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Book reviews for "Grant,_Susan-Mary_C." sorted by average review score:

Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
Published in Hardcover by William s Konecky Assoc (15 March, 1999)
Author: Ulysses S. Grant
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One of the better Civil War memoirs
One of the nice things Grant does in his book, is break down ranks using a horizantal flow chart on various pages. This helps clear confusion for the novice. (page 446-7 is one example)
Other reviews have spoken admirmingly of this book, I would like to draw attention to an incident Grant tells of, where a Union soldier is stealing ALL of a Southern ladies chickens.The Southern woman vainly pleaded with the Union soldiers to please spare her a few at least.
The Union soldiers looked at the woman and said,

>"This rebellion has to be suppressed if it takes the last chicken in the Confederacy."< ( Page 555 Grants memoirs)
( how will this woman and her children eat after this?)Another following incident---

>"The South prior to the rebellion kept bloodhounds to pursue runaway slaves who took refuge in the neighboring swamps, and also to hunt convicts. Orders were issued to KILL all of these animals as they were met with.
On one occasion a soldier picked up a POODLE, the favorite pet of it's mistress, and was carrying it off to EXECUTION, when the lady made a strong appeal to him to spare it.
The soldier replied," Madam our orders are to KILL every bloodhound,"
"But this is not a Bloodhound," said the lady.
"Well, Madam, we can not tell what it will grow into, if we leave it behind," said the soldier as he went off with it."<

---------------The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant------Page 555----
( exact wording again, the capitals are mine for emphasis)

Combining Grants testimony, and Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, ( see my review of his book, and the direct quote), there is no doubt the Southern women, children and families suffered greatly during the Civil War. There was NO MILITARY VALUE, for the majority of this.

People that deny this, should read books, by the two top Northern Generals.

As far as Civil War biographies go, this is one of the better ones.

A man of whom all Americans can be proud
The book is remarkable for its clarity of speech and the simplicity of its presentation, but most of all for the quality of focus of a man whose final chapter is as moving as any I have read, and written just a week before he died. I recommend that the trilogy of Grant; CAPTAIN SAM GRANT, GRANT MOVES SOUTH, and GRANT TAKES COMMAND, be read first. Then read his MEMOIRS, and follow it up with ON THE BORDER WITH CROOK. The characters in the MEMOIRS appear prominently in all the others; men known by Grant from West Point, the Mexican American War, and who served, subsequently, as officers during the Indian Wars following the Civil War. Connections such as these fascinate me. Grant's knowledge of his adversaries most of who he knew from experience was perhaps his greatest weapon. Yet, war being war, he never let let friendship interfere with his duty, which is why he became known as UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER (U.S.) GRANT. it seemed to me the more he got into his work, the better he expressed himself, and his CONCLUSION rose to the level of greatness as a writer. He seemed the perfect compliment to Abe Lincoln whose policies he hoped to carry forward.

Simple, elegant , humorous, while at death's door
More than the descriptions of the great battles, which were of such great scale that they were beyond my ability to grasp, I was most impressed with the courage and intelligence of the man, who wrote these memoirs while dying of a painful cancer. His assessments of the generals on both sides, many of whom he knew intimately from the Mexican war, are priceless. I think the one I like best was of General Warren -- "His difficulty was constitutional and beyond his control. He was an officer of superior ability, quick perceptions, and the personal courage to accomplish anything that could be done with a small command."

General Grant also never lost the ability to make fun of himself (a lost art among today's leaders?), recalling being mocked by a stablehand who had seen him prancing in his uniform shortly after being commissioned. Perhaps that is why in his prime Grant so often wore a simple private's shirt with his proper insignia of rank.

The anecdotes from his conversations with President Lincoln are unforgettable. So are stories from the war with Mexico, when long-range Mexican cannonballs came into his lines at such shallow angles that his men could open ranks to avoid the bounding projectiles. The language of the day - "reducing" the enemy "works" with great "execution" -- adds to the enjoyment and reminds the reader of today's "collateral damage" military jargon.

Grant, great lover of a good cigar, comments on his observations from the war with Mexico that people smoked tobacco more when it was an expensive item they they did later when the price was much cheaper.

Where are such men today? Probably still out there waiting for the next great challenge to bring them forward. General Grant comments that "Those who wait to be selected, rather than those who seek, can be expected to provide the most efficient service."


Arigo: Surgeon of the Rusty Knife,
Published in Hardcover by Ty Crowell Co (1974)
Author: John Grant, Fuller
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Too good for words.
This book needs to be made into a serious full length movie on the order of "Gandhi".

Rigorous scientific documentation of paranormal medicine
According to this book and other information available on the Web:

Arigo was a Brazilian peasant, with no formal medical training, or other schooling past 3rd grade. He was able to diagnose and cure virtually any malady. He did diagnosis at a glance and prescribed modern pharmaceuticals -- often in combinations and doses that made no sense in conventional terms, but which worked in virtually all cases where this could be followed up by investigators. Arigo performed operations of kinds which have apparently never been duplicated by conventional physicians. For example, he commonly excised even those metastatic tumors that extensively infiltrated vital organs, amid blood vessels and nerves. He regularly removed cataracts with a kitchen knife by scraping the cornea and removing the lens -- and his patients were able to see well afterwards. Most operations were done within 5 to 60 seconds, without anesthesia or antiseptics, yet without pain or damage or infection to patients. He commonly treated up to 300 patients/day.

This sounds like a fairy tale, but was extensively documented by highly respected physicians and other scientists from America (led by Henry Puharich) and Brazil. They made detailed films, and performed on-the-spot diagnoses and examination of patients before and after treatment by Arigo. His "instant" diagnoses agreed with their diagnoses at least 96% of the time.

This is not only among the best-documented records of psychic healing, but among the most intruiging sets of evidence for psychic phenomena in general. Instead of just rehashing the same o same o notions of telepathy, clairvoyance, etc. it opens up entire new phenomena. In particular, it suggests a radically new perspective on the nature of disease and healing.

Granted, this perspective has something in common with notions of the so-called etheric body and how it can be operated on -- an approach common in Brazil, where physicians commonly combine so-called spiritist practices with modern medicine. (But Arigo's skill and the intelligence underlying it went far far beyond that of his peers.)

This is the so-called intellectual Karcec school of medicine, and is reputedly practiced by hundreds if not thousands of physicians who have graduated from top ranking medical schools [including American and European schools] and who publish regularly in professional journals.

The Kardec approach involves consultation with spirit physicians -- discarnate beings that were allegedly once alive on Earth -- through mediums. Arigo was unusual in that he was his own medium. His spirit helpers either gave him advice or used him like a puppet to perform treatments -- at which time he was in a trance.

Although this sounds extraordinarily far fetched, the documentation is good enough to warrant serious thought. Alas, Arigo was killed in a car wreck before his work could be studied in enough detail for his methods to be passed on to other healers. Many healers aspire to emulate him, but apparently none has equalled his prowess and gentleness.

This is the kind of book I've been waiting for for 30 years. I only wish that the films and detailed medical records were available too.

It was all a bunch of sleigh of hand (magic type) tricks?
According to James (The Amazing) Randi, most if not all of what Arigo accomplished was mere sleigh of hand (magic) tricks with perhaps some of the placebo effect involved (people's expectations being met). While I tend to agree, I am puzzled as to some things which can't be explained away such as the thoracic surgery performed on Senator Betancourt, some leukemia cures on babies, and Arigo's use of the German language.


Birds of Europe
Published in Paperback by Princeton Univ Pr (10 April, 2000)
Authors: Lars Svensson, Peter J. Grant, Killian Mullarney, and Dan Zetterstrom
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The best guide ever!
If only there were so good guides for every other region of the world!!!! It is simply the best guide I've ever had. It ^has very good paintings and perfect descriptions. Impossible to miss one identification with that. And it's also not so heavy to transport, so you can easily bring it to the field. BUY IT!!!!

ý will buy
ý havent read it but my friend said to me it was perfect than ý will buy it as soon as possible..

Truly incredible!!!
This field guide has been awaited with excitement (already having existed in Swedish and Danish for a year or so) - now I know why. I have seen a huge variety of field guides, but this is simply the best yet. It covers Europe (east of Ural), Northern Africa (north of ca. 30 degrees north), and the Middle East (e.g. Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia and so on). Also included is the islands of the Canaries and Madeira. All species naturally occurring (and several species not considered to be native) in this area are included. The only exception being a number of species only recorded a few times (usually meaning ones or twice) in the area. These rarities are included in a list. The species are dealt with taxonomically, and each group (e.g. Swans) starts with a short (or long in the "hard-to-id" groups) introduction. Each species has a text which I can only refer to as perfect. All relevant information is included (id, habitat, voice etc.). Also included is a map. However, the truly incredible thing is the drawings. Not only are they precise, they also include all kinds of plumage's and positions (often shown in a natural habitat as you would see it in the nature) that you could only wish for in most guides. Arrows (with a short and simple text) point at features of the birds especially important for identification. A thing most (if not all?) will find great is that the drawings are placed next to the text (and map) - no more endless going through pages. Incredibly it is still a handy guide. This is the field guide for the beginner as well as the pro. Sorry, I'm not able to find any bad things to say about this guide.


College Financial Aid for Dummies (--For Dummies)
Published in Paperback by Hungry Minds, Inc (16 July, 1997)
Authors: Herm Davis and Joyce Lain Kennedy
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Best book I have found on subject!
I have read six books on college financial aid and this is the hands down winner. It has everything you need to plan and execute a faultless fiancial aid strategy. I checked this out of the library but I am buying my own copy. It is a good read and a good reference. It has all the secrets to getting the most financial aid possilbe with web sites of places to get more info.

If someone finds a better book for parents, please let me know!

This guidance counselor loves them!!
I have been a high school guidance counselor for 20 years. This book really explains the FAFSA process to my students and their parents, I highly reccomend it!!Also love College planning for dummies. It really simplifies the college admissions process and search journey for my kids.

This guidance counselor loves them!
I have been a high school guidance counselor for 20 years. This book really explains the FAFSA process to my students and their parents, I highly reccomend it! Also love College planning for dummies. It really simplifies the college admissions process and search journey for my kids.


How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters
Published in Paperback by Strathmoor Press (1996)
Author: Mal Warwick
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The best book of its kind ...
There are many many books and courses on how to write a funding proposal but few out there on how to write and develop your organization's annual campaign. Mal Warwick's is the only book you'll ever need. Thorough, with many examples, if you're a development professional this is one book you must have on your shelf.

A Good Primer on Fundraising Letters
I found this book to be a great primer on writing fundraising letters. This book is written in simple enough language that beginners will be able to follow along, yet is detailed enough that even accomplished fundraisers will benefit from a throurough review of this guide.

When I wrote "25 Fundraising Secrets - Raise More Money, Guaranteed," I included a chapter on how to make follow-up phone calls after mailing out fundraising letters. When I am asked by readers how to write those fundraising letters, I direct them to this informative book by Mal Warwick.

Never Wrote a Fundraising letter before
This was an excellent book! I was able to put together not just a letter, but a fundraising package. The instructions are complete and the examples are wonderful reference tools. I am new to the Fundraising industry and this is a book that I am now purchasing for my library. It also covers thank you's. I would highly recommend this book to someone who has never wrote a fundraising letter before or even for the experienced letter writer!!


Understanding by Design
Published in Paperback by Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (25 October, 1998)
Authors: Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Jan McTighe
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Completely changed the way I look at teaching
I first learned of this excellent book at a professional development workshop that was offered by my school. I was immediately driven to buy it and learn all that I could about the backwards design process. One year later I find myself planning ALL of my units around enduring understandings and essential questions. It really makes sense that students can demonstrate understanding in various ways, and that it is our duty as teachers to allow them to do that with as many opportunities as possible. This year I finally feel that my students are really connecting with what I want them to learn, and they are seeing the "big picture." I will never design a unit the "traditional" way again!

A good read
McTighe and Williams successfully expound on a subject often mired in philosophical debate: how to assess understanding and evaluate true learning. It is an outstanding framework for developing curriculum intent on extending beyond traditional methods of teaching and preaching to students. The authors contend that true understanding can be assessed by measuring performance against six facets of understanding: explanation, interpretation, application, perspective, empathy, and self-knowledge. These facets are vital to developing curriculum and the authors do an outstanding job of presenting the material in charts, and exercises, making a difficult topic easier to understand. Comparing and contrasting covering material and uncovering knowledge serves to help teachers think like assessors, rather than activity planners. Helpful design tools are included throughout the book and teachers are instructed to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching with thoughtful and probing questions.

Understanding by Design will serve as my guide for evaluating my own effectiveness as a teacher. I expect to rely on it to gauge my own competency in developing and executing lessons. Examples throughout the book illuminating the practical applications of each of the six facets are well organized and easy to follow. I found the use of keywords and charts especially helpful in furthering my own understanding of how to uncover knowledge. I am confident that if I remain faithful to the tenets of this book, I will be able to put into practice what I believe constitutes effective strategies for learning: student-centered activities which call upon students to question assumptions, draw upon past knowledge, and advance understanding through incremental learning

ideology you can put to work
"The student ...(believes).. that there is neat and clean knowledge out there and it is my job to learn (i.e., memorize) and use it as directed. A key challenge in teaching for understanding is to make the student's view of knowledge ... more sophisticated by revealing the problems, controversies, and assumptions that lie behind much given and seemingly unproblematic knowledge."

I found this book on the way to another book, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Professional educators often feel the dichotomy between meeting national, state, and local goals and standards, and the real teaching that seems to have nothing to do with district benchmarks or standardized tests.

These authors propose a "backwards design process" that begins with the standards or outcomes desired, but then using these as guidelines to developing essential questions & understandings that actually matter beyond the classroom, then structuring the curriculum around these posed questions. They discuss the difference between covering the material, and using questions to 'uncover' the material. They using first hand examples of practice and texts to clearly exemplify what they mean. I found it exciting, inspiring, and extremely helpful.


Whom Shall I Fear: A Spiritual Journey of a Battered Woman
Published in Paperback by MCS Publishing (30 March, 2001)
Author: Lavon Morris-Grant
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Victoriously written!
This is an incredible story of courage, love and strength and a real page turner! After reading this book, I realized that others may try to victimize you, be you never have to "own" victimhood. Ms. Morris-Grant proves this point again and again in her story. She isn't afraid to reveal the truth about herself (all of it), and in doing so, she challenges the conscientious reader to do the same.

While I would highly recommend this book to anyone, I would ESPECIALLY recommend it to women who feel trapped in abusive relationships. Ms. Morris-Grant proves that you can truly rise above even the worst circumstances with faith, love and a continued sense of hope.

A Man's Perspective
Ms. Morris-Grant has truly been through a MAJOR life event and has shared her experience with the world. She is a gifted writer and her story is compelling. As a man, I had no idea that what Ms. Morris-Grant went through would be considered abusive behavior. My eyes have been opened and I am ashamed. Buy this book! It will open your eyes. I await her next book!

'Whom Shall I Fear' is a Wonderful Experience
I am pleased to recommend "whom Shall I fear" to any and all readers. Ms. Morris-Grant reveals all sides of the story in dissecting her life from her childhood up through the present day in relation to her own self-image and her relationship with herself, God, and, most compellingly, her husband.
She is typical of many women who are abused verbally but who don't know what to do and are actually in denial about the existence of a real problem. Her husband is portrayed as endearing. I found that I, too was as surprised as the author when unappealing aspects of his character pop up. Ms. Morris-Grant strikes a balance. There is no glorification of herself and her actions. She is brave, she is strong, but one never feels that she finds herself to be infallible. Indeed, the flawed and honest portrayal of a wife and mother breaking away painfully, trying to identify the issues that plague her life, and to cope with them is done expertly. You feel as if you know a man who one could portray easily as a monster, as a man who has the chance to follow several roads, but who follows a tragic one. You feel as if you know the author extremely intimately, and she is also a regular woman who has several paths to choose from. She, however, chooses a path filled with light and makes the best out of what could be a devastating turn of events.
For anyone who thought that batterers (or worse) have horns on their head or have 'DANGER' clearly written on them, and who don't understand what goes on inside the life of a victim, here's a great book. to anyone, like myself, who has witnessed abuse of this nature, I say the same. In truth, there is no one who could not benefit from this compelling story.


The Boy Who Cried Abba: A Parable of Trust and Acceptance
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1997)
Authors: Brennan Manning and Amy Grant
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nice but boring
The message of this book is great, but it's just kind of dull. I think it would be good to read aloud to a kid, but for an adult, it didn't have as much content as I had hoped. The ending was beautiful, though. Worth reading....

Closer to the heart of God
This book is a delight to read. In just one sitting it so clearly show's you the heart of Abba, as only Manning can do. The tender story of healing in a boy that is you, and is me. As you turn each page the layers of your heart are stripped away to expose the tender heart that God created. The heart that beats only to love Him and to enjoy fellowship with Abba! I will be reading in anytime I need to be reminded of His love for me.

Another Manning masterpiece!
Perfect in it's simplicity, Manning's parable will warm your heart by revealing God's unconditional love and promises to you. What a joy to read for young and old!


The day of St Anthony's Fire
Published in Unknown Binding by Hutchinson ()
Author: John Grant Fuller
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The Day of St. Anthony's Fire
This book caught my eye in the college library while I was researching the topic. I didn't put it down for the two days it took me to read it. It covers not only "historical ergotism" (which has been deemed the culprit of the Salem Witch trials and other witch hunts by some) but also the case of the 1950's Pt. St. Esprit poisoning in France, which was attributed by the local authorities to a mercury pesticide. Read it, be absolutely amazed, not only at the events, but at the "official judgement" and subsequent injustice of the later rulings towards the poisoned survivors of that fateful night. I also recommend Mary Matossion's Poisons of the Past for more info on historical ergotism.

Fascinating mystery, well-told human drama
This is an amazing book. The historical account is fascinating. I am also floored by how well Fuller wove in a multitude of personal stories, gave a rich account of a very complex incident, then beautifully encapsulated the 15-year legal tragedy that followed the original tragedy. You don't come across stories like this every day, and you certainly don't often come across treatments of them that are this good.

It's not written at a sixth-grade level -- a plus for me -- but nowadays I doubt an editor would let Fuller get away with all the French phrases and excerpts he put in the book. Back then I suppose authors could assume they had a more sophisticated readership. I liked the sprinkling of French, sometimes even original letters (translated to English, of course), but if you don't know any French at all, you might want to read this with a dictionary at hand.

An in-depth analysis of ergotism in France in 1951
This is an extensive analysis by a journalist of the outbreak of ergot poisoning in Pont St.Esprit, France (Provence) in 1951. It is based on personal interviews and documents, as well as on discussions with the doctors involved. It is perhaps the most complete case study of mass ergot poisoning in literature. It is very valuable to any historian wishing to understand one of the most feared and puzzling diseases of the Middle Ages.


Kid Power
Published in Paperback by Scholastic (1982)
Authors: Susan Beth Pfeffer and Leigh Grant
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A kid's guide to ecconomics
Janie and her sister both want new bikes. But they need to pay for 1/2 (one half) of them. So, Janie, (who spends all her money on comics and chewing gum) forms KID POWER, an organazation made up of one and only one member--herself--that does odd jobs for $1 (one dollar) an hour. Includes lots of facts and terms relating to ecconomics and the money program of the United States. (Reccomended, but a little too unreal.)

Required School Reading
My daughter was given this book as a 4th grade reading requirement. She really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. She asked about Gross and Net and it spun me around. I was pleased that she found it exciting. I hope it gets her in the mindset of saving and being more open in life with the same go-get-it personality as the main character. But even if not, my daughter is learning a lot and most of all, she's enjoying it.
This book is a must have for all young girls striving for more than average.

Econ 101
Kid Power is a wonderful book to use to teach the basics of economics to 3-5 graders. The story is very engaging and the way the economics vocabulary is woven throughout the story makes this a great tool for upper elementary teachers. The family interactions ring true and the friendship problems are great discussion springboards. Let's petition to reprint this book! Our schools need it!!


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