I'll admit it -- I'm biased toward Carl Perkins. I lived several years in his hometown of Jackson, TN and met him many times. Having those experiences, I was curious how this book would portray Mr. Perkins. After reading this book, I have more respect for Mr. Perkins. True, he wasn't perfect (who is?), but he had reason to be bitter about his career and his life, instead he never gave up. He pulled himself up after each setback and kept on striving. When you think about it, what would be the alternative? He was not only a great musician, but an active humanitarian. His work with children and their causes is nearly as impressive as his musical career, yet most people don't know of this. I went to Carl Perkins' funeral, and in the little city of Jackson, TN you would have thought time stood still. This book will give you the feeling of getting to know a true American success story . . .

What a story!! This should be a must read for all of us who get to feeling sorry for ourslves. Carl Perkins came from abject poverty,a racially discriminating South,was known as "white trash",wrote one of rock n rolls seminal tunes,was on the brink of superstardom,lost it all,became a sideman to another Sun records stablemate,delved into the pit of addiction,rose again,had alot of his early work recorded by a group known as the Beatles,played with the likes of Eric Clapton,loved performing with his own family,lived his life humbly,nursed somewhat of a grudge against Sam Phillips,Jerry Lee Lewis,and Elvis,made peace with himself,and left behind the legacy of a man who had seen the beast within and had conquered it.
This is a must read for anyone who has any interest in music,or for that matter,the sociology of the South during the late 1940's and 1950's. It is also ,quite simply,one of the most inspiring books that I've ever read,Thank You, Carl Perkins!

Much has been made of the tragic events in Carl Perkins' life, but in the end his values and personal strength stood him in much better stead than most of his Sun contemporaries (see Escott and Hawkin's book on Sun Records). Pretty good for a kid who, with his brothers, were skinny from undernourishment as children. This book follows Carl from childhood until near the end (he passed away shortly after publication). The section on the Tennessee tonk scene in the 40's and 50's and "tush hogs" is especially colorful.

"Curiosity propels us to explore our world..."
Dreams do come true. Seeking to strengthen my capacity to help students understand the tools and journeys of their brains, I turned to Intellectual Character. In Dr. Ritchhart's words, I found an edifying, brilliant compass. Building on his ground breaking thinking disposition research, Dr. Ritchhart profiles how teachers can nurture curiosity, open mindedness, metacognition, seeking truth and understanding, strategic thinking, and skepticism within learners. He does this with integrity by sharing his own teaching and learning experiences and by giving readers a vivid and clarifying window into the intellectual interactions between five teachers and their students. These classroom portraits reveal the language educators should employ/model to "prompt, prime, and pattern the thinking of students."

Additionally, Dr. Ritchhart's case studies encourage readers to examine the "red threads" of our teaching...to think about the driving force is our classrooms...to ponder what connects and motivates our teaching. One of my favorite passages furthers this idea: "The development of students' intellectual character ultimately depends on teachers' convictions, dedication, and belief in the importance of thinking to students' current understanding, future employment, and long-term success both in the subject area and in life. It is ony when teachers possess thinking-rich red threads to tie together practice and breathe life into them through their own disposition toward thinking that the development of students' intellectual character becomes a natural, energizing, and meaningful endeavor for students and teachers alike."

As I forge new vistas of my thinking about literacy learning, I turn to Intellectual Character to chisel my plans for what I call brain show and tell. Modeling the work of thinking is humbling. Reading, for example, is not an easy demonstrator sport. Our work as readers is not visible to others. But, by telling our students why and how we read and write, we might just be able to show them our brain waves. The fireworks and miracle of thought are gloriously blueprinted by Dr. Ritchhart. His work provides me with insights, ancedotes, and a kindred spirit to chart my course. Bravo - and heartfelt thanks!

If found this book a wonderful, inspiring, and useful read. The author's style was engaging and personable. The many anecdotes and stories really grabbed and held my attention. In terms of style, the book reminded me of The Good High School by Sara Lawarence Lightfoot in that the author brought me right into the classroom and opened my eyes so that I could see more and understand teaching at a deeper level. Ritchhart writes in the same kind of warm and gracious style as Lightfoot, not your typical research writing at all.

In content, I found the book has some similarities to Emotional Intelligence (EI). While Intellectual Character isn't the same thing as EI, both books really expand our view of what it means to be smart. At the same time, both books send the message that we are often missing the mark in educating our children. If you liked Emotional Intelligence, this book will be a good follow-up read. If you wanted more of a classroom and education angle to EI, you'll find it here.

One last feature of the book that deserves mention. I found the end-of-chapter "Key ideas" synthesis very useful in consolidating my understanding of the big ideas of the chapter. I also found them helpful to refer back to as I was reading if I wanted to review something. It's a really great tool. These syntheses, which appear at the end of every chapter, are also a way for me to share these ideas easily with others.

That's an important mark of a good book to me, how much I want to share it, and this book certainly fits the bill.

The book, "Intellectual Character", by Ron Ritchart and David Perkins can be a great primer for teachers who are interested in this subject. I certainly recommend it. I also highly recommend "West Point: Character Leadership...." by Norman Thomas Remick as a wonderful primer for parents who are, should be, must be, interested in the character of their children for their sake and the survival of America as we know it.

This book as an amazingly helpful guide. Filled with practical, real world experience, it provided signficant insight into the "real" process of selling a business. As a management consulting I occasionally encounter M&A deals. This book is the kind of resource that I need, and can recommend to my clients.

Great resource! Add it to your library!

After reading this book, I now have a clear understanding as to the steps involved in selling a company - it is far more complex than I imagined.

This collection of poetry is fantastic, and on top of that Perkins provides a brief biography of each of the poets.

This book of poetry depicts, displays, and describes the minds of the 18th and 19th centuries like no other. With great excerpts from Coleridge, Keats, and Wordsworth that anyone not only a lover of poetry can apprieciate.

I love poetry. Books like "History of Modern Poetry: Modernism and After" fill my bookshelves. I eat this stuff up. But one thing a lot of poetry books do is mush up the sense of it all in the hope of appealing to the academics. Since most regularly published poets are professors in English departments, it works out, but it creates a great divide between the laity and the academic.

What David Perkins has done is explain the basic chronology of poets periods. This is neither an encyclopedia of terms nor an anthology of great poems. Instead, Perkins takes a period, affiliates the poets major within that period and explains their context and importance.

He keeps it simple without talking down to the reader.

Essentially, it is a collection of intelligent essays. Some are topical, like "The Postwar Period" while others are poet-specific, like "W. H. Auden."

Perkins writes clearly. It isn't trying to impress you, but he is trying to help you understand Eliot and onward.

I read it for personal growth, but it would make a solid textbook, in tandem with Perkins' other volume covering the previous eras.

I fully recommend "History of Modern Poetry: Modernism and After" by David Perkins.

Anthony Trendl

David Perkins's "History of Modern Poetry" gives the reader the essentials of the modernist movement, from its beginnings as a reaction against the outworn Romantic era to the poetry of Ashbery, Ammons, and Merrill in our own age. Brevity is a virtue here: Perkins states the essentials of a poet's life only and so escapes the common error of overinterpretation which most critics commit. The series also pays attention to minor poets who do not rank highly today and past movements in journals and anthology editing so as to provide us with a complete picture of what the past century of poetry has consisted. Highly recommended.

This book (the first volume) is over 600 pages. And they are 600 pages chock full of intelligent analyses and overviews of all the poetic schools in Britian and the US since the 1890s. This book is fascinating in its content and a joy to read because of Perkins' clear and humane style. It is amazing that one person can know so much. But don't let that intimidate you. This book will do wonders for your working knowledge of American and British poetry.

David Perkins's "History of Modern Poetry" gives the reader the essentials of the modernist movement, from its beginnings as a reaction against the outworn Romantic era to the poetry of Ashbery, Ammons, and Merrill in our own age. Brevity is a virtue here: Perkins states the essentials of a poet's life only and so escapes the common error of overinterpretation which most critics commit. The series also pays attention to minor poets who do not rank highly today and past movements in journals and anthology editing so as to provide us with a complete picture of what the past century of poetry has consisted. Highly recommended.

Of the many things that shape our lives, perhaps few are more important to the budding writer than the books he or she reads. "Books of Passage" takes us into the hearts and lives of twenty-seven of North Carolina's most beloved writers. From Hurlbut's Bible to the Autobiography of Malcom X, these authors share a moment and a book that transformed their lives and set their feet on a different path. Reading this book is as comfortable as settling down on the sofa for a chat with a friend. Add a mug of hot chocolate and you're in for a heavenly evening! -Sandra S. Provenzano

The Intelligent Eye is a great way to teach students (or anyone) how to think by looking at artwork! This book has an easy to read, conversational style to it as it shares some very basic truths about thinking.

Originally published in 1864, Marsh explains in wonderful detail the consequences of humankind's manipulation of earth's resources. Truly an enlightened thinker.

This is an excellent text chosen for our medical school course in neurology by an outstanding "Gold Medal" neurologist who has worked and taught at Harvard and Sinai. This book provides an excellent resource and the photos are invaluable. It is easy to read yet thorough and is a fine complement to Lange's Correlative Neuroanatomy when it comes to understanding the nervous system and disease. It's good enough to grace the office of the knowledgeable specialist and the desk of the inquiring student.