This book has wonderful historical information relating to the first accounts of orangutans and other animals like apes and chimpanzees. It also recounts how society's perception of these wonderful animals has changed over time, and how oragutans tie into our concept of human evolution. There a tons of just great photos and little stories.

Dr. Chihal and Nancy Brinker have done a wonderful job of putting together information all women should know. The center table of contents at first looks awkward, but once the reader takes a good look at the format, is actually quite easy to use. The book is in a question-and-answer format that increases its accessibility; indeed, it is intended to be easy enough to read and straightforward in its language so that even a teenaged girl would be comfortable using it as a resource. All in all, a very useful reference book for women's health issues.

This book might be helpful for very beginning swimmers to get started by learning about how to move in the water. But if you feel already confident holding yourself at the surface, I would not recommend buying this book. It teaches outdated technique, which makes your swimming unnecessarily slow and power-consuming. When I learned to swim 15 years ago the techniques and drills she teaches were already outdated, especially in the freestyle! The section on the turns are well written, but compared to recent articles in magazines like "Swimmer" the explanations are too complicated and confusing. Spend your money on books and videos by Emmett Hines or Terry Laughlin, it well get you the most rewarding experience.

I bought this because I wanted a better understanding of swimming as a sport. I had learned the skill of swimming like most people do in their youth, but since I wasn't very interested in or good at sports my learning stopped as soon as lessons did. In adulthood I rediscovered the joy of swimming and I wondered how I could develop more sophisticated skills. I also wondered how "real" swimmers think and feel about their sport and how they go about their training: what challenges them, what kind of routines do they use.
This book was perfect for me. The author began with the absolute fundamentals of having a relationship to the water and went on to suggest basic routines for the beginner like me. She then took her descriptions to routines for those on the advanced competitive level. I liked being able to see where a more talented person could and would go which is in itself very interesting even though I'll never reach that level; this insight puts my own beinning work into perspective.
After reading this book I was inspired to swim and continue improving my routines. I would never need another book on this subject after this one, it's that all-encompassing for the amateur.

After years of aerobic dance, running, and weight lifting, I wanted to find an aerobic activity that was less injury-prone. I turned to swimming, and found it to be the perfect alternative. An avid childhood swimmer, I just needed some tips for refining my technique--it wasn't until I picked up this book that I discovered that my breathing technique was all wrong! I also liked the ideas for progressively more intense workouts that went beyond just endless laps. This book gave me all that and more--I'm now doing flip turns and as Katz says, my joi de vivre now includes joi de l'eau!

i'm only sorry i read this while the weather was still bad...i would've loved to read it on the beach. swimmers was fun, entertaining and moving. it was a page-turner. i highly recommend it.

A friend gave me this book because a friend of a friend of his had written it. I read it expecting an average read. I was completely wrong. This book is fabulous! I didn't want to put it down.

I "recognized" almost every character in the story. If a person wasn't someone I knew, I knew parts of him.

I reacted physically to Swimmers. I rolled my eyes at certain characters, grimaced at many of one character in particular's actions, laughed (a lot) and yes, even cried. i adore books to which i can't help but react,

If you're looking for a totally entertaining book that's substantial but not a hard read, buy Swimmers!

Swimmers is one of the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down. I laughed and I cried as I read it. The characters are well drawn; the subject matter is timely and interesting. I was very touched. For a good read... read this book!

This review concerns the original 1932 edition as well as the revised 1968 edition which tells a story similar to the original. Nancy mistakenly receives a letter intended for another Nancy Drew, informing her that she has inherited a large sum of money. Also, when Nancy invites her elderly mailman in for a drink of cocoa, his mailbag is stolen from Nancy's porch. Nancy sets out to find the other Nancy Drew and to locate the person who took the mailbag so that she can restore the tarnished reputation of her mailman. Personally, I found this book to be very boring. The mystery is not exciting and there is very little action in the book. Nancy solves the mystery in the end, but it is not through brilliant detective work, it is because she attends a football game at Emerson University. I know that chance encounters always play a big part in solving the case in Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, but this was just pure dumb luck and nothing else. I wouldn't even waste your time on this one.

I thought it was a awesome book, especially if you love mysteries and old fashioned fun. When I read it, I just couldn't take my eyes off of it. It is fun, frightening, and wonderfully entertainig. at first, I thought I was going to be scared to death, but it was really cool. I totally recomend it.

When beloved teen sleuth Nancy Drew receives a mysterious letter from London informing her that she is the heir to a fortune, she sets out to find another person named Nancy Drew, who is the real heir to the fortune. But what she finds is mystery in every turn.

This was an exciting Nancy Drew mystery, that young readers will relish in. They will get to join Nancy on a mystery of a lifetime, and see if they can solve the case before Nancy herself. A very enjoyable book, and a must have for Nancy Drew fans everywhere.

Erika Sorocco

This is a wonderful book of trickery your child may never notice. In this book a little boy tells of the woes of every little boys life, bumps and bruises with championed stories. However, these injuries impede the progress of his mother and father's wishes to rid him of his odorous battle scars. When grandmother steps in, with her tea leaf reading magic the boy is conned into a bath and the reliving of all of his adventures.

I love this book enough to search for a copy for my new grandson. I read it many times to my son, now 21, and we loved the way this book subtly acknowledges that kids don't always want to submit to to usual adult rules of hygiene. However, coaxed by a loving and knowing grandmother, and following a series of enjoyable activities she and her grandson share while delaying, the bath is eventually taken and its enormity defused.

this book - picked up by my mother at a library giveaway sale - has been a huge hit with my 5 yr old. the theme - no bath tonight - really hits home with her - the prose is extremely witty and the pictures are just precious. we highly recommend this wonderful book at our house!

Nancy Pace, the first female to graduate from The Citadel, the presitigous
military college in South Carolina, tells the story of her experience there
in her new YA memoir, IN THE COMPANY OF MEN: A WOMAN AT THE CITADEL.
Although the writing is passable, it's not top-notch--there's a lot of
"telling" and too little "showing"--and there are some details left out that
might have helped.

HOWEVER, I do believe it will have an audience with younger high school
students (and maybe middle schoolers, are though there are a few S and F
words scattered throughout), and I recommend it on this list for that
reason. In the current national climate, there is likely to be more demand
for books about the military and training for it. I think this book is
valuable, especially for teen girls, because it depicts a woman successfully
completing a rigorous, typically male-dominated course of study. In
addition, she has ADD, and triumphs in spite of her troubles with school
work.

Nancy Mace wrote a balanced and mature account of her experience as the first female Citadel graduate. This book is most useful for high school girls considering The Citadel, VMI, or a national military service academy. School counselors need this book too. If you are considering The Citadel, read the book twice to see why the 4th Class (plebe) system works. This reviewer graduated almost 40 years ago from The Citadel and found nothing disturbing in Mace's account or much different from the 4th Class system when the college was then exclusively white and male. For male cadets and alumni who still have trouble accepting females or others different from themselves as peers - get over it.

Mace explains that the Citadel is a functioning anachronism and always has been, that's part of its appeal. This reviewer commanded a battalion when women were first assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division about twenty years before The Citadel integrated women into the Corps of Cadets. In a long special operations career I consistently found women who met every expectation - physical and mental -- of their male commanders. My rhetorical question at that time was, if our unit is provided female paratrooper officers, why none from The Citadel? Why no female Citadel graduates in industry and politics? Mace helped to change that nitwitterey.

It sometimes seems that Mace's book is more about Mace than The Citadel which under her circumstances is acceptable, but limiting. Many girls will read this book and ask who needs all the stress created by the 4th Class system along with the other pressures of college? Unfortunately, Mace doesn't provide the answer. Here is the answer: The Citadel graduates a higher percentage of its freshman class in four years than any other state college or university in South Carolina and among the top five percent in the nation. The Citadel does this providing a superior education, an honor system that works, a commitment to national duty and fidelity, and a sense of self worth rare on most campuses. Cadets are taught by professors, not graduate students, the education is demanding, and one of the best education values in this country. The Citadel "system" develops a young person's mind, physical capability, and character in a crucible of measured stress. It's a good preparation for real life. But, a word of caution - the motivation for all this must be from within the student, not urged by the parent.

By Emma

Before reading In the Company of Men, I disliked all biographies and autobiographies, but while reading about Nancy Mace's life, my opinion changed. This autobiography is a funny, touching, and compelling true story about the first women to graduate from the Citadel, a strict military collage with much discipline and hazing. This is a great book, mainly for girls and women, that realizes how hard it was when men were considered superior. It gives the important message that even though the world will always be filled with mean and hurtful people, it is possible to accomplish anything, even the impossible. That is what Nancy Mace did; she was the first woman ever to graduate from the Citadel, something that seemed impossible for women before her. All females should read this book, even if they aren't interested in the military. This is a terrific autobiography!

Since children love 'The Magic School Bus' television show, this book about sinking and floating will be sure to grab the attention of those inquisitive young minds! It serves as a great asset to a science classroom, or your own home library. Although it is kind of lengthy, I highly recommend it for insurance of complete understanding of the sinking and floating process. Happy reading!

"Naked Came the Phoenix" is a serial novel written by 13 top female mystery writers and it is a whole lot of fun! I was impressed at how well the chapters flowed together, and became totally absorbed in this soap opera-like mystery. "Naked Came the Phoenix" is not a serious murder mystery, and it's not supposed to be. What it is, is an immensely enjoyable tale filled with twists and turns and outlandish characters that was created for a very good cause.

The story revolves around Caroline Blessing, a congressman's wife and cellist, who has taken a trip with her very difficult and newly widowed mother, Hilda Finch, to the exclusive Phoenix Spa in Virginia. Caroline hopes that their time at Phoenix Spa will give her mother and herself a chance to heal after her father's death, and maybe even a chance to bond. Unfortunately, Caroline's dreams of a relaxing and healing vacation go up in smoke when the spa's owner, Claudia De Vries, is found murdered in one of her own mud baths!

Caroline realizes that everyone at the spa is a potential suspect and a potential victim. The spa's guests include a model-waif and her manager, an aging rock star, a short and stout grey-haired psychic, a dried-up Hollywood producer, and a beautiful and successful actress. They all have their own hidden connections to Claudia and secrets aplenty. Not to mention Claudia's own husband, the half-naked pool-boy, and the rest of the spa's staff. Everyone has something to hide, and these 13 talented authors take us along on a fast-paced and thrilling mystery filled with strange clues, red herrings, blackmail, and incest.

And when more people start turning up dead, the very likable police detective, Vince Toscana, goes into overdrive trying to find the culprit. Not only is Caroline overwhelmed by what's going on around her, but she also must deal with some crushing news about her supposedly devoted husband Douglas. Caroline resolves to take her life back into her own hands and find out what's really going on, but there is nothing that can prepare her for the staggering truth behind the murders!

"Naked Came the Phoenix" is an outrageous and exciting murder mystery that is sure to entertain. I found the first chapter, by Nevada Barr, a bit tough to wade through, but after that every other author was great. This book is just good clean fun, and if you read it with that in mind, I have no doubt that you will enjoy it enormously.

A senator's wife and her mother go to an exclusive spa to try to relax. They meet several celebrities, which include a model, a movie star and an aging rock star. The spa owner is found murdered in one of the center's mud baths grasping in her dead hands a white thong. Every body in the spa is a suspect and each one has a secret to hide. Nobody came to the spa to relax. They all came because the owner had summoned them and has also been blackmailing some of her clients. Everyone has a motive but it is now time to find out who the murderer (murderers?) are.

I was attracted to this book by two selling points. One, all the proceeds from this book goes to help breast cancer charities; second, except for two of the authors, I had read previous works from the participants and have enjoyed every one. Each author contributes a chapter and then passes it to another author to continue the story. They all did a great job and made it interesting to see how they reacted to some outrageous plot threads put in the story. The story is definitely farfetched but it was fun. I applaud Laurie King for writing a decent final chapter to the mess provided by the other authors. All threads were tied and everybody could breath a sound of relief. I am not claiming this to be great literature but I thought the concept was a good idea and it all goes to a worthy cause.

Naked Came the Phoenix is a riot from beginning to end! When Caroline and her mother visit the Phoenix Spa in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, they expect rest and relaxation, but soon after their arrival, the spa's owner is found dead in the mud baths and the "fun" begins! Thirteen popular mystery writers take the reader on a roller-coaster ride of murder, mayhem and mirth. What fun to watch one author plant a clue then lean back, rub her hands together and wait to see what the next author does with it! Kudos to Nevada Barr for introducing us to the cast of supporting characters -- King David, the aged rocker; Ondine, the wrath-like model; Howie Fondulac, the has-been Hollywood producer; Lauren Sullivan, the movie star; and my particular favorite, Phyllis Talmadge, the psychic who's at the spa touting her latest book, Flex Your Psychic Muscles! Brava, Lisa Scottoline for giving us detective Vince Toscana, who "retired" to rural Virginia to please his wife, but wants nothing more than to sink his teeth into a Philly cheese steak, and, oh, by-the-way, solve the murders. Wheee, to JA Jance who drowns a victim in the lake and to Faye Kellerman, who knew CPR! Ka-pow, to Diana Gabaldon who really knows how to throw the reader a curve. Ye-gads, to Val McDermid who gives new meaning to the word "incarnadine". Wow, to the amazing Laurie King, who ties up all the loose ends with delicious tongue-in-cheek humor. And, thank you, Marcia Talley who sewed the patchwork together into one, seamless novel and is a heck of a writer, too!! All I can say is, "Encore"!!

Sure, raising kids in New York IS easy when you have the bucks these authors must have to shop at the stores they mention. This extremely yuppy guide smacks of elitism and left me feeling like an embittered "have-not" Additionally, there's not nearly enough information about the borroughs, not all of us are fortunate enough to live on the upper east side...

The title of this book is misleading. Thinking of Manhattan as "New York City" is a typically yuppie-provincial view--but in line with the voice of the authors. In addition, this book adds nothing you can't find in more reliable and complete sources such as Fodor's guides or the very many NYC web sites and news channels.

They fail to mention many of the exciting and educational attractions outside of Manhattan (to note are the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Prospect Park, and the zillions of Staten Island events). They often leave out vital bits of information such as directions or phone numbers (perhaps they take taxis everywhere?) They mentioned one book store that I know has been closed for some time.

It was particularly disturbing that the majority of the book is spent on shopping and eating, and less on the variety indivudual nuances of libraries, museums, and music centers.

On a personal note, I found the authors style to be grating. To me, some of their phrasing, "Food and Whine" as the title for the restaurant chapter and "Here comes the Bribe" for toy stores, are tell-tale as to how they view and interact with their children. It's not a pretty picture.

This is not a book I would recommend to anyone, especially to Native New Yorkers.

This is a great book for parents of toddlers. I found the writing funny, the locations mentioned of interest and great tidbits to make your shopping, eating or recreational experience better.

Fun Book!!