Bill Readings makes an interesting analysis about the modern university, the "university of excellence", which focus more on administration than other areas. However, the book doesn't talk about the role of searching the truth in the University. That was so related to the first universities of the history that I think there is still a lot of space to discuss and talk. I think the problem of the university goes beyond the administrative procedures. What is the goal of researching

Readings describes why he feels that universities are in ruins and what faculty might do about it. He traces the history of the university from Kant to the present time and argues that it has gone through three phases or forms: the University of Ideas (Kant), the University of Culture (Humboldt), and now the University of Excellence (based on measuring quality). His argument is that the U has now become a business, and "excellence" is now being defined in business, rather than in intellectual, terms. Perhaps the most important point that he makes in the book is that he feels excellence has no intellectual reference point. His conclusion is that there is no turning back. If faculty do nothing, then the option is for them to mourn or to be scorned...unless they make the attempt to look for "open spaces" where they can focus their work on Thinking (he uses an uppercase T on purpose). He especially encourages Thinking that spans disciplines. He also argues that scholars need to be aware that, in the University of Exellence, accounting systems prevail. In pursuing these open spaces, scholars must still be able to provide what he calls "techo-bureaucrats" with the numbers that they need to run their accounting systems. Sadly, Readings believes that the University has lost its soul and, today, is no longer the pivotal cultural institution that it once was. To the contrary, he suggests that it is now a business that is being evaluated as a business and is in competition with other businesses. This book will not be an "easy read" for many. Readings' meanders: making a point here and drawing a conclusion there. Some administrators might not finish reading it for that reason. Having said that, anyone who is interested in the present status and future direction of higher education should read this book. It is a sobering and important piece of work. Frank Fear, Michigan State University

Another aspect of the University scene that Readings explores is the importance of the canon debates in this present time that Yeats foresaw: "The centre cannot hold: Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." In the internecine struggles to control the cultural center of the universities, each separate group that (ironically) gains its status from its marginalized distance from the pre-1960's white-euro-male literary canon tries to define the country's culture through its own canon. The irony is that there is nothing left to control since the University--along with the country--no longer has any interest in the content of any culture. Whatever shiftingpatterns may emerge are simply commercial products of the free market of ideas. Hence the "Americanization" of the University.

Looking back on this book, I guess it's that I wanted to like it so much more than I did. What a great concept! Take a variety of modern poets, interview them and get them talking about their works alongside the poetry. Now you see the expectations in such a book to poetry lovers everywhere. But after owning the book for 7-odd (and they have been) years, I rarely find myself going back to it after the initial read. Why is that? Let me try to tell you.

Moyers indeed takes a variety of poets to interview, from recognized greats such as W.S. Merwin, Rita Dove, Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Ocatavio Paz to name a few to lesser known (at least to me) poets such as, Garrett Kaoru Hongo, Dekou Sundiata, and Mary Tall Mountain. Some of the interviews are fascinating as one would expect them to be. But the majority of them drag on. Instead of making the language come alive, the power of the poetry is diluted when it is talked about. Give credit to Moyers for attempting the project and to opening up his purview beyond the academically accepted greats and beyond strictly English-writing poets. For that Moyers is to be commended, but the end effect leaves the reader wanting for more.

I have gotten so much more from any on the "Best American Poetry" series or a little known poetry compilation called "The Generation of 2000," for the sheer love of poetry and learning about poets, than Moyers' book. As for non-English poets, buy the bilingual editions (Paz's collected poems, Neruda's selected poems, etc) even though you don't speak or understand the original language. It's a must to see and hear how the poetry was intended to sound and also be able to read it in a language you understand.

It is almost impossible to please everyone with a collection. Why was this poet included? Or you included him/her and didn't include this poem... Are you insane? The benefit of an anthology is that it can introduce the reader to poets that they may otherwise never come in contact with. To that end, I am thankful to Moyers for introducing me to the work of James A. Autry and Lucille Clifton. I also enjoyed many, but not all, of the interviews. This was a good book. If you are interested in poetry but aren't sure where to start, this collection will introduce you to a wide variety of styles. I am sure you will find something you like, and it will be worth the effort.

I nearly didn't buy this tape series after reading some of the blase reviews. I'm so glad I listened to my intuition (which basically said, "Bill Moyers had broadened your world in the past. Why would he let you down here?") Whew. Always listen to your intuition.

I've listened to poetry tapes in the past but, for me, this fantastic series is a rarity -- it captures the interaction and intimacy of live poetry readings. It's art-in-a-box. Highly recommended to all artists and spiritual seekers..... Another bonus? My husband, who always cast a wary eye toward poetry, is now attending poetry readings after listening to these tapes and finally experiencing for himself the profound power of this medium.

Thank you, Mr. Moyers! And please, please, please come out with another series like this.

I was disappointed in the book. I came away with a few parctical suggestions, but a 5 page essay could have given me the gist. The rest of the book was repetitious and superfcial.Having mentioned something important, for instance, lke evaluating the readability of a book, they then simply referred the reader another book. The authors seemed to spend time every chapter stating that how a teacher uses their information will depend a great deal on the teacher and his/her students. Of course it does. Just say it once. It was almost as if they were hedging their bets. Compare this to a literacy book written by Lucy Caulkins and it really seems elementary.

I have been using various approaches to Literature Circles for about 7 years, and this is one of the best books I've read on the subject. Instead of teaching one specific technique, the authors present a variety of methods for implementing Literature Circles. Many of the strategies were new to me, and all of them were very practical and appear easy to implement. One theme that runs through the book is the need to find out what works in your classroom. The companion book, Literature Circle Resource Guide, is also extremely useful as it provides many time-saving forms and handouts. I can't wait to start using these strategies in my classroom.

I am new at starting Literature Circles in my classroom, and this book gave me very practical suggestions that I could implement right away. I especially liked the examples given of charts that a teacher could use in his or her classroom. The book gives hints all the way from focus lessons and good books to begin with, to ideas for reading responses. A reader can take this book and go step by step in creating Literature Circles for his or her students. It was one of the most helpful books on this subject that I have read.

You couldn't say this book had much of a plot. It's more like a collection of anecdotes. Some were entertaining, some not. I liked the letters from former guests at the B&B. I didn't care much for the sex or the occasional slapstick. I haven't read the first book in the series, so I can't compare. For the owners of a business, the two brothers didn't seem to do much work.

I have stayed at only one B&B, and my husband and I were the only guests at the time. It was a lovely place. The owner sat down and ate breakfast with us and told us about many of the interesting guests she and her husband had housed. They didn't seem to have much life outside the business, which seemed understandable. The bachelor brothers seemed to have too much life outside the B&B.

As a sequel to the first book, The Bachelor Brothers Bed & Breakfast, the Pillow Book provides more stories from our beloved brothers Hector & Virgil. One of the lines from the novel sums up my love & appreciation for the writing: "..They wanted to create a place where people who are oppressed by the notion that there are too many books and too little time to read them might carve out a retreat;where gentle souls who carry the burden of knowing that the world is too much with them can set aside a week or ten days to whittle down their list of 'books to which I must one day get around'"-As a lover of books, this idea sounds like the perfect escapism. That is what Bill Richardson accomplishes in his writing-escapism with the various characters we meet at the Bachelor Brothers Bed & Breakfast, and another peek into the family unit of Hector & Virgil. The book is speckaled with funny little anecdotes throughout. While not quite as good as the first novel, it's still a charmer.

Much of the joy of the first book was that the stories were told with such a light touch and in such different voices that you could almost believe they were true. Virgil and Hector, while iconic, could almost be real, and I loved them for it.

In this second book, the humour is broader but I ceased to believe. The first book has characters, the second caricatures. The difference is disheartening. I laughed, but didn't love.

I ordered this "book", looking to get the child's workbook. Instead, this was the Teacher's Guide. Unless I just overlooked it, I can't find where it says this in the description, so this was not what I wanted or expected. However, this series of workbooks is supposed to be good. We're working out of the first one right now (Wags and Tags) and are very satisfied.