the solar system, using methods from Mr. Gilbreth's professional life. They were also taught touch typing and morse code by efficient methods. It is a very humorous look at the life of a large and unusual family. The ending of the book is sad, as Mr. Gilbreth dies, leaving Mrs. Gilbreth to raise the children alone.
The tone of the book is humor, as many of the situations are really funny, and the parents approach life with a sense of humor. The father is often very sarcastic, but not in a mean way. He liked to parade the family around and even though he was proud of them, he found the reactions of other people very funny. The parent's sense of humor made dealing with the problems of a large family easier, and made for a more loving lifestyle. Even though raising a family that large was serious business, they never took life too seriously. I think that is an important way to raise a family, by keeping a sense of humor. The father is a smart man, and he is never characterized as an idiot, even though he does some crazy things to help his family. The main theme throughout the book is the importance of humor in their lives.
Format: Paperback,1st ed., 180 pages ISBN: 0553272500 Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Younger Readers Pub. Date: February 1981 Other Formats: Hardback Recommended Age:Third grade and up
Wonderful...Once you start to read the first page you wont be able to put the book down. This perfect way to spend a rainy day. You will be very amused when you read about the hilarious events of the Gilbreth family. The family of twelve children have many adventures you will enjoy reading. The father is almost crazy and a very successful business man. He is very strict and overprotective. He won't let his daughters wear make up or dress the way they like to. They slowly change his mind and begin to dress their way. He thinks his children can do anything and is also believed he could do anything. He loved jokes and laughing and you will love the practical jokes they play on each other. The rich family loves to go to movies then out for ice cream. They also spend their summers at the beach, where their Dad forces them to learn to swim. He wants them to learn as much as possible about everything so he always finds a way to teach them new things. As an efficiency expert he made sure that everything was done in a time efficient way. It was a sin to waste time in the Gilbreth house and he was constantly coming up with new ways to save time. The Dad in the story liked to parade around and show off his kids. Although this was embarassing to some of the kids as they got older Dad found it hilarious. The mother also was sometimes embarrassed or insulted by the attention they got or the comments other people made. This book will keep you laughing right up to the last chapter when Dad dies. The book is a mixture of humor and then sadness at the ending. This is an excellent book that everybody should read. I recommend this book for anyone that knows how to read no matter how old or young!
Dina Bastianini, Pine-Richland High School
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The book contains excellent information for beginners and intermediat players as well. It is well researched and Scoblete recommends further reading that will also be helpful. This is one of the six best blackjack books ever written in my estimation, although I have only read thirty three blackjack books to date!
But Scoblete doesn't stop at the elementary aspects of the game. He gives a detailed and easily assimilated analysis of various card counting systems that have been developed by many authors and then he explains why the one he uses is preferred. He gives examples from his own long experience in the casinos to bolster many of his points, and his insights and anecdotes are smart, funny and right on the money. His tales of "ploppys" and "the million dollar bum" and his own "blackjack diary" at the end of the book are howls!
Scoblete also goes into areas of blackjack play that you usually don't find in most blackjack books; areas that only an expert blackjack player can employ, such as glim play, front-loading, tells, and team play. Again, he offers his own personal experience in the casinos to bolster his points and make clear his opinions.
This book is a fun and informative read. Scoblete is a gifted writer and one who knows his way around the casino. Best Blackjack has something for everyone, whether you're a novice or an experienced player. I recommend it to anyone looking to improve their game and have some fun while doing so.
The third edition is longer by at least 60 pages, and the pages devoted to each body region are now color-coded for quick access.
Each section devoted to a body region now begins with a surface anatomy plate. In addition, a significant number of normal radiographic images are included.
In the foreword, Consulting Editor John T. Hansen states the following:
"We balanced the addition of new surface and radiographic plates largely by eliminating several plates that contributed little to the quality of the [Second Edition]. Several plates from The Netter (formerly CIBA) Collection of Medical Illustrations were added and several plates were altered slightly to correct anatomical errors consistent with our current knowledge.... Finally, the References and the Index have been updated.
"The anatomical terminology is consistent throughout the Atlas and conforms to the International Anatomical Terminology (Terminologia Anatomica) approved in 1998 by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists. Common eponyms are retained parenthetically, and the leader lines and labels have been checked, and where necessary, corrected to ensure their accuracy."
I plan to get the third edition for my reference library because my 2nd edition got gooked and dripped on in the lab as I'm sure yours will.
Netter is excellent in book form. However, whatever you do don't get the cd. It is poor in terms of clarity...
Nobody comes close to Francis!!!
Just beautiful art, you'll appreciate him once you start dissecting.
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Having read this tiny little gem, I can tell you that I'm not even sure why I liked it so much. Maybe it was because I loved seeing a warm friendship develop between two total strangers. Maybe it was because I loved the dry wit of Helene and the staunch Britishness of Frank. Maybe it was because I liked hearing about the WWII years, how the people of Britain sacrificed, and how one caring American woman made a difference to this small group of Britishers.
One note: this is the only book I have ever read that is truly enhanced by the video. Read the book, then rent the movie. Anne Bancroft is the perfect Helene and Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as Frank.