I read with intererst the story of the Del Buono family as they fought for services for their son/brother. Barbara obviously has tremendous faith courage and strength. Her husband and children, esp. Mary, are also amazing. As the mother of a brain injured son I also am caught in the maze of TBI--and it is not pretty. Barbara has done a good job describing nursing home situations. Even though Nick's nursing home experience was years ago conditions in these homes, at least in Indiana, for TBI survivors has not changed enough. Reading this book has helped give me the strength to continue to fight for services for my TBI son.

It is an excellent resource which can help us all to deal with the difficulties of life and use them to create a better world where the wounded are cared for with heart, not just hands.

introduction to cost control and what is a cost control

This is just what I needed to get started on my breakdown sheet for costs of job site work. Thank you.

I was impressed by the variety in these stories. Some of them are only meant to be light entertainment, but others like "Jack Be Quick" and "The Favor" really get to you. I especially liked "Scat" -- which uses the title word in four different meanings.

These are superior stories, and they're all different. She can make you laugh in one story and give you chills in the next. The title novella is a fantastic piece of writing.

Who better is there than Paul McIlhenny to write a Tabasco Sauce cookbook? The recipes in this book are simple to prepare and tasty. I just made one of the omelette recipes featured in this book. It consisted of four ingredients, one of which (beer) I never imagined I'd put in an omelette. It was great and took five minutes to pull together. Some other recipes worth trying are "Zydeco Green Beans", "Potato, Artichoke & Leek Soup" and "Walter McIlhenny's Chili".

McIlhenny includes alot of interesting Tabasco-usage tips. For example, he recommends adding a drop to a glass of cola. After my beer-in-the-omelette episode, I'm willing to try Tabasco in my Coke. He includes alot of Tabasco history and Tabasco trivia which I could have done without. But, overall, this is a pretty good cookbook. I just wish the space taken up by history and trivia had been used for more recipes.

This cookbook utilizes Tabasco sauce in all the recipes, but they are not all firey hot. Rather, this cookbook uses Tabasco like a spice or flavoring agent, to add dimension to all kind of recipes.

I highly recommend this to anybody that likes good food and likes their food to have flavor instead of just heat.

The book takes the reader through the amazing friendship of these two writers. I found the book to be a wonderful aid while writing my term paper on the works of Nelly Sachs. The book provides a great insight into the lives of these two authors.

One of the rare available testimonies of celan's personal writing. For those who read French, now his correspondance with his wife Gisele Lestrange, is another relevant way to get to know him, it was published two years ago.

A bunch of letters written over 16 years by two nobel-winner poets. It's heartbreaking. Nelly Sachs, "his Li", loved him, no doubt. Her "dearest Paul" was married with a child. It is fascinating to read how two poets process the most common story among people. With tenderness and sadness and so much dignity. And as Nelly Sachs says: "Love is inhuman". This book reveals the sensitivity it takes to write poetry and how this sensitivity marks your every single gesture, making sometimes life to be simply unbearable. "If only I had you here" Nelly Sachs says, and that is what the reader wishes with her. An unfulfilled wish. They met only once and never again. Hard for simple people, even harder for poets. "You are my light" they say to each other and from the third letter she feels he is her home. Did they decrease each others loneliness, or did they make it bigger? It's up to the reader to decide.

The SeniorNet On-Line Book Club (http://www.seniornet.org/index.html) read High Tide in Tucson as its January 1997 selection. The following are selected review comments from our members based on the initial chaper are representative of the comments we made on each essay. Our overall rating was 3 on a scale of 4.

Among her many talents, Kingsolver is a Naturalist, and although her essays do not rival those of the author of "The Burgess Shale" she does cite him several times in this book and thereby earns my respect. Though this first essay is predicated on "Natural History", I prefer to discuss that particular area in subsequent treatises. I, too have done my share of "Beach-combing" and have raised Hermit Crabs (In the Caribbean). I think Kingsolver starts this series with observations and comments that immediately alert us to the fact that she is uncommonly perceptive and a "Real Human Being", one of "US", who has not become so enamored of herself as to lose the humility necessary to be, as she puts it, " A good animal, today ..........and take this life for what it is" (LJ Klein)

Content was good, but she was too verbose for me. She took too many words to get her point across. I'm not a big user of adjectives. Will reread and read others when I get book, but will have to withold my praise for now. ... I guess I couldn't get over style to enjoy content. I get that way sometimes--stubborn and opinionated. (Ruth Warren)

It is salutory -- and doubless fashionable -- to be reminded from time to time that humankind's animal needs are simple and basic. But I hold with those who value the trappings of civilized human society, without which, as Hobbes put it, human existence would be "...solitary, nasty, brutish and short." The human animal has a wonderfully complex brain, and is able--as Kingsolver is of course doing here -- to analyse its own drifts and instincts make comparisons and communicate these thoughts to others of its kind. Long live the technology that enables Kingsolver to return from her day in the desert, write down her experience, publish her essay by the thousands. (Carolyn Andersen)

I agree that this book expresses Kingsolver's understanding of her stages in life. Interesting to read because her experiences are so universal, yet with her delicious wording it relieves the heaviness of the lesson, and supplants it with wry snickers. However, she describes her enchantment with the desert beautifully. Her day with the caves and the former inhabitants is an experience we share, and the changed perception was certainly "life-changing". (Rhea Coleman)

...She is a great writer. I thought it was very interesting how Kingsolver opened this essay with a mini essay about hermit crabs and then through the following little essays wove a thread through her life similar to that of the crab's, ie, being uprooted from her Kentucky and the crab from the Bahamas, exploring her new land in Arizona and the crab getting used to his new surroundings in the aquarium. This lady has an astute knowledge of the English language and an uncanny ability to put her thoughts into words that seem to portray exactly what she is thinking and what we need to hear. She stirs my thoughts like a small eddy in a lazy mountain stream. (Patrick Mulligan)

I really liked this essay. I must point to my particular bias. That writers must not only have something to say it's important how they say it. I expected to be bored...who reads essays not me unless "driven." In this case surprised and delighted, laughing at her descriptions of the animals and able to envision her imagery. (claire read)

I knew I would love the book while reading through the first essay, because she and I think much the same way, only of course I could never express myself quite like that. What I thought about many times since reading that book is the fact that "life is made of frightening losses and unfathomable gifts." We all know that is true, but I've never read it expressed as well. My terminology runs more to "We were never promised a Rose Garden." If you make it.....it is because you have learned to cope, and in this life you have soooo many opportunities to try and try again to get it right. I also appreciated what she said about children learning discrimination from their parents. Reminded me of that wonderful song from "South Pacific","You've Got to be Taught." (Fran Ollweiler)

Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderfully adept writer who can describe things so well that you can actually see it. Her description of moving from Kentucky to Tucson and how the life in Tucson was so different from the life she knew really hit home for me. We all do start new lives over and over as Barbara said. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job or a limb or a loved one. Each new scary or nice happening in our lives forces us to gather our resources and face whatever it is that we are dealt with in life. (Ruth Levia)

Barbara Kingsolver not only writes in a very interesting style, but she also teaches a lot. I was amazed that while being very fascinated with the essays, I feel I learned something from each one. I knew nothing of the hermit crab and thought her descriptions were very interesting. I enjoyed her discussion in this essay about the effect of the lunar cycles and the tides in Tuscon. The tie-in of the internal clocks of animals in the Chicago experiment fit well with the theme of this essay. Her trek into the uncharted wilderness in western Arizona provided a very thought provoking experience as expressed by the wonder of finding the corn-grinding stone and her unwillingness to remove the stone from that location. Think it exhibited a reverance for the past that comes through very clearly in her essays. (Larry Hanna)

I loved the images of water and tides in the essay. When we first voted to read it, I thought, essays?? Oh, no....boooooring. Boy, was I wrong. I'm trying to pay attention to what I know are themes in the essays- she herself says "my intent was to make it a book with a beginning, and end, and modicum of reason." I see joy and hope personified by the water images in the essay. She states," I have taught myself joy, over and over again, "and, "Let me dance in the waves of my private tide, the habits of survival and love." The message is coping, and hope: "High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is." I found the first chapter to be a wonderful blend of the "linear thinking" of the scientist and the far reaching imagination of the poet in the author. Huxley was said to be Darwin's Bulldog- Kingsolver, I think, is Darwin's bard- the singer of the verses of evolution- revealing and reveling in both its mysteries and its elegance. (Ginny)

I love Kingsolver's style. High Tide in Tucson expresses a wonderful way to live your life. We should always be in touch with our internal "tides" and acknowledge the rocks in the stream. (Sandy Bridgforth

I have only a few pages to go with the book of essays "High Tide in Tucson". It is written by Barbara Kingsolver who wrote a book on Oprah's list called the "Poisonwood Bible". That is still on my list to read. The essays are opinion of the author and she is of a very liberal political bent. (She actually left the country to live in Spain because she disagreed with the Persian Gulf War.I was serving in the military at the time of the Gulf War and honestly agree with many of the points she makes. )
I have really enjoyed this book although I do not agree with her all of her opinons. You can tell she puts much thought into her opinions before she makes them. I enjoy reading others opinions even when they disagree with mine if they really make me think and she does.
I wouldn't have picked up this book on my own, but my girlfriend sent it to me. I enjoy fiction but seldom am interested in essays. I am so glad she did. Ms Kingsolver has really made me examine my opinions on violence against women in the media and I think I will be choosing different movies and books in the future because of her. Having my mind "stretched" was a very positive experience.

This book of essays reads like a novel. From the very first story about a hermit crab who finds himself in the desert of Tuscon, which is an allogory for those of us who find ourselves displaced at times, to the hopeful last essay in which the author writes about her new life, this is an inspiring book to read. It becomes one of those books that you give to friends because you know it will touch them in some way. Barbara Kingsolver is an exceptional writer with insight into our hearts and minds

Readers should note that this site does not distinguish between the various editions of Shakespeare, so the reviews you read may be for audiotapes, modern translations, etc. I am reviewing the Kenneth Branaugh BBC Radio recording of Hamlet. It is adequate, which I consider high praise for this challenging play. Like Branaugh's movie a few years later, it includes the entire text of the play, which is a nice way to remind yourself of some issues you may have forgotten.

The performances are pretty good, and include Branaugh (of course) as Hamlet and Derek Jacobi as Claudius, giving us a hint of the performances they would later give in the movie. No one's performance really blew me away, although Jacobi was excellent.

Ultimately, the play loses quite a bit when transferred to audio only. There's a lot to be conveyed with stage placement, physican action, expression, etc. Somehow, listening to the play limited my imagination on those issues, preventing my from using my "mind's eye" to the fullest.

Hamlet is considered, by many scholars, the pinnacle of Shakespeare's dramas. If you haven't read it yet this this Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism edition would be a great place to begin.

The text notes that are included with the play are very helpful to understand some of the more difficult language nuances that are inevitable with any Shakespeare. The structure is well laid out and conclusive. It complements the complexity of Hamlet very well.

Of course Hamlet is one of the great paradoxes and mysteries every written. The search of finding yourself and what it is that fuels the human spirit. Hamlet can be a very confusing play because of the depth of substance. However, the critical essays that suppliment the reading make it very accessable.

Each of the critical essays are of different schools of literary criticism: Feminist Criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, post-structuralist (deconstuctionist) criticism, Marxist critism, and finally a New Historicist criticism. Before each critism there is clearly written introduction to explain the motives and histories of that type of criticism.

This edition of Hamlet will not only introduce the reader to more Shakespeare, but also explain the play and help to familiarize the reader with literary criticism too. It is a beautiful volume that cannot be more recommended if you are wanting to buy a copy Hamlet.

Hamlet is, by far, the most complex of Shakespeare's many plays. Many of the themes covered are love vs hate, action vs non-action, revenge, and jealousy. Hamlet discovers that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" when he encounters the ghost of his father, the King, who has recently been killed in battle. From here, Hamlet goes on a search for the discovery of what happened to his father. However, Hamlet not only uncovers secrets of the past, but also the depths of his own being.

The Folger Edition of Hamlet is a great edition to buy, especially for those who are studying this play in high school or college, because it is relatively cheap in price and is very "reader-friendly" with side notes and footnotes that accompany each page of each scene. So, even if you aren't a Shakespeare lover or if Shakespeare is just a little intimidating (we all know how this feels), this version at least allows you to get the gist of what is going on. Also, there are summaries of each scene within each act, to let you know in layman's terms what is taking place. I highly recommend this edition.

This is Shakespeare's 2nd last play. Yet, nothing indicates that he was running out of steam. The images are beautiful. Stephano, Caliban, and Trinculo are memorable as the bumbling conspirators. Miranda and Ferdinand are fine as the two young lovers. Ariel is striking as Prospero's loyal servant. Prospero is a magnificent creation. Not only does he offer several beautiful and memorable passages, but he is well drawn as a character who was unfairly forced into exile. He also makes his prison his paradise. In addition, he is a fine representation of Shakespeare himself: "Knowing I loved my books, he furnished me / From mine own library with volumes that / I prize above my dukedom" (1.2.166-168). His speeches in 4.1 and 5.1 also reflect how Shakespeare himself was contemplating the end of his career. The story itself is very well drawn. Shakespeare grabs our attention with a storm at sea. He offers us a reflection of himself, comical touches, beautiful images, profound passages, beautiful language, young lovers, comical villains, and deep messages. If you like this, be sure to read his final play "Henry VIII."

Comedy, in the strictest sense, is concerned with ultimate forgiveness and reconciliation. In Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," the protagonist, Prospero, must come to terms with his brother Antonio, who conspired to have him driven from his duchy in Milan, and with the world of social interaction in general.

Magic, Power, and Conspiracy are the foundational thematic elements through which Shakespeare effects Prospero's reintegration into human society. Thrown into a boat with his infant daughter Miranda, Prospero comes to live on a nearly deserted island in the Mediterranean Sea. Prospero's concentration on developing his proficiency in Magic caused him to become alienated from his political and social responsibilities in Milan, leading to his expulsion. His brother Antonio conspired with Alonso, king of Naples, and seized the power Prospero forsook for book-learning.

Prospero hears of a sea voyage undertaken by his enemies, and, using his Magic, whips up a storm, a great tempest, which causes his enemies to be shipwrecked on his island. On the island, Prospero exercises total power - over the education of his daughter, his slave, the deformed Caliban, and now over his enemies. He engages Ariel, a sprite, to orchestrate the division of the traveling party, and to put them through various trials to exact vengeance and ultimately, submission from them.

"The Tempest" is a fine effort from Shakespeare, but the power relations in the play are problematic. Prospero's insistent dominance over the action of the play is extremely troubling. Although he is presented as a benevolent character, Prospero's relationships with Miranda, Caliban, and Ferdinand, King Alonso's son, complicate his overall worth as a man and an authority figure. The dynamic between the slave Caliban and the drunks, Trinculo and Stephano, is also very unsettling.

Overall, "The Tempest" remains a whimsical flight of imagination, while exploring intriguing themes of education, political intrigue, and romance. Certainly, it is still a well-constructed and entertaining play after nearly four hundred years.

One of the best works by Shakespeare and also his final full play (most likely), The Tempest draws on many elements that Shakespeare used in his earlier works and adds a comic twist. Shakespeare doesn't spend much time on character development in the Tempest, other than Prospero and possibly Caliban (e.g. Miranda is the ideal chaste woman, Trinculo & Stephano are lowly schemers). However, Prospero is extremely well developed and the simple aspects of the other characters do not detract from the story at all. There are many different levels of meaning at work in the play...some see it as a pro-colonialist diatribe, others see it as Shakespeare's own swan song, where Prospero himself is based on the Bard, and Prospero's surrendering of his magical powers is representative of Shakespeare giving up his craft. I read it as both, and a million other things, and that is one of the great things about the play...it can be read in so many different ways. The structure of the play seems almost chaotic at first, with so many things going on at once. However, if you read the play over again, or read some of the essays contained in the Signet Edition, it becomes much more clear, although still open-ended. The Signet Edition is excellent, and Signets in general are. Buy this over the Folger Library editions...the footnotes here are much easier to work with and make the reading much smoother overall.

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

I read this book, perhaps expecting too much. I thought it might help me choose a career I'd enjoy based on my personality. In the book it had a personality test. I was supposed to find out which personality type I was, but for some reason I had some difficulty at first. They all said about one or two things that sounded like me, but none of the sixteen types were actually like my personality. I have read much better books which have acurately described my personality. When, I finally settled one of the sixteen types, I was disappointed because none of my personal career choices were listed. I think they should have listed more careers. I had a couple of my friends read the book as well and three out of the four of them also had difficulty finding their personality type. Although, some reviewers obviously found it useful, I personally would not recommend this book to anyone.

I bought this book as part of an online class. The class guided participants through the book. This book provided valuable insight on traits and characteristics that I have and the types of careers I am best suited for. As part of the book, the reader does a Myers-Briggs test to determine their personality type. I have done Myers-Briggs testing in the past but never with the explanation about each type that this book provides. The book provides an write-up about each type - allowing those of us who cross types to hone into the exact type we are. Based on this, the reader can then read the career section devoted to their type. I found out that I am in the right career - however I am not using my strengths and preferences correctly.

This book provides great insight...I recommend it to anyone trying to determine their entry-level career or for those of us facing 'mid life' career dilemmas.

This book is a wonderful tool for those just starting to get into the workplace, for those that have been in the workplace and for anyone looking to make a career change.

It is well origanized/written. The chapters move along at the right pace, giving you information and examples right at the same time. The examples really help clear up which personality type you feel/think is you.

It is also very objective, letting you decide on everything. Without a hint of opinion from the writers. The writers do not waste your time by talking about themselves, and also are not condescending in any way as some self-help books can be.

This book will help you understand more about yourself and those around you.

The job list could be a bit more robust, but is enough to give you an idea on what you should be looking for in most fields.

Start your journey to the right career, right here!