If you need a cheap-ish Civil War book for your 10-year-old buff, this may be the one. It's simple, easy to read, doesn't contain overwhelming inaccuracies, and has lots of pictures. I wouldn't really recommend it for adult scholars. It's a decent quick reference but is so short and lacking in either detail or gripping writing that many people won't find it very useful.

The titlle of the book implies that it has much to do with hazardous waste management, although in reality, it is more about remediation or site cleanup. Classic hazardous waste management deals with the MANAGEMENT of hazardous wastes within an industrial setting and how NOT to let it get into the media in the first place. In this regard, while the authors had the right intention, they fell short. For example, the chapter on environmental auditing was very weak and not given much attention, which is really at the heart of hazardous waste management. In addition, a troubling issue that took away from the book was the blatent self-promotion of ERM in the book, beginning with the foreward by Paul Woodruf, ERM's CEO, and the profuse listing of ERM self credits from editing to graphics. Who really authored the book, the authors listed, or ERM?

As a foster parent of almost three years, this book had little new information for me. But it might be helpful to a prospective foster parent.

The content is superficial. (But what do you expect in 99 pp.?) The chapters on the licensing process, children's responses to foster care according to age/developmental stage, and foster parents' expectations are adequate introductions. "Working with Systems" (interfaces with agencies and other groups) says little that couldn't have been grasped through common sense. "Preparing [for the placement]," Emotional [Issues]", and "Dealing With Special Problems" are simplistic and suggest the average foster child will respond fairly quickly to firm limits and responses guided by attempts at understanding a child's behavior. For example, "Saying things such as, 'I'm glad to have you in our family,' or, 'You reallly do that great,' can counteract feelingsly of inadequacy." Perhaps, but the child who truly feels inadequate is probably going to act out that inadequacy for some time (and in very dysfunctional ways). Stahl writes, "As long as foster parents remember that their job is to provide a corrective experience.. and not to undo the effects of the child's history of abuse and neglect, they can do a more satisfying job and have more confidence in their parenting ability." That may be true in very temporary placements, but the longer you have a child in your home, the more invested you become in helping him or her heal.

In his closing chapter, Stahl indicates that recruiting more foster homes-- enough for every child who needs one-- willl help "guarantee the quality and quantity of service for the foster child in need." Personally, rather than recruiting others, I'd prefer to spend my time supporting foster care alternatives and preventatives (so that fewer children are removed from their homes) and working to increase supports to foster parents and services to foster children in currently-licensed homes.

Stahl writes like a consultant (which he is) rather than someone who's actually "been there," by opening his home to foster kids. This book is quick and easy to read, but I am much more enthusiastic about the work of Dr. Richard Delaney, and Vera Fahlberg's "A Child's Journey Through Placement."

I bought this book because I wanted to read about events, personal experience or history of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Unfortunately, the story has basically nothing to do with the Island. After browsing through the book I am still not sure why this title was given to it. The book actually describes a series of common events in the life of two couples.