This book is a wonderful compilation of environmental problem solving. It lists several areas of environmental concerns, each of which has someone working towards a solution. I enjoyed this book because I learned about several unusual yet important areas of environmental concern, and was left with a positive/ can-do feeling regarding caring for those concerns.

I picked up this book some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed its
refreshing and well-written text. What a trigger for memories...am
able to taste the era from her well honed interviews. Her piece on
Dave Brubeck is a gem, and let me to rediscovering this old
college favorite again...ah, the joys of Jazz Goes to College.

Susan Cayleff, presents the factual information in a clear and comprehensive manner. It is unfortunate that the life of Babe, reads like a sophmoric book report.

I loved reading about this gregarious and complicated athlete. This is a biography intended for young adults, but everyone will like it. Cayleff's original adult biography says she spent ten years researching Babe's life, interviewing surviving family and friends, etc., so her story is the real thing. It's also an important story, since she was the only female mentioned in the top 10 of "the greatest 20th century athletes" lists by ESPN, etc.

I particularly enjoyed how Babe had a talented story-telling "changeling" quality to remake herself when she wasn't getting what she wanted. She was a physically strong "Texas tomboy" trying to make it in a time and place that liked girly-girl athletes.

What struck me most was the irony that her tombstone reads "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," yet Babe always said "I don't see any point in playing if I don't win. Do you?" She had a few different images going for her, and she used all the tricks!

Get it; I'm assigning it to my community college students to learn about both women and American culture in the 30s-50s. They'll enjoy reading it while learning.

This book, now 21 years old, features a cast of radio personalities that have largely grown beyond the popular "All Things Considered" radio news magazine. But many of them, including author/broadcaster Susan Stamberg, still maintain a welcome presence on National Public Radio and have left their mark on the show. For anyone interested in studying the history of this news show and its humble but adventuresome origins, this book is a good first chapter. ATC has achieved a near-cult status over the years for some listeners, since it turns people onto things they might not have considered before (I couldn't resist). ATC, as anyone reading this book will discover, has a loyal following because it always seems to be there when you need it most. It's only a turn of the radio dial away when the clock strikes five p.m. The book's Introduction, written by a listener, wonderfully captures the spirit and importance of this show. I'm hazy on the details after several years, but the writer mentions traveling in remote Maine in a car with a friend in unknown territory. Anxious, they turn on the radio, find ATC and find that they are home. The show is that comforting. In my periodic business travels to different states, the first thing I do when I rent a car is to tune to the local NPR station (somewhere between 88 - 92 FM) and look forward to My show at five p.m. Read Ms. Stamberg's book and the contributions by the others in this book, and you'll appreciate the show that much more.
Karl Kunkel
High Point, NC

Attractive premise, but very poor delivery. Some stories left me feeling sticky and uncomfortable ("Tandolfo the Great"), some others disappointed (i forgot the title of the one about the bigoted Southern lady who is finally moving out of her multicultural neighborhood). The best story, in my opinion, is the one written by Pam Houston, about the engagement proposal. But one story is not enough to save a book. There are many other compilations of short stories to waste your time on this one.