A great book that inspires non-linear thinking as an approach to creativity, and ow it applies to writing songs!

This book is as close as you can get to experiencing the process of songwriting with Barbara Jordan live. Through a series of playful, imaginitive, creative and effective excercises, you will find yourself having more fun and getting more done with superior results than you have since you were a kid.

Rather than teach specific "rules" of writing or giving lessons, Barbara has created a series of excercises designed to let your creative juices flow like you never thought possible with exciting and remarkable results. Whether you are contemplating writing songs for the very first time or you are a seasoned writer going through a mental drought, this book, like no other, will produce the results you want and need the most. We couldn't give any book a higher recommendation.

Having writers block? This book is filled with fantastic exercises to help get those creative juices flowing. If on the other hand, you are new to songwriting, this is a must read.. You'll get lots of great songwriting tips and tricks from this Berkley College of Music professor... without the tuition.

There's something about a black and white photograph that has a timeless, ethereal quality. It's almost as if it's a vehicle to take you back into a better time, a grander time.

Such is the case with "Our Finest Hour", a collection of black and white photographs from the pages of Life Magazine. All the photos were taken during what was likely America's grandest, most noble, time of all, World War Two.

Some of the master photographers are represented in this book, including Alfred Eisenstaedt and W. Eugene Smith. The images are extraordinary. Examples include a photo by Eisenstaedt of a sailor on furlough, chatting with two grizzled elderly men - all three sitting on a cannon in a city park; and classic pictures of the hell of combat on the barren, smoldering landscape of Iwo Jima taken by W. Eugene Smith.

The quality is no surprise. If it's from Life Magazine, you expect the best, and the tradition continues. The book is well organized with helpful text and narrative, beginning with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and ending with soldiers coming home to their families, friends, lovers and a grateful country in 1945. The reproduction of the photos is superb.

"Our Finest Hour" represents photojournalism at its finest. It's art. It's history. It's fabulous.

Over 300 photos, illustrations and letters from the archives of LIFE Magazine, holder of the largest collection of WWII photos in the U.S. Many rarely seen. This collection was carefully chosen by the editors of LIFE. You see the faces and hear the voices of those who fought in the war and of their loved ones who sustained extraordinary efforts on the home front. It's a photographic essay of the greatest generation, shot by some of the best photojournalists of the time.

Forward by Bob Greene

This is a great book of poetry. Prof Jordan's work is insightful and gives this reader that smile of ah-hah that only Mary Oliver and Lisel Mueller have thus far accomplished.

Barbara Jordan does what no one else has done before. Her poetry is a door ajar to the beauty and the mystery of what we know but have forgotten. Elegiac wisdom, a symphony of unseen, her poetry makes the deepest, the most wondorous discoveries. This is a very major poet. We need her words as we need air, water and bread. TRACE ELEMENTS is one of the most important books I've read in this decade. I bow my head. Bravo!

Zarzyski is the perfect guide to take us on a journey through the cowboy life - his heart and his soul. But these poems aren't just for cowfolk, horsefolk, and rodeo lovers. "All This Way..." contains some of the most poignant, soul-touching lyrics. The poems seem rough, but once the reader catches the rhythm, it's a beautiful ride! Van Cleve's photos, honest and real, set Zarzyski's works off perfectly. If you are a horse/cow person or just a lover of fine poetry, please experience "All This Way for the Short Ride"! You will be greatly rewarded.

On July 25, 1974, Congressman Barbara Jordan of Texas explained the Constitution to the American public during the House Judiciary Hearings preparing articles of impeachment against President Nixon. Almost two years later, on July 12, 2976, Jordan gave an electrifying Keynote Address at the Democratic Convention that nominated Jimmy Carter that had some delegates wanting to draft her to be the Vice-Presidential candidate. In both speeches Jordan made use of her ethos, as an African-American woman, to great effect. "Barbara Jordan: African American Politician" tells the remarkable story about how this virtually unknown woman became the voice of America's conscience during Watergate.

Joseph D. McNair uses an usual approach to tell Jordan's story, creating the framing device of Mwalimu, a Nigerian story teller telling children "a story of an African American woman who stood up to defend the U.S. Constitution--a black woman who stood up to the most powerful man in the world." Consequently, the book begins with the event that made Jordan famous and then goes back to her birth, when her father fretted that her skin was too dark. A successful debater in both high school and college, Jordan turned to politics where she began the first female African American state senator in Texas history, became friends with Lyndon Johnson, and eventually was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. It is difficult to find many members of Congress who had as big an impact on the American psyche as Barbara Jordan did in only three terms. McNair's biography provides a comprehensive look at Jordan's life and public career in this volume from the "Journey to Freedom," which is an excellent source of information about the achievements and contributions of noted Africa-Americans.

This is a wonderful book filled with facts that the recreational reader, the traveler and student of the Middle East will enjoy. Kreiger takes the reader on the journeys of several explorers in and around these waters. You celebrate with their accomplishments and are saddened with their inability to achieve all their goals Kreiger takes the reader back to prehistoric periods, over 14000 years ago, when Lake Lisan covered most of the Jordan Valley, including the Dead Sea. You are also left with the feeling of traveling down to the lowest point on dry land in this world of ours with the intense heat engulfing your body.

She speaks of the problems brought on by the social forces on this ecosystem. Will the Dead Sea survive? I highly recommend this book.

George Erich

Your web site has no way to communicate with you about the listed books. If anyone checks these reviews, please know that the Jordan book of speeches is off the press. In fact, I am looking at a copy right now. Your date of November 1999 is incorrect.

This was a very inspirational book. Barbara Jordan's life was really incredible and the reason she accomplished as much as she did had to do with her innate abilities as well as her willingness to deal with the enemy. She kept her overriding goal utmost - the welfare of the people of East Texas.

Lots of what she experienced and spoke out against we see today. We could really use her moral voice of authority. She is missed.

This is a well written and effective biography of one of America's most amazing personalities. Mary Beth Rodgers tells Jordan's story with the advantage of being an insider; her access to those who knew Jordan well shows in her insightful and complete telling of Jordan's life.

Jordan is widely remembered by her public persona, the booming orator from Texas - the intellectual constitutional scholar who presided over Nixon's impeachment. But element that makes this biography compelling is Rodgers' depiction of the wheeling and dealing that allowed Jordan to cross barriers and operate effectively in the good-old-boy white male backrooms of the Texas Senate. We get to see Jordan the idealist armed with the constitution in our nation's capital, but we also get to see Jordan the pragmatist cutting deals over a scotch in Austin Texas.

An effective biography of an amazing American figure.

I'm glad that Jordan is not hear to see how the gov't of the people, for the people, by the people has been so completely perverted by special interests and neo patriots, such as George W. Bush and John Ashcroft. I was only a boy, when like many, I was captivated by this incredible person. She gave me hope that govt could actually serve the people. This book does a great job to capture her spirit and remind us that govt was once a tool and not force for opression.

I enjoyed reading this book and learned new information about cats that I had not previously known, including the fact that some "big cats" purr. I think this book is very informative and would be interesting for children to read or to just look at the wonderful pictures, which includes drawings, maps, and photographs. My particular favorite photograph is on page 14 and 15. In a full two page layout there are two cute cubs sitting in a field. It's an amazing picture. The book has a reading level of 6th grade (Accelerated Reader) but would be enjoyed by children ages K-12 for the illustrations.

This is a very intellegent book about the speeches of Barbara Jordan. The author connects history, politics, and religion in a way that gives you a complete picture of Barbara Jordan's life. . .