This book is a pretty good book. It was based on a true unsolved case. As you find out when you read the book, Stacy Davis, a girl everyone thought was perfect, was Marty's baby-sitter. When she screamed her final words Marty thought he should have done something, instead he hid under his bed. He always thought he should have done something.
As the story progresses, Marty finds out that Stacy was into drugs. He also finds out that O.C., Stacy's boyfriend, got Stacy pregnant. For more about the book, read it yourself. If you're into sports or mystery or both, I highly recommend you read this.

...Marty was four when Stacy was kidnapped and thought to be killed and ever since then he had nightmares and felt guilty that if he would have done something it wouldn't have happen. Now that he is older and a track star at Southwestern High he wants to find out what Stacy meant when she screamed, "No!! No, Jesus!!! No!..Tsee!...Hurt!" He wants to find out who took Stacy away from him and why.

The characters in this story were all realistic, stupid, and funny. Marty was a normal teenager who was a great track runner. Stacy, later in the story you find out that she had gotten into drugs and sex. People thought of Stacy as little miss perfect but no one really knew her. Harper was one of Marty's friends and he was also a great track runner and showed some jealousies toward Marty because he always took first.
The author used daily language that made it sound like teenager were the ones talking. He used some bad words and big words which made the story flow and easy to read. The length of the story is about right not to short and not to long.
The story gives a lot key points to make you finish the story and find out what had happen what was going on with Stacy. The conflict seemed real.

This book was pretty good book. Its one of those books that you have to finish because you have to know what happen to Stacy. It was realistic and talked about real life situation and what can happen to in those situations. I recommend this book for teenagers that enjoy reading and like sports and mystery.

Marty Oliver, a runner on his high school track, has been frequented by thoughts of a tragedy that happened when he was five years old. His babysitter, Stacy Davis, was kidnapped! When he heard Stacy scream, he hid under his bed and fell asleep. When his parents came home and found him, they asked him to tell the police everything he remembered. Over the years, Marty had nightmares about what happened. His father would record everything he said on a tape recorder. When Marty listened to the tapes, memories were pulled up from the deepest place in his heart. Marty's mother had never liked the tapes, or the fact that Marty never let go of that night. Marty's coach had also been Stacy's coach, and she was the best on the team until something strange happened. So naturally, anything having to do with her disappearance was a concern of her coach. The police soon started helping Marty in finding Stacy's kidnapper. Once they gathered all their clues, they put a plan into action.

This book kept me interested and I never wanted to put it down. Sometimes I would be reading until late at night. I love mystery stories. The main reason why I liked this specific book was because the characters work together. They devised a plan and did something about a kidnapping that happened over ten years before. It took a teen-aged boy to dig up and solve a mystery that had been forgotten for years. You get to hear Marty's thoughts and that helps you determine who did what and why they did it. You can take Marty's point of view and change it around to fit the image of your mind. The Last Goodie is an excellent mystery story.

I would agree, this edition is pretty lackluster. Not only that, the stories are inconsistent. Some are extremely well done, especially the better-known stories;and the writing is great, but the symbolic devices, such as paintings and mirrors, are way over-used.

This lends a repetitiveness to most of the stories. The gloomy tone, revealing the hidden darkness of man, pervades throughout. For someone of his talent, Hawthorne repeats himself. I think his novels are far better than his short stories. I would recommend Scarlet Letter and House Of Seven Gables instead.

Hawthorne is one of the greatest short story writers of the English language--of any language. I won't go into too much detail of the stories that make up Twice-Told Tales (I'm saving that for the Library of America edition), but I want to take a minute to talk about this Reader's Digest Edition. It only contains the 'Twice-Told Tales', but those are some of Hawthorne's best known stories: 'The Minister's Black Veil' and 'Dr. Heidegger's Experiment'. It's a well made volume with nine illustrations that aren't very well done. Really, you are better off getting the Library of America edition of Hawthorne's Tales and Sketches. It's more complete, better crafted, and doesn't have those horrid illustrations. What is interesting about this edition are two reviews contained. One by Poe and the other by Longfellow. Unfortunately they are here 'in an adapted form' which is a problem Reader's Digest seems to have. It's nice to have them here, but it would be nicer if they were in the original form. I give a five for the stories, but a 2 for the Reader's Digest edition. So I've settled on a three for this review.

This Modern Library edition of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales is one of the better I've seen in a long while. (A reveiewer below has mistakenly reviewed a Reader's Digest edition of the stories in this space. There are no illustrations in this book, and contrary to that reveiwer's estimation, the selection of stories here is very wise indeed.) Any good collection of Hawhtorne's stories should include the classics such as "Wakefield, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, "The Maypole of Merrymount," and "The Haunted Mind," as well as a few of the lesser known stories, of which there are many. This collection holds an excellent mix of both, with an amusing and insightful introduction by Rosemary Mahoney, and very informative notes by Gretchen Short. Hawthorne was, and remains, the American master of the dark, psychologically driven tale. I would challenge anyone to read, "Wakefield," "The Gentle Boy," or "The Hollow of the Three Hills" without feeling at least a little frightened and thrilled. These are among Hawthorne's best stories in a handsome new collection. I highly recommend the book.

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, will intreset readers who like romance and drama. In this novel, not only does romance and drama appear, but questions of morals of the characters. Also, the novel discusses the consequences that the characters must go through for their bad choices and mistakes.
Pearl, the child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, was born in jail, when her mother was sentenced for commiting adultury against her husband Roger Chillingworth. Due to her crime, Hester was sentenced to wearing a red scarlet letter A on her chest, and Raising an evil daughter, that refuses to follow the laws.
Pearl as well as the red scarlet letter A is a symbol of wrong doing. Pearl could be described as the scarlet letter in human form. She is a very important character in this novel, she is the person that allows the story to continue. Pearl goes through her life, everyone looking down on her for her parents' crime. The very crime that pushes her father overboard.
Arthur Dimmesdale kept the secret that he was Pearl's father. He didn't want people to know of his sin because he was supposed to be a holy man. The fact that he didn't tell the truth to people, ate him up inside. Finally Dimmesdale admitted to his sin, and thgen died. His part of the story was very real, because if someone keeps a secret for so long they can just burst.
All the events that take place in the novel relate in some manner. Which ends up linking all of the characters together. Hawthorne does a good job of making his characters feel the pain of their mistakes. Each character is trying to overcome their past. Some due to sin, others due to jealousy, and to hatred.
As a result of his jealousy against Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Hester's ex-husband, ends up having a miserable, torturous life. Chillingworth hates the thought that his wife could have had an affair with Dimmesdale. Then when Arthur Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth's life also ends, because he cannot destroy his enemy's life anymore.
In addition to Chillingworth's jealousy and hatred for Dimmesdale, there is also Pearl's hatred for her parents. Pearl hates being blamed for her parents' crime, which leads to her hating them. People looked at Pearl the same way they looked at the scarlet letter, a reminder of adultury and sin against the Puritain faith. Hawthorne was able to link all his characters together with all the events that were taking place in the story.
This novel can affect the reader's emotions and fellings. One minute leaving the reader feel bad for one of the characters, and the next hating them, because of something they did. If a reader finds suspense, romance, and emotional ups and downs interesting they should read this book. However, it might not be recommended for younger readers because, it can be a little hard to follow at sometimes, but overall it is a good book.

I love all of Hawthorne's books but this one was his all time best

I'm a novice storyteller, and I was looking forward to finally hearing the renowned Jim Weiss, especially sharing spooky tales. He does an adequate job voicing the different characters, but I was disappointed at the lack of humor displayed at what could have been comical events. I now know these stories well enough to tell them better myself!

I purchased this CD for my two older children (9 and 11), not sure how well it would go over. We listened to it for the first time in the car on a long trip. It was quite a giggle for everyone! We loved the comic points in the Canterville Ghost story, especially. Mr. Weiss's rendition of one of the characters had my husband and I in stitches - sounding just like Carol Channing.

I have since purchased 6 other Jim Weiss story CD's and my Girl Scouts have begun to request them when going on trips with the troop.

You won't be disappointed.

"Stop Managing, Start Coaching" has some very helpful insights, for example about giving feedback. On the other hand, I felt the authors could have more effectively expressed themselves in terms how coaching and management differ. While the authors suggest that coaching demonstrates more genuine interest and respect for people, they continually identify results of coaching solely in management terms-for example, increased job performance.

I think the authors would have better demonstrated the value of coaching (vs. managing) if they had emphasized that coaching balances the interests of both the coached employee and the employers. Where effective coaching increases the potential, self-actualization, and self esteem of coached people, enhanced performance is one of several by-products of people with increased potential and healthier self esteem. Rather the authors suggest, "Performance coaching is a series of one-on-one exchanges between you and your people. The purpose of each exchange is to help you solve problems, improve performance, or get results." This seems to sound quite similar to traditional command and control management-especially in terms of expressing little of "what's in it for me?" from employee' perspectives.

I think the authors' good ideas would be more evident if presented in a context giving credit to other positive initiatives toward human development. Instead, the authors dismiss the value of research, personality instruments, and leadership profiles and also the value of human resource development efforts. The authors may over generalize management malpractice. While there are many examples of "management malpractice," there are also many conscientious managers trying to do their best for both their companies and their employees. It seems we should be learning from the passion of these conscientious managers and working toward nurturing similar passion in our employees-instead of dismissing these conscientious managers and generalizing them as malpracticing.

While "Stop Managing, Start Coaching" expresses some valuable ideas, I think these effective ideas may be overshadowed lack of respect for and integration into other human development paradigms.

This book is a useful and challenging framework for how to move from managing to coaching. It starts with an overview of "Contributions to Managerial Malpractice", including skills, attitudes and behaviors. Then they move on to explain the concept they call "Performance Coaching". They review the "Eight Elements of the Performance Coaching Process": 1. Developing a new human resource development philosophy. 2. Modularizing training. 3. Creating transfer of learning strategies.

4. Using human resource development professionals as internal consultants responsible for performance management systems. 5. Enhancing employee relations and creating an ownership attitude. 6. Using managers as performance coaches to do training. 7. Creating self-esteeming employees and teams. 8. Identifying reward strategies that motivate employees, improve their commitment, and get results. They use the "Four Phases of Performance Coaching" as a useful framework. 1. Developing a synergistic relationship with employees 2. Using the four roles of performance coaching 3. Developing self-directed and self-esteeming employees 4. Selecting rewards that build commitment and get results.

I believe the framework is useful, but the implementation will still be a challenge. The nuts and bolts "how-to" is left for the reader to figure out.

Published over 10 years ago, this work still has a few interesting tales to tell. Most of the stories and analysis are centered around the Andrew Project, a collaborative effort of IBM and CMU to build a new software and hardware environment for University computing. The project provided an opportunity to perform Human/Computer Interface studies which are discussed throughout.

The book is an interesting look back at history. It has the text from the GNU General Public License from February 1989 and a chapter entitled "Information Wants to be Free." It also show how very lost the computer industry was at that time with regard to computer usability.

There are some war stories here about the cryptic and often dangerous UNIX command line. There are also some rants against the computers of the time (PC MSDOS, Macintosh, etc.) made by folks who made something they thought was better but "weren't getting any respect."

After rereading it recently those few interesting stories were still there but the book's disorganized structure, lack of index, and pedantic style haven't aged well. Those interested in HCI are better advised to read anything by Donald Norman, or any of the other excellent books written recently on HCI or cognative psychology.

Once upon a time, "Programming as if People Mattered" might be mentioned in the same article as books like "The Design of Everyday Things." Alas, unlike wine, even excellent software design books do not age well.

Whereas "The Design of Everyday Things" has been updated and refined, this book is stuck in 1991. Many of the insights of the book are excellent, but there's a lot of material that is simply no longer relevant. I can only recommend this book to people who are willing to look past the pedantic style, occasional irrelevancies, and evaluations of decade old technology. I'd recommend Alan Cooper's book The Inmates are Running the Asylum instead, though that has its own problems.

If you can look past the obvious defects, there's a lot here for readers interested in user interface design. It's all anecdotal, but it's squares well with other quantitative works.

If you got this far in the review, there's a lot in the book to reward you for looking past the obvious defects. The primary source for Borenstein is his work on Andrew, a large Carnegie-Mellon University project, which, for various reasons, was reduced to a footnote in the history of computing.

One of the most notable observations a reader will make of the book is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Many topics are just as relevant today as they were in 1991. For instance, his discussions on standards still offer insight. Part one starts us off on the basic problems of user interface design, and the chasm between regular users and programmers. Cooper offers a similar analysis, though the tone here is a lot more constructive.

The title of part 2, "The Dark Night of the Soul: The State of the Art in UI design" is a misnomer -- its real focus is the various people involved in UI design, including the HCI folks, programmers, and "the men in suits." Those familiar with the players can skip it. Much of this ground is covered in other books. If you always wondered why you can't get the cool toys from the MIT Media Lab articles, this explains why. The analysis of programmers is similar to Cooper, but with much less inflammatory tone. You can get the analysis of the management role anywhere - though his comments on them in the next section are excellent.

Part three is the meat. Borenstein gives us the benefit of his experience, with his "10 Commandments of user interface design." These are most excellent, and worth the price of admission. There's a few that feel like he might have been grasping a bit to reach the requisite 10, but that's a minor quibble. Most of the advice here is still valid, and you can easily think of modern software that could have benefited from this commentary.

Part 4 is everything else. Mostly, it contains introductory primers on development techniques, usability study, and project planning. Oddly, there's a strong chapter on the fundamental flaws in computer science education (circa 1991) that will ring true for many educated in that period.

I would love to see an updated version of this book. Much of Borenstein's advice still holds true, and a second edition could bring this wisdom to the development community. In the meantime, use the advice of part 3, and program as if people matter.

Some of the reviews seem hung up on the "dated" quality of the examples. I think you need to look past this to see the underlying principles. For example, there is a chapter called "The quest for the perfect line editor". The example given is the change from line editors like ed to full screen editors like vi. The underlying principle is difficulty people have in accepting change. Or, the following quote "It may help to think of the user community as being like a preschool full of screaming three-year-olds. One doesn't have to rush to respond every time one of them cries a little bit, as crying is entirely natural for young children. But if some of all of the children begin to wail frequently, something is probably wrong and an investigation is warranted. If what they're all crying is "I want a cookie," that doesn't necessarily mean you should give them all cookies, but you might consider making them a healthy lunch to meet the underlying real need." Excellent advice, and a universal principle, from a chapter called "Listen to your users, but ignore what they say".

I was extremely disappointed in this book. The only memorable parts were those written by Prechtel. The rest is a confusing mismash of undeveloped personalities and poorly described events. I'm amazed that Tarn has such a reputation!

...I was surprised to see a sweeping endorsement by Octavio Pazon the back cover... Imagine my disappointment upon finding the simpleblack and white maps to be the most illustrative content in this work in progress. This reader had the sense of being dumped for the first time [as if from a Stargate] into some abstract world that makes little sense. There is no introduction. While the authors want to be informative, the jumbled chaos of random events is difficult to follow. The accounts of various adventures comprise an odd catalog of short tales that are entertaining. They are revealing of simple daily life in a small village facing the demons of technology and modernization....it has some academic pretensions and at other times seems a personal essay or an abstract poetic impression. The writing seems like a translation from an older text in a different language. Some of the political commentaries are redundant . The subtitle of this book is "Shamans and Priests on Lake Atitlan" - it might better be called "Reflections on the disintegration of traditional Atitican culture and folkways."... Students of Guatemalan history, and Mayan ethnographics scholars may find the descriptions of rituals and the dictionary of Tzutujil Maya and Spanish terms a welcome addition. I would like to see an improved second edition, but don't anticipate a market for it.

In a word, "Scandals in the House of Birds: Shamans and Priests on Lake Atitlan" is among the most remarkable ethnographies that I have read. Written by one of anthropology's and poetry's leading innovators, Nathaniel Tarn, the book is at the cutting edge in ethnographic representation. It reflects the author's nearly five decades of scholarly dedication to the Tz'utujil Mayan town of Santiago Atitlan, and demonstrates the craftsmanship of a master poet and writer.

The book is largely an exploration of the enchanted entanglements surrounding a local deity, the notorious god Maximon. In so doing, it spans from a time when deities walked a mythological landscape, to the 1990s, when the all too real grim reapers of the Guatemalan army prowl about. Along the journey, the reader is introduced to contemporary Mayan shamans, and also to Martin Prechtel, a fascinating Euroamerican who held a high religious position in the town during one of the author's stays. (It merits note that the book offers a far more grounded version of Prechtel's tenure in Atitlan than that found in Prechtel's own published account.) Although "Scandals in the House of Birds" is written entirely by Nathaniel Tarn, he graciously cites Prechtel as a contributor of substantial information and experience.

Underlying much of the book is a 1950s "sacred crime" when Maximon's wooden head was stolen by Catholic priests, found its way to a major European museum, and eventually was returned to the town, largely through the joint efforts of Tarn and Prechtel. With that drama providing a backdrop, Tarn intersperses myths about Maximon and other regional Mayan deities, discusses the roles played by Prechtel and himself in the town, all the while tying in considerable cultural data. Of particular note is the book's innovative multivocality. Most of the book's chapters are devoted to particular historical or mythological incidents, for instance the birth of Maximon. Tarn breaks the narration into its significant episodes and then presents side by side versions of the episode narrated by such individuals as Weep Wizard, Loincloth, Prechtel, or the author himself.

As with any innovative, dare I say experimental, ethnography, "Scandals in the House of Birds" demands the reader's attention. Despite its multi-layered complexity the reader never feels overwhelmed, but instead is carried along by the book's surprises and innovations. The book should have wide appeal to students and scholars of Latin America, to anthropologists and to writers, as well as to those interested native peoples and their cultures.

Robert S. Carlsen

If you have no patience for reading-don't try this one

I call this esential because it provides a view of Hawthorne that one may not usually see. Fanshawe was his first work, the rest in this collection comprise some of his last. Dolliver, Septimius, and the Ancestral Footstep all involve a scientist (or seeker) character involved in the discovery of a secret "Elixir of Life" that has been past through generations and serves as a link between Europe and the New World. --This is a horribly vague review of fantastic works.-- Hawthorne never completely finished either of the latter three, but all are rather complete as distinct versions of similar storylines. This was rare for Hawthorne to not finish a work. Most works he was able to plan out so well before he started writing that he only needed one main draft to complete the romance. As he grew older, Hawthorne became increasingly concerned with the bounds of life. He attempted to contemplate these ideas in the above works. If you enjoy or study Hawthorne, I highly recommend this book. And when your done, look for Dr. Grimshawe's secret.

This book was recommended to me as a tale similar to the Velveteen Rabit tale. I purchased it with that in mind to read to my first graders. Now, I understand the need for reading elements and plots to carry the reader to imaginary worlds. I am not an advocate of strict censorship because a book has one or two "bad words" in it. Nor am I a "goody-two-shoes". Having said that, I would highly discourage teachers reading this book in their classroom. I did not preview the book before I read it, which taught me a valuable lesson. I ended up previewing every line before I read it orally to my students. My children were very bored! This book is anything but appropriate for 4-8 year olds. The wording is very elaborate. It celebrates witchcraft when it implies that although the witch had evil intentions, she had fun doing it. Toward the end of the book, the girl who is the object of the scarecrow's affection goes to the witch. The witch tells her that, "All people in love are wizards and witches." Why did the author have to put that in the book? It has nothing to do with the story! The theme of the story is that all things can become real if you love them. This story has a very odd way of getting to that point. The book is too long and very much over a 4-8 year old's vocabulary. If the book was intended for young children, it story should have been met with sensitivity and discretion. I am very disappointed that such a good moral was ruined by the story's characters, events, and thoughts implied in it.

This is a delightful book, not the least because of its beautiful pictures. The wording is imaginative and evocative, and the story is based on a piece by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Its magical theme lets children indulge their natural penchant for imagination and the world of "what if...!" A thoroughly charming tale about a "charmed" gentleman who started life in a most unusual way.

Hawthorne uses a lot of symbolism and themes, most of which he over-uses. His sentences last for paragraphs, and his style is so sophisticated it gave me headaches to read it. If you want something to put you to sleep, this is it. Ow. I personally disliked the book and I would rather eat my gym socks than read it over again. Booorrring!!!!!!

The Scarlett Letter is a wonderfully written novel, that encompasses the Puritan life in the early settlement of New England. The main characters in the book are Hester Prynne, Rev. Dimmsdale, Pearl, and the haughty physician Roger. The scandal in the novel is adultery. A sin that takes a hold of all the characters in one way or another. Love and truth are the few things the characters can trust. Isolation is also a great part of the novel and with each turning of a page Hester's strength empowers the reader to hold that tear let the heart remain strong...for ourselves and for Hester.

This rich, beautiful tale of forbidden love is possibly the best book I have ever read. It is filled with rich detail and fascinating symbolism. It left me in tears and in awe.