As someone who is concerned with how gender influences our movement within society and our personal development, I found this book fascinating. To say nothing of the fact that this is one of very few books about a woman of intellect and emotional control of daunting proportions. As a woman physician, this book provided insight into my own development and future path. But as a woman, I hope men read this book. The insights go far beyond medicine, or careers, to the center of the gender issues that face us all.

Rosalyn Yalow, from a poor uneducated family in the Bronx, and educated in the New York City public school system, became the first American educated woman to make it to the top in science or medicine. A nuclear physicist who never took a course in biology, she developed a method to identify and measure vanishingly small amounts of almost any substance in body fluids and tissues. As a result her work revolutionized virtually every aspect of medicine and biomedical science. What did it take to succeed in universities, hospitals, and scientific establishments that were completely dominated by men and male culture? What price did she pay? What barriers still stand in the way of women in these fields? This book speaks to these questions and more. It provides a searching and sensitive portrait of an overpowering woman who stood alone, fought for her place, and guided other women to follow their dreams and abilities. Yet the book is about human relationships; motherhood, marriage, partnership, and especially Yalow's relationship with herself. It is also about the ongoing struggle to achieve equal opportunity for all people. It reads like a novel, with a poetic feel for words and structure. Even the science is seamless and available to readers with little or no scientific background. Here is a great book about a great woman who is not an actress, not a heiress, not a figure in a political scandal, but a towering intellectual figure who changed the world. I couldn't put it down. Read it, then give it to your kids. Especially the young adult boys and girls.

This is a great companion to "Optics" - where everything is beautifully explained. Sometimes though, there's no substitute to a worked example to illuminate the meaning (and application) of equations. Very useful...

Hecht is one of the premier instructors and authors on the subject of optics and his contribution to Schaum's is no exception! I used this book to teach myself the fundamental's of optics while working in an applied physics laboratory. Very clearly presented material

The most complete reference of the sacred artwork of Avard Fairbanks. This book describes the sculpture in great detail, along with photos of the works.

The contents of this book depict the love and devotion of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as they endured trials and tragedies during the early years of the Church's organization (mid 1800's to mid 1900's). The descriptions given about each piece of artwork are clear and concise. Avard T. Fairbanks was truly a professional in his time. His artwork is thought provoking and provides the reader with a clear insight as to the devotion and hardships the Mormons had to endure. Truly an amazing compilation of sculpture.

What a great book! All the people I'm familiar with and thousands I'm not. A fascinating look at the marvelous talent of the silent era! A great reference book and more.

This is another book that is indispensable for anyone writing on the subject of silents. Has birth dates and death dates for players, as well as cause of death and other info where available. Highly recommended; fascinating!

What makes the Simon & Schusters Super CrosswordBook stand out among the rest is the ease of use. The pages are perforated for convenience and a higher quality of paper is used. It is a smoother paper, making the printed word stand out and it making the writing stand out more clearly.

These crosswords are well thought out and challenging for crossword addicts. Highly recommend each in the series. They are so clever that I keep checking to see if #11 is available.

Why memorize drinks before you NEED to? Gene has done all the work for you. When you need to find a shooter you don't know go to his book and look it up, I bet it's there. Gene was my bartending school's top instructor.

Tom Foley Hawaii Bartending Correspondence School

This book is awesome - any bartender that works in a fast paced club, or any bar that caters to a younger crowd needs this book. It contains almost every shooter I've encountered as a bartender, and about 1,000 more...definitely add this one to your collection...

The cellular relationship between vegetable and animal is explained by the research Marais did in the wilds of Africa in the first part of the last century. It links creation of all multi cellular life and allows us to understand why clonning is possible. The presentation of the material is keen and incisive and will be one of those books that will remain as a beacon of revelation along any readers path. I cannot understand why this book is not compulsory reading in every education programme.

Continues and finishes where Darwin left off. An absolutely fabulous book! Why this book is out of print is a mystery - it should be compulsory reading for every member of the human race interested in why we're on the planet and how we've managed to stay on it... and what to do next.

When I first saw the title of this novel, I laughed aloud. After finding out a little about it, I was hesitant to read it. I worried it would be more depressing than comic. Now that I've finally read it, I want to say how touching it was. Stein writes very well and this strange but wonderful novel is a true gift. It was one of those rare books that had me fighting sleep because I wanted to finish one more page, one more chapter. The ending is a delight -- written with such clarity, it could stand on its own apart from the novel. Can't wait to read "Touch and Go" -- short stories by Stein! I hope they will be much like this.

A wonderful first novel. You feel the reality of the characters and the wonder of their experiences. You finish the story and do not think of the characters as gay or schizophrenic, but as a human. It is one of the best first novels ever written. I have read many. Brilliant. The last page broke my heart!! More More!!

Para mí que he seguido con pasión el desarrollo social y político de la República Dominicana durante la última década, el libro de Jonathan Hartlyn es como una especie de bálsamo dentro la abundante y desigual historiografía sobre este tema. Armado de un marco conceptual novedoso y una excelente investigación de primera mano, la obra de Hartlyn analiza las causas de la continúa crisis del sistema democrático en Santo Domingo, después de la muerte de Trujillo en 1961. El autor reta las principales interpretaciones (especialmente la escuela de la dependencia) que explican el surgimiento de caudillos, dictadores y líderes autoritarios en la historia de la Isla, motivado únicamente por la debilidad del estado y el imperialismo norteamericano.
El proceso político dominicano, propone Hartlyn, tiene que entenderse como una interracción de los diferentes sectores sociales con las fuerzas de poder interna y externa: sin que una opaque la otra. Durante los últimos 40 años, los electores han tenido, señala el autor, que debatirse entre las prácticas autoritarias (de tipo neopatrimonial), encarnadas en la figura de Joaquín Balaguer, y en los intentos (fallidos) de los dos gobiernos del Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) por alejarse de esa posición antidemocrática. Los doce años de Balaguer (1966-78), productos del golpe de Estado al gobierno de Juan Bosch en 1963 y la eventual intervención de tropas norteamericanas en 1965, son vistos por Hartlyn como parte de la transición de la dictadura trujillista (calificada de neosultánica) a un régimen de características neopatrimoniales. Definición que el autor utiliza a lo largo de su libro para describir al "gobernante que maneja al país como sí fuera una extensión de su hogar"[la traducción es mía, p.3]
No obstante, en el último período del gobierno de Balaguer (1974-78) las condiciones -tanto nacionales como internacionales- que propiciaron inicialmente el fortalecimiento del estado neopatrimonial fueron declinando. En poco tiempo, fenómenos como la movilización del campo a la ciudad, la emigración y el urbanismo permitió, explica Hardlyn, una mayor independencia de los nuevos sectores económicos con relación al estado. De esta forma, los grupos en lucha fueron canalizando sus intereses y necesidades en estructuras políticas, en este caso el PRD, más abiertas a los cambios de poder. La victoria electoral del PRD en 1978 fue, arguye el autor, la oportunidad perfecta para abandonar el neopatrimonialismo y consolidar el proceso democrático en la República Dominicana.
Durante los ocho años de administración perredeísta (1978-84), ni Antonio Guzmán ni Salvador Jorge Blanco fueron capaces de eliminar los elementos neopatrimoniales legados de los doce años de Balaguer. Según Hardlyn, estancados los proyectos sociales y las reformas institucionales, Guzmán y Jorge Blanco optaron por prácticas neopatrimoniales para lidiar con la inflación y la paralización de la economía, afectando su popularidad rápidamente; unido al crecimiento de la corrupción y la lucha intrapartido, los líderes de PRD crearon, de acuerdo con el autor, las bases para la vuelta nuevamente de Balaguer en la década de los ochenta. Dentro de un marco social y económico distinto en 1986, Balaguer modificó el carácter neopatrimonial de su régimen, ajustándolo a las nuevas realidades de la política mundial.
Ante las exigencias de Estados Unidos y los organismos internacionales financieros y diplomáticos (el Banco Mundial, el Fondo Monetario Internacional y la Organización de Estados Americanos), Balaguer orientó, afirma Hardlyn, las funciones neopatrimoniales del estado en dirección hacia las zonas francas, el turismo y la tecnología como nuevas fuerzas de producción y acumulación de capital. Además de utilizar los recursos del Estado para mantenerse en el poder a cualquier costo; afectándose, de este modo, la credibilidad y la confianza de las instituciones en el proceso democrático. La constante del proceso electoral, tanto en las elecciones del 1990 como las 1994, fue las reiteradas denuncias sobre fraude en ambos comicios para beneficiar la candidatura de Balaguer, alega el autor. Sin embargo, la crisis poseleccionaria del 1994 puso sobre el tapete la intolerancia hacia las prácticas neopatrimoniales, provocando un ajuste en el propio proceso electoral a través de enmiendas a la constitución.
Por primera vez desde 1966, ni Balaguer ni Bosch corrieron como candidatos presidenciales, siendo electo en esta ocasión el joven Leonel Fernández, aspirante por el Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, agrupación política fundada por el propio Bosch en 1973. Para Hardlyn la victoria de Fernández, aunque ensombrecida por la alianza con el Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC) de Balaguer, mantiene la esperanza de un mayor fortalecimiento de la sociedad civil, en pro de un estado constitucional permanente y democrático. Esta es la agenda que los nuevos sucesores, a juicio del autor, tienen que asegurar.
Finalmente, el libro de Hardlyn es lectura obligada para repensar el difícil y complejo proceso democrático en la República Dominicana. A tono con las nuevas discusiones teóricas en el campo de las Ciencias Sociales, la obra llena con éxito las expectativas sobre el tema, como uno de los modelos que la historiografía política dominicana debe, a mi entender, emular o superar.

This volume is by far the best English language analysis of Dominican politics to appear in the last decade. Hartlyn's extensive in-country experience and theoretical understanding of politics in developing democracies make this a premier case study. While his sophisticated analysis of neo-patrimonial vs neo-sultanistic regimes will be beyond the vocabularly of casual readers, it will delight professional political scientists. His critique of conservative as well as liberal administrations since Trujillo is even handed and insightful. What he omits in terms of comprehensive economic trends and pressures, he more than makes up for in terms of detailed interest group manuevering and inter-party fights. His analysis of the influence of US policies vis a vis the Dominican Republic during the last century is equally insightful.

Whit has portrayed his adventures with herps with amazing wit. Each chapter begins with a narrative about an episode that his zest for "research" placed him in. I read a couple of different chapters to a friend over the phone (imagine an alligator in the cab of your truck!) and we both laughed so hard we were in tears. At the end of each tale is a lesson in sound zoology. Most field biologists will recognize themselves in this book.

Whit Gibbons gives a truly funny account of his time as a graduate student and professor, chasing reptiles through the southern US and abroad. It's funny, it's informative. This is no textbook, but rather tales of life and animal research.