"Co-operacy", say the authors, "is a word we coined to describe the technology of collective or consensus decision making as distinct from democracy or autocracy. By technology we mean beliefs, values, methods, processes and techniques that enable collective decision making to work successfully"

The authors say that their purpose in this book is 'to explore and develop ways in which working together co-operatively as peers can become easier, more effective and more accessible'. They succeed. It is well structured to open and address important questions about working in relationship, and it contains useful tools and exercises to help to develop cooperative working. Perhaps the main virtue of the book is its simplicity and directness.

The three parts first lay out the underlying ideas, then explore the relationships within which a peer approach can be applied and finally offer over 60 exercises designed to help in developing peer partnerships.

The underlying belief on which their processes are based is that 'the best decisions for social organisation are made by involving everyone affected by the decision'. There are very strong parallels between the philosophies and processes that they advocate and those that are necessary to successful search conferences (see authors like Weisbord "Discovering Common Ground' and Bunker and Alban 'Large Group Interventions'). The difference is that Hunter and her colleagues are exploring how widely these beliefs and processes can be used across the whole range of decision making and interaction.

I enjoyed Mrs. Taylor's novel very much. It was an easy to read easy going romance tale. The story was believeable. Mrs. Taylor wrote from the heart. She must be a woman who understands romance and love. She writes in such an easy to read style. The book can be easily read in a short time. I don't want to give away the story,because I like surprise endings. I'll just say I love romances that end up happily ever after.

Interesting book in which a team of researchers described their look deep into and experiences with apes. This team of researchers shows the social, psychological and behavioral apects of Apes and how they set them apart from another animals and humans, as well as how they are similar to humans.

Although I preferred Anne Russon's "Orangutans : Wizards of the Rain Forest", I would think this book would be interesting for anyone with interests in human and animal psychology. This book takes a much more in-depth look at the apes' psychology than Russon's "Wizards of the Rain Forest" book.

I was throughly disappointed in reading this book. The author's amateur capabilities in the area of horses was evident in the inaccurate description of riding terms. The dressage references were especially annoying to read and detracted from any enjoyment of the description of the rider. I would prefer to have my money than this book taking up space on my book shelves.

Holly Menino has a fluid writing style that is a delight to read. Although she may not have a complete grasp of all riding terms (which reviewer Irene found objectionable), readers who are advanced enough riders to notice her slips will, for the most part, also be mature enough understand that amateur rider Menino is not writing a technical text. It is the connections that develop between horse and rider that are of interest to her, and what drives the riders competing at the upper levels. Although I've moved on to another career, I was a professional rider, coach and trainer for 15 years. I found the book very enjoyable and have recommended it to a wide variety of people.

I highly recommend the book. It is easy to read, letting you into the highest levels of competitive riding. Its the story beyond the statistics. It lets you get to know the rider and riding philosophy with just the right amount of detail. I feel like I was really inside the rider's world for a few crucial minutes.

I would recommend this book to any young child, although it naturally wouldn't spark the imagination of older readers. A young child would like because it is fun and fast paced and the fun never lets up. An example is in chapter 7 when Robbie wanders off and Shane has to find him. "As Shane reached the marsh, a low growl startled him. He was staring at a small wildcat. Once again Shane's blood ran cold." They would just like to read it. Another exiting part is when the alligator gets on the boat. "The alligators mouth was wide open". Older audiences would prefer it for young people. Older readers prefer thick books.

The story was a interesting story. The setting of the story was a few years ago in the Louisiana swamps. The main characters in the book were Captain Thunder, Shane and Cochran..My favorite pat of the book was when the captain was telling Cochran a scary story and then the crocodile tried to bite the captain and Cochran. I would recommend this book to younger children 7-10 because the book is not very long, it just has around 60 pages, that's why it's good for older children.

This book seemed like a glimpse of someone's hectic everyday life. I am amazed I finished it. I enjoyed the author's writing style (some great imagery and thought connections) but the story never amounted to anything. The characters seemed like aquaintences-I knew some details of their lives but I never really cared about them or about getting to know them. The relationships of the main character (her name escapes me) were of interest at first, but again never amount to much. Her relationships with women were strong, her relationship with her husband, disconcerting. The book felt like it was building to something but it never peaked. Can I assume this is the author's comment on life?

If I were to turn back time, I wouldn't read this book but would pick up another by this author. I will consider reading other work of hers in the future.

I agree with readers who feel Phillips' short fiction is superior, and I did feel the dialogue really sank at times. Also, I couldn't get over the time setting of the book--if Kate is 31, but she was in grade school when Kennedy was shot, does the book take place in the late 80s? If so, why? That said, I still deeply enjoyed the book. The prose is luminous, the plot is quiet and more a meditation than a traditional narrative, and I find that all perfectly acceptable. Despite the book's flaws, I couldn't stop reading or wanting to return to Kate's world.

I found this novel to be extremely moving and luminous. Like all great art, the book takes great risks to achieve its emotionality: it draws on and transforms "real-life" and it even risks what would be in lesser hands sentimentality. The protagonist is a shrewd and funny, yet Phillips doesn't waste our time with a character who uses humor to push away feelings; instead, the novel embraces even the painful responses and arrives at insights that took my breath away.

Reading this was like reading two different books. One was a retrospective of the women's movement from the '50s to the '90s. It didn't capture my interest, and in fact I sped through several chapters only half paying attention. The other, and far more compelling book within a book, was Ms. Fleming's late-in-life quest to become a mother. I felt her anguish with each failed procedure and rooted her on even though I knew the outcome. I wish she had stuck to that instead of more or less blaming feminism for her delayed maternal instincts. All in all, a good read, but not great for that reason.