Jaclyn Lurker has created a book that is very entertaining. This is one that I could not stop thinking about. I had to read this book every spare second I had because the suspense was killing me. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for further books by this wonderful author.

yet another literary masterpiece from the incomparable jaclyn lurker! i can't say enough about her or her talent-she is truly inspiring! if you haven't read cryer's valley you are missing out on a work of sheer literary genius!

I found this book to have everything in it that a good book should have. It is sad, humorous, exciting,and adventurous all in one. It kept me wanting to get back to it, to see what was going to happen next. I liked it because it deals with a simple, common family, ( like you or I would be ), that finds out they aren't so common after all, especially Jeffery. I think it was interesting following Jeffery growing up, and all the situations he finds himself in.

To put it plainly, I really enjoyed Jeffrey. Heart-warming, yet plenty of action. Jeffrey is a fun book to curl up on the couch with! How he overcame his deformity and used that for a tool for good, was great! The Supreme One and General Lathaan were as mean and despicable as anyone could get!

Anthony Griffiths is the principle author of both 'An Introduction to Genetic Analysis' and 'Modern Genetic Analysis.' The former book is in its sixth edition, while the later is in it's second. I highly recommend both textbooks as the best teaching texts I have ever come across. Personally however, I prefer using 'Modern Genetic Analysis' because it is easier to understand, and less frustrating and confusing for students. The 'Introduction to Genetic Analysis' textbook is larger, more annotated, and has more difficult problems. The 'Modern Genetic Analysis' textbook provides a better basic framework on which to build an understanding of genetics, without going into too many unnecessary details that (in my opinion) only confuse students new to the subject.

The second edition of 'Modern Genetic Analysis' is very similar to the first edition, and only about ten percent of the material (at most) has been changed. Most of the problem sets are the same, but have been renumbered. This is actually a teaching advantage because it gives students the option of buying used copies of the first edition rather than new copies of the second.

One major improvement in the second edition, however, is the addition of internet-based genetics tutorials. Students are directed to the various public genome databases on the internet, used by real researchers, and are given practice assignments to do. They are shown how to conduct gene and protein homology searches, how to find open reading frames, and how to access other forms of information from the various public domain databases on the internet. Since internet databases have now become one of the most important tools available to geneticists these tutorials are a welcome addition to this textbook. I highly recommend it.

Greg Doheny (Vancouver, Canada)

In the last few years several very good textbooks and monographs in genetics have appeared, due mainly to the success of various genome projects and also to the rise of bioinformatics as a new discipline in biology, computer science, and mathematics. Most of these textbooks have appeared in many prior editions, and comparing these older editions with the newest ones, one can indeed see a remarkable difference in enthusiasm in the authors. They are clearly very excited about the developments in molecular biology and genetics that have taken place and the confidence among biologists that the fundamental understanding of life is finally within reach. Readers can share their excitement by the study of these books, and doing so one cannot help but be marveled by the incredible ingenuity of the scientific methods used to unravel the processes of life.

Of all these excellent books, I find this one to be the best, and my judgment of the book's quality is from the standpoint of someone who is very involved in the algorithms behind bioinformatics and mathematical biology and is attempting to gain, as quickly as possible, the necessary background in genetics. My review therefore will be primarily addressed to those mathematicians or even physicists who plan on moving into bioinformatics.

To relative newcomers to genetics such as myself, the learning of molecular biology and genetics can involve a huge amount of memory work. To the more mathematically-inclined reader, the memorization of facts can be most unpalatable. The learning of the material in this book will also involve such extreme exercises in memory, but there are a few strategies that the authors employ that, even though they were directed at a general readership, actually serve to make the learning much easier for the mathematician or mathematical biologist. These are the use of concept maps and the assigning of "challenging problems" at the end of most chapters in the book. These serve effectively to make the reader think through and interconnect the many concepts, which for the mathematician who is used to the economy of thought that mathematics brings, is an absolute necessity for the learning experience. Also, the authors are well aware of the need for students to learn how to analyze data and interact with online databases, so a lot of the material in the book is written to address this need.

Even from merely an aesthetic point of view the book is exceptional, as the soft colors used in the illustrations are very beautiful, and actually serve to make the learning of the material very pleasureful. And in addition, the reader can access the book's Website and follow the many animations that were put together for the book. And here again, the playing of these animations increase the speed in which one can learn the subject.

The authors also ask the readers to consider the impact that biotechnology and genetic engineering will have in the upcoming decades. One of the most dramatic, and I think the most important paragraphs in the book is the one in which the authors state that "the public cannot relay on reports published in the general media for the kind of critical evaluation needed to make informed personal and political decisions. Nor can it be left to experts, who have their own biases and agendas. There is no substitute for acquiring the kind of basic knowledge of genetics that is essential to all informed decisions." Their goal is provide the background that will allow the reader to differentiate between bad and good claims about genetics, and to think critically about both the negative and positive aspects of genetic research and genetic engineering.

I believe the use of genetic engineering and biotechnology in all biological systems, both human and non-human, holds the best hope for the future of life on earth. This book has given an excellent introduction to the biology and genetics behind these technologies. The excitement and optimism expressed in the book will no doubt encourage many individuals to further their studies in genetics and enter the new biological professions of the 21st century.

There are any number of books which are designed to help you plan the logistics of a bar/bat mitzvah. This book's main purpose, however, is not to be a party planning guide. Instead, this book reaffirms the important commitment a bar/bat mitzvah makes to Judism. A party is fine but truly connecting with God, our people and our ancestors is what the experience is all about. The bar/bat mitzvah experience is explored in a very spiritual, meanful way but not necessarily from the orthodox standpoint. Indeed, the authors are non orthodox. I recommend this book to all who wish to make the bar/bat mitzvah a meaningful means to grow as a Jew rather than as an end in itself.

This book should be read by every parent whose child is approaching bar/bat mitzvah. Too often, the significance of the occasion is lost in the "big party". This book focuses on what is important about the bar/bat mitzvah-about accepting responsibilities such as study and performing mitzvot, about the service and about keeping the celebration in perspective. It focuses on the spiritual as it should and helps pull away from the social aspects that often overwhelm the true meaning of bar/bat mitzvah.

A wonderful story. Most Shakesphere books read like school text books but this book is novel like, completely holding my interest from cover to cover. Jeffrey Kahan makes you feel like you were there, as if you were part of these amazing events. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves history and Shakesphere. I just couldn't put it down!

I'm fortunate enough to be a friend of Jeffrey Kahan, and bought the book originally for that reason. I have greatly enjoyed reading it, and was also privileged to hear him read portions of it at a local bookstore on Jan. 16, 1999. That said, the book stands on its own merits.

Jeffrey writes just as he speaks; his faintly ironic sense of humor comes through quite clearly in print. In addition, the story he tells includes such elements of good fiction as crime, blackmail, and sexual scandal. While these elements would make for good fiction, the story is true; William-Henry Ireland really did attempt to pass off his own play as one written by Shakespeare. The historical documentation and research stand up to the most critical of scrutiny.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true history authors such as Alison Weir, mystery fiction, or historical fiction.

The Franconia, New Hampshire, farm of the American poet Robert Frost was turned into a museum and center for poetry and the arts in 1976. From that time, "The Frost Place" has been annual event wherein an emerging poet has been invited to spend the summer living in the house where Frost once lived and wrote some of his greatest poetry. The Breath Of Parted Lips: Voices From The Robert Frost Place, Volume One is a remarkable anthology of twenty-four poets, each of whom won that honor of a summer's residency and document the success of the original concept as a means of generating outstanding poetry while nurturing the poet's muse in the rooms and views that were once the inspiration of the great Robert Frost. Poem At 40: Windwashed--as if standing next to the highway,/a truck long as the century sweeping by,/all things at last bent in the same direction./An opening, as if all/the clothes my ancestors ever wore/dry on lines in my body:/wind-whipped, parallel with the ground,/some sleeves sharing a single clothespin/so that they seem to clasp hands,/seem to hold on.//And now that I can see/up the old women's dresses,/there's nothing but a filtered light./And now that their men's smoky breath/has traversed the earth,/it has nothing to do with them./And now that awkward, fat tears of rain/slap the window screen,/now that I'm naked too,/cupping my genitals, tracing with a pencil/the blue vein between my collar bone and breast,/I'll go to sleep when I'm told.

I do not know about you. But I can study math a lot better if the book has a hard cover. This first chapter assumes you are coming from ground zero and is good to read just to brush up or see if there is anything new, that you missed originally. There is a smooth transition and a gradual complexity as you go from the fundamentals through the subject. Now some people will complain that it is not all practical or applied. This was not designed as a course for practical or applied. However it sure helps when reading other books tat can only explain tings in at least rudimentary math. Even the fundamentals of trig are needed to follow The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski ISBN: 0316109339. Now I call that practical.

Often overlooked in favor of the more explicitly political of his contemporaries (most notably, Lu Xun), Shen Congwen's work is richly textured, complex, and lyrical. Shen is a writer who brings the China of his past and present alive without the overburdening and unreal pressure of trying to save it. Nostalgia breathes through his pastoral countryside scenes, and his urban landscapes reveal a fractured, paradoxical consciousness--both unsure and hopeful. In many ways Shen plays the anthropologist to Lu Xun's politically ultra-conscious social engineer. And in this sense he seems more real to a modern reader. He approaches his subjects with less judgment, and with much less baggage. While others try to give life to Chinese society through social change and self-criticism, Shen is more invested in the life that is already there. Certainly he expresses his opinions about many aspects of Chinese culture throughout his stories, but he avoids the beat-you-over-the-head approach. In many cases, it's difficult to really assess what he thinks, which makes exploring his work a more challenging, and satisfying, adventure.

The translations in this edition are smoothly rendered and very readable, although the edition suffers, I think, from its diverse group of contributors. Without a single translator it is difficult to achieve a continuity of style and substance. But all in all this collection is a tremendous addition to the English-accessible literature of modern China. Shen is brilliant and poetic, but in a subtle, understated way. The entire collection is infused with a cocktail of profound nostalgia for the past, hope for the future, and, most of all, the beauty and innocence of the living present.

This book is a truly useful and approachable read. As a parent trying to juggle work, parenting and a child with an unconventional learning style, this was the most illuminating and practical read to date!

There are only two elements that need more attention: 1)There needs to be a little section within the first chapter which sumarizes the history of left-brain/right brain theories - as currently presented the authors assume that the readers are familiar with this debate. This addition would make it easier to to grasp the whole approach. Given the amount of theory swirling around the ADD topic, one needs more information on this subject to help make an assessment. (2) The programme for Spelling, Math, Speed Reading and so on is excellent but cries out to be presented in a more user-friendly, task-oriented format. As a trainer who has helped design sessions on management topics, which have to be alert to adult learning needs (and in this case you need to educate the parents as they try and help their children), I found myself itching to transform the exercises into a more structured format. However, I am a little hesitant since I am not a trained middle-school teacher.

A workbook would be a great companion piece. And would give a parent more material with which to practice the techniques of visual learning etc. It will definitely be a god-send for those parents who are unable to relocate to Colorado, stay in line for two years and pound on his door to ask him to tutor their kids!

Hope this feedback gets back to Mr Freed. I am sure its not the first request for a follow-up book!

Wow! This book was quite an eye opener. I highly recommend it for anyone who has or teaches an ADD or ADHD child (or even just a child with learning difficulties).

I am a homeschooling mother of 5 children, ages 10, 9, 7, 4 and 6 months and have had constant challenges with my 9-year old son. He has been diagnosed ADHD and his doctor recommended medication. My husband and I read a lot and prayed a lot and decided that medicating him was not an option. We both felt that his "handicap" could actually be an advantage if handled correctly, however we seemed to be in the minority with that view. Many times while trying to teach him and wondering if he would ever pay attention to me, I began to doubt our decision also. Then came this book and it confirmed our thinking and has given me new ways to work with our son. He is now reading and writing very well and knocking my socks off with his mathematical ability. We are still working on spelling but the techniques in the book are helping us a lot. I think the biggest revelation this book taught me was that ADD and ADHD children (right-brained learners) see things as a series of pictures. This is what gives them the ability to see so much deeper into things - taking a word and making it 3 dimensional! I can also now see how my ADHD husband can look at a bunch of wood and a pencil drawing and transform it into an awesome entertainment center.

We truly need these right-brained learners in our world and I believe all parents and educators need to understand the different learning styles so they can teach all of our kids to use their God given talents to the best of their abilities.

After 4 years of reading depressing books about what to expect from my ADHD child, finally I feel like someone has given me the key to unlocking his wonderful potential. As a homeschooling parent this book is a special blessing! The first day I read it I tried writing out the word collaborate and followed the instructions to have him visualize it. (This is a 9 year old child who is a full grade level behind in spelling) He not only spelled it, he immediately spelled it backwards without missing a letter. I cried! This book will be an immense help in choosing curriculum for him, and I would highly recommend it as a must to parents of ADD/ADHD labeled children.

This book has clearly stood the test of time. It is now in its 11th edition. My professor uses the 9th edition, and most of our class has a later copy. The author provides step by step help for novice financiers who want to learn mortgages, internal rates of return, and net present value calculations.
I would offer a word of warning to people who consider buying older versions in order to save money. I have the 8th edition. The concepts have not changed (although the assumed interest rates certainly have!). However, the chapters have since been rearranged and the questions in the back of the book are different. If you are using this book for a class you may need to at least have access to a newer version.

Excellent book. Easy to follow, yet explores some complex topics.

This book is extremely insightful into the world of real estate. After having used it for two real estate classes at the MBA level, I decided to keep it for future reference, figuring most real estate books wouldn't come near this text. The problem sets at the end of each chapter are also very useful in giving the potential investor a good foundation in how real estate finances work. Overall, I highly recommend this book to the novice or experienced real estate investor.